THE BEHREND BEACON
The Behrend Beacon
published vveekly by the students of Penn State Erie, The Behrend College
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n, Weber
Features Editor
Deamia Si mocki
Wire Services Editor
Angela Rush
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Jeffrey Miller
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Brad Wiertel
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College; First Floor, The J. Elmer
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A view
Rain, mud and students
equal great fun!
Were YOU outside of Perry Hall
Wednesday night, playing in the rain?
You should have been if you weren't.
It was a lot of fun! Over 75 students
gathered on the lawn behind Bruno's
when the torrential downpour began
and made their very own mudslide.
While this shows that students know
how to have fun, it is also evidence
of the increasing camaraderie be
tween Behrend students.
Last week, students from Perry and
Niagara were involved in a bench
waL. hut the war was friendly. It
showed how students can interact
wtth all sorts of people when pre
sented with a new situation. Ha% e
you met anyone from your hall yet,
besides your roommate?
Certainly, do not go out and start a
Innummtairunamoim
Defending the Greek System
I was reading the new and im
proved Beacon this afternoon, com
menting to friends that it did seem to
he a hit better than last semester. Un
fortunately, I realized that not much
had changed when I happened upon
the editorial.
Mike Frawley, the Managing Edi
tor who likes to bitch, has decided to
continue the Beacon tradition of un
dermining the Greek system. Once
again, we have an editor who knows
nothing about the Greek system
speaking as if he knows it all.
Mike, in your editorial you stated
that you have nothing against the
Greek system as long as they admit
to what they are and what they do.
Well, just what are we Mike? News
flash! You have no idea, so I will
enlighten you. The Greek system at
Penn State Erie is comprised of 6
men's fraternities and 3 women's so
rorities. We are 9 different social or
ganizations bound by the valuing of
tradition and friendship. What we do
varies greatly from one organization
to the next, so I will fill you in about
Theta Phi Alpha Sorority, to which I
belong (you see Mike, I am not a
member of the other organizations,
so I can't speak about them - nor can
you). Theta Phi Alpha is a National
organization founded in 1912, now
with 43 chapters across the United
States. The purpose of the organiza
tion is to create a close-knit commu
nity, which will provide support and
friendship through community ser
vice and social interaction while
stressing academic achievements.
Sounds horrible, huh?
When women decide to become a
part of Theta Phi Alpha. and of the
Greek system, they are not going to
pay a fee to have friends. The friend
ship evolves out of the cooperation
and hard work put into planning com
munity service projects and social
Editor-in-Chief
JaSOll Snyder
Managing Editor
Michael Frawley
Advisors
Robert Speel
Jim O'Loughlin
The Beacon
encourages letters to the editor.
Letters should include the address,
phone number, semester standing
and major of the writer. Writers can
mail letters to hehrcoll2(e.`aol.com.
Letters must he received no later
than spm Tuesday for inclusion in
that week's issue.
rom the li • hthouse
bench war and for heaven's sake.
PLEASE do not cause a mudslide, hut
do go out and try and meet some of
your neighbors here on campus. You'll
he surprised how much fun you can
have when you gather a hunch of stu
dents and some mud.
events. It is nurtured and grows
through the years. And, since you
don't know this I'll tell you, Greek
organizations arc run like businesses.
Everyone has a job to do to ensure that
the organization is successful and will
he around in the follow ing years for
others to experience. The membership
dues are not a sinister aspect. I ant
positive that my grandfather doesn't
pay the dues to his social club to buy
his friends, do you'? So, sorority mem
bers attend meetings, hold positions,
have responsibilities, plan events, bal
ance budgets. file reports, form friend
ships, relax together, and have fun.
Guess what Mike. If a prospective em
ployer knows that I am a member of a
Greek Organization, that employer
knows that I am able to work with
people, I get involved, and I can
handle responsibility.
Finally, you insightfully stated that
Greeks drink and party. Would you
like me to introduce you to my sisters
who do not drink and do not party?
I'm sure that they would have much
to say to you. Such a general, false
statement screams of your ignorance.
Why don't you mention that the over
whelming majority of students at most
parties held by Greek organizations
are NON-GREEK? I go out maybe 3
times a semester, I have a 3.92 QPA,
and I am president of Tribeta Biologi
cal Honor Society. I love my sorority,
and I work hard as its president. Do I
fit in with the stereotype that you are
helping to perpetuate?
Your ignorance is comical. The next
time that a few people annoy you by
being loud or saying a foul word call
your mommy. Do not waste space in
our NEWSpaper to bash organizations
(PEOPLE) that you do not understand.
Jen Osmanski
President- Theta Phi Alpha Sorority
Editorial Page Editor
Katie Galley
Sports Editors
man merle/
C'raig Hazehtood (cisistant)
Calendar Page Editor
Run luck
Business Manager
Kristine Harakal
Associate Editor
Liz Hayes
Distribution Manager
Mart Heidecker
I . P i
EDITORIAL
A Little Bit o
And the alarm goes off...
