1 0 BEHREND BEACON
October 23, 2009
www.thebehrendbeacon.com Op
OUR VOICE: Majority opinion of the Behrend Beacon editorial board
Student organizations must be public
Last week, the Beacon pub
lished an article lIFC President
Mancini Removed from Office'
regarding a club dealing in
closed-doors meetings. This
has been an unfortunate trend
this year; more and more clubs
are closing the doors to their
meetings to not only the Bea
con, but to the public as well.
This raises several unfortu
nate results. First, freedom of
information is not available to
students. Students deserve to
know what is going on within
organizations - especially those
in charge of governing others.
We agree that some meetings of
organizations (such as a meet-
MY VOICE
NFL
A game in the NFL is violent
and in-your-face. Unless you're
a quarterback.
Unfortunately, professional
football has devolved from a
game where the quarterbacks
used to not only get hit but even
punt and play defense.
Now, thanks to a knee injury
to Tom Brady, the quarterback
is nearly as safe as the kicker or
punter.
"The Brady Rule," which
states that "a defensive player
on the ground may no longer
lunge or dive at a quarterback's
lower legs." took effect this
year after Brady missed his en
tire 'OB-'O9 season due to a (per
fectly legal) hit from the Kansas
City Chief's Bernard Pollard.
Pollard was pushed from
behind while
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THE EDITOR'S BLURB
Keeping friends during college chaos
The college experience can
place a lot of pressure on an in
dividual. With all the assign
ments and exams, it is easy for
some things to slip though the
cracks. Sadly, in most cases, a
friendship is usually the first
thing to go.
All relationships require
maintenance, and this is where
most people falter. 1 might
have a friend for whom I care
very deeply and I might drop
everything I'm doing to help
her. However, if she does not
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Executive Board
Editor-in-Chief: Business Manager
Connor Sattely Bethany Long
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Managing Editor: Faculty Advisor:
Christine Newby Kim Young
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Web Editor:
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miysol2" psu edu
ing of the Student Government
Association's executive board)
be private; personal matters
and executive decisions that
are made within officers are ob
viously something that clubs
may not want publicized.
However, large meetings that
involve a majority of the organ
ization should by all rights be
open to the public. Obviously,
this increases the probability of
introducing public feedback -
no matter how inane or point
less it may seem - to a club's
functioning. Additionally, hold
ing meetings in a public setting
adds to the base legitimacy of a
club, because it shows trans
quarterbacks need to man up
injuring Brady's knee.
What upsets me about this
rule is the fact that the change
was made after Brady was in
jured.
Am I suggesting that the NFL
created the rule because Brady
got hurt? Yes, that's exactly
what I'm suggesting.
There is no doubt that the
quarterback position is one of
the most exciting in the game.
Quarterbacks have made the
game more exciting and inter
esting to watch. Injuries hap
pen. They are unpredictable
and part of the sport. Everyone
hates to see a player miss his
entire season, but is it neces
sary for the NFL to implement
a new rule because their golden
boy suffered a torn ACL?
What would
reciprocate these favors, then
I'm not going to continue doing
as many things for her. Eventu
ally, if she keeps
neglecting me,
then I will simply
go somewhere
else for attention.
A one sided rela
tionship will lead
to ostracism, but
for some reason,
the forsaken
friends never
seem to under-
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Ally Orlando
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Culture Editor:
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parency and accountability.
There are always issues
within a club that must be han
dled privately, and the Beacon
has always and will always re
spect that. We want to afford
every club and organization the
privacy they deserve, but we
also have a duty to educate stu
dents regarding events on-cam
pus.
As always, the Beacon invites
any and all students to attend
its weekly editorial board meet
ings. We have a portion of our
meetings which are open for
public comment, and we invite
any readers to come and give
feedback - both good and bad.
happen if someone fell on the
Oakland Raiders quarterback
JaMarcus Russell's knee and
sidelined him for a season? I'm
willing to bet noth
ing would happen,
considering Russell
is currently one of
the worst quarter
backs in the league.
Former NFL
quarterback Vinny
Testaverde went
down in 1999 with a
torn ACL. No tears
were shed. There
wasn't a new rule
named after him
the following season.
