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behrco!l2 @ aol.com
The Behrend Beacon
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News Editor
Erin McCarty
Asst. News Editor
Kevin Fallon
Sports Editor
Mike Bello
Asst. Sports Editor
Kale Levdansky Petrikis
Editorial Page Editor
Ben Kuncfman
Features Editor
Karl Benacci
A&E Editor
Jeanine Noce
Wire Service Editor
Guy Reschenthaler
Staff Photographer
Jeff Hartley
J\ BEHREND
Beacon
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.
The View From the Lighthouse
The Olympics or America’s Games?
Watching the opening ceremony
last Friday night really made one
think. Aren’t the Olympics defined
as international athletic contests? It
seemed as though the opening cer
emony at Salt Lake City was about
the U ,S. and no one else.
As the host of the Olympic
Games, the US. was in charge of
the opening ceremonies. But it was
not really necessary, however, to
focus on the tragedy of Sept. 11 the
entire time. People all around the
world were tuned in to the opening
ceremony and were most likely ex
pecting to see an array of perfor
mances and songs pertaining to the
vast variety of countries and partici
pants, but instead viewed a one
sided program.
“The Olympics belong to the
world, a point that was sharpened by
recent negotiations about how to fly
a unique American flag - the one
raised by firefighters over the ruins
of the World Trade Center,” said an
editorialist from the New York
Times newspaper.
Strict Olympic rules prohibit ath
letes from any political displays dur
ing the official procession. The In
ternational Olympic Committee ini
tially said that American athletes
would not be allowed to carry the
flag because that might be taken by
the world as a political act.
Everyone in the world has heard
about Sept. 11 by now, and yes, it
was important to emphasize that the
Olympic Games were able to go on
in spite of what happened. How
ever, devoting the entire program to
the United State’s problems just
made our country look more con
ceited and one-sided.
Yes, Sept. 11 was a tragedy. But,
for the past five months this coun
try has been caught up in its patrio
tism. We asked the rest of the world
to join us in attacking terrorism and
most of the world is on our side.
“But many other countries have
experienced tragedies that resonate
as strongly with them as Sept. 11
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
does with us,” stated the New York
Times. “The Olympics
rightly, ask athl
from around
world to leave tl
national scars
hind them for a bi
period of time,
to attempt to ere;
a small but un
versal world th_. __
transcends politics and even history,”
the Times added.
The Games’ theme, “Light the Fire
Within,” was meant to represent the
inspirational power of the Olympics
and its athletes, and the opening cer
emony reflected this. The theme was
supposedly established long before
Sept. 11, but according to the Inter
national Herald Tribune, “the phrase’s
meaning has grown in the aftermath.”
The use of an honor guard of U.S.
athletes, accompanied by New York
police and firefighters, entering Rice-
Eccles Olympic Stadium clutching
the tattered flag that was recovered
from the World Trade Center, was a
significant symbol. The tom flag al
lowed the other 76 countries to see
how the United States was able to
overcome the tragedy and compete in
the Games and, in turn, was used to
show the hope for international unity.
“Your nation is overcoming a hor
rific tragedy - a tragedy that has af
fected the whole world,” said
Taiwan’s president. “We stand united
with you in the promotion of our com
mon ideals, and hope for world
peace.”
Just a few months ago it was ques
tionable to whether the games were
going to be held at all. For all of the
countries to come together to com
pete in such a phenomenal event that
promotes unity is one of the best cures
for world conflict.
The U.S. may be hosting the Olym
pics, but it is still a guest and should
play by the rules at all times and
should have included the other 76
countries in the opening ceremony.
Business Manager
Paige Miles
Advertising Managers
Libbie Johnson
Melissa Powell
Angela Rush
Public Relations Manager
Kellv 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
with a Personality"
that week’s issue.
EDITORIAL
Friday ; February 15, 2002
ct-oseß...
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OToSTA LiTTLfi
CLOSeR...,
I am not anorexic
t Attitude problem, t h e teasing began. I
Paige Miles remember coming home in tears
° because I wasn’t like the other
s.mv!;?n s 5 : ; kids. I was a few inches shorter, a
few pounds lighter. Since 1 was
short, it was assumed automatically
that I had no athletic skill
whatsoever, hence, 1 was always
picked last in gym class. Even my
Little Gridders soccer coaches chose
the tall boys and girls over the
smaller kids. Did it ever occur to him
that we were faster?
In high school, the teasing
continued, but it was of a more
friendly nature. I didn’t mind it
anymore. I don’t mind it now. I’m
very petite, to be politically correct.
Though the teasing never got to
me in my teenage years, the criticism
did. I remember a girl, a good friend,
telling me that I’m anorexic and
really need to eat something. It set
me off. For a small person, I have
one hell of a temper and big mouth.
The girl quickly learned the err of
her ways and never again made any
comments about my weight. My true
friends know that there is nothing I
love more than a burger from
My favorite pastime
is eating. Angel hair pasta with
oregano, garlic, butter, and just a
splash of chardonnay is my specialty
dish. But shouldn’t I be worrying
about the calories? I’m a 20-year
old college girl in America. I should
be counting every calorie and
watching every gram of fat. I should
look at myself every time I pass a
mirror and complain about my fat
thighs, wide hips, and large behind.
Do I? Nope. I don’t give a rat’s
behind.
This editorial may come off as
shallow, superficial, or mean. It’s not
meant that way; take it how you like
I was born a healthy weight —
around six pounds and so many
ounces. I don’t remember anyone
really noticing that I was smaller
than all of the other kids until about
first grade. It was about that time that
Don’t call me Miss Perfect
JChit chat for change that sometimes the
. . best way to learn is to
k Christine Kleck experience and to
■ : make a few mistakes
JLdilosuiS Coiumni>t every once in a while.
Based on my “extensive research” I
have come up with three key areas
of concentration in the science of the
criticism, that one should consider
before overreacting to someone’s
No one is perfect; I of all people
can vouch for that fact. That is what
makes us all human - we all make
mistakes (or at least that is the
excuse that I find myself using every
time I “mess up.”) Where this whole
idea goes amuck is when we all start
| destructively calling each other on
I every mistake in a manner that is out
I of proportion to the mishap itself
' For lack of a better way to describe
it, if one more person blows any
more little flub-ups out of
proportion, 1 am going to get really
MAD.
There is a fine line between
constructive and destructive
criticisms. Being the “human” that
I am, I have crossed that line several
times myself. Having been the
unfortunate victim of some very
blunt and brutal destructive
criticisms has made me aware that
constructive criticism is better than
destructive.
Not that I am an expert in the field
-1 don’t have my PhD in criticism
management - but 1 can assure you
flub-ups.
First and foremost, consider your
source and everything about that
source. To us Comm, majors,
consider the messenger and their
personality, their lifestyle, the ways
that they have handled past
situations that may be very similar
or even very different from the
current mishap at hand. If a person
repeatedly commits a “heinous”
flub-up, knowing a little more about
this person may surface some roots
as to why the heck this keeps
happening. Although this is
impossible to do for every person
that has ever messed up - try your
best to look for those verbal and
nonverbal clues (there I go
regurgitating that Comm vocab
again). They can tell you a lot.
Secondly, consider the context and
the situation in which that mishap
SJESSgr
tHeße.n
CAREPUtiin
Wendy’s. I find diet pop disgusting.
Salad with fat-free dressing only
goes so far—the garbage.
Maybe I’m blessed to be naturally
small. I really don’t pay much
attention to my weight. I step on a
scale maybe once every two months.
However, you may see me at the
ARC....excuse me, Junker Center,
every night sweating my butt off on
the treadmill or elliptical trainer. Am
I trying to lose weight? Am I that
worried about my figure that I would
take a large chunk of my day to bum
calories? Nope. In fact, I go home
after every workout and have dinner
with my roomies. I work so hard
every single day on the treadmills
because I love it. 1 love to run. I can’t
sit still. I get antsy if I skip a day or
two. I’m not in search of the perfect
body when I’m running. I’m not
thinking about how much I can eat
that night in order to lose a half
pound. Rather, my mind is focused
on the muscle I’m gaining. I’m
thinking about how much tougher
I’m getting with every step. I run for
no one else but me. And damn
straight I’m thinking about that
took place, and who or what was
around, that may have contributed
to that person’s moment of mayhem.
Although not every piece of
technology is responsible for every
mistake ever made in this world, it
is possible that outside elements
(that is the mistaken individual’s
surroundings) may have played a
part in the mistake itself or the events
leading up to that “goof.” While the
“dog ate my homework” is a time
honored lie in the library of excuses,
did anyone ever stop and think that
it is possible that our pooches might
just have a paper fetish?
Another area that seems to get
overlooked is the mistake itself. If
everyone is so good at finding them,
I would think that a little analyzing
of the mistake wouldn’t be that
difficult. Everyone (myself
included) tends to merely recognize
the “crime” without really
“analyzing” its content. This may be
true because society has become
very fast moving and always on the
go. Analyzing every element of
everything wouldn’t fall under the
category of “kosher” in this fast
food generation. Also, many feel
that when you look too deep into
something (as I have with this entire
Ben Kundman, Editorial Page Editor
The Behrend Beacon
Wendy’s burger I’m going to have
when I’m done.
It isn’t easy being small. Try
finding jeans in my size. All the
stupid 11-year-olds scoop them up
before I even get a chance to step
into the mall. Often, the small shirt
sizes are still too large. J’m often
mistaken for ln Tact,
later this month, I have a spot in a
commercial as a teenager learning
to drive. But really, I don’t mind.
Honestly, I can’t help that I’m
small. Tell me to eat, I guarantee you
I will. Please don’t follow me into
the bathroom thinking I’m going to
throw up my meal. My own mother
has questioned my weight lately, and
it hurt me. Of all people, she should
know that I have more important
things on my mind than my weight.
Let me be with my bacon
cheeseburger and large Coke. Let me
run my three miles on the treadmill.
Anorexia is disgusting. I’m not
anorexic
Miles’s column appears every
three weeks.
column), people tend to make up
excuses. Whining and analyzing are
two very different things, but be
careful to not cross that thin line.
Now I am sure you are all
thinking, I make mistakes.
Everyone makes mistakes. People
even make mistakes when correcting
my mistakes. Who cares, right?
Well, that is only partially true but
you can’t judge a book by its cover,
and the way you handle yourself
when faced with dealing with your
own mishaps, or someone else’s may
make or break you. One final
thought - it is all in the delivery.
How you react to any mistake takes
tact, consideration, common
courtesy, and just the right amount.
So if this wordy column has totally
put you to sleep and you think that I
have just over-analyzed something
that is too minor to care about,
remember -1 AM ONLY HUMAN.
You may tactfully and constructively
criticize, just don’t hurt my feelings
too much.
Kleck’s column appears
every three weeks: