opinion
Let's
Talk
by Pastor Ray Sines
Collegian Staff Writer
Thank you, Michelle, for your
bravery, boldness, and for being
concerned enough to write your ar
ticle on • "Greek Life." Even
though, I'm quite sure, that all
sororities and fraternities on cam
pus do not fall into the category
mentioned, my hat is still of to you
for the stand you have taken and
for caring enough to state it.
I went to the Schlafly vs. Wed
dington debate last week, where I
heard 'opinions' discussed which
varied from one extreme to the
other by the two speakers. The Erie
Hall was packed with both students
and faculty members. I could hard
ly wait to hear the comments by the
Behrend students which were
present.
Sadly, not at all to my surprise,
less than one percent of the
students present was concerned
enough to comment. WHY?
I have often heard individuals
say, "When I get around to it, I am
going to do this or that" or "When
I get a round to it, I'm. . . "
Schlafly irritatin g,
incorrect
I was thrilled, but not suprised at
the attendance at the Wed
dington/Schlafly debate. My con
tention that Erieites are astute and
politically aware was validated.
Student Affairs and Jamie Grimm
should be congratulated for pro
viding this excellent program.
Schlafly was, as always, ir
ritating, incorrect, irresponsible,
and impeccably groomed. One
wonders how Mrs. Schlafly manag
ed her nuclear family, which in
cludes six children, while she
handled a law practice, traveled
widely, ran for political office,
served as a Reagen appointee, and
wrote ten books. When was the last
time you baked cookies, Phyllis?
Debate crowd
unreasonable
We went to the Weddington vs. Schlafly debate with open minds. We
were willing to listen to both standpoints impartially (impartially as possi
ble), and come to a conclusion based upon the arguments given by our
distinguished guests. However, it didn't seem like the majority of the Erie
community graced Behrend's presence with the same willingness. We
noticed that most of the citizens wouldn't even consider the opposing
views. They couldn't appreciate another's opinion. Some people went as
far as to yell disapproval to the speakers. These same people couldn't
awaken from within their own narrow, older world and generation to even
imagine a newer world. This world could be complete with the emergence
of an equal society tolerating less discrimination against any human based
on sex, religion, color or creed. These people are unaware, or maybe un
caring, of the "new" rising generation of women capable and desiring of
independence and equality with men
What disheartened us most was that the audience as well as Mrs. Schlaf
ly reasoned unrealistically for this day and age.
For example, a question was raised about whether Mrs. Schlafly believ
ed that the world should be male dominated. She blatantly said yes, it
should be; and in response, the audience applauded wildly. This was
almost more appalling than the answer itself.
Another example was a group of ladies sitting directly behind us. In
considering the controversial condom acthrtisements (although not con
troversial to them; they're disgusting), their answer, and Mrs. Schlafly's,
was abstinence. In the present day world, abstinence in teenagers or adults
is nearly impossible to reach. It's an unattainable goal.
Later in the debate, one of the ladies went on to tell us that we have no
right to be engineers, not only that, but we shouldn't desire to be
engineers because this is a "male's career" in which women are incapable
of. How did such discrimination get past the 1960'5? Or even the 1920'5?
We'd like to point out that the women's movement is not disapproving
the traditional values. It is merely saying that women should have a career
and a family. The Schlafly viewpoint comes right out and says that the
movement is wrong. How can she speak for all women? Some women
need a career. Others need a family. Shouldn't this be up to the in
dividual? The issue here is a freedom of choice, most basically, as well as
equality with men. After all, the only difference between a man and a
woman is biology; a woman has the alternative to bear children.
Kathryn Reazy
RicAV) klz) 2 ' L°q-ria- ll'ie-eAltisiziw-
Lorena McCallister
Pastor Ray
Free of charge, I have provided a
round "tu it" at the end of this ar
ticle. Please take a pair of sissors
and cut out this round "tu it" and
place it in your pocket, purse, or
wallet.
This round "tu it" will kill
apathy, stop complacency, create
concern, will get your greatest task
accomplished, and it will even stop
the spread of communism. This is
for your benefit! Use it! Get in
volved!
If you need more round "tu its,"
please write. They will be furnished
free of charge while supply lasts.
TL)
IT
1 felt Ms. Weddington presented
her views clearly and with convic
tion. Her manner was professional,
polished, and enviably patient. She
is very sharp. 1 would like very
much to see her as a candidate for
office--the oval office.
Linda M. Ditrich
Fourth Semester, English
Congratulations indeed, but not
just to Jamie Grimm and the Stu
dent Affairs Office. Head of
Humanities and Social Sciences Dr.
Archie Loss and his office, as well
as the Development Office, were
integral pieces in the programming
of the debate.
Stream
of Consciousnes
"Hypocrisy is the most difficult and nerve-racking vice that any man
can pursue; it needs an unceasing vigilance and a rare detachment of
spirit. It cannot, like adultery or gluttony, be practised at spare moments;
it is a wholetime job. "—W. Somerset Maugham
I have a story to tell.
Not being very much of a raconteur, I usually don't like telling stories. I
have a feeling, however, that many of you have stories of your own that
are very similar to mine. This is unfortunate because mine is a story of the
injustice that is often dealt to the students of this college. This is a story of
apathy, misinterpretation and unconstitutionality. This is the story of my
$350.00 parking sticker.
I would also like to convey a . symbolic meaning in my story, for it
represents more than my personal case of injustice. Rather, it is an exam
ple of a trend of unfairness and hypocrisy that has made a mockery of
Behrend Security and the very reasons for its presence.
It was Fall semester 1985 at Penn State-Behrend, and I was an eager
young freshman with a car. In accordance with Penn State's parking
regulations, I obtained a full-year permit for my car so that I could park
without fear of being towed.
Parking went quite smoothly at first, but as the semester progressed and
the weather took
,a turn for the worse, parking spaces became a rare com
modity. When spaces were unavailable in Perry lot, adjacent to where I
was staying, I would park in the lot behind Lawrence. Eventually, it
became impossible to find spaces in either lot remember, these were the
days when the apartments lacked sufficient parking facilities.
Finally, one rainy November night after searching in vain for a parking
space, I decided to leave my car in the unused area of Perry behind the
dumpster. This seemed harmless enough until the next morning when
what to my wondering eyes did appear, but a soaked yellow piece of paper
tucked neatly under my windshield wiper. The fine was for "parking on
the grass and obstructing the roadway." Upon reading this, my first
thought was as to how I could possibly be parked both on the grass and on
the road, when in fact my car was quietly sinking into several feet of mud.
As for "obstructing the roadway," I couldn't imagine that this length of
asphalt which abruptly ended in the woods was much of a road to
obstruct. No matter, I'd pay for the ticket the following day. Unfor
tunately, the next day I was greeted with yet another ticket.
To avoid similar fines, I waited for a parking space to appear outside
Perry Hall and decided not to use my car after it was safely parked. After
ignoring my car for almost two weeks, I hopped in to go to the store one
Weddington more realistic
The recent debate between Sarah
Weddington and Phyllis Schlafly
afforded the student body an op
portunity to hear two opposing
views on the current status of the
gender equality in America. Not
only were the two speakers on op
posite ends of the political spec
trum, they were also very different
in their methods of delivering their
message to the audience.
Ms. Weddington appeared to be
the more realistic speaker. She
listened patiently to questions, and
analyzed Mrs. Schlafly's remarks
Greeks reacted angrily
It is unfortunate that in a society and only supports what Michelle
that prides itself on our rights of had to say.
free expression, a person who I don't necessarily endorse either
voices an opinion must endure un- the views of Michelle or of the
justified social ridicule. I couldn't Greeks, but I do believe that
help but observe that Michelle everyone is entitled to their own
Grasmick's letter concerning Greek views, in speech and in pi int. . .
life was greeted rather poorly by with discretion and objective
campus organizations. They ob- maturity.
viously did not agree with Pan! Sarkis
Michelle's views and their reaction
was one of angry indignation. I
iii.s6"--
hope that the Greeks realize that is 4
such behavior is self-condemning Fourth Semester, English
Not everyone
out for Greek Life
We are writing in response to an
article in your last issue regarding
Greek life on campus. As non-
Greek members, we found the arti
cle to be ludicrous and completely
untrue. First of all, not all people
are cut out fot Greek life, and only
the individual can decide. Also, we
think that the particular ex
member should have looked into
her sorority before pledging.
Sorority dues, pledging activities,
6c;eoz.- 6•(" 1 fAg as
siwut-1
Daniel Gozzard
by Paul Sarkis
Collegian Staff Writer
expertly, revealing inconsistencies.
(That is, until Schlafly asked her to
stop.) Her arguments were logical
and supported by facts. She did not
lose her composure for a moment
during the long, heated debate, but
remained respectful and firm, even
in the face of Mrs. Schiafly's ob
vious distortions of truth. (In an
age of presidential "disinforma
tion", we dare not call them lies.)
Schlafly aroused audience sup
port in a less subtle fashion--
through by-now-familiar conser
vative rhetoric. She was skilled at
and other functions are a fact of
Greek life and it is naive thinking
that this should not happen. If Ms.
