Cosmopolitan article should call students to action
Letter to the Editor
At Saint Mary's College, many of the proud new owners of the March 2001 Cosmopolitan magazine were seen flipping to the first page of the "Danger in the Dorm" article, reading the section about the Saint Mary's College rape victim and closing the magazine or flipping to a different section.
True, Saint Mary's College does not get much publicity. It is exciting that the name of the school was mentioned in such a well-known magazine such as Cosmopolitan. However, the article serves not to commend the school but to degrade the safety and moral character of the Saint Mary's and Notre Dame campuses. All over the nation, prospective students are getting the message: Saint Mary's College and Notre Dame are not supportive of rape victims.
I applaud the writers of Cosmopolitan for actually covering an important issue. However, I would like to challenge the members of the Saint Mary's, Notre Dame and Holy Cross student bodies not to simply close the magazine, but to use the article to call administrative attention to the deranged state of student welfare that is being broadcast to the nation.
What would make you listen to the information provided at the beginning of the year about campus attacks? What should be done to promote safety on our campuses?
Our schools have just been insulted and rightly so, by a major publication to which many prospective students subscribe. As the student body, it is our responsibility to insist on change. With the voice we have been given let us rally behind the women of our schools and protect them from the negligence of campus policy.
Becky Shepkowski
freshman
Holy Cross Hall
February 21, 2001
All Viewpoint Stories for Friday, February 23, 2001
