Page 4- The Behrend College Collegian Thursday, April 10, 1997
Letters to the
To the Editor
Since the end of the semester is near,
Student Evaluation Forms will soon
appear in classrooms all over Penn State
Erie. Before this rite takes place again, I
would like to ask you, the students, to
take the time for just a few considerations.
First, I would suggest you take these
evaluations very seriously because two
important things depend on them: the
quality of your education and the quality
(if not the duration) of the instructor's
academic life at Behrend.
The fact that your answers to the
questionnaires will influence the two
factors in ways which defy logic (at least
the logic of this mathematician) brings me
to my second point. I would like to ask
you to familiarize yourselves with the
forms and the use of the results they
convey.
The top part of the form asks for data
about you, possibi) giving you the
impression that the University will
perform some sound statistical study
correlating your grade and the reason why
you are taking the course to your answers
to the other questions. It is my (long)
experience, this is not the case. The
administrators as Behrend have stated that
they consider of paramount importance
only the two answers to the two questions
regarding the "overall quality of the
course" and the
teacher." As you might have noticed, the
definition of the term "overall" is left to
personal interpretation. You have the
right to assess the "overall quality of the
course/teacher" using a variety of factors,
such as your expectations when you
enrolled in the course, the amount of work
you had to do, the quality of other
courses/teachers, the amount of material
you learned, the fact that you will get a
good grade, and the fact that the teacher did
not use nerdy jokes you were expected to
find funny. Since no term of comparison
is specified, any term of comparison is
What public service expectations?
WPSE doesn't serve the students anymore
By Brian Gregory
Collegian Staff
Recently there has been a big question
on the Behrend campus as to whether or
not AM 1450 WPSE, the Behrend
College's own radio station, has become
out of touch with the college and Behrend
community.
WPSE is a 1,000 watt, 1 kilowatt,
commercially licensed station that operates
out of the Reed Building under the direct
authority of the Federal Communications
Commission. They broadcast the CBS
News Network, CBS Sports Network, the
Penn State Sports Network, and the
Business Radio Network.
Until the latter part of this semester,
WPSE was run by the students with the
exception of one station manager and one
advertising director. The station's chief
goal was to promote learning.
I was involved with WPSE for three
years here at Behrend. As a freshman I
was a board operator, and as a sophomore
and junior I was involved as assistant
station manager of WPSE.
In fact I can honestly say that my
beginnings at WPSE were what inspired
me to change my major to
Communication. In fact a lot of the
things that we did at WPSE helped me to
obtain the position of Field Photographer
for WJET-TV.
My first three years at WPSE were
great. With Fred Anzivino at the helm of
the station we had over twenty five years
of his brodcasting experience as an
example to teach us. We learned through
failure. During my first year, I learned
how to edit a live show, run a radio board,
do some production work on commercials,
and how to properly run an AM radio
station.
Fred made the learning fun for us, and I
can honestly say it was one of the best
years of my life. In one year, I had begun
my journey toward where I saw myself in
the future.
After that successful first year, I was
rewarded by being named assistant station
manager. At that time the station was
really connected to the Behrend College.
Fred helped us with live call-in football
shows, and we continued with a successful
year of Behrend basketball. Parents and
fans from the Erie area could listen in to
Behrend basketball home and now away
from their homes.
In the future, I hope to do some color
commentating and I got my first step at
WPS E.
One of the main things that I learned
about the broadcast business at WPSE was
allowed. All answers will be given the
same weight, after being detached for the
rest of the questionnaire. After you have
labored to achieve vbs. separate answers to
two separate questions, you might like to
know that in some academic units the two
answers are averaged together to generate
one "total" for each course. You just
learned that it is possible to average apples
and oranges!
Well, this is nothing compared to the
nugget of knowledge found in the form
that, by itself, must be worth it what you
paid for at least one semester of College:
the average between 1 and 7is 4! Since
you were already aware of this (I have
never met a student who cannot average
two numbers), you might think that the
emphasis is on the 4 because this is the
grade to use for a teacher who is doing an
"average" job. Sorry, but this is not the
case. We get "graded on a curve," at least
by one academic unit. So, as an example,
if in one academic unit the average is 3, a
grade of 4 places that faculty member
above average. If in another unit the
average is 5, that faculty member is judged
to be below average and might be on
his/her way out.
What should you do? If a teacher does not
perform well, be merciless. It is your
time and money that he/she is throwing
away. If a teacher is good, rewani
him/her. If a teacher is average, be very
careful and think honestly about subtle
distinctions, such as "above" or "below"
average. Then use the 4 sparingly! Ask
that the averages for all academic units be
made public! An informed decision can be
made only when enough information is
available.
Are you, by any chance, wondering who
looks at the other eight answers, which are
useless for the administration? My
hopeful answer would be: the teachers who
care about your opinions. Thank you for
taking the time to read about my opinion.
Antonella Cupillari
Associate Professor of Mathematics
how important perfection was. I can't
count the number of times that I had to
recut a spot because I talked too fast or it
was one second over in time. I still
remember all the times that Fred came
running over because I had aired the wrong
thing or simulcasted two things at one
time. These were big errors, but errors we
could make at WPSE because we were
learning how to broadcast the right way.
These were things we would be expected
to know upon obtaining a job at another
radio station.
But as my career went on, WPSE
approached more financial trouble. For
the life of us, we couldn't keep a
marketing executive because it was just to
hard to sell BRN and WPSE. Then
University Park decided (or threatened) to
cut funding. Though this had always been
there, it now looked like a promise.
Hating dearly to leave his students that
he had taught, Fred had to move on to
another job and the station was taken over
by Ron Slomski.
Ron worked to get the station moving
and kept it going though the summer.
When I returned in the fall I was all set to
become station manager, but in my first
week I could see that things had changed.
The new agenda of the station seemed to
be money, not learning, maybe because it
had to be.
When I would run the board, some
commercials were too long, some were
too short. When they were played the
station seemed out of sync. Some music
that was being used to cut spots was
inappropriate. Students were being taught
to sell ads not learn about broadcasting.
In a meeting with Ron I was told that
the main objective was to get the students
involved in the advertising aspect of the
station. I said that that wasn't my interest
since I was a Communications major. I
was more interested in helping to teach the
students about broadcasting. I was
basically told this was not important or
part of my job. As a result of this and
other differences I had to resign from
WPSE in late August.
Since then I have watched WPSE from
the outside, but I have seen a lot that
bothers me as the little people involved
with the station were hurt. People that
had once been the sole backbone of the
station were pushed away and told they
were not needed anymore.
WPSE was always supposed to be
automated, but board operaters were still
supposed to be used during daytime hours.
With the new system, it didn't take long
for the board operators to get removed and
a "mindless" computer to get put in their
in►on
editor
Letter to the Editor
I am writing to express my outrage at
the recent approval of STRAIGHT--
Students Reinforcing Adherence in
General Heterosexual Tradition--by the
Undergraduate Student Government
Council Supreme Court at University
Park. Perhaps a better name for this
group is Homophobics Anonymous. The
very existence of STRAIGHT, whose
name is as ambiguous as the very notion
of "heterosexual tradition," represents a
hugely intolerant force and ought to be
removed Trom among the University's
chartered organizations. Among the
organization's goals are the elimination
of the University's nondiscrimination
policy in regards to sexual orientation,
and the opposition to any legislation
which might permit the establishment of
health-care and insurance benefits for
same-sex partners. Do these goals not
bear frightening resemblance to racial
segregation and the denial of full
citizenship (you remember, it began
with something called the three-fifth's
compromise) for black Americans? I
am lobbying for a revoke of
STRAIGHT's charter, and I hope that
anyone who supports the protection of
gay, lesbian and bisexual rights will do
the same. Contact Robin Clarke via
email (rdcll9@psu.edu), if you are at
all frightened by the prospect of a
society which regresses further in its
heterocentism. Know that racism,
sexism, and sexual discrimination are
not problems existing irrelevant of one
another.
Robin Clarke
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Most exiting board operators received a
note in the mail that said something along
the lines of "Thanks for working at
WPSE, but your services are no longer
needed."
That was a cold way to end their service
which had once been so strong and so
important.
Don't get me wrong, automation can be
great, but not sole automation. Froggy
94 has automation and JET Broadcasting
does an excellent job with it. But they
still have personalities to keep the
listener's ear. Also Froggy 94 is right on
cue. WPSE is not. The Business Radio
Network is always off cue. So sometimes
one of their anchors is talking and the
WPSE computer plays a commercial
because it was the right time cue. Dead
air is a constant as the computer will not
fill it with a station ID. I was listening
the other night in the news truck to hear
WJET news at 11, and there was 45
Life at Behrend...
a
'IF.
Dean Lilley was amazed at the turnout at his Student Support
WPSE Rally. It was more than he expected.
Racism in America
This semester is coming to an end. For
some of us it is our last semester here at
Behrend. I have to admit I have enjoyed
my four years here, but I am still happy I
am leaving this place.
Behrend has strengthened my personal
character and has truly prepared me for the
real world. I have experienced events that
I never could have imagined. Most of us
come to college open minded and liberal,
then after a few bad experiences the gates
of our minds begin to close. Eventually
there can be a single experience that may
shut that gate and padlock it forever.
I built a brick wall making sure to keep
white people out of my world. But just
when I begin to tear down a couple of my
concrete bricks, some white person helps
me build it back up again.
I thought I did everything right, the way
white America expected me to. I graduated
at the top of my high school class. I left
the ghetto to expand my horizon of
education. I will now graduate May 17.
But I'm not done. I will pursue a law
degree at the University of Pittsburgh and
try to become the best citizen possible.
And still America is not happy.
Just when my life is going down the
right path and I begin to believe that one
day America will respect other races,
CRASH, my dream is broken and I'm
knocked back into reality.
I really never thought racism to be so
close to home, I always thought it was in
another place, somewhere in the South.
But when I went home for Easter, I
witnessed it first hand. Every night that I
turned on the news, I was reminded that
there is a group, a large group, across that
United States of America that hates
everthing that I stand for. This group is
the Klu Klux Klan who are allowed to
exist due to theltst Amendment.
"He was my best pal until I
heard his mother call him
Samantha."
second of dead air before the news started.
This leads to a choppy, boring program.
For those of you who are out there
saying WPSE is not in touch with
Behrend or the students, you, I'm sorry to
say, are 100% correct. Gone are the days
of student board operators, student call-in
shows, and student broadcasts of Behrend
basketball. It would have been great to
hear two Behrend students calling the
action live as Behrend battled in the
ECAC playoffs in Philadelphia, a trip
none of us could make. Even now, gone
are the days of students giving the weather
report.
WPSE has but two students on a staff
which has in the past produced talent that
has gone on to ESPN, WJW-8 in
Cleveland, KBL, WJET, and even ABC.
The Behrend College has lost one of its
most important student aspects in WPSE.
But today, when you walk by the radio
station make sure you stop inside and
ta1k....t0 the computer.
Mike DeSantis
WG ) .2 E
Y ow"-- 1 6". ft
By Joneatra Henry
Collegian Staff
I do not use their white sheet as an
excuse for the sole oppression of my
Black race, because the sheet is only .
small part. There are some white people
who want to understand Blacks and help us
through our constant struggle. There are
some who watch us struggle silently.
Then there are some who believe that there
is no struggle at all and that Blacks need
to learn to accept consequences for our
actions. How can we? There is organized
hate against us throughout America. I
used to think the KKK was a joke until
they decided to march in Pittsburgh, the
place where I want to continue my higher
education.
I'm finally learning that there is no
place I can go to escape racism and maybe
there is no solution. I've tried integration.
I've tried reverse racism. I've tried to
ignore the problem. But when racist
individuals exist, I know I am not the
problem. I am the victim. Racism
should be a crime. God created us all as
equal and if one truly believes in a selected
religion there should be no room for hate.
No, religion is not the only basis as to
why we should not hate each other, but it
helps.
I'll keep tearing down those bricks as
long as I have to; sooner or later you'll get
tired of putting them back up. My people
will never get tired. We didn't get tired in
1865 and we sure won't be tired in 2065.
There is no one way to fight racism, but
my last solution will be education. And if
education doesn't work, then I don't know
what will.
So to all the KKK members here in
Erie, Pittsburgh, Mississippi, and
anywhere else you may exist, nothing will
hold me down. I'm a strong, Black
woman and I will succeed whether you
like it or not!
In America
Although the population of the
U.S, has increased, the wome n big° of Catholics in this country
has barely budged from the
23.2% recorded in 1975.
11 prcerntfor 1994
Pn)testaat: 60%
,••
Catholic: 24%
•
Jiroloic
t a w 81%
Noma:IPA
Bureau
coSUfICE: Census
The Behrend College
Collegian
published weekly by the students of
Penn State Erie, The Behrend Colle,
Advisors:
Dr. Ursula Davis & Dr. Rob Speel
:01 if Imit - u;577; • • egian s
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 Collegian can be reached by
calling (814) 898-6488 or (814) 89843019 (fax).
ISSN 1071-9288
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Editors in Chief
Jennifer V. Colvin
Danielle M. Murphy
Business Manager
Carley Gwin
News Editors
Doreen Foutz
Sara Prosser
Sports Editors
Brian Gregory
Matt Plizga
Entertainment Editor
Sheila Bickel
Tim Holsopple, Assistant
Photography Editor
Colleen Gritzen
Opinion EdibN
Colleen Fromknecht
John Amoroso, Assistant
Copy Editor
MichaeDeSantis
Advertising Manager
Tom Keefe
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Crystal Dehart