Grasmick considers walking
backwards to class hazing, she
should visit Pitt where survival
means becoming a member. It may
be true that the only side of Greek
life people see are the parties, but
that may be because that's the only
side some want to see.
Insecurity
is cut
Gregg Burns
afternoon and noticed that a sizeable amount of wet yellow stuff had ac
cumulated on my windshield.
My reaction was one of anger and confusion. When I inquired as to
what was wrong with my car to justify the tickets, the officer who wrote
them informed me that my car was parked on the grass.
I was in fact, parked in the last spot on the right in Perry lot. Unfor
tunately for me, somewhere down the line of spaces a car had been im
properly parked so that all cars overlapped onto the space to their right.
My car, being on the extreme right, was two-thirds on the asphalt and one
third off.
Nevertheless, the officer rudely dismissed my excuse as invalid and in
formed me that if my car wasn't "moved in an hour, I'll write you
another ticket! " It was the Buddha who said that "in his ignorance of the
whole truth, each person maintains his own arrogant point of view." It is
my belief that a man who cannot admit to the errors of his judgement is
truly ignorant. Ignorance has no place in a position of authority, it only
undermines the reasons for having leadership.
The officer suggested that if no spaces were available near the dorms, I
should park in the lot behind Erie hall. A week later, I was forced to park
behind Erie Hall. The next day my hubcaps were gone and a key had been
run down the length of my car. Security was no doubt busily writing $3.00
parking tickets in Perry lot while over $250.00 worth of damage was being
done to my car. When I went to Security's office to ask what could be
done, the response of the person seated behing the desk was "We can't
help you--report it to the State Police."
The final slap to my sense of fairness occurred during finals week. My
car was stuck in the snow in the Reed parking lot. I had taped a large piece
of paper inside my windhield that read "car is stuck--will move tomorrow
-please don't ticket." Sure enough, the next day I found a ticket for illegal
parking under my wiper, directly over my note.
I took my car home that semester and never brought it back. Between
the tickets, the hubcaps, the paint, and the parking sticker, it cost me over
$356.00 to park at Penn State-Behrend for one semester.
I'm sick of calling Security when you really need them and gettng no
answer, or worse, their answering service. I'm sick of seeing students kick
ed out of the library study room at 11:30 pm because Security feels like
closing early. I'm sick of watching my tuition money pay an inefficient
organization that neither benefits me, nor aids me when I'm in need of
assistance.
If it seems as though I have filled . my pen with bitter ink before writing
this article, it's because too much injustice has been unacknowledged for
much too long. Although it is much easier to bury a problem than it is to
solve it, a solution must be found for the good of the students, as well as
for the integrity of Behrend Security.
rousing the emotions, particularly
the fears, of the crowd. Afraid of
homosexuality? Afraid of sexuali
ty? Afraid of social, political, and
economic change? Then Mrs.
Schlafly was speaking to you. She
played on our need to be proud and
isolated Americans, to wrap
ourselves in the flag and to ask the
realities of a changing world to
please go away.
But you cannot "cure"
homosexuality by shaking a moral
finger at it. You cannot change the
fact that a large part of the adult
and young adult population, mar
ried and unmarried, are sexually
active by asking them to practice
"restraint," and denying them ac
cess to safe birth control, or infor
mation about birth control. The
proper response to widespead
teenage pregnacy is certainly not
more fear and enforced ignorance.
And when pregnancy results, as it
inevitably will if parents are prac
ticing neither restraint nor birth
control, Schlafly tells us it is the
government and not the parents
Editorial Policy
The Behrend Collegian's editorial opinion is determin
ed by the Editor, with the Editor holding final respon
sibility. Opinions expressed on the editorial pages are
not necessarily those of The Behrend Collegian, The
Behrend College, or The Pennsylvania State Universi
ty. Brown-Thompson Newspapers, the publishers of
The Behrend Collegian , is a separate corporate institu
tion 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 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 dur
ing each academic semester at The Behrend College) by
the students of The Behrend College; The Reed Union
Building, Station Road, Erie, PA 16563.
FEBRUARY 26, 1987
Collegian
PAGE 3
who will decide the fate of the lives
of everyone involved. The mother,
Schiafly tells us, is not to be con
sulted, regardless of the cir
cumstances involved- whether
rape, incest, or risk of mother's
life.
It is arrogant, at least naive, to
assume that moralizing at a pro
blem is the same thing as trying to
solve it. Mrs. Schlally wants to
preserve the traditions of a world
gone by, in which men work and
women are protected from making
descions. Ms. Weddington, in
stead, faces the facts. Women are
no longer restricted by the narrow
views of the few dictated to the
many. Schlafly asks us to accept.
Weddington asks us to question.
Kim Krynock
~~~
Sixth Semester, English