.11
FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 2001
Call for the
end of winter
Yes, folks, it's that time of year again. The
beautiful Christmas snow of December is
now nothing but gross slippery slush that
caused you to...whoops...run through that
red light. All those last minute gifts and
errands that you didn't think would add up
are now the reason that your credit card's
finance charges are more than double what
you charged on the card in the first place.
Ah yes...the mid-winter slump, blues, cabin
fever...whatever you want to call it...has hit
us again...pretty hard, I might add.
If you're a college student, you're just
getting used to your classes. You've
hopefully already dropped the ones you
can't stand, and yes...you've got bills...credit
card bills, and more credit card bills. All
those extra hours you worked at your part
time job over Christmas break won't even
put a dent in that mounting debt. After all,
our finance charges are more than TRIPLE
what we've charged on the card in the first
place. It's not like we got anything fun with
our credit cards. Oh, no way! I mean after
finishing your Christmas shopping...and
buying...well...BOOKS...everything was
just about maxed out.
Well, I guess instead of griping about this
dull and dreary time of year, the best thing to
do is to get over it by overcoming it. Set
some goals for yourself. If that box of
chocolates, five fruit cakes, and dozen Santa
cut-out cookies has finally taken its place on
what's left of your perfectly toned summer
2000 body, start exercising! Incorporate
more fruit into your diet. Gradually mix
things into your life that make you think of
summer. Throw on a pair of shorts (if they
still fit), while you study in your (hopefully
warm) dorm room. On a sunny day, break
out those sunglasses and summer hat. Not
only will it protect your eyes from the sun's
rays, but it's also a great way to remind
yourself that somehow, someday all this
snow will eventually melt and spring and
summer will arrive.
• Oreate an official countdown'tolsummer:
I know it sounds corny, but it JAI! give you a
good idea about when your goals should be
reached. Then give yourself countdowns
within your summer countdown. For
example, a countdown till the day that you
are ten pounds lighter, or a countdown till
that huge (not to mention overwhelming)
paper is due, or maybe a countdown till the
next Midnight Bingo in February. Then if
you make it to those goals (without going
totally insane), reward yourself!! If you lose
ten lbs, maybe go bathing suit or summer
clothes shopping (don't forget to use the
credit card that you have paid off entirely!!).
If you get your paper done in time, and you
earn your desired grade, maybe celebrate by
going to a movie, or to a fancy restaurant
with some friends (THEIR treat!!). All of
these things will make the time go quickly,
without taking advantage or losing sight of
the current day. By setting goals, I think it's
easier to realize how important each day (or
stepping stone) is to that final destination (or
goal).
If you like this time of year... God bless
you!! Become a mentor...that is for
someone who doesn't like this time of year.
Explain to them the positives of these winter
months. Maybe how winter driving will
make you a better driver all year, because it
trains you to be more cautious and alert.
Don't forget to include all of the winter
holidays!! How Valentine's Day always
seems to fall at about the perfect time every
year...right about when you are going to
burst from all the snow, ice and cabin fever
victims. Don't forget resolutions.
Yeah...you know...those things that you
began over Christmas break...and broke by
the time you were back to school.
Reviving those broken resolutions is a
great way to get yourself out of an impos
sible winter slump. There is usually some
worthwhile benefit that comes along with a
well-kept resolution. Organization, that
feeling of accomplishment, and personal
satisfaction can all be acquired if you stick
to that resolution (not to mention getting
yourself out of that nasty winter rut that
everyone seems to be in right now).
So there you have it. There is a way out
We've all been though it before. Just
think...twelve months ago you were going
through the exact same thing that you are
going through now...and you made it out.
Blast some music, read a book, take a
jog...GET OUT OF THAT SLUMP...after
all, there are only roughly three months left
in the spring semester!!
Kleck's column appears every three weeks
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ristine
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Send a letter to the Editor!
behrcoll2@aol.com
Here's a tip
Seeing that a lot of us are broke college
students, especially after having to pay the
outrageous prices in the bookstore, I'm sure
most of you have been forced to work at
some point in your college careers.
We Behrend students are employed all
over the city in all sorts of different jobs,
while some of us work right here on
campus. I bet that it I'd be right on the
money if I guessed that a lot of you hate
.your jobs for a variety of reasons, so here
are some of the more popular ones. Please
feel free to pick which one is most relevant
to you, a) you hate the mindlessness of your
job, h) you hate the people you work with,
c) you are sick of being paid minimum
wage, d) you just hate work in general, e)
for those of you in customer service jobs,
you despise the general public whose crap
you are definitely not being paid enough to
put up with or, g) you are a server who is
getting really sick of customers who you
gave excellent or at least darn good service
to tipping you practically nothing!
Personally, I'd have to go with answer g,
although e is running a close second.
Now don't get me wrong, since I started
serving at a local restaurant almost six
months ago, I have made quite a bit of
money. I have waited on countless people
who are really generous, tipping far more
than fifteen percent. This is wonderful, a
perk of being a server I must admit. But, if
World Wide Trash
I'm currently a miserable resident of
Ohio Hall, otherwise known as "the
lemon." I have been noticing for some
time the letters "WWT" written on various
parts of the building, and from what I
gather, it is also written on other buildings
and sidewalks in other parts of campus. I
did some investigating into what this
means and who is doing it, and I'm here to
let everyone know what I've learned.
WWT is the acronym for the words
"World Wide Trash." This is a group of
kids (probably from some local high
school) that are sneaking over in the
middle of the night to write it on my
building, along with various others
throughout the college. I have learned that
this is a very elite group of people, so my
attempts to infiltrate them would be in
vain. At first, I couldn't really understand
why people would repeatedly feel the need
to inform the whole campus of their
presence, but then I realized the natural
desire for "the elite" to•let their establish
ment be known. This is common through
out life, and we deal with it all the time
whether we like it or not. I mean hey,
Fighting over something with your friends? Want to see it debated
in the newspaper? Send us your idea, and we will debate it in our
'Hot Debate" of the week discussion!
behreoll2@aoLcom
Tell us whatyou
Send all letters to:
farfr
think!
I may, please let me just talk briefly about
the other extreme. Yes, those dandy
customers who make servers mutter four
letter words under their breath. Quite often,
it's women (but only a particular sector,
which I will get to in a moment) who are
these horrendous tippers, and I know you're
thinking, well maybe they just can't afford
to. Or maybe they don't feel they should
have to. Or maybe you aren't that great of a
server, and you don't deserve a decent tip.
I'll admit sometimes I don't always give the
best or even good service because
sometimes I'm just too busy. I am only one
person with two hands and two legs and
although I'd love to carry twelve meals out
at once, while making change for table one
and two and putting in five drink orders for
tables five, seven, and ten, I've come to
some of us are just better then others.
Now that we understand why it is done,
let's take a look into the members them-
selves, and find out the necessary qualifica
tions for becoming a member. To be a
WWT member several things are necessary,
as this is a group, and with all groups there
are certain distinguishing characteristics.
First of all, smoking is mandatory, I mean
you have to let your presence be known to
the people you sit by in class, as we all
know the delightful smell of smoke on top
of morning breath slicing through the air
during an 8:00 a.m. class.
Now as far as th,- hairstyle goes, there is
The Hot Debate of The Week'
gip;"4x:ar'}„`sFz
For too long, public schools have failed in
teaching children how to read and how to
perform well in math. We've been too
accepting in letting public schools go
through the motions of education.
Meanwhile, students have been missing out
on their chance to be successful, missing out
on the basics of further education.
The q#4o, o 4)9tit yowl:tem asks if this is
acceptab*:Witicire, , Perak *forced to
keep thekchildreiirtAthcvlsthat won't
teach, beeause there aren't aft*Other options
for them. Do we punish children whose
parents can't afford tuition for private
schools or transportation to passing schools?
Vouchers aren't saying that we've given
up on failing schools. It simply says we
want improvement.
I'''
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~
There is agreement that we shouldn't rush
into the voucher program. First, there are
other options. Public schools have three
years to improve, to teach children the
fundamentals of education. If success isn't
immediate, principals will be fired, and more
money will be spent.
But the line should be drawn there. If new
leadership in certain public schools isn't
effective, we can't continue to spend money
on a lost cause. We need a better cause in
which to spend the money.
This idea forces change. Teachers' jobs
will rely on their ability to teach. Principals'
positions will rely on their ability to force
improvement among our children. We have
to stop punishing children that can't afford a
quality education. We simply need to make
sure they are getting a quality education that
ensures equal opportunity for all.
Even• week, two editors from the staff will debate a topic that is hot. Students, faculty and staff are
encouraged to email suggestions for the hot topic. Send ideas to behrcoll2@aol.com
'hat's realize all this is not humanly
possible. But, overall I try to be as
y Point? conscientious, quick, and personable
as possible.
im Zuck So as you may have been thinking,
maybe these women can't afford to
give a decent tip. Well, this is not
true because the women I am
referring to are always upper scale
businesswomen with perfectly manicured
fingernails, snazzy business attire, and
expensive jewelry. These women are so
tight with their money it's amazing they can
get their wallet open without a crowbar.
