A minute
with Mauti
By LISA MAUTI
Columnist
LAAM3SS@PSU.EDU
Before I start into my little spiel,
let me first say that the title will
make sense in the end. Have no fear.
Here we are as Americans, and
damn proud of it. We wave our
colors and pledge our Allegiance.
All this even after we are called
so many names by other countries
and attacked in more ways then
one. On September 20, Venezuelan
President, Hugo Chavez, in so many
words referred to President Bush as
a devil and that there was a stench in
the room-a room where Bush stood
a day earlier.
Here’s the thing, a lot of people
in the world at the present moment
have a huge stigma about the US
and make a lot of nasty comments
publicly (i.e.: President Chavez).
We as Americans know in what and
where our country is involved for
the most part. Some of us like what
is going on, and some of us don’t.
That is an issue one will find with
any group of people, be it a country,
religion, or club. Even though we
don’t all back the decisions that
Bush has made/is making, we are all
Americans behind Bush. Some of us
have taken the penalty, the biggest
penalty for that matter, but when
other countries/people say things
about the US that are not the nicest
things, we don’t go out and bum
their flags. We learn from things
that happen.
Along similar terms, just a little
while ago there was an incident
with the Pope and a quote. Right
afterwards, there was an apology,
and a nun got killed. My friends
and I were sitting in a computer
lab when I spotted the story on
CNN.com. I told them how I didn’t
understand why a nun had to die and
threats were being made to everyone
that believed in a cross. I say,
believe in what you want to believe
in. It’s your birthright.
My friends and I were discussing
how killing people comes into the
equation, when the girl sitting in the
row behind us said under her breath
how sad it was that some people
were so naive.
Now excuse me, but who is she
to call us naive because we were
questioning the killing of a nun
because of a quote. All I am trying
to do is to understand. I’m not naive
to the fact that people are going to
do what they believe in. I also know
that religion is a sensitive subject,
but I just don’t understand why
people have to think that only one
way is the right way. We were trying
to understand why people make
threats or bum flags. We were trying
to be open to their point of view.
So to the girl in the computer lab,
it is na’ive to just sit back and let
things happen without questioning.
It is naive to not want to try and
understand why people believe in
killing innocent people that belong
to a group that was targeted because
of one person’s words.
It is naive to hear about a nun being
killed because of her religion, or
for that matter, anyone, innocently
being killed and not think it’s bad or
not to ask why it happened.
So please, the next time you want
to call me naive, really say it to me
without looking away when I look
at you in response. That way, we
can discuss our opinions like adults
in a debate or discussion. You didn t
hurt my feelings. You just gave me
something to write about.
Don’t be afraid to question things.
You don’t always have to agree with
everyone. That’s why we’re humans.
CULTURALLY INEPT
By OSCAR BEISERT
Columnist
ODBIO2@PSU.EDU
In the past two months, I have
suffered a great devastation due to a
deluge of unfortunate circumstances,
However, rather than force you to
endure such a score of violin music,
I will simply tell the tale of one
particular occurrence.
During the last year, I have been
in service as an employee of the
Pennsylvania Higher Education
Assistance Agency (PHEAA) —
which is an Agency connected to
the Commonwealth by legislative
ties. After procuring a job only
two weeks after my arrival in
Pennsylvania, I was employed from
August to December in the Loan
Consolidation Department, and
later by Graduate and Professional
Services as a call
center representative.
Concurrently, upon my initial
application to the Agency, I had
submitted my resume for a position
in the Management Associate
Program. This is an experience
designed to prepare entry-level
employees for a career
in management.
I started this position in January
with great enthusiasm that such a
post would intrigue not only the
body, but also the mind. It soon
came to my attention that the
Osman's windo
By OSMAN ABDALLA
Columnist
OAAIO6@PSU.EDU
The newly declassified document
by the Bush administration shows
that the US invasion of Iraq created
new ground and aspirations for
Jihadists, and the existence of US
troops in Iraq is fueling more anti-
American movements to come.
The document is called the
National Intelligence Estimate
(NIE). A copy of the document can
be obtained by following the link:
http://www.dni.gov/press_releases/
Declassified NIE Key Judgments,
pdf
According to Yahoo News, the
declassification was done because
parts of the document appeared
in the New York Times, and the
Bush Administration resorted to
declassify the document alleging
Time to make new friends
By SHANA DERSTINE
Staff Reporter
SKDSO29@PSU.EDU
It is known that as a new student
in college, one has to learn a great
amount about the campus, and the
people on it, in a short amount of
time. Whether one is willing to
admit it or not, deep down, the
most important piece of the “going
to a new school” situation is how
to make friends - how to survive
socially. This is the most crucial
skill to learn for success at a new
school simply because if you have
this down, the rest will fall into
place naturally, or so it seems.
There are several key factors to
determining just how easy this
process will be: living on campus or
commuting, female or male, race,
the school one’s currently enrolled
in, and what one is willing to do to
make friends. Elaboration is only
necessary for some of these topics.
In general, it is easier for men to
get along than women. Most would
agree that the reasons for that are
that girls tend to make deeper
connections, and with that comes
drama. Men, on the other hand,
make surface connections, and
unlike women, keep them there - on
the surface. Therefore they are faced
with little to no drama at all.
A 81-MONTHLY PONTIFICATION
program lacked organization and
leadership, and that it was led by a
duo of milquetoasts.
The program entailed a series of
rotations that exposed me to various
aspects of the Agency. While the
individuals and departments I
experienced were positive attributes
of the program, I was able to learn
much about the organization. This
could have been strengthened, but
little leadership was given to the
hosting departments.
Fortunately, several of my
rotations allowed me to meet great
leaders within the Agency and
because of this and the relationships
I established, my evaluations were
positive. After about seven and a
half months, we were given our
sixth month evaluation. At this time,
I was told that I was doing my job
to the expectations of the Agency,
and was even complimented by my
supervisors on my
communication skills
During the summer, I was pinched
from a Friday meeting at which
time I was taken by two individuals,
one of whom was never introduced
to me, into a room with an open
glass door in the main corridor,
where I was interrogated by a police
officer. The public servant had
been asked to question an antique
veil that had been found in my lost
bag. The object was used during
the 19"' century for smelling salt
that they don’t want parts of the
document to be taken out of context.
The document, dated 2004, raises
the question of did the Intelligence
system knew these facts only by
2004? So, the Bush Administration
sends a giant military to Iraq
without being able to foresee
the consequences.
These generals and intelligent
officers did not have any clue about
the social processes may occur in
Iraq due to the invasion.
Throughout the history of
invasions and imperialism, it has
become evident that no one nation
can fully occupy a second nation
without the consent of the people in
the second nation.
As we see in Iraq, people are
not afraid of the strong American
military. As a matter of fact, they
prefer to die than live occupied. This
Believe it or not, race does play a
large role in how easy it is to make
friends. Now, this only applies to
schools that are predominately
white. In such schools there are
going to be other races - minorities
For these minorities, it is
surprisingly easy to make friends
- within their race. When a
minority car
outnumberei
are, they tern
stick togethf
and bring in
as many
other people
in their race
as possible
to feel less
isolated
This
phenomena
is ironic
because in
creating thi:
network of people, one
is in fact isolating oneself further.
This has been learned through
experience and observation. For the
majority, it is fairly easy to
find someone else who shares
similar interests, not just skin color,
seeing as there are more people to
choose from.
Of course the school one attends
makes a huge difference in the
and cologne. The police officer
questioned as to whether or not
the object was drug paraphernalia.
After much toil and being berated,
he tested the object to find that
the accusations were clearly false.
After several individuals had
inquired about my arrest, which
never occurred, I asked that the
Agency render a memo for my file
that would delineate the event. My
wishes were never granted and I
was told that the event occurred to
protect the Agency.
