APRIL 18,1985
Exploitation: Jump on the Bandwagon
by Michael Wimms
Collegian Staff Writer
It seems there is a growing trend
in the United States to pay tribute
to the dead or misfortunate peo
ple of the world.
Examples of tributary songs are
the recent releases from The Com
modores and Diana Ross. Ross,
on her album Swept Away, has a
tribute to the late singer Marvin
Gaye. The song “Missing You” is
doing exceptionally well on the
charts.
The Commodores have also
Students Deserve More Credit
by Anne Waskowitz
Collegian Staff Writer
I do not feel that our society
gives students enough credit. So, I
want to give every student credit.
As a student, I feel that we are
subjected to more stress than
many other professions.
Sometimes it feels like we have
pressure coming from every angle.
There just isn’t enough time in the
day to accomplish everything that
we are expected to accomplish.
This is the reason that most of us
Army Packs Excitement Into
ROTC Basic Camp
by Tom Milley
Collegian Staff Writer
“The most important things I'
gained from Basic Camp were
respect and friendship. Before I
came to camp, I didn’t know what
to expect. After five weeks, I can
honestly say that I respect all the
people I came in contact with.
Every officer and NCO I have
met has treated me as respectfully
as I have treated them. I
discovered they could even laugh
and when you jump to attention,
salute with the wrong hand, and
say, ‘Uh, good morning, uh even
ing, I mean ma’am, I mean sir.’
The drill sergeants were not the
enemy but really the friend. Who
else would be brave enough to
come near a clumsy cadet holding
a fully loaded M 16?”
There are some things regarding
the above quotation that may sur
prise you. You may have gathered
that the cadet is talking about Ar
my ROTC’s Basic Camp, a six
week session taken in place of the
first two years of Army ROTC.
Basic Camp is different from
Basic Training (which has nothing
to do with ROTC). Basic Training
is nine to nine-and-one-half weeks
long, and is attended by in
dividuals who are already
members of the Active Army, US
OPINION
done a tribute to Marvin Gaye, as
well as the late great Jackie
Wilson. Their song “Night Shift”
is also doing well on the charts.
The conclusion that I have drawn
from this is dead superstars are a
commodity to their living fellow
artists.
I don’t mean to be callous, but
profits speak louder than words. I
will bet the sale of all these
tributary records is bringing the
record companies big bucks. I do
not mean to imply that there is not
a general concern for Mr.
must stay up half the night to get
work done.
Most students have pressure
coming from teachers, parents,
spouses, cocurricular activities,
peers, roommates, or various
financial areas. All of these
pressures build up so much
sometimes that it’s amazing that
we don’t go crazy.
An example of this is common
ly known as the “three test in one
week syndrome”. Why can’t
teachers alternate tests so that we
have one or two tests in one week?
Army Reserve, or the Army Na
tional Guard; that is to say, they
are already under military
obligation.
Basic Camp is attended only by
cadets, who are under no military
obligation at the onset, but are
asked to make a decision whether
or not to commit to remaining in
the ROTC program at their col
leges and universities when they
return to school.
ROTC Basic Camp is held in
several sessions throughout the
summer at Ft. Knox, Ky., about
35 miles south of Louisvile. The
training received at Basic Camp is
fast-paced, rigorous, and
challenging! It concerns a
multitude of military skills: Map
Reading and Land Navigation,
Rifle Marksmanship, Leadership
Techniques, Individual and Unit
Tactics, Communication, First
Aid, Drill, Parades and
Ceremonies, and of course
Physical Training, in addition to
Military Courtesy and Traditions.
Cadets earn $6OO for their short
visit to Ft. Knox, on top of the
free room and board which is in
itself an interesting experience in
military living.
The purpose of this article is to
let you know that there’s a door
still open to you if you considered
THE BEHREND COLLEGIAN
Commentary
Wilson’s and Mr. Gaye’s
memories in these songs, but it
can not be denied that profit was a
major concern.
To further illustrate my point, I
would like to return to The Com
modores career after Lionel
Richie left the group. They were
at the bottom of the charts until a
stroke of luck came, the death of
Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson.
Through the exploitation of this
tragedy their career was revitaliz
ed.
To add to these pressures, loans
and financial aid are going down,
and in many schools, including
ours, tuition is going up. We are
also being charged for our
schedules of fall classes. These
costs add up and it is very tough
to work and go to school; this
creates another pressure.
I would just like to tell every
student that I understand the
stress we are all under and I would
also like to give every student the
credit that is long overdue.
the ROTC program as a means of
self-development, or as a means
of financing the remainder of
your college career. Registration
is necessary, so if this sounds in
teresting and you’d like to learn
more about Basic Camp, or about
the Army ROTC two-year
scholarship program, see Maj.
Hames or Cpt. Donahue in the
ROTC office, they’d be glad to
discuss your opportunities.
By now you may be wondering
what was so surprising about the
opening quote. Well consider this:
that quote came from none other
than Penn State’s own Cadet
Janet Drummond. That’s right,
even young ladies attend ROTC
Basic Camp, and what’s more:
they enjoy it. Ghastly!
Here’s what else she had to say:
“My platoon provided me with
friendships that I hope will last a
long time. When you’ve gone
through six weeks constantly in
someone else’s sight, you don’t
soon forget them. How could I
forget the 57 people who scream
ed me through the sawdust at
Heard Park? How could I forget
the people that I rolled in the mud
with, crawled in the dust with,
laughed, cried and shined boots
with? I couldn’t.
You can observe the fact that
the other cuts on the album are
not doing so well. The same holds
for Miss Ross, because the best
selling song on her album is
“Missing You”.
There are others who have
followed this trend. Elton John
did a tribute to Marilyn Monroe
called “Norma Jean”. There have
also been songs about John Len
non from his fellow Beatle
friends.
Not all such exploitation is for
money, some could be motivated
by publicity. Some stars enjoy be
ing in the public eye. To facilitate
this they may get involved with
community projects that help the
poor. One such case could be the
USA for Africa project. This pro
ject brought famous stars together
to sing for the hungry people of
the world.
The hunger issue has really
come in to play, as of today.
Reader Opinion
Harriett Behrend Explains
Her “Faithful Friend”
To the Bruno Club:
Every good wish for many hours of happiness. My dog Bruno, was a
lover of all mankind, a faithful friend as long as he lived.
My parents gave him to me when I was 12 years old. He was two years
at the time. He lived to be 14 years. So I had twelve years of the greatest
love a dog can give. He traveled everywhere with me. In those days dogs
were allowed in restaurants. He sat under the table.
Good Luck,
Harriet Behrend Ninow
Penn State
Behrend Collegian
Member of The Press Association
Editors
Risa Gliek Rod Luery
News Editor. Michael Ross
Feature Editor. Paula Maus
Business Manager Daniel King
Photo Coordinator Napoleon Birch
Advisor Robert DiNicola
Staff
Jill Bedford Thomas Milley Rob Roth
Judy Bush Kevin Moore Lisa Scherer
Robbie Colville Barrett Parker Michael Shaffer
Kimberly Ford Lisa Pavadore Tammie Starcher
Kurt Freeman Julie Potochny Kelly Swisher
Dan Gaston Greg Rathbun Anne Waskowitz
Gregory Goldsmith Julie Reynolds Roger Whelan
Dana Gross Steve Roney Michael Wim ms
Darlene Kasbee Mark Yeager
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Opinions expressed by the editors and staff of the P—■ State ItliuM CoUegtoa are
not necessarily those of the University Administration, faculty, or the student body.
Everyone wants to suddenly rush
to the aid of the starving Africans.
It seems the sick and hungry of
other countries, like the United
States, do not bring the same
press or publicity as the Ethiopian
plight does. I believe we should
wash our own laundry, before we
offer to clean someone else’s.
Ricardo Montalban, Julio Ig
lesias, Sergio Mendes, and other
famuous Latinos have put then
energy into making a video similar
to the USA for Africa video. I do
not criticize the effort, I question
the motives behind it.
I neither advocate ignoring the
plight around us, nor advocate ex
ploiting the problem. Just as I do
not advocate exploiting the dead
in either film or in song; those
that do are no better than leeches
just waiting for a superstar to die
so they cam immortalize them in
song, and collect on the sweet
profits.
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