Ben Kundman, Editorial Page Editor behrcoll2 @ aol.com The Behrend Beacon /'!(•'■//si;, It u ,I!\ h\ i!>, \ '/<, A i•! I\mi Sr,ih l.i n .ihc lu Inrihl ( V>//< News Editor Erin McCarty Asst. News Editor Kevin Fallon Sports Editor Mike Bello Asst. Sports Editor Kate Levdansky Petrikis Editorial Page Editor Ben Kunaman Features Editor Karl Benacci A&E Editor Jeanine Noce Wire Service Editor Guy Reschenthaler Staff Photographer Jeff Harney J\ Mthi behbrno 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 be reached by calling (814) 898-6488 or (814) 898-6019 (FAX). ISSN 1071-9288. Mike Tyson’s Kick-Out Mike Tyson is back in the news again, attemptin; to find a state willing to give him a boxing license f he can fight Lennox Lewis. Nevada already denied him a license, and New York followed suit a week later. California has shown interest in letting Tyson ! been done years ago! iock Mike Tyson out of the sport altogether. Why should someone who’s repeatedly shown a lack of self-control be allowed to hold the spotlight time and time again? He is incapable of thinking rationally while the public eye is glaring down at him. He cannot handle being famous, and the recent melee at a N. Y. press conference only proves that no matter how many chances Tyson gets, he will continue to be all that our society despises - someone who cannot learn from his mistakes and seems to thrive on them, Tyson is not a role model, and never will be. In fact, boxing is a sport where role models are few and far between, except for the occasional Oscar de la Hoya. Just because he isn’t a role model though, doesn’t give Tyson the right to act in an unprofessional manner. Being a representative of the sport means there are certain standards he should abide by. If he can’t handle those standards, then he doesn't deserve to be boxing. Every famous person has the responsibility of acting in a dignified manner. Television and movie stars, politicians, athletes, etc. all have the duty to act in ways that represent what our society is. It comes with the territory. When foreigners see these famous people, they associate the stars with all Americans. That’s what happens when one’s image can be seen by millions. Looking at a timeline of Tyson’s wrongdoings is mind-boggling. He was arrested at age 12 for purse snatching and later expelled from high school. During the years he has faced numerous sexual assault charges, the worse being the 1992 rape conviction of a Miss Black America contestant. In 1998, he assaulted two motorists after a minor traffic accident and more recently he has been accused of punching a former boxer outside a nightclub in N.Y. In the ring, Tyson hit an opponent after the bell, knocked down a referee, threatened to eat another boxer’s children (not a misprint), and of course bit part of Evander Holyfield’s ear off. Trouble still follows Tyson around to this day as well. He faces the possibility of sexual assault charges being filed in not one, but two cases that occurred in the past year and a half. Those charges could be filed within a month. How is Tyson rewarded for all of this? He fights at most twice a year and gets paid $lO million or more for each fight. Maybe it’s just us, but something seems off. Why is a man who lacks the brains to be a public figure - which shows in his behavior - still allowed to continue to do the one thing that gives him the chance to act irrationally? Tyson not only degrades boxing but this entire country. He gives all of us a bad name, but unfortunately that is not a crime. Boxing’s hierarchy now has the opportunity to clean the streets of at least a little scum. By permanently banning Tyson from fighting, boxing can help promote our society by getting rid of the trash that highlights it. I’m in love with My father purchased my Gate way EV7OO computer in August with the intent that this piece of technology would serve yarious educational purposes for me during my four years of college. Since my computer has been set up, I have used only Microsoft Word to fulfill any sort of work-related activity. Instead, I have discovered, like so many other college students, that my computer’s main function has nothing to do with learning and ev erything to do with entertainment. The first question I asked my dad when the computer came home was not what type of advanced software Editor-in-chief Robert Wynne Managing Editor Rebecca Weindorf 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 behrcoll2@aol.com. Letters must be received no later than 5 p.m. Monday for inclusion in if the computer came with a burner. I was beyond ecstatic when I learned that my computer did indeed contain a burner and ever since then I have been happily ripping off the greedy record execs who have been over- Business Manager Paige Miles Advertising Managers Libbie