EDITORIAL
School
sponsored
profanity
Dear Editor,
The recent AMCC tournament has
brought capacity crowds to Erie Hall.
Many of these enthusiastic fans rarely
visit our campus, and one would
imagine that the college would be ea
ger to put its best foot forward to im
press them.
On the contrary, however, the very
first impression many fans received
upon entering the arena was the re
verberating sound of "SHUT THE
F*CK UP, SHUT THE F*CK UP,
SHUT THE F*CK UP..." blasting re
peatedly from the speakers during the
men's warmup period.
This is offensive. It is inappropri
ate. It certainly does not project a stan
dard of excellence for our institution.
And it exhibits a callous disregard for
the increasing incidents of violence
among college and professional ath
letes.
The Beacon, open-minded as you
are, does not routinely use this word
in print - much less in a front-page
headline. My recommendation is that
the athletic department take their own
advice.
Daniel Barnard
Instructor of Music
The Beacon holds the right to edit all letters to the
editor that they receive. We encourage writers to
refrain from profanity in their letters. Thank you.
Confessions of a WB
by Mark Lowry
Knight-Ridder Tribune
A few weeks ago on "Dawson's
Creek," Pacey (Joshua Jackson) ex
plained to his brother why he could
never tell Joey (Katie Holmes) that
he's in love with her. It would have
disastrous effects, something akin to
the tides changing directions, floods
destroying the Earth and a Hell Mouth
opening up and unleashing hordes of
havoc-wreaking demons on human
kind.
Whew. Pacey watches "Buffy the
Vampire Slayer" too. Glad to see I'm
not the only one. I have plenty of
friends who share my stalkerlike ob
session for the Buffinator. I've never
felt embarrassment in proclaiming
adoration for Buffy, Xander, Willow,
Giles and the rest of the Scooby gang,
especially since every TV critic in
America has backed me up.
But what about all those other WB
dramas largely designed for teen-age
girls? You know the ones: "Felicity,"
"Dawson's Creek," "Roswell," "Popu
lar," "Charmed," etc. What are 30-
year-old men like me to do when their
peers are watching "adult" dramas
such as "Homicide" and "Law & Or
der," and we're glued to the Frog
Channel watching 17-year-olds pon
tificating on life issues they shouldn't
be worrying about until they're, well,
our age? You make excuses.
For months, I had been referring to
shows such as "Felicity" and
"Dawson's Creek" as "guilty plea
sures." A friend finally clocked me.
"Either embrace them or quit watch
ing," he said. "No one has that many
guilty pleasures." Point taken. It's now
time to come out of the closet. Yes,
I'm a WB drama teen-aholic and
proud of it. So, like, shut up!
These shows have some of the best
writing on TV. Now, if you're not up
to-the-minute on your pop culture,
much on "Buffy" and "Charmed" will
sail over your head faster than
"Popular's" Nicole can throw away
her discount store bracelet when a
fashion-minded friend busts her for
donning it. And the acting's not bad
either.
But before I totally kick open the
door, let me first offer a few disclaim
ers: First, as someone who keeps him
self entrenched in the local arts scene,
Letters to the Editor
Apology to
the campus
Dear Editor,
I, John Park, would like to apolo
gize to Daniel Barnard, my coaches,
Mr. Streeter, Dean Lilley, and every
one else that I offended at this
weekend's men's AMCC basketball
tournament. I made the warm-up tape
that contained Limp Bizkit's hit song
"n 2 gether now".
The men's basketball coaches and
Behrend's athletic administrators are
NOT to be blamed for this incident, I
am. The coaching staff had no prior
knowledge of the songs played on this
tape. This was the first (and LAST)
game that this tape will be used. The
songs contained on the tape were not
purposely put on to offend anyone. I
assure you that future warm-up tapes
for men's basketball and every other
sport will be tasteful to all ears.
Again I'm sorry to everyone that I
offended. I should NOT have put "n
2 gether now" on the tape, or any other
song like it. But I did, it's over now,
and I have to deal with the conse
quences.
John Park
Men's Basketball Team
I can't be accused of succumbing to
Couch Potato Syndrome, for which
they're still searching for a cure. Most
of these shows I view the following
morning from the tape in my VCR.
Let's just say I go through a lot of vid
eocassettes.
