pinion
MY VOICE
As the second week of
classes draws to a close, you
may have finally been able to
meet up with old friends and
catch up. However, there are
the few who have had to start
over. Whether you’re a transfer
student, a freshmen, or are just
with a new roommate, you may
be in the awkward position of
not really knowing anybody.
Though this is no life-threat
ening handicap, it can make
college a hell of a lot less enjoy
able. However, if you’re shy or
insecure, this process can be as
difficult as integrating a partial
fraction while sitting in the
Perry Hall lobby on “thirsty
Thursday” while a gaggle of
plastered freshman sit four feet
away, screaming about how
shwasted they are. Now, don’t
go arranging to move back
home just yet because there is
hope. Below are five sure-fire
You®
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MY VOICE
Parking passes break the bank
BRANDON BOYD
I'd like to take a moment to
do some complaining in my
first column for the Behrend
Beacon. I transferred to Penn
State Erie from University
Park, after only a few days
there. I’m a freshman here on
campus, and I was recently be
stowed a great honor from the
Police Services here on cam
pus. I got a parking ticket.
I get that I parked in Parking
Lot “A,” near the Reed Union
Building. I get that I wasn’t al
lowed to park in that lot. That’s
cool by me. Having to pay $l5
because I parked there for one
day? Not cool. Adding that $l5
onto the $l5O that I’m already
paying for parking this semes
ter is like a punch to the groin.
Under the “Frequently Asked
OVR VOICE
Market yourself; it's the only way out
The same spiel can be a tired
one: sell yourself. Our parents
tell us. Our professors plea for
us. Anyone who’s taken an in
ternship hears the same thing.
How are you going to secure
your future? Is your resume
going to be enough? Are you
prepared to, for lack of a proper
vernacular, whore yourself dur
ing your interview?
We’re aware, as a staff, that
our future employers are al
ways looking to see who’s
ahead of the game. What ten
tative employee will bring the
most to the table, so to speak?
First of all, students need to
be ahead of their peers. The
staff of the Beacon recognizes
that. We involve ourselves with
extracurriculars. Not only that,
but we put ourselves into posi
tions of authority or guidance,
Lets meet new people
ways to make some friends
1. Talk. It seems rather
straight forward, but nothing is
going to delay you in your
quest to find friendship like
being too shy to
talk. Sometimes
you can’t think of
the right thing to
say, or you want to
be funny right off
the bat. Honestly,
you are just better
off offering them a
handshake and
asking them for
their name. Some
times the simplest
solution is the
2. Be positive! Never ever,
ever, ever be negative when you
are first meeting somebody,
even if you are trying to be
funny. It may work, but it’s not
worth the risk. Just smile,
Wane Sawyer
Add to Playlists Flag
Questions” section of Penn
State Erie’s Police Services
website, it asks “How are park
ing permits used at Penn State
Behrend?” The answer? “The
money generated from selling
student, faculty, and staff park
ing permits is used to construct
new parking lots, maintain ex
isting lots, and administer the
parking program.” Is that a
joke?
si,ill writer
At almost $3OO a year, and
oh, 2,000 people or so (to be
safe) buying permits, they
would have enough for 150
parking lots, according to
Northwestern’s website, which
says that parking lots cost
about $4,000.
Now, I realize that building
parking lots and keeping them
maintained isn’t cheap. There
shouldn’t be free parking by
any means. However, unless
Majority opinion of the Behrend Beacon editorial board
as leaders, we can only improve
our chances on the market.
When you view yourself as a
product which businesses and
employers shop around for, you
realize that you need to adver
tise yourself. Again, sell your
self.
Stay ahead of the curve.
That’s a must! Keep with the
times; when technology takes
a step forward, we - you take
two.
Manage your Facebook page
so that when, not if, your
prospective employer looks for
you, he or she is looking at a
person they’re going to want to
hire. We’ll tell you who they
won’t hire. You know that one
profile picture you have, yeah,
the one with your eyes looking
in two different directions and
the fifth in your hand? Yeah,
laugh, nod and be happy. Even
if you have to fake it, be happy!
3. Ask questions. People like
to feel appreciated and unique.
Nothing achieves this goal
more then asking
questions about
thierlife. However,
asking the right
questions is like an
art form. Avoid
questions that yield
one word answers,
but don’t get too in
trusive. It’s really
creepy. You may
want to know the
life story of the
NEIL JAMES
Opinion Editor
cute girl who sits
next to you in math class, but
now is not the time to ask. Just
play it safe at first. Ask about
their major or what the do in
their free time. Those never go
wrong.
4. Be cool. Contrary to pop-
Channels
Videos
•/lews 15,202,876
our parking lots are enriched
with gold flakes, we shouldn’t
have to pay nearly $3OO per
year. (As a quick note: Ohio
State charges their students
$BO per year.) If you want me
to pay $3OO a year, I expect girls
in bikinis washing my car every
day and perhaps a pizza
thrown in as well. Heck, I want
access to parking on top of the
roof of the Kochel Center. To be
serious though, an actual
change could be made in that
the closer you want to park to
the Reed Union Building, the
more you pay. You want to
park right next to it? You pay,
say, that $3OO per year. You
want to park a mile away? Pay
$5O. Don’t charge the same
amount to everybody. It’s sim
ply not fair.
Fittingly, it seems like noth
ing in college is fair. When you
they’re not hiring that.
Keep a blog. This is almost a
must nowadays, as employers
are looking to see how involved
with the world their prospective
employee is. No, we’re not
talking about the personal blog
a lot of you already keep. Not
the one that references your
weekend parties, or how your
girl or boy broke up with you.
Employers don’t care about
that. They want attentive
hirees.
While you’re at it, maintain a
twitter. Gather followers. Is
twitter the most amazing thing
in the world? Absolutely not.
Are businesses and the rest of
the corporat world taking note
of this massive media phenom
enon? Heck yes they are, and
they’re going to love that you
took it upon yourself to follow
Siipi I Ip
Community
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Networking News
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-eTr> r
ular belief, being “cool” is NOT
analogous to being popular.
Being “cool" is simply being
clam. Relax when meeting new
people. If you act too extreme,
you may scare them away. You
don’t need to be badass, super
happy, or different. Just be
calm, relaxed, and collected.
5. Be yourself. Though it
may be cliche and annoying to
hear, it’s still very true. If you
act as the person that you gen
uinely are, then you will de
velop a confidence that will
attract people like magnets. If
you don’t care what others
think and do your own thing on
your own terms then you will
eventually command people's
respect. Once you get their re
spect, then friendship will soon
follow. Just be you and do what
you do.
add the costs of tuition, hous
ing, food, parking, etc., the
amount is mind boggling. All
of that money basically goes to
wards knowledge, a piece of
paper, and memories. Awe
some. I don’t have anything
against Penn State, in fact, I
enjoy it here and I enjoyed my
(very) short time at University
Park. It’s just that I would love
to see something done about
the parking passes around
here, at the least. I even had a
teacher say they could com
plain about the passes here all
day. For those from the Police
Services reading this, please
don’t take away my parking
pass. After all, I’m too lazy to
walk, and the pass costs me a
lot of money. Of course, you al
ready know that, don’t you?
the trends.
We feel it’s unfortunate not
enough students take their col
lege education and spent
money seriously. These are all
things a student can do inde
pendently. You don’t need pro
fessors’ approval, nor do you
need the go-ahead from your
peers. This is upon your own
volition.
Does this seem like a lot?
Did I lose you somewhere
along the way? Then maybe
you need to prioritize. Maybe
it’s time you dedicate yourself
to your future a little bit. Get
in that state of mind. Prepare.
Because as it stands, marketing
yourself may be the best deci
sion you ever make.
Evan Koser for the Behrend
Beacon editorial staff.
IVIY VOICE
Procrastination
CARA DALLENBACH
Picture this: you sit down to
your desk and open Microsoft
Word. You take a deep exhila
rating breath, crack your
knuckles, and begin typing out
your name. You think to your
self, “I’ve got this 25 page re
search paper in the bag.
There’s absolutely no stress
here!” Your self-satisfaction is
then followed by a fun-loving
high five from your roommate,
Jimmy, as he makes a swift b
line to the door for some Hun
gry Howie’s. Bringing yourself
back to the paper, you type the
date: 9/11/09. Your eyes can’t
help but immediately glance
down at your syllabus and you
cringe as it reads: Due Date -
9/12/09. Calmly you think, “Not
a big deal. A bit worrisome, but
all in all, I’m fine here.” Then,
to your inevitable dismay, you
feel your hand slowly creeping
towards the mouse. Your mind
set is: “I can accept just this one
friend request, there is no harm
in one. One is fine.”
You check to see if Jimmy is
looking. He turns his head
slowly in your direction and
anxiously whispers, “Don’t you
do it, not again.” You respond
with, “What? I’m changing my
font to Comic Sans. You know
it’s my favorite." He nods his
head in agreeance and exits the
room. The next thing you know,
it is 3 hours later. Jimmy is
standing over you in shock as
you lay under your desk shiver
ing in a helpless and vulnerable
fetal position. What happened?
You’ve procrastinated.
You have replaced all of your
responsibilities with silly tasks
for three hours and where has
it gotten you? All you have to
show is a heading, 9 accepted
friend requests, a pyramid
made out of ramen noodles, an
unnecessary rearrangement of
the dorm beds, and a guilty and
confused conscience. Jimmy
calls the RA, shakes his head at
you, lobks away in dishearten
ment, and utters “It’s bad. He
stacked the ramen noodles
again.”
You are probably asking why
I am reaching out to the
Behrend community with this
overly exaggerated scenario of
procrastination at its worst. I’ll
admit that it may have been
extreme, but this is an extreme
problem we are dealt with.
To those of you who are free
of the traps of procrastination,
I commend you. Hopefully this
article, if anything, will enter
tain you. But for those of you
who are struggling with this
The Behrend Beacon
Penn State Erie. The Behrend College
Reed Union Building
4701 College Drive, Erie PA 16563
Room 10H
Telephone: (814)898-6488
Fax: (814)898-6019
Editor-In-Chief:
Connor Sattely
editor@psu.edu
Managing Editor:
Christine Newby
censos6@psu.edu
Web Editor:
Marcus Yeagley
mjysol2@psu.edu
News Editors:
Mike O. Wehrer
mrwso94 @psu. edu
Heather McGovern
hamsoB4 @psu. edu
Culture Editor:
Evan Koser
emksllo@psu.edu
Opinion Editor:
Neil James
opinion@psu.edu
Sports Editors:
Nick Blake
npbso4l@psu.edu
Shawn Annarelli
smaslB9@psu edu
Business Editors:
Harmilee Cousin 111
hxcso2o@psu.edu
Garrett Carson
gmcso2l @psu.edu
Editorial Pi
Single copies of the Beacon are free and available at newssiands around campus. Additional
copies can be purchased with permission of the editor in chief for $.50 each.
Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the students, faculty or University
administration. Opinions expressed in columns, cartoons, and letters are not necessarily those
of The Behrend Beacon unless otherwise indicated.
Any letters intended for publication must be addressed to the editor, be no more than 250
words, and include the writer's name and phone number. Letters may he edited for content or
length at the editor in chief's discretion.
The Behrend Beacon does not publish anonymous letters to the editor. If students want
their letters to be published, they must include their name. The Behrend Beacon intends for
its Opinion page to be a forum for discussion, not a screen to hide behind. Occasionally,
The Behrend Beacon may request responses to online queries in which responders will be
identified by their username.
The Behrend Beacon is editorially independeni from the Penn State system. The Behrend
Beacon operates partially on Student Activity Fee. and partially on advertising revenue. It is
published every Friday during the school year except for before and during scheduled vaca
tions, with exceptions for special issues.
The editor-in-chief has the final authority on editorial decisions, including, but not limited
to. alt columns, editorials, and letters to the editor. Complaints regarding Beacon coverage of
school events should be directed to the editor at editor a psu.edu.
Behrend Beacon I f"
September 11, 2009
www.thebehrendbeacon.com I
hardship, lend me your ears
(actually eyes) and I will try to
lead you down the path of or
ganization and time-manage
ment! Sounds super fun, right?!
No, not at all. This is the main
problem I notice when it comes
to finding motivation to do
work. Homework is not univer
sally a “fun" thing to delve into.
stall wntf'i
When I asked for advice on
how to end my procrastinating,
most responses I received
would have been as follows:
“Oh that’s easy. Just organize
your time and manage your life
while simultaneously prioritiz
ing your goals and saving the
world!” “Great, thanks I’ll do
just that. Right after I pass out
from how exhausting and un
appealing that sounds.” So
what do we as procrastinators
do? Well we’re going to take the
road less traveled on the sub
ject and address things that
most people don’t think of
when procrastination comes to
mind.
First, don’t call it procrasti
nating, rather call it something
else, time not well spent. The
trick is to look at things in a
positive light. Entertain the idea
of homework as something
positive. I know that sounds
farfetched but the fact is, and
will always remain, that work
is, for the lack of a better word,
grueling. Therefore, realize that
any work completed has its
benefits. Whether it’s gaining
better skill in something like
reading or just getting satisfac
tion out of completing some
thing. Whether it seems it or
not, those small aspects are
benefiting you.
The other tactic is to find a
way to stimulate your wander
ing and curious mind. Get away
from anything scholarly-like
and exert yourself physically.
Go for a run, work out, walk
around campus, or join a club
sport. Just be ambitious and try
new things. I promise you, if
you better yourself physically,
you will want to better yourself
mentally as well. Try it,T ttere
you.
Just remember we no longer
get a sticker of a bumblebee on
our homework when we do a
good job, so we have to make
our own “mental stickers.”
Think positively and be excited
about becoming smarter. If
mental stickers don’t work for
you because you’re a visual
person, then just go ahead and
give yourself a thumbs up in
the mirror, hold it there for 5 to
10 seconds, and repeat what
the wise Dane Cook once said,
“I did my best!”
e Board
Edit
iicies
Business Manager
Bethany Long
bjiso37@psu.edu
Faculty Advisor:
Kim Young
kjylo@psu.edu
Engineering Editors:
Sid Carson
socso77@psu.edu
Science Editor:
Brian Carlson
bmcso62@psu. edu
Humanities Editor:
Adam Spinelli
alsssB9@psu.edu
Photo Editor:
Daniel J. Smith
djss223@psu. edu
Photographers:
Jon Klein
/ekso34@psu. edu
Mike Fultz
mj!5204 @psu. edu
Sarah Baker
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