Eileen Falkenberg, Editorial Page Editor
The Behrend Beacon
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News Editors
Courtney Straub
Justin Curry
Sports Editors
Kevin Fiorenzio
Amy Frizzell
Editorial Page Editor
Eileen Falkenberg
Features Editor
Erika Jarvis
Staff Photographers
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.
Letters to the Editor
Dr. Miller's response to Reschenthaler
Dear Editor,
I would like to offer a few remarks about
Guy Reschenthaler's editorial column
which appeared in the September 12, 2003
edition of The Beacon. While there is much
to comment upon in his article, I would
like to focus on his comments related to
the Multi-Cultural Council. Reschenthaler
views MCC with a political lens, one that
I do not believe reveals the true value of
MCC and all of its member organizations.
Many students who attend Penn State
Behrend live, work, and study in the ma
jority. That is, 87% of our student popula
tion is Caucasian and 65% is male. If you
happen to be in one or both of those ma
jorities, in general your transition will be
somewhat easier to the college than if you
were not. It's not too difficult to find oth
ers with similar experiences, perhaps from
the same area of the state, etc. You tend to
feel more comfortable in your new sur
roundings because you become connected
to other students. Not that you won't ex
perience difficulties, nearly all students do,
In response to Reschenthaler
Dear Editor
In September 12'h issue of The Behrend
Beacon, Guy Reschenthaler declared that
he was the first editorialist to address the
hypocrisy of diversity at Behrend. We
would like to congratulate Guy for initiat
ing this discourse and
have also decided to
share our stance on
the discussed issues.
"China sucked
pretty badly; India
does too, Mexico and
Cuba, horrible na
tions, France, don't
even get me started."
Whatever the in
tentions of the above statement were - ei
ther getting attention, expressing an opin
ion, or just being humorous - this and other
comments concerning the history of the
United States and the reason why Europe
ans and other foreigners have settled in a
"stable, affluent country," are rather ob
scure; if these were intended to be humor
ous, the comments were ill-timed and
poorly used. The United States itself is built
on the concept of diversity. People immi
grated to this country and are still immi
grating mainly because the United States
values diversity. Integrating the talents
from all over the world under one roof has
made the United States the hegemonic
power it is today. Making remarks similar
to Reschenthaler's undermines the confi
dence of a significant population of the
United States (20%); they came here for a
better life and adopted this country as their
second homeland, but also have respect for
their own roots. And, Sir Reschenthaler -
whether you like it or not - by 2055, the
immigrants will be the majority in the
United States; therefore, you have no
choice but to appreciate the different cul
Editor-in-Chief
Lauren Packer
Managing Editor
Robert Wynne
Ass't. Managing Editor
Scott So ltis
Healthy Living Editor
Leacy Sauer
Advisor
Beacon
Cathy Roan
"A newspaper by the
students for the students"
ing part of a majority.
The opposite, of course, is also true. The
smaller the minority the greater the possi
bility that you might feel isolated on cam
pus because others may have difficulty re
lating to your experiences or worse, don't
value the diversity you bring to campus.
It's not about politics, it's about human
nature. If you don't feel somewhat com
fortable in your new environment it will
be difficult to do your best.
It is human nature for most of us that
when we enter a new environment we tend
to gravitate to those who are similar to us.
Students join clubs and organizations be
cause they have the same interest in ac
counting or outdoor activities or other in
terests represented by the multitude of or
ganizations on campus. We have a need
to belong.
But MCC is different. Many of the stu
dents who participate in MCC-related
clubs do so because it is a part of their iden
tity: who they are not just what they do.
MCC helps students find an initial com-
tures and values they bring, which, in fact,
enrich our existing ones. The statistics be
low speak for themselves:
USA Population Projections, millions
(rounded off)
1997 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050
Total 267 275 298 323 347 370 394
White 195 197 202 207 210 210 208
White %of total 72.8 71.8 68 64.3 60.5 57 52.8
(Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census,
Current Population Reports, Series P 25-
1130, "Population Projections of the
United States by Age, Sex, Race, and
Hispanic Origin: 1995 to 2050")
"The next time you walk past the MCC
office, think about their hypocrisy, think
about how their presence divides our cam-
In reference to Reschenthaler's criticism
towards the MCC, we would like to clarify
one matter: the Multi Cultural Center
(MCC) is not a bunch of racially-and—cul
turally-diverse students who came to col
lege and all of a sudden decided to exclude
themselves from the rest of the student
body. The purpose of the MCC is not to
"divide other groups;" it is to serve as a
support mechanism first and foremost.
