PAGE 2 ROTC I would like to fire this editorial in the direction of the R.O.T.C. and Assistant Professor of Military Science, Robert Schneider. Professor Schneider, in your March 20, editorial, you write that the students of Behrend College "over reacted" to Mr. Carter's proposal to reinstitute draft registration. How can anyone ever get too worried about anything dealing with war and the killing of human beings? I think, this is the major weakness of the R.O.T.C. program, the easy feelings they possess about war. The R.O.T.C. at Behrend seems to' consider armed conflict a way of life and as "the American Way." Look at what the program does around campus. Campus activities planned by R.O.T.C. often in volve small hints of military maneuvers to show how "great" arid "fun" army life is. Next time you - give your helicopter rides, v by not add some realism? How E bout zinging some missies c ,erhead? Pepper machine gun f re into the crowd, and for an hied measure, throw mangled t )(lies and body parts around the ird' before it takes off. (Show t em the real conditions of What's In A Word? By Joe Englert I remember one day, way back in grade school it was. I was in the first grade and was sitting in my little Catholic school desk when the teacher proclaimed that she was to return our printing papers. The papers came down the row past me, hand to hand they went. I glanced at all the remarks written. "Good," "Very Good" "Poor" were the usual comments. Then, my paper made its way to me. I finally got my paper and it read, "Excellent." I became terrified. What did this word mean? Little did I know that this word within twelve years would become the most over used word in the history of man. I went home that same evening and waited until our library became vacant, so I could discover the meaning of this word very unknown to me. I came upon my Thorndike-Barnhardt, Student Pleads For Others To Be "Born Again" Joe Fornear Whenever I sit down to watch TV, I get a kick out of those silly before-and after commercials. People's lives are changed by simple products. One girl was suffering from severe depression because she couldn't find the right boyfriend. Luckily, her girlfriend had been there and pointed out that she only needed a new brand of toothpaste. Needless to say, her love-life tripled overnight. How about the couple that is just not getting along until Sarah points out to the gal that only Maxwell House can keep her on her hubby's good side. And then there's Coach Johnson, you know he's from college, who seems to be all hung up on his dandruff problem. Lucky for him that he asked the Tegrin man's advice. Don't you wish you could be as happy as the Geritol couple? Wouldn't it be nice to really find peace of mind in the good hands of the All State People? - We think that "these com mercials are silly but we often contradict ourselves and buy these products. Very simply, advertisers see a need that we experience in our lives and present a solution-their miracle product. Sometimes they will even create a need. They try to convince us that we need to drive Under By Joe Englert helicopter use.) On your next field trip, take the recruits to a Vet hospital or to the house of that Vet down the street who lost his leg in NAM. They'll tell you how much fun war can be. Later on in the editorial you explained how men are needed in the forces so the army can mobilize quickly. If the Russians are as evil as you say, why use men at all? The Russians, being the eternal bad guy, would blow up the world with nuclear weapons if they started to lose a conventional war. So why waste our time fighting when we could be praying and enjoying our last days on Earth? (I've already done you a favor. I wrote my ' congressman and asked him if the Behrend R.O.T.C. could sign the first nuclear war head going to Russia. How does, "To Leonoid, with Love." sound?) Probably the biggest propaganda stunt the R.O.T.C. pulls is that it never says anything bad about the U.S. The U.S. is the best country in the world, in my opinion,- but it has done wrong inthe past and should learn from those mistakes. Why not admit we were wrong in the past in dealings with many Middle East nations and other dodged a gum wag (no relation to Johnny), and discovered what "excellent" meant. It read, ,'Excellent - of high standard, of high dcgree." Being the stupid kid I was, I thought she had meant my printing bad. It looked like I had a temperature when I wrote it. In the years that followed, I saw and heard the word frequently in my life. I even began to use the word frequently - Stereo Review explained to me that it was the best an album could be on its' rating scale. Then, the dark ages for the word began. "Excellent" is a word that is used two to one by college students when compared to any other word. All of a sudden, it was all around me, that three syllable monster, "excellent." Had was down right scary. Had some unthinking force in nature made everything "Excellent?" On my first day at Behrend I heard two people talking: a certain car .or go to a certain restaurant. However, our needs seem to be more spiritual than material. One day I was approached with the fact that I could have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus said he "Came that they might have lived and have it more abundantly." _lt sounded good but I only thought of Jesus in a historical sense, that He died on a cross in Israel centuries ago. But it is only through faith in Jesus Christ: who was put to death by the so-called religious leaders of His day, that we can receive eternal life. Because "God made Him who knew no sin to be made sin on our behalf, so that in Him, we might share the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:15). The first Easter morning, three days after Jesus' lifeless body and He was resurrected from the dead. That very same Spirit that God breathed into His Son is breathed into every person who turns from their sinful ways and commits his or her life to Christ. This is what it means to be born again. Jesus said that "ye must be born again," (John 3:3). To be born from above by the power of the Holy Spirit. The moment you receive Christ you become a son or daughter of God and begin a Behrend Collegian Fire countries? It should be taught that we were the "Police Men of the World" not out of idealism, but for economic reasons. Why kid students by telling them we have fought wars for democracy and to keep people free? Any war we have ever fought in, we did for our own interests. We will not fight for the sake of the Afghanistan people. If we take on the Soviets, we will do so for oil! "You noticed that the Americans fought North Vietnam, not China," noted a Soviet official in the 60's. As for young people, why not try to teach them the right priorities for a civilized nation! Why not teach them the science of negotiation and peace, not war tactics? Instead of emphasizing blind nationalism and war mongering, allow open min dedness, art, culture and education; the things that should be taught. Maybe we could even show the world we aren't afraid of peace and that we will never forget (we shouldn't) the trauma and the psychological hurt of Vietnam. Professor Schneider, I love the country I live in and I'm definitely not a communist. I just hate the color of fatigue green, and I especially hate war. "How was your summer?" "Excellent, excellent". "Did you go on vacation?" "Yeah, Florida, it was ex cellent." "What have you been doing?" "Well, I had this excellent job at this excellent little bar in Pittsburgh." "That sounds excellent." I couldn't believe my ears! Was this the utopian, coverall word that non-communicators had been looking for for centuries. What is it anyhow? Are people trying to see how many times they can use the word in a sen tence? And it didn't just happen once this year. I've heard the dumb word at least one hundred times a day. What ever happened to "good?" Has "great 'fallen by the wayside?" Has "fantastic" faded away? "Excellent" has become a disase, an epidemic on Continued on page 3 new life - a spiritual life. "Christ died for all so that all who live may no longer live for themselves but for Him who died, and rose for them." (2 Cor. 5:15). Are you living for yourself or for Jesus Christ? "Be not deceived: God is not mocked: for what soever a man soweth, that shall be also reap." (Galatians 6:7). If you turn your back on Christ, He will do the same to you. If you accept Christ then make him Number One in your life above your party life, your girl or boy friend, and even yourself; Jesus Christ, who lives right now and is coming again, will go out of His way to work miracles in your life. But don't listen to me, find out for yourself. If you would like to learn more about a personal relationship with Jesus, talk to me or a Christian you know, or come to Professor Keith Hagenbuch's house across from the campus. He lives four houses up from Station Road. Students meet there to talk about the Lord, sing, pray, and get acquainted every Wednesday night at 7:00. There is also a Bible Study on Thursdays at noon in the Memorial Room or the Administration (Main) Building. All are welcome. Look for signs about ' an upcoming Christian coffeehouse. . WIN $5OO CASH • FOR YOUR VACATION THIS SUMMER No obligation. To receive entry form send self addressed stamped envelope to SUMMER SWEEPSTAKES, P. 0. Box 730, Couer d'Alene, Idaho 83814. Theatre Review: Zei lefrow 