They are generally pretty nice, but really
picky.
For example, they will say, "can I have
my salad with no tomatoes, croutons,
olives, onions, or cheese? And can I have
my drink in a tall glass with just a little ice,
not too much, and a water with two or three
lemon wedges? Oh, yes and extra dressing
for my salad, on the side, of course!" This
is line, I understand that some people do
not like certain vegetables, but why not just
order a bowl of lettuce and a lemon? But, I
digress. So, these women get their food and
drinks in a timely fashion and sometimes
will gush, "Oh, you're so sweet. You're a
really good server!" So, in my naive
beginnings as a server, I would eagerly
bring the bill and anticipate my big tip.
But, for some reason a lot of
some leeway here. Basically
Potatoes anything is good, as long as the
hair is dirty and not main
ean Gravy tained. Short clean hair is
simply unacceptable. As far
as clothes go, baggy pants are
I ,‘ ," good, if there is an oil stain
on them, that's all the better
(you will move up quickly
through the ranks by taking advantage of
that tip). Also another important point to
remember about clothes is that washing
must be kept to a minimum at all times,
and it is common practice to have a huge
beer stain on the front of the shirt; yellow
armpit stains also enhance the look. Facial
hair with food stuck in it is also another
thing to try (although this is not manda
tory).
Now you're probably thinking, "why
would you dress, look and smell like this?"
I know that the mentally challenged might
think that this behavior would signify
"dirtball status" but quite the contrary.
The unique look allows members to spot
each other, and the smell allows them to
sniff each other out in a heavy crowd of
Matola
Welcome Bush
f; , •
So, we are going to take money away
from public schools and give it to parents
who may or may not be able to determine
which schools are best for their children
But what then happens to the public schools
that aren't doing well?
The government has taken away that
school's funding. After enough funding is
taken away the poblicsenagt is going to
realize tl:4#. it ts.d ing Something wrong and
will try vittorrectltariiistakes. Which
appears to be how the plan is supposed to
work giving public schools some really
tough incentives to get their acts together.
But where will the money come from to
change? All the funding has been taken
away and given to the parents, and none is
left for the schools. Even if the school was
willing to change, it would have no way to
pay for those changes. So that school is just
going to continue its downhill trend and
eventually close. Then there will be no
more public schools.
And what happens when there are only a
few choices to send your kids to? What if
you are Jewish and the only good school in
your area is a Catholic or Buddhist private
school? Or what if your kids are African
American or Hispanic and the only school
that you can feasibly send them to is in a
predominantly white neighborhood that is
hostile to African Americans or Hispanics?
School vouchers are not going to improve
public education. In the long run, it will
probably ruin it.
businesswomen don't know what a big tip is
(less than ten percent seems to be the only
figure they know). So, for instance when I
collect the bill and money from them, they
will say in a sugary tone, "Oh just keep the
change, you're tip's included."
As I walk away, counting the money and
realize they only gave me $40.00 on a
$37.99 check, after I catered to their every
single whim for over two hours, I feel like
marching right back to their table and
saying, " Listen here, sweetie, I've got a
little tip for you, how about you take your
snobby butt out of here pronto and don't
come back until you learn how to calculate
a decent tip!" But, of course I don't, I just
keep walking with a smile pasted on, quietly
muttering choice words under my breath.
So, what's my point in all this? Well, just
to plead with you to never forget what it
was like to be a broke, struggling college
student working a crappy job. Hopefully
when we graduate we will land good jobs
and be prosperous and successful in our
careers. So, here's a little tip for the future,
no matter how far we go or who we get to
know, we should never lose sight of what it
means to be fair and decent to others
because most of us can testify from
experience that being broke ain't no joke!
Zuck's column appears every three weeks
people. As I mentioned earlier my at-
tempts to infiltrate proved to be unsuccess
ful. This is because no matter how hard I
tried, I was unable to obtain the necessary
degree of "dirtball status" (correction: I
meant sophistication).
Now I'm not trying to bash these people
or humiliate them, I'm just trying to
understand them. Why is vandalism such a
cool thing? Is it "cool" to make the
campus look worse than it already does? I
used to think that there was some type of
screening process that was used during
admission, but apparently this fell through.
There are some people you just can't
communicate with, those that will do what
they want when they want. We are seeing
this more and more throughout society.
Respect is a word that seems to have
disappeared off the face of the earth. I
don't really consider this an "issue" so to
speak, but more of a wakeup call to the rest
of us. Evaluate yourself, assess what you
are here for, and for god's sake, try to
imagine how your acts project yourself to
the rest of the world.
Matola's column appears every three weeks