Where am
I going from
here?
You have your four-page list of ex
tra curricular activities, taken every
job preparation course available to
you, and managed to uphold a rela
tively high GPA over the course of
your academic life. With this in mind,
every employer is just going to come
running after your talent, agility and
perseverance, right? Not quite.
As I'm sure all of you know, thanks
to teachers, friends, and family that
are a part of the working world, if you
want it, you have to go after it. No
one is going to hand you anything on
a silver platter after having done only
minimal work. You have to earn what
you get, what you already have and
eventually what you will hopefully
accumulate. To do that you have to
earn the grades and the experiences
to get the job that you want. I'm sure
that you've heard all this before.
It just so happens that while you are
off typing up that impressive resume
full of good grades, outstanding in
ternships and incredible experiences,
so is everyone else. Competition is
high, but don't let that scare you.
The mystery behind the hiring pro
cess is something that I don't think
anyone will ever truly understand. Ev
ery possible employee has something
that will. standout from the next per-
L , iilionio.vo in ii- , sbAnt;el4 , tv.Ae) , are all at. one
point, at the sttene"leVer. it's how you
get above and beyond that similar
level that will determine if you or ap
plicant No. 3,785 will get the job.
A simple thing, like the way your
resume is laid out, to a scuff-free pair
of shoes on interview day can make
or break you and determine whether
or not your name appears on the list
of future possible employees.
So you are in college and you have
taken one of the first steps to that
dream job. What do you do once you
get there? For starters simplicity is
the key, when it comes to out-of-school
needs, worries and commitments.
The more time you spend racking up
credit card bills, taking road trips and
partying, the less time there will be
for clubs, organizations, internships,
and, oh yeah, homework. I'm not say
ing that you shouldn't have fun. It's
just a good idea to know your limits,
budget your time (and money) and re
alize that everything you do today has
an impact on the possibilities of to
morrow.
You have to figure, too, that life af
ter college is the goal that you work
for while you are in college. I'm not
saying that you have to go out and
start picking out paint and china pat
terns yet, but think of how much bet
ter experiences can be when you save
them for a time in your life when you
have the time and money to truly en
joy them. Dream now, strive now, give
yourself goals now, and then someday
when you have completed your
schooling, gotten that dream job, and
saved up a little money, enjoy the
things that you have worked so hard
for.
I'm no expert, just an observer. I
just take in everything around me and
turn it into hopefully useful informa
tion not only for me, but also for any
one who reads my column. Life it
self can get pretty crazy, but we are
all in this together. You can go far, if
you choose to do so. The opportuni
ties are out there. Now just grab 'a
hold of them and steer them along on
that wild, winding road to success.
Kleck's column appears
every three weeks.
't chat
hange
istine
ck
l i vei - tet ts
e need •
,
ke BritrieV,:nee s talents
‘ . *fa Inlifel
(good looks only f gffu so yo r
Send a sarnple 000 word edltorialt •
bit
behrcoll2oool.corn
CLOWNS:
Goodbye to Behrend, for real this time!
The lust time one of my editorials' ran in
the Beacon, I was still an official editorialist.
As you read this, I no longer am. That's not to
say that the mindset I have developed over
the past three years will change now that I am
graduating. Once an editorialist, always an
editorialist, and at least in my opinion, I am a
good one at that; I have the award to prove it.
Yes, I had to get that in one final time.
Three years came and went so fast, and I
have the memories to prove it, and most im
portantly, to remember them by. In three years
I made friends, lost friends, found out that the
word friend does not apply to everyone whom
I thought it did. In three years I had love, lost
love and found it again; actually, I discovered
that I found it for the very first time. Age
does make you wiser.
In three years, I have dealt with a lot of
change in my life. Some of the biggest change
occurred this semester. I think that all of our
lives changed forever on Sept. 11, I know that
is something that has permanently affected
me. I hope that no one ever forgets the way
that they felt when they turned on the televi
sion that day for the first time, or forgets where
they were when they found out.
Change is not something that I deal with
very well. And in about two weeks all I will
have is change, a change in lifestyle, and a
change in the way that I go about my day-to
day life. For the past 16 years all I have
thought about is how important school is and
4111,3111 UM WS1:1 i'i
section is
the cornerstone of any well-rounded and
functional relationship. Well, I'm not buying
it. You've seen these jerks wandering the
campus with their significant others holding
hands, kissing, passing notes to each other and
I've found out that people, like myself, find
these actions to be inappropriate behavior and
all around unnecessary.
