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	Vol.7, No 46, November 17, 1999
	Julio Laboy should be applauded, not criticized for providing his journalism class with an extremely realistic situation. He intended to give potential journalists a realistic, frightening and stressful situation. Laboy put classroom theory into practice. His class learned more from this example than from reading or his spoken words. Journalists must remain focused, objective and gather information under all kinds of conditions.  A reporter cannot stop the information gathering process no matter what they see or hear. Laboy needed the situation to be as realistic as possible to get the point across to his class. The heightened atmosphere provided by the response of the University Police and the frightened on-lookers created the perfect teaching tool for Laboy. Did the person who said Laboy "should have notified campus police in advance" think? Apparently not.  Wouldn't life be so much kinder and gentler if criminals gave the police advanced notice, too? Then the next time someone is a victim we can say, "just ignore it. Don't you remember, we got a memo regarding this crime?" Another person called Laboy "irresponsible." If Laboy had not provided this frightening scenario, he would have been irresponsible in his duties as a teacher. Bud Towers is the journalism department clerical assistant.		Koi head for new homes   Student cheers restaurant job   College Week begins   CSULB conference helps American-Indian students   Professor to read award-winning work Free ride for famous   ATM service fees OK for banks   LETTER TO THE EDITOR Author shares experiences of racism Ice Dogs sweep Wolves   Club hockey faces familiar opponents Fall 99 ISSUES DAILY 49ER HOMEPAGE
Forty-Niner Publications, Department of Journalism, California State University, Long Beach ©1999 All rights reserved.