Second, I do watch a few "adult"
shows, mainly "The X-Files," "The
Practice," "Once and Again" and,
though I'm even more embarrassed to
admit to this vice, "Ally Mcßeal" (al
though I don't know why I continue
to hang on; "Ally" gets dumber each
week). I must confess that I've com
pletely given up on sitcoms. Well,
once reruns kick in I might catch up
on lost "Simpsons" and "That '7os
Show" episodes. Currently, those two
are up against "Felicity" and "Freaks
and Geeks," respectively. (By the way,
the latter is probably the best slice
of-high-school-life show on televi
sion, now that Buffy's protecting a
college campus, but we're just talk
ing WB.)
Second, I don't watch every WB
drama. Don't do "7th Heaven." Can
you say "Touched by an Angel" meets
"Eight Is Enough?" And "Safe Har
bor" might as well be called
"Baywatch 7th Heaven." What's that
all about? I quickly lost interest in the
ultraboring "Jack and Jill," and be
sides, the new "X
-Files" season fi
nally began. And "Charmed" just has
too many unfunny royal witches
(read: former stars of bad TV shows
Shannen Doherty and Alyssa Milano)
to care anymore. Then there's the new
show, "Zoe Dot-Dot-Dot," but like I
said, I can't be bothered with sitcoms.
Here are, in order of importance to
me (because this story is all about me,
after all), quick breakdowns of the
WB shows and their worth in cell
phones.
X X X
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" 8 p.m.
Tuesday. No doubt, it's one of the best
TV dramas ever. Now in its fourth
season, it's still smartly written and
loaded with surprise plot twists. To
creator Joss Whedon: Thank you
thank you thank you for finally mak
ing Spike a regular. And though we
were totally bummed to see Oz (Seth
Green) depart, the whole Willow and
Intolerance at the Beacon?
Dear Editor
I feel a personal commitment to
comment on the editorial page in the
Feb. 25 edition of The Beacon, be
cause I often forget that such opin
ions are so popular. Mr. Snyder's
invitation to join him in reality means
HIS reality (which, as a typical young
college student, is mainly information
imposed on him rather than person
ally experienced or thought through),
Mr. Wieners vision that "Americans
want a moral leader" really means he
would like a group to belong to
Behrend
Dear Editor,
I had the pleasure of traveling to
Cortland, NY this past weekend to see
our men's basketball team play in the
NCAA Division 111 Tournament. As
everyone knows by now, Behrend
won Friday night, beating Cortland
State, and advancing to the Elite
Eight, but then lost a tough game
Saturday to Salem State for the right
to go to the Final Four in Virginia.
Like all the Behrend fans in
attendance, I was disappointed.
However, like all the Behrend fans in
attendance, I was extremely proud,
and that is why I decided to write this
letter.
After the game, we drove back to
Erie from Cortland, NY. While
trudging through the snowstorm
during the six-hour ride back to
campus, I had a lot of time to think. I
thought about the players, and how
they played their hearts out, and left
everything they had on the floor that
night. I thought about the fans, and
how many members of the Penn State
National Commentar
teen-drama buff
the lesbocious Wicca chick thread al
most makes up for it. We also dig the
new bf, Riley. But it's really time to
give Giles a love interest. Jenny's been
dead for how long now? Oh, and the
"Hush" episode with its creepy
"Gentlemen" was the best hour of
television I've ever seen.
Rating: ID cell phones (on a scale of
1-10)
X X X
"Angel" 9 p.m. Tuesday. I was deter
mined to love this show, since it is a
"Buffy" spinoff. It started off slow, but
like the title character, it doesn't reek
anymore. At first I wasn't down with
the "Batman" parallels (come on, a
grapple hook, stakes that retract from
his sleeves automatically?), but the
fact that the characters kept making
fun of the Dark Knight-y lead char
acter (he dwells in the Bat Cave,
drives a Batmobile) salvages it. I hate
that they killed off Doyle and replaced
him with Wesley (the Watcher who
replaced Giles in last season's
"Buffy.)" Does Angel really need two
bumbling sidekicks? And although
Cordelia still has some of the best
lines, she's not as funny when there's
no one to snark back at her, a la -
Buffy's" Xander. Nevertheless, the
"Buffy/Angel" punch makes Tuesday
night the real Must See TV.
