This past Thursday, as I walked into CFSU on my way down to the Phoenix office, two tables of student volunteers of Invisible Conflicts, a student group at Loyola dedicated to raising awareness of unknown wars, greeted me with a display of the civil war in Uganda. Behind the two tables, cutout silhouettes of children stood with signs around their necks expressing the terror and lack of opportunity they face as a result of the war. A screen behind the silhouettes showed the documentary "Invisible Children," which portrays the heart-wrenching atrocities and hardships faced by children in Uganda.
Looking up from these amazing presentations, my eyes caught the television screen mounted on the wall. In an effort to keep Loyola students informed, the channel was set to CNN. They had missed that message as they broadcast the efforts to rescue a horse in Dawson, Texas, from a mud pit. I watched in shock and surprise for several minutes as a major, global news network - albeit one I have rarely respected - devoted its time, efforts and airwaves to cover an insignificant horse rescue.
"The horse [is] called Champ. So we hope the horse is certainly a champ and pulls through this one."
Instead of covering a hard-pressing issue, one that affects the nation or world, CNN had presented itself as nothing more than a tabloid.
Despite this, I felt a sense of refreshment as the failure of a news network served as a juxtaposition of the successes of college students. The efforts of student groups, such as Invisible Conflicts, Loyola Anti-War Network (LAWN) and Food Not Bombs, to bring awareness and enlightenment to students on significant matters greatly overshadow those of the establishment.
Throughout modern history student groups have served at the forefront of social change. During the Vietnam War, college campuses became the focal points of activism. Since 1990, in response to the 1980 assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero and the 1989 killing of six Jesuit priests and their housekeeper, students from across the country have gathered together in Fort Benning, Ga., to protest the School of Americas (SOA).
Closer to home, last year more than one dozen student groups united together as the Loyola Student Coalition Against Bigotry (LSAC) in response to the selection of Ann Coulter as a speaker at Loyola.
The dedication displayed by LSAC, Invisible Conflicts, LAWN and Food Not Bombs, among countless others, shows our dedication to resolving the conflicts and problems of the world. Our willingness to work through the difficulties of the world in spite of the odds paints an image of respect beyond those normally attributed to college students and one that we should take great pride as we continue the efforts for peace.
By the way, Champ survived. Thank you, CNN.
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