When Reschenthaler walks by the MCC,
perhaps he is offended. To him, a group of
ethnically—and—culturally-diverse students
have purposefully alienated themselves
and are sending a racist message. We be
lieve the students in the MCC are merely
following the same group dynamics as oth-
Advertising Manager
Ryan Russell
Calendar Page Editor
Amy Wilczynski
A&E Editor
Daniel J. Stasiewski
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
but they won't be compounded by not be-
EDITORI ',,L
Friday, September 19, 2003
Forty-five important words
Congress shall snake no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,• or
abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the govern
ment for a redress of grievances. —First Amendment to the Constitution.
Every time I hear those 45 simple words,
my eyes fill with tears and my heart swells
with pride. The forefathers of America
truly outdid themselves with the Bill of
Rights. I wish I could go back
rious day of December 15, 1791
the hand of every man or wo
helped shape such an awesome
ment
The First Amendment is the
dation of our personal freedoms
is the mark of our wonderf
democratic society
Without the First Amendment
the government would be free to
establish a national religion, Lauren Packer
totally going against one of the
reasons people fled to
America—to escape religious persecution.
The government could also silence pro
testors. Journalists would not be allowed
to question or investigate the government.
Without the basic freedoms of expres
sion, we would no longer live in a free so
ciety. Once the government has the power
to censor, they could do it again and again.
The government could censor anyone!
If you're not outraged by now, there
might be something seriously wrong. In a
free society, every individual should have
the right to decide what art, entertainment,
speech, you name it, he or she wants to re
ceive or create
As an aspiring journalist, those 45 words
couldn't be any sweeter. But moreover,
fort zone on campus, one from which many
students frequently branch out from into
other roles on campus including Resident
Assistants, SGA, etc. MCC helps interna
tional students adjust to a new campus and
country. The Asian students (who, by the
way, come from many distinctive cultural
backgrounds) feel more welcome on cam
pus. I could go on but you get the point.
I challenge Reschenthaler and other stu
dents who share his view of the world to
try and step out of the majority for once
and attempt to view Behrend from a dif
ferent perspective.
MCC and its member organizations play
a very important role in the lives of hun
dreds of students on this campus. Students
should work to further learn about the va
riety of perspectives held on our campus,
and not tear down that for which they don't
have an appreciation.
Dr. Ken Miller
Director of Student Affairs
ers; they form a group of people with simi
lar experiences and common understand
ings - this is something they may not have
been able to form with other Behrend stu
dents. It is not about animosity; it is about
a human need for support. That is precisely
one of the purposes of the organization. As
a matter of fact, member-
dents representing different
ethnic, cultural, and sexual orientation
backgrounds. [We would imagine that the
purpose of joining a fraternity would be
more about uniting in a pursuit of friends
and parties as opposed to alienating one
self from the rest of the student body.]
In conclusion, the responsibility of unit
ing the races and cultures does not lie en
tirely in the hands of minorities. These mat
ters should be addressed by both parties.
Dialogue will be able to occur when per
sons like Reschenthaler address racial and
cultural issues with more sensitivity and
respect
Olga Vaniev,
President of International Student
Organization
Marketing and Psychology, 07
Mohammed E Hoque
Computer Engineering, 07
ship of the MCC organiza
tion is open to the rest of the
student body (talking of
unity). We would argue that
the MCC and other Um
brella organizations are es
sential for a successful and
fulfilling college experi
ence for some of the stu-
as a human being it overwhelms me when
I think of all the amazing rights this
amendment affords, especially the free
dom of speech.
ety on its
toes and helps guide the society away from
the majority view crushing the minority
In order for one person to have the rights
for his or her thoughts, feelings, or works
to be published, another person must have
the same rights to voice agreement or dis
agreement.
Freedom of speech addresses both
popular and unpopular viewpoints. Con
flict and controversy are everyday proof
of our nation's commitment to our funda
mental rights guaranteed by the First
Amendment.
We, as college students, are at a time in
our lives where we should be voicing our
opinions. I am woman, hear me roar. But
Gumbo and heritage
Dear Editor,
I am outraged by the publication, "Look,
here's how it is," that was placed in the edi
torial page on September 12, 2003. I say
this because of certain statements that were
uttered which not only disrespected individu
als from other nationalities but the Multi-
Cultural Council. Now, even though I un
derstand that this article was written in an
attempt to unify, it ended up doing just the
opposite.
First and foremost, American is the
equivalent to a.southern dish called gumbo.
For all those who do not know what this dish
is, it consists of a diverse array of season
ings and ingredients that make it delicious.
Like gumbo, American consists of all types
of people from all over the world- or as Guy
Reschenthaler stated, it is a "melting pot."
Now, if one of the seasonings or ingredi
ents is missing, gumbo is not gumbo- and
therefore if one of the elements, such as the
celebration of diversity which completes
America is missing, then the melting pot is
no longer a melting pot..
Furthermore, if one was trying to pro
mote unity, I would think that they would
steer clear of belittling other nations with re
marks such as, "America is better than for
eign lands, and that the "old countries were
unstable, miserable, poverty ridden hellholes
with little chance for upward mobility." Or
my favorite, "But lets face it, who would
want to live in Africa? Every time Africa is
on the news people are either shooting at
each other or are in some bloody civil war
or starving to death in some fly and dung
infested village. For the Native Americans:
all they were doing before the Europeans
came were killing each other. Their culture
had not even invented the wheel." Does this
make sense to you? Correct me if I'm wrong,
but no, especially because my ancestry is of
direct African decent. And, just to set the
record clear, yet there may be some poverty
and war going on in Adrica bit to assume
this stereotype about the whole continent
when it is something that is going on in some
of its countries is wrong. Additionally, if
you want to get technical, the main reasons
for lands such as Africa being "poor and war
ridden" are due to exploitation (which
America is very GOOD at) and corruption
or internal leaders.
Now, when I was a little girl, my grand
mother always told me, "Pam, you really
have to know where you came from, before
you can know where you are going." I never
really understood the magnitude of this state
ment until I grew older. Basically she was
telling me to be proud of my heritage, a heri
tage that consists of values which, to this day,
have guided me on my journey to wherever
it is I am supposed to be. So, with this in
mind, if I want to learn more about my heri
tage by joining organizations that promote
positive reinforcement within my heritage,
why is it a crime? Charity starts at home.
Before I can go out and promote diversity,
respect, and awareness to others, I must be
able to do so within my own race. And, that
is exactly what the Multi-Cultural Council
does, in addition to merging these different
backgrounds together and celebrating them.
So yes, the Association of Black Colle
gians, Organization of Latin American Stu
dents, National Society of Black Engineers,
Organization of African Students, Irish
The Behrend Beacon
not just women; men, children, minorities,
EVERYONE should be heard. Freedom
of speech opens a world of light and brings
so many viewpoints into discussion.
Through freedom of speech, we, as a soci
ety, can be more knowledgeable and toler
able.
people do not
their right to
of speech, it is
geous. Free
;ch provides a
leek and bal-
The greatness of the freedom of speech
and the First Amendment is ineffable. It
truly cannot be put into words. Forty-five
words together make up an incalculable
amount of freedoms.
ice system be
ween people
md the govern
ment. The
right to free
speech keeps
a free soci-
In a 2002 analysis of the State of the First
Amendment, conducted by Center for Sur
vey Research for and Analysis at the Uni
versity of Connecticut, a whopping 94 per
cent said people should be allowed to ex
press unpopular opinions with 67 percent
strongly supporting that right. Of those
with a college degree, 78 percent said they
strongly support the right to express un
popular decisions.
Everyone needs to be heard; I can't stress
that enough. In order for our society to
stay free, we must be heard.
If one disagrees, let it be known who you
disagree with, why you disagree. We have
to know what the opposition is thinking.
As a society, we cannot afford to have
one track minds. Moreover, as college stu
dents with malleable minds, we must ques
tion everything and believe nothing.
We have got to be heard.
American Society, International Student Or
ganization, Trigon, and the Asian Student
Organization do have purposes on our cam
pus as well DIVERSITY-knowing and ac
knowledging where you come from does in
America.
Finally, I would like to say that if we do
not study history, we are prone to make the
same mistakes. Did you not learn from the
Holocaust'? Or the enslavement of not just
Africans Americans, but Hispanic, Asian, and
Native Americans? This all resulted because
one culture or race looked down upon another
as lesser. Now, this may be a little extreme,
but hey, it has happened before and all be
gins with one statement: Diversity is not just
an ideal, it should be a way of life.
Pamela Sumah,
Intl Business and Marketin
Humor section
Dear Editor,
I enjoyed the humor section in last
week's paper. It was at the end of Guy
Reschenthaler's article.
Mark Reynolds
COMBA, 06
A spicy
Thai dish
Dear Editor,
I find it amusing how so many
Behrend students are criticizing Guy
Reschenthaler for his latest editorial. I,
for one, do not necessarily agree with all
of Reschenthaler's points, but I do ac
knowledge his right to state his opinions.
Reschenthaler writes in a witty, in-your
face style that captures his personality
and raises pertinent and controversial is
sues. Compared to the rest of the Bea
con writing staff, Reschenthaler offers a
distinctive break from the mundane and
monotonous pieces of other writers.
When I read Reschenthaler's column,
"Look, here's how it is," I feel like I'm
reading a spicy Thai dish, amidst the
bland saltine crackers that constitute the
rest of the Beacon. Reschenthaler injects
personality and charisma that is usually
missing from the Beacon Editorial page.
We may all disagree with his points, but
we can all admire his bravado in stating
his mind.
I eagerly look forward to
Reschenthaler's next column. We all
might find disagreement with what he
writes, but he does that to entertain us
and gives us a written rollercoaster ev
ery three weeks.
Ryan Mathew Ohl
MIS, 08
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