After being asked even more about
an alleged arrest, my vigor about the
defamation of character
was regenerated.
In August, my fellow management
associates and I were asked to
prepare comments for a meeting
with the Executive Vice Presidents
and the CEO. The premise of the
meeting was to obtain feedback
about the program. All of our
comments were approved prior to
the meeting by our supervisor. I
spoke very briefly on the subjects
of accountability, seriousness
of projects, and breaking down
silos within the program. At the
conclusion of the meeting, the CEO
recollected a few of our comments.
He specifically agreed with my
comment regarding accountability.
After the meeting my supervisor
informed me that I had done
very well.
into the world
has been clear through the unsettling
insurgency since the invasion of Iraq
and suicides bombing that untrained
Iraqis perform everyday.
These military generals think of
war as a win through what they
perceive from their power and
technology, but they forget the most
important part; the people they
fight have a will, regardless of their
power or technical ability.
In my opinion, this is one of the
results of separating decision from
analysis, and it has a devastating
result. An administration can’t make
a decision with a thorough political,
economical, and social analysis.
What was neglected here was
the social analysis that provided
information about the social
processes that are likely to occur
due to the invasion. If that analysis
was taken into consideration, the
way one will make friends. If one
goes to a “party school” then they
will expect to go to parties to meet
people. If one goes to a more serious
school, then they will most likely
meet people in academic settings,
and interest groups.
Certainly, what one is willing to
do to make friends plays the
of all. Think
discussion
people on
this campus do to make
new friends.
Here at Penn State Harrisburg,
it has become disturbingly clear
that many students feel the best,
perhaps the only way to have fun
and enjoy each other’s company is
to be drunk or high. This is not all of
the students; it’s just a certain group
- the new students. The number of
new students who think this way is
Three weeks later, after refusing
to resign, I was terminated for my
lack of diplomacy in this meeting.
This was said to have come from
the CEO’s instruction and was
cited by the contention that I had
failed to establish positive working
relationships. This contradicted.my
positive evaluations and the cake
and ice cream I had been served at
the time I left my last department.
While 1 begged for further training
and a chance to improve my
diplomacy, I was defrocked of my
ties to the Agency
without hesitation.
Unfortunately, all my message
will really convey to you is to
keep your mouth shut, smile, and
make a milquetoast of yourself. It
shows that within even the largest
Agencies one can be fired for little
to no reason. The example herein
should allow you to see and possibly
understand the reality that is before
you in the modem workplace.
I have not forgotten the millions
of dollars PHEAA provides in
grant monies for students and will
not forget those who made my
experience a positive one. I will
instead decry the large bonuses of
the Agency leaders while those of
the union are forced to live paycheck
to paycheck. I will remember my
firing not as they wish, but, instead,
as a travesty of leadership, training,
and professional.
insurgency and civil war could have
been clear before the invasion, and
that may have prevented the whole
from taking place.
The NIE proves the immorality of
this whole war system through the
officials’ impaired
social imagination.
To make my point more clear,
if these generals, including the
Commander in Chief, knew there
would be a civil war in Iraq two
years after the invasion, would they
have invaded Iraq any way?
If the answer is no, then invading
Iraq was completely wrong and
immoral, and we need to pull the
troops and begin repairing Iraq.
If the answer is yes, then either
there are more classified reasons
for the invasion or these generals,
including the Commander in Chief,
are incompetent to lead.
a high one. They don’t consciously
think this way; it’s subconscious.
Why is this? People are bored and
insecure- simple as that. You might
say that people should have known
what they were getting themselves
into before enrolling here. That
is true. Many students did not
have a chance to visit the campus
before coming to it. Also, the
If one is
illing to do
lat it is that
name of the campus is misleading.
“Capital College” and “Penn State
Harrisburg” both make one think
that they will be in Harrisburg,
where there is a significantly higher
amount of activities to participate
in than in Middletown - which is
where we’re really located. This