Thursday, February 19,1998 OPNINIONTEDITORIAL
Editorial
What The Capital Times
It is no secret that many college and university has its share of problems
and blemishes that go unattended. And some do a better job with their
makeovers than others. Yet many times these problems, when made known
to the world, are quickly solved, applauded and left alone.
After briefly discussing this topic within the walls of W 341, we de
cided to look into the possibility that maybe PSH could even have such a
dilema. So, off we went on our quest for the dirt. This was a search to
find Penn State's pimples that have been so cleverly covered up.
Honestly, the search was not all that difficult. Granted, it is always
easier to throw the mud than to clean it up. So we readily admit to sling
ing the slime, but offer no apologies for it.
*Stairs - Does anyone else wonder why the stairwells are the most
attractive part of the Olmsted Building? There is nothing wrong with
having clean, well-constructed stairs. However, once we exit the stairs
and enter the hallway, we are left with thoughts like "is this the same
building?" One visitor to the college said that she felt like she was in a
hospital when she walked down the hallways.
*Clocks - We hope that anyone who goes to the Lion's Den for a bite to
eat is wearing a watch. If you are a student who takes the time to sit down
at the tables provided to dine, relax, study or whatever else students do,
you cannot depend on the clock on the wall to remind you that your next
class is about to begin. There isn't one. Moreover, the clocks that are
located throughout the building not only have diferent times, but some
are over 10 minutes off in either direction.
A suggestion to SGA: Please have clock placed in room 216 as part of
the remodeling project. After all, it is going to be a student lounge which
means students will be there to study or rest. We just want to make sure
that the students cannot use "I didn't know what time it was" as an excuse
for their tardiness.
*Traps - There is a mouse trap located under the television in the stu
dent lounge beside the game room which could double as an apartment
for any average-sized rhino who may wander by. With a trap that big,
should the students be worried or concerned about what types of crea
tures are wandering the building? Maybe someone will make it on the
next episode of When Animals Attack.
*Grounds - If you enter the Olmstead Building through the doors at
the rear west corner, you no doubt have noticed several holes in the ground
located just feet away from the sidewalks. Normally we would say, "No
big deal. They're fixing a problem." Unfortunately, it's obvious that no
one has figured out what the problem is because the ground has been
blocked off since the middle of the fall semester. We have come up with
one possible explanation. The University is planning a reinactment of
the "trench wars" from World War II performed by the Drama Troupe.
*Restroom - What is going on in the women's restroom on the third
floor in the west wing? According to one professor, there is a temporary
wall that was installed to block off a leak or something of that nature.
You have to forgive us for not being on top of this story. Due to gender,
we are not permitted in the ladies' restroom. Go figure. Besides the
possible plumbing problem, any intelligent person knows not to make a
women's restroom smaller.
*Cobwebs - We never expected to find a problem in the aforemen
tioned stairs... as beautiful as they are. However, the next time you take a
trip to third floor, check the windows in the top of the stairway by the
elevator. The first thing that comes to mind is the living room of the
Munsters. It looks like "spider heaven." Maybe we should be more care
ful because Eddie's pet, Spot, might come right out of the stairs when we
least expect it. Not to worry though, if he does come out he will probably
get caught in the trap in the lounge downstairs.
*Bulletin Boards - The bulletin boards are a great way for groups and
organizations to get the news out about their upcoming events. But no
tice what was just said. . .upcoming events. If you ever stop and take the
time to look at the boards (and we hope you do because important infor
mation is located on them) then you have probably noticed that several
things are somewhat outdated. We propose the folowing: it should be an
enforced policy that once an event is completed, all the notices and bulle
tins should be taken down within the next week.
*The Meaning of Life - Can anybody tell us why, exactly, we are on
this planet?
onders
Dear Editor
I would like to respond to Dani
Church's Jan. 22 review of Kevin
Facer's photographic exhibit, "Im
pressions of Lightness, Weight and
Being" recently shown in the Gal
lery Lounge.
Church did not particularly like
the exhibit, and one can not fault
her opinion. Her idea that a pho
tographer must somehow convey to
the viewer his externalization of an
inner vision through a "responsive
pathway" was well thought out.
However, her conclusion that Facer
did not fulfill that mission is one
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In defense of the
Facer exhibit
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Letters to the editor
with which I differ.
Church made the point that since
Facer's photographs were based on
Milan Kundera's book, The Un
bearable Lightness of Being, it
would have been helpful to have
copies of the book readily available.
While that would have been a cour
tesy to the viewers, a gallery goer
who had not yet read the book
would still have to view the exhibit
on its own merit, as Church had
done. Whether one had read the
book or not, the photographic ex
hibit should stand as a work in its
own right. As an art form it must
adhere to the requirements of that
art—just as a movie based on a
book should stand on its on right.
I, like Church, had not read the
t x rV/ -
The Capital Times
Matthew J. Bowman
Editors
THE CAPITAL TIMES
book before viewing the exhibit, so
was left to form an impression
based on what was right in front of
me. I felt Facer conveyed his mes
sage clearly. I found the images
remarkably dynamic and, in some
cases, breathtaking. One photo was
a view of the turreted rooftop of a
19th century building. Above the
building, birds were captured fly
ing by with all the surprise one
might have if it were a live view.
One of those messages of his ex
hibit can be derived from the title
of Kundera's book, which conveys
a mysterious dichotomy in the na
ture of being. Facer's images, I
believe, bear that out. Rather than
blurred, as Church felt, I found the
images distinct, in both the message
conveyed as well as the visual im
agery. The sharp contrast between
light and dark was effectively used
in his photographs to get his point
across
That these photographs do stand
on their own merit was exemplified
for me by Facer's ability to find the
beauty around him. In one shot of
a woman standing in a field, the
delicacy of light playing off the
cotton fabric and the silkiness of her
skin worked together to form a co
herent image. In that regard, the
viewer's understanding of the
photographer's intent can be some
thing the artist did not intend at all.
Facer's task of visually represent
ing abstract ideas was a difficult
one. In all, I found his work to be
sensitively felt and beautifully seen.
Sincerely,
Ilene Rosenberg
Dani Church
Entertainment Editor
Christine Downs
Business Manager
Jeffrey C. Warren
Photographer
Lauren Capitani
Layout
Rick Deitz
Staff Writer
Makito Yurita
Staff Writer