A Day in the Life of a Commuter
\en though commuters make up the majority of community. In a student's case, ilia co nnn is join a club that pertains to your interests. This gi\ CS
student hod\ here at Behrend, it is easy for the
ecl left out. After all, a commuter is not required
peed the night in an on-campus dorm and does
have to occupy the time between classes and bed
c on-campus activities.
- ..0r a commuter, college may seem a lot like high
I°ol. A certain number of hours each day are spent
school and then it's time to go home. The only
Terence hem een college and high school is that
t all of your school day is spent in the classroom.
f a co►iimuter li \ es close enough to Behrend and
s time between classes, they have the tendency to
I► home: to take advantage of that hour away from
►ch needed school surroundings. Because of this,
'r interaction is often exercised at a minimum
side of the classroom for commuters.
lere arc some suggestions to make commuters feel
ire pit home at Behrcnki. Instead o rushing home
oct a bite to cat. check out Brunos to snack, meet
\\ on-campus students or c\cn to learn \\ hat's new
iund Eichrend.
lan \ commuters admit to feelings of alienation,
\\ hen the\, hii \ N, friends that also attend
3,500 students attending Behrend,
iur chances of ha\ ing more than one class with a
fiend is slim to none.
College 1, generally con,idered :tn entrance to
tulthood. A, adult,. more re,ponsibilitie, are taken
t. One of tho,c re,pon,ibilities include, reaching
to better communicate and get in \ olved vp ith your
Survival of the Fittest
All ol us hay eto deal ith heing on our own. No
le is looking over our shoulders an\. more. There's
leacticr• no relanves• ' , lnd -- dcPerlding On your \' .l "
,oint--best or worst of all, no parents. Everyone has
aken sonic time to get adjusted to college and some of
still aren't read\ to call it home. Despite hardships.
to ing to make the hest of it—
o\\C\Cr. c‘crvonc
hcthcr dcLiling vvi
11 it means gctting along \kithout
inn and Dac
Iw2. our ()
aA t make
'')i , lllk.'
wily to h )LI 01
1C 1101.1‘C. !Cad
Cadult , anal II \ C
Lir o CN
1t t u' rr~iliir
rt., hcrc 10
htkc ,t ol it and
\C IC W)ing our
- )e,l to do iii that.
herc hov,-
cr. tlit,c
-\llcll \.lc I.Clllclll
her how much
a•icr being at
laundr
11:irt1 to wirr\
allow that for
thuNc ho
never had to he-
Dore. Separating
kite, and culor ti
~ind not putting too
much bleach in
our load. All of
us had a quick les
son from Mom on
kr"( hov, to do it
the right way.
How oer, none of
us would he sur
prised to find that
shirts that used to
he white are sud
denly pink or blue.
Then there's the
alternate alarm
clock: Morn's voice. Maybe this isn't true for every
one hut for some of us, if we hit snooze too many times,
Morn was there to make sure we got out of bed on time.
N w. we're on our own. If the alarm clock doesn't
ake us up, and neither does our roommate, class is
going to he missed. Those of us that found Mom's
\ ()ice annoying are wishing it was still around when
we wake five minutes before class starts.
On the other hand, Eugene Butch (01, Commercial
Advertising, Film. and Video) says the hest thing about
being here is. "sleeping without anyone yelling. - while
Kellie Harlan (U I, Biology) just says, "sleeping." So
while some of us are praying the alarm wakes us, oth-
by Christy Piceala and Karen McKim
--hut there are some other do's and don'ts of
fered in The Total Guide to College Life:
• Do your best always, even in minor details.
• Don't talk about your boss behind his/he►
back
• Do show up ready for work, on time and on
the days you agreed to work.
• Don't hang out with friends who drop by
while you're working
• Do ask questions whenever necessary.
• Don't bring your personal problems to work
with you
• Do make an effort to get along with fellow
employees
• Don't lie to your boss or cover up for mis-
takes
• Do take responsibility for your work; let your
boss know she/he can trust you.
• Don't take anything for granted or leave any
thing to chance; when in doubt, double check.
Most of these are common sense, so if you
just use your head, you should have an easy
road ahead of you getting and keeping a part
time job in college.
Behrend
A great way to reach out ;Ind
Another thing that takes getting used to is that it you
want money. YOU have to figuie out how to get it. It's
not so easy to ask Mom and Dad when you're here and
they're there. When you're running out oh money and
you want a part time jot). there's a few things you may
need to remember.
How many times ha\ e you heard important it is
to make a good lirst impression ' Well. it's true. Your
you're ready to
learn, and eager to work, employers will he more likely
to hire you.
Some other simple tips—he on time, he responsible
and get used to filling out forms. Once you're hired
you're going to want to do your hest to keep the joh
Most of the same "rules - apply to this
So whether you bleached your laundry. slept through
a class, or bombed your first interview. hopefully you
can make use of the tips in this article. Just remember:
Everyone needs time to adjust, make sure you take
yours!
by Erin NlcCarty and Christine Klock
L'ct \ ol‘cd is to
ppe ti
;MCC vthrn vOu
appl, lora job
factor in
\A hethcr or not
are hired
Atzcordi nil to
the a t hors of
/he Guide
to Col I c,l4e 141 e,
Alice & Stephen
I.a heal, "No-
e\Pects
;.tpitlicant to
\car and
tic tiiithough
()11 might he
hired or the spot
it you did). hut
Tan clothes
reTh ,hint or
Nott, ;Ind clean
Cans) alc a
Not only is
Your personal
appearance
portant. your en
ern! '..tral moti-
Nation is also
significant. An
empliiyer likes
to see mutt va-
dun dm! aggres-
vencss In a po
tential cm-
ployce. Go in
person instead
of applying over
the phone. If
vou show that
pins to do between classes and also offers
ial time with people that have the same
1 01.1 M )1
a nice
A Weekend Without a Hangover
Flat Parties. Keggers. Bar Hoppin'. Typical weekend
activities for a college student. But for those who don't
want to wake up in a puddle of their own, um lunch. for a
change, have no fear. Alternatives are near.
Let's start on campus. Nearly every \\ eekend, Thurs
day thiough Sunday, the LF.B plays a movie in the RUB
for 52.80 a show. Titles of some of the upcoming block
busters include Big Daddy. Varsity Blues, The Haunting.
and American Pie.
Not up for a movie! Every su often Bruno's hosts a
comedian. We've stopped by to listen to a couple past
guests_ and these boys weren't lame. Actually. they were
pi•ett . \ . , profane (you know, college level humor). Deli
nitely on the right track to make you bust a gut.
For those or you who like the limelight, karaoke at
brunt's is a great alternative to waking up without pants
nest to a goat (hell, purely hypothetical situation, you
know. *gulp*. no one really ever gets that drunk). Any
one who ' s willing to brake a tough crowd can take their
turn at the mica For those that aren't so outgoing choose
to just sit back and casually watch your Friends make an
ass of themselves. Either way, it can he a good time.
wheels to your college experience opens up that
It doesn't look like high school anymore
lhr onl) way to adapt to college is to do it. Man
people havk.' prepared for college— taken the SAT's, filled
nut applications, gotten accepted to a good college, and
finally scheduled fall classes. However, no matter how
much you prepare for the drastic changes of being in col
lege. you will never he fully prepared until you experi
ence them first.
Right now. thousands of freshmen across the country
are getting accustomed to the differences between high
school and college. One of the biggest problems that can
drag someone down is failing to manage their time effi
ciently. "It's much more difficult to manage my time since
I have more responsibility this year than I did last year.'
said Jen Crawford (Commu 01 ).
Some students thrive on the tact that their time is theirs
to manage. Some choose to squander away precious hours
from studying and choose to attend parties, while others
spend endless hours in the library. "Coming home alter
party and trying to study just doesn't work, - said Susan
John (Commu 01).
First year students living on campus arc simply getting
used to the fact of living away from home, commuters
need to schedule in extra time for the drive to Behrend
and hack. Some take up to thirty minutes to drive each
way, which also can cut into study time. Many students
hold a part time job, which also needs to he budgeted into
their busy schedules.
There arc some freshmen that are just now cracking
down alter a couple weeks of blowing off school work.
It's tough realizing that professors go on teaching with
out you. The allure of having plenty of time and using it
to catch up on sleep can damage grades and an important
GPA.
What to do? Start with some of these pointers to help
ease the stress of juggling your time between classes and
social time
-Get a calendar or personal organizer. It's the best way to
keep up with your school week, with working schedules,
appointments with professors or advisers, and knowing
by Leanne Acklin and Angela Niajoris
by Jennifer Primerano and Rebecca 11eindorl
u' Vuu
A L , roup that commute's should cheek out is the
Commuter Council. It is designed to provide a fo
rum for comments and It cct , commutcP , together to
make their \ (nees heard throughout the campus. E\ -
cry Monda\ at Ipm in Reed 112 this group meets
for about an hour. At the gatherings the students can
catch up on C011111111(Cr 110\ 111CCt \\ friends and
even keep in touch \\ ith some of the old ones. Hot
topics hcing discussed right noNA include car pools,
fundraising, and the Commuter iniwr on October
16th.
In edition to all of the studies and activities going
on at Behrend. a Ganniuter is also faced with the
issue of parking Bet \\ limited parking and traf
fic jams, drivers lace a lot of o hstaeles lust to g et t o
school each day
In desperation ti.) find a parking spot, students havc
a tendency 10 bleak c\ realiting it.
Rule number one: A \ Ali!) PARKING P[RMIF IS
MORE TIIAN NrCkSSARY. Violation tickets c an
Oct pretty price, and \\ hen on tack a late tee on
that, yon can kiss your weekend spending money
good-hie.
For a more complci:. Ikt td traffic and ticket
fees vuu can the pal k in‘,2 ot lice on the Penn State
Behrend WelTage. ;it vv \\ ti,11.e(11.1.
Throlli.llllll\ 11111 C 111M1;lement, driving,
av,.,treness and social e\ cut' \ commuters can turn
their time at Behrend into a complete, fulfilling and
ortlik\ til college periencc.
door of opportunit that c r.lll laic. No \\ hear me out,
Erie ha, a lot to of lcr. It n,) ,cck...t that the rnajoi it\, of us
are flat out hr
collcec \\,lly not try the
dollar mu\ lc theater' lot] can see ,1 flick on its, second
run and it \.ou're hard up lor a pIaCC to tale \ our babe,
1.11Cre ., , 110111111 g \\ rql‘l \\ 111111 a \in s ILIII and Tat - nu; a buck
at the,ante time. A le \\ more l ILu, Can 1111\ \on the
I.IIIIIIIMC 1110 \ IC C 1 1 CIICIIce at Tin \Cho \\ it (cushy ',eats and
dancing) ' ('huh Wedne,,-
da. Or nr.i t)ti np-,t ant \ (Orin lily case. feel
hwhl\ x hhiai and t Lidlech ,, ll , e` , are se:Mt:red throl.lllh
ollt Eric. C(111 1-(C1110' ,, and 1,000 French,
which •.,t...1\ e a plitt> 11()I.NL', aIM) host
aillalCUllllllslC l,ll h anal 11111 ) 1‘)\ 111 , .211N lan 11‘21)1t2 just look
in c hill a nd lam
These are lust ale \\ ideas Otos,. lookiny . lor a luti
and sober night. Cheek \ ul liChlVlld calendar tor dates
and times ul e\rnt,. and ration:me io the posters in the
the \ talkin4 10 \ ou, And ahme all. enjoy
\ ourself. Your head sionkich \\ ill (hank ou in the
MIMS
V , .11C11 you Call 1);111, and \\hen you Can't.
-LCalll to •.,•,t‘, - 110 - ,
So Mall \ people 11:1\ C trouble saying
110 bCCat.IC it can hurt Icelings. or viorse, seem like they
don't wiint to ha\ c fun. When you're drawing the line
between stud) time and our social life. politely refuse to
go out for a night because of a test or report. It'll make a
huge difference in your study habits, and as an extra bo
nus, you'll feel more at ease about your life when you do
too out and has e fun.
. .
-Work hard during the week and sageCAClltiti for fun.
lt's a good bit of ads ice from umu• upperclassmen. You
can alwa y s hang out for it breather between classes, hut
that extra time you have will work \\ onders, especially
for students Bing on campus. For numerous students,
usually it means juggling a part time job on weekends,
which can interfere w ith going out. But part-timers can
al\kays find a way to work during the day and leave their
evenings free: employers of college students are usually ,
willing to arrange their schedules for the needs of stu
dents.
-Relax it's been done before. II you I ind yourself stressed
from the overload of orking. sit hack for a minute and
remember that thousands of college students have done
this before. It's nothing that )on can't do!
-And if you can't relax, find help- NOW! There are lots
of opportunities On campus. especially for those who are
having trouble with keeping their schedules straight. See
your adviser to help out sou ilia) need to drop a class to
accommodate sour needs. transfer classes. or start meet
ing with your professors for a little extra help.
Rememhei. \\ hate \ er )ou do. there are always helping
hands to get you through that rough first year of college.
Every assignment counts in college, and you need the time
to complete each one he fore going out. or even going to
earn some money (What good is that money if you can't
afford to keep good grades in college?). Keep ahead of
the game (in this case, your school \\ ork!) and you'll defi
nitely come out on top!
xII"11111