Page 4- The Behrend College Collegian Thursday, December 4, 1997 The Behrend College Collegian published weekly by the students of Penn State Erie, The Behrend College Features Editor Kristi McKim News Layout Editor John Grolier Business Manager Dana Greenhouse Photography Editor Jessica Trzeciakowski Office Manager Gina Gaskey Advisor Robert Speel Postal Information: The Collegian is published weekly by the students of Penn State Erie, The Behrend Col lege; 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) 898-6019 (FAX). ISSN 1071- 9288 The importance of SRTEs As the semester comes to a close, student evaluations (SRTE'S) are being passed out in all classes. Most students seem to take these lightly, the common feeling being that they don't matter. On the contrary, these evaluations are looked at carefully and used to determine the future of a professor's career. SRTE's are one of the most direct ways that a student has influence over the future of her or his school. The evaluations are anonymous, and are not seen by the professor until after the final grades are turned in. This is a student's chance to let the professor know thoir thoughtsabout how the oxanvs , um.structifired; what she or he thinks about how the L R THE EDITOR Safer Sex Cabaret applauded To the Editor, I would like to take this opportu nity to commend Trigon and the Joint Residence Council, co-spon sors of this Tuesday's wholly suc cessful "Safer Sex Cabaret." The program was remarkably informa tive as well as entertaining. To com memorate World AIDS Day in such a respectful and forthright fashion, given the ignorance that so often marks responses to this horrific plague, seems to me invaluable, and especially so in an educational con text. Moreover, the integrity with which difference was lauded in terms of sexual orientation as well as the cause of abstinence made the evening profound for many who attended. It was a pleasure to wit ness such an open-minded presen tation, and to feel as though my work here at Behrend as a teacher and a scholar is consistent with the college's educational mission as a social entity. Sincerely, Alan Michael Parker Assistant Professor of English Student responds to Collegian cartoon Editor, I found your comic the last Col legian, about an unfair playing field for minorities, very disturbing. I am sick and tired of hearing minorities complain about how bad off their lives are. Slavery ended a long time Editor in Chief Andrea M. Zaffino Managing Editor Anne M. Rajone Sports Editor Matt Plizga Layout Editor Nathan Mitchell Advertising Manager Mike Advertising Associate Editor Brian Ashbaugh Assistant Sports Editor Dylan Stewart Letter Policy: The Collegian encour ages letters to the editor on news cov erage, editorial content and Univer sity affairs. Letters should be no longer than 400 words. Letters should include the address, phone number, semester standing and ma jor of the writer. Writers can mail their letters to behrcoll2@aol.com. final grade is determined. This is also a chance to let the administra tion know if you had a particularly good or bad professor. If there was ever a chance for in dividual voices to be heard in the midst of the huge bureaucracy that is Penn State, this is it. These evalu ations have truly affected the sala ries and employment of Behrend professors. As students begin to get nervous for the finals that professors will give, take these evaluations seri ously enough to make professors nervous as well. This is an impor taut, chance ,t 6 afloat the quality 'of instruction' at•Behrend: • • ILIMLM ago, so GET OVER IT. If blacks spent more time working and try ing to succeed in life, instead of dwelling about how the world is so biased, this world would be a better place. In my opinion, blacks and other minorities have life better off than whites. For instance, affirma tive action helps minorities and women, but not caucasian males. In an example that hits closer to home, at the Behrend College you will find a National Society for Black Engineers and a Society for Hispanic Engineers. One may ask, "Where is the National Society for Caucasian Engineers?" Well they don't have one because it would be "racist." This is a perfect example of why there are more and more rac ists in our world today. Special treatment and reverse rac ism cause great anger and hatred to build up inside of an individual. I think you should look into the issue more before publishing such an un true comic. Seeking the truth, Jonathan Kolbe 01 chemical engineering Child care center funding defended Dear Editors, This letter is in response to the ar ticle, "Student activity fee going to Child Care Center," which appeared on the front page of the November 20, 1997 issue. The article de scribed a $20,000 allocation to the Child Care Center approved by Penn State-Behrend's 1996-97 Stu dent Activity Fee Allocation Corn mittee. The allocation has helped Advisor Alan Parker Editorials Barbie goes under, the knife for a more natural bustline By Charles Powell Kentucky Kernel University of Kentucky So Mattel Toys goes back to the drawing board with Barbie the most belovedly controversial doll in U.S. history. America's favorite air head will get a new look that may be rolled out early next year and some would say even that speedy schedule is long overdue. But can the changes in store really do enough to make Barbie real? The main complaint about Barbie has always been her physical traits. This is fair: the doll packs a chest like two beluga whales penned in unnatu rally close quarters. Add to that a candy-thin waist, perennially steeped feet, and hips that resemble two min iature poodles fighting under a blan ket and you've pretty much got her pegged. Men have long defended their creepy fetishization of Barbie by pointing out that few male dolls are physically realistic either and that is also true: None of my friends has a kung-fu grip either. But to get the Barbie effect G.I. Joe would have to carry a bulging package that hung to his knees as standard equipment. Would kind of make it hard to fight, huh? That's the problem with Barbie. A figure like a balloon clasped in the middle makes it difficult for her to accomplish her mission, which is giv ing little girls a positive role model. A woman who totters like an in-pa tient at a ancient Chinese foot-bind ing clinic may garner huge amounts of lust, but very little respect. This hasn't been helped by the lack of useful accouterments that have been appended to Barbie in her ca reer. The Barbie that burbled, "Math is hard!" a few years• back isn't the only image that seems predestined to doom small girls to a life of subservi- RS TO cover a deficit accrued in the initial years of the Center's start-up. I would like to clarify several issues raised in this article. First, the article implied that this allocation violated student activity fee guidelines. It did not. The guidelines specifically sanction funding support for child care at lo cations other than University Park. Quoting from those guidelines, "Se lected support services may be funded. Some campuses lack basic services which are readily available at University Park. Consistent with the allocation process outlined (be low), campuses may plan to use funds to enhance services where stu dent need is evident. Those areas eligible for enhancement are athlet ics, career development and place ment, child care services. health ser vices issues and education, personal counseling, and student activities." The activity fee allocation process is coordinated at each location by a committee of seven students repre sentative of the student population, two staff, and one faculty member. These committee members are ap pointed jointly by the Student Gov ernment Association President and the Dean of Student Affairs. The process ensures that students have maximum, and majority, input into all of the decisions. Penn State-Behrend's Student Ac tivity Fee Committee invited cam pus-wide input last year into the activity fee allocation process. Written requests for suggested uses of activity fee funds were sent to all Behrend students, and two full-page Collegian ads were purchased to invite campus-wide input into the center allocation. While the article included a statement from SGA President Mike Zampetti in oppo sition to the child care allocation, a majority of all committee members, Barbie has periodically had her own comic book, one issue of which con tained overcoming incredible hard ship. Was it about breaking the glass ceiling at work, getting Skipper away from an abusive boyfriend or fight ing the chemical company that was polluting her ground water? It's none of the three of course Barbie's success was getting through work, a lunch meeting and a dinner date with Ken by using her only clean sash as a headband, scarf and belt at different occasions. Barbie's superpower is the ability to accessorize. Barbie's permanent fluffdom has been defended by the toy maker for years. "She's primarily a fashion most of whom were students, ap proved that decision. The Child Care Center offers quality care for the children of stu dents, faculty, and staff, enabling student parents to attend Penn State, and faculty and staff to work here without fear for their children's well being. While the center is now fund ing its direct operating costs through center income, a deficit was accrued in the initial years of the center's operation and was associated with very expensive start-up costs. The student activity fee allocation has helped reduce this deficit as an in vestment in the center's present and future ability to serve students. While a relatively small number of students are served by the center at any given time, it is a critical ser vice for those students who do need it. Over time, many students pri marily returning adults will ben efit from the presence of the center. In other words, the activity fee sup port now will help a growing num ber of students for many years to come. These students also pay the student activity fee. If there are any questions about the center or the student activity fee, I would be happy to answer those. Thank you for this opportunity to explain the activity fee process and the rationale for supporting the Penn State-Behrend Child Care Center. Sincerely, Chris Reber Dean of Student Affairs ,~ . ~. , doll," quoth Mattel's public relations jockeys, meaning it is irrational to ask mote from her. But just as clothes don't make the man they don't make the woman (or, in this case, the doll) either; a look at Barbie sans ensembles shows a gar ish body, a blank stare and precious little in the way of self-determination. If she were real she'd either be a tro phy wife, unemployed or attending college Not that Mattel hasn't tried to give their favorite trollop some positive jobs, but she just doesn't appear ca pable of carrying the roles. A protec tors seems slightly unreal somehow. Not that attractive women aren't smart or vice versa, but rather those implants might make it difficult to see where Erie online by Anne Rajotte managing editor Admittedly, Erie can be an unex citing city. Besides the mall, Tinsletown and the few weeks that are warm enough to enjoy Presque Isle, college students seem to have few options. Erie is the third largest city in Penn sylvania, though it does not seem to match that title with the advantages of a city that ranks just behind Phila delphia and Pittsburgh. However, if you look hard enough, you can find that Erie might not be so bad after all. There are numerous homepages dedicated to Erie's community, busi nesses, recreation and attractions. On www.accesserie.com, there are links to restaurant reviews, Presque Isle events, schedules for the Warner The ater and the Erie Civic Center, and homepages of organizations around Erie. You can find the Tinsletown schedule without having to go through the fifteen minutes of commercials that accompany the schedule on the phone. The events at the Erie Civic Cen ter, the Warner Theater and the Road house Theater are not publicized a great deal on campus. Well known shows, bands and plays are at each of these places frequently, and often in expensively. On the Erie homepages, there are also listings of concerts hap pening in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Buf falo and State College. World Cham pionship Wrestling is coining to the Civic Center, the Warner Theater is hosting Lord of the Dance, Stomp and the Nutcracker. The Roadhouse The ater is a small, nontraditional theater that, in addition to plays, presents etters to t you operate. So in come the Mattel plastic sur geons for a makeover of our favorite doll. Barbie will get wider hips, a larger waist and a few letters whittled from her bra size. I would suggest freckles, feet suitable for flats and a pulsating glow-in-the-dark brain but I'm not holding my breath. And no changes are planned for the material from which Barbie is made: sum up why Barbie is and always will be shaped to the contours of the least assertive features the market can stand and that's why she will probably al ways be popular. Contributing Columnist Charles Powell is a political science gradu ate student. things like drag shows. Presque Isle has been named one of America's top 100 swimming holes, along with Pymatuning Dam, which is only an hour south of Erie. Erie has its own opera theater and twenty seven golf courses. All of this seems to be obscured by the overde veloped Peach Street strip of chain restaurants and shopping centers, Searching is definitely required if you are looking for something different in Erie. One of the easiest ways to do this seems to be online. If you are inter ested explonng the spiritual life in Erie, there are links to several church's homepages, including an im pressive site for the Erie Assembly of God. If you are looking for a nice evening out and want to forego the habitual visits to the Olive Garden, there are reviews, price listings and other general information about inde pendent restaurants all over the Erie area. The sites also include free classifieds, real estate and business listings and city maps. In short, ev erything one might want to know about Erie and its immediate sur roundings Because of Erie's size in compari son to Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, and lack of a concentrated downtown area, such as found in State College, it is harder to find a variety of things to do. Erie can be made at least a little more exciting if you know where to look. For more information on events and attractions around look for www.goerie.com; www.accesserie.com; or www.erie.net. e e behrcoll2@aoLcom itor
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