2008 Woodie Awards
The Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics of FSU Administrators
Probable cause? Drug and alcohol surveys? How about a dose of reality?
Matt McGuinness
Issue date: 10/11/06 Section: Opinion
Oh opinion column, sweet refuge from objectivity. I'm assuming you've already read the straight and narrow version on the front page, but know I just gotta preach.
Last Thursday I was finally able to get that interview with FSU's president. Well, me and over a hundred other students did. I'm sure you're all expecting me to jump from one extreme to another and maybe even sprinkle in some allusions to fascism or authoritarianism. No, I don't think it's my place to tell you the end of Frostburg as you know it is coming because its not.
Things change, and that's just the way things go. I mean, how long did we really think we could run wild in this town? And if we're referring to old west terms, it seems as though we've got a new sheriff in town, y'all.
I know many people went into last Thursday's meeting arming themselves for War of Words 2006, but ended up leaving forgetting why they were so riled up in the first place. The president did a great job of laying many students' fears to rest (for the time being). But really, what's going to happen in the future? He denied any links to what the police have been doing in this town. But do you really think that the president's influence ends where campus does? Make no doubt he is here to make drastic changes and if you're not smart you just might find yourself a martyr to these great changes, sitting in a community college classroom cursing yourself for whatever misdemeanor got you expelled from FSU. But when you're back home flipping burgers and living in your parents basement, I'm sure you can take comfort in the fact that you, in some small way, made Frostburg a better place.
The most entertaining part of the night was when Dr. Gibralter started quoting statistics from those "anonymous student email surveys". If you were there I know you were looking to your friends smirking or even getting a laugh out of them. First of all we don't know how many students even participated in the survey, so can it really give an accurate sample of the student population? Second, how many people do you think filled out an email "drug and alcohol survey" truthfully and honestly? The best is "84% percent of students feel it's ok to NOT drink at a party." Just what does that prove? "It's not ok to drink" has no correlation to the actual drinking being done. What did Mark Twain say about statistics? Oh yeah, "There are lies, damn lies, and statistics."
Last Thursday I was finally able to get that interview with FSU's president. Well, me and over a hundred other students did. I'm sure you're all expecting me to jump from one extreme to another and maybe even sprinkle in some allusions to fascism or authoritarianism. No, I don't think it's my place to tell you the end of Frostburg as you know it is coming because its not.
Things change, and that's just the way things go. I mean, how long did we really think we could run wild in this town? And if we're referring to old west terms, it seems as though we've got a new sheriff in town, y'all.
I know many people went into last Thursday's meeting arming themselves for War of Words 2006, but ended up leaving forgetting why they were so riled up in the first place. The president did a great job of laying many students' fears to rest (for the time being). But really, what's going to happen in the future? He denied any links to what the police have been doing in this town. But do you really think that the president's influence ends where campus does? Make no doubt he is here to make drastic changes and if you're not smart you just might find yourself a martyr to these great changes, sitting in a community college classroom cursing yourself for whatever misdemeanor got you expelled from FSU. But when you're back home flipping burgers and living in your parents basement, I'm sure you can take comfort in the fact that you, in some small way, made Frostburg a better place.
The most entertaining part of the night was when Dr. Gibralter started quoting statistics from those "anonymous student email surveys". If you were there I know you were looking to your friends smirking or even getting a laugh out of them. First of all we don't know how many students even participated in the survey, so can it really give an accurate sample of the student population? Second, how many people do you think filled out an email "drug and alcohol survey" truthfully and honestly? The best is "84% percent of students feel it's ok to NOT drink at a party." Just what does that prove? "It's not ok to drink" has no correlation to the actual drinking being done. What did Mark Twain say about statistics? Oh yeah, "There are lies, damn lies, and statistics."
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