Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Christian College, WHAT?
Hey Everyone, THe annual SCA/ODK auction will be held next Thursday, March 6th at11:00 am during convo. We will be auctioning off fun things likerounds of golf, trips to the tanning bed, intellectual dinners withyour favorite teachers, boy and girl dates, speedo car washes...andMUCH MUCH MORE!!! ;) So don't forget to come and bring your moneybecause we WILL hunt you down until you pay us!!! Besides what couldbe better than a little fun and some convo credit all at the sametime? The money from the auction will actually be going to the JanetAlexander Memorial Scholarship for students, the betterment of ODK andSCA in numerous ways so that we can give back to you the Erskinecommunity, and hopefully to the students themselves via activites,funds, and services. Every year we have topped the year before so Iwant all of you to be there to make this the best one yet!! We areexcited to have our own beloved Jason Nussbaum as our auctioneer soget ready to spend some MOOLAH!! Hope everyone has a good rest of theweek and see you next Thursday!Sincerely,AShlee LaFontaine (ODK President)Philip Bunch (SCA President)
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1 comment:
Hi,
I realize that sometimes ignorance should not warrant a response. However, as you used the particular name of students that you associate with and use to push your ludicrous ideas in your article, I felt I must respond. First, it is crazy to think that you can criticize so thoroughly a school to which you can only have outside knowledge, as I am sure you could not have attended it yourself. Second, you talk of your Christian ideals and opinions, yet you use such judgement and scathing comments about many things for which you do not have all the facts. In fact, I believe that in the Bible (which is one of the many things that I learned much about in our required core classes such as New and Old Testament)it states that you do not have the authority to make such scathing, unbalanced judgements (some even based on what I am sure can only be third-party gossip). I believe judgement is reserved for that one person who alone we know has the power to use it properly and justly. I do not know you personally, thus I can only respond to your written words and opinions that you have posted for the whole world to see on your blogs. In order to be better informed; however, I have read every single one of your posts. There is no doubt that on several occasions it became very hard for me to even finish your posts, as many of them seemed so off-base, unfounded, prejudiced, overly simplified, arrogant, condescending, redundant, or even just a plain regurgitation of others’ facts and informed beliefs (to name a few).
You have so many articles with facts and figures, criticizing schools, education systems, teachers, and particular people for the failures of our city, state, or countries in teaching its young. Yet, it seems highly ironic and hypocritical that you can attack the failings of others without looking at your own mistakes (specifically at times when it comes to the actual physical nature of your blogs and your errors in grammar, syntax, and spelling). I realize people make mistakes and I am not conceited enough to believe that my writing is perfection, but when it comes to stating your opinions on others educational abilities, I would first make sure that my writing was free of those very errors that I am complaining about. In fact, I would like to help you by saying that future is actually spelled F-U-T-U-R-E and if your education system and teaching has failed you as the South Carolina system you say has failed others; if all else fails, you can always resort to the unfailing Microsoft Word spell check.
In response to commentary on Erskine, I must say you seem to have your facts very twisted. I will not condescend to say that I absolutely love everything about Erskine and it is a utopia, but it is actually a great place to attend college. Yes, I have complained about Erskine and there are things I do not like about the school, but there is no perfect college or campus in the United States, or in the world for that fact. Every place has problems (some that may be out of their control) and the rules of life say that nothing is perfect, but we can only condemn people or places on those things that they are guilty of beyond the reason of doubt and with concrete evidence. Believe me; having been a member of Erskine’s Judicial Council, I know how hard it is to get straight facts and to make an informed opinion looking from the outside inward. However, we cannot convict or judge based on a clutter of facts and rumors or of someone’s twisted and emotional, biased opinions. Firstly, Erskine is a Christian college and does much to push that agenda, but its reaches go only go so far. Erskine cannot discriminate against the students it accepts into its school based on religion, thus not everyone who goes to the college will be a Christian or even a believer in anything at all (and that is beyond the schools control to deal with by law). Do