My alarm clock goes off at 7:15 a.m.
and I roll out of bed to turn off the
most annoying sound in the world. I
groan and jump back into bed. 1 have
about 30 minutes to get ready for my
8 a.m. class. As my head lays on top
of the ultra-soft pillow. I contemplate
not going to class today.
I go over in my head justifications
as to why I deserve not to get up out
of bed and head to class. The class
can he very stressful, I need my offi
cial eight hours of sleep, I just don't
feel like going, I am under a lot of
stress due to other things, and I need
the break and many other reasons
emerge from my tired head. But then,
reality sets in. If I miss today, I will
miss the new material and will get
behind. If I get behind, I will be under
even more stress. I need to go to class.
I look at the clock and notice it's
now 7:25 a.m. and I jump out of bed.
I scurry to get ready and head off to
class. Now of course, this goes for
both morning and afternoon classes.
You just came hack from your morn
ing class and decide to take a nap. Your
alarm goes off to let you know it's time
to get out of bed for your 3 p.m. class.
You roll over, still tired and think,
For what it's worth
The insanity of hate crime legislation
For over 100 years of our nation's
history, it' a black man killed a white
man, he was punished severely -
much more severely than if a white
man killed a black man or if a black
man killed another black man.
Everybody - well at least people with
a little common sense - now agrees
that certain practices used in the
IBoos and early 1900 s were unfair,
cruel and hypocritical. They set a
double standard, sending the message
that white lives were more important
than black lives. They administered
law and justice on the hasis of one's
skin color and social status, instead
on the nature of the crime itself.
If everyone can agree that the
practice used hack then was
deplorable, then why in the world do
we sec the exact same practice
happening in today's supposedly
"enlightened" society? The tragic and
sickening deaths of James Byrd, Jr.,
a black man, and Mathew Shepard, a
gay man, have renewed a firestorm
of calls for new "hate crime"
legislation that will "send a message
to all of those hate groups that hate
will not he tolerated." These policies,
which have been enacted in many
states, will prosecute criminals more
heavily simply if they target their
victims because of their race,
ethnicity, religion, or sexual
orientation.
The proponents of such "hate
l_ m _ n _ iinmm n
Tolerance is g00d...t0 a point
This letter is in response to last
week's letter to the editor, "Who are
you to judge?". Christian Darling's
letter struck a chord with me, one
which I felt compelled to share. Dar
ling had written in about students at
Bruno's making fun of the "man on
campus who slightly resembles a
Woman."
First, the obvious: no one deserves
to he ridiculed. It's hurtful, negative,
and accomplishes nothing. Regardless
of whatever choice this individual has
made, he deserves respect simply be
cause he is a human being with feel
ings, and we as a college community
should try our hardest to respect that.
Second, the less obvious thing
people are afraid to say in print. This
individual has problems. I say this not
to join the crowd at Bruno's chastis
ing him, hut to make a point. Some
one that is so uncomfortable with
themselves that they feel compelled
to become a completely different per
son obviously has serious issues they
should be resolving. But again, com
passion is the answer, not ridicule.
OCTOBER 1, 1999
"Euh, I stayed up all night studying, I
deserve the extra sleep." Personally,
after spending a 15-hour layout night
at the Beacon, I rarely feel like going
to class the next day.
Now although we may only he con
templating a class, many people also
are trying to make the decision
whether or not to play hooky from
work. According to a survey that ap
peared on September 23, 1999 in the
Morning News entitled, "Stressed-out
workers playing hooky more often"
it showed that more U.S. employees
than ever are too stressed out to make
it to work.
I know I am not alone on this one.
How many of you do the same thing?
Or how many of you go the extra step
crime" legislation are ignoring some
crucial elements of the policies that
will have serious ramifications. First,
they are ignoring the fact that the
term "hate crime" is, simply put,
redundant.
All crime is a hate crime. No crime
has ever been committed out of
"love". Have you ever heard of
somebody being robbed out of
"love'!" Has anybody ever been
raped out of "love'?" More
importantly, has anybody ever been
murdered out of "love'?" Obviously
nut, and to say that some crime is
hateful and other crime is not is
complete nonsense.
Such "hate crime" legislation also
creates a double standard and sends
the message that some lives are more
important than others, something that
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.would
have cringed at the thought of. A life
is a life, and everyone's life is equally
protected under our nation's great
A friend told me the individual
whom Darling said he "thinks is a
transgcnder" is taking female hor
mones in order to develop breasts and
is planning on fully becoming a
woman. I don't know if this is entirely
true, hut this is concerning.
Darling makes an argument that is
of great concern to me. We are living
in a society where we are told that
we have to accept absolutely every
thing that comes in our path or we
are deemed hateful bigots. I see the
Trigon signs plastering the Academic
Building which included a mention
of 'transgenders.' We are being force
fed the idea that if we don't accept a
man wanting to be a woman as nor
mal, we ourselves are the ones with
the problem. Such logic is ridiculous.
