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
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Updawg
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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
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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?
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- ID card readers broken on vending
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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.
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