page 4 - The Behrend College Beacon. Thursday, April 15, 1999
The Behrend College Beacon
published weekly by the students of Penn State Erie, The Behrend College
News Editor
Shannon Weber
Features Editor
Jim Stubbs
Business Manager
Jaime Davis
Photography Editors
Jason Blake
Andrea Zxiffmo
Layout Editor
Mike Perkins
Wire Services Editor
Katie Galley
Assistant Editors
Mike Frawley
Elizabeth Guelcher
Postal Information: The Beacon is
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 Beacon can be
reached by calling (814) 898-6488
or (814) 898-6019 (FAX). ISSN
1071-9288.
A view
Change of venue
Spring Fever, which has been
scheduled for Friday, April 23, has
been moved from its original location
last year in the apartments to the area
between Reed and Perry Hall. Student
Affairs has decided that the affair last
year was unsafe due to the fact that
underage students were drinking with
people from the apartments who were
over the legal age. Many students, as
well as S.G.A., have complained to
Student Affairs. Ken Miller has stated
that if no illegal activities will occur
at the upcoming event, the location
may be moved. However, the location
has not been changed, even though
many people are complaining.
The issue is that the students and
S.G.A. have been complaining about
this location change for a long time
and have had petitions drawn up and
signed, and Student Affairs has failed
to address the students’ grievances.
Thus far, Student Affairs has failed to
find a reasonable solution. Instead,
they have placed the event on an area
with nothing but rolling hills and steps.
There is almost no Hat ground. Where
What You Talkin’ Bout
Welcome to the Multi-Cultural Council
What’s the deal with discrimina
tion? All of the views in this column
are mine and I’ m sorry if my views
don't agree with those who read this.
I have been talking with a few of my
friends about this topic recently and I
feel that it is worth discussing. To dis
criminate is to observe a difference or
to treat someone or something with
partiality.
Discrimination has been around
from the beginning of time. It has pro
gressed through the many years and
centuries. Discrimination has been
geared towards women, blacks, Ital
ians, Irish, Native Americans, homo
sexuals, and so on.
What I can’t understand is why so
many intelligent people all over the
world feel that they have to judge
someone on their race, gender, or
sexual orientation.
Ever since the story of Adam and
Eve, it seems that women have been
one of if not the most discriminated
Bitchin’ by Mike
Response to Mike DeSantis :Defen
After reading the letter to the
editor that was printed in last week’s
issue of The Beacon , I feel the need
to speak up and defend the paper and
its staff. While Mike DeSantis has
all the right in the world to state his
opinion in the form of a letter to the
editor, maybe he should have looked
into the facts before beginning to rant
and rave about the internal workings
of the paper. While we do encourage
constructive comments about how the
paper could be made better, out and
out attacks are uncalled for. I would
now like to take the time to respond
to Mr. DeSantis' letter and the points
he feebly attempts to make.
The entire beginning of Mr.
DeSantis’ letter was given over to the
topic of change. I understand that he
served as a member of the newspaper
staff, and if he felt that he was run off
the newspaper for trying to make
changes. He is entitled to his own
opinion. But as a member of the
current staff I can say that change is
welcome on The Beacon. And
Editor in Chief
Will Jordan
Managing Editor
Ayodele Jones
Letter Policy: The Beacon
encourages letters to the editor.
Letters should include the address,
phone number, semester standing
and major of the writer. Writers can
mail letters to behrcoll2@aol.com.
Letters must be received no later
than spm Tuesday for inclusion in
that week’s issue.
ram the U
are the bands supposed to play?
Students pay for a student activ
ity fee every year, and part of this
student activity fee is being used to
pay for Spring Fever. Why can’t the
students have a say in where the event
is held? In essence, they are paying
for the event. If students agree to be
responsible, there is no reason why
Spring Fever cannot be moved back
to the apartments.
Student Affairs should resolve this
problem as soon as possible, before
students become even more angered
and decide to resort to a more drastic
measure
against group in the world. Women
arc looked at as the weaker of the two
sexes. So in general men can lift more
than women can. Show me a man that
could go through childbirth. Women
don’t get the same salaries that men
get even though in some cases they
are doing the same job. Why is it that
women are expected to have careers
and still run a household and raise
children? There are very many
women that can juggle all of these
tasks and they are in a word, super-
women
Black people have been oppressed
for hundreds of years. There was sla
very. then the overt racism of the
South, the covert racism of the North
and so on. Even though racism to
wards blacks isn’t as prominent as it
once was, it still exists.