'Lovable' Something almost magical happens in Jack Heifner's play, "Vanities." It is not a par ticularly good -play, nor does it escape theatrical flaws and character inaccuracies. But, when it is performed well, Broadway's longest running comedy has a charm uniquely its own. Remember the powerful production of "Vanities" that Paul Iddings directed last Spring? It was, perhaps, the best -acting ensemble to grace the Studio Theatre at Behrend College. Sue Klein, Carol Kuhl and Becky Zellefrow exceeded in originality and theatre presence what is expected of student ac ting. Once again, a delightful production of "Vanities" - was presented at Behrend in Erie Hall on Saturday, March 22 at 8:00 P.M. Directed by David Dan nenbaum, the University Resident Theatre Company from Main Campus, Penn State, transformed the gymnasium into a theatre atmosphere. And once again, Becky Zelle frow demonstrated her talent for versatility on a Behrend stage, this time creating the role of Joanne. She played Kathy in the Behrend - production. Ms. Zellefrow is always fascinating to watch perform; she commands attention, pulling an audience into her creative space. One always has a sense of depth in her characters, full of the inner promptings and ambiguities inherent in being human. Her portrayal of Maggie in "The Shadow Box" was awesome! In one sense, "Vanities" is a play within a play. The audience witnesses the transformation from actress to character right on the stage_ One of the highlights of the show was watching Becky Zellefrow become Joanne. Her character appeared more gradually and completely than those of Mary and Kathy. Ms_ Zellefrow brought a sensitivity to her character that helped her tap into Joanne's self-centered, narrowed world-view and repressed sexuality, revealing an impinging hysteria behind her surface character. Unfortunately, Ms. Zellefrow played Joanne with so much gusto that she over-shadowed the other two actresses. Of course, _ ailthrtni ;:ollt4ian Gene Grygo Editor Melvyn Anderson Business Manager Paul Elbel Lonnie Gilbert B ill Hegman Mike Guido AdVisor: Dr. Michel Small Typist: Melanie Nutter Mailing Address - Behrend College, Station Road, Erie, Pa. 16563 Office - Student Offices, Reed Union Building Office Hours: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday thru Friday Phone 898-1511 Ext. 238 Opinions expressed by the editors and . staff of the Behrend Collegian are not necessarily those of the University Ad ministration, faculty, or the student body. • by Sandra DeLillis the whole company was han dicapped with the acoustic s . of a gymnasium, and Zellefrow's intensity became magnified in the larger space, or she was just trying to, compensate for the lower energy levels _of both Barbara Bisbing and Carolyn Bowes. Otherwise, Zellefrow's performance was superbly lovable. Kathy, played by Barbara Bisbing, should have been the pivotal character in the play, the commanding, yet subtly aloof counterpart to balance Joanne and Mary. Instead, the focal point revolved too strongly around the competitive relationship between Joanne and Mary, which weakened Kathy's character. Yet, Ms. Bisbing had many fine moments on stage. She was strongest in Act 111, con veying a young woman who desperately wanted to feel desensitized from experience, who felt full of self-doubt, somehow cheated by life. Her anger in Act 111 must have sparked a new vitality into her character; the painful exchange that occurred when Joanne knelt down, laying her head in Kathy's lap, was beautiful and sad and true to her character. I like Carolyn Bowes' Mary. She was consistent, full of the shock and the vacancy inherent in a too rebellious nature. Decadent and amoral—yes, I could easily see her selling neon "pricks" in some erotic art shop; there's no doubt in my mind that she slept her way through Europe with various lovers. Her peevish, taunting character worked perfectly as a.catalyst to bring to the surface Joanne's up-tight conventionality, and manipulate Kathy's role as mediator. - Some very nice theatre hap pened. The mood was perfectly affected and the music sound track was a big plus to the' production, setting certain themes for each act. I wonder where they found all the versions of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow?" My major criticism of the University Resident Theatre Company's production of "Vanities" in its single per formance. What a shame that more Erie people couldn't have shared in that very nice theatre experience. Member of The Press Association Mary Miseta Sports Editor STAFF April 3, 1980 Joe Englert Assistant Editor Russ Miller Photography Editor Sue Bentz Tom Pvne Pat Sedlak Barb Bragdan
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