Rating: 9 cell phones
X X X
"Roswell" 9 p.m. Wednesday. OK, so
it's a supernatural "Dawson's Creek,"
which means it's often slow-paced and
the young'uns are waaaaaay too seri
ous. But it has the best-looking cast
(and that's saying a lot for the WB)
and the best funky-cool-chick char
acter, Maria (Majandra Delfino.) And
could Brendan Fehr (who plays
Michael) look any more like a young
David Duchovny? Don't think so.
Extra points for using Dido's song
"Here With Me" as the theme. Speak
ing of music, here's another reason I'm
hooked on the WB: the music. All of
the shows play scores of weepy Lilith
Fair singer-songwriters. I like to call
this genre SEW (Suicidal Ethereal
Women). The WB loves Beth Orton,
Fiona Apple, Tara McClean, Sarah
McLachlan and The Sundays as much
as I do. "Felicity" scored major points
(Americans), and he is unable to de
fine his own personal morality.
These young men set out with good
intentions to define their place in so
ciety, as good people, and wound up
condemning people they know noth
ing about; people who challenge their
limited knowledge of the world. Their
need to find individuals or groups to
feel superior to makes me want to
comfort them in their fears of think
ing for themselves and risking being
alone.
students exemplify prid
Behrend Community were in
attendance, including parents, family
members, students, faculty, staff and
administration. They all made the trip
to support the team. Then I thought
about the women's basketball team
and how proud I was of them for their
fantastic season and how much fun I
had announcing the men's and
women's basketball games all year
long. I thought about the band,
cheerleaders and dance team, who
have all helped to bring spirit and fun
to Behrend basketball games. This
led me to think about the entire past
year at Penn State Behrend, and how
something special is beginning to
spread across this campus, PRIDE!
I know spirit and pride have always
existed at Behrend in one form or
another, but this year it seems to have
improved immensely. Members of
the Athletic Department, including
coaches, staff members,
administrators and players, have done
a wonderful job promoting all men
and women's sports on campus. I see
for playing Kate Bush's "This
Woman's Work" early in the game.
Which brings us to ...
Rating: 8 cell phones
X X X
"Felicity" 8 p.m. Sunday. I started
watching because it originally fol
lowed "Buffy." Again, it was way too
serious at first, but finally lightened
up. After "The Practice," it had last
season's best cliffhanger. I really was
caught up in the whole Noel vs. Ben
ordeal. And unlike most people, I dig
the new 'do. Major kudos for giving
Meghan and Sean more time. Now, if
we can just do something about Julie.
She has way too many issues.
Rating: 8 cell phones
X X X
"Popular" 8 p.m. Thursday. I thought
nothing would ever top the rapid-fire
sarcasm fests of "Buffy," but Nicole
(Tammy Lynn Michaels) has offi
cially dethroned "Angel's" Cordelia as
the queen of putting everyone in their
collective places. Detractions: Too
many so-out-there-they're-ridiculous
characters, such as the Pat-like sci
ence teacher and the spaz kids. Cheer
leader Mary Cherry (Leslie
Grossman), a Dallas native, sports an
over-the-top Southern accent that's
more Alabama than Texas. Josh is
basically Dawson in California. And
as much as I love Nicole, her hair is
so 1996 Faith Hill. Need to rethink
that one. But, love the theme song.
(Alanis/Imogen Heap sound-alike
Kendall Payne's "Supermodels").
Rating: 7 1/2 cell phones
X X X
"Dawson's Creek" 8 p.m. Wednesday.
So I haven't kept up with this much.
I'm not sure who Joey and Dawson
are currently dating or what Deep
Thoughts issue they're discussing. So
I don't cry if I miss it, but when I do
catch it, I am quickly sucked in.
Something about these teen-agers
talking all grown-up, like even grown
ups don't talk. OK, so maybe I still
have one guilty pleasure.
Rating: 7 cell phones
X X X
Mark Lowry is a staff writer for the
Fort Worth Star-Telegram. You can
can send him at markl(at)star-
telegram.com
MARCH 17 2000 THE BEHREND BEACON
Thank you both for reminding me
that even on a college campus, a place
supposedly dedicated to education,
there are people who would prefer if
people like me, a non-political, bi
sexual, young single parent, would
disappear, die, or work for the fast
food industry in order for, you to con
tinue your ignorance unquestionably.
Mr. Snyder's notion that having
children responsibly is strictly a mat
ter of money, and that raising them is
not work, speaks tellingly of the rea-
athletes supporting other athletes in
different sports, along with students,
faculty and staff supporting our teams.
This pride, however, goes much
further than with the Athletic
Department. It seems that more and
more students are becoming involved
at Behrend, attending events and
joining campus organizations,
whether in their academic major or in
some other area of interest. More
students seem to be working with
faculty and staff in areas of research
and academic internships. Commuter
students seem to be more involved
and attending more events on campus,
while in the Residence Halls it seems
that more students are taking an
interest in their living areas and
working with their Hall Councils.
Due to our growth, more students are
choosing four year majors at Behrend
instead of changing assignments and
going to University Park or elsewhere.
Each semester we seem to be growing
and improving, and it is nice to see.
While I know we still have much
St. Patrick's Day Transe
Irish Experience In Amer
by Edward T. O'Donnell
History News Service
'Tis shocking but true
Patrick's Day parade in America isn't
really about being Irish. How can that
be, what with millions turning out in
scores of cities and towns across the
country to enjoy the processions of
Irish pipe bands, step dancers and
county societies? The answer is that
behind these scenes of Hibernian
pride and pageantry there lies a larger
and more profound message of
American inclusion and tolerance.
This message is evident in the
parade's origin and evolution. The
first recorded marches took place in
colonial New York City (by regiments
of Irish soldiers in the British army).
But it was in the mid-19th century that
the parade as we know it took form.
This coincided with both the massive
influx of Irish immigrants to America
due to the Great Famine and the sharp
rise in anti-Irish bigotry by those con
vinced the Irish would never make
good Americans.
As a result, these early St. Patrick's
Day parades expressed both the pride
of the Irish in their heritage and their
demand for acceptance as full and
equal citizens. They highlight the Irish
contribution to America's evolving
ethos of tolerance and inclusion. A
century and a half later, this same
spirit motivates the groups of Irish les
bians and gays who in the 1990 s be
gan battling parade organizers in court
and police in the street for the right to
participate in the parade. Why do they
bother, some ask -- aren't there more
pressing issues?
The reason for their activism is
clear: Members of these groups see
inclusion in the parade as a validation
of their larger efforts to gain the full
measure of respect and rights they
believe they deserve. It's hardly go-
Send all letters to the
editor to:
behrcoll2@aol.com
SOIL Niyhy I will
The /ice/con
necessary ti) 11()1(1 !,,
delusional \ ih,n
success hold vv ot . th
Thank you lur \oil! iil
money. riOt
E. Twohig
Behrend ,ARIL ni
more room it
growth. vvC iLt,c
and we •.11()iii .!H
efforts
I am very pwild
Penn State lichrend (.;
this past weekend in
reminded me
Behrend is. A s\ idc
Behrend Commum t
in Cortland, and as a .1.1
joy. disappointment_
above all. pride. ( hit 111,.
team reprcented L!
in the r('\\
matter what the
Saturdit\ night. Pen:,
v, on in every sen,e d tl
always proud to tell no, I
and acquaintances that
Penn State Hehrend
am able to tell them w.
little higher and
wider.
Dan Schiessei
Residence Lite CA )oidi
ing out on a limb to hro li
soon win that right. •AI
groups are now ',Wowed
parades in Ireland.
To see the truly plur;l
lions of the St. PatriLk's
One has only to look at tl
the St
eiidars in cities ;Hill h \\
country On day., ()Owl !II
Simply Put, the
ebration in Antelica
message of pride and int
spawned thousand, k CI I
This year in Ne York
place 01 the St. Pail
more than 40 s,ii.ll
The large s s
March 17 hut 1 0 1 Sept 1
\Vest Indian Di,:,
val.
and pc,
have argued ihdt
ethnic parade , ,,
decline in tradition.lll , .o
erans Day and I ;11 - mi I )
fragmentation
Yet one only
strophic results of cthni
religious hatred ;troun.l
in places such .1,
Israel and. of cc e.
-- to appreciate ihc ci;
degree to which Ainc
found ways to weavc
parate groups into the
Surely we have alone
pursuing
pursuinv, this ideal, hut i
to rectogniie ho\\ tar vv c
It's in this sense that th
Day parade traihiend,
perience in America.l - i
beginning it embod
of tolerance and incltr,
helped propel tor \\ and
remarkable and onoilie.
experiment in 'mink uli
racy. No ‘k that' m)inettri
ebratine.