The times are changing at YSU

The times are changing at YSU

The student who was robbed at gunpoint recently in YSU’s M-2 parking deck is just the latest in a string of incidents this semester at YSU. The shooting near campus that left a student dead, plus two consecutive bomb threats without informing the students, make you wonder if outsiders will get the impression that YSU is starting to pick up the reputation of the rest of the city.

I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in December. The last time I was at YSU was on Jan. 6, when I picked up my diploma. In the time I was at YSU, beginning in Fall 2003, the only incident similar to this I can recall was the student who was caught with a loaded gun on campus a year or two ago. In the first semester since I graduated, there have been four incidents.

It’s bad enough that Youngstown was known as “Murdertown, USA.” YSU has long been the exception to the rule, as it has its own police force patrolling in and around campus, in addition to the city police helping out. I know what the real Youngstown is like. Just in the past year, I’ve met Jim Traficant, Mayor Jay Williams, and Defend Youngstown founder Phil Kidd — all through my professors at YSU. But the news stories about these incidents at YSU make you wonder.

Personally, I know that YSU is a safe campus. But what about outsiders? I’ve heard of people as close as East Liverpool who decided against going to YSU because of the perceived environment of the rest of the city. What about Pennsylvania residents like myself, who YSU is courting for students? YSU needs to do something or its enrollment, which has just now gotten back to their early 1980s levels, will be all for naught. Which will mean cutbacks and tuition hikes. And the last thing Youngstown needs is more layoffs.

Joseph Gerard, New Castle, Pa.

The Ship of State runs aground

She was christened in 1776, the USS America. She was destined to be the greatest ship to ever sail. Like the great Titanic, she was a “ship of dreams.” Mighty was her structure, fashioned from the blood, sweat, and tears of men of courage, integrity, and honor.

Created in the minds of men to last forever, she set out on her maiden voyage. George Washington was selected as her first captain, but her most important selection was her navigator and this post was filled by God Almighty. She would make many voyages and traverse a number of angry and troubled seas, but with God as her navigator, the sure and true course corrections were always made.

No one is quite sure when exactly it happened — some believe it was sometime in the 1950s when they put their navigator ashore. We have technology now to guide us, they said, why do we need a navigator? Anyway, this ship is unsinkable. For a little while the great ship stayed on course, but slowly, year by year, she strayed further and further off.

Eventually, she came to the ice field of danger where she would meet her destiny. The first berg she struck, with a frightening and deadly crash, was called abortion, then came one called lust, then addiction. As she sailed on, the tainted waters of moral decay ate away at her once indestructible hull. Finally, she hit the iceberg that would spell her doom. It was called greed. This one brought all hands on deck.

As the passengers from steerage and first class gathered together, they discovered that along with the navigator, the lifeboats had been put ashore. Distress calls were sent out, but the final entry in her log said all there was to say: “She was the greatest ship to ever sail, she simply lost her way.”

Larry B. Shively, Niles

The naive get eaten for lunch

This is an open letter to all those naive under 60 aged people out there who say the era of the labor union is past. Those folks had the idea that all the benefits, such as the 40 hour work week, time and a half for over eight hours, vacations, health care, pensions, safe working conditions and other benefits, were won and we didn’t need to worry about those things any more.

Well guess what, the big money people haven’t given up. They were waiting for the right moment to pounce on all those benefits and wipe them out with one swipe of the pen. All the blood, sweat, and tears of my father’s generation and my generation put into gaining a respectable life for the working person can be gone in an instant, and these politicians are doing it right in front of our eyes.

I am 84 years old and it won’t harm me much, but those younger folks are going to get a hard lesson in reality. It all started with President Reagan firing the aircraft controllers. After that the companies convinced us we needed to give concessions for the health of the company. Now we are giving concessions for the health of the country. Greedy people are like hogs at the feed bin. Never turn your back or they will eat you for lunch.

Donald Renzenbrink, Poland