,A„
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2000
What parking
problem?
Caught in the
`Spyder'web
Jason Snyder
.;,,,
"I'm so sick of having to walk the length
of this campus to get to class just because I
can't find a parking spot within 100 meters of
my classroom." Yes, the parking "problem"
at Behrend has been the hot topic for
discussion this first month of the school year.
And students aren't shy in expressing their
anger over the huge injustice they deal with
everyday in finding a parking spot suitable
enough for their needs.
But let's break down that parking problem
and the huge injustices that we are forced to
deal with on this campus because of the
shortage in parking spots. First of all, we
have to walk far. Second of a 11...
Well I guess that's it. But it's still a major
problem, right? I mean, how unfair is it that
the faculty get to park in more convenient
lots than the students? I'll answer that for
you. We are, for the most part, young and
healthy adults. (I realize I would be
politically incorrect and uninformed if I
didn't make an exception for the returning
adults and handicapped students that might
not, be young or healthy. Not to say that all
returning adults are old or that the
handicapped are "unhealthy" depending on
your definition of health, but mostly, the
students that complain about a parking
problem are young and healthy.) And for us
students, it's a little something called "respect
for faculty."
We will someday be in charge and will
someday be able to have our own parking
spot really close to our office. But for now,
have some respect and decency towards the
faculty and give them their perks that they
have earned after years of education that they
went through where they were the ones
parking long distances from their classrooms.
A couple more inconveniences that I hear
all the time...
1.1 don't have anywhere to park my car in
the middle of the day.
2.1 live in Almy Hall and I have to park in
the Ohio lot.
3.1 am late for my 8:00 class because of the
big traffic jam going into campus.
4. Police and Safety direct me to the lot
across Jordan Road when the lots "on
campus" get full.
Now, some advice for the students that
have the overwhelming urge to pout about
the aforementioned problems.
1. If you time it right so you arrive on campus
exactly ten minutes before your class begins,
spots open up. Surprisingly, for every car
you see leaving campus as you are entering,
another parking spot opens up.
2. Almy Hall is about one football field
distance from the Almy entrance. I know the
Penn State football players have trouble
covering that distance, but I have faith that
Behrend students are capable of making the
trek.
3. Wake up at 6:50 as opposed to 7:00. I
know it might interfere with your eight hours
of sleep a night, but it beats joining the
Beacon editorial board and not leaving the
Reed Building until 1:00 in the morning.
4. Technically, the lot across Jordan Road is
"on-campus." And if you are anywhere on
the Behrend campus, the longest walk you
will have to make to another destination on
campus will be 7 minutes.
So, before you start cussing me out in your
heads for daring to say that parking isn't a
problem and that students' attitudes are, think
about it for a minute. How ridiculous is it to
ask able-bodied (see disclaimer above for
definition of able-bodied) students to walk 7
minutes? Make adjustments in your schedule
to make up for the inconveniences.
Now, I do owe an apology to students that
live in the Niagara, Perry and Lawrence
Halls. You have the right to complain for the
simple reason that there is not space for
parking anywhere near you. But think of it
this way...the distance you are forced to
make up in walking from the upper lots to
your dorm is made up with the distance saved
in your short walk to classes. Just think
about having to walk from Ohio Hall to Erie
Hall for an 8:00 class. Hopefully that gives
you some satisfaction.
For anyone else that is still cussing my
name, take a drive to Mercyhurst College and
Edinboro University and find some empty
lots there. Believe me when I say, we are
well off.
And if everything else I have said has
failed in satisfying your parking rage, then I
will start a petition for the one thing that has
saved many campuses' parking problems.
Simply ban freshman from having cars on
campus. Oh, maybe reality has set in now.
Instead of making that seven minute walk
across campus, maybe you can make that
nice hour walk to Buffalo Road for a burger.
Hmmm, the Jordan lot doesn't seem so bad
anymore, does it?
Strvder'.., column uppett's evoy three
Tell us whatyou
Send a letter to the Editor!
Send all letters to:
behrcoll2@aol.com
No more hiding...) stand out from the rest
Last summer, I got Ilr
01110(1011 011 my,
one-year anniversary at \Neginan . s. I
jumped Irons being a cashier/Whids
employee ('kid, is the daycare ‘‘e have
for customers) to becoming a front end
coordinator. It was one of the hest things
that happened to me, not only for the
substantial raise that I received, hut also
for increased responsibility of running
the busiest part of the stole the front
Granted, it can he a cal pain to herd the
people \.k. ith their o‘crlhm inc carts to a
shorter line, or has ing to deal %% nil four
missing cashiers on a crovkded Friday night.
Not only do v,e deal \‘ith the customer, we
have to deal with the cashiers too, who are
essentially the major pov.ci behind our
business. It \Ae didn't have the cashiers, we
wouldn't have our talented front end (hut
we'd have a lot of angry customers).
Which brings me to a curious point: the
cashiers on the front end see us (the front end
coordinators) as the people in charge. The
front end manager. ‘k. ho is essentially 'in
charge,' does run tile floor at times, but she's
in charge of scheduling the management
team (us) and the cashing team (the
cashiers). With over 100 people to schedule
for one week, it keeps her extremely busy.
Not to mention the meetings and the load of
other duties she must meet to keep the front
end running smoothly.
My duties as a coordinator, on the other
hand. are somewhat easier than the front end
manager's, but a lot more difficult than a
cashier's. Every coordinator is given an
mmer down
Disclaimer
The following article does not intend to
offend any people based on race, sexual
preference, height, weight, body odor, cola,
of eyes, hair color, athletes 'Pot or lack
thereof The
. following people, groups of
people, things, and fictional characters are
in no way, shape or form intended to be
defamed: Muzak lovers, shriners, mimes,
mime groupies, people who thought Milli
Vanilli were musical geniuses, Phil Collins
fans, professional wrestlers, Trekkies, Civil
War re-enactors, zoo animals, people whose
names begin with the letter "Q," crack
addicts, people who dress up far the Rocky
Horror Picture Show Dreu. Carey, Jerry
Seinfield, Andrew "Dice" Clay, mullet
sporting individuals, people who still wear
acid washed jeans and B.U.M. equipment
shirts, the dead, the undead, zombies,
mutants, ghosts, imaginary friends, lawyers,
farm animals, air hockey tables, cheap beer
aficionados, goats, crappy boy hands (not
that there is such a thing as a GOOD boy
band), people who think professional
wrestling is real, people who like profes-
sional wrestling, members of the mafia, drug
addicts, drug dealers, born again Christians,
cult members, atheists, internet porn addicts,
Yanni, cock rock bands, the letter "H,"
chicken quesadillas, Ronald McDonald,
Hamburgler, the actors who comprised the
"A
-team," swiss cheese, The George
Foreman low fat grill, compulsive liars,
EDITORIAL
think!
Return to
- Reality
~ .
Becky Weindorf
I
checks, etc. The only thing
about being able to override an unauthorized
check is that your employee number goes on
that check, and if it bounces or comes back
denied, you're the one that's responsible for
explaining your actions.
And then there's the customer. The
majority of customers are very polite and
understanding when it comes to slight
inconveniences in the store (for example,
running out of a product on sale). But I'll
tell you this much: customers are impatient,
selfish, and want everything done RIGHT
NOW. I mean, they expect you to drop
everything that you are doing to help THEM
RIGI IT NOW. I don't care how nice you are
outside of a grocery store, if you're shopping
and you need something, you want it now.
Believe me, I had the same mindset until I
started working on the other side of the
counter.
But despite all the hardships, it can be an
exciting job. We're the ones you see running
around, helping out newer cashiers, getting
customers out the door and making sure that
their experience at Wegman's is a pleasant
and friendly one. (Yeah I know, I'm the
now, take a chill pill or shut up
do, write, breathe, or think about is "ok." 1
Untitled 21 think racism, sexism, and discrimination
Ben Kundman against people based on sexual preference
is complete bull. Yet, I don't think people
.torol is>l
should be preached to because they said
something off-color. There is a difference
between calling someone a demeaning name
1$101511E( and telling an off-color joke (within reason).
Unfortunately, the "within reason" aspect 1,
impossible to define. Offensive to sonic is
hilarious to others. I just think people need
to look at context more than what is said.
With another 92 words left in this column,
and nothing more to say about the topic of
this article, I would like to address a letter
printed in the Beacon three weeks ago. The
letter, titled "Quit talking in codes Bacon,"
talked about what a talented and creative
group of writers we are here at the Be(lcon.
Actually, the letter said the editorial column,
are "poorly thought out and poorly written
right-wing garbage." I will he the first to
admit, I suck at writing. I'm an engineer,
silly! I can barely read, let alone write a
column that clearly conveys a message. The
important thing about having an editorial
column is providing a voice for students. If
sick of hearing "right wing garbage,"
then send a sample editorial into the Beacon
and get on the staff in the spring.
sufferers of Catholic
guilt syndrome, my
°strength of materials
book, car bombs, the
N.R.A., the D.E.A., DMX, N.WA., tech
support workers, telemarketers, tickle me
Elmo, Pokemon characters, Beenie Babies
collectors, Witches, Warlocks, Dragons,
people who play "Magic," Marlon Brando,
pizza delivery boys, hobos, "No Skateboard
ing" signs, the person who decided riding a
skateboard at 9:30 at night on campus was
"disorderly conduct" ($125), sobriety
checkpoints, bartenders who cut you off, our
"open" container law ("that's not open!"
"Technically, no, but you're getting fined
anyways"), Republicans, Democrats,
Libertarians, The Green Party, the vast non
voting majority on campus, people with big
teeth, and Martha Stewart.
I may have gotten a little carried away on
the disclaimer. The point of this article was
to point out that being politically correct is
getting a little ridiculous. I am sure that I
offended 98% of the campus with my
disclaimer, knowing how big Phil Collins is
here. I don't believe that people should have
to constantly worry whether what they say,
£Fq £i4
override key to put through
unauthorized checks, WIC
The Hot Debate The Week'
What's the deal with the oil?
~~ s~~f i '~ f
Earlier last week, Clinton authorized the
release of 30 million barrels of oil trom th(
Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help curl,
the price of oil for families this winter. in
his view, he doesn't want America's
families to "freeze'' this winter and wants to
help families brimg down gas and oil prices
for this winter. Please. Give me a break
30 million barrels of oil will sustain this
country for a whole two days.
There is absolutely no reason why
Clinton should have done this. For one
reason, the nation is in no "oil - emergent_ \
a crisis would be, just for an example. a
war. Those barrels are purposely put iv a'.
for national crises when the U.S .
decides
stop buying internationally. We have
enough oil for about two months to sust:iin
the whole country on its own -- and this
country is so filthy rich, we shouldn't
worrying about climbing oil prices
Second of all, isn't it a coincidence that
Al Gore just "happens" to mention that the
United States needs to do something alit itit
the oil prices? Well gee, we know he's \ ice
president and all, but since when did a \ice
president have power in the affairs of the
United States? That is just too much 01 a
coincidence for Gore to bring this issue lip
and actually watch his idea being carried
out a week thereafter. Seems to me that
Gore might have needed a small hoo'l in the
polls.
Every week, two editors from the sip!//
dents, faculty and staff arc encouragol
topic. Send ideas to beloy:0112.0)aol.coni
perfect advocate for Wegman's).
And there's something special about
knowing what you're doing that can earn you
a lot of respect from fellow employees. The
cashiers look at us in awe sometimes, and
it's the newer, younger cashiers that crack
me up. For example, we told one cashier we
had the power to remove him permanently
from the express line if he didn't cash fast
enough. (which we do, but it's not lair
ban a cashier from express just hecatic
still learning). And he thought \NC 11 CR
serious! It's one thing to break
Al a ca , ,h!ci
for the job, but it's another when they
actually start believing your jokes.
Essentially, being a front end coordindwi
takes a lot of patience and stamina to take th
pressures of running the front end. Casluel
are constantly bugging you to let them take
their lunches, customers ask for you to honor
expired coupons, a customer screams at v on
because you refuse to take their refund
check, and you put up with the constant
complaints of why you simply can't accept
an $BOO payroll check (because we arc not a
bank, but I can't tell them that!). But that's a
part of the job description that you're not
told about you just learn it.
All in all, it makes me feel good that I
have the keys even if it means that I have
to grow up and realize that I can't hide from
the angry customers or my mistakes I make
on the job.
;, ();I rnight ~111111(1
pi,l J (Hy in the
cl 11, ()11 hcing IC-
t, ,111,11 IV , envi.", Iti
. ,m%
itc.c pt
',..11!1
, OC‘ ' • \VC Can All
•,1 ' 111,1! , T oil that
kit)! cnicl-
i E. ~.' i
H r 11.1- mtqc th,m
r N,Vc hiiAL 101 l
th '1 lc timtl
her ;ire hour.
in .rriain,j , ~~t, Ilinouth
Cull
1, !I. I ,t i I hr o I
• ill l ot' the oni \ country in
~~ ~, i
(1(1)() , :11 ,, ()I.()iL
111.,
I 1111 Ck I S 1 :Ile ()1
Iri , "1 1 "A , I11(1
olt 111, I kr! rrl 'ororr- \r.lll Ikrrnn t turn on
tho., rirHr;r; rr; kr ; r ind It\ r a r .. Then we
of lied
Hopefully
1),1%,
HI, mow citkiClll. So why
(kW , A ,H2Oh.", it -NviiiC
\+. lo ;11H, :Hc,t .c ol oil to
111 cicbccic /O/)/k that l hot.Slit
c !Hui/ 1101
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Issues with parking
Ural Idclor
I ,urn V. 1111112. In 1C,11i)11 , ,e to the recent article
/ ' Pmbleins
4/ Inns Ihc September 22 edition
()I thc Hca, he Article was Very Well writ-
rn, hill 1,,\ pdiN, that (ire rue up are tho , ,e
dealitle ihe uttrty ic‘i. with Nit - . Donahue
Polk ;Ind c ,,lft.'(\ at Penn State Erie,
- 111 i •1 1,1.1 In lean thing up
)1 • attack on Mr
~ tuilent. ,• , point
~ 1 '111,,11 'I, I. ,I`.. Vst:ll 111111 -
i 11.1\ r hCCII de:IIII1Lr. ith
, 1
I ,I P, n. P, , o L iu H ,hlClll‘. MCC I esh man
th,tt each scar ',cern,.
lIIOMMEI
! , 11 , nth . cur()liincill at
li 1
I \N. \
\I;
I,ll'l have adequate parking
()Il ,;;;;111•01.' %IliC(111;11C • 1111 'rime r
nirnt.' ;; WilCllll.lllnk
pin k. \ c(wilmut
I iciniml , - k'oad Lot
in the AL . &
1)111 iihout the
Pi hit\ r neadv 111 111 then
•ui
•• , H walk 15 20
MPhil I I', ',ll(ffild he their choice
HHIS 'We'.ll.
I hid NlAll\ (1111C‘,
!IILkIC uut I() (hell
01 leave l()r
Ow\
the article that ()net.
It , 1
lI \ ~.,munuter, , may he
I‘,ll't Ai:(' eolir_ to he tar and 'neon
\ H l 11,0.1 cla , o, there ttnut athletic prac
tice, I ~,, t ll,l parking there; otherwise, I
()t thr v. 1%,
w, 'Laic(' in die article
\ enforce a few
hellevr that it tvoulil be a viable
option !esnlent parking to first-ear stu
dents. .1 'k make more spots available
to olilot iesidents in the upper lots. Sonic t.:01 -
ICgC', doll 10. t \ Cal students to CUM-
)1 II ( lk
mute. Instead. (11 , ; \ must Ike on campus, thus
hcein‘, ! up m, ~pleas tor the older students who
do commuk, I undcrstand however, that the
.ulvni t this problem does not
hc (ad, in ihe hand , of the ,tdnumstratton. Stu
dent,. .11,0 h% poohm,:. \A ith room-
mutt,: , h e;11(mg their route
jo „H o kho , A stu-
Ikiii dli!'.i<k thy c'
,(me of ()or tuition
(If L,, hudtling that dreamy
illt() the no,s
that !till1( , 11 to (111,11)
m.t1,1
..tc at Penn State Erie and
• 0 that the\ would
d wok hchyti 'Silke I started college,
I lkoc , Aorkc , .l _ash ,chool year and
summer ;‘, p.y. for education. I
am not work
ing -It hour., ;1 \keek and Carrying a lull load of
das \es to tiO I have convenient parking. While
I under stand that these problems cannot he
sulked o‘einight, there are steps that can he
taken to Cll`,lllt,' that this situation will not worsen.
I \11,..11-)
I 1 ;tJ) lurl
111,in k htmdicd
~i~~IIILIaIIti