MARCH 19, 1987 Collegian PAGE 4 Stream of Consciousnes To Stan and Dave: In Memorium First, I would like to clarify something for those readers who silently think to themselves, "Stream of Consciousness,"—fine. But what's the significance of the 'No Fishing' sign? I always thought it was obvious, but my readers don't agree. Stream--No Fishing. . . get it? Anyway, I have a story to tell. My first story was so much fun to write; I figure that I'm on a roll. This story is not fun to write. My story begins in the summer before I entered college: a time when you find yourself saying goodbye to the friends you've endured the last four years of your life as you go your separate ways. My friend, Seth, went to Boston to study acting. Todd went to Chicago to become a musi cian. Elizabeth went to Florida State University to study stage design and I came to Erie to tell stories. My best friend, Dave, went to school in Colorado. We were brothers in high school. When life got rough we would sit down with a bottle of Scotch and talk the night away; but it 'wasn't the Scotch that helped work out the problems, it was the company. My first night at college I sat in my apartment and drank alone. Dave and I would keep in touch through phone calls and letters. He would tell me what a great time he was having in Colorado between classes, the parties, and some of the best ski slopes in the country. Dave's roommate's name was Stan. Stan was an unusual guy who had been in college for years and was still classified as a sophomore. He loved to be in school because he loved the pirties and he only took as many classes as he needed to keep the school from throwing him out. He hadn't seen his parents since he left home at the age of sixteen, and he supported himself through college with his own business: selling cocaine. Stan was a good businessman, which he had to be to enable him to af- Today's students: The uncaring, the by Nicholas 0. Berry Professor and Chairman of Political Science at Ursinus College The recent Carnegie report on education (College: The Undergraduate Experience in America) was far too soft on the current generation of college students. Year after year since the mid 1970's those of us in higher education have faced the uncaring, 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. Letters to the Editor intended for the next issue of the Collegian must be submitted by March 25 at 5:00 p.m. Don't Look Now! Puzzle Page 7 by Paul Sarkis Collegian Staff Writer the insipid, the drab. It is a travesty to call them students. - They ask all the wrong ques tions: "What do you want us to know?" "What should we study for the exam?" "What do you want on the term paper?" While not new questions, everyone seems to . be asking them. These late adolescents want to be either sponges or clones. That is not all they want to be. They want to be comfortable— pro perly bedded, wedded, and ford years of out-of-state, tuition as well as his habit. Dave liked Stan, and they partied together. Soon, Dave liked cocaine. Dave would write and tell me how funny Stan was just after a big deal. He would come back to the room at four in the morning, wired out of his mind, and throw a quarter kilo of coke at Dave screaming for him to hide it because he was afraid of it. Dave thought this was funny. I didn't. One night Stan was at a party and did just a little too much. As he was slam-dancing he had a heart attack and died. The people at the party assumed that he was just very drunk, put him in the corner and resumed partying. The next day, when they were cleaning up, they noticed that Stan was very dead. •Reali7ing that this would not sit well with the landlord, they carried him back to campus and left him on the steps of a fraternity_ I must admit that I laughed myself silly when Dave told me this story of his roommate's untimely demise. It was becoming obvious, though, that Dave was going to end up the same way. When I saw him over winter break that year I tried to talk with him about his habit, but I was talking to a stranger. He was angry that he couldn't help himself. I hated Stan for getting him into cocaine, and I hated Dave far following in his shadow. Most of all, I hated the feeling that I couldn't help my best friend to stop killing himself. Once again, we went our separate ways without even saying goodbye. This time I felt twice as bad because I knew that I would never see Dave again. He didn't even exist anymore. He had been consumed by a drug that chewed him up and spat him out. A few days ago, over Spring Break, I ran into Dave's father. He told me that earlier this year Dave was hospitalized because he did some bad coke that had been cut with fiberglass. Dave had also dropped out of college and was living somewhere in Colorado. I asked him if Dave would ever be coming home. He didn't care. Goodbye, Dave. insipid, the drab careered. Security is their laun ching pad for the high frontfer of status and. fun, - fun and -status:. Their ability to think seemingly abandoned them at birth. In short, this generation of college students is a disgrace. Can you imagine the day when these comatose minds become cap tains of industry, government, and the professions? Unless something happens to snap them out of it, this country is in for an era of blah. Everyone will be into therapy, Students compete with by Michelle Grasmick Collegian Staff Writer I would like to take this oppor tunity to broach a policy which receives very little attention fron the students of Behrend College, but directly affects the quality of their education. This policy is tenure. Tenure is a condition under which a professor's permanence of employment at the University is guaranteed. Tenure is granted to a professor after he or she meets -a long list of criteria over a seven year period while instructing at the Parent asks his children To become sexually responsible This is a letter that I received from my father (as did pain and/or embarassment, and could require signifi my siblings). Actually, my father wrote the letter, but I cant medical intervention to eradicate, now, we know believe it reflects the thoughts of both my parents. that acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is Perhaps the message is obvious to most students and moving into the heterosexual population at an alarming maybe I'm a bit out of line, but I sincerely hope one can rate. At this time, there is no cure, and once acquired, it overlook any moral issues here and concentrate on the costs you your life. I don't have any reason to think that real ones. I was deeply touched to receive this letter any of my children are practicing promiscuous sex, but from my parents. I thought you might want to share it I'm just making the statement that concern about with you readers. unplanned pregnancy is no longer enough. You, ob- Yours, viously, can't -know all the details about a potential sex- A Grateful Son ual partner's past prictices and behavior, but you had (Name withheld upon request) better know that person very well before starting a sex ual relationship. The old "one night stand" is literally like putting a revolver to ypur head when there is live ammunition in at least one of the chambers. It scares me to death to see young people today continuing to in discriminately have sex with one partner after another: Well, I'm sure you get my message, but I do have a - very uneasy feeling that drugs and AIDS could literally ruin this country, and I don't want you kids to put yourselves in a position where you could be involved with either one. Love, Your Dad Dear Kids (I am writing the same letter to each of you), I am writing now for the express purpose of "making a statement" that Lshould have made a long time ago as a doctor and as' your father. Your mother and I have said for years now that your sexuality is your own business and that (I) sex without a significant non-sexual relationship is wrong in our. eyes and (2) sex without attention to contraception is ir responsible and, in that sense, also wrong. Now, an even more important factor has been in troduced into the "responsible sex" philosophy and it, frankly, has me (and Mom) very concerned. It_used to be that sex for sex sake meant you could contact diseases which could potentially alter your fertility, could cause diets, gourmet cooking, more diets, strange hairdos, straight teeth, body care,. selective sex, flower gardening, and the "club," whether golf, tennis, or yacht. With us now, these self-centered activities will boom in the future. I can't think of a nicer bunch of peo ple to be stuck with a $2-trillion na tional debt. Copyright (c) 1987, The Philadelphia Inquirer. Reprinted by permission. university. Tenure-eligible facially , and stay in touch with his students. members must publish articles, or The faculty member is then novels, pursue advanced degrees, evaluated 'at the end of this seven- participate in seminars and workshops, conduct speaking engagements, develop new methods of teaching established courses or Cooperative Extension Programs, win honors and awards, and maintain active participation in professional and learned societies. In other words; become a very well-rounded individual. This is a very admirable and time-consuming list of re quirements but, simultaneously, the professor is expected to develop his teaching skills, teach full time, P.S. If this letter has insulted you, I'm very sorry, but it was important for me to write it. Reprinted with permission from The Merciad, the stu dent newspaper of Mercyhurst College. Pastor Ray by Pastor Ray Sines Collegian Staff Writer What changes your values? Last semester I completed a course where, as an individual, I was asked to formulate a personal value list. This list was to be rated on a one to ten scale, one being the highest priority. Many variables were considered while compiling this list. The overall list (of each student) varied greatly between in dividuals, and while many values, listed, appeared on almost every list, they appeared at different locations (priorities). This clearly showed individuality among all the students - in the class. Then, we as individuals were put into groups of six students each. The power of peer pressure soon became evident. Individuality ap peared to no longer be a priority. Many students changed their priorities, at least outwardly, after only five minutes of individual group discussions—peer pressure. Guess what happened when the groups were resolved at the end of the semester? You guessed it! Many students' values changed again—a different peer 