Paige Miles, Editorial Page Editor
The Behrend Beacon
lvhli~h~ cl Sri rah ,„ 0, Live, Ihe lichiend (
News Editor
Erin McCarty
Sports Editors
Scott Soltis
Zoe Rose
Editorial Page Editor
Paige Miles
Features Editor
Karl Benacci
Staff Photographers BeTHWEari
Jeff Hankey
Heather Myers
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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 be reached by
calling (814) 898-6488 or
(814) 898-6019 (FAX).
ISSN 1071-9288.
To a young girl
To a certain young girl, Christmas meant dolls, letters to In some ways it felt like my last Christmas as a child. Little
Santa, chocolate chip cookies, and other "fun" things. As that did I know that my next Christmas would feel so different. I
little girl grew up and the toys and dolls faded away, she he- felt more mature because I wasn't spending the holiday sea
gap to see the real reason for the Christmas season. son in the home that held all of my best childhood memories
With a life currently surrounded by midterms, papers. car within its walls.
payments and plenty of other "not so fun" things, it's impor- My great aunt also celebrated her 75th Christmas with us
tart now more than ever for me to seek out and hold on tight that night in 1989. It was the last Christmas she celebrated
to the real reason for the season. As I celebrate my 2lst Christ- with us, and certainly one of the most special Christmases
mas. I am reminded of so many Christmas memories that we ever spent together.
that have taught me the true meaning of Christmas. That made for a grand total of 14 (and one on the way)
One of my fondest holiday memories includes a family members joined together for that very special Christ
particular Christmas that I will always keep close ' v h mas Eve Celebration in 1989. We sat down to a large meal
to inN, heart. It is what my mother likes to call "Our and all joined hands in prayer.
( ltrktinas of Firsts and Lasts." All 14 of us had many blessings bestowed upon us
The 1989 holiday season brought my : , that year. We all had so much to be thankful for. With
mother's entire family together, along with glowing faces and sparkling eyes we all joined together
endless snowstorms. My southern, out-of- to thank God. We thanked Him for letting us all be
ttmii relatives came to Erie from very warm, :•-" • together to join hands before Him on that holy Christ
stiow-t rec climates. The fact that our Weather mas Eve.
forecast was very new to them made for an 7• 7 •'•--- At that time, I probably could have told you every
interesting holiday season. It was the first Christine Kleck•
little last thing that I received from Santa and my
time many of them had ever experienced family that year. Looking back now on that Christ
mas. I don't remember one material gift that I re
ceived. On that same note, the details that I described above
may not have even crossed my mind as an 8-year-old.
No matter your age, ethnicity or background, it is your family
that makes Christmas such a special time of year. Material
gifts come and go without much remembrance at all. It is your
family, and the memories that you create and share together
that you never forget. Moments like these are what Christmas
is all about, and make the season so special.
I know that life is busy; I experience a hectic lifestyle every
single day of my life. But if you took the time to read my little
Christmas memory just now, then you have the time to make
a phone call, write an e-mail, talk on an Instant Message Ser
vice whatever it takes to keep in touch with the best part of
Christmas your family. Think of your own memory and share
it with a relative or two. And remember, enjoy your holiday
create memories and share them for years to come.
Coats and boots had to be borrowed, and lots of hot choco
late was consumed that season as the Erie area (again) experi
enced and my relatives witnessed (l'or the first time) record
snowstorms. Even the warmest clothes that some of my rela
tiles hrought with them weren't enough. We" Erie natives'' all
insisted that they dress in "more layers - - something that was
a first foi most of them.
My other aunt, who is from Erie, was 8 months pregnant
with her first child. Technically, it was his first snow experi
ence. as well. My cousin, Andrew, was horn in January -
right in the middle of his first (but certainly not his only) Erie
winter snowstorm.
We all gathered at my home for a Christmas Live celebra
tion. So many people in one house made the cold outside
melt away from the warmth of all of our hearts. We were all
happy. safe, healthy and together for the first time in years.
That was my immediate family's last Christmas in our old
That spring we were scheduled to break ground for
our new home.
Letter to
the Editor
In the November 22nd
article on the Behrend Card
board Box City, the author
neglected to mention one of
the most active community
service organizations on
campus. Omicron Delta
Kappa, a national junior/senior
Honors and Leadership Soci
ety, also "manned" its card
board box for 24 hours in the
freezing cold. ODK raised
over $l2O for the Kid's Cafe at
the Emmaeus Soup Kitchen. I
would like to thank all the
members who participated for
their dedication!
Nicole Dirling, 07,
Political Science
Community Service Liaison,
ODK
Editor-in-Chief
Kevin Fallon
Managing Editors
Rebecca Weindorf
Robert Wynne
- -
1 I I
"A newspaper by the
students for the students"
Professional Publication Mgr.
Dave Richards
Advisor
Cathy Roan
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. Monday for inclusion in
that week's issue
In the diversity corner
A case for the feminists
I remember reading several Beacon articles
where the necessity of the feminist movement
was questioned. At the time, I was rather per
turbed, to say the least. But then. I kept hear
ing the same sentiments from other individu
als, women included, who said "women are
no longer oppressed. hence there is no need
for the feminist movement." Well, I beg to
differ. So bear with me as I make a case for a
"Global Women's Liberation Movement."
I believe those individuals who believe the
feminist movement is no longer needed suf
fer from two basic misperceptions about the
current status of women in the U.S., and the
purpose and intended scope of the feminist
movement. Due to space limitations, I will
address only the second point although the
first one is also very important and needs to
be addressed in full.
Most of those who question the need for a
comprehensive feminist movement believe
that the feminist movement is an "American
movement." In truth, the feminist movement
Advertising Managers
Melissa Powell
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Calendar Page Editor
Erinn Hansen
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Ross Lockwood
Associate Editor
Jen Henderson
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Scott Soltis
Technical Support
Doug Butterworth
EISMEM
by Banchi Ik.ssalegn
contributing editorialist
ORIAL
Friday, December 6, 2002
Send Letters to the Editor!
Include your name, major, and semester standing and send to:
Behrcoll2@aol.com
Kleck's column
appears every three weeks.
is larger in its intended scope than the U.S.
and those who question the necessity of this
movement seem unaware of the global as
pect of the feminist movement.
In a world where women have to cover
their faces by law, women are not allowed
to go to school by law, women are murdered
in the name of honor, women's genitalia are
mutilated as a service to men (currently, it is
estimated that 100 t 0132 million women are
victims of this practice) etc., how can one
question the need for a women's liberation
movement? If there is no need for feminism,
why then do we still have women being mis
treated and persecuted around the globe?
To give a current example of persecution
of women, I present the case of Amina Lawal
Kurami, a Nigerian woman who has been
sentenced to death by stoning for having sex
out of wedlock.
A few years back, 12 states in northern
Nigeria implemented the Sharia, which is an
extremist interpretation of the Islamic law.
According to the Sharia, sex out of wedlock
is considered a crime punishable by death.
If the accused is a man, he can get the charges
dropped just by claiming that he was not in
volved. His words are good enough unless
- I
To Jeff
Well, it's that time of year again.
Time to get out all of the decorations
and start spreading good cheer. And
while I normally enjoy this time of
year, lately I've seemed a little down
about it. But what really both
ered me is that I coul
ure out why. That
read last week's issue
Beacon and saw an
tick about my bes
friend spending
Christmas in Af
ghanistan while I'm
here at home writ- '
ing another edito- Mike Frawley
rial.
I was like most
Americans. I spent the holiday sea
son watching the ads on TV to re
member our servicemen who were
overseas and away from their fami
lies for the holidays. After saying to
myself how sad that was, I flipped
the channel to something more inter
esting and never gave it a second
thought. I won't be able to do that
ever again. While I sit here with my
family and friends, Jeff Miller is pro
tecting our country in a place most
Americans can't point out on a map.
I find myself watching CNN and
reading the paper with a new ur
gency. Hunting for news about what
is going on over there. Was there a
bombing, a sniper attack, was any
one hurt? But because of Americans'
limited attention span, events in Af
ghanistan are getting less and less
four reputable individuals catch him in the
act and testify against him (what are the
chances?).
The man who Amina claims to be the fa
ther of her child denied the allegations and is
a free man. On the other hand, she waits for
the day her child stops nursing, for that is the
day she will be stoned to death. The death
sentence will be carried out by first burying
Amina up to her neck, and then the towns
men will stone her until she dies. I ask you,
where is justice for this woman? Does the
punishment fit the 'crime"?
Those in the so called 'land of the free'
are more concerned about the merits of an
obviously needed movement, while millions
of women are used, abused, and murdered.
Although this example is that of a Nigerian
woman, do NOT delude yourself thinking
that atrocity is present only in Nigeria or Af
rica. Women all around the world, the U.S.
included, are maltreated everyday (look at
the rate of rape and domestic violence in the
U.S).
I say let us put the pettiness aside and work
together to bring about real changes for the
women of the globe. I call for a Global
Women's Liberation Movement, a move-
coverage.
So I wonder to myself is it all
worth it? Did Bush make the right
decision in sending our boys over
seas? If he decides to invade Iraq,
will that be the right decision?
le all over the country are
)ating this right now, and
ost people have a strong
)pinion about it, as I myself
do. But who gets lost in all
of this? Our military per-
family of my own
now I appreciate things a little bet
ter. But I don't think I'll be so quick
to flip the channel this year.
So to all of our servicemen and
women who are overseas this year
(and I know you all read the Bea
con!) I wish you the best. This holi
day season when I'm opening a
present, or toasting in the New Year
it will be with a little sadness. While
I am with my friends and family, a
great number of people serving there
country are not. In a perfect world
they all will come back, safe and
sound.
ment where all people come together to free
all oppressed groups in the world, starting
with women. This is a call for action and not
rhetoric. For instance, at Behrend, we-can
start out by paying attention to the language
we use when we address women, by de
nouncing objectification of women by the
media, fellow students, and the school pa
per.
In closing, I will modify an African say
ing to make my point: "If you free a woman,
you have freed a population." Let us come
together to free a population! And please, the
next time you or someone you know ques
tions the value of the feminist movement,
think of Amina and others like her.
For those who want to do something to
help Amina, there are petitions floating
around that will be sent to the president of
Nigeria, and the Nigerian Ambassador to the
U.S. Here are the links, it will only take a
minute but might save her life so please sign
these petitions
Nigerian
www.petitiononline.com/amina I/
Nigerian Ambassador to the U.S.: tAu?.
www.amnestyusa.orrJamina/index.html
The Behrend Beacon
sonnel do
I know this sounds
amazingly sappy and
nostalgic, and maybe
ecause
Frawley's column
appears every three weeks.
President
Page 5
ave a
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