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EDITORIALS
For Spacious Skies
By John Skrzypczak
I recently traveled to two local
tourist hot spots: Cooks Forest,
Pa. and Buffalo, N.Y. (i.e. the
Niagara Falls area).
These areas are endowed with
beauty; even in the winter the
scenery of these areas is
awesome. Katherine Lee Bates
said it best in 'her lyrics to
"America, the Beautiful."
She describes the beauty of this
country from the Pacific to the
Atlantic. A country full of natural
wonders, historical sites and
elegant scenery.
I've traveled out of the United
States to the Bahamas and
Canada. However, these coun
tries have few sights that the
United States can't offer.
From mountain ranges, to
whitewater rivers; from rolling
meadows to sandy beaches all
can be found right here at home.
Guest Editorial
Behrend Rising To Status
Behrend College, once just a
tiny branch of that mammoth
tree called Penn State Universi
ty, is well on its way to , becoming
one of the finest institutions in the
area. With the inception of more
four-year majors, many more
students are opting for the small
college atmosphere Behrend
offers.
Students can enjoy an affilia
tion with the main - campus, in
cluding reduced rates on athletic
tickets and friendships with
others who have transferred, but
can still enjoy the atmosphere of
a small classroom and the
specialized attention that accom
panies it.
Robert Schenker of the
Records Office attributes the in
crease in student registration,
that of nearly 300 per cent for the
fall term of 1982, to a number of
factors. Advertising has played a
large part. Word has gotten out
that Behrend has a fine faculty
who affords students per
sonalizes attention.
Again, the affiliation with main
campus can also be mentioned_
The tuition at Behrend is less
than many of the other institu
tions in the area, and for those
students from outside of the im
mediate Erie area, the availabili
ty of dormitories is a definite
advantage.
A quality faculty also gives the
Behrend College a fine reputation'
for those who- are serious about
their academic endeavors.
Most majors at Behrend have
enjoyed a consistent rise in
enrollment, with the largest ma
jor at this time being Accounting.
The Engineering major has the
largest number of transfers to
main campus, and whether that
will remain consistent when a
four-year Bebrend Engineering
major is implemented is yet to be
seen.
All other majors are enjoying
FILMS, SPRING TERM
MARCH 27 and 28 Kentucky Fried Movie
APRIL 3 and 4 The Howling
17 and 18 The Fury
24 and 25 Grapes Of Wrath
I've been to the West, lived in
the South and was born and rais
ed in the Northwest.
The diversity of landscapes,
shorelines and terra firma is
remarkable. I've heard many
people talk of how great it was
abroad and how beautiful the
mountains. are in Switzerland or
the beaches in France, but while
these people were out spending
thousands of dollars for a trip
across the ocean, they could have
seen similar sights right here for
much less money.
Spending a little time traveling
across the U.S. is also good for
the soul.
Not only is it functional (the
tourism industry prospers) it
helps you regain a little pride and
awareness of just how great this
country of ours is.
The United States truly is,
"America, the Beautiful."
By Claire DeSantis
consistent rises, especially in the
field of science.
The night classes offer a wider
range of availability to those
students who wish to work during
the day, and for those who have
decided to return to school but
wish to maintain their present
jobs.
With the increase in the size of
the student body, Mr. Schenker
felt that an increase in Pines size
will probably be inevitable, but it
will be a minimal one. In com
parison with the classes at main
campus, classes at Behren . d will
still be considerably smaller.
Schenker also stated, "If a stu
dent is unsure of his of her major,
they should come in to the
Records Office and ask who the
person 'in charge'. of that par
ticular major is. There is a facul
ty member for each major that
can help to clarify any questions
the student might have.
"One of the best advantages a
Behrend major has, though, is
that the faculty is constantly
looking at the majors to help im
prove them." It is this attention
to 'size and quality of the major',
that keeps enrollment increasing
at Behrend.
For all of the women who are
reading this, the men have a two
to one edge at the college, so it is,'
in essence, women's choice. Men
hold the lead in nearly.all majors,
except Liberal Arts, and the
women are especially out
numbered in the engineering
field. As a matter of fact, men
outnumber the women by nearly
six to one.
Behrend College is certainly an
up and coming institution and
with the constant improvement
which is ongoing around the cam
pus, it won't be long until we are
on the to of the con
sideration list among many of the
high school seniors in the sur
rounding area.
BEHREND COLLEGIAN
Letters To
The Editor
To the Students, Faculty and
Staff at Behrend:
America is the home of the rug
ged individual and the land where
we are encouraged "to do our
own thing." The great paradox of,
this social philosophy is if our
"thing" doesn't meet the ap
proval of our peers, we are cast
out of the "in" group.
One visitor to America once
said, "America is a place where
you have the freedom to be like
everyone else." An awesome
amount of pressure can be ex
erted on a person to persuade him
or her to conform to the group's
values. .
To avoid alienation by th 6
group, many people compromise
their values and beliefs and ex
periment with sex, alcohol and
drugs. But one of the strongest
pressures we face is to conform
to Amerira's churchianity. It is
fashionable to go to church: -
If a person sets out to really
dedicate their life to God,-.they
are considered a Jesus freak or a
holy roller. I realize that some
people become overbearing in
their zeallor God, but more often
I think our ideas about Christiani
ty are warped.
Many Americans have adopted
a religion that calls for a once-a
week visit to church and be-kind
to-your-neighbor lifestyle. This
form of religion is a twentieth
century perversion of the gospel
of Jesus Christ.
Now there is nothhig wrong
with _going to church or being
kind to your neighbor," but what
God really wants is not your good
deeds ' and sacrifices HE
WANTS YOU. •
Many people accept Jesus
Christ as their Savior but few
make Him their Lord. Jesus said,
"If any man - come after me, let
him deny himself, pick up his
cross and follow me," and "He
who loves - his life will lose it."
A genuine Christian has lost his
life in God. Are your goals to
become rich, famous or power
ful? Or is your 'goal to glorify
God? IF YOU ARE NOT CON
SCIOUSLY AWARE OF CON
SISTENTLY LIVING YOUR
LIFE FOR GOD, DEVOTING
YOUR TIME AND EFFORTS
TOWARDS HIS ENDS, THEN
YOU'RE GUILTY OF THE
GREATEST SIN OF ALL-A
SELF-DIRECTED LIFESTYLE.
Confess and repent of your sin
and turn to God with ALL your
heart. You know that you should.
Ttilltgiatt
Member of The Press Association
Co-Editors:
Sports Editor
Cynthia Stipancic Ron Leonardi -
Erin Caverly . . Lisa Lubomski
Claire DeSantis Tony Newman
Tom Hicks . Althea Hyatt '
Joel Campbell Theresa McLauglin
Mailing Address:Behrend College, Station Road, Erie, Pa. 16510
Office-Student Offices, Reed Building
Office Phone: 898-1511 Ext.. 221
Opinions expressed by the Editors and staff of the Behrend Collegian are not
those of the University Administration, faculty, orthe student body.
Interview With Mary Beth Peterson:
Cuts Hurt Students
Coll
Tricia Wood
The Collegian recently inter
viewed a source in the language
of student. loans and grants;
Mary Beth Peterson, Financial
Aid Officer at Behrend College.
This year 230 more students
received a GSL (Guaranteed Stu
dent Loan) at Behrend than the
previous year.
Ms. Peterson feels that a reduc
tion in the number of students
rewarded the SEOG, CWSP and
NDSI in 81-82 as compared to
80-81 is a' contributing factor to
the increase of students borrow
sing the GSL.
This year 76 students received
$68,420 from the SEOG grant as
compared to 115 getting $88,145
the year before. In the work study
program-CWSP, 116 students
have been allotted . $134,299,
whereas last year 151 students
participated in CWSP earning
$150,037.
The NDSL loan program is
money that the government gives
Behrend and then can be lent to
students at 5 percent interest. In
80-81, 161 students ,were granted
this loan totaling $128,350, in 81-82
onlylo4 students got $95,450.
Ms. Peterson was asked if
some students take out the GSL
and invest it in money saving cer-,
tificates, not using or needing the'
money for present educational
costs.
"That's true. That's possibly
why this program is suffering
such drastic changes."
Will this put the program out of
existence?
"This is the number one
targeted program by the Reagan
administration,' Ms. Peterson
said. "When you compare all the
programs, people say that (GSL)
is the most practical for the
government because students are
borrowing money and they have
to pay it back at 9 percent
- interest.
"But, what they don't realize is
that the bank loans this money to
the students; it's not federal
Don't let the pressure to conform
to--a watered-down Christian i ty
be an eternal stumbling block to
you.
Seek praise from God rather
than praise from man, because
God only takes delight in those
whose hearts are sold out to Him.
Sincerely,
Joe Fornear
Chuck Beckman
John Skrzypczak
Joe O'Keeffe
money, it's bank money. The
bank doesn't lose money, because
the federal government is the
party that pays the interest for
the years that the studerits use
the loan. They pay billions of
dollars each year to banks in in
terest alone." -
"So, the first thiug that Ronald
Reagan proposed to do "and also
what went into effeet October 1
was a financial need analysis: If
the family income was over
$30,000 they weren't guaranteed
the full amount of the loan.
Concerning the number of
students that received the GSL
this year, Ms. Peterson said,
"Probably a quarter of these
loans happened from August 1 to
October 1 because people just
started running to get this money
before this went into effect.
"There is something called an
origination fee that is now being
added op top of this loan. Right
now 5 percent: . :- of the money
you borrow goes right back to the
bank, this is money that the
government then doesn't pay in
interest. . ."
If you borrow $2,500 you must
immediately pay $125 to the
bank. Ms. Peterson said, "we're
not sure if it will be April, July or
October 1 . . .the origination fee is
being upped to 10 pgrcent. So if
someone borrows $2,500 they Vffil
have to give $250 right back to the
bank."
If the adjusted gross income of
both the student and the parents
is less than $30,000 they will no
longer be guaranteed the_ full
amount of the loan.
"We have a conversion chart . .
.based on the family income, said
Ms. Peterson, they can only bor
row a certain amount, they are
not guaranteed the $2,500. Now
that chart is going -to be
revamped, so, if October 1 of this
year it showed that they can bor
row $l,OOO, - maybe next year it
will only be $500." Regardless of
income, everyone will have to
undergo the needs analysis test.
"There's a new program called
the PLUS loan program (Parents
Loan for- Undergraduate
Students)," she added. "This is
what the Reagan administration
wants to see more of these GSL
people into. Parents borrow the
money at 14 percent interest and
begin repayment within 60 days.
. "The problem is_ a needy stu
dent's parents can',t afford to
start paying it back. That's what
the GSL was originated for."
Businesi Manager: Mark Welton
Photo Editor Steve Nesbit
Sharon Philips
Margie Reiser
Josette Skobieranda
_ Cynthia Warwick
Tricia Wood
MARCH 24, 1982