I The Behrend Beacon Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press: or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. - The First Ammendment to the U.S. Contitution New year, same grease The food choices being offered by elemental'} schools, high schools and colleges are not as conducive to a healthy lifestyle as they could be. Most elementary schools and high schools across America, however, are attempt ing to change the menus offered to their students. Citizens and lawmakers are pulling for changes in kids' diets mainly so America won't be considered the fattest country in the world any longer. However, just because more attention is paid to the younger generations of America's eaters doesn't mean that col lege students should have to suffer - but we are suffering. The choices we make now will shape our eating habits for the rest of our lives and quite possibly our children's lives. This past week I have attempted to hold to my "diet" while eating at Bruno's. Although Bruno's introduced some "new faces" (i.e. Stouffer’s Lean Cuisine) this year, they have stuck with the same old unhealthy choices. New to the scene is Stouffer’s Macaroni and Cheese (as if college students don't eat enough of that). DiGiorno’s pizza, HaganDaaz ice cream, and Peet’s brand coffee. Of the new additions, only one out of live happens to be considered healthy (or rather less fattening) food, but let’s face it, eating a frozen dinner is like eat ing cardboard no matter what its brand name is I have been disappointed by the lack of selection of fresh foods. Other than the deli line that offers freshly made subs, bagels, sandwiches and wraps, The Behrend Beacon Published Weekly by (lie students of Penn State line HI I IK! M) beacon Penn State Erie, The Behrend College Contact the Beacon at: First Floor, The J. Elmer Reed Telephone: (814) 898-6488 Union Building Fax:(814) 898-6019 Station Road, Erie, PA 16563 Letters to the Editor The Beacon welcomes readers to share their views on this page. Letters and commentary pieces can be submitted by email to chrishvizdak@gmail.com or directly to the Beacon office, located in the Reed Building. Letters should be limited to 350 words and commentaries should be limited to 700 words. The more concise the sub mission. the less we will be forced to edit it for space concerns and the more likely we are to run the submission. Annie Sevin, Editor in Chief Rob Frank, Managing Editor Courtney Kaplin, Advertising Manager Jerry Pohl, Public Relations Manager Kim Young. Adviser News Editor Jennifer Haight Assistant News Editor Steven Finch Sports Editors Chris LaFuria Opinion Editor Chris Hvizdak All submissions must include consent for editing to be considered for publica tion. there is little to choose from. Oranges, apples and salads are av ailable in one of the coolers along with some yogurt, but trying to eat on the go makes those options a little less than desirable. The meat choices aren't any better: if it doesn’t come as a pizza toppingl, it comes fried or chargrilled and encrusted with soft white buns (basically pure sugat). covered in cheese. When I get hungry for some chicken 1 don't get hungry for all the added stuff that comes on it, especially the bread. And since meat is consumed for protein as well as taste, why aren't various kinds of nuts offered.' All kinds of nuts, including unsalted, unsweetened, natural pista chios, almonds, peanuts and walnuts are full of protein and good fats and oils. Nuts are small and crunchy - a perfect snack and much healthier than potato chips or Keebler cookies. Drinks are another issue - water is the healthiest (and least flavorful) liquid 1 have found gracing the Bruno's cooler. All of the Dole 100% juice choices are loaded with sugar, making Diet Pepsi a better choice because it is made with a sugar substitute. However, it is still not as healthy as drinks like vegetable juice, tomato juice or unsweetened green tea, but those choices are not offered. Last year, 1 like many Behrend stu dents. gave in to the tastier choices like the whole wheat subs, pizza, diet Pepsi, and chips. 1 gave in to those tempta tions and I paid for it weight-wise. I didn't gain a lot, but I gained enough to realize that I was hurting my future and myself. So I changed my diet over the summer and I am still trying to make Student Life Editor Jeff Barber Calendar Editor Siobhan Conway Humor Editor Jerry Pohl Copy Editors Kate Kelecseny Michelle Vera Suroviec Rachael Conway Allison Gray Traeie Kendziora All submissions must include the writer’s year in school, major and name as The Beacon does not publish anony mous letters. Deadline for any submission is 5 p.m. Tuesday afternoon for inclusion in the Friday issue. All submissions are consid ered, but because of space limitations, some may not be published. OPINION THE BEHREND BEACON URGES YOU TO DONATE TO HURRICANIE KATRINA VICTIMS FUNDS. conscious eating decisions. unhealthy choices were offered, I think or otherwise. The students are relying However, since 1 have returned to students would be much happier and on Bruno’s for a primary source of sus school, making good choices has healthier, thus helping America progress tenance and therefore the use of good proved difficult because of the lack of into a healthier generation rather than a judgment in your decision making as options presented. The hardest thing super-sized one. well about sticking to a healthier eating plan Of course, students, as consumers, are for anyone is lack of variety. Without primarily responsible for what they eat. variety we end up reverting back to our However, food service employees also old unhealthy eating habits. carry a lot of responsibility because they 11 a wider variety of fast, easy, good- are the individuals in charge of provid for-you choices and less of the ing students with food options, healthy • * • Beacon Thumbs Up New blinky light movie signs. -New ‘House Blend’ coffee in Bruno’s -Testing out of classes whenever possible. V / C 0 Prepare for many unpopular Let s get down to brass tacks. Many Times and conservative editorializing past readers of the Opinion page do not by Bill O’Reily are unlikely to offend particularly like me. 1 don’t mind -at or even be evaluated by persons who least it shows that they’re reading. Why may disagree with them in the first don’t they like me? 1 express unpopular place opinions. If you're familiar with my writing, you know what I’m talking about. I also do not water down my unpopu lar opinions or in any way reduce them to vague innuendo. That is a quality that we are rarely treated to in mainstream television and print media and you should enjoy the opportuni ty to read such potentially inflammatory content while you have it. No, lam not suggesting that Opinion Editor news outlet ‘hat is gen you should all be thankful for erally in 100% agree my presence on the Beacon staff. Rather I am highlighting the simple fact that most national media is biased. Biased not to the “right” or “left” but unto its own corporate profit minded interests. The 24 hour news networks and national papers don’t want to offend anyone. They might alienate viewers and lose profits; and as I’m certain you business majors could tell me, that is the most deadly sin imagina ble in the “Faith of the Almighty Dollar." Or is it the “Faith of the Almighty Euro” these days? But what of Fox News? But what of the New York Times? “Those are per fect examples of unpopular opinion in the media” you might exclaim. I would disagree and cite both outlets as being targeted to their audiences rather than expressive of unpopular opinion. Liberal editorials in the New York Chris Hvizdak ment with their own views “Freedom of choice ...mumble manifest destiny...blarg..!” you might interject. Yes, it is true that you, as an American, have the right to read or watch whatever it is you want to. However, it is also true that you have an obligation to make informed deci sions about the operation and manage ment of this government and therefore must be knowledgeable enough to make what you consider to be adequate decisions. Getting one side of the story isn’t enough to make a proper decision. When most of America uses the media as a tool to reinforce their own pre-existing beliefs rather than as a means of reaching the best solutions, it does not function as “The Fourth Estate,” rather it is simply a push but ton feel good machine no more presti gious than crack or cheap prostitutes. It Beacon Thumbs Down -Random fire alarms that force you to leave the dorm. -Teachers who teach on the first day. : -The Reed Kiosk Laser Printer that is • perpetually out of toner and paper. I That fact spotlights a problem with the media as a whole and an, albeit minor, opportuni ty we have with The Beacon. The problem being that because of the vast expansion in the sheer number of news outlets that has occurred over the last three decades, a person today can choose a Friday, Septmeber 2, 2005 Annie Sevin opinions is my opinion that persons who do not attempt to use our over-specialized media to determine the best course for our nation are neglecting their duty as Americans and paving the way to Washington for politicians who behave like crack-addicted prostitutes. So that brings us to the opportunity we have with the Beacon. The Beacon is the only news outlet which directly serves the Behrend community. Sure, you get free USA Today, New York Times and Erie Times News from those lovely machines in the lobby, but chances are, if you want to see your picture in the paper, you’re going to open up the Beacon. Consequently; we have a decent market' share and the opportunity to foster discussion on a scale almost impossible in a national community. So, I’m extending the opportunity to each and every Beacon reader to express their unpopular opin ions, bring up the hard questions and engage in a communicative behavior that, hopefully, you all can carry over into the national and world communi ties. Here are some unpopular opinions of mine to get you started: I love Bill Clinton as a person but hate his trade policies. Globalism is bad and protec tionism is the only way to retain any thing similar to an economy on this continent. Iraq is eventually doomed to end up in a state of civil war between the various factions of its government and their insurgently vivacious support ers. ZACK MENTZ Editor In Cheif
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