..., Thompson, and Crawford!

Fun stuff! My friend Jason Hammond pulled this letter out from way back in the file. This is a letter to the editor of Grand Canyon University's Canyon Echoes newspaper in response to the article above. Both Jason and I wrote individual letters which were subsequently published side-by-side. It was really quite a sight. Jason and I are very alike when it comes to the desire to deeply cut people who appoint themselves living saints and who stand as paper monuments atop mountains of dog feces. If you would like to see Jason's response, click here.

"Leaders Should Use More Common Sense"
April 25, 2001 - Canyon Echoes

In response to the article "Three Different Reactions to Prank Incident Discipline" (Klimanowski, April 11, 2001) it seems to me as though we are dealing with three students who apparently have a rather difficult time employing common sense. These three men, two of whom were appointed leaders at Canyon, have shown a complete disregard for the authorities of this institution. Many of you may scoff at the apparent pettiness of this statement, but the truth is that these men took a position of leadership where they were supposed to uphold the values that Grand Canyon has established in order to set us apart from other universities. They failed to act upon these values in an appropriate manner and were justly removed from their positions. Why is this so difficult for people to understand?

My appreciation and respect goes out to Dave McKinley, Justin Gramm, and Jeff Jimmerson for choosing to take a stand on this and not allowing it to slip by under the guise of "boys will be boys." These are excellent examples of how true leaders act. It seems to me that Thompson, , and Crawford want their fellow students to buy into the propaganda that they have been victimized by the university because they received due redress for their actions. They try the line of reasoning that pushes the "it was all in good fun" idea, but the truth is that their "fun" was ill timed and inappropriate.

I have no problem with practical jokes or with fireworks. I do have a problem, however, with people who somehow think that their fun should be of paramount importance to everyone else, regardless of the effects on others. There is a time and a place for these things, but on the heels of threats to the university, late at night when people are sleeping? This is not one of those times. I hope Thompson, , and Crawford can begin to exercise just a little bit of respect for people who may be studying, sleeping, or otherwise have no patience for this sort of adolescent, middle-school form of entertainment.

As far as Christian integrity goes, I believe that words are cheap and that an individual's actions speak most clearly of the presence or absence of any true integrity. When someone who is out to "have fun" flees from campus authorities, and hop into a "getaway car" to make an escape, I think it is safe to say that person has obviously crossed the line of what is a harmless prank and what is a juvenile urge to break rules.

Quit defending your rights to act like eighth graders. If you want to make an issue out of something, try defending something that is truly worthwhile. Stop wasting our time.

-Anonymous

(I published this anonymously due to the fact that I worked directly with the University's Public Relations department and did not want to insinuate that my take on the issue in any way reflected a school stance. In retrospect, I wish I had put my name.)