I wanted to take this time and express Northfield's sincere appreciation regarding the assistance surrounding the September oil tanker accident. The local board of Trustees for the Village and the Select board for the Town in public meeting were unanimous in their appreciation for the speed of the response and the level of assistance provided.

The Emergency Services and Public Works personnel were especially grateful for the continued presence throughout the long ordeal.

On paper, planning and training always begs the question of have you prepared enough. The comfort of watching the community come together in a time of need made me not only proud of our personnel, but of the "Esprit de Corps" that Norwich University has for this community.

Specific recognition needs to go to David Magida, Bizhan Yahyazadeh, Mike Abraham, the Military Police Company and, of course Sodexho Food Service. Sodexho provided an evening meal for the workers, the Military Police augmented our Police department for traffic control, and the ever present facilities folks were there to provide whatever they could.

Every day, these people are wonderful ambassadors for Norwich to Northfield, but this time they earned JOB WELL DONE!

Sincerely,
Charles L. Morse Municipal Manager

Dear Editor:

This is my third year at Norwich and every semester I pre-register for classes, but somehow my schedule is always messed up. I just don't get it. I know I am not the only person on campus who has this problem. The worst part is that there are juniors and seniors who could not get into required classes this semester, yet there are freshmen and sophomores in the classes that we need. Shouldn't upperclassmen have priority? Especially if they were registered on time?

This is not just a "one-time" thing, it has happened many times in the past to many different students. This letter is not meant to point fingers at anyone. I just think its something that should be taken into consideration.

Justin Fitzgerald

This afternoon, November 6, 2003, I signed the order to implement a policy for procedures and regulations authorizing random drug testing for student athletes. As some of you may know, last spring three Norwich students were investigated by the Department of Homeland Security concerning the alleged possession of anabolic steroids. I wrote to all of our students in July announcing that I would be implementing a drug-testing program for our student athletes. That has now been accomplished.

There are two aspects to the drug-testing policy. The first is a random test which would be conducted every season on a small percentage of our varsity and club sports teams; this random testing does not require any advanced notice. There is also a provision in the policy that a student athlete may be subject to testing at any time when the Vice President for Student Affairs and Commandant determines there is individualized, reasonable suspicion to believe the student athlete is using or has used a prohibited drug. The policy has been written with great care and with the assistance of Drug Free Sports, a group sanctioned by the NCAA.

I am aware that anabolic steroid use is increasing in the high schools and has certainly run the full
gamut from high school athletes all the way through Olympic athletic stars. It simply is not safe. It
is a violation of the law, and it can certainly hurt a person's body and affect their life expectancy and the quality of their life in very negative ways. I hope this policy will be a great deterrent for any student athlete even thinking about using unauthorized or illegal substances.

I have instructed the Vice President for Student Life and Commandant, Brigadier General Kelley, to go the next step, now, and draft a policy that would affect all students so that those who are determined to have reasonable suspicion of using illegal drugs can be required to take a urinalysis test. I anticipate that policy to be signed in a few weeks. Both policies will be posted on the web shortly. In addition, Athletic Director Mariano will be meeting with all of our coaches, professional athletic staff and our student athletes to completely explain the policy. Illegal substances have no place at Norwich. This is an institution that is built on honor and personal integrity. The use of these types of substances is dishonest and cheats those law-abiding athletes who became strong through their own hard work, good conditioning and body-building, and not through the inappropriate use of chemistry.

As we near the holiday season this Thanksgiving, the staff of The Norwich Guidon would like to encourage members of the Norwich community to take a moment to reflect on the years past and present. Perhaps this holiday feels like all the rest. Perhaps it won't occur to you until you're enjoying a turkey dinner surrounded by your loved ones, but something between this year and last must have changed for you, and given you new reason to be thankful.

Also, as we pack our bags, and get in our cars to head home this holiday; let us not forget to thank the many Americans that are celebrating this holiday in another country. Let us be thankful for the thousands of men and women in the Armed Forces that so graciously give up their holiday this season so that we can enjoy ours.

Perhaps you have a friend or family member who can't be with you in person this Thanksgiving. So, as the majority of us wait anxiously, counting down the days until we go home to our family and friends, remember to say a prayer for all those who don't have the choice. Remember all the heroes who choose to serve this country and protect its freedom so that the rest of us have a home to go to.

We wish everyone a safe journey. And wherever it is you go, don't let the spirit of this holiday pass you by. Remember that this is a time to be grateful; a time to appreciate what you have in life, and perhaps help make that difference in someone else's life who isn't as fortunate as you are.

Perhaps you could take an afternoon and help serve food at a homeless shelter; or fill food bags at a local food bank. Maybe you could bring some cheer to those hospitalized during the holiday season.

So as easy as it is to forget that over the 10-day holiday, we challenge you to take at least one day and, in your own way, do something good for someone else.