We should accept people for who they
are, certainly. Discrimination is
wrong. But "transgender" is not a race
or an ethnicity, or any ascribed char
acteristic. It is a matter of choice, and
it is out of concern for the well being
of that individual that we recognize
he has problems, and needs our help.
Kool-Aid and Milk
and stay in bed? Sometimes you just
feel that you need a break to just rest,
like a "vacation," before you open the
classroom door or put your nametag
on. You come back with a clear mind
and ready to focus on your studies and
your work. No harm done, well at
least until you start skipping regularly.
Then your work, homework and
classwork starts to pile up. You get
behind and your professor and/or boss
get upset. Well, you know the rest.
Now for the employers, it remains
a costly problem which is fueled by
workers burning out from stress, ac
cording to a report released Wednes
day, September 23,1999 by CCH Inc.,
a Chicago publishing and research
firm.
The survey of human resource man
agers at 305 companies was con
ducted and it represented almost
800,000 employees. It showed that
most workers who are away from the
job on short notice are not sick, hut
are staying home because of stress,
family issues, personal needs or sim
ply because they felt they deserved the
day off. To combat the absenteeism,
some employers have increased work
place flexibility and providing stress-
law. Such legislation is a direct attack
on objective law by redefining crimes
in the terms of their subjective intent.
The white or straight person will he
punished more severely in a crime
against a minority or homosexual,
while the exact same crime
committed by a minority against the
white or straight person will not he
punished as severely. This is a gross
perversion of our nation's legal
system and is not doing any justice
to the victim's family of the lesser
punished crime. All crimes should he
punished equally harsh, no matter
whom the victim is.
Proponents of such "hate crime"
legislation also seem to believe that
society can eradicate hatefulness or
ignorance out of its existence, and
ironically, they try to achieve that
goal by enacting reverse prejudice.
Hateful people will exist wherever
you go - that is just a fact of life. But
when we start prosecuting people
more severely because of their beliefs
or hatefulness, what is going to stop
us in the future from prosecuting
people based solely on their beliefs
or hatefulness?
Also, who will he our "thought
police"? How will people determine
and prove that a victim was targeted
simply because of his "special
status"? After all, the criminals in
Shepard's case claim robbery was a
motive. Thought is not a crime, and
To say that he was in fact "born that
way" is damaging to him, as well as
to society as a whole.
I know this letter will no doubt
bother some people in the college
community, but the truth hurts. Dar
ling questions us, "Do you know what
it's like to look in the mirror everyday
and say, "I do not like this body and I
do not fit this role?" No, I don't. No
one should have to deal with that kind
of feeling.
However, accepting this as normal
and telling this troubled individual that
it is okay to be so uncomfortable with
himself as to create a new personna is
irresponsible and the sad result of an
age where we are told that we must
tolerate all by the small number who
push ultra-tolerance to achieve their
own personal goals.
Ray Morelli
05, DUS
busting benefits
Now there are, of course, the ex
ceptions to not going to class or work,
such as really being sick and a death
in the family. etc. But if you find your
self needing help in a class, which
may he causing your stress ask for
help! Maybe you are avoiding work
because of a colleague. Talk to your
boss if you can. Or if you need help
with personal issues, there is always
Sue and Alison in personal counsel
ing and advising office (check out the
column on page 3). I encourage you
to seek help whatever the case may
he.
Some professors take roll and class
participation is mandatory towards
your grade. We have to keep ourselves
motivated rewarding ourselves is
a good way. I went to class and now I
can reward myself with a can of Coca-
Cola Classic or whatever you decide
is reward for motivating you. Just he
careful that you are not substituting
one class for another. Although Once
in awhile, it can he helpful, just make
sure skipping class or work is not once
a week and you arc not getting be
hind.
it can't he legislated out of its
existence
All in all, special "hate crime"
legislation is misguided and
unnecessary. It divides our country
into different warring classes and pits
one group against another group
instead of uniting society as a whole.
It is a "feel good" social policy that
makes its proponents feel "warm and
fuzzy" all over for its good
heartedness and good intentions. The
truth is, all the laws enacted today
cover all crime. All that has to he
done is for these laws to he equally
enforced. Yet, those who favor this
"special status" for our country's
minorities are trying to brainwash our
country into believing that those who
oppose "hate crime" legislation are
"insensitive" and "ignorant" to the
needs and plight of our nation's
"downtrodden" who need "special
protection". That is garbage, and
needs to he seen for what it is.
Everyone's life is equal. Everyone
who takes a life should he punished
harshly and equally. We are
destroying our legal system when we
believe otherwise. That is not
"insensitive", because we are not
dealing with "compassion". We are
dealing with enforcement of existing
laws. That is just common sense, hut,
unfortunately, common sense is not
so common
Send all
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to the
editor
to:
behrcoll2@aol.com
PAGE 6