PAGE 2 --
EDITORIALS
Old Glory Has Red Too
by Chuck Beckman
Last week, Mark Chaffee and
crew from the Committee
Against Registration and the
Draft, managed to. pick open a
wound many thought had long
healed. For two days, anyone
walking near the library in Reed
Building 'would hear
philosophical (and -not so
philosophical) discussions for
and against the draft.
The rumblings from early spr
ing 1980, when then President
Carter called for a resumption of
draft registration, have long set
tled. Yet there remains about
800,000-19 and 20 year olds who
have not registered at their local
post , offices. Today it seems as if
the opposition is silent, or shouted
down.
What irks me most when people
argue in favor of abolishing draft
registration is that someone in
evitably butts in and brands the
anti-drafter as a Russian Spy or
some insidious Communist
subversive.
First of all, we may as well
resign ourselves to the fact that
in 1917 there was a revolution in
Russia, and. the "Russians" are
now recognized as "Soviets." If
you are going to say "Russians,"
preface your statement with "as
Solzhenitsyn calls them" or some
other phrase which will help
legitimize the argument.
But preferably, leave the
Soviets out of it as long as possi
ble. One may be anti-draft and
anti-Soviet: this isn't a paradox.
People oppose induction for
various reasons, but the best
defense of this position resides in
that part of our political heritage
that the founding fathers
Speak Up
by John Skrzypczak
Some more bad news for col
lege students. More fund slaShing
is going on in Washington. 250,000
students will lose PELL (BEOG)
grants and 500,000 students will
be dropped from the Guaranteed
Student Loan Program. Only 2.18
billion dollars will be given out in
Federal grant forms. 110,000
students will lose their college
work-study. 75,000 will lose SEOG"
grants.
All Student Social Security •
benefits have been completely
eliminated; with present reci
pients phased out over a four
year period. Ultimately, the
Reagan Administration seeks to
cut the education budget in half.
Will you be the next casualty of
the Reagan philosophy of trickle
down education? The financial
situation of the students' looks
bad, it's tough toilin when David
Stockman was quoted saying "I
do not accept the notion that the
Federal Government has an
obligation to fund generous
grants to anybody that wants to
go to college. It seems to me that
if people want to go to college
badly enought, there is opportuni
ty and responsibility on their part
to finance their way through the
best they can..." i•
The attitude of the Reagan Ad
ministration not seeing education
as an important area to land can
neglected to include in the Con
stitution. The Constitution by and
large attemped to control man's
potential for excess.
However, in the Declaration of
Independence we see the more
fundamental visions of what the
colonies were - to become. In Jef
ferson and John Locke's rhetoric
we see what was important for
them: the notions of life and
liberty. The problem arises:
whose life and liberty, anyway? •
Jefferson added more depth to
the democratic triad when he
changed Locke's "property" to
"the pursuit of happiness." While
property is still a legitimate pur
suit, one may also choose to be
happy without money. Rampant
materialism has shoWn its conse
quences enough times for us to
know better by now.
Oh yes, the draft. I suppose that
given this background, I need not
make any assertions as to which
stand is "right." Actually, I
wouldn't mind serving a
reasonable period of time for my
country. However, I happen to be
totally opposed to the current
militaristic pandemia afflicting
the current administration.
How many volunteer
organizations—the Red Cross, the
Heart Association, the American
Cancer Society—are adequately
staffed? How many elderly-peo
ple in nursing homes are receiv
ing adequate care? How many
tons of debris presently clog ,the
big cities? It seems as if we
should try to solve our own
domestic problems first before
the deities at the Pentagon start
making them for others.
Ah well, gods will be gods.
be. changed.
Bill Cluck (USG president at
University Park) said that;
"Penn State has a big respon
sibility in Pennsylvania for stirr
ing up interest among students."
He said, Penn State is the largest
University in the Commonwealth
so if students were to express
their dislike in the reductions he
is sure that their opinions would
have much influence - in
Washington."
