I The Behrend Beacon
_The Behrend
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For ni»ki) in 1948
Penn State Erie,
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Jess Carlson, Sports Editor
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Ryan P. Gallagher, Music Editor
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Jennifer Juncosa, Copy Editor
Evan Koser, Copy Editor
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- De-icing the freezer
- Finals
- Cleaning and packing
- The end of the year
By Christopher Brown
opinion editor
cmbs3l3@psu.edu
Feb. 8. 2008
A recession for the U.S. economy
seems to be inevitable. Soaring energy
costs, the declining dollar value, the dry
ing up of capital for businesses, the
increasing number of bankruptcies, and
the growing number of foreclosures in
the United States add up to a long road
ahead for the economy. Congress has
stalled on a stimulus package that will
most likely end up being too little and
too late for any real effect anyways.
While the talking-heads on T.V. can’t
agree on what all this means for the
future of the economy, almost all agree
we have not seen the worst of it yet.
I was watching MTV’s serial docu
mentary program True Life the other
day. This episode followed young
Americans in their early 20s who had
forgotten too far in debt and were strug
gling to pay their bills or were going
through bankruptcy. One of them had
bought a house she couldn’t afford and
expensive furniture she didn’t need.
Another was living in her parent’s
garage because she had no money. At
one point she visited her bankruptcy
lawyer to go over paperwork, and of all
things she could have had in her hand,
she had that oh-so-needed status symbol
of a Starbuck’s cup. I was shocked. This
image stuck out to me more than any
thing else.
Cartoon by Jennifer Juncosa April 19, 2008
There’s only one kind of Nittany Lion
By Lenny Smith
news editor
1r55046 <?’ psu.edu
Oct. 19. 2007
Let’s take a journey back to your
senior year of high school when you
made your college decision. You were
probably very excited about being
accepted into Penn State Behrend and
couldn’t wait to graduate from high
school and get away from all that
drama.
“Hey Len, where are you going to
college next year?” a friend asks.
"Penn State Behrend,” 1 reply. To my
dismay, 1 am not met with any congrat
ulations. No, I simply get the look of
discomfort and then the response, “Oh,
you couldn’t get into Main, huh?”
Yes, 1 didn’t get accepted into
University Park for my freshman year,
but that doesn’t mean that because I go
to a commonwealth campus I am any
less intelligent. This seems to be one
of the worst misconceptions among
Penn State students, primarily those in
State College.
There are numerous reasons why a
student would choose Behrend over
University Park. Behrend has a lot to
offer on its own right, aside from the
Penn State degree.
They have smaller class sizes, which
means a smaller student to faculty
OPINION
Common sensinomics
ratio, award-winning professors and
programs, as well as the greater oppor
tunity to participate in athletic pro
University Park also has its high
lights, too. You are right in the midst
of everything that is Penn State. All
your needs are met within walking dis
tance, and there is a greater opportuni
ty to find who you are in the very
diverse environment.
I initially had my heart set on
University Park and after I was divert
ed to Behrend I was pretty upset.
However, I have grown to really like it
here in Erie. I have been involved in a
large number of programs and clubs
and academically, the smaller class set
ting has definitely been an advantage.
However, I do plan on transferring
because I cannot finish my degree at
Behrend.
What really makes me mad is when
the students at University Park feel like
they have the right to demean all the
students at commonwealth campuses.
A remarkable 60 percent of first year
students start their degrees at a campus
other than University Park. Any of
these students that are in good academ
ic standing have the option of changing
their campus assignment to University
Park.
Behrend students deserve the respect
of their fellow Penn State students. We
Here was a person who couldn’t make
rent, didn’t have a steady job, and was
filing bankruptcy, but she somehow
managed to scrounge up enough money
to buy a cup of over-priced, sugary, cof
fee. I suspect this was not an isolated
incident. This example illustrates an
important point about the state of our
economy that the numbers don’t reflect:
for all practical purposes the words
‘need’ and ‘want’ are now synonyms in
American vernacular.
Today, if one person gets a new car, all
of their neighbors need one also. As
soon as the latest gadgets come out,
everyone needs to get one. Today’s
spending habits are driven more by
greed and attempts to define one’s self
worth through their material possesions.
I’m not quite sure who so blame, the
predatory lender and savvy salesperson
or the person who spends beyond their
means. Do we blame drug dealers or the
drug addicts? Both, drug dealers and
greedy corporations, sell instant gratifi
cation that require people borrow
against their future in order to purchase.
Yesterday, retailers released figures
that showed consumer spending dropped
precipitously over the last few months,
dealing the latest blow to the American
economy. As reported by the New York
Times, consumer spending accounts for
two-thirds of economic growth; a
decline almost guarantees a recession. I
can almost hear the blame game begin
nining. Democrats will blame
Republicans, Republicans-Democrats.
Bush will blame Congress, Congress-
Bush. Current Federal Reserve
Chairman Ben Bernanke will blame for
mer Chairman Alan Greenspan.
I think there will be enough blaming
to go around. But, I want to take my own
share of responsibility for the decline,
cause you see. I’m one of those con
sumers that refuses to buy things I don’t
need or spend money I don’t have. So
partly the decline in consumer spending
is my fault; sorry.
After almost every economic reces
sion economists develop a ‘new’ theory
so past mistakes don’t repeat them
selves. After the Great Depression,
Classical economics gave way to
Keynesian macroeconomics. Stagflation
in the 1960’s gave way to Monetarism.
Declining productivity in the late 1970 s
brought Reaganomics and trickle-down
econonmics. And the economic reces
sion of the early 1990 s led to even more
ideas on how to think about economics.
No doubt, economists will come up with
some hot-new theory to explain the les
sons learned from this most recent eco
nomic decline.
However, I think the next economic
theory will be called Common-
Sensinomics. It's main premise: don’t
spend money you don't have on things
you don’t need; don’t sell things people
don’t need. I know, it goes against
everything we’ve been taught from
birth, but I think it just might work.
have some of the best academic pro
grams in the nation, including our
Plastics Engineering Technology
This year, one of UP students’ main
argument against commonwealth stu
dents is their right to football tickets.
They think that they should have first
dibs on student section seating because
there are in State College. They
believe that we should not even have to
option to purchase tickets because all
we supposedly do is sell our tickets for
a profit. I was fortunate enough to buy
season tickets and have attended every
game that 1 can. Over the course of the
season, I will have only sold two tick
ets. 1 know a lot of people at
University Park that have student tick
ets, but have not felt like going to the
game and have left their ticket to go
unused. What is worse, a ticket going
unused or a ticket from a common
wealth student being sold?
At the end of our tenure, we will all
have a diploma that reads ’’The
Pennsylvania State University.” There
will be no way for anyone to know
where you began or even finished your
degree. The commonwealth campus
system gives students from all campus
es valuable resources from all over the
state. We are all one Penn State.
Beacon next year:
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9)9 cool kids do.
f*Ms?®peu.«du
Friday, May 2, 2008
Whatever
happened to
ice cream
trucks?
By Chris LaFuria
editor-in-chief
cslsoos@psu.edu
Feb. 22, 2008
- What ever happened to ice cream
trucks, window washers and milkmen?
- I wonder if the mothers of cowboys
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 bom in
a state. I was bom 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 smok
ing. I told them, “I’m not the one smok
ing. The cigarette is.”
- When Gary Paulsen dies, I wonder if
he is going to bury the “Hatchet.”
- When did pennies become worthless?
- 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 windows
was full of himself. He was way too
caulky.
- Were werewolves called such because
they were half man/half wolf or because
they were incognizant 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-bottle. It’s much
more difficult to build a pirate-in-a-bot
tle.
- 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 def
initely have a problem with Snap.
- Coyotes would be much more friend
ly if they didn’t howl so much at night.
People are trying to sleep.
-1 got a headache when I was trying 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 dan
gerous place on the coat.
- If I were a book, I would be found in
the Skinback section.
- 1 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 didn’t growl and
roar.
-1 used to scream for ice cream. Now 1
scream for environmental conservation
-1 will never, ever, ever have to actual
ly use the Quadratic Formula..
- I’m leaving Behrend with my pants
down so that everyone can see my bare
end.