The Behrend Beacon I 4 The Behrend Beacon Foi ndei) in 1948 Penn State Erie, The Behrend College Reed Union Building 4701 College Drive, Erie PA 16563 RoomloH Telephone: (814) 898-6488 Fax: (814)898-6019 Executive Board Christopher LaFuria, Editor-in-Chief Andy McLachlan, Co-Editor-in-Chief Scott Muska, Managing Editor Tiffany Flynn, Advertising Manager Michelle Quail, Advertising Editor Kim Young, Faculty Adviser Editorial Staff Lenny Smith, News Editor Matt Schawenbauer, asst. News Editor Rachel Reeves Opinion Editor Jess Carlson, Sports Editor Scott Muska, Student Life Editor Ryan P. Gallagher, Music Editor Chris Brown, Copy Editor Jennifer Juncosa, Copy Editor Jeremy K., Humor/Photography Editor Connor Sattely, Entertainment Editor Submission Guidelines: Letters should be limited to 350 words and commentaries should be limited to 700 words. The more concise the submis sion, the less we will be forced to edit it for space concerns and the more likely we are to run the submission. The Beacon does not publish anonymous letters; Please include youf W administration position and semester standing. Deadline for any submission is 5 p.m. Thursday afternoon for inclu sion in the Friday issue. The Behrend Beacon reserves the right to edit any submissions prior to publication. Please keep complaints as spe cific as possible. Email submissions to rcrsos7@psu.edu or drop them off at the Beacon office. ' The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging fhe freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a I' redress of grievances. Beacon Thumbs Up -e- ; P' 6P # # - Total Lunar Eclipses - Student Sections - Sunlight until 6 pm - Plaid Beacon Thumbs Down $ a? $ -,oc -,0: - Poor eating habits - Bruno’s sushi - Bad beef - Dorm drama Erie may see community college By Rachel Reeves opinion editor rcrsos7@psu.edu Behrend may be seeing some more competition in a couple of years. Even though Erie is already full of colleges (Edinboro, Gannon, Mercyhurst) the city is planning on adding a local community college. Right now the closest community col lege is Jamestown Community College, which is about a half hour away. A com munity college in Erie would be the only place in the city to get a two year degree. This is an unsual situation that would benefit Erie but challenge Behrend and other four-year colleges in the area. The people who live in the city of Erie would have a much less expensive way to learn a trade or earn an associate’s degree. Penn State is one of the most expensive public colleges in the country and rivals the tuiition cost of some pri vate schools. Then, because it is state funded, getting scholarship or financial aid money is nearly impossible. For many families in the area, even the least expensive option costs way too much. A Keep the bug from spreading By Rachel Reeves opinion editor rcrsos7<s’psu.c(Ju The bug: that dreaded, ambiguous disease that rages across campus in February. It begins with indis cernible fatigue, maybe a headache or a cough. Before you know it you are wan dering around campus with a bag of cough drops clenched in your clammy, feverish hands and a bottle’s worth of Robitussin in a hip flask. Soon the bug escalates into something more threaten ing like pneumonia or chronic bronchi tis, and you are down for the count. My next-door neighbors have the bug. My roommate has the bug - the lights were out at 10:30 last night. She slept fitfully while 1 hunched underneath my desk lamp trying to catch as much of the suppressed light as 1 could for my home work. Half of my professors have the bug but valiantly attempt teaching any ways. Deep, chest-rattling coughs erupt into the classrooms every five minutes from every other student. 1 may jinx myself as 1 type this, but 1 am still healthy. February is steadily ticking away, and I am beginning to hope maybe just this once, 1 can dodge the bug. I breathe clearly, sleep like a log, and awake every morning refreshed and energized. My Benadryl is untouched, I have no need of the valued Puffs tissues, and I don’t even know where my Ibuprofen is. I am taking every precaution. 1 drink orange juice every morning: high-end Y You cow O'PTNT ON community college would provide a more manageable way to higher educa tion for these families. Also, there would be the option of a two-plus-two path. Students could spend two years at the community college and then finish up at Behrend or another uni versity for the final two years. This would cut a break to students in the area, because they would be able to pay half as much for half of their college career. It would give many people a leg up in the community without loading them with debt. However, Penn State Behrend is a lib eral arts system, which means that most of the credits a student takes are general Tropicana (with calcium, no pulp). I even take vitamins on top of that. I wash my hands an obnoxious amount, I try to get enough sleep, and I do laundry like it’s free. I have also gotten into the habit of never touching anything, ever. But I, and the few others in my posi tion, still need help in order to secure complete healthiness. Professors, I understand that you need to talk during class. But if you could perhaps just clear your throat, or at least cover your coughs with your hands, it may delay the spread of the bug. Intermittent hacking in the middle of a sentence not only propels germs clear across the room, but also results in sympathetic coughing from most of the students, and soon the class room in a breeding ground for illness. Now, it’s obvious that many students like to celebrate the variety of dating options at college. But either abstinence or committed, monogamous relation ships can help stop the spread of colds. When you aren’t feeling great, just keep in mind that trying to score as many hook-ups as possible does not behoove the general population here at Behrend. At least wait until you don’t need to get •I?'-'''; *Cv*a. •- •••'V'- ■ < > * This is an unsual situ ation that would bene fit Erie but challenge Behrend and other four-year colleges in the area. “February is steadily ticking away ; and /am beginning to hope maybe just this once, I can dodge the bug. ” '-'p. education credits. This is the system that suffers the most when competing with a community college. There is no student who will pay twice as much money for the same science, math, writing, and for eign language requirements as long as they smoothly transfer over to the four year college. In this aspect, a community college could really hurt Behrend. Much more of the student population would be local transfer students, amd the number of freshmen and sophomore students would decline dramatically. Less stu dents However, the city is considering that instead of building a stand-alone col lege, build a program through the other univerisities in the area. This would include Behrend in the new system instead of competing with it. A program like this will benefit the community by providing more opportunity, while simultaneously boosting the univerisi ties already in the area. A community college is a huge under taking. But if everyone plays their cards right, it could be a win-win-win situa tion for everyone. loaded up on medication to survive a night out. If you are sick, then I recommend ye olde practise of quarantining. Try locat ing a black bow to stick on your door, or at least use some computer paper and Sharpies to make a warning sign. That way us healthy people know whether we are entering a relatively safe zone, or a cesspool of disease. And I know that you have lives to lead - classes to pass, meals to scrounge up. Just remember that each time you leave your room, you are putting someone else in danger. When you absolutely have to leave your building, consider carrying a spray can of Lysol. That way everything you touch can remain sanitized. It may be hard to remember to spray every thing you touch in the course of a day, but I have a suggestion for that, too. Pretend that you are running from the law or are pulling off a major con, and that you have to erase every fingerprint you leave behind. Facemasks are not expensive, either. In this frigid weather, it may even keep your nose toasty warm, which can only aid the healing process. Why don’t you splurge and get the quality kind, like the ones surgeons wear? These have the side bonus of alerting healthy people to stay away and avoiding contracting your cold altogether. It’s a treacherous time. But I’m confi dent that with my tips and your courtesy that I and other healthy people may make it through to spring. I think the world needs ... To pay more attention to Russia. Yes, Iran is one of the more terrifying countries in the world. And Pakistan with its combined chaos and nuclear power keeps many of us from sleeping soundly. But Russia has the leader who will not relinquish power. They also have plans to keep mis siles aimed at Western Europe, and hope to redefine democracy as we know it. So just keep an eye out, ok? Friday, February 22, 2008 Whatever hap- pened to ice cream trucks? By Chris LaFuria editor-in-chief cslsoos@psu.edu - What ever happened to ice cream trucks, window washers and milk men? - I wonder if the mothers of cow boys ever told them not to horse around? - If 18-wheelers are considered the biggest trucks on the road, then why are they always called “semi-trucks"? - I went to Moscow and people were always in a hurry. I asked a woman why and all she could say is, “I’m Russian.” - I couldn’t be the president of the United States because I was not born in a state. I was born in a commonwealth of the United States. - People who developed film were always in a bad mood from being around so many negatives. - Someone once told me to quit smoking. I told them, “I’m not the one smoking. The cigarette is.” - When Gary Paulsen dies, I won der if he is going to bury the "Hatchet.” - When did pennies become worth less? - Genghis Khan is a faker, so is James Caan. - Why is it called “heartburn” if it has nothing to do with the heart or fire? - I would probably die if I went to a Beijing preschool because there is way too much Euthanasia. - The guy who installed my win dows was full of himself. He was way too caulky. - Were werewolves called such because they were half man/half wolf or because they were incog nizant of their location? - I would let Dr. Pepper do surgery on me to repair my taste buds. - Some people have a common hobby of building a ship-in-a-bot tle. It’s much more difficult to build a pirate-in-a-bottle. - The word "phlegm” has way too much of the letter “g.” - I went on a blind date and I can’t remember what she looked like. - Middle names are about as useful as male nipples. - If I were to be friends with the Rice Krispies guys, I think I would be ok with Crackle and Pop, but I would definitely have a problem with Snap. - Coyotes would be much more friendly if they didn’t howl so much at night. People are trying to sleep. - I got a headache when I was try ing to put my No. 2 pencils in numerical order. - The reason we do not have a pickle brand called Britney Spears is because we would have to get rid of the baby dills. - I wonder if the hood is the most dangerous place on the coat. - If I were a book, I would be found in the Skinback section. - I had a glass of trout juice, but it all spilled when I tried to tip the scales. - Mrs. Vinyl left her husband because he was a record player. - Tigers would be so much better at sneaking up to their prey if they weren’t bright orange... And did n’t growl and roar. - I used to scream for ice cream. Now I scream for environmental conservation laws. - I will never, ever, ever have to actually use x=[ -b ± sqrt(b A 2 - 4ac) ] / 2a.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers