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THE BEHREND BEACON
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News Editor
Liz Haves
Asst. News Editor
Erin McCarty
Sports Editor
Mike Bello
Asst. Sports Editor
Kate Levdatisks Petrikis
Editorial Page Editor
Ben Kundman
Features Editor
Karl Renaeel
A&E Editor
Jeanine Noce
Wire Service Editor
Guy Reschenthaler
•Postal Information•
The Beacon is published weekly
by the students of Penn State Erie,
The Behrend College.
First Floor, Reed Union Building,
5091 Station Road,
Erie, PA 16563.
The Beacon can be reached at
(814) 898-6488
(814) 898-6019 (FAX)
behrcolls@aol.ool7l
ISSN 1071-9288.
A VIEW FROM THE LIGHTHOUSE
Pass the gas mask
Things are tough right now.
People we know are going off to
fight enemies we don't know in
countries we knew nothing about
before Sept. 11. Manhattan is still
a smoking mess. The stock market
is all FUBAR. Anthrax is
becoming more common than the
common cold. And to top it all off,
the Erie weather we know and
love is getting up in our faces
again.
What should we, John and Jane
Q. American, be doing to alleviate
the tension? Continue living.
Remember that Y 2 K
phenomenon? People everywhere
building bunkers, stockpiling
canned soup, toilet paper, and
gasoline, building mini-arsenals,
withdrawing money from the bank
and hiding it under the mattresses?
And what happened when the
clock struck midnight on Dec. 31,
1999?
The ball dropped and everyone
sang that goofy song just like they
did every other year. A few
weirdos had to ring in the New
Year 20 feet underground in three
foot thick cement-walled bomb
shelters, drinking purified,
distilled, stale water from big
plastic jugs instead of bottled
bubbly, but they still saw a new
millennium come and go with only
a small amount of confusion.
Aside from having an abundance
of canned soup, Ramen noodles,
toilet paper, and Uzi s, those people
began the 21" century as they
would begin any other year
(except they had some extra
storage space for packing away the
holiday decor).
The same thing could very well
happen in the current situation.
People are rushing out to get gas
masks for everyone in their family.
Handgun sales have shot through
the roof. Everyone's preparing for
calamity, and quite possibly
causing it in their hysteria.
Yes, anthrax is scary and
unpredictable and becoming a
more credible threat everyday. But
what can we realistically do right
now to counteract this threat? Are
buying gas masks really the
answer? We'd have to wear them
every minute of the day for them
to be effective. And unless we also
purify every drop of water and
morsel of food we take in, and
scan every single item we come
in contact with, those gas masks
will only go so far.
If you see a big pile of white
Editor-in-Chief
Robert W'nne
Managing Editor
Jeffrey Miller
Asst. Managing Editor
Paige Miles
Professional Publication Mgr.
Dave Richards
Advisor
Mr. John Kerwin
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 behrcoll2@aol.com Letters
must be received no later than
5 p.m. Sunday for inclusion in that
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realistically do right now. And
while it's important to report
questionable items, the various
levels of authority are getting
bombarded with reports of
suspicious substances. So while
you don't want to let something
dangerous go unheeded, try not to
jump on the paranoia bandwagon
and call the FBI everyday when
you check your mail.
And what good is a handgun
gonna do you? Are you gonna shoot
the letters containing anthrax? Or
maybe carry that gun on a plane so
you can be the hero on the next
hijacked flight? Are the terrorists
now going door to door, storming
private homes? We don't even
know who these people are, where
they are, and where they are going
to go - what possible good could a
handgun do?
Our suggestion is to leave the gas
mask at the army surplus store and
to take the gun back to Kmart.
Don't start refurbishing the bomb
shelter - it's still stocked from two
years ago. Just keep doing what
you've always done. Ceasing
normal operations is just what
terrorists want Americans to do. If
we instead stand firm and continue
supporting our way of life, we have
already taken a big step in defeating
those who would see us fall.
So go out there and buy those
Halloween decorations. Make
those reservations for Spring
Break. Run up those credit cards
(the ones that aren't already maxed
out). Just don't start buying
commando gear unless you are
planning on joining an anti
government organization in
Montana. On second thought, don't
buy the gear even if you are going
out there.
Oh, and about that weather acting
up...sorry, there really is nothing
you can do except dig out the
winter coat, snow shovel, and anti
freeze. Just like we've done every
other October out here on the lake.
Health Page Editor
Sarah Orr
Associate Editor
Kelly Walsh
Photographers
Kristin Rodgers
Jeff flunkey
Advertising Manager
Ann Marie Harev
Public Relations Manager
Katie Galley
Office Manager
Jason Alward
Copy Editor
Becky Weindorf
Technical Support
Doug Butterworth
•Letter Policy•
week's issue
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Friday, October 19, 2001
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WHO WON A
DATE WITH A
BEACONIAN?
Was it Old Mr Jenson, down at the mill? Was it that 40-year-old guy who
shows up at every party who no one knows? Was it Jessica Rabbit?
Do we know? Do you care? Find out in next week's
heart-pounding edition of the Behrend Beacon.
The Beacon staff would like to thank all of
those who participated.
All proceeds benefit the Twin Towers Orphan Fund
Welcome to Behrend Technical Schoo
Since last month, I am very happy
to see people becoming more
interested in global politics and the
history of different cultures. I listen
to people exchanging their
viewpoints on foreign policy,
President Bush, and terrorism. As
tragic as the Sept. 11 attacks were,
they have spawned a new interest in
current affairs and opened the door
of reality to many. My question is
are we (as colleges and universities)
going to take advantage of this recent
spurt of interest to educate more
people in the traditional college sense
of inquiry? Or are we going to shift
lanes to merely worrying about
teaching students about business
management and the model of
communication?
I was very disappointed when the
spring scheduling guide came out last
week. Hoping to find a decent
selection of upper-level history
classes, I was given a whopping two
selections to choose from. The same
goes for political science, although
there were a couple more options in
that field. I gripe not because I do
not like the subjects of the two history
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classes, but because
students
w on this administrators do not
see the value of
W ynne studying the liberal
arts degrees anymore.
Instead of learning
about other cultures
and historical events,
people choose drone classes like
marketing, management, or
speech communications.
I am by no means criticizing
the faculty and students involved
with these programs, but I feel
compelled to say that I would
probably die of boredom sitting
thoygh four years of management
principles or the model of
communication. In my opinion, MIS,
Management, Marketing, and
Communications should be grouped
together and listed as Common Sense
Degrees (CSD) in the scheduling
guide. Again I stress in my opinion
that the purpose of attending a four
year institution has been defeated.
But, of course, in the fast pace of the
21st century, a degree in
communications or business will
overshadow the other, more
traditional liberal arts areas like
English, philosophy, or history.
The reason I am facing off with
some of these other programs on
campus is because I have experience
in their related fields. I worked in
retail grocery for four years before
moving to the restaurant business.
The amount of information I gathered
about business, profits, cost,
management strategies and teamwork
is far more valuable than my wilting
away in a class vicariously sharing the
Ben Kundman, Editorial Page Editor
EMIM
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experiences of Bill Gates or Lee
lacocca. Why? It's experience. It's the
real world, which is where ultimately
all of us are going to end up someday
(I hope).
Business, although quite a generic
term, is a very large living entity of
everyday life. If it's business that you
want to learn about, then by all means
start working for one. Take advantage
of what's in front of you: work your
way up in the business. I know that
idea is a thing of the past, but the skills
gained are invaluable. Or, for
example, if it's a web-page designer
that you want to he, spend a couple of
hours each day tackling Front Page and
visiting Htmls. You are obviously
spending the money, so why not spend
the time inquiring in a subject area that
will enlighten different parts of the
mind or teach you something about
humanity? To put it in business terms,
time equals money. So why not spend
both wisely. Build up an intellectual
credit rating that will help you when
you reach that point we college
students refer to as the "real world."
Critical thinking, analytical skills,
problem solving, and the
interpretation of information are the
fundamentals of any liberal arts
education they always have been.
The key is to take these fundamentals
and apply them to various facets of
the workplace and home. It might just
mean learning to get along with a
family member or boss, or it might
mean analyzing your own opinions
and providing support for arguments
that you pose. I find it very
bothersome that Behrend does not
even offer some kind of current issues
class, a place to discuss with others
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about the current state of the world
we live in
Again, we must ask ourselves what
it really is that we're seeking by going
through the turmoil and stress
associated with college life. Are we
just looking to find a job that provides
those mediocre benefits and leaves
you with enough cash each month to
help pay that huge student loan? Sure,
money is great. We Behrend students
hope to have a decent savings account
someday, but it isn't everything.
In his commencement address to
Vassar College last year, author
Stephen King offered the following
thoughts: "You will continue to put
on your pants one leg at a time no
matter how many T-bills you have or
how many shares of General Electric
are in your portfolio. It's still going
to be quarter-past getting late whether
you tell the time on a Timex or Rolex.
No matter how many credit cards you
have, sooner or later things will begin
to go wrong with the only three things
you have which you can really call
your own: your body, your spirit, and
your mind."
With that in mind, ask yourself if
there is anything you would like to
know while you're here in college for
a brief period of time. Don't be afraid
to indulge in the humanities. When
people ask me what it is that I study
and I tell them history, their response
is something like, "So what is it
exactly that you're going to do with
that major?" And although I do have
a few ideas in mind, I proudly reply,
"I don't know."
Wynne's column appears every
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three weeks.