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THE BEHREND BEACON
weekly by the .sttidetits (!/ l'etitt Stoic Erie. the I b Cidlet:e
News Editor
Liz Hal (',l
Asst. News Editor
krin ,11 Cart
Sports Editor
Nfikr
Asst. Sports Editor
Kale I. Udall Sk 1' PetriAiv
Editorial Page Editor
Ban Kitn(bruin
Features Editor
Karl Benacri
Arts & Entertainment Editor
.leantrie Noce
Wire Service Editor
Guy Re. ho:dller
Health Page Editor
Sarah Orr
1111 111110 f NE
44, BEACON
•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 he reached by
calling (814) 898-6488 or
(814) 898-6019 (FAX).
ISSN 1071-9288.
The View From the Lighthouse
Office
Space
Yeah, it was a great movie back in the
anorexic Jennifer Aniston days, but
unfortunately that's not what we're going
to discuss. Soon there will be an SGA
meeting in which the effective use of office space will be discussed
Who should get what rooms? For what purpose? As the size of some
student organizations increases, unfortunately the space in which they
have to work does not. The Beacon is one of the organizations that
over the years has grown out of its crib.
Our office is located on the first floor of the Reed Union Building.
Okay, so far so good. We're in Suite B, which houses the Lion
Entertainment Board and the Commuter Council, our dear friends.
Still, not too bad. However, we only have a thin wall that separates
our office from the Back Room. Who doesn't like listening to the
rowdiness of ping-pong and pool players all night while they listen to
MTV and watch loud movies? We've all grown used to the headaches
by now. Quiet working environment —what's that? With Bruno's as
sort of our upstairs neighbor, the sounds of chairs scratching on the
floor all day is pleasant music to our ears. We're actually considering
selling our CD player.
All sarcasm set aside, we are honestly hoping that the office space
issue is taken quite seriously by SGA, as well as the administration
not only for our sake, but for some other organizations too. For
example, look at Trigon and the Returning Adult Student Organiza
tion; no offense to either group, but they really have nothing in
common to be sharing a cubby-hole of an office space in the MCC
suite. Also, the Commuter Council could probably recruit more
members if they had a commuter lounge instead of a small closet in
the "mysterious Suite B hallway." Mercyhurst College has a commuter
lounge that offers free pop and snacks to commuters, plus it is in a
high traffic location. In essence, it's a good fishing spot that will easily
attract people with minimal bait. How many commuters know where
the Commuter Council is at Behrend?
We also realize that there are clubs that don't even have an office.
This simply should not be. With new buildings like the Junker Center
being built and buildings being gutted like Erie Hall, one would think
there's a few feet of space left somewhere. Some organizations just
need a place to plug in a phone and set up a computer.
This leads to the next point, which is accessibility to organizations.
Through the grapevine we've heard that the reason the MCC and
SGA have offices in one of the main hallways in Reed is because the
administration wants these organizations readily available to the
student body and visitors. Also, there's activity usually going on in
those offices. We're imagining the student body would prefer seeing
the drama of a newsroom and a newspaper being put together every
week rather than watching SGA meetings. Compare it to TV would
you rather watch C-Span or Bob Vila? While both shows may not be
your first choice, Bob Vila would probably take precedent, because
there is actually something taking place, something being produced.
Hmm, now that we think of it, maybe that's what the campus needs,
a Bob Vila! Perhaps he could help refurbish and relocate offices
maybe install a few windows in some of them. The college may find
its level of student apathy diminishing if it can expose more organiza
tions to the student body. Well, Good luck, SGA! It's going to be a
difficult task, but we're sure you'll pull it off.
P.S. If you have a gripe (or you adore) your office space, a letter to the
editor might not be a bad idea...hint, hint.
OMMIBM••011111•11•11••••••••
Editor-in-Chief
Robert Wynne
Interim Managing Editor
Paige Wiles.
Professional Publication Mgr.
Dave Richards
Advisor
Mr. John Kerwin
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 behecoll2@aol.com. Letters
must be received no later than
5 p.m. Monday for inclusion in
Associate Editor
Kelll' W(11111
Staff Photographers
Jeff Hankey
Kristin Rodgers
Advertising Manager
Ann Marie Harev
Public Relations Manager
Katie Galley
Office Manager
Jason Alward
Copy Editor
Becky Weiridnrl
Website Editor
Dave Kusinskv
Technical Support
Doug Butterworth
"Professionalism
r a Persona
•Letter Policy*
that week's issue
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Friday, November 9, 2001
~_ c
3,700 students can't be wrong.
They can't be right either, because none of them can sit down for five minutes and write a letter
to the Beacon.
Send letters, both positive and negative, to the editor!
behrcoll2@aotscom
Livin' outside the tennis courts
Since the technique I used in my last
editorial was successful in getting my
message across, I will continue to write
about specific people with whom I
have a gripe without divulging their
true identity and thus opening myself
up to lawsuits. For those who have a
problem, chill I have one more
column after this and then I'm outta
here! For those who enjoy, read on.
The focus for this week is a
particular group, familiar to college
students nationwide. Now, the
members of this group will soon accuse
me of stereotyping and feeding into
false assumptions. But, since both the
members of the group and 99 percent
of the campus community should
immediately recognize who I am
talking about, I think there must be a
bit of truth to my assumptions.
Let me set up a scenario for you.
Back in about seventh grade, the "cool"
kids decided to organize themselves
into the formally named In Group.
Very original. Members of this little
clique had to be invited to join and only
members were allowed to associate
themselves with other members no
outsiders, please. During recess a
section of the tennis courts was
unofficially sectioned off for the
exclusive use of the In Group. Anyone
daring to enter without invitation was
subject to a serious butt-whupin'. The
Ins even went so far as to have their
moms make uniforms for them white
Hanes T-shirts with black iron-on
letters. Very trendy little group, they
I had the (mis)fortune of being part
of this group for about a week. Not bad,
considering the group fell apart once
winter hit and recess was moved
indoors. But, another friend of mine
was not allowed in the group, and her
attempts at entry were loudly ridiculed.
So, in an early show of the morals I'm
known for (guffaw), I decided to exit
the group in a gesture of defiance.
Actually, I may be making that up. I
think my mom refused to make me an
iron-on shirt and I wasn't allowed to
use the iron in seventh grade. Either
way, the Ins and I parted ways and I
was delegated back to the realm of the
, average.
I proceeded through high school as
• just an average kid. The Ins, though
no longer formally recognized, were
still out there. They'd traded in the
iron-on shirts for clothes from the Gap. you've heard of Absolut and Rolling
They had their own little section of the Rock - there are probably bottles of it
cafeteria. But the group was much in your garbage can right now. So don't
more subtle and relatively pleasant to
most outsiders in high school. I A tal
thought it was a sign of maturity and t v ) at,
possibly the intrusion of reality that
caused them to be more sociable with I iiz H,
people who didn't necessarily fit in.
So imagine my surprise when I
came to college and found the group
had reorganized! And they'd gone
national! Not only is this reincarnation
formally organized, but they have the
shirts back, too. And they even pay for
membership now! They have
monopolized sections of Bruno's and
they sneer at outsiders.
Most of this they would deny. All
members would immediately tick off
the names of 10 people they know not
in the organization. Sure, those are
probably the people they talk about in
the restrooms and don't invite to their
parties, but they are really good friends
right before the test. But follow those
people around all day and see how
many members and nonmembers they
associate with. The ratio should be
pretty slanted in favor of members.
Another stereotype these members
would fiercely deny revolves around
partying and drinking. Because, you
know, their parties aren't very well
known at Behrend. Now the Fantasy
Garners Club, they throw some wicked
benders. And look out for that
Roundtable Society - they should be
called the Beer Pong Table Society.
But this trendy, letter-wearing group -
nope, nary a soiree.
I hope you were picking up on my
sarcasm, because I've been laying it
on pretty thick. I think it's time for this
group to admit what they really are -
the alcohol providers for college
campuses everywhere. Sure, they go
out once a year and pick up the trash
along the road or hold a controversy
riddled event to raise money for a
charity. That's nice. But the other 364
days a year they are out there throwing
keggers and raising a generation of
alcoholics or worse that will someday
need the assistance of the charities the
organizations benefit.
And if you want to avoid the alcohol
stereotype, here's a hint - avoid
wearing shirts that have your
organization's name worked into
alcohol advertisements. We know
Ben Kundman, Editorial Page Editor
I
.L.l
he surpr
when w
put tw
and two
together.
And that crap about getting a better
job after college because you are
members of these organizations? Bull.
Employers know what those
organizations meant when they were
in college, and popular media is now
blaming the same organizations for
much of the binge drinking problems
in colleges. If anything, I would think
an employer, unless also a member of
your organization, would be less likely
to hire you than someone in a career
or academic-related organization with
the same skills.
And I see these signs around campus
that members of your organization
have graduated with this GPA or a
certain percentage of certain
professionals belonged to your
organization. Let's keep in mind that
there is a difference between the words
"social" and "honor." The people with
those great grades were, I suspect,
members of honors organizations and
were closely tied with academic or
leadership avenues. Professionals were
members of honor societies that
required high grades to become
members. I think these social
organizations are trying to compare
themselves with their smarter and more
goal-oriented counterparts in a weak
attempt to boost their own reputations.
Members of these organizations like
to say no one can really understand
what it's like to be a member until you
are one. Okay, I'll give you that - to a
degree. I don't think that means you've
found the mysterious meaning to life.
I have really close friends, too. I hang
out with them on weekends. I
occasionally lift a glass or ping pong
ball in their honor. I have made really
great friends in college who I plan to
keep in touch with after I graduate. All
I'm missing is the unoriginal shirt and
sfPzfs'Al
(2,oo, -oArtioef
El=lliii
behrcoll2@aol.com
my college experience is almost like
yours.
As Mike Frawley, former managing
tor of the Beacon, once said, there
another type of group always saying
one else understands them -
igious and anti-government cults.
one understood David Koresh or
nothy McVeigh or Osama bin
tden. Does that mean they were
.bove criticism? Should we
overlook their transgressions and
their antisocial behavior because
we aren't members of their groups?
I think anyone can see the lack of
logic there.
As far as I can tell, there are two
types of people who join these
organizations. First, there are the
people who were in the In Group in
grade school. They've never operated
by themselves and have no idea how
to function without members of the
group holding their hand. And then
there are the people who were never
allowed inside the tennis courts and
had to stand alone by the woods,
watching everyone else have fun. They
are so desperate to belong to any group,
they will pay any price to wear the
same shirt as everyone else.
It's rather sad, I think. Here we are,
generation X or Y or whatever it is
they're calling us now. We are
supposed to be the extreme rebels,
going our own way, walking outside
of the lines. You aren't very different,
though, if you wear the same shirt as
everyone else, act the same as
everyone else, and only associate with
everyone else - aka, everyone else like
you.
My advice? Take a peek outside the
tennis courts and see what you're
missing. There are other events on
campus. There are other parties. There
are other people. Leave the letters in
the drawer for a week and see if your
life is really better with the group. You
might be surprised. And then, when
you put the letters back on, see if you're
treated the same. Once you've been
exposed to the world beyond the tennis
courts, you won't be the same sheep
you were a week before. Your so-called
friends, brothers, and sisters may turn
out to be less than supportive of your
originality.
Hayes' column appears
every three weeks.