Johnson Melissa Powell Angela Rush Public Relations Manager Kelly Walsh Distribution Manager Eric Kiser Calendar Page Editor Erinn Hansen Health Page Editor Sarah Orr Humor Page Editor Ben Kundman Office Manager Jason Alwara Technical Support Doug Butterworth ‘ ‘Professionalism ’ersonai •Letter Policy* that week’s issue charging me for CD’s from the day they went on the market. Currently, I can’t imagine life without my Ethernet, Amanda Pricrhak but il was only six Allldlllld rriatlldK months ago that the editors I columnist the computer came with, but EDITORIAL Friday, February 8, 2002 IIZS PUAtO S PANOO/W TAX AOOiTS t»-z It's on, Enron! By now you have all heard A AW Enron. It seems like a huge mess in- I II volving the fall of the seventh larg est company in the U.S., aw a wO/mJ of documents being shredded andOCljfwbbb our new administration. I would like up) to say from the beginning of this editorial that bipartisanship is an j • t \ »if extremely important part of the war on terrorism, but bipartisanship CrfoAff in regards to domestic policy will be short lived if the Bush adminis- tration did or continues to participate in illegal or unethical activities. And with that having been said, in the immortal words of George W, “Let’s roll.” Enron, let me sum it up. Lots of middle class Americans got screwed while lots of crony corporate Republicans got rich! I do not care what rhetoric the White House is spewing, there is no way to avoid the facts, except to plead the fifth, which Is becoming popular these days. The Bush administration had con nections with Enron many different ways, the first and most important being that Enron was Bush’s largest campaign contributor throughout his entire political career. Enron donated a total of $1.76 million to the GOP during the 2000 cam paign, and more than $200,000 to W’s inaugural festivities. Many Republicans reading this right now are saying “big deal.” I say, congratulations you figured it out. It is a big deal. Everybody knows that in real life you do not get something for nothing. And if Enron did not receive any specials favors, as the Republicans The dichotomy list Undressed from JPBecky Weindorf you know, the world is full of these - dichotomies. If you don’t know what it means, go look it up. I’ll wait. OK, can I continue now? Great. The world is full of dichotomies, especially when you look into your own life. It’s amazing how much stress it can cause on a body. Here is a good example: It is hard to choose whether to sleep or eat. My body needs both and I don’t do enough of either, so which one do I choose? Eat in my sleep or sleep while I eat? What the heck. But that’s only a small problem. I’m still alive, aren’t I? I’ve been able to deal with eating out of plastic Baggie for the past three years in my car, on the way to school. Here is a list of dichotomies that you, my AOL’s IM word was foreign to my vocabulary. Because of my Ethernet connection, I ' have wasted more hours download ing songs and movies than I could possibly count. During Christmas, I went though a kind of technologi cal withdrawal due to lack of access to my speedy computer. Waiting half an hour for a song to download was torture and I finally decided to compose a list of every song that A-M love to bits but would like imuuiymg tfiltlos to smack across the face? Ah yes, we all have those. You might ust to et one best friend has stuck to your side for over a decade, spots you with cash when you need it, and yes, even (you know its cliche but I’ll say it anyway) holds some hair back while you were puking your guts out after a major serenade to the Absolut bottle. That’s great. So what happens when the buddy forgot a date you’ve planned on forever and went drinking instead (and you were only 20 at the time)? Or if they ask for advice on love because you have a great relationship and assumes that you can get her the same thing? Uh, I didn’t say “two plus two equals a steady boyfriend,” did I? Look, I didn’t screw you over if you wanted to see me, even if I already had company. Yeah, so how do you deal with the best friend who takes care simply had to be downloaded when I returned to school. You can imag ine my agony when I discovered that everything on my hard drive was mysteriously erased and I conse quently had to wait an additional three weeks until I could use my computer. While I do spend a considerable amount of time downloading music and movies on my computer, by far the biggest consumer of my time has been AOL Instant Messenger. I of ten find myself checking every person’s away message on my buddy list, even people I don’t like or talk to anymore. The away mes sage has become a very strange form RgTAK, - L>HL\*6 AuPITS me past, you wov't Oer me WeA THAT you MI6HT 6MO VP l+> T’AU' POU°6 r 10 To IS”- •• KOWA(7AVS^ 3 To 5" (5 Moßp LIKE IT / friend, might find yourself The Best Friend Dichotomy : Ever have a friend that you are claiming, then why is the White House making Congress go to court for the transcripts of the six meetings that Enron and Dick Cheney had in regards to shaping the U.S. energy policy? It is also interesting that the White House claims that it did not lend any help to Enron when they came asking for it. But what would you call having the Vice President, while he was in India, act as a dept collector for Enron? And how is it that all these Enron, and GOP lackeys were able to obtain high-ranking positions in each other’s organizations? Take for example, Thomas White, now Secretary of the Army, who was the former Vice Chairman of Enron Energy Services and also owned $lOO million in Enron stock. Lawrence Lindsey, Bush’s economic advisor, worked as a con sultant to Enron, Marc Racicot, former Enron lobbyist, is the new GOP Chair man, Karl Rove, Bush political strategist, until June owned $lOO,OOO of Enron stock. However, I think the most appalling fact to come out of all of this is that Enron did not pay any taxes last year! It just goes to show if you own a business and can afford a president, you have it made. In closing, remember the 2000 presidential campaign, and how there was sup posed to be “no more scandals in the White House” because the good ole’ GOP was going to “restore honor apd dignity to the presidency.” What they didn't tell us was that it was going to cost the American piublic every painful, humiliating step of the way. Every week members of the College Democrats and/or the College Republicans will debate a partisan topic. Send your suggestions to: BEHRCOLL2@AOL. COM of you but leaves you in the dust when something supposedly better comes along? The I’m-Taken-You-Greasy-Loser and-Did-You-Notice-the-Ring-on- My-Left-Finger vs. I’m-Not-Taken- You-Greasy-Loser-and-Did- You- Notice-Your-Pickup-Lines-Make- Me-Sick Dichotomy: Unfortunately, there are too many men out there who are either a) too dopey to notice that you’re not Interested or b) there are too many cold-hearted asses who are slick enough to get the women they want. Unfortunately, I’ve had encounters with both and, to say the least, the asses don’t change. I should know because he’s still breaking hearts all over Erie. The Education vs. Impulse Dichotomy. This is an interesting one because most people want both an education and to follow their impulses. Mine would be to move to Rochester and get married because I’m sick of the long-distance factor in my relationship. But I want my degree so badly that I decided on torture than fulfilling my wildest of communication. My friends and I spend entirely way too much time trying to decipher people’s away messages, asking if this means she is mad or if an ex is making a co vert or even overt plea to reunite. Away messages are in many ways ridiculous. Does anyone really care if you are at dinner or taking a shower? If they really need to make contact with you, they can call ei ther your room or your cell, unless you are deprived of this form of communication as I am. And isn’t it just a little silly to list eight inches of inside jokes on your profile? The persons mentioned in the jokes al ready know what they mean and it The Behrend Beacon a 15 H> - " " ' -f - Troy Frederick dreams. Almost everyone I know has some impulse they would much rather fulfill an impulse than remain in college, but on the other hand, college can be so much fun (outside the classroom, anyway) and it’s like suspense in real life. The Beer Dichotomy: I don’t know about you, but people in Erie have a love-hate relationship with beer. Either you love it or hate it. If you’re truly into drinking in Erie, you better learn to love liquid bread, and DON’T chase it with port wine, like my poor friend at lUP did. Actually, she chased whiskey with port wine, but that’s not the point. For reasons that will remain disclosed, I will keep mum about my particular beer preferences until this May. So see if you identify with any of these dichotomies, chance's are you’ve experienced one or several of them. And once you find an answer to resolving them, please let me know as soon as possible. Weindorf’s column appears every three weeks. just leaves everyone else wondering what you are trying to prove. So I guess my parents are probably asking themselves why they bothered to drop hard-earned money on my entertainment center, I mean com puter. I want to say that I really do use it for constructive purposes, like writing this column. Someday I intend to learn how to use Powerpoint and Excel. But right now just wish me luck as I attempt to download ‘The Godfather...” Prischak’s column appears every three weeks. PageS
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers