JANUARY 29, 1987 Collegian PAGE 4 Let's Talk by Pastor Ray Sines Collegian Staff Writer How many times have you ever wanted to comment on an issue, but you never had the opportunity to do so or when you had the op portunity no one would listen? There are many issues, I am quite sure, that you would like to com ment on--so let's talk. Now is your chance to be heard--speak up! During the past four years, as an ordained minister in Erie, I have counseled individuals and couples (both young and old) on everything from sex, drugs, alcohol, and smoking to marriage depression, guilt, abuse, and a few other things that I do not care to print. There is no question--these are difficult times for many. However, it is not just the jobless, the alcoholics or the ad dicts that are experiencing pro blems_ Individuals, as well as very unique problems, vary from one extreem to the other. For example, teen-age suicide is at an all time high. Why? Just a few months ago a young man stated to me, "Pastor, what is life all about?" "What is my purpose here?" ". . I feel like giving up-- ending it all." I spent a great deal of time trying to show him that life is truly worth living. Another individual showed up at my door one day seeking cash "to buy food." When I, as understan dingly and as wisely as possible, conveyed to him that I was unable to supply his :seeded cash; he in stantly commented, "It's too tough psycho Qrkfc> dI:3ICAP IV wcAV3l r~ scaia IV dIidICIPGAICAIIngU3 ilbC7 A c ! 1 1 Surprise your friend or sweetheart with a few lines in the next Collegian! Put your thoughts into words for only $l.OO. r Simply fill out this coupon, slide it in an envelope with a dollar bill and turn it into the RUB desk. Watch for your message in the next issue. L.) The Collegian reserves the right to omit ads that are in poor taste. D. dICAIKAPGAIDQi"DIinV EAtC;101010.1 0 1 1 0 Diti(Oiltn/04010, Your message here: Pastor Ray on the outside—l'm going to get myself back in jail where I had a bed and steady meals." I pointed out the many forms of aid this young man could take advantage of, but he kept insisting that the only sure way was to go back to jail, even though this meant corn miting another crime. In the two examples above the individuals were uneducated, yes, but what has happened in our society to cause any individual to desire prison over freeedom or giv ing up rather then coping? Doesn't U.S. history bare record that a majority of our forefathers would not have dreamed of giving up? What has happened? Have we become a 'weaker' generation? I realize there are possibly no cut and dry answers, but I would cer tainly like to hear comments. We have libraries of many good men's and women's ideas and theories, but I am more interested in what my fellow classmates think. Let's talk. * Send your (typewritten-double spaced) comments to: Let's Talk, Behrend Collegian, Station Road, Erie, PA 16563. Or drop it in the Collegian mailbox in the Student Government Office. DAMAEI Place a Personal Ad for Valentine's Day! When male members of the aborignal "Nulla" tribe celebrate their twentieth season, their bodies are painted by the tribe virgins and everybody chants. My twentieth birthday included neither body paints nor painters, and only minimal chanting. Nevertheless, it proved to be an ac ceptable birthday only without the 'great revelation' one supposedly realizes when one becomes an un-teenager. I have always been fascinated by my mother's preoccupation with the idea that certain ages in a person are coupled with certain attitudes. By her standards, turning twenty is a profound step towards adulthood which should not be taken lightly. I, however, was of the opinion that my twen tieth birthday was just another day, which I might have contentedly slept through had not my mother called me at 8:00 am to remind me. She asked me if I felt any older as I entered my second decade. I stop ped and thought about what it meant to be two decades old. One quarter of my life is gone and I have not accomplished much. I look in the mirror and a man with lines starting in the corners of his bloodshot eyes stares back. My parents find my receeding hairline amusing, and my girlfriend' thinks it's cute. Suddenly, I'm gripped with terror. "Yes, I do feel older! " I scream. "My life is steadily winding down and I haven't even been to Europe! " I How much mileage can I get out of this? After last semester's "Little Things in Life" I was hesitant to write another, article made up of petty annoyances and isolated ideas. But, since I'm so chuck-full by Paul Sarkis Collegian Staff Writer of petty annoyances and isolated ideas, I've decided to throw cau tion to the wind. I do hope the wind doesn't blow it back in my face. I've heard caution doesn't wash off easily. . Anyone trying to walk down the steps that lead from Perry Hall to the Reed Building may find that it's much like trying to walk down a sliding board with banana peels tied to the bottoms of your feet. You may begin rather carefully at the top, make one wrong move and find yourself sprawled outside the lobby of the Wintergreen _Cafe. . . and you know what that means. Jake Guinta, the cartoonist who pens "Psycho Comics" for each issue of the Collegian has spent too much time in prison with Gary Larson. Have you read the advertisement on this page for Valentine's Day personal ads? I can remember when it was only a penny for your thoughts. Now it's a dollar. And I tell you what I'm thinking for FREE! If that's not proof that there's no justice in this world, then I don't know what is. Stick deoderants should make some type of 'beep' noise when of Consciousness D V D 42 hang up and scurry off into a corner to reevaluate my priorities. I realize that I cannot continue living the life of a teenager if I truly want to live life to its fullest. After all, I'm twenty, and certain activities suitable for my previous nineteen years should no longer be acceptable. Twenty-year-olds cannot pick up a paper and turn straight to the com ics. At the very least, you must pretend to scan the headlines before you read "Bloom County". Once you're twenty, McDonald's and a movie can no longer be con sidered a date. Twenty-year-olds do not wear t-shirts with their names on them. A twenty-year-old does not answer the phone with a mono-syllabic grunt such as "yeah?" or "what?" . Once you turn twenty, you must leave a tip at a restaurant. Twenty-year-olds do not under any circumstances sing along with "Mony Mony". A Duran Duran poster must never be found on the wall of a twenty year-old's room Twenty-year-olds do not hang out at the mall. Thy also do not play video games. And playing video games at the mall would justify social ridicule. It's somewhat depressing to think that with the dawn of a certain day in your life comes the dictum that you must be boring. But nobody ever said that I couldn't be nineteen on the weekends. they're about to run out because if I have to pick up the pieces from my Mennan Speed Stick one more time I'm going to commit a murder. Why is it that the campus police are never around when your stereo is being ripped off, but park your car on the grass and they're there in an instant. Bud Dwyer jokes are almost as tasteless and crass -as the Challenger jokes were. At least the Challenger jokes were funny. Even though the new Hammer mill/Zurn building is probably the most architecturally appealing building on this campus, it still seems as sterile as a bottle of perox ide. So fresh. So new. It gives me the feeling there's nothing I can't do—except pay attention in class. I'd rather be in my room coun ting the ceiling tile than in the Wintergreen Cafe during the lunch rush. I'm the only person I've ever known who can cut himself with an electric razor. There have been a couple times when I've almost been killed by the backswing of the doors to the Nick Building. I've heard a rumor that if Residence Life Coordinator Kim Editorial Policy The Behrend Collegian's editorial opinion is determined by the Editor, with the Editor holding final responsibility. Opinions ex pressed on the editorial pages are not necessarily those of The Behrend Collegian, The Behrend College, or The Pennsylvania State University. Brown-Thompson Newspapers, the publishers of The Behrend Collegian , is a separate corporate institution from Penn State. Letters Policy: The Behrend Collegian encourages comments on news coverage, editorial policy and University affairs. 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 graduation 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 re ject 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 16563_ opinion Stream Zitko doesn't get a date soon, she's going to dye her hair a frightening shade of red. Someone ask this girl out quickly! People who vomit in the residence hall bathrooms and don't clean it up should not be surprised if the "alcohol fairy" puts it under their pillow the following evening. Perry Hall is still the root of all evil, and the second floor of the guy's side is surely the cause of the recent political turmoil in Reagan's administration. fri No. No. No. Notorious. . .bleh Melissa Yisukers, the reporter responsible for the "Student Voice" column that appears in this paper, had to change the topic from a political opinion article to a campus-related problem simply because she couldn't find anyone who knew what was going on in the world today. . .including me. Pathetic isn't it? A few thoughts about the band Friction: their hair is too long, their clothes are too small, and their music is too loud. It scares me that these reasons probably explain their popularity as well. Why can't I ever get all the toothpaste out of the tube? I follow the directions. I squeeze from the bottom up. What's the deal? An article from the Washington Associated Press tells us that seventy-five percent of all college students take more than four years to earn their college degree. It also states that women were more likely than men to finish college in the traditional four years. This is pro bably why my mother wants to pummel me with my estimated bill every time she gets my grades. Nothing gives me the glowing feeling of rebirth quite like seeing a five-digit number light up when the Cafeteria workers run my A La Board Card through the cash register. It's a new semester. It's a new age. It's a new grading period! And the fact that I have purchasing power in the Wintergreen Cafe again makes me feel like I can get through this semester with a little dignity and a little respect. . .as lit tle as possible that is. by Jack Homer Collegian Editor
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