Usually students in media organizations complain about administrators and professors meddling with their organizations. With WCAL, especially this year, that hasn't been the case.

WCAL, Calvin's long-time, student-run radio station, is hovering on the brink of extinction, and all the Student Life Committee seems to have to say is: ``Well, the students didn't step up in February to take over the station, so why should we want to help them now?''

This happened despite the fact that Jenna Beckman did step forward when no one else wanted the position. Although Beckman didn't come forward until after the chartering process had finished, her motives were good: she simply did not want to see the end of an era.

The bureaucratic difficulties Beckman has faced are somewhat understandable. When student leadership is lacking for a significant period of time, the administration feels unsure in going out on a limb for someone who came in as late as Beckman did.

Even so, this fails to address the real root of the problem: WCAL needs three things to become an effective station.

One, it needs a broadcast license. Yes, this is going to cost the college money, because to get a license, a lawyer must be hired, paperwork must be filed and time has to be invested. The simple truth of the matter is, students are not going to listen to a station broadcasting over the Internet with nearly the frequency as they would listen to an actual station on the dial.

This could work just as well if it were broadcast on the AM dial instead of the FM dial. Beckman said that an AM license would be cheaper and probably easier to obtain than the FM license and students would still listen. It's just easier to find a station on an actual radio than on a Web site. Plus, advertising ``Listen to WCAL at http://clubs.calvin.edu/wcal'' is a little more difficult than ``Listen to WCAL at 95.1 fm.''

Second, WCAL needs the involvement of faculty with the technical knowledge and experience with radio stations to effectively produce any sort of tangible product. Few, if any, current Calvin students have enough experience with radio broadcasting to produce their own show on a regular basis, let alone convey that knowledge to others.

Historically, this lament has been directed to the CAS Department, who has, historically, claimed a lack of resources. While this is undoubtedly true, it is also true that this is the department most likely to have the ability to fix WCAL. If any other faculty on campus have the experience and know-how to help WCAL, please step up. Otherwise, CAS will continue to hear the pleas of students who are exhibiting characteristics that run contrary to the stereotypes of students, namely, students who are not apathetic but willing and eager to become involved with a live radio station.

Lastly, the administration needs to get serious in its support of WCAL. WCAL is a part of Calvin's heritage and undoubtedly possesses the ability to be both a fun and educational organization for students to be a part of. But a agitated response to the organization's plight - which includes prematurely dividing up its office space for administrative offices - cannot possibly help the situation.

WCAL needs the Student Life Committee to help it get reorganized, re-budgeted, and reestablished as a legitimate organization. The Media Sub-Committee, which is a branch of the Student Life Committee, has attempted to salvage WCAL and get it back on track. However, the Media Sub-Committee has also found itself subjugated to the seemingly pre-determined path the Student Life Committee has chosen for WCAL. This will not do, and if the administration fails to intervene, the blame for WCAL's failure will fall squarely on its shoulders.

A radio station is an asset to a college campus. For a school as proud of its Communications program and media organizations as Calvin, a functioning radio station is essential.

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