As we come to the close of another academic year, I find flowers of hope in our small community.  Some of these flowers are growing in the University Times.

First, a tip of the hat to those volunteering in the community and to the "spotlight" article covering their dedication.  Too often (and I include myself) we highlight the negative and forget to mention the good that goes on under our noses.  I was especially cheered to see Ghandi's quote about change headlining the feature.

Second, I thoroughly enjoyed the coverage of the Times' staff trip to NYC.  It is easy to become insulated here in The County.  It cannot hurt for those covering our small community to be exposed to larger realities, other ways of life, and a whole other kind of pace.  That city, in particular . . . well, there are still times when I miss it.  Once you live somewhere for a time, it becomes a sort of home.

The free speech forum, which I had hoped to attend before (once more) weather reared its fearsome head, was another bright light.  It seems to have been well attended and to have encouraged a fair amount of participation.  That there was mention of future such events is heartening.

My one quibble concerns the "poster issue."  I recall a fair amount of space in the Times having been accorded the issue at one point.  But it was a while ago and I frankly have forgotten the particulars.  A very brief synopsis would have been helpful for many.  As I tell my students when they write critiques and arguing papers, be careful when assuming what your reader knows.  A little history or background is often in order.  Likewise, one cannot assume that every reader of the Times has read every issue.

Finally, some back and forth on issues.  And yes, I was partially involved.  Still, it is gratifying to see some discussion on issues in the Times' pages.  I'm sure many writers share my feeling that shouting one's poetry in an empty ballroom might get more response (an echo, if nothing else!).  UMPI is our community.  It's as if we can see the national dialogue (or lack of it) in miniature.  If way too few folks are involved in setting the national agenda and acting upon it, so too are too few doing the same here.  Writing a letter to the editor is not rocket science; if you're jazzed up about something, let us all know.