After several meetings with Col. McKean, Vice President for Student Affairs and Commandant of Cadets, the student body has seen several different quotes and presentations and interpretations of what it means to be a good leader. Unfortunately, an important message has been missed not only by Col. McKean in his highlight of good leadership values, but in the lessons the student body was supposed to have learned through the recent expulsions and investigations.

All too often at Norwich, one is often presented with difficult situations to which the solutions are as unclear as the murky circumstances from which they are prompted.

One may not like any or all of the policy changes that are implemented. One may not agree with the decisions of his or her leaders. One may even think that the leadership his or her organization is absolutely reprehensible.

While all of these things may or may not be true, one very important thing is constant and crucial to positive leadership, change, and action. Each student, person, or leader must subjugate his or her own personal opinions, feelings, or biases for the greater good and gain of the organization which they claim to protect.

This is impossible to do without cooperation, compromise, and admitting to oneself the possibility that one may not be right.

There are a lot of changes going on at Norwich, and we don't like all of them, but the student body can't blame the university administration without first objectively evaluating what they have done to be constructive.

But will we ever get the "Norwich that we love," if we continue to act and speak out of impulse, rather than as a cohesive group with one cooperative goal in mind?

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