As this country grew in the early
1900 s, many different kinds of people
came here to get a new start, to make
money, to start families, or to live the
contrary to his opinion the advisors
do not override any changes that we
feel are necessary to make. Our
advisors serve one purpose; they
advise the staff. This is a student run
newspaper. We on the staff have no
problems with the advisors. The staff
is in no way afraid to go against their
ideas it we feel that in doing so we
will create a better end product. lam
sure that Mr. DeSantis was not
"removed” from the staff by last
year’s student editor for suggesting
changes, being obnoxious maybe, but
not for just making suggestions.
While the staff might not agree
on every issue that comes up over how
the paper is run, we do discuss all
ideas in an intelligent fashion. The
minority opinion is always respected
and listened to. While this might not
have been true when Mike DeSantis
was on the staff, it is very different
now. While it might be hard to
believe, the paper has changed some
since Mr. DeSantis was on the staff
(in case you didn’t notice the name
Sports Editor
Jason Snxder
Editorial Page Editor
Natalie Gagliano
Advertising Managers
Erin
Carey Smith
Associate Editors
Atiftela Rush
Jessica Tucci
Copy Editor
Rose Forrest
Distribution Manager
Mark Greenbank
Advisors
Robert Speel
Jim O'Louplilin
hthouse
Time to Co
Waz up now, Housing?
Now that the academic year is
nearly drawing to a close, I have made
several realizations concerning Be
hrend. Most of these pertain to Hous
ing and Food Services, which, at this
point, I am completely fed up with.
The first realization I have made is
that Bruno's and Dobbins need major
improvement (and this is making a to
tal understatement). I cannot tell you
how many different times I was eating
a salad from Dobbins and discovered
a bug in it. I cannot tell you how many
times other people have informed me
that ants were crawling by the cherry
filling (for pancakes) in Dobbins. And
then there’s Bruno’s. I could go on
complaining forever about them. The
cheese on their pizza is never fully
cooked, and their fries and hamburg
ers are almost always cold. They also
Miscellany, the Old Jalopy
Is peace your every step?
Are the stresses of the semester
making you crazy? Does your mind
feel cluttered? Perhaps meditation can
help. I look at meditation as a way of
cleaning the room in my head: throw
ing away the trash, putting things in
the right places, and basically making
it comfortable and better to live in. As
my friend Kristi told me, "how easy
things are when everything works.”
Meditation is one way of making your
self work.
In his book Peace Is Every Step:
The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday
Life (New York: Bantam Books, 1991),
Thich Nhat Hanh writes that “peace is
present right here and now, in our
selves and in everything we do and see.
The question is whether or not we are
in touch with it.” The key is knowing
that life exists in the present moment.
The past is gone, the future is not yet
here; now is the only time we have to
really live.
Willis
American dream. Italians, as well as
the Irish, were looked upon as thieves
and thugs trying to take over the land.
They were looked upon as an infesta
tion. Even now, when you think Ital
ian, most people don’t think of it as
being one of the great European cul
tures. Most people automatically
think Mafia or pasta, or even pizza.
Pizza isn’t even Italian. I don’t even
know what most people think about
the Irish culture. I’ve never really ex
perienced that culture but I do know
that they were at one time one of the
most discriminated against groups.
Native Americans used to own the
lands that we now call home. The Eu
ropean settlers pillaged, lied to, killed,
and wreaked havoc on the people that
lived here. Native Americans were
then forced to live on small reserva
tions and give up their ways of life.
This had to be one of the greatest
crimes in the history of man.
Homosexuality has existed for
has even changed). Times change. After
reading that Mr. DeSantis was a past
member of the staff, I decided to go back
into the newspaper archives and see
what the paper was like when he served
on it. The changes that have been made
in the paper between then and now,
without Mr. DeSantis’ input, have
created a much more professional, and
all around better, end product.
The second point that he points out
in his letter upset me to no end. For
some reason he is complaining about the
strong attacks on housing that have been
printed as of late. Unless I missed my
guess about the purpose of a editorial, it
is to express the views of the students
and try to get changes made in the policy
of the administration to reflect these
views. The best way for these views to
be made known to the administration is
by an editorial that can let the feelings
of the students be known. Now I know
that for the Spring Break housing issue,
a simple call placed to housing would
have given the author • the
administration’s reason for the students
Editorial
have a poor selection of foods and
drinks. For some ungodly reason, I
had my faith in Bruno’s and Dobbins
that the food would become better.
The second realization I have
made is that Housing and Food ser
vices is just plain ignorant. Aren’t
they aware of the bad food? I really
cannot imagine how Ed Mulfinger
can manage to eat Dobbins food ev
eryday for lunch, because I honestly
cannot force myself to do it. And, on
top of that, the manner in which they
conducted the waiting line for hous
ing contracts was ludicrous. What
was Housing and Food services
thinking? I was one of the first fifty
people that arrived for the waiting
line, and somehow I ended up with
number 184 due to the fact that stu
dents cut in front of me. Due to this,
Conscious breathing is one of the
most important parts of meditation.
“Breathe, you are alive!” says Thich
Nhat Hanh. “Our breathing is the
link between our body and our
mind.” Being mindful of breathing
is simple: when you breathe in, know
that you are breathing in, and when
you breathe out, know that you are
breathing out. If this sounds silly,
think of all the things we take for
granted. Breathing is often one of
these things that often goes unnoticed
because we don’t usually have to
think to do it; we breathe automati
cally. Conscious breathing is one
way to make us more aware of life
because breathing is one of the things
that sustains life.
Meditation can be practiced while
you do almost anything. Walking,
playing sports, and even driving can
be turned into meditations just by
being mindful and living in the
centuries. The term homosexual was
supposedly first used by Karoiy M.
Kertbeny in private correspondence
in 1868. It first appeared publicly in
two anonymous German pamphlets
published in 1869, which opposed ex
tending a Prussian anti-sodomy law
throughout all of the German Confed
eration. Then there is the debate that
whether or not homosexuality is a
choice or a fixed orientation. Regard
less, it exists and people should not
be discriminated against because of
it.
In talking to several of people from
different races and genders, I hear
about all of the different stereotypes
about black people and white people.
It seems like a lot of misunderstand
ings, misconceptions, and lack of
knowledge. There are ways to get past
this lack of knowledge however.
An example of an organization that
tries to help diversify this campus in
particular is the Multi Cultural Coun
mg t
to be out of the dorms, but that was
not the point of the editorial. The
point, which I felt was painfully
obvious, was that making the students
leave the dorms that early was
ridiculous no matter what the reason.
We at the newspaper understand that
the administration always has a reason
for what it does, but the point is that
things need to be changed. In the
words of Mr. DeSantis, we do bitch,
but we bitch to get things changed, not
because we don’t have the answers.
As for putting a name on “A view
from the lighthouse,” all I have to say
is why? Most people who I asked
understood that the View was a staff
editorial. Every week at the editorial
board meeting we decide on a topic
for the staff editorial and agree on our
opinion about the topic. Then one
person writes the editorial to express
the views of the entire staff. No name
needs to be attached to this, and
attacking the paper on something this
petty is completely asinine. In case
you didn’t notice, we are not the USA
I was cheated out of getting a room
in the suites; instead, I received a
room assignment in Perry Hall,
which is not where I want to be. Now,
come on, did Housing and Food ser
vices really think that students would
be responsible and honest and not cut
in line? If they did think this, they
need a reality check. If Housing and
Food Services would have used their
heads and formulated a reasonable
method, such as by G.P.A. and/or
semester standing, for the turning in
of housing contracts, none of this
would have happened. There would
have been no mad, unruly students.
Police and Safety would not have
been called. It is as simple as that.
The third realization I have come
to is that Behrend is filled with dis
respectful, rude students. If you have
present moment. If you want to do a
sitting meditation, here’s a way of
going about it: First, find a quiet
place where you can be alone and un
disturbed (if you can’t find a com
pletely silent place, just use the
sounds around you in your medita
tion ; that is, be aware of them, but
don’t let them take over your mind).
If candles or incense help you feel
more meditative, feel free to use
them. Sit upright. Crossing your legs
is fine, but if this hurts your knees
too much you may find that sitting
on a chair or a cushion is more com
fortable. Close your eyes and become
conscious of your breathing. Clear
your head of all thoughts. Many
people find this hard to do because
thoughts sometimes keep popping
back into the mind. Be patient with
yourself if you find this happening
to you, and resist frustration. Be
aware of your thoughts and acknowl-
cil. Although I haven’t been as active
with the Multi Cultural Council as I
have been in the past, I still know what
it is and what it stands for. Contrary
to popular belief, blacks and homo
sexuals are not the only people al
lowed in that office and it is not the
lounge for the commuting black stu
dents. Everyone is welcome to go into
that office and become more diverse.
I'm tired of people speculating what
that office is actually for and not go
ing to investigate what actually hap
pens in there. Too often have I been
asked what that office is for. In fact.
I’m surprised at the number of people
that walked past that office daily to
check their mail that don’t even know
what the office is.
Diversity is a part of life. More
often that not, when we get jobs, we
will be working along side someone
that isn’t exactly like we are. There is
no reason to discriminate against any
one who is different. We as a people,
eacon
Today , so we do things our own way.
Maybe one day, just to make you feel
special, we will place a little notice at
the end of a view from the lighthouse,
but only after the staff as a whole
decides that it is the best thing to do.
And in response to his nonsense
about putting his name on an article
about hazing during rush week last
year, all I can say is, who cares? I
wrote an editorial about Greeks this
year, and I put my name on it, can I
have a cookie now too? Writing an
article and putting your name on it
does not make you special or
important, it is just a reporter doing
their job.
If anyone who reads the paper has
any suggestions for making the paper
better, we are all ears. Any change that
the staff, as a whole, decides is good
for the paper will be made. While one
person’s idea will be listened to and
considered, if the rest of the staff does
not agree with it then it will be put
aside in favor of something we all
agree upon. In case'you don’t
NATALIE GAGLIANO
ever walked up the stairs through
Dobbins you probably have no
ticed the various fruits strewn about
the stairs. Oh yeah, and the beer
cans that are found all over cam
pus. Also, the restroom facilities
are plain disgusting. Why can't we
all clean up after ourselves? It is
not a difficult thing to do. We are
all adults. I am sure we would not
want our future homes to look this
bad.
Housing and Food Services and
part of the student body need to
wake up and smell the coffee. Be
ing ignorant, rude, and irrational is
not a solution to our problems
Natalie Ga/iliano is the editorial pane edi
tor of the Beacon Her ( (damn appeitred
every three weeks.
KERRY HINKSON
edge them when they come into
your head. Then, gently escort
them out.
Concentrating on your breathing
is a good way to center yourself and
to help keep the thoughts out of
your head. It is also a good w'ay to
take you deep into meditation. Try
to stay this way for at least a half
an hour. If you find this to be too
much at first, start with ten or fif-
teen minutes and work your way
up. You may (or may not) find this
harder to do than you think, but the
more you do it, the easier it be
comes and the more peaceful and
calm you’ll discover yourself to be.
And don't be surprised if things
you've been thinking about sud
denly become clear to you.
Kerry Hinkson is a seventh semester En
glish major. Her column appeiired every
three weeks
WILL JORDAN
the human race, should be able to
evolve and get past everyone's dif
ferences. When Generation X takes
over the country and the world, we
should stop these trends that have
plagued the human race. I always
hear the old cliche, life isn’t fair.
Well I think that we can make it a
lot fairer than it is right now.
There are several other groups
that have been discriminated
against, and it is ridiculous that the
people in this day and age can't get
past differences and see people for
who they really are. There is a need
for change, and I think that we can
make that change.
Will Jordan is the editor-in-chief of the Bea
con. His column appeared every three
MIKE FRAWLEY
understand this concept, Mr.
DeSantis, it’s called a democracy.
We at The Beacon take pride in our
work, and put a lot of time and
effort into putting out a newspaper
which the entire student body can
be proud of. I am proud of this
paper, that is why my name
appears on it every week.
In closing, Mr. DeSantis, if
you have any questions about my
editorial, please don’t write about
it for the paper, just take the time
and call us. We will gladly give
you the answer to your questions,
as Housing or the Computer
Center would have for our
questions. Oops, wait a second,
then you wouldn’t have anything
to write about, now would you?
Mike Fruwley is the assistant editor of the
Beacon. His column appeared every lime
he felt the urn e to hitch.