First of all, you have these people who feel
the need to walk their "better half' to class.
Happy on the outside,
drunk on the inside.
Next semester, the Beacon will feature a
humor page. We need men and women
who excel at writing funny, irrelevent, and
mildly offensive stuff.
send submissions to: behrcoll2@aol.com
`Sweet' Lou
EDITORIAL
Friday, November 30, 2001
now it will all be gone. It is so clich6 to say it,
but you never know what you have until it is
gone.
In this, my final editorial for the Beacon, I
just want to share some things that I have
learned during my time here at Behrend. Heed
these words if you want to, or simply dismiss
them, that is entirely up to you, but they must
be shared before I wave "buh-bye" to this, my
home of the past three years.
Learn from the past, but know when
to put the past behind you. It is so
to remember things that happened
in the past and hold them against
people, but it is harder to learn
from it
Things that are happening right now in your
life may not be happening in a moment's no
tice, live in the now. As quoted from "Rent"
the musical, "live this moment as your last."
Simple words, but they have rung true time
after time in my life.
Yet, words are irrelevant; it's all in the ac
tions. You can tell your professor everyday
that you plan to try your hardest, but until he/
This notorious act usually involves the age
old tradition of "hand holding." This, I
7 believe, is a huge display of insecurity, not
er an d only by one's self, but on the part of the
Tigers relationship. Most of the people in college
are 18 years old or older. To say the least
Butala they A) Know how to walk and B) Know
how do get around a campus the size of a
grocery store. Let the broad walk to class
herself. If she really misses you all that much,
have her carry a picture of you naked in her
purse. I criticize the girls in this case because
as we all know, most guys only walk their
girlfriends to class to get some that night. I
know what's up guys, but it's still not
negotiable. If you want to get some off your
girlfriend and the only way she'll let you is
by walking her to class, just get her drunk and
you'll have no problems. Case closed.
And for God's sake, don't hold her hand.
She's not going to run off anywhere, she's not
a dog, unless you account for the 93% of the
female population in Erie.
Now on to kissing, a trademark of
relationships everywhere. There is a time and
a place to kiss your girlfriend and this is when
o m e
ople
ieve that
b 1 i c
play of
Press 'l' to
graduate
Katie Galley
The real world rocks. No, I don't
mean the hit show on MTV. I am talk
ing about the real world, where you are
supposed to go after graduation. Don't
get me wrong. School serves its pur
pose quite nicely, providing the transi
tion from high school to being a pro
ductive member of society. However,
to continue to follow the deluded no
tion th h d • and be all
of your s • +• ing. How
sad to n . • •x years
you spend in college will the happiest
ail its u in• • ent . • 6to
e 1 x
i o .ve • s - on . 0 am-
,
STS r ocr •
twa
-1 Ivor
pus apartment and venture into the un
known of the real world. I am ready
have a full-time job, to be paid for all of
the work that I do instead of paying
someone else for all of the work that I
do. I am ready to own a house, own a
pet, and have my evenings free. I am
ready to work from 8 a.m.to 5 p.m. in
stead of 7 a.m. until midnight. I am
ready to travel, start a career, and have
more than $lO to live on per week. I
am ready to start planning a family and
to be seen as an adult rather than a child.
School has been valuable to me in
more ways than just the academic. The
time has come, however, for me and all
seniors to take a deep breath, open the
door, let go of the fears and step into
the real world.
The Hot Debate of the Week
Which is better: our world or the real world?
Every week, two editors from the staff will debate a topic that is hot. Students, faculty and staff
are encouraged to email suggestions for the hot topic. Send ideas to behrcoll2@aol.com
she actually sees you doing it, it means noth
ing. Someone can tell you to your face that
they are your friend, or that they love you,
but in the end, actions speak louder than
words. And by the way, the words friendship
and love are in my opinion used way too
much. Guard your heart, because unfortu
nately, in the end it is up to you who you let
harm you and whom you let in to help you
grow as a person.
If all this sounds like something
of Oprah, then I apolo
just to clarify, I don't
- ah, I can only assure you
rds come from my heart.
.hought about using my
to bash and rip on all
things that have torked
off at Behrend over the
)ast three years, but I
would probably need a
whole page for that, and
I really don't want my
parting words to this
campus to be words of hatred. There is
enough of that in this world. So while others
have utilized this channel of expression to
plant seeds of hate, I will try to sow love.
These will be my final good-byes to the
campus of Behrend and I hope I won't leave
anyone out, but even if I do, just know that if
you have affected me in my life for the better,
then that will come back to you in the future.
you're not near me. Now, if you're a lesbian
and you kiss your girlfriend in front of me,
that is totally acceptable, but don't make out
when you're walking your significant other
to class. You have nothing to prove to anyone.
Kissing after 9 p.m. on weekends openly is
acceptable due to the "getting some" issue.
Once again, I know what's up but just don't
push it.
Passing notes in class wasn't the cool thing
to do in junior high and that holds true still
today. If you can't go 50 minutes without
communicating with your girlfriend, you have
more serious issues than the communication
problem. Psychiatric therapy has been known
to help this. I remember in my youth, an old
friend of mine in high school got caught
passing notes to his girlfriend. Not only was
he made an example of by this decree of
affection; he was also ostracized by his peers
and is now pumping gas at a BP. Or maybe
he's doing coke. I can't say I hung out with
him much after that.
People might say that I am a jerk, don't
know what I'm talking and I've even been
labeled not only a terrible boyfriend, but a
There is this television show that I ab
solutely love; it's called "The Real World?:
This show has provided me with years
of entertainment. Unfortunately, unlike the
title claims, it is nothing like the real world.
It made me think that after college I will
be living in a loft in some big city and will
be arguing with six other roommates about
who is going to clean the bathroom. OK,
well, Ido . - • •• .. aces about
t
who is • ll' room, but
other th . f tely unpre
pared tog • •th t •I, . fter school.
Let me just tell you that I have had a
e • r - • • • t ery •.;
t . • • .
171 bit i•►
• . he 1 t es,
pa •r a`.. I • - for
school loans, groceries and utilities. Guess
what? There are no meal plans in the real
world!
Guess what else? College did not pro
vide me with the skills that I would need
to survive in the real world! I took a lot of
classes during my time at Behrend and
never once did anyone mention rejection
from jobs, credit card debt and leaving be
hind the cushy dorm room that came com
plete with a maid who came in and cleaned
the bathroom every Wednesday!
My advice to the people who think they
have it so hard during school and that the
real world will be a welcome change of
no classes and tests? Cherish college while
you can! The real world is one gigantic
test that never ends, and you can't drop it
and worry about it taking it again next se
mester!
-Sarah Off
And in these good-byes, I feet I only need to
mention names, and hope that each person rec
ognizes the good that they have shared with
me. Also, these are in no particular order...
Will Jordan, Mike Frawely, Dr. Speel, the
masked advisor who signed me up acciden
tally for the Beacon editorial staff, Deanna,
anyone who ever worked in a group project
with me, Gretchen, Jess, Danielle...actually
anyone who ever lived in the east wing of the
fourth floor in Almy Hall, Paige, Ann Marie,
Jeff, any person from the Computer Center
that has helped me with my computer, Eunice
Moore and the staff at the Child Care Center,
Coach Josh Heynes, Coach Roz Fornari, even
though she was never actually my coach, the
staff at Health and Wellness, Judy from Almy
Hall, Rod Troester, Ron "Mr. D." DelPorto,
anyone who has ever let me cry on their shoul
der, more importantly, anyone who has ever
let me be a shoulder to cry on, Sarah Orr, and,
of course, anyone who has helped me come
to this point where I can actually graduate!.
Most importantly, even though it's not a good-:
bye, a special thank you to Jason, who is by;
far one of the best people I have ever known.'
Without you this change in my life wouldn't!
be as special, as fulfilling or this exciting. I
look forward to our future full of changes.
I have loved my experience at Behrend and
would do it all over again in a heartbeat. I'll
miss everyone and everything terribly, but will
never ever forget it. God Bless America.
terrible person in general, but at least I am
not walking broads to class or passing notes.
I still have my dignity and you should, too:
Next time you catch yourself walking a girt
to class, stop and say "I got stuff to do.
catch you later." It's her time to grow up.
And NEVER forget, no matter how cool
you think you are walking your girl to class;'
you are a mockery to the human race and a
disgrace to mankind. Shame on you and your
stupid beliefs. If you want to be the lovable
boyfriend, write her notes, walk her to class,
kiss her openly and write her poetry. But get
the hell away from me when you do it or
schedule yourself to a meeting to my
apartment so I can give you two black eyes
and break your ribs. And never forget, it's
not about how SHE feels about you, it's
always about how cool your friends think you
are.
The Behrend Beacon
Butala's column appears
every three weeks.
Page 7
-K. Galley