Amy Wilczynski, Editorial Page Editor
The Behrend Beacon
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News Editor
Justin Curry
Sports Editors
Kevin Fiorenzo
Amy Ffizzell
Editorial Page Editor
Amy Wilczynski
Features Editor
Dana Vaccaro
THE BEHREND Adviser
Beacon Cathy L. Roan, Ph.D.
Staff Photographers Copy Editors
Jeff Hankey "Professionalism with a Carolyn M. Tellers
Heather Myers personality" Kristin Bowers
Greek Life Editor
Courtney Straub
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Penn State Erie,
the Behrend College;
First Floor, The J. Elmer Reed Union Building,
Station Road, Erie, PA 16563.
Contact The Beacon at:
Telephone: (814) 898-6488
Fax: (814) 898-6019
ISSN 1071-9288.
The king
Four years ago, I had the
unfortunate experience of attending
a Backstreet Boys concert in
Pittsburgh. Beyond the sappy,
disposable love songs and the
flamboyant laser light show, I don't
remember much. However, I cannot
forget the four 13-year-old girls
sitting behind me, tears running
down their cheeks as they tried to
convince themselves that Brian had
looked right into their eyes.
Until recently, I thought that was
going to the most pathetic example
of lost reality I would ever see.
Then, Peter Jackson made "The Lord
of the Rings."
Tolkien fanatics have convinced
themselves that "The Return of the
King" is destined to he crowned Best
Picture of the Year at the annual
Academy Awards ceremony on Feb.
29. True to form the mass media
have run with the fans (and the
money) to prematurely declare the
finale of the momentous fantasy
trilogy the winner, neglecting the
presence of the adjective "fantasy."
Let's face it. "The Return of the
King" stands as much a chance of
winning the Oscar this year as "Star
Wars" did when it was nominated in
1977 or the first installment of the
trilogy, "The Fellowship of the
Ring," did only two years ago. As a
matter of fact, it has less of a chance,
not because it isn't amazing or
historic or whatever choice word a
person uses to describe it. Instead,
"The Return of the King" suffers
from one thing above all else. It
lacks clout.
Even if Academy members were
to love the film, the thought of giving
a B-movie director and a second
string studio the Oscar for Best
Picture is strikingly uncharacteristic
of a group that is as narcissistic and
self-rewarding as any one person in
Hollywood.
At the 1995 ceremony, Mel
Gibson, an action star and
Hollywood A-lister, took home the
Best Picture Oscar for the big budget
action epic, "Braveheart." It was a
summer movie in competition with
an adaptation of the literary classic
"Sense and Sensibilty" (which won
the Golden Globe for Best Picture)
by an unknown foreign filmmaker
(Ang Lee), a children's film about a
talking pig ("Babe"), and the space
drama "Apollo 13" directed by Opie.
He didn't win because his film was
the best, or even the most popular.
No, he won because he had friends
and money as one of the most
profitable actors in Hollywood
history. To all the Tolkien fanatics
out there, that's the reality of the
Oscars.
The been-there-done-that attitude
that destroyed all Oscar hopes for
Editor in Chief
Lauren M. Packer
Managing Editor
Daniel J. Stasiewski
Assistant Managing Editor
Scott Soltis
,„--”
it
,) .
Calendar Page Editor
Amy Wilczynski
;
Supplemental Editor
- _/". Lauren M. Packer
is dead
Daniel J. Stasiewski
"The Two Towers" will probably
have a built-in counter, because "The
Return of the King" is De Mille-sized
and, unlike the previous films,
actually has an ending (sort of). Still,
the fantasy film, despite the
melodrama and special effects, will
likely be tossed aside as juvenile fluff
"Star Wars" or "Babe." And, of
course, the other possible nominees
are the most primped Oscar hopefuls
I've ever seen.
Clint Eastwood's drama "Mystic
River" has the best chance of
winning. It's a masterpiece of
American film that pushes the
envelope just enough to be artistic,
but in a Hollywood way. It has
recieved the same critical praise as
"The Return of the King," but it also
flaunts the beloved Eastwood's
above-mentioned clout. If "Mystic
River" doesn't win, "Seabiscuit" will.
If not "Seabiscuit," then "Cold
Mountain." Hell, the indie hit "Lost
in Translation" probably has more
chance of winning Best Picture than
"The Return of the King."
Even if the last film in Jackson's
trilogy does win the Golden Globe,
I'll still not be convinced the "King"
will wear the Oscar crown. Even if
the film scores another major
nomination (in acting, directing, or
writing), "King" has to fend off too
many qualified Oscar contenders to
reign supreme. Even if God himself
were to cross his fingers, uh-uh.
If I'm wrong, I'll admit it in the
March 19 issue of the Beacon and
make some attempt at rationalizing
the win by connecting it with the re
election campaign of George W.
