THE BEHREND BEACON A View from the Lighthouse So you go to school, eh? You guessed it, this is another editorial about sex. This seems to be the topic of the semester here at Behrend. Events like "Singled Out" and Trigon's Safer Sex Cabaret not only mass good turnouts, but the aftermath is interesting as well. "Singled Out" and its sexual implications were discussed by a Beacon columnist last week, and a few weeks before, Trigon made Behrend news with its Safer Sex Cabaret. (For those of you who don't know, Trigon is a group which advocates for the needs and concerns of gays, lesbians and bisexuals.) Basically, it is the opinion of the Beacon that students will only attend a school function if it has to do with sex. We were not criticizing Trigon's efforts to promote safe sex, we were merely assessing the current student interests. However, some people outside of Behrend do not agree with Trigon and can't believe such an organization exists. Moreover, there are some bigots in the local area that are labeling Penn State Behrend as a "homosexual school." Recently, on a radio talk show on WFLP 1330, host Randy Brewer bashed Trigon and explained how he couldn't believe that Behrend is allowing events like the Safer Sex Cabaret to take place. Hmmm...one word springs to mind...BIGOT! And what's even worse is that a select few called the station and completely agreed with Randy Bigot oops, we mean Brewer. One person labeled Behrend as a homosexual school. Brewer, himself, went on to say that he is now not considering Behrend as a college for his son. We don't want your bigot money, anyway. Furthermore, someone should have called and asked where his son wants to go. Behrend is a school that encompasses all kinds of people. Our school is very diverse, that is, many people of many different races and nationalities are all seeking one thing —,a higher education. True, the issue of homosexuality is a fiery one. But nonetheless, it is an issue that is faced by the whole society, not just Behrend. 'On February 21, 2000, Time Magazine published an article entitled "Fear of a Gay School." El Modena High School in Orange County, California, is being called a hbmosexual school, due to the formation of a Trigon-like group. However, in El Modena, things are getting rough. The members of their gay-rights coalition are knee-deep in legal issues and protests. The president of their group was "hit on the head by a: demonstrator who was furious because a federal judge had ruled that THE BEHREND BEACON published weekly by the students of Penn State Erie, The Behrend College Advertising Managers Carey Smith Kim Zuck Business Manager Kristine Harakal Office Manager Brad Wiertel Distribution Manager Jeff Miller Advisors Robert Spee! Jim O'Loughlin J'Qstal 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 gay the group could meet on campus" (Time, 52). The article went on to explain that these groups gained national attention when Matthew Shepard was murdered in 1998. Shepard was a gay college student in Wyoming. Also, it was noted that there are around 700 clubs around the country that are gay-straight oriented. There was also another article in the same issue that explained how insurance companies are supporting gay families Sorry, Brewer, all of this hype about a "gay school" isn't new news to us. Do you form your opinions based upon what's really happening in the world, or do you kick back and watch Howard Stern? Trigon is a student organization just like any other on campus. They don't make you, as students, join it. Just like we don't make you write for our paper. There are many, many student organizations, fraternities, and sororities that all have different interests. The question is, what's important to you? What organization suits your academic, recreational, or social needs? Yes, Trigon does hold events, but they're not forced upon you. Brewer must not know that Behrend is the best engineering school in the area, that it keeps up with the changing technology, and is a very well respected school. All he sees is a college that is too diverse. We're ashamed that there are parents like Brewer that are sending hateful messages to their children. We at the Beacon say, "weigh out your options and don't stereotype our school." No matter where you people decide to send your children, they will be faced with moral and ethical issues. That's what the real world is all about. Behrend accepts and encourages the diversity of its students, regardless of what a few bigots have to say. Oh yeah, by the way, if you were one of the people that called in to the talk show, we're very sorry you don't get out much. We're even more sorry that you have such hate for an organization that you don't even understand. Or have even tried to understand. Editor-in-Chief Jason Snyder Managing Editor Michael Frawley News Editors Liz Hayes Karl Benacci Editorial Page Editor Katie Galley Features Editors Katie Przepyszny Doug Srnith Sports Editor Matt Wiertel Calendar Page Editor Nicole Greene Photo Editors Jeff Miller Kevin Bruner (assistant) Associate Editors Libbie Johnson Becky Weindorf Rob Wynne 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 5 p.m. Tuesday for inclusion in that week's issue. EDITORIAL Detours and Small Potatoes General Education live So, we're in college right? Yeah, that's what I thought too. But I have been pondering over something lately. Let me tell you about it. If we are in college, how come I had to spend my first two years taking classes that I could have sworn that I took in high school. Here at Behrend they offer History 010? Yeah, I am pretty sure that I took a class just like that in ninth grade, tenth grade, eleventh grade, and in my senior year. Do I really need anymore History classes? Have you guessed what I am talking about yet? Yes, that's right, the General Education classes here at Penn State. Or, as I like to call them, two of the most asinine years of my life. Everyone that attends Penn State is required to take the same amount of General Education classes to graduate. Or as the blue hook officially states, between 45 and 46 credits. Thanks for the I credit to play oin Me In Reali I'm sick of paying for your babies I can recall a time when I stood in the grocery line, spending my last five dollars on a bottle of pop, a candy bar and a sub so I could have something to eat that night. I waited and waited as the family in front of me unloaded their overflowing cart of junk food, flavored drinks and...oh yeah, all the other types of food that a family of ten would need to survive. When you just look at the food in the cart, you figure, "oh, what a hard working family, that they can afford that much at the grocery store alone." Then you look past the cart and find a young girl, about 22 years old, with two kids running around. The cashier gives the total cost..."that will he $135." Without hesitation...out come the packets of food stamps. It's no longer a hard working family in front of me. It's an irresponsible young girl, probably left by the boy that "loved" her, living a comfortable life off of the government. When I say government, we all know that means all the other hard working families that weren't irresponsible, and planned their life based on reality...not fantasy. And what happens when you mix a fantasy with reality...welfare. It's an equation that makes perfect sense to young adults who conveniently forget that sex results in children, which ends The Wa It Ou A political revolution What a couple months will do. Going into the primary season, most pundits, analysts and politicians alike were confident that there was only one candidate on the Republican side that had the power to take on Al Gore and his tree hugging comrades. Every Republican governor, senator, and congressperson alike threw their support behind Texas Governor George W. Bush, certain that he would slide through the primaries and move into the White House. Fortunately for us, Senator John McCain has burst onto the scene and is giving the governor all he can handle. For years the primary process has been one of little action. Usually the front-runner is coronated early on and then marches onto the convention without a hiccup. In recent memory, we saw Pat Buchanan do well in the New Hampshire primaries in 1992 and 1996, but not accomplish much thereafter. To President Bush in 1992, and E.D. poster-geezer Bob Dole in 1996, New Hampshire was merely a blip on the radar en route to the FEBRUARY 25, 2000 with, Penn State. It doesn't matter what major that you are pursuing, you still have to spend the better part of two years taking classes that are basically the same classes that you took during your high school career. The question is, why? Do we really need all of these extra classes? I don't believe so, at least not all of them. I mean, rather than taking two classes of humanities, how about just one to fill the Gen. Ed. requirement? Two classes may not seem like a lot, but up resulting in responsibility. But just in case sex does happen to result in a child (heaven forbid), you can always count on the working families to bail you out. Well, I've had enough. I'm sick of the government taking money out of my check, that 1 earned by spending hours over a hot grill, just to bail out families whose only real responsibility is taking care of the kid they ignorantly had. Now don't get me wrong. I realize that there are situations such as a handicapped person or a woman who was unexpectedly left alone to fare for herself, where welfare is a necessity. It's the people that have child after child when they know full well that they can't afford it that infuriate me the most. If you can't afford one, then you surely can't afford five. When I decided to buy a car or go nomination But McCain is a rare type of candidate. Unlike Governor Bush, McCain appeals to the entire electorate, much like Ronald Reagan did during the l9Bos. Senator McCain has drawn Democrats, independents, and new voters to the polls, which has helped him to win the Michigan and New Hampshire primaries. Although this support is welcomed, in order to secure the Republican nomination he must cater towards the conservative power base of the Republican Party. His real test will come on March 7, Super Tuesday, is sucking my will to when you add up the requirements for General Natural Sciences, General Arts, General Quantifications, General Social and Behavioral Sciences, General Writing/ Speaking...get the picture? And all that is not even counting your Diversity Focused or Physical Education classes! And they really expect us to graduate in four years? As a Communications Major, I am required to take numerous humanities classes. But why should the Electrical Engineers have to take more than one humanity class? They shouldn't have to. It's