'pressure. This, one may say, relates to Abraham Maslow's principle on the "lower" levels. The priorities changed because the circumstances changed. Does this mean in order to change one's value system you have to change one's environment? Yes, to a degree, this will have a direct effect on a person's value system. For example, if you were sent to prison, for whatever reason, • you would soon ,begin to ac _like a con vict in order to survive in your new environment. On the other hand, if you were to move into a very wealthy neighborhood, you would soon be molded into the "new you" again. So environmental change can make a difference, either positive or , negative, and also, this change will have a direct influence on about every aspect in your life. For example, if you moved into a neighborhood where nearly year period. If the professor suc ceeds in meeting all of these re quirements, tenure is then granted -or more simply, the security of the professor's position at Behrend College is established. Many may be curious about the purpose of this process. The pur- pose of tenure is to ensure the employment of the finest faculty. The pursuit of tenure allows ex cellence of the profession as well as the acquisition of higher knowledge. Thus, professors have much more to offer to their E E opinion Let's Talk everyone seemed to get up in the morning to go jogging, you would soon find yourself taking better care of your own body by getting "in shape" yourself—a new peer pressure. Not including any mind-altering drugs in any form, I believe that there is only one stronger influence on an individual's value system than that of peer pressure. This powerful influence is a spiritual influence. This spiritual influence may also be positive or negative-- God or Satan, respectively. I speak on the positive only. I can go along with Abraham Maslow to a point, but I do not believe that a person in his or her own power can become "self actualized." I do believe, however, that it is possible to become :God , actualized. Approximately fourteen years ago I had set out to climb Maslow's `pyramid.' My only goal in mind was to become a millionaire.. And, perhaps, I was well on my Wray. I became the vice-president of engineering for a large reputable firm in Arlington, Virginia, with.a most excellent salary, expense ac count, company car and Many other benefits. Ten years later, I became the president of my-own corporation. Now, I am an ordain ed minister. What happened? Did I change my values? Did I move? Yes and no. My value system had changed, but not totally of my power. God caused this change to take place in my life. Yes, I eventually changed my en vironment because of my new pro fession, but not the vice-versa. My value system had changed because of God's positive influence on my life. God had moved into position number one (with my total accep tance, of course). This caused a shift in the balance of my values list. My pyramid began to take shape 'doWnward rather than - The environment is still very im portant. Certain peer pressures still have certain influences; but my highest priority is now fixed. This number one value priority in fluences every position below. The bottom values continue to juggle around as life progresses, and perhaps will never settle in a per manent position until death. Regardless, God holds the number one position which determines my values. - tenure students. Tenure also offers securi ty to faculty members in today's unstable economy. However, tenure is no bed of roses. Once a faculty member ac quires tenure, it becomes extremely difficult to remove or replace that faculty member. In other words, the quality of the professor's teaching may slide considerably downhill before steps are taken to bring about removal. This also creates less opportunity for new professors with fresh knowledge and teaching methods to get hired. There are drawbacks in pursuing tenure at Behrend College. First of all, a professor is expected to put about fifty percent of his efforts in to research and the other fifty per cent into teaching. In my opinion, fifty percent on research is entirely too much. After all, students pay the University in order to receive an education; they should not have to compete with a professor's research project. Secondly, Behrend College provides no ex emptions from meetings or other faculty duties to those professors pursuing tenure, as practiced at numerous other universities. Behrend also provides no funds for travel or research and other ac tivities pertaining to the pursuit of tenure. For many faculty members, this can prove to be a great fman cial strain. In theory, I think tenure is a valuable and valid policy. However, there stands room for improvement. Provisions should be made for faculty in pursuit of tenure, such as travel and research funds, as' well as extra time allowances for research. A pro fessor should not be expected to take part in all faculty duties simultaneously to achieving tenure. Also, more emphasis should be placed on teaching than on research. Hats off to all those .professors in pursuit of tenure that are still managing to be excellent teachers and maintain a positive rapport with their students. It certainly can't be very easy.
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