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The Behrend Beacon
The Behrend Beacon
, / n(,/ / I / I n / //
News Editor
Erin McCarty
Asst. News Editor
Kevin Fallon
Sports Editor
Mike Bello
Asst. Sports Editor
Kate Levdansky Petrikis
Editorial Page Editor
Ben Kundman
Features Editor
Karl Benacci
A&E Editor
Jeanine Noce
Wire Service Editor
Guy Reschenthaler
Staff Photographer
Jeff Hankey
Office Manager
Jason Alward
.L.Bein'n
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
Meet the Beaconians
After quite a controversial semester with the debut of our newest supplement, the
Humor page, the staff thought it appropriate to convey to our fellow students that we're
not all Republican, and that our paper is not a "joke."
As a matter of fact, you might be pleasantly surprised with the results of an
anonymous survey taken of all the Beacon staff this week. You might also be surprised
that we're not all conservative Republicans
make ourselves look like fools (P.S. we checi
sources, and we at the staff find it disheartenir
professors ate somewhat unknowingly bashi
fellow colleagues with the information or ,
that they pass on to us for articles in this papa
Background information on the Beacon st
The majors of the Beacon staff range from
English. Also included are Political Science,
Journalism, Communications, History, and Fi
Gender of the staff is split at seven males and
females, and average age is 22 years (rangint
19 to 45). Not as mainstreamed as you think.
First: Are we all Republican?
Hah. Don't you all wish we were. Of the 14 Beaconians surveyed, the average was
an exact split between liberals and conservatives. On a scale of one to five, eight
Beaconians are middle of the road; three are hard-up liberal; and three are die-hard
conservative
In fact, of the 13 Beaconians that vote (see that? Beacon members actually care
what's going on in the government today), two voted between party lines, six voted
libertarian, and five voted conservative. Of these 13 students, the majority "sometimes"
vote in the same party as their parents'; two vote opposite their parents' political party
and two always vote in the same party as their parent's.
Next: Do we care what is going on in the world today? Do we even know?
Read on, fellow readers. We asked Beaconians what the three most important i s sues
are facing the world today. Varied answers of terrorism and the Middle East were the
issues of top priority; poverty, disease and hunger followed close behind. Other issues
voted on: the drug war, globalization, international relations, U.S. foreign policy, racial
issues & ignorance, the environment, the Enron scandal, overpopulation, and the
growth of conglomerates in the media.
Third: are Beaconians the detested, lazy low-lives that some members of this campus
think we are?
Please. Aspirations of this staff are listed here, all IN EARNEST:
-Engineer
-Law school/attomey
-Magazine/pro sports writer
-Advertising/technical writing
-Writer
-Work at a newspaper/policeman/teacher
-Author/songwriter
-Governor of PA/Mayor of Erie/Politician
-Stockbroker
-Full-time job with benefits
Think we're still lazy? Try this on for size: the Beaconians EACH work up to 30
hours a week on the paper. Thirty, if the digits don't register. That equals 10 fewer
hours than a full-time job. On average, the staff spends about 10-15 hours per week to
put out this paper. Free. With eight sections and/or supplements, seven of which run
every week. Lazy, indeed.
Now for the fun part: What do Beaconians like to do for fun? If you said make ill
timed humor, just skip over the Humor page, for the last time, will you? We don't force
you to read anything.
Other than that, we have volunteers at the Mercy Center, party-goers, skateboarders,
golfers, writers, readers, runners, piano players, cyclers, singers, sleepers, workers,
concert-goers, and baseball players, just to name a few. Snowboarders, mountain
bikers, avid movie watchers, motorcycle and car fanatics, and people who hang out
with their friends are also on the list. There is life outside the Beacon! We must be
sane!
It seems that the "Simpsons" are the most popular out of the TV shows; "ER." and
"Star Trek" also showed up on our list, with "Will and Grace," "Six Feet Under," "Law
& Order," "The Tom Green Show," "O'Reilly Factor," and "Friends."
Favorite bands included Simon and Garfunkel. Beastie Boys, Jimmy Buffet, Our
Lady Peace, singer/songwriters (who write own music), Pearl Jam, Rage Against The
Machine, Dave Matthews Band, MEST, Matchbox 20, Beatles, White Stripes, and
Sugar Ray. See any Eminem listeners? No.
So meet the Beaconians. We are not lazy kids who get the facts messed up, or
misogynist, hostile students, or people who do not strive for professionalism. Area
papers may be done in good taste, but let's face it. We do a damned GOOD JOB on our
paper and we are proud of it.
Don't like the attitude? It's professionalism with a personality. Get used to it
Editor-in-Chief
Robert Wynne
Managing Editor
Rebecca Weindorf
Public Relations Manager
Kelly Walsh
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
Business Manager
Paige Miles
Advertising Managers
Libbie Johnson
Melissa Powell
Angela Rush
Distribution Manager
Eric Kiser
Calendar Page Editor
Erinn Hansen
Health Page Editor
Sarah Orr
Humor Page Editor
Ben Kundman
Associate Editor
Jennie Ellison
Technical Support
Doug Butterworth
"Professionalism
with a Personality"
that week's issue
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Friday, April 26, 2002
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Another controversial
editorial?
Dear Editor
I am writing in response to the ar
ticle about the Middle East written by
Kevin Fallon and appearing in your
April 12 edition. While I generally
find the submissions to the Beacon
well-written and balanced, I was more
than disappointed in Mr. Fallon's ar
ticle. I found it insulting, inaccurate,
at times incoherent, and irresponsible
for the following reasons:
I. Mr. Fallon begins his column with
a question about whether anyone
knows what's going on in the Middle
East and then proceeds with some
inane analogy to dorm housing. Yes,
there are people who know what's
going on in the Middle East, and re
ducing the situation the way he does
insults his readers as well as the par
ties involved in the conflict. The
media often condemns today's youth
as being uneducated and uninterested,
and our students get offended by these
accusations. When one of their own
reports news to them like they're idi
ots, they should be equally offended.
Another instance of student
apathy?
At the conclusion of our recent
Honors and Awards convocation,
I realized with surprise and some
sadness that one of the major
faculty awards, Excellence in
Advising, had not been
presented.
Word is that there was not one
nomination from a student for
Summertime is here at last
20 hours a week, and
Chit chat for change working 25 hours a
Christine Kleck week...so this list
SHOULD be shorter,
for the simple lack of
time, but you know
that could never be the case with me.
Planting a summer vegetable/herb
garden and flower bed tops off this
year's list. I have always wanted to
have a garden of my own, so I
thought that this would be a good
year to accomplish that goal. I just
hope I know what I am doing! It has
been years since my relatives have
had "the family garden," so my green
thumb might be covered in a little
rust. My goal is to have everything
grow so well that I have too much,
so I am forced to have dinners and
picnics for my friends and family
members where the food is all
homemade and a product of my
garden. How cool would that be?
Task number two for the summer
is to read a whole slew of non
school-related books
approximately one per week. Among
the titles that I wish to pursue are all
of the sports "for dummies" books
(Hey - I have always wanted to work
So the warm weather has finally
hit us in the back of the head (not at
lightning speed or anything, but that
is ok). Springtime sports are in full
swing, winter wardrobes are being
tucked away and last year's summer
apparel is making its way back into
our closets, classes are beginning to
wrap up, graduation parties are being
planned, area businesses are getting
solicited by local youth for summer
job applications, and by now most
of us are beginning to draft our list
of things to do and/or accomplish this
summer.
I am certainly not a stranger to any
of the above. I have been slowly
packing up my thick sweaters while
trying to find all of my shorts and
tank tops from last year. My
brother's high school graduation
party is a making in the process and
my list of things to take care of this
summer just seems to keep growing.
Now, keep in mind I will be interning
o
O
Letters to the Editor
I always assume that my students are
intelligent adults, and I am rarely
proven wrong. Knowing about world
events and being able to discuss them
coherently is certainly not above
them.
2. If Mr. Fallon is going to report on
a situation as important and timely as
the Middle East and if he considers
himself a journalist, he should at least
be accurate with history and facts.
For example, he says that Great
Britain supported Zionism. Ever hear
of the White Papers? England did not
hand over the keys to the Hagganah
gleefully. Great Britain was no friend
to the Jews or to Zionism, and, after
trying to stop Jewish immigration to
the area after WWII by interring Jews
in prison camps on Cyprus or send
ing them back to a devastated Europe,
Great Britain left the area under pro
test and in a volatile situation, result
ing in the 1948 war.
Similarly inaccurate is Mr. Fallon's
report that Israel was able to expand
its territories after two wars. This sug
gests an expansionist policy by Israel
in the early days. In 1967, Israel was
this honor
Have we become so reliant on
eLion and technology that not a
single student deemed his or her
faculty advisor worthy of this
recognition? When was the last
time eLion wrote a letter of
recommendation that resulted in
an internship, education abroad,
or graduate school assistantship?
Ben Kundman, Editorial Page Editor
HONESTLY, DEAR!
OU'RE IN COLLEGE!
IT LIKE AN ADULT!
invaded by multiple nations, and,
while it is true that Jerusalem was
taken by Israel during that war, the
land that has become known as the
Occupied Territories was a border
established by the United Nations, not
Israel. In fact, in 1967 Golda Meir
suggested the formation of a Pales
tinian State, but the Palestinians re
fused. Why? As none of the other
Arab nations would monitor the area,
the UN mandated Israel to be respon
sible. It's been a nightmare ever
3. At times. Mr. Fallon's article is
incoherent. The analogy at the be
ginning is completely incomprehen
sible, and then later in the article, he
says that the Palestinians want Israel
to return refugees and Israel refuses.
I'm confused. Is Israel holding a
group of Palestinians somewhere in
the Negev that we don't know about?
4. Finally, I object to Mr. Fallon's
suggestion that just because we give
foreign aid to Israel, we have the right
to bully them into doing our will. Aid
means help, not manipulation. And
Congratulations to all of the
award winners. Your work and
dedication create the excellence
that characterizes Behrend. This
year finds a wonderful new
tradition beginning with the
Senior Gift. Unfortunately it will
also be recorded as the first time
in the decades since its inception
that no student thought highly
for F.SPN!). I also would like to read
the entire "Left Behind" series of
books, six months of Cosmopolitan
and Marie Claire magazines that
have accumulated on my shelf over
several busy months of school and,
of course, a couple best sellers that
are "hot" at the moment. Reading is
one thing that I have always loved to
do, just as long as I am the one
selecting the things I read. This
summer is a perfect opportunity to
carry that idea out.
Third on the list is to start running
again. I am certainly not in the same
shape that I was last August, although
this semester's strength training class
has helped me to get back on "track."
I plan on starting at about a half an
hour just briskly walking at 7 a.m.
every morning before I have to be at
my internship at 9 a.m., and then
slowly, but surely I want to get up to
an hour of pure running by the end
of the summer. I can do it, I know I
can. The only problem might be my
age. I turn 21 in June. That means
late nights, which usually doesn't
equal early mornings. My solution?
Only drink on the weekends!
(Ehhh...yeah right).
behrcoll2@aoLcom
what would Mr. Fallon have us bully
Israel into doing? Play nice? Ignore
suicide bombings? Hand over Jerusa
lem? What solution is being offered
here?
While I applaud the Beacon at trying
to cover important and difficult issues
such as the Middle East, it is impor
tant that they are covered responsi
bly and respectfully. While it might
be easy for us to sit cavalierly by and
render armchair opinions, the situa
tion warrants much more attention
than that. After all, think about how
our lives have changed since 9/11.
And that was only one incident. The
people over there, on both sides, are
living with that kind of violence
DAILY. If a solution were simple,
surely someone would have thought
of it - probably 2,000 years ago. And
those of us reading about it, deserve
the same kind of respect and assump
tion of intelligence.
Respectfully,
Mary Connerty
Lecturer, English Department
enough of an academic advisor
to say "thank you" with a
nomination for the Excellence in
Advising award.
Michael D. Chiteman
Division of Undergraduate
Studies
Finally, I want to go somewhere,
that I have never visited before, with
two conditions. I have to be able to
get there in my car and this location
must be at least 3 states away. I don't
even care where I end up, I just want
to GO! Preferably somewhere really,
really warm - near an ocean, would
be nice, too just anywhere away
from here, for a few days, anyway.
Everyone needs a change of scenery,
and in my case, I have always said
that half of the fun is in getting there,
and experiencing that scenery.
Besides, I am forking out a truckload
of money for my car and its darn
moon roof, so I may as well use them
both.
Well, with that I would have to say
that my list has pretty much come to
an end. I'll let you know if I do
accomplish any (or hopefully all) of
this list of summer activities in my
first column of my senior year that
will appear sometime early this fall.
Until then, have a productive and
successful last few weeks of the
semester, good luck during finals
week, and have a safe, happy and
healthy summer! Thank heaven it is
almost here!