ALLEN: I am not giving up


I have failed my journalistic goal of being a watchdog for the public.

I have failed to ask the questions that a journalist who cares about the community he lives in should when something doesn't add up.

I have not been vigilant on this campus. I have been negligent in questioning the people in its elevated positions. They make decisions that affect me, and if it affects me it affects most of you. Therefore, as a watchdog I am responsible to speak up when I read information that is questionable.

I am sorry I have not been asking about these reports dealing with salaries, spending and surpluses that have been reported on.

I have been fired up since the story came out about the medical school associate dean getting that huge severance package of $138,000, not to mention the outrageous amounts that have gone into this medical school money pit. It is a major debacle that continues to be spun by the powers that be into some great thing for CMU.

So far this administration has made this story into a golden-ticket adventure and promised a fairytale ending, while many of us know it to be little more than wasteful spending.

But telling that is difficult.

Getting the facts on this campus from people in charge is like trying to separate glue from a stamp. Fact finding is a frustrating dog and pony show and I gave up.

How can I expect to be the journalist I have sworn to be in the real world when I don't even practice it here at CMU? I have to be tenacious. I am here for an education so I can succeed in the workforce.

No one owes me a thing and I don't expect information to ever flow freely from people in charge. But the reader should expect me to exhaust all feasible channels before I finish with any story.

One of my colleagues has not given up and she has done well. It is my turn to use my talents and my writing skills to continue this conversation.

I make this decree to the reader today that I will do my best to seek facts and truthfully speak about an issue on campus that affects us all.

I will not give into total despair and frustration anymore. I will ride out this dog and pony show until my graduation — whenever that will be.

This is my promise to the CMU community: I will not let tuition, salaries or any spending on this campus go unnoticed. It is time to raise our collective voice and put an end to wastefulness and unwarranted and outrageous wages.

This is not the end, it is the beginning; and I am speaking louder than before.

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