Bush, a massive international
conspiracy, and the rise in popularity
of dating shows. Until then, think
about this. The only Best Picture
winner to ever gross over $2OO
million is James Cameron's epic love
story "Titanic." The closest second is
the epic love story "Gone with the
Wind." The two films are unlikely
blockbusters when compared to the
usual popcorn moneymakers, such as
"Independence Day," "Jurassic Park,"
and the other two "The Lord of the
Rings" films.
Daniel J. Stasiewski's column
appears every three weeks.
EDITORIAL
Advertising Manager
Ryan Russell
A&E Editors
Daniel J. Stasiewski
Erika Jarvis
Friday, January 16, 2004
OUR VIEW
University should close for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
It's about time the Pennsylvania State
University comes out of the 1960 s and
recognize Martin Luther King Day as the
national holiday that it is by closing the
school. Government agencies, elementary
and high schools, and many colleges and
universities across this nation do so, so why
don't we?
Granted, what PSU does now is a novel
attempt to adequately recognize a great man's
contribution to American life as well as the
world. The MLK celebrations here at
Behrend are very good and touching
programs, but some do not even have the
opportunity to attend them because of classes
or spoils.
Aside from enhancing the ability for
students to celebrate, it is also a matter of
respect. Not recognizing this or any other
national holiday is disrespectful of the very
reason why there is a holiday. Just as having
school on the Fourth of July would be
Bar bouncers need brains, not brawn
Unless you live in State College, you
probably haven't heard of former Penn
State student Peter Serrano. However, I
do live in State College and it's one of
the most unfortunate, shocking stories
to come out of Happy Valley in a long
time.
You never think bad things happen in
your hometown. It's too Americana, too
Norman Rockwell. But as our commu
nity found out, crime doesn't only hap
pen in big cities.
On Oct. 26, 2003, Serrano had been
drinking heavily. His last stop came at
the All-American Rathskeller, 108 S.
Pugh St. It was here that Serrano's
friends became engaged in an alleged
confrontation with two employees of the
bar, the bouncer and the manager.
The two employees, brothers Jason
and Chris Rosengrant, pinned Serrano
down and kept him to the ground. When
State College police arrived on the scene,
Serrano was restrained yet unresponsive.
The employees had pinned him down
too hard and for too long.
The court documents revealed a BAC
of .24 and the coroner ruled that because
of the restraint placed by the
Rosengrants, Serrano aspirated, vomited
and then choked to death on his own
The Rosengrants are being charged
with one count each of involuntary man
slaughter, and rightly so.
Their actions that night should not
have happened, but unfortunately they
did. As a bouncer and manager, the
Winter brings out the best in me
So far this year it seems as though
everyone has had their opportunity to
share their opinions and/or complaints
with the Beacon and those that actually
read the newspaper. With winter declar
ing its dominance over Behrend, I've
come up with a few complaints of my
own. Just as those who came before
me it's my turn to subject readers to my
opinions and complaints.
First off, people who can't ice skate.
Now I admit that I am no Michelle
Kwan or even Mario Lemieux when I'm
on the ice but I can skate. I've taken
some time to study the patterns of
people who are ice skating challenged
and I've recorded some interesting ob
servations.
One would think if you can't skate
that sticking to the boards would be the
best way to become acquainted with the
joyous sport of skating on ice. Sadly,
most people opt to ignore that option
and head straight for the "inner circle"
of skating traffic. This is where the
skater creates a traffic jam and eventu
ally an accident.
Once two people go down it's just a
matter of time before there's a pile up,
broken arms and severed fingers.
Think of it this way, do you really
want to be the one car going 60 m.p.h.
in the passing lane on Interstate 79?
Everyone's passing you on the right,
beeping their horn while old ladies three
times your age are flipping you off as
they pass by in their 1976 Cadillac.
Would you really want to reach out to
that old lady as you take the plunge at
center ice?
Speaking of ice skating I should prob-
disrespectful of our founding fathers and
attending classes on Memorial Day is
disrespectful of those who lost their lives in
defense of our country, school on Martin
Luther King Day is disrespectful of this great
man.
Just as it is not an easy fight to have MLK
Day off through the University it was also a
battle to have it recognized as a national
holiday. While the measure passed through
the House of Representatives it faced an
uphill battle in the Senate some 21 years
ago. . .
If one of the reasons that our University
has not fully recognized the holiday is
financial, then they should definitely rethink
this logic. Yes, paying the thousands of
employees would be a great cost, but they
should look back to the words of former Sen.
Bob Dole when the Senate feared the costs.
According to Holidays On The Net
(www.holidays.net), the senator said, "I
Rosengrants showed the poorest judg
ment possible. Not only did they forc
ible restrain a very intoxicated Serrano
to the point of death, they did so in an
alley away from the entrance of the club.
Serrano's irresponsibility cannot take
all blame. Yes, he was too intoxicated,
but no, he wasn't in control of his ac
tions. The Rosengrants may have been
sober, but they surely were without con
trol of their actions, otherwise Serrano
might be alive today.
Why not call him a cab? Better yet,
why not call him an ambulance? Why
not even call the police? If I was a
bouncer and someone was that intoxi
cated and in my club, I would throw them
out. What I would not do is escort them
down an alley and then proceed to have
two people pin down a man with a BAC
of .24 and keep him pinned down while
he is having trouble breathing and foam
ing at the mouth.
This death is about the negligent and
reckless behavior of bouncers who are
there to protect the bar first, people sec
ond. Kee the drunks
Lauren Packer
ably mention the Pittsburgh Penguins. I
want to make it clear before I express
my next opinion that I do in fact like the
Pens. But let's face it they're not doing
too good this year. With a record of 11-
25-5-3, they're not exactly at the top of
their division. But that's OK. They've
stunk before. At least they won the
Stanley Cup two years in a row.
It's not the fact that they've traded
away their good players. It's the fact that
now they have Penguin Dancers. What
about these Penguin Dancers, you ask?
There is no point to having them. It's
not as if they add excitement to the game,
because to be quite frank, they don't. It's
that they don't really do anything.
Some people may say that in fact they
do dance, but I don't consider standing
in the aisle, blocking people from get
ting to their seats while following
through with a 30 second sequence of
arm movements dancing. I could be
wrong about that but then again I did
more 'dancing' in first grade at the
YMCA when we were required to walk
in a straight line and roll on the floor.
Amy Frizzell
The Behrend Beacon
suggest they hurry back to their pocket
calculators and estimate the cost of 300 years
of slavery, followed by a century or more of
economic, political and social exclusion and
discrimination."
If another reason is the possible religious
implications of having King's day off, then
that would not hold weight either. If the
University is worried about possible church
state implicatiors of a public school having
the day off then they need to realize the steps
taken for the day to become a holiday. If this
was a clear violation of the separation of
church and state then the Bill would have
been stopped by the Supreme Court and other
public schools such as Edinboro University
would not be able to legally have the day
off.
So it's about time that our University step
up and fully recognize Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. Day as a national holiday. By closing
shop for the day it would not necessarily be
just some day off but instead a time to
"remember, celebrate, act; a day on, not a
day off!"
The Beacon's View is determined by a
majority of the board of opinions .
spending the money.
Bouncers are usually the biggest and
broadest people you've ever seen, short
of a World's Strongest Man competition
on ESPN. Why? So they can easily and
swiftly kick, carry or crush the intoxi
cated individual. Bars don't care if a
bouncer knows that the fetal position is
the safest for someone about to vomit.
And that is the saddest, most terrify
ing thing about this whole case.
Bouncers need alcohol safety classes
in addition to their weight-lifting ses
sions. They need anger management,
sensitivity training or non violent tech
niques to deal with the problems before
they escalate into larger problems that
really do require the use of force.
They need to realize they aren't there just
to protect the bar, they are there to pro
tect everyone inside, outside and around
the bar.
I never thought about the bouncers at
the bars I frequent until this happened.
It happened at the Rathskeller, but it
could happen anywhere. Calamari's,
Park Place, the Alibi or any other bar in
small town America.
And now that I'm back in Erie, for a split
second I thought I was safe. I thought,
"Nah, that could never happen here."
But that's what I thought about State
College, too.
Lauren Packer's column
appears every three weeks
Now I hate the snow and 20 degree
temperatures just as much as the next per
son, but when it comes to complaining
about it I've found that it's gotten old. If
all you want to do is complain about the
weather then you might as well be talk
ing about Beenie Babies or pogs. Be
cause no one is really that interested in
what you have to say about them and if
they are then they're probably just trying
to get in your pants. But you shouldn't
worry about that in the first place because
if you're talking about Beenie Babies or
pogs then you need to take a step back
and look at your life.
Finally, you see there's this little thing
that happens in the winter called snow.
This snow stuff seems to build up and
create problems. Take for example the
problem it creates when I have to walk
to class. My shoes get wet, my feet get
cold, my pants get wet from my shoes
being wet, slush splashes onto my pants
and I'm just not "down" with that.
Fortunately, there is a little something
that was created to fix this problem some
what and that thing is called a snowplow.
Now I've seen one before and yes it was
at this campus, believe it or not. The
funny thing is neither I nor my friends
have seen it lately. But, what amazes me
is the snow circle, which is in fact cousin
to the familiar crop circle, that has popped
up beside Niagara Hall. No one seems
to know how it got there, who did it or
even why it's the only place that is shov
eled.
Now that my opinions and complaints
have done absolutely nothing in the field
of productivity I'm going stop before this
gets any worse than it already is.
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