I The Behrend Beacon Congress shall make 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 Government for a redress of grievances. ~ The First Ammendment to the U.S. Contitution . j Social Cues By Jennifer Haight News Editor There are certain things that a person just does not do when he or she is either in the presence of others or in a more public setting, especially a college campus, namely Behrend. These things consist of: sitting on the steps in front of Perry Hall, smoking in the elevator and the elevator stairwell, walking in groups of four or more wide on the path- ways, etc There are two sides to the steps in from of Perry Hall, presum ably. one to go up and the other side to go down. This is a very high traffic area and is usually pretty easy to get through, except when those few boneheads block one side and could care less. This causes frustrations for everyone trying to get from the top to bot tom or from the bottom to the top So for those of you who make it habit to use these STEPS as chairs, please, have consideration for the thousands of other people who use these steps and MOVE. Smoking; Enclosed: spaces. These two don’t really go togeth er. do they? Think about it peo ple. there are a lot of us who use the elevator behind Senat Hall. Just because one person can’t put off his nicotine addiction for a two minute ride up the elevator, Just like the “Green Day” Song By Kristen Comstock Editoral Columnist Holy cow!” My friend leans over and says to me, “We’re sen iors" (Well, those were not her exact words, but you get the idea. Being a senior is a bizarre con cept 1 Especially because it feels like just yesterday I was an eager freshman moving in to Almy Hall I can vividly remember how excited I was to meet my new roommate and how she and I ven tured off to our freshman orienta tion, stole a pizza, and made a bunch of guy friends because of that looted pepperoni and cheese delight. Every year since then I have helped move in the first-year stu dents and I have had the opportu nity to see how anxious they were to begin the next chapter of their life. And every year the freshmen seemed to get younger and I had less in common with them as the years progressed. This year, however, I realized the freshmen were not getting younger, I was getting older - much older - • # • Beacon Thumbs Up Beacon Thumbs Down - Frosties in the book store • - Students helping Hurricane Katrina £s* £s* I victims. 'SyP i - Free movie rentals at the library The Beacon welcomes readers to share their views on this page. Letters and commentary pieces can be submitted by email to chrishvizdak@gmail.com or direct ly to the Beacon office, located in the Reed Building. Letters should be limited to 350 words and commentaries should be and Dont’s doesn’t mean the other people in the elevator should have to suffo cate. The other day I was waiting for the elevator to come back down so I could take it up and then someone comes up next to me with a lit cigarette; he then had the nerve to tell me that he wouldn’t take any hits while he was in the elevator car. No, he was just going to let it burn and still fill the elevator up with smoke. We’re in college here folks; why not just put it out? Save whatever of the cancer stick that went unused and burned in the elevator, simultaneously cre ating a copasetic environment for all those using the elevator. Smoking in the stairwell is objectionable, but not as much. Please keep in mind that the entire structure that holds the ele vator is closed in, with the only fresh air coming in through the doors at the top and bottom of the building. The smoke lingers, causing it to really stink. This is one of only three ways to get from the learning part of campus to the residential part; don’t make it uncomfortable for others because you’re too lazy to put out your cigarette for two minutes. First of all, let me differentiate for you what I mean by “wide” and “deep.” Four people wide means walking in a group of four (maybe more) people who are the finding-gray-hairs-and-getting wrinkles older. But even with this age gap and differences in skin complexion, I came to the realiza tion that freshmen and seniors have more in common than they Hear me out! First-year students have just ven tured into the "great unknown" - and no, I'm not talking about a fra ternity basement, although that is one of the only remaining uninhab itable places on earth. Freshmen recently spent the last four years in high school working their way to the top of the totem pole, only to be thrown into the bottom of the big pond once again and needing to learn how to swim all over. They are in a new, unfa miliar, and complex environment, where the people and places are strange. The freshmen experience is scary, overwhelming, exciting, and compelling. Interestingly enough however, those emotions are exact ly what the seniors will be feeling as they near graduation and start their job search. Behrend first-year students have Letters to the Editor limited to 700 words. The more concise the submission, the less we will be forced to edit it for space concerns and the more likely we are to run the submission. All submissions must include the writer’s year in school, major and name as The Beacon does not pub lish anonymous letters. OPINION - High prices in the book store. - Chains that block walking access from Erie Hall to the Reed parking lot. - Group project dead weight. You know who you are. lined up next to each other, key phrase here being “next to,” whereas four (maybe more) peo ple deep means walking two by two perhaps in a sort of filed line, key phrase here being “filed line.” When people are short on time and have to make it from room 41 in Kochel and have to go to room 37H in Hammermill in ten minutes, it’s a mad dash on many activities and people to help acclimate them to this foreign environment. Unfortunately, FIG mentors, RAs. and academic advis ers do not exist in the real world. To some seniors it seems like after we leave Behrend we will be thrown into that enormous ocean to fend for ourselves. Of course we will use alEthe skills we obtained at Behrend to avoid floundering in the real world - especially those late-night skin ny-dipping sessions in the Glenhill Pool (just kidding, Dr. Burke). The good news is Behrend has helped most of the seniors grow and mature. We have learned many life lessons, made friends who will last a lifetime, and all that other mushy stuff that should go in a Hallmark card. With less a year left, I can hon estly say I do not regret one thing about my college experience. And if I could give first-year students some advice, it would be to meet as many people as possi ble, join a ton of clubs and organi zations, obtain and complete an internship or two, and have the time of you life! Deadline for any submission is 5 p.m. Tuesday afternoon for inclu sion in the Friday issue. All submis sions are considered, but because of space limitations, some may not be published. All submissions must include consent to be edited before they can be edited for publication. the big path that goes from one end of campus to the other. It is especially hard trying to make it on time when people are walking four or more people wide, block ing a big majority of the path. This is why people who walk “widely” should learn the ways of the “deep” walkers and make it easier for everyone. There are going to be things in Person of the Week THE BEACON URGES ALL STUDENTS AND FACULTY TO DONATE TO HURRICANE KATRINA RELIEF CHARITIES Quote of the Week “The ink of a scholar’s is more sacred than pen the blood of a martyr.” The Behrend Beacon I’uhlislu'il Wcckl) In ilu- sUkk'iils of IVmi Slate laic T\THE BEHREND beacon Assistant News Editor Stephen Finch Penn State Erie, The Behrend College Contact the Beacon at: First Floor, The J. Elmer Reed Telephone: (814) 898-6488 Union Building Fax: (814) 898-6019 Station Road, Erie, PA 16563 Friday, Septmeber 9, 2005 life that we’re all going to have to put up with, but for now, while we’re in college, let’s all just meet half way and make every one’s lives a hell of a lot easier. Be respectful of everyone around you, be aware of your situations and what others are trying to accomplish and most importantly, do for others what you would want done for you. Ray Nagin Mayor of New Orleans The Beacon recognizes Ray Nagin’s superior leadership response to the severe circumstances of the Hurricane Katrina aftermath. Although criticized for stern language, Nagin effectively voiced the frustration of his constituents who were unable to flee New Orleans prior to Katrina's landfall on the gulf coast. -Muhammad Annie Sevin, Editor in Chief Rob Frank, Managing Editor Courtney Kaplin, Advertising Manager Jerry Pohl, Public Relations Manager Kim Young, Adviser News Editor Jennifer Haight Sports Editors Chris LaFuria Opinion Editor Chris Hvizdak Cartoonist Zack Mentz ZACK MENTZ Student Life Editor Jeff Barber Calendar Editor Siobhan Conway Humor Editor Jerry Pohl Copy Editors Kate Kelecseny Michelle Vera Suroviec Rachael Conway Allison Gray Trade Kendziora
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