Page 6a
The Behrend Beacon
THE BEHREND BEACON
tile rem, State Erie, the ul College
News Editor
Asst. News Editor
Inn McCall\
Sports Editor
Alike Hen,
Asst. Sports Editor
Koh. I.ll,hins(x I
Editorial l'age Editor
lien h . ititthilwi
Features Editor
Karl Beath rI
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Icaninr ,VOCe
Wire Service Editor
Gur hruthaler
Health Page Editor
1 11 iii Orr
7 ,9
44 BEACON
•Postal Information•
The Beacon is published weekly
by the students of Penn State
Erie, the Behrend College;
First Floor, The J. Elmer Reed
Union Building, Station Road,
Erie, PA 16563.
The Beacon can he reached by
calling (814) 898-6488 or
(814) 898-6019 (FAX).
ISSN 1071-9288.
The View From the Lighthouse
We are thankful for...
• Dr. Pepper • Mashed potatoes
v ith tons of gravy • The lake •
My family • My warm bed •
Beacon's contribution to my good
grades • "Tommy Boy" • Music •
My fiance and our future ►nar-
riage together • Foxy Boxing • A
working car • Great teachers •
Christmas music • Snow! • Beef
• Wookies • To he an America •
Barbells • Grants • Britney
Spears• Cliffnotes • Seatbelts •
My girlfriend • Liz's impending
graduation • Pajama pants • Led
Zeppelin • Jim, Jack. Johnny,
Jose, and the Captain • Holiday sales at the mall • Casual sex •
My skateboard • Finally getting to visit Ireland • My hike • E
bay • The Yeti • Time off from school • Making love • The fact
that no real terrorists know where Erie, Pa. is • Food in my
belly • Access to a car • Heat in my house • My Blankie • Au
tumn in Pennsylvania • Nieces and Nephews • Pizza • Choco
late • New 04 • Gel pens • 50-cent Tuesday • Thanksgiving
vacation • Caffeine • The Behrend Beacon • X-Files on DVD
(especially season five) • Single room in Ohio Hall • Impend
ing graduation • Fox's Sunday night lineup • My overall good
health • My hair • The microwave • Shebang Skatepark • My
future humanities degree • My IBM PC • Spirituality • Twice
as much food as Christmas with half the fighting • My little
brother to keep me young • Brunettes • The first time • "Friends"
(the TV show, not real ones) • "The Real World" (again, the TV
show not the real thing) • My huge, heavy sac • Pixar movies •
The warmest November ever • Creating new traditions • The
Beacon, giving something to do worthwhile • Nieces and neph
ews • Ikea •Beer Pong • The Junker Center (cuz it's free) •
Altruism • Economic security • Muppets • Sunsets • Women
can't bother me because they are at holiday sales • To be able to
live my life without interference • My job • Reese's Peanut
Butter Cups • Meatlover's pizza • Yoga mats • Dirty Brits • "Star
Trek" • Garbage Pail Kids • My boyfriend • Dingo • My younger
brother and sister • Muscles • My way of life is still safe • My
mini-ramp • Cable TV • Companies that still make ringer t
shirts • The gift of faith • Birth control and sometimes the Morn
ing After Pill • Sales at American Eagle • Morning Pleasures
• Wonderful history professors • TV dinners and anything you
can cook in a microwave • Jeeps • Your mom!
Above all things listed, the Beacon staff is thankful for
their loving families and their friends, new and old. Have a
great break, enjoy some turkey, mashed potatoes, and foot
ball. Please drive safe. Happy Thanksgiving!
Editor-in-Chief
R(thcrt lyymie
Interim Managing Echlin
Pail Alitcy
Professional Publication Mgr.
Dare hahls
Advisor
./4111 Kcni iti
The /?earon encourages letters to
the editor. Letters should include
the address, phone number,
semester standing, and major of
the writer. Writers can mail letters
to behn . ol/2 ( 0 ' . COM. betters
must he received no later than
5 p.m Monday tor inclusion in
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ME!
Associate Editor
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Staff Photographers
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Public Relations Manager
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Office Manager
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('opy Editor
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PAMPA
Greek Dogs
'Hi, my name is Nick Capozzoli
and I am writing in response to an
editorial by Liz Hayes on the Greek
life at Behrend that ran in last week's
Beacon. I happen to he a member of
a Greek organization and I, for one,
am so very thankful to Miss Hayes
for pointing out that Greeks are so
different from the other students at
Behrend. Before this wonderfully
written article ran, I was afraid to
admit the depth to which I adhere to
the Greek lifestyle. Well, I would like
to finally tell everyone how I live as a
Greek in a non-Greek world.
In the morning I wake up and I
immediately check my right butt
cheek to make certain that my
fraternity letters are still tattooed
there. Then after the relieved
afterglow abates, I shower and get
ready for class. One thing I don't do
is brush my teeth. You see, after I
found out that my dentist was not
Greek, I was bound by my fraternal
Drunk Buses
An open letter to Behrend Adrninistration
The first weekend of school, a Penn
State Behrend student slammed into
the rear end of the undercover Police
and Safety vehicle, totaling both
vehicles. Fortunately, no one was
injured. The culprit of this collision
was a Behrend student overindulging
in my good friend Al. Alcohol, that is.
like most college students, I enjoy
getting slammed every weekend. The
problem with trying to get sloshed
every weekend is both financial and
logistical. Financial, because I have to
live on $42.01 a week. Logistical,
is nothing to fear but fear itself, and men with guns
is oh so true, unless your face will probably get pistol- social anxiety are medications like
teriously
you are accosted by whipped severely, in the event you Paxil and Luvox. These drugs are
g a title... a man with a gun - are not immediately shot and killed. seratonin re-uptake inhibitors that
i n which case you In fact, almost all of us are already are also used in instances of clinical
Walsh are totally screwed, equipped with methods of eliminat- depression, and they have proven to
and will likely urinate ing fear and situations which induce greatly curb common elements of
fear. For example, the "fight or fear associated with social situations
flight" response will kick into gear such as raucous parties. Unfortu
when we are subjected to situations nately, these drugs will do little for
in which our health may be compro- you if a high percentage of the men
mised; a common display of this in- at said party decide to whip out guns.
herent fear-fighter can be found The drug you'd want then is mor
when a human subject is confronted phine - and lots of it.
by a dangerous animal such as a griz- It is pretty obvious there are many
zly bear or comparable wild preda- treatment options available for cop
tor, e.g. tiger or rhinoceros. ing with fear. In the advanced day
The immediate response is to run and age that we currently live in,
-an exhibit of natural "flight" ten- there is no excuse for allowing ele
dencies - which limits fear by effec- ments of panic and anxiety to fester.
tively removing oneself from the Technology avails itself to numer
subversive stimuli. Of course, this ous fear-alleviating techniques, the
method could be viewed as flawed greatest being a simple understand
by any subject attempting to flee a ing that fear is a biologically created
man with a gun, as most firearms - phenomenon that can be fought and
especially those equipped with a defeated. It should be noted that
`scope' device - can easily squeeze technology also avails itself to ultra
a few searing-hot slugs into the powered sniper rifles with heat
comically flailing body of the fool monitors and night-vision; odds are
attempting escape. you're lined up in the cross-hairs
An increasing number of Ameri- right now, and a hollow tipped bul
cans report particularly high levels let could conceivably end your mea
of anxiety when thrust into busy so- ger existence at any possible mo
cial situations like parties and ment.
crowdtd streets. A popular treatment
for these and many other forms of
There
Are you one of the millions of
Americans with a phobia or debili
tating fear? Have crowded social
situations triggered sweat glands and
induced subtle feelings of nausea?
Do you find yourself absolutely pet
rified by carnivorous tarantulas or
venomous snakes? Has a bad expe
rience left you afraid of common
geologic landforms, such as bodies
of water or steep cliffs?
Well, like so many others, you are
a victim of fear. Fear - especially
when seriously manifested into a
"phobia" - can be a greatly unset
tling experience with potential to
corrupt the normal functioning lives
of those afflicted. Yet people are not
obligated to concede to their fears.
In most cases, instances of fear are
both reparable and avoidable. We've
all heard the old adage, "There is
nothing to fear but fear itself," which
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
oath to reject anything that he said.
This includes brushing, flossing, and
the use of mouthwash. Now, properly
prepared, I go to class. I used to pay
close attention in class, but then I
found out that the majority of my
professors were non-Greek. What
could they possibly know of the
material that they teach? They aren't
even Greek! So now I just log on to
the Internet with my special Greek
only password and download all my
papers and tests directly from the
Greek archives. Now, having all my
work done for me, I search for
something to eat. As Miss Haves so
cleverly pointed out, the Gorge
(Bruno's to non-Greeks) is segregated
into different Fraternity and Sorority
sections. However I feel that this
meager segregation is not nearly
enough. and I will continue to boycott
Bruno's until we Greeks are given the
proper respect that we deserve. I
suggest a raised platform or a glass
because Behrend is about as bumpin
weekends as Grove City, and we all
know finding a sober driver on a
weekend is like finding a virgin at a
Catholic High School.
A simple, inexpensive way to
reduce the amount of drunk driving
that occurs every weekend on campus
is to put the Blue Bus back into service.
Instead of going to K-Mart at 10 am,
the newly christened "Drunk Bus"
could go to downtown Erie via
Wesleyville Friday and Saturday
nights, making several stops at
student-friendly locations. All of our
student activities fees are currently
all over yourself.
The National In
stitute of Mental
Health has reported
that 5.1 to 12.5 percent of Ameri
cans have phobias. This broad fig
ure represents the most dramatic
cases of fear, and it goes without say
ing that countless other fear-laden
scenarios occur quite often on much
srrialler scales. The common struggle
with various elements of fear has in
deed proven to be a national epi
demic, but this does not have to be.
Even the most drastic cases of panic
and anxiety can be effectively rem
edied through simple mental condi
tioning, a process involving only a
basic understanding of our bodies
and their physiological responses.
Fear does not have to run your life!
Most doctors will explain com
pletely safe and effective methods
for alleviating practically all fear-re
lated ailments. Doctors are profes
sionals with an immense understand
ing of phobias and anxiety, and they
will be of tremendous help unless
armed with a gun; in that scenario
Ben Kundman, Editorial Page Editor
partition, that way we will not have
to he bothered by the oafish manners
of the common folk (non-Greeks.) So
now I return home and prepare my
food myself to ensure that it is not
contaminated in any non-Greek way.
Then I have to get ready for the
"kegger -
Liat we Greeks throw every
night. I put on my GAP shirt with my
letters sewn on to it, (a regular shirt
with letters would do, But a GAP shirt
really lets people know how much
better I am than they). Now properly
dressed, I venture forth to the
"kegger - where the traditional
festivities include a good beer, a good
laugh, and a hearty round of paddling.
Yes, no Greek event would he
complete without a good sound
heating with solid oak. After the
soiree' I usually head to Coney Island,
where I order a "Greek Dog, - the
highest form of pork, what every pig
hopes to grow up to be. After such a
day it is with an easy heart that I return
going to events that 25-30 people
attend. why not funnel some of that
money into the "Drunk Busr Similar
to the Blue Bus, the "Drunk Bus . '
could charge a nominal fee to riders to
help support operating costs.
"IT ENCOURAGES THE
CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL
wiII be the cry of every single Behrend
administrator. Guess what. students
are going to drink regardless. Drinking
to college students has been like coke
to celebrities forever. Even Dubya
used to throw down with the best of
them. Students are going to drink, no
matter what the University does.
behrcoll2@aol.com
home for sleep. I usually say "good
night" to my Greek roommate, (I
have two non-Greek roommates but
I generally pretend that they don't
exist, unless of course it is to spit in
their general direction) lay down in
my Greek bed, between my Greek
sheets and fall asleep to Greek
dreams.
So while many Greeks would
respond with anger toward Miss
!byes, call her comments rude and
narrow minded, would say that citing
sources such as the "wisdom" of
Mike Frawley is further evidence of
a small and insignificant person, I
say - Thank you. Liz." Thank you for
giving me the courage to come out
and tell everyone of my struggle to
remain pure. to remain true, to
remain GREEK.
Nick Capozzoli,
09 MET
I have had three friends nearly dii
in separate accidents caused b
drinking and driving. I conside
myself lucky that I can still pick u
the phone and call them, unlike the
millions of people who have los
friends and family to drunk drivers
People will always drink, and som.
people will always drive drunk, but i
Penn State Behrend could save ON •
life, having a "Drunk Bus" would bi
worthwhile.
Sincerely,
Ben Kundman
09 MET
Walsh's column appears every
three weeks.