not fault it for being a campus that promotes understanding and tolerance of everyone, regardless of religion or lack thereof (as that is something each person must deal with on their own and face up to when it comes their time). The opinion that Erskine allows drinking at any age is completely unfounded. Erskine consists of individuals of all degrees of morality and tries to control the best it can, when they know about it, those who drink underage. Nevertheless, let us remember that the drinking age is a manmade law and not a divine one, as college age students would be old enough in most other countries. In addition, I can recall an incidence in the past year where the school warned a student about alcohol consumption at their house and then, the student was subsequently expelled for allowing the underage abuse of alcohol to continue at their off-campus housing. In a move that most students felt was encroaching on personal rights, the school even went so far as to tell athletes that if they were in a picture with alcohol in places, such as Facebook, that they could be suspended from their sport. Consequently, Erskine followed through with their threat by suspending many athletes that same year by actively searching through their profiles. I am not sure where you get your information from about Erskine allowing this behavior, whether it is personal experience or your family member, but I feel either you or they have been severely misinformed. I am sorry to hear about the problems that they had with their teachers and if true, they are grave allegations, but every school is bound to have its problems and some similar to the ones you have mentioned. Clemson may have helped solve this problem that for some reason Erskine did not respond to, but then again Erskine is a smaller, more tight-knit school where students are more likely to interact with their teachers intimately. I, myself, have had dinner at several teachers, staff, or administrators' houses who may have connections with the school. If this means the school must have tighter regulations on this sort of thing, then so be it, but do not condemn a whole school for the lapses of a few who the school may or may not have known about. As you discussed, the school dealt with, dismissed, or disciplined those it has known about in the past who have transgressed whether willing or unwilling in the past. I feel that one of the best teachers I have ever had and who taught me so much that you called ‘Rachel’ was unfairly dismissed and a great teacher who fell at the hands of a sometimes overly conservative school. However, despite what I think, I made the commitment to attend a conservative Christian school and I take all the good and bad (within reason) that comes with my decision to pay the money to go to school and to choose to attend Erskine every day.
In regards to your claims about the yearbook, I also have a few statements. I helped as editor of the yearbook and as a member of the staff for several years. The students picked that category as one of their superlatives and the girl within the photo made an informed and personal decision to appear in the book in her bathing suit. A bathing suit that can be seen at the ERSKINE POOL, any Erskine lawn in the summertime, at the rocks, Erskine Beach, or any other beach in all of America. It is funny that you should not name this girl or guy yet you name other unsuspecting and blameless students in other articles discrediting them and their institution. You forget that most of these “kids” are full-blown adults aging from 18 to probably their mid-twenties and if they have not seen someone in a bathing suit then God help them. A yearbook is a catalogue of personal student memories at events that may or may not be sanctioned by the school. The pictures are ones sent by those who took them and who want to share their memories with their fellow students. Over half the school (juniors and above) are 21 or older. All are legal adults. The school can be a Christian college by showing confidence in its leaders decision-making abilities and puts faith in its students by placing heads of organizations in full power of their organizations and not by being a tyrannical, big brother who edits everything to their liking before it is made public to the full student body. I believe that type of school would be considered on its way to a communist or dictatorship-like existence. I also feel that constantly blaming the school and calling it un-Christian is in itself an un-Christian act and completely trite and overly simplistic. Erskine cannot control the actions of all its students like little marionettes, but it can get rid of those bad apples that do cause disturbances as I have seen it do firsthand in the past. In fact, I am proud that I have seen Erskine give one of these individuals a second chance, as forgiveness and understanding are completely and utterly Christian ideals. This person took their second chance and proved everyone wrong (including myself) to work twice as hard at everything they did and to make themselves a better person for their experience and their salvation.