The Penn State student can ex
press his opinion by letter
writing, mass lobbying, petition
ing, calling your congressman,
and becoming-. involved in voter
education and registration
drives.
A National day of action
against the financial aid cuts is
being held on March 1; 1982... Go
to Washington to lobby and par
ticipate in a mass action or spon
sor one in your local college com
munity or state capital.
Bill Chick said that, "I am
striving to get a petition from
each campus that consists of
gignatuies of two third'i of all the
students on that particular cam
pus. With a percentage that great
we can cause some real commo
tion in Washington."
Peitions will be available in the
near future in both the Collegian
and SGA offices.
BEHREND COLLEGIAN
Club News
The Volleyball Club's 1982
season is now underway, and
President Tom Griesbaum is fac
ing a competitive schedule, with
Allegheny, Clarion, and Edinboro
slated for play. The season begins
February 6th, with a tournament
at Slippery Rock State College
against several area colleges.
While only a few members are
selected to travel to each game,
membership is open to everyone.
Griesbaum, and Club Advisor Dr.
Siveeting, say that all students
may come down during
designated times whenever they
feel like playing a gaine. .The
gym will be open for the
Volleyball Club Sunday,
3:30-5:00; Monday, Wednesday,
and Friday during lunch time,
and Saturday at 10 a.m.
Member Chris Guth says that,
"it has been a lot of-fun so far.
Everyone has been having a good
time, and I hope more people
start coming." Bart Capristo, a
Resolving
Resolutions
Claire DeSantis
It his come and gone again,
fear. Another New .-year's - Eve,
and with - it another New Year,
begins. Funny, isn't it, how we
feel it necesary to drink on New
Year's Eve in an effort to bring in
the new year feeling pretty
lousy? I understand that it seems
as if we should party out the old
year and party in the new. You
know, sort of celebrate all'of the
good things that occurred in 1981.
Maybe we drink to forget all of
the-bad - things that happened in
1981? Who knows what fallacies
cause us to do such things?
Either way, I've often wished I'd
have the guts to just sleep
through midnight. Although
somewhere inside of me, Fm
almost ashamed of my anti-party
attitude. It must be peer .
pressure. Believe me, this feeling
only hits me on New Year's Eye.
I spent time over my vacation
trying to figure out what it is
about New Year's Eve that I hate
so much. What I did figure out is
that above all of the things that a
new year entails, I hate resolu
tions. Every body does it to
themselves. We resolve that we
won't drink or smoke or swear or
tear out a sibling's hair. Then
when we do it the next day or next
week, we immediately feel the
heavy hand of guilt pressing
down on the tops of our heads. I
don't know of anyone who actual
ly keeps those resolutions they
vow to keep on New Year's Eve.
Co-Editors:
Sports Editor
Erin Caverly
Claire DeSantis
Tom Hicks
Michael Kitchen
Wendy Kline
Mailing Address-Behrend College, \ Station Road, Erie, Pa. 16510
Office-Student Offices, Reed Building
Office Phone: 898-1511 Ext.22l •
Opinions expressed by the Editors and staff of the Behrend Collegian are not necessarily those of the
University Administration, faculty, or the student body.
non-member says he plAbs on
joining soon.
The Lambda Sigma Society '
The Lambda Sigma Society
continues its services aiding the
college and community. The
Society's latest venture was the
Mtiscular Dystrophy Dance-a
thon, which raisedalmost $BOO for
M.D.F.
Past fund-raisers for Behrend
students sponsored by Lambda
Sigma included the mistletoe and
pumpkin sales. Presently, the
society is ushering the basketball
games by selling tickets andpro
grams, as well as providing tutor
ing services in the Academic Ser
vice Center. The Society is plann
ing a social for its members to be
held overnight at Peak 'n Peek.
To be considered a member of
Lambda Sigma Society, one must
have over a 3.0 grade average,
and then may be placed in a pool
with others seeking membership.
An application must be filled out,
along with letters of recommen
nation from faculty. An informal
interview follows in the form of a
social, where applicants meet old
Maybe it's - because the timing is
bad. All of you who smoke should
understand so well. That evening,
as you're dressing to go to a par
ty, you vow that in 1982 you will
not smoke. What a fine opportudi
ty to quit, you think. (I should
know, I've done it for two years in
a : row now.) So you don't buy
cigarettes that night before you
go. You get to the party, begin to
socialize and drink, waving the
cigarette as if it's a magic wand.
Then midnight arrives. You're
probably a little bit pie-eyed by
now and every smoker knows
that the first thing you do when
you drink is begin to chain
smoke. So you say to yourself,
(and here's the catch) "I'll begin
tomorrow, when the sun is up and
I'm thinking clearly." Well, the
sun comes up and you've already
broken the resoltuion. You feel—
dirty, as if you've. commited a
mortal sin. You fell from grace.
You chastise yourself for not
even being able to (May I coin a
phrase) "kick the habit." And it's
even somthing that would have
been good for you in the long run.
You don't even care enough to do
something good for yourself.
Makes you feel low, doesn't it?
Well, it shouldn't. Resolutions are
something that was invented for
this express purpose, and I, for
one; will not be taken in by it.
I've come to a very important
decision in my life. I've decided
to begin my New Year on June 1,
1982, half way through everyone
elses new year. This way; I avoid
the resolution rush, I can party on
December 31st without fear of
remorse, and I get six more mon
ths to decide what I'm going to
give up in an effort to improve
myself. It sounds feasible to me_
TS threw) Cillegian
Member of The Press Msociation
Chuck Beckman
John Skzypczak
Joe O'Keeffe ,
Business Manager: Mark Welton
Staff.
Jeff Lewis
Ron Leonardi
Lisa Lubomski
Tony Newman
Mary Peters
members. Finally, a selection
committee begins to eliminate
names until 30 applicants are left,
and these people become
members of Lambda Sigma..
Sign-ups take place in the spring.
Says President Tom Mandl: "It
isn't easy to become a member of
Lambda Sigma, but then again
we are looking for really hard
working and qualified students
who have a real interest in get
ting things done."
Ski Club
In the winter festival, the Ski
Club is planning on featiring a
race against other colleges at
Peak 'n Peek. Also, over the spr
ing break, the Ski Club is plann
ing a trip to New England for a
real skiing experience.
The Ski Club presently consists
of • about 25 members, mostly
guys. Kim Klimow, President,
says the female membership _
must be increased. The Ski Club
leaves every Tuesday afternoon
and skis all day. People wishing
to ski with the club may contact
Kim and she will findthem a ride.
It just doesn't seem worth the
bother of kicking myself on what
should be a holiday, and after all,
if we are so bent on curtailing our
bad habits we should be able to do
away with them as soon as we
realize them. There's just no
reason to smash beer, cans on our
foreheads during a football game
on New Year's Day for all the
things we should have done. Bet
ter to just improve as we go along
then to save it all up for one day
that's really, no different than the
rest.
So, if you agree, you'll find me
at nearly every bar in Erie on the
night of May 31st, and at 11:45,
I'm going to climb to the top of
the tallest building in the area
and drop an apple. Who knows. I
might make history.
Commuter
Corner
The Commuter Council is a
group of students who work in
conjunction with the University
staff to design and implement
programs to make th'e on-campus
life of -the commuter student
more productive.
The Council would like to re
mind all commuter students of
the meetings held every Monday
in the Reed Seminar Room at
12:10. All commuters are
welcome and refreshments are
served.
Any commuters interested in
playing intramural basketball or
volleyball during- B period and
lunch on Tuesday or Thursday,
should come to the Reed Seminar
Room Monday at noon.
Man. Editor: Pam Hil!kirk
Photo - Editor: Steve Nesbit
Margie Reiser
Josette Skobieranda
Maureen Trageser
'Cynthia Warwick
Tricia Wood
JANUARY 18, 1982