Brady has already received a
penalty call in his favor for his
new rule this season. Terrell
Suggs of the Baltimore Ravens
ing Brady and fell at
of the "untouchable
tck" brushing his legs.
imediately turned to
•ee, asking for a call.
guess what happened
The Fates looked
indly upon the poor
Jaby Brady and gave
'ollard a 15-yard
•oughing the passer
)enalty when Brady
stand why they've been left all
alone. This abandonment is
not a result of selfishness, but
friendships are a
two-way street.
To prevent a four
year sentence of
solitude, you need
to treat people how
you'd like to be
treated. Would you
like to be hugged
when you are
upset? Then corn
fort a friend when
NEIL JAMES
()pinion editor
Editorial Board
Business Editors:
Harmilee Cousin
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Garrett Carson
gmcso2l@psu.edu
Science Editor:
Brian Carlson
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Opinion Editor:
Neil James
opinion@psu.edu
Sports Editors:
Nick Blake
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Shawn Annarelli
smaslB9@psu.edu
We truly want to know what
you think.
Our meetings are held at 7:30
p.m. on Tuesdays in Reed 150,
the new conference room next
to the Academic and Career
Planning Center. Come with
suggestions, complaints, or
even a note of praise.
Connor Sattely for the Behrend
Beacon Editorial staff
Note: This Tuesday, Oct. 27., we will
not hold our meeting due to an edi
torial board trip to Austin for the
Associated Collegiate Press na
tional journalism conference.
barely got touched. He didn't
even fall down.
Ray Lewis, teammate of
Suggs, said it best when he was
questioned about
the call after the
game:
NICK BLAKE
sports editor
contact sport
Brady's former teammate
Rodney Harrison, who is cur
rently working with NBC, also
felt the call was unnecessary.
"Horrible call, you can't make
this call," Harrison said on
NBC's Sunday Night Football.
"Tom Brady, if you're listening,
take off the skirt and put on
some slacks. Toughen up."
I know it is a worn out com
ment, but if the NFL doesn't
want their quarterbacks being
hit, then put some red flags on
their hips and eliminate tack
ling all together.
they are having a bad day. Per
haps you would enjoy a con
gratulatory high-five when you
do well on a test. I would rec
ommend you do this on occa
sion just to keep things fresh
with a buddy.
Keeping a friendship healthy
is simple as long as you are car
ing and positive. I would also
recommend that you not crash
their car or light their bed on
fire. That will usually put
undue strain on any relation
ship. So look out for that.
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"He's a man.
They can be hit
just like us."
As much as I
dislike Lewis, I
agree completely
with his com
ments. Correct me
if I'm wrong, but
Brady is a man
and football is a
I cannot lie that Penn State
University Park is, without a
doubt, an amazing place. It of
fers a college kid's dream:
plentiful gifts of alcohol, tail
gates, the opposite sex and
overall good times. I will also
admit that game day is, hands
down, the closest feeling to
Heaven anyone can get on this
planet. In fact, legend has it, if
you look close enough, you can
see Joe Paterno being cradled
by angels onto the field for all
home games.
With that said, Happy Valley
blesses us all in ways we have
never known before and let's
be thankful for that. However,
as exciting as University Park
may be, let us refrain from at
tempting any form of "the
wave" for the moment, and for
God's sake, stop passionately
sniffing your season tickets. I
would like to remind everyone
that Behrend has one beneficial
perk that University Park does
not: a genuine closeness.
Being a branch campus
yields a smaller, tight-knit com
munity that can prove very
beneficial. Having a smaller
school opens the door for more
inter-connected relationships
and individual attention in the
classroom. On top of that, we
still recieve the commendable
titles of "Penn State student"
for resumes. Thus, we recieve
the same education as students
at U.P. and we are exempted
from having to send smoke
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Fresh scheduling
BRANDON BOYD
It's that time again: schedul
ing.
For those of you that are on
pace to pass the semester, con
gratulations.
Fur the others? Maybe
schedule a few extra gym
classes to boost your GPA. For
all Behrend students, schedul
ing offers an interesting
dilemma: what will I torture
myself with next semester? If
we are going to work hard in a
class, let us at least make it en
tertaining. We need to add
some pizzazz to a bland list of
classes - math, history, and sci
ence? Yeah, yeah, I took those
in high school. The only thing
Penn State does is change the
names of them to "quantifica
tion, natural sciences and hu
manities."
• Zombie Survival. We have
"humanities" and "quantifica
tion," so now we need a "social
and behavioral science." In this
class, students can study zom
bies and their social and behav
ioral tendencies. That way, if
an attack ever occurs, we will
all be ready. It takes real dead
ication to pass this class.
• Stick Figures and Finger
Painting. Let's face it; some of
us (myself included) are the
same artistically as we were in
kindergarten. Why punish us
by making us paint a tree that
ends up looking like a tele
phone pole wearing a big green
hat? This class is for those of us
that appreciate the simpler
things in life.
As you begin scheduling your
classes, think about what could
be. Sure, you could know how
to find derivatives and how
George Washington became the
first president. Or, you could
know the essentials, like how to
eat a bunch of hot dogs quickly,
how to create a successful fan
tasy sports team, how to sur
vive a zombie attack, and how
to draw a mean stick figure.
• Fantasy Sports. Here is an Your call.
If you put lipstick on a pig,
it's still a pig.
If the higher-ups of the col
lege really want us to succeed
in life, why not try introducing
these classes?
• Competitive Eating. Who
doesn't want to try to eat as
many hot dogs as they can in
ten minutes? What's more
American than watching the
Nathan's Hot Dog eating con
test on July 4th? With this
class, the students of Penn
State Erie would have the won
derful opportunity to train for
competitive eating contests
around the world. This is our
chance to dethrone Joey Chest
nut as champion and bring the
title to Behrend. 68 hot dogs in
ten minutes? I can do it in nine,
thanks to this class.
LaAkiilA
Respect
CARA DALLENBACH
What a campus, what a
home, and what a sanctuary we
have in Behrend. Yet, despite
the wonders of Behrend, in the
back of many students' minds
is the prospect of something
much more grand and desir
able.
But wait; before I say it,
sound the marching band, roll
out the red carpet and cue the
baton twirlers. To what do we
owe this cordial introduction?
Well, it's obvious isn't it? Main
campus, of course.
0111
inion
excellent opportunity to teach
all the sports-loving students
some math. On the first day of
class, the students each draft a
team, depending on what sport
is in season. Throughout the
year, students calculate how
many points their team scores
by hand. To get a good grade,
you turn in your compilation of
the points, and the professor
compares it to what is online. If
it's on the money, you get an
'A." If you're less accurate than
a JaMarcus Russell pass, you
fail.
staff writer
Behrend
signals to professors when we
have a question in a lecture
hall.
ME=
Some students might com
pletely disregard this idea and
state, "But you don't under
stand, I bleed blue and white.
My soul yearns to be at Main!"
First, if this is indeed the
case, please put down this
paper and seek medical assis
tance at once.
Secondly, I do see the in
trigue in going to a large cam
pus and being amongst the
rowdy and boisterous crowds.
However 40,000 students
bustling about every day could
bring an endless supply of trou
ble and distraction. Forgive me
for over-exaggerating here, but
I would not be surprised if it
was acceptable there to chest
bump your professor before
and after class, or to respond to
a philosophy professor's
rhetorical question with a
"Woohoo! Go State!"
I'm simply saying that here
at Behrend it is easier to com
municate with professors and
concentrate on academics.
There is always the option to
visit Main on weekend excur
sions and save yourself from
being sucked in by the lure of
Main's party atmosphere dur
ing the school week. Matching
your GPA with your blood alco
hol level is not the cleverest of
ideas.
I know some of you have the
continual issue of hearing
about a party and within a mat
ter of seconds, you are throw
ing your retractable pen and
paper out the window. Look
out, the night is officially
young. This is why some indi
viduals are simply better off
staying put at Behrend.
I encourage all students to as
sess both schools before mak
ing a switch. After all,
wherever any of us end up, we
are all fellow Penn State stu
dents at the end of the day; it's
just a matter of whether you
would rather crowd surf your
way to class or take a leisurely
stroll. The decision is yours.
IP . I