OPINION
Editor's Letter: New chief, new challenges
By Lindsay Rittenhouse | Apr. 8, 2015I am pleased to announce that Mary Marshall has been elected Editor in Chief of The Setonian for the 2015-16 academic year. I have worked with Mary since she joined the news team as a freshman staff writer when I was a sophomore editor, so I know firsthand how talented, dedicated and ambitious she is. While I was News Editor that first year, Mary volunteered for every last-minute story we needed covered by a staff writer. I can remember saying, “Oh no, we need someone at such and such event in an hour, call Mary!” She also would come in on production nights and help with InDesign (the program we use to put the newspaper pages together). I was so impressed that a freshman could figure out how to fix a layout or system problem that no senior editor could. So when she joined the editorial team, I knew she would make a perfect teammate, and I was not disappointed. The next year we worked side by side as News Editor and Assistant News Editor. That year Mary became my right-hand man and a very good friend here at Seton Hall. From covering the Jessica Moore murder trials in Newark (and getting our car towed while there) to almost walking out of production together one night, we have always had each other’s backs. From there Mary took over the news section and has made it into a professional, reliable source for campus news. She has realized the need for stories that inform the community and not just complain about our university. Now I am so thrilled to be passing on the position of Editor in Chief to her. Mary seriously does not love anything on this campus more than the newspaper. I am almost positive she would jump in front of a train to save a copy of it. I have never met someone who has been more loyal and dedicated to something than she is toward this newspaper. Mary plans on holding the Setonian to high standards of integrity and professionalism and I know she will succeed in that. She is a great leader, friend and journalist and I am sure that leading The Setonian is just one of the many great things she will do in her career and life.
Women should be celebrated more in US
By Amanda Boyer | Mar. 26, 2015Over Spring Break, I reconnected with my high school journalism teacher. She has been my role model since my junior year of high school, over four years ago. When I think of times when I felt inspired by her, I always remember her telling me about her collegiate years. She said very few women went to college, graduated and then got jobs. She worked in the field before deciding to inspire students in high school. Today I am proud to be a part of the generation that is breaking the glass ceiling. As I reflected on this, I remembered scrolling through Instagram one Sunday earlier this month. Women my age and older were posting pictures with other women and inspiring quotes about determination and aspirations they have for the past, present and future. Soon I realized that Sunday, March 8, was International Women’s Day. Why did I not know about this day before? According to internationalwomensday.com, it is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women of past and future generations. Specifically, this year marked the 104th observance of International Women’s Day. Until now, it has never crossed my mind to look up what this day is about and why we recognize the achievements of women in this way. When I asked my friends that posted about it how they found out about Women’s Day, they told me how they found out about it online and in class discussions. As I thought more about it, I found it more and more absurd that it was not celebrated more in this country. In the past decades, women have made an everlasting impact on this country and the whole world. Through politics and corporate settings, we have broken the barrier that kept us away from success. Other countries have celebrated this day with strikes, movements and revolutions. In Copenhagen, they honor the movement for women’s rights and build more support for universal suffrage. Beijing has conferences and a month long celebration. In countries like Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, International Women’s Day is a national holiday. Although the United States has minor celebrations for Women’s Day, the country should be celebrating the role women in a much bigger way. We should be celebrating the accomplishments of the dignified, inspired and successful women we call our friends, classmates, professors and family.
Respect South Orange as our home
By Editorial Board | Mar. 18, 2015When a tragedy happens in the community, it is the job of its members to help. This week, Emily Balan wrote a news article about a devasting fire that affected a family in South Orange. South Orange, whether we like to admit it all the time or not, is our home. It is the town we live in, our community. Whether you are originally from California, New York or Kentucky, for now, it is our duty to help this town. “Penny Wars” are being sponsored by residence halls on campus to raise money for the family who lost so much in this fire and everyone should donate even a few cents if they can. As long as we are attending Seton Hall, we are a part of the South Orange community. While this horrible tragedy is not something anyone would want to ever happen, it should, if for nothing else, bring us together as a community. It should open our eyes to the surrounding town that is our home. Maybe it is time to break down the gates, so to speak. While in no way is anyone advocating a student put him or herself in a dangerous situation, some have questioned whether the gates that lock us in are separating us from our South Orange community. Again, everyone should take proper safety precautions when leaving the gates, but it would not hurt students to involve themselves more in the “outside” community, even if it is just by being a good neighbor. Obviously one of the ways right now to be a good South Orange community member is to help out the family affected by the fire, but another way we can be good residents all year round is by getting to know the people of our town. If you are a student who lives off campus, say hello to your neighbors, shovel their driveways when it snows, ask them about their jobs, whatever. Let’s not just be the noisy college kids next door who our neighbors dread are coming back from summer vacation. Need a few extra dollars? Offer to babysit their kids instead of keeping them up all night on a Thursday when they have school the next day. Communities should always be based on respect. We never know when something horrible could happen to us and we would want someone to come to our aid if needed. Further than that, some day (way, way, way in the future) we will be those families annoyed by the college kids next door. Empathy goes a long way.
Life is short, ‘what we can control is how we live’
By Gary Phillips | Feb. 25, 2015We all get those emails from the University announcing that someone affiliated with the school has died. When someone such as Rev. Monsignor James Cafone, who spent 43 years at Seton Hall as a faculty member and administrator, passes away, people tend to notice. An email was sent out Wednesday afternoon informing the school’s community of Cafone’s death. Normally though? Most people probably pay little attention to those emails. Most people are probably unaware that last Friday, Feb. 20, Mary Shubeck passed away. When I get those emails, I take a look. I try to read them over and learn a thing or two about the person who died.
Editorial: Do not glamorize, excuse violence
By Editorial Board | Feb. 25, 2015Sexual violence and abuse is all around us. In the music we listen to. In the movies we watch. In the sports’ heros we idolize. And no one is doing anything about it.
Letter to the editor: SHU blue goes green
By Staff Writer | Feb. 25, 2015Our SHUcycle challenge is launching on March 1, highlighting student efforts on campus to use more refillable water bottles and recycle more plastic, paper, aluminum and glass, than ever before.
