Behrend collegian. (Erie, Pa.) 1971-1988, October 09, 1986, Image 3

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    letters to the ed
Confusion regarding D.U.S. cleared
To the Editor and to Ms. Lynn
Popovich:
As Acting Head of the Division
of Undergraduate Studies, I was
distressed to learn of your confu
sion (Collegian, Volume xxxv,
Number 2 pg. 4) regarding the pur
poses of our office and the services
it provides. Moreso, you seem to be
confusing D.U.S. with a committee
of Penn State. Perhaps I can
alleviate this confusion.
Senator's
Now that the muddled process of
running for Senator and the
Freshman elections are over, one
can objectively speculate as to the
way the entire procedure was
handled. For those individuals that
had not previously been informed
of the results, James Hague and
Steven McGarvey were elected
Freshman Senators on Tuesday,
Sept. 16. The other competitors for
these two positions were Hillary
Kun, Angela Papeleo and William
Davis.
Each of these five commuter
Freshmen created Signs with their
own individual slogans and
distributed these posters in the
most frequented and observable
places on campus. However, it can
not be acknowledged that any of
the competitors took the pains to
make themselves known as they did
with the posters. I am sure that
each tried to meet people so as to
create a higher voting percentage to
their advantage, but it was even
tually only a feeble attempt since
only twenty-three percent of the
Freshmen class actually voted.
The election process that was
followed this year varied from past
elections because of its lack of
uniformity and slackness in trying
to inform the Freshmen Class as to
their possible candidates. There
was never a time when the rivals
came together to introduce
themselves and present their ideas
Remembering
by D. Edward Morgan
Five or six years ago one could
walk about this campus and savor
the environment and setting that
surely prompted Ernst Behrend to
choose this location as his home.
The campus was no longer the rural
residence that it was in Behrend's
time, but it was still a campus in an
idyllic rural setting. (I believe it's
both pretentious and affected to
call it "Glenhill Farm" having
grown up on a farm. One can harly
imagine where one might attempt
to grow things on this terrain.)
Having been to my share of cam
puses both as a visitor and as a stu
dent, I can easily say that the at
mosphere I have found most con
ducive to study was that of sylvan
retreats where ideas could be con
sidered without competition from
the inventions and monuments of
enterprise and commerce. Such
idylls insulated the members of the
college community from the world.
One could roam the campus and
sort out thoughts and contemplate
and reflect. I have picked wild
strawberries on this campus on
such walks. I have picked wild
raspberries as well. These were but
the Penn State-Behrend Collegian
Feature Editor Julie Karasinski Business Manager Jacquie Anthony
News Editor. Chip Susol Photo Coordinator Paul Duda
Sports Editor Sue Holmes Adviser Robert DlNlcola
Lon Higley
Angela Papaleo
Lori Beals
Mike Giunta
Anthony Proviano
Angle Busbee
Mailing Address - Behrond Collegian, Station Road, Erie, PA 16583
Office located in Reed Union Building
Office Hours - 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Monday through Friday
Phone: 896-8221
Opinions expressed by the editors and staff of the Penn IlltablAlkohrend Callaghan are not necessarily those of the University Administration, faculty, or
the student body.
For the benefit of full-time
students, Behrend is divided into
three "academic divisions" and
one "school". The "school" is our
newly established School of
Business, while the Divisions are
Science, Engineering, and
Technology; Humanities and
Social Sciences; and lastly the Divi
sion of Undergraduate Studies.
Each of these is a distinct academic
unit of Behrend. While there may
election
to the public. There were no
debqes, rallies or public addresses.
For the most part, the only one
knew one's options for Senator was
through word of mouth through
the grapevine, or by the candidate's
posters. Seriously think about these
forms of informing others on how
you stand on certain issues. How
reliable is a poster when it comes
down to deciding the voice of th
Freshman Class for the present
year? And personally I would
rather hear first hand as to what
another "thinks" about the can
didates But yet when many placed
the cheCk marks next to two of the
names on the ballot they referred
back to what poster caught their at
tention most or to what their
friends had told them to do. It can
not be ignored that this election
was, in part, a popularity contest
between rivals. All parties in the
election have agreed that being
popular was not the main thrust at
becoming elected, but it did not
hurt to have a few friends' reassur
ing votes. This is not to say that
each candidate did not contain
qualities which would have
benefited the S.G.A. and the
Behrend Campus, however the em
phasis was misplaced onto one's ar
tistic talents and popularity rather
then one's political competency.
The S.G.A. was in charge of ap
pointing a committee which would
undertake the responsibility of
two of the discoveries I made while
trying to fit pieces in various
puzzles myself. I am saddened to
report that the wild strawberry
patch and the wild raspberry patch
have both been destroyed to pro
vide for a different environment.
They have been replaced by nice,
level but decidedly uninteresting
grass. There are reasons for the
grass I suppose, but homogeneity
seldom yields the delightful sur
prises of the occasional briar patch.
The possibility that these sylvan
environments created the "ivory
tower" syndrome is undeniable,
but they can exist without an ac
companying departure from reali
ty. I need only cite Indiana Univer
sity at Bloomington where I attend
ed graduate school and where the
central part of campus is a virgin
forest to prove the point. Again,
the berries were there.
For the student, the ideal en
vironment should be one that
facilitates the process of promoting
contemplation. Competing for this
time to reflect are many of the
more materialisitc pursuits
necessay to earn the tuition so as to
be able to be here to consider thse
topics. Therefore, making this time
of reflection and contemplation as
Member of The Press Association
Editor Jack Homer
Holly Lew
Maria Hoffman
Robert Eggleston
Barb Byers
Robert Boyle
Andy Seneta
be days when each division head
wishes his unit were only a coin
mitte, we are really much more.
There is, however, an
Undergraduate Studies Committee
composed of faculty and student
membership. This committe is a
branch of Behrend's Faculty Coun
cil, charged with recommending
polcies which relate to all
undergraduate instruction at
Behrend.
process considered
organizing and carrying out the
successful completion of the elec
tion. What happened to this com
mittee? Tim Zbel, who was the
head of the supposed Election
Committee, claims that the S.G.A.
did not give him sufficient time or
instructions to accomplish this. My
only questions then are why wasn't
the council elected sooner and why
was Mr. Zbel elected chairman if
he had no idea where his respon
sibilities lie. Tim said, "I know
more could have been done, but the
two most important factors in br
inging the candidate closer to the
Add to present li
My suggestion for the placement
of the new library is to add to the
present Reed Building by building 5
or 6 floors above the present struc
ture and making the roof an obser
vatory with a view of Lake Erie. At
the side of the building, the Jordan
Road side, there could be an indoor
parking area which would thus pro
vide more of the much needed
parking space. The University of
Pittsburgh has the Cathedral of
Learning and it has become a much
visited landmark, so why not put
Behrend on the map of places to
visit and attend in Erie? The lake
and surrounding areas are certainly
more scenic than the steel mills of
Pittsburgh.
when .
attractive as possible is the best way
to insure that it will take place.
And it is as necessary as the part
time job or the study date.
When I came to Behrend seven
years ago, I was drawn by that
same atmosphere. Behrend was a
place where one could take the
complicated events of the outside
world and then brake them down
into their constituent parts for con
sideration and examination. One
could then attempt to explain an
aspect of the world of business or
the law or any subject from its
component parts. I believe that this
process is a necessary part of the
learning process.
This breaking down and putting
back together is also a necessary
part of teaching in that it is the
teacher's responsibility to illustrate
not only the parts but also illustrate
the process that enables one to
discern the parts of the whole. It
seems to be best accomplished
where one can sort out the part that
a trend or idea may have in
business and society such as the
ramifications and responsibilities
of participative management. One
can isolate and consider these
topics before placing them back in
to context. So should the student
Staff
Kimberly Brown
Susanna Jalosky
Jennifer Scherer
Chris Rapach
Felicia Kelly
Steve Aller
Michael Golden
Jan Thompson
Andria Sullivan
Michelle Miller
Kim Krynock
Paul Miniger
itor
Jon Pollock
Suzanne Segal
Jill Tourville
Melissa Youkers
Craig Altmire
REPRESENTED FOR NATIONAL ADVERTISING BY
CASS Student Adinethang, Incorporated
1633 West Central St.
Evanston,llllnols 472/1
Permit me to end with a few
comments about D.U.S. Contrary
to your understanding, there is no
"major" in D.U.S. A student
chooses enrollment in the Division
of Undergraduate Studies when the
student is uncertain regarding an
immediate choice of major.
Through close individual counsel
ing, academic advice and career
planning, the staff members of
D.U.S. assist the student in deter
Freshmen Class were missing—time
and interest. There was little time,
but even less interest by the Class
involving the elections.". The new
ly elected Senators, James and
Steven, have both voiced that one
of their priorities was to provide a
stronger link between the com
muter, the resident student, and the
Campus itself. This vital link will
become possible only if construc
tive communication between the
students and the elected represen
tatives is reinforced with positive
appreciation of all festivities and
programs undergone that year. The
brary
If the builders are worried that
the present foundation could not
support such a project, it could be
achieved by using structural steel
stanchions on the outside of the
present Reed building and then fac
ing them with brick. That would
provide a sturdy and reliable base
for many floors and be much
cheaper than starting from the
ground up. More space could be
achieved and the beauty of the pre
sent campus would be greatly
enhanced.
Kay Tauber,
.2". 't\.-
Behread Operator
• •
reassemble and reintegrate for an
understanding of the way that
business functions. But each
disparate aspect of business need
be isolated and pondered by itself
in a setting devoid of worldly
distractions.
The serendipitous rewards found
on campus for taking the time to
place things in perspective are for
the most part private joys. The
conviction that the tastes of wild
strawberries and raspberries are so
sublime as to justify the greatest of
effort to locate them is shared by
too few.
I have been accompanied on oc
casion by a fellow berry picker.
The number of berries we picked
were more than each of us alone
could have picked. This summer's
ruminations revealed neither ber
ries nor fellow pickers. Perhaps it is
that they have to imagine their ela
tion at such a find.
Surely it is part of the farm boy
in me but such discoveries were an
affirmation that there are rewards
for everything. You simply have to
recognize the rewards when they
are presented. And you can only
find rewards where there are
rewards to be found.
mining an appropriate academic
major. We are proud to serve more
than two hundred bright, ar
ticulate, and qualified students
enrolled in D.U.S. at Behrend this
semester. Coincidentally nearly
40% of these students have found
our office in Glennhill and schedul
ed our services already this
semester.
I hope this information is useful
to you. If, as the editor sugests,
Freshmen Behrend Class has sup
plied the leaders to represent them.
Hopefully, through their leader
ship, knowledge will be supplied to
the students in which more student
participation will be acquired.
However, they could attain the
capability to lead us only after we
provide them with knowledge on
how to serve us. Potential and
determination can be recognized in
each newly elected Senator. The
people's choice has been made and
now the Class of 1990 must hope
they made the proper one, only
time will tell. On Wednesday.
S.G.A. President
responds to
Collegian article
To the Editor and to Ms. Lynn
Popovich:
This letter concerns your recent
article in the September 25 issue of
the Collegian entitled "The Article
That Never Was." In this article
you told of the frustrations that
you encountered when trying to
find someone to explain the D.U.S.
(Division of Undeigraduate
Studies) system to you. I was
somewhat amazed at how you told
of getting no help from anyone,
only a run around and a hassle. I
also took offense to the following
lines that you wrote about SGA.
You said, and I'm quoting you,
"When I called SGA looking for
people to talk to, they told me they
didn't have the number I was look
ing for. They weren't able to find
what I needed. I wasn't expecting
such a hassle, but I got one."
Well Lynn, I personally talked to
you on two separate occasions over
the phone. During those conversa
tions I related to you the following
information:
Number one, the person that you
were asking about is indeed a
member of SGA. She is also the
student representative on the Com
mittee of Undergraduate Studies
which serves the Faculty Council of
Behrend College. She was also
elected as the student represen-
Editor's note
Mr. Chiteman, Mr. Gainor, my
apologies to you both. Your
organizations fell prey to "The Ar
ticle That Never Was". However,
the 'valid point' that I hoped to
make was that red-tape and the
run-a-round can be discouraging
and sometimes much-needed infor
mation isn't easy to find. And,
while that is a valid point, it might
not have been the case since Lynn
was able to reach you both and had
a chance to talk with you. She did
have access to the information and
to the people who could give It to
her. I should have clarified her wa
de assignment before she began
doing her research—a lesson learn
ed. Mr. Chiteman, your point
The Behrend Collegian's editorial opinion is determined by
the Editor, with the Editor holding final responsibility. Opi
nions expressed on the editorial pages are not necessarily
those of The Behrend Collegian , The Behrend College, or
The Pennsylvania State U ni versity. Brown-Thompson
Newspapers, the publishers of The Behrend Collegian , is a
separate corporate institution from Penn State.
Letters Policy: The &bread Collegian encourages com
ments on news coverage, editorial policy and University af
fairs. Letters should be typewritten, double-spaced, signed
by no more than two people, and not longer than 400
words. Students' letters should include the semester and
major of the writer. Letters from alumni should include the
major and year of fraduation of the writer. All writers
should provide their address and phone number for
verification of the letter. The Collegian reserves the right to
edit letters for length, and to reject letters if they are
libelous or do not conform to standards of good taste.
Postal Information: The Behrend Collegian (898-6221) is
published fourteen times annually (seven times during each
academic semester at The Behrend College) by the students
of The Behrend College; The Reed Union Building, Station
Road, Erie, PA 16363.
there is a "valid point" in the Col
legian article, may I respectfUlly
suggest that the point is, perhaps,
to know precisely the area to be
investigated.
Yosui,
Michael D. Chiteimus
C'ke•k4 4 D &L=..,
Aetiag Head
September 17, Steven and James
attended their first official S.G.A.
meeting. Their attentiveness and
responsiveness at this meeting has
started them on the right foot in
regard to qualification of their
seats in the S.G.A. I just hope the
two of them live up their posters'
reputation.
Simmsly,
Chris Rapach
CAAA.ZyciA4A) eryage.a)
S.P.C. Vkx-Preskiest
tative on the Universtiy Faculty
Senate at University Park, and she
serves on their Committee of
Uddergraduate Studies.
I told you that she doesn't serve
office hours in the SGA office, yet
you kept calling there looking for
her. I told you where you could
find her that afternoon, and I also
told you which apartment she lives
in. I figured that since you both live
on campus, you might be able to
make the walk up the hill to see
her. Granted, I didn't have her
phone number to give you, but I
did supply you with the number for
Housing and Food Services, and
they would have supplied it had
you called them.
No offense intended, but if you,
didn't get the information that you
wanted after 12 phone calls,
perhaps some leg work was in order
I think that the SGA does its best to
help the students whenever and
wherever possible, and the above
quote from you was unnecessary.
Pehaps "The Article That Never
Was," just never should have been.
Sincerely,
Doug Galnor
bc. i .t. 6, Ac.:.,_,
Student Government Proddent
about 'knowing the area to be in
vestigated' is well taken, I assure
you. Thanks for setting the Col
legian straight! —Jack Horner
Don't look now. Puzzle paw 4.
Editorial Policy
OCTOBER 9, 1986
PAGE 3