Did Anthony Rapp
represent Rainbow?
After having read the article about Anthony Rapp's presentation as a part of Rainbow Week, I feel that one major issue should be addressed. As quoted in Thursday's paper, I was enamored of his presence and the retelling of his experiences. He added a really personal dimension to "Rent" as both a rock opera and a memoir. But Anthony did a disservice to the efforts of Rainbow Week.
Toward the beginning of the evening, he acknowledged that he primarily travels to speak purely about "Rent" and show business, not about being gay in the entertainment industry. It seems like he gave his generic speech and did not cater to the specialized subject of this presentation. Overall, I think that "Rent"-lovers and hopeful actors who went to Harris 107 found his speech fulfilling. Yet I would have liked to hear more about Rapp's experiences as being gay in show business (or about his reactions to some of the objections about the subject matter of "Rent").
When addressed with this complex question by an audience member, he nonchalantly said that it didn't have a big effect. He could have offered a more elaborate answer! While Anthony's star power filled the room, his failure to cater to Rainbow Alliance's mission really disappointed those who were looking for more than "Rent" anecdotes.
- Lauren Jaffe
Weinberg freshman
Why doesn't Senate
listen to NU students?
I am a senior and have been an ASG senator for two and a half years. One thing has remained constant in that time: ASG's inability to convince the wider campus that it is more than just a bureaucratic headache, but rather a collection of students with the ear of the administration and the ability to effect change and help improve the lives of students all over campus.
Perhaps campus doesn't believe this claim because it isn't true. In a typical but still tragic series of meetings starting last Wednesday and continuing until this past one, student group leaders pled with Senate to make LAB (now called SLT) pertinent and helpful to the leaders who are required (under pain of de-recognition) to attend. What they received from Senate in answer to these requests was indifference and disrespect. Current president of College Republicans and OASIS James D'Angelo came to speak to Senate to share with them his frustrations as a student group leader who had attended this program a number of times. His insights and concerns fell on deaf ears and twice last Wednesday night weren't even allowed to be voiced. The week before his motion for amendments to Senates mandates for LAB were postponed because the event had not taken place yet and was promised to be better than in years past. When SLT occurred and did not stand up to these promises, D'Angelo came in again to reiterate these concerns.
This past week, he was not allowed to speak under the parliamentary ruling that his motion last week was too similar - never mind the fact that the promise made to him was broken. His second motion addressing the time limit on SLT was treated little better. After one round of debate, nearly 15 minutes of questions and clear objections to ending debate on the part of some senators and student group leaders (myself included), Senate voted to silence the matter and brush this irritation under the rug yet again. Lucky they have those handy constitutional rules open to broad interpretation to allow them to escape the wrath of unhappy students.
Perhaps you think this is just one occasion of Senate's high-handed, aloof refusal to address actual issues in favor of focusing on obsolete, minute organizational principles? Think again. Earlier in this same meeting, seven members were elected to the Student Activities Finance Board without even hearing speeches from a single candidate. Then half an hour was spent arguing as to how we can mandate that student group leaders complete a survey to make sure that these same account executives, who had just been elected by the senators voting for a white ballot (meaning that no speeches or debate were held), are being held accountable to Senate. I guess no one thought looking at the faces or hearing the words of these candidates was an appropriate and already available method of maintaining accountability, or perhaps, as busy Northwestern students, they are just happy to pass along these time-consuming principles to someone else, such as student group leaders, to follow and cut corners themselves; after all no one likes a long meeting.
- Cassie Witten
Weinberg senior
ASG senator, A&O
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