Then you say and I quote, “I cannot for the life of me understand how Erskine College or any other College for that matter could every possible call their educational institution a Christian College and tolerate such behavior as putting on car washes in Speedos, and actuation [sic] off dates.” The blog that you put up in reference to this auction was an email sent out to the school so you must have used your family member or some other contact to procure it for you I am guessing. If I am wrong in my supposition then I apologize. However, the point is that your thoughts on this subject anger me the most as you have included my name in this personally. It seems to me your ideas on appropriateness and tolerance are archaic. If you have never been to an auction, then I must tell you that they are often used to promote a fun atmosphere and to raise money for causes that may not be able to otherwise. The school has held this auction every year and it targets an audience of college students who often only have a little bit of extra cash. This fundraiser also targeted students using things people of their age might want or find funny or interesting. All the society’s members were instructed to have people volunteer objects for the fundraiser. In such a small town, it is very hard to convince businesses to donate big objects, thus the members must make do with what they can. I was turned down by every business that I asked to donate items to the auction. However, when you are charged with helping to provide a scholarship for foreign students who might not otherwise be able to afford to attend your college, you do what you can to make it happen and to be extremely successful. Teachers were often approached as students often relished the chance to have positive interaction with their teachers outside of the rigors of the classroom. On such an intimate campus, students often would donate lots of money to have “group” dinners with their favourite staff member or professor, procure baked goods from students or professors, to attain dates with students who have donated themselves to a good cause, or to even have their car washed by someone in a Speedo (an idea by the person who said they would wash the car) if they so desired. In a small college or town such as Erskine and Due West, almost all of the students, staff, and teachers know each other by name, face, or have at least heard of the individual's persona. Most of the people auctioning dates had significant others or friends who were already set to buy them. The Speedo car wash was actual a friendly jest between two friends who settled the arrangement between themselves but offered the item as a joke. I can tell you that I am certain the car wash ended up being Speedo-less for the sheer absurdity and silliness of the request. These were supposed to be fun or funny items designed to induce students to want to come to the auction and more importantly just to spend money to donate to the scholarship, which was the reason most of them bought the items in the first place. In fact, in the same paragraph in which you condemn this behaviour as unholy (without all the facts or background that an outsider like you simply put down in words to have misconstrued by the public I may add), you spread un-Christian-like gossip and rumors or personal information that is none of your business with the same breath. However, I believe that charity, helping your fellow man, promoting unity in diversity, and having harmless fun are all very Christian-like traits. I cannot convey to you the depths of anger I felt at the self-righteousness of this article and the fact that you used my email to further your wayward criticisms and rants. Then to include Philip’s name is a further outrage. Because by condemning the things in this message in order to make your case against Erskine, you condemn my leadership, attack my faith and credibility, and in a sense attack me as a person for which I will not stand especially by someone so uninformed about these activities. You take so literally to heart activities that were meant to be fun and inspire unity and in the same breadth lump those things in with what you consider Erskine’s other condemning sins.
Lastly, I think it is appropriate to begin this paragraph by saying that the items that garnered some of the most money usually involved Dr. Ruble. If this is not clear enough, then I should say that I consider Dr. Ruble as one of the best and most caring people to preside at Erskine. He is held in high regards by so many and does his best to do what he can for the students with the resources he has and with the ability and help that he is given. I know the board and school system may not always agree or be able to let him do all that he would like to for the school and its occupants, but I believe that Ruble does the best he can and is one of the most successful presidents the school has seen. I have had so many interactions with Dr. Ruble, not because I actively seek him out, but because he cares so much for the campus. So many times, he came into the lunchroom or the gym and would talk to everyone in there. So many times he came to every athletic event, watching and wishing everyone good luck. Being only one man and an aged one at that I was always amazed how he seemed to be everywhere at once. I am not saying he is perfect either, as he will well admit to you if you ever met him in person, but he is a humble and well-meaning man. I personally have a friend who is a single mother and who thought after she left junior year would not be able to graduate. However, Dr. Ruble and others helped her regain her scholarship after having her child and she graduated only a semester after she was scheduled to while attending classes, working, and raising her son. She was garnered a job in the meal hall and as a housekeeper in one of the dorms and she has never once complained about her job or never having been made to not feel a part of the Erskine family. On the contrary, she still feels a blessed part of Dr. Ruble and his extended family and could not have done it without the help of so many at the college.
I feel perhaps this response is too lengthy and an over-reaction, but it is my honest and true opinion. My first reaction was to write out of anger and to be honest I cannot say that all of it was written complacently, but I mean every word of it. I am deeply hurt by the remarks made about something that I worked so hard to make successful and that took so long to organize and put together for our school. That auction raised almost twice as much as the previous year and allowed us to almost double the amount of scholarship given on behalf of the Janet Alexander Memorial. You kept my name as well as Philip’s on the email that was meant only for the eye of the school and its staff, so that you could put down our efforts and in the process of doing so, the school as well. I only hope you take some of this heart and put a little more thought and background into future opinions and blogs as well as to whom those blogs may affect. As it is very late, I hope my ideas come across coherent enough. Thank you for your time and for listening to my opinions on the matter. God bless.
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