Friday, September 21, 2007 Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of reVort, or wohibitirvi - the Yabridgfri the rr„e, , ketetrrt (Tech, or of the press: or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a reckless of et /ow :Vet lictrrtent to the U.S. Con ution The Behrend Beacon Published „Lk, by the student, I Penn Blau Hehre 11 136a63ii Christopher LaFuria, Editor in Chief Mike Sharkey, Co-editor in Chief Patrick Webster, Managing Editor Tiffany Flynn. Advertising Manager Kim Young, Adviser News Editor Head Copy Editor Lenny Smith Janet Niedenberger Sports Editors Photography Editor Andrew McLachlan Humor Editor Matt Waronker Mike Sharkey Student Life Editors Entertainment Editors Scott Muska Evan Koser Ryan P. Gallagher Connor Sattely Copy Editors Opinion Editor Jennifer Juncosa Chris Brown Rachel Reev es Assistant Student Life Editor Matt Schawenbauer 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 Have an opinion? Want to see something changed on campus? Share it with the rest of the student body. The Behrend Beacon is always accepting articles for submission. E-mail Chris LaFuria at cslsoos@psu.edu if you are interested in writing. o what you love, love what you do By Ryan P. Gallagher student life editor rpgs(X)4 psivedu Every day I listen to students talk about how they loathe their majors and how graduation can't come soon enough. I listen to people tell me how lucky I am that I don't have to attempt four hours of math each night. I listen to people tell me that my major is a joke and that I don't have to do anything. Well, guess what. Everyone has the freedom to choose what they want to excel in, and complaining about what you chose is extremely reflective of how you live your life. If you don't enjoy what you're doing in class then stop. It's only going to get worse. What you're doing right now is only a preparation of what you're potentially going to be doing for the rest of your life. That's a long time for doing something you hate. I am a communication major because I enjoy journalism and the media; not because it was the easy way out. If you're looking for the easy way out, then college apparently is not for you. I understand that there are difficult areas of study on this campus, and I'm not saying that you shouldn't become involved in these majors, but do not simply do it because you heard the money was good. Because no mat ter what, finding a job is going to be hard; but more importantly finding a career that you truly enjoy is essential to a happy, healthy life. Submission Guideline The Beacon welcomes readers to share their views on this pesp. Letters and commentary pieces can be submitted by email 40. cmbs3l3@psu.edu or directly to the Beacon office, iosated in the Reed Building. Letters should be limited to 350 words and commentaries should- be limited to 700 words. The more concise the submission, the less we will be forced to edit it for space concerns and the more likely We are to run the submission. All submissions must include the writer's year in school, major a** name as The Beacon does not publish anonymous letters. Desa* for any submission is 5 p.m. Tuesday afternoon for inclusion in Friday issue. All submissions are considered, but incase, of limitations, some may not be published. The Behrend Beacon reserves the right to edit any se., prior to publication. A good lifestyle should not include accounting if you hate it. It should not include nursing if you're not a fan of the medical field. So don't do it because your dad told you. Do what feels right. It took me three years of being a communication major until I finally knew what I want to do in life, and even now I don't know if that's what I actually want to do, but at least I have a good idea. And the idea I have is one that I like, so as far as I'm concerned I have a decent outlook on my future years on this Earth. If you have no If you don't enjoy what you're doing in class then stop. idea, or just flat out know that you do not like what you're doing in your major, then get out of it before it's too late. Twenty years from now, if you're doing something you hate, then there's a good chance you hate your life- and that is not cool. I'm not telling you how to live your life because you, and only you, truly know where you eventually want to be. I just stress that you should think about what you're doing because it disturbs me when I hear people tell me, "I hate my major" and "Wow, I wish I was as drunk as you right now." Well, truth is you could be as drunk as a comm. major, you just have to love what you're doing. Just kidding, don't live your life by that statement. OPiNi ON Playing hooky with your future By Chris LaFuria editor in chief cslsoos@psu.edu Imagine. You're really excited to go see the new Christian Bale movie that is coming out. This weekend, you have a perfect day setup for you and two of your friends. Right after your 3 p.m. class, you speed to the nearest movie theater and purchase three tickets to the movie, for roughly $25. Excited, you return to your friends, tickets in hand, ready for the weekend to begin. As you call your friends, you are disappointed to learn that neither of your friends have the same excitement for the movie and decline the invitation. Sadly, you are left with three tickets to an abandoned movie, in which you will not be attending. Similarly, your parents take out a loan for roughly $5,200 for you to attend a semester of classes at Penn State Behrend. They have the same excitement for you to attend classes that you have for the new Christian Bale movie. One day, you feel too tired and fatigued from last night's big bash at your good friend's apartment. Instead of going to class, you decide to Janet Niedenberger • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Beacon Thumbs Up Real kick ass jazz Blazers Billy Ocean Luke J. Reynolds Updawg •••••••••••••••••••••••••• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Senate votes against civil liberties By Chris Brown opinion editor cmbs3l3@psu.edu ecution stated, "Those innocents who were murdered...were not victims of war. And the men who killed them were not, minority group in the senate successfully blocked a A bill that would have granted Habeas Corpus to as in their vanity they claimed on their ludicrous videos, 'sol diers'. They were deluded, narcissistic inadequates. They detainees at Guantanamo. The founders created a were criminals. They were fantasists." broken system to protect the rights of the minority in power Bush has used the "war on terrorism" as a pretext to justi in the Senate and this is what happens. It would be wrong to fy numerous violations of civil liberties including suspen suggest it's not the Republican's right to filibuster in the sion of Habeas Corpus, warrantless wiretapping, and the use Senate because Democrats did the same thing in the past. of clandestine CIA prisons to torture terror suspects. Habeas However, there is something to be said for the Democrats Corpus has only been suspended once before, by Abraham blocking political appointees that would not represent the Lincoln during the Civil War and I don't interests of all Americans and The United States has think anyone would agree that terrorism Republicans blocking a measure to threatens the United States nearly as restore civil liberties secured in the lost the moral superi- much as the Civil War did. Constitution. If America can ignore due process This defeat in congress brings two ority it once had and law when pursuing terror suspects questions to the forefront of discussion. then there is little difference between the How should this "war on terrorism" be United States and states like Iran, North Korea, or the terror conducted and what is more important, security or civil lib- ists being defended against. The United States has lost the moral superiority it used to have; we were the ones that insisted on fair and open trials for Nazi war criminals, not anyone else. Part of what makes the United States such a great target for those that support Islamist fundamentalism and authoritarianism are the civil liberties and freedom with in it. erties? The Bush administration has maintained from the very beginning that this is a war of ideologies and beliefs, against a group of people that hate our way of life. Not only is such a statement misleading, they hate us less for our beliefs than the United States' support of dictators in their countries, it provides an open-ended commitment to a never-ending war. How exactly does one end a "war on terrorism?" Who will sign the peace treaty on behalf of terrorism? Such scenarios are impossible. There is no way to end the war, there will always be terrorists fighting for a cause they believe in. The attacks on the World Trade Centers, London, Madrid and other places never represented acts of war and the ♦ 111 / 4 -‘77 dr , tfr f' isolate yourself in your room and neg lect class for the day. Subsequently, you are causing the same disappoint ment for your parents that your friends had made for the movie. Mathematically, it cost approximate ly $5,200 for a student to register and On average, it costs around $25 to attend one class period. attend classes for the 2006-2007 school year. Divide that by the 15 weeks that classes are in session. Divide that again by the five days of class during the week. The average student had three classes a day, so divide that number by three. On aver age, it costs around $25 to attend one class period. In essence, the money you wasted buying tickets to the movie that nobody attended is the same waste of money that it costs to skip one class session during the semester. Granted there are some exceptions. If your friend was sick, you could see the movie and fill him or her in. Likewise, if you're sick and unable to attend class, other arrangements can - Oversized bookbags American public has been misled. These were all criminal acts and as Ken McDonald, Britain's head of criminal pros- With today's culture of fear and insecurity, nothing scares me more than what would happen to civil liberties if there was another terrorist attack. The federal government has already played on the insecurities of Americans to justify its actions I can only wonder what Americans would be willing to give up in order to feel secure again. When all is said and done, will there be an America worth protecting? * AV t 12 4 1.111111.1111 11011111111111 Beacon Thumbs Down 4 1,4 wr• *.• - ID card readers broken on vending machines - Britney Spears - Oysters - All kinds of calamities The Behrend Beacon I 3 be made to compensate for your excused absence. This is not the case for many students that do not attend Students complain year after year about the high costs of tuition. Yet, many are quick to throw classes on the backburners if something more fun and exciting becomes a possibility. The "injustices" of high tuition costs include the cost to hire qualified pro fessors whose lives are dedicated to perpetuating the system of academia that is not present in many education ally-deprived countries. The depth and knowledge that is passed on entirely justifies those tuition dollars. The waste of loan, grant, scholarship and out-of-pocket money is the great est injustice in the academic system. Millions of hard-earned dollars are wasted on a student's lack of excite ment and drive to obtain the highest level of education. While many lectures do not have the entertainment value of a Christian Bale movie, the value of the lesson goes way beyond temporary stimula tion. Don't waste valuable dollars on idle behavior. Behrend has your ticket to success, which is far more important that this week's new release. 3411 ' 0 1 k t . ... ye 1 1% -16
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers