View From The Lighthouse Let's hear it for Penn State pride “I feel very heartsick about it and I think it is really embarrassing,” said State College Borough council member Elizabeth Goreham after she viewed footage of the recent riot following Penn State’s loss to Temple in the NCAA tournament. State College Mayor Bill Welch deemed the riot a “disappointment” to the town and the Penn State community. For those of you who do not know what happened after the Penn State basketball game, here’s a recap. Police estimated 4, 000 people (by the way, that is about the size of our entire Behrend campus)- many of whom were intoxicated- rushed into “Beaver Canyon" following Penn State's loss. Shortly after midnight, large crowds gathered on Beaver Avenue and began banging street signs. Chants like “We are Penn State!” and “Temple Sucks!” were heard throughout the mob. Can you imagine, our ENTIRE campus being involved in a riot? Many students came to “Beaver Canyon" to gawk at what they expected to happen. People arrived with cell phones, still cameras, and video cameras to record the "planned disturbance” and to tell others about it. Notice we keep saying “planned." “I heard a lot of people around here talking about it,” said Jen Millin, a freshman from Penn State Altoona. "Everyone thinks there will be a riot." The university did make extra attempts to advertise alternative activities for post game activities. We all know how popular those are. Now, our question to you is this. Is it an embarrassment to Behrend? We here at the Beacon are all for team spirit. “Yea Penn State!" However, a "planned riot" is totally unacceptable. We (Penn State) should be proud that we made it to the NCAA tourney. That itself made history. Instead, a mob of intoxicated children ruined the moment for everyone. It is an embarrassment to all of us associated with Penn State. Did you know our little "planned riot “ made the national news? Yep! Score one for us; the whole world now knows about the immaturity we have at Penn State, courtesy of the USA Today. What about all the good things we do here at Penn State? Penn The Behrend Beacon published weekly by the students of Penn State Erie, The Behrend College Managing Editor Jeff Miller News Editors Liz Hayes Erin McCarty (assisstant) Editorial Page Editor Katie Galley Features Editors Karl Henacci Jermaine Hardy Arts & Entertainment Editor Deanna Symoski Sports Editors Abhy Long Jeanine Noce (assistant) Wire Service Editor Rob Wynne Photo Editors Becky Weindorf Neil Makadia (assistant) Associate Editors Christine Kleck Josh Hilewick Copy Editor Paige Miles Website Editor Deanna Symoski 'ostal Info. 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. State students recently raised more than $3 million at a recent charity event. That is remarkable. But, we don’t see that in the news. No, instead we are labeled, “The Riot Kids!” Nice Penn State. How many of us know the Penn State Alma Mater? "May no act of ours bring shame to one heart that loves thy name. May our lives but swell thy fame Dear Old State, Dear Old State.” The recent riot “brought shame to the hearts that love thy name.” Once again. Nice PSU. Okay- so what is the solution to the problem? Well, for starters, The State College Borough Council recently passed an ordinance “prohibiting downtown businesses from keeping walk-up windows open past midnight.” Members are hoping that the “Beaver Canyon” area will become less of an attraction tor people looking for something to do. Some of the local apartment complexes are taking the initiative and starting to rewrite leases, making them include balcony violations. Some members feel that the balconies are contributing to a lot of the problems. We could blame all of this on the weather. After all, it is SUPPOSED to be spring. Students are anxious for summer and are fed up with classes. They are looking for a fun time; unfortunately that includes consuming large quantities of alcohol and doing stupid things. However, what’s done is done Appropriate actions have been taken. "Like the students involved in past riots, those charged on Saturday will face disciplinary proceedings within the university Judicial Affairs system,” said Penn State President Graham Spanier. Editor-in-Chief Jason Snyder Letter The Beacon is 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. Money Page Editor Amortya Sinha Health Page Editor Sarah Orr Advertising Manager Ann Marie Havey Business Manager Kristine Harakat Public Relations Manager Ainslie Ulmer Distribution Manager Doug Smith Secretary Melissa Proba Advisor Robert Speel The Beacon v s'*. ...M, i i%or| Baseball team defends their right to the weight room Dear Editor, Being a four-year member of the Behrend baseball team, I believe 1 have the knowledge and the right to defend this program. I would like to bring up some points that you made in your recent editorial in the Beacon on February 16, 2001. First of all, this team works just as hard during the season and the off-season as any other team at Behrend. Now I would like to address some of your outrageous opinions you have observed in the weight room. You obviously have no idea what it takes to be a baseball player and therefore have no right to judge a program you have never been a part ot. You stated that we should be working on our “forearms, rotator cuffs, and upper body strength.” This is true, but a lot of these workouts lake place in the off season to better prepare our arms for the spring. Our off season consisted of the months October, Late night with Detours and | N V Small Potatoes Katie Galley Jggf mk Disclaimer: This entire editorial contains random thoughts that carry no common thread, but in the end may twist together to make some sense! I am not sure yet, because I haven’t finished writing it yet. Read on, be surprised. Ok, so it’s almost midnight and I need to write an editorial, but I can’t because my right index finger hurts. Why does it hurt, you ask? Well, I kinda jammed it playing water polo earlier today. Yes, that’s right, little old me is an athlete. Who would have thought, not me! Anyway, so my finger hurts from being an athlete. Ano lately the Beacon has been taking crap for a certain someone’s comments about athletes, and their performance in the weight room, and their overall egos in general. Well, I’ve been an “athlete” for about two months now, and it has rocked! All the pain, and soreness, and early morning practices and headbutts to the mouth, and boob gropage (there’s a lot of that in water polo), and even finger pains have been totally worth it. I am so buff now that I can crush any person that weighs under 160. Ok, that’s not true, but seriously it has been “the time of my life” (crazy for Swayze). Anyway, in no way do I think that ANY of the women on the water polo team have any sort of an ego. I think that it is unfair to label someone as an “athlete” and say that they have an ego, because the last time 1 checked, I do not think Do you have an opinion about something going on around campus? Or do you have an opinion about everything? Think you have what it takes to write editorials? The Beacon is currently looking for new editorial columnists for this fall. Send an original sample editorial of at least 500 words to behrcoll2@aol.com. Deadline is April 13 at 5:00 p.m. ■jaL -i- n* Movement I CANT 6ELIEVE WHAT THEY DOHT PVT IN HERE? LETS PROTEST/ LETTERS TO THE EDITOR November, and December. Don t worry, 1 assure you that during this time the team worked very hard. You also addressed the MYTH that in order for a baseball player to hit harder and throw further he must have upper body strength. 11 you want to get a point across, you have to get rid of your ignorance. To use some ol your words, if 1 may Jared, “1 thought the misconception of getting a bigger upper body to hit harder and throw' further went out in the 80’s. You see Jared, our players go on the steppers, treadmills, and do crunches (Hugh Hefner's if you prefer) because to hit harder and throw further a ball player needs a strong lower body (legs and abdominals). But you knew this being the w'eight room guru that you are boasting to be. When it comes to some people leaning when they are on the stepper, that is because the team has already been practicing for about an hour to an hour and a half. The 20 minute workout each Kate that 1 am “the bomb,” nor do 1 think that I fit the profile of any of the "weight room characters.” Maybe this is because I am a female and only guys are important enough to be labeled. Yeah, that was a cheap shot. However, I do not wish to encourage anymore pontificating about the subject, so please just let it go. So, onto the next subject...too bad 1 don’t know what it is yet. Oh yeah, is it the end of the semester yet? 1 have had it with this one. As a senior 1 am obligated to do absolutely nothing and that’s pretty much what I have done too! And I never thought that it would happen, but I may have run out of things to complain about. You heard it here first, I have nothing to say this week. That makes me quite sad though because my reign as the Editorial Page Editor of the Beacon is coming to an end. I promise that my last editorial will be the editorial to end all editorials. I won’t let anyone down! That brings me to the next thing that I want to talk about this week. It’s about trying something new. Early on in the semester I saw the movie Charlie’s Angels , and it rocked. It completely inspired me get up and do something, I wanted to kick some butt! So I started taking kick-boxing and then started with the water polo. Thank you, Drew. It also helped that one of my New Year’s resolutions was to do something new that I have never done before, so I decided that there was no time like the present and I got up off my butt and "just did it.” And eventhough the kick-boxing made me sweat and stink and the water polo practices and games leave me with a beet-red face, 1 am so glad that I am doing it The point of all the previous code-talking was to make a point that no matter what you haven’t done in the past, there is no reason why you can’t try it in the present. Writing for a newspaper and playing water polo were two things that I never pictured myself doing, ever. And when I came to FRIDAY, MARCH 30,2001 2001 X CANY BELIEVE WHAT THE/ PUTIN HERE/ LETS PROTEST/ individual spends in the weight room is only a small portion ot our normal 2 to 3 hour practice, 6 days a week. If you can do the math on that, I would say that is a little more than your 10-12 hours a week. Two days out of the week, there are two practices held during the day. Unless you’re Superman, I think you will show some fatigue in certain areas of practice. What do you think Jared? Regardless of what you think of our workouts (whether they are right or wrong), this is what our coaches tell us to do during practice. 1 do believe that everyone has the right to his or her opinion, even you. I just felt that the team deserves credit for being a part of the Penn State Behrend athletic program and that we deserve credit for the hard time and work that we put in Behrend Baseball Player Behrend I got the opportunity to do both. So don’t look down upon people trying new things. That is what makes us who were are, rather than who we wish we could be. Anyone who is willing to go out there and try something that is completely unlike them is brave and willing to live life to its fullest. 1 have been on both sides of the mirror, and I much prefer to be on the side that gets out and does interesting and new things! I honestly can’t believe that my time here at Behrend is almost up. It seems like I just got here, and now in one more semester, I have to leave...or pay to live in Almy forever. College has been a blast and 1 hope that everyone here takes all the opportunites that this campus has to offer. As much as we here at the Beacon (and everyone else on campus) complain that there is nothing to do, there really is, you just have to take a little initiative to find it. So yeah, read the colored posters that litter the hallway walls every once and a while. Also, don’t forget to be thankful for the people in your lives right now, because I can promise you that you will never meet another crew like them. My best advice this week would be to find the great things about your environment, rather than bash and insult everything that you think sucks! It’s no fun to be constantly looking down upon everything, and it makes you look like a jerk. Since there really is no point to this week’s editorial, I think I will end it here. I have a ton of shout-outs to give, but I think that I am going to save that for my final editorial. Thanks for reading and I will catch ya’ll next time. But hey, what’s one shout-out? To the ladies of the water polo team: Let’s rock these next two weekends, because I’ll miss you all when it’s over! Galley’s column appears every three weeks.
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