OUR VOICE: The majority opinion of the Behrend Beacon editorial board
New chancellor must focus on students
As the search begins for a
new chancellor at Behrend,
many of us have just begun to
realize how lucky we were to
have Chancellor Jack Burke
during out entire college ca
reers. While we realize there
are many elements to the
search for a chancellor - busi
ness, faculty relations, academ
ics, donors - we hope that the
most important part of a col
lege will be kept in mind: the
students.
Many of us at the Beacon
have had the opportunity to
personally interview Dr. Burke
for stories. An appointment -
and this is for everyone, not
just journalists - with the per
son in charge of our university
is as easy as three minutes and
MYVOICE
ED MISETA
contributing faculty u riter
Investors duped out of their
money. Retirement dreams
smashed. Billions of dollars
missing. Bernie Madoff? Nope.
The US Government.
If New York investor Bernie
Madoff belongs in prison, then
there is a long list of former and
current senators and congress
men who should be right be
hind him. Never has there been
an investment scam that will
plunder more hard-earned dol
lars from American workers
than Social Security. The sys
tem will rob you of millions in
retirement dollars while most
likely giving you nothing in re
turn.
Social Security did not start
YIoNDEI
imw
PROTECT
' l Ll
ifa
MY VOICE
Choices of a college student
BRANDON BOYD
I have a confession to make:
I am the Brett Favre of decision
making. I make choosing a
pair of shoes seem like a
quadruple bypass. So when it
comes to my future, you can
only imagine how I feel. 1 know
what I want to be, but I have no
idea of what road I will take to
get there, or where that road
will end. It is hard not to think
about the future; it is, after all,
the rest of my life.
This is not about me, though.
This is about the decisions that
so many college students have
4701 ““CTi 1 oh" pa ' 6563 The Behrend Beacon
Executive Board
Editor-In-Chief: Business Manager:
Connor Sattely Bethany Long
editor@psu.edu bjlso37@psu.edu
Managing Editor: Faculty Advisor:
Christine Newby K ' m Young
censos6@psu.edu kjylo@psu.edu
Web Editor:
Marcus Yeagley
mjysol2@psu.edu
a phone call. He has been more
than willing to level with us
many times, on the colleges
plans, and explain his decisions
as its leader.
He has also shown commit
ment to seeking out the student
base, holding events every year
such as Cookies with the Chan
cellor, in which students are en
couraged to come to the lobby
of a building and just ask ques
tions. Dr. Burke has been ex
actly what a chancellor should
be to our students - an open,
honest administrator that is vis
ible, rather than secluded be
hind an office door.
While we know not everyone
has agreed with Dr. Burke's de
cisions during his time at
Behrend, it is indisputable that
The real
out as the monstrosity it is
today. At one time our politi
cians felt it was not good for a
society to have its senior citi
zens living on the street. A
safety net was needed to keep
seniors afloat if they had no in
come to live on in retirement.
Few Americans would disagree.
Taking a few bucks from the
checks of workers to support
the truly needed is not a terrible
thing, even if it does seem un
constitutional.
We called the new program
Social Security Insurance, or
SSI. We all know how insur
ance works: You and many oth
ers purchase insurance on your
homes. If your house burns
down, the insurance company
will rebuild it for you. If you are
lucky and your house doesn’t
to make, and how to make
them. With more majors than
bubble gum flavors, it’s almost"
impossible to pinpoint just
what the choice should be.
Once you choose a major, you
have to decide whether or not
you want to keep it, how long
you want to study, what you
want to do after college, and of
course, decide what you want
to eat for dinner that night.
Making a decision is like lis
tening to country music; there
is no easy way to do it. How
ever, if you don’t make a deci
sion, life makes it for you. That
being said, it’s still important to
take time and think out your
decisions. There does need to
stall writer
News Editors:
Mike 0. Wehrer
mrwso94@psu. edu
Ally Orlando
acososl@psu.edu
Culture Editor:
Evan Koser
emksllo@psu.edu
he showed a constant effort to
articulate student interests.
We feel that our search com
mittee, as they assemble
throughout the year, should
keep this in mind above all else.
There are a plethora of other
concerns that the committee
will be evaluating, of course.
While we don't pretend to be
experts on even half of the
qualities that must be sought,
we know that the candidate's
skill at handling donors, fi
nances, academics, and faculty
are very important capabilities.
The most integral part to a
university, though, above all of
these, are its students.
Because a university is de
fined by its students, when it
gets time to sit down with these
investment sham
burn down, you are simply out
the money. That is the fee you
pay to get the insurance com
pany to accept the risk for you.
Our politicians had a better
idea: If you retire and don’t
have an income to live on, we
will make payments to you. But
if you are one of the lucky ones
who don't need it, we will pay
you anyway. Any insurance
company that operated on this
type of business plan would be
bankrupt in a year. With the
backing of the government, it
just took Social Security a little
longer to get there.
Assume Sally graduates from
Penn State Erie and takes a job
earning $55,000 per year. She
will pay approximately $270
per month into the Social Secu
rity abyss. If Sally were instead
iMDOM?
be a happy medium - don’t be
as slow as an old lady on the
freeway, yet don’t rush your de-
cision,
If you just cannot make a de
cision, there are a few tricks to
help. Look at it from other peo
ple’s perspectives. How would
your parents feel? How would
your grandma feel? How
would the person who takes
your order at McDonalds feel?
Keep in mind what type of per
son you are. If you are a risk
taker, go ahead and try some
thing different. If you are cau
tious, do not do anything
stupid. A cautious person mak
ing a risky decision is like see
ing Rocky Balboa losing.
Editorial Board
Opinion Editor:
Neil James
opinion@psu.edu
Sports Editors:
Nick Blake
npbso4l@psu.edu
Shawn Annarelli
smaslB9@psu.edu
br^'
t tr:3
Business Editors:
Harmilee Cousin
hxcso2o@psu. edu
Garrett Carson
gmcso2l @psu.edu
Science Editor:
Brian Carlson
bmcso62@psu.edu
Humanities Editor:
Adam Spinelli
alsssB9@psu.edu
Photo Editor:
Daniel J. Smith
djss223@psu. edu
people and interview them, the
question must be asked: how
will this person interact with
our students both en masse and
individually? If they show any
less commitment than our cur
rent chancellor, they are unde
serving to hold the position.
The only two Behrend stu
dents on the search committee
are Brad Kovalcik, an under
graduate student and SGA
President; and Adam Gilmore,
a graduate student. We implore
these two students to keep their
fellow classmates in mind
above all else when evaluating
candidates.
Connor Sjtie/) lor the Behrend
Be.ii'on editorial sr.i/l
allowed to invest that money
into a growth stock fund, she
would amass a nest egg of ap
proximately $2.5 million by the
time she retires.
Instead she is forced to put
the money into a system that
will give the money to someone
else, while promising that oth
ers will pay her back when she
retires. If this sounds like a
pyramid scheme, it’s because it
is. And that system is now
headed straight into bank
ruptcy with no fix on the hori
zon. That means Sally is very
likely to get nothing for her
thousands of dollars, along
with many others.
This is a scam that should put
Bernie Madoff to shame.
f<7 Miseta i s a ledurer in econnnm s
<7 t Penn State Behrend
* -
4UR.. Y
It shouldn’t happen.
Also, when it comes to
decision making, try not to fall
into the treacherous trap that
I’m in. Treat the big decisions
like royalty, and don’t sweat the
small stuff; after all, there will
be thousands of decisions to
make in life. If lunch comes
down to a hamburger or a
cheeseburger, your decision
won’t end the world. However,
if you cannot decide between
becoming a history teacher or
an accountant, maybe it’s time
to sit down and take a look at
what’s important. When it
comes down to it, cheese
doesn’t matter; a career does.
Telephone: (814) 898-6488
Fax: (814)898-6019
Single copies of the Beacon are free and available at newsstands around campus. Additional copies can be purchased
with permission of the editor in chief for $.50 each.
Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the students, faculty or University administration. Opinions ex
pressed in columns, cartoons, and letters are not necessarily those of The Behrend Beacon unless otherwise indicated.
PhntnnranhAr«• : An - V * e,ters intended for publication must be addressed to the editor, be no more than 250 words, and include the
rnoiograpners. j writer's name and phone number. Letters may be edited for content or length at the editor in chiefs discretion.
JOD Klein The Behrend Beacon does not publish anonymous letters to the editor. If students want their letters to be pub*
jekso34@pSU.edu i lished, they must include their name. The Behrend Beacon intends for its Opinion page to be a forum for discussion,
Mike FllitZ : not a screen to bide behind. Occasionally, The Behrend Beacon may request responses to online queries in which re
_ : sponders will be identified by their username.
m)lSe>U4(§>pSU. ecu : The Behrend Beacon is editorially independent from the Penn State system The Behrend Beacon operates partially on
Sarah Baker : Student Activity Fee. and partially on advertising revenue. It is published even,’ Friday during the school year except for
Sjbs273@pSU.edu i before and during scheduled vacations, with exceptions for special issues
: The editor-in-chief has the final authority on editorial decisions, including, but not limited to, all columns, editorials,
: and letters to the editor. Complaints regarding Beacon (overage of school events should be directed to the editor at edi
• tor<" psu.edu.
MY VOICE
Fear no flu
CARA DALLENBACH
Oh yes, it is that time of the
year again; the changing of sea
sons, where the everyday walk
to class somehow seems more
intimate as the signs of fall sur
round us. There are the ever so
pleasant colors of trickling
leaves, the sweet aroma of hot
apple cider brewing, and the
understood notion that you
will, at some point, be con
fronted with almost every vari
ation of pie by Christmas time.
Combine that wholesome
thought with the sounds of
football marching bands har
monizing in the distance, and I
could just end this article here
and now, knowing that every
thing is right in the world. How
ever, this picturesque
description of fall at its finest is
not standard for everyone. For
some, fall brings with it a men
acing trait. Dare I say it?! Two
hair-raising words for you:
“THE SWINE!"
Now, I probably lost a few
readers just now because upon
seeing the word “swine" some
undoubtedly dropped the paper
and ran frantically to the clos
est hand sanitizing station. For
those of you who can bear with
me throughout the duration of
this article, despite this horrific
topic, allow me to share with
you a comforting and very de
tailed piece of advice: every
thing’s going to be okay.
Let us just accept the fact that
swine flu is serious and can,
heaven forbid, cause fatality.
That fact alone is without ques
tion, worrisome. However,
there is no need to live our lives
in perpetual anguish and fear
over something we cannot fully
control.
With the increasing cases of
swine flu transpiring in the
MY VOICE
Civility: DOA?
TALIA FINOTTI
t ontnhutinii u nter
People who show genuine re
spect to others are a dying
breed. As an individual I re
spect everyone I interact with.
However, from watching the
media and even seeing a few
people around doing very disre
spectful things could make
anyone think that civility is
dead. I’m almost certain that if
not everyone, most people have
either seen or heard about the
Serena Williams’ outburst at a
referee, or Kanye West inter
rupting Taylor Swifts’ award
speech, or even Obama being
rudely heckled by Representa
tive Joe Wilson.
Those are just a few exam
ples of the disrespect shown
today, but does anyone care
about respect or dignity for oth
ers and even our own selves?
That is the question I frequently
ask myself.
I’ve watched a male in my
classroom talk while the pro
fessor was talking, I’ve watched
a young high school student
purposely saunter in front of a
car I was in, and I’ve seen peo
ple not do the common cour
tesy of holding a door.
I’ve had a great many of dif
ficult jobs. Once, I was a wait
ress, then I was a telemarketer,
loathed my many, and finally, a
cashier.
From these jobs I’ve wit
nessed some of the most foul
and rude behaviors from peo
ple. I’ve been called horrible
names for doing my job, awful
slurs that would make even the
dirtiest mouthed college stu
dent cringe. I’ve had people
shout at me because they didn’t
like how much an order cost,
knowing quite well that I had
no influence on the price. This
makes me think: Do we really
care about others? The fact
that we belittle them and pur
posefully disreguard the truth
Editori
Behrend Beacon
October 9, 200
www.thebehrendbeacon.com
community, I notice people be
coming more and more fidgety
and panicky. My word, if some
one lets out even the slightest
utterance of a cough these
days, everyone collectively
gasps and runs in sporadic di
rections towards the Health &
Wellness Center. It’s the swine
flu for Pete’s sake, not leprosy.
•.(,!// u nh‘i
There is no need for us to be
come crazed swine flu extrem
ists. All we simply need to do is
utilize the strategies suggested
to us by doctors and profes
sionals. The strategies are
rather juvenile, yet work effec
tively if implemented into our
daily lifestyle and routine.
Wash your hands, get rest,
don’t share drinks, and get vac
cinated; these aren’t mind-bog
gleing concepts here, it’s more
or less common sense. How
ever, this does not mean we
need to go crazy with these
strategies and blow them com
pletely out of proportion. There
is a fine line between being
proactively cautious, and just
plain being spastic.
Make those frequent stops to
the hand sanitizing station, but
please don’t let me catch a stu
dent lathering it over the en
tirety of their bodies and
attempting to drink the hand
sanitizer in hopes of being eter
nally cured. “You, hand sani
tizer, are now in and around my
body, fulfill me with your
cleansing spirits!” Let’s avoid
scaring people in process of
protecting our immune sys
tems.
So when you see a peer in a
sneezing frenzy, don’t roll a can
of Clorox their way from a safe
and precautionary eight yards
away. Instead, go up to them,
place a friendly hand on their
shoulder, look them deeply in
eye and say, “You’re going to be
okay.”
that they gave feeling tbo, is
disgusting. I’m not speaking
for everyone, but from what I
can see from either watching
the media or even seeing day to
day people they seem almost
“cavalier."
The other day, my grand
mother started with another of
her “back in my day” stories,
and though I was anticipating
the end of the speech about
how she had to hike through
three feet of snow up a steep
hill, I was surprised that I didn’t
get another lecture.
She said to me, “I remember
when people had manners, and
boys and sometimes girls
would hold the doors for you,
and boys would walk you to
your home.” Almost in a sort of
dramatic way, she shook her
head, “you just don’t see that
anymore.”
Gosh, was she right? Are
people today so terribly tact
less? I try to brush off disre
spectful actions by people
because I try to think that
maybe it’s a bad day for them
or maybe they just don’t realize
what they are doing. Maybe it’s
exactly just that, the fact that
people don’t think about what
they are doing, that they don’t
think about the people around
them. That dignity is all lost;
respect and civility are thrown
in the crash can as to say “the
heck with it.”
My point is that, we need to
start treating each other with
the respect and dignity that
every person is entitled to. We
need to follow the Golden Rule
or simply stop interacting with
people all together.
I’m not sure if this is
mankind slipping into a down
ward spiral and turning into a
case of survival of the fittest. I
certainly hope this is not the
case, but if dignity is all lost and
respect is turned into a door
mat, bring in Charles Darwin
because we’ll need a specialist.