as simple as that. These students will soon be devoting their lives to Plastics and Mechanics not Social Work. Not only are General Education classes a pain to have to suffer through for two years, hut they pose so many other problems for students. I have known so many people that have to delay their graduation date out shopping for clothes, I realized the money would come out of my pocket. I feel guilty if I have to borrow five dollars from my parents, because I made the choice to work enough hours at work to support those bills. When I saw I wasn't making enough money, I worked more. I don't understand how people "responsible" enough to have children, can't be responsible enough to get a job. It would be like having someone go out and buy a house, then say, "uh, I didn't know that houses cost money. Government! Government! I don't have time to take care of cleaning my house and getting a job. Flow about if you just paid for my house so that I can keep it clean?" Sounds foolish? It is. And so is every family that keeps pouring out babies year after year, just so they can say that they don't have time to take care of the children and get a full-time job. So there's the dilemma. It's obvious that there will always be ignorant people having babies if they know that they can just be lazy and mooch off the government for the cash to pay their bills. So how do you fix it? Force these people to get jobs. There is nothing motivating people on welfare to work, so something has to be done ht To Be where he will face Bush head on in 13 Republican primaries. How well McCain fares in these primaries will ultimately decide the fate of his campaign and the fate of the nation. For the sake of the nation, a Republican has to win the election in November. Just imagine the Al Gore presidency. Al Gore running around claiming he is Elvis. The government becomes larger and more intrusive. The second amendment is erased from the Constitution. Taxes, government spending and medical costs soar through the roof, just to name a few things that will regress America into a second class country. Thankfully there are level headed people living in this nation who realize that you're better off dead than voting Democrat. These people are conservatives, former Democrats, independents, and new voters, who are energized by the upstart Senator McCain. In Michigan alone, 28% of the voters who turned out never had voted in an election before. For the first time in years, the electorate is because they haven't completed all of their Gen. Eds. And how many times have you heard someone complaining because their GPA dropped because of a purposeless General Education class? Are these classes causing more harm than good? It certainly appears that way. When it is taking students five or six years instead of the normal four to complete college because advisors are failing to mention those several Gen. Eds., then we have a problem. In all fairness to the University, I can understand one year of General Education classes; I'm not a total Neanderthal after all. However two years is way more then necessary. If you haven't gotten your education yet, then you really don't need to be in college. You need to be getting a GED. So what's the solution? My opinion is cut the crap! Crap classes that is. by the politicians in America to get these people to support themselves. I don't think there would be as much of an outrage by taxpayers if they were paying to give the children daycare while the parents are out getting jobs so they can properly take care of their children. As for college students with children that they can't support, there needs to be some serious consideration as to what is more important. A degree or a properly raised child? I think the government should help the parent get daycare for the child, but there should still be the requirement of a part-time job. Even if the child isn't supported fully with those wages, the child can at least grow up watching their parents taking responsibility. If you're allowing the government to pay your way, at least take the initiative to be a positive influence on the child. Or are you going to ask the government to do that too? So I just have one more question about the way things are running with welfare right now. If I didn't have the baby because I knew I couldn't afford it and I was responsible enough to realize that, then why I am I the one supporting it? It's time for a change. If you can't support them, don't have them. anxious to vote And why not. Americans have been waiting eight years for a leader to emerge that they can look up to. Someone that they know will keep the country's best interest in mind and their pants on in the Oval Office. People finally are coming to the realization that the policies of Clinton are a sham, and it's time to fumigate the White House. It's time that we get back to the bedrock principles that built this great nation of ours. The conservative values of Teddy Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, and others who made America what it is today. Americans want a moral leader, someone they can admire and tell their kids about, not some philandering redneck. So I urge you with the words of former Mayor of Chicago Richard Daley, "Vote early and vote often," and vote McCain. Because seven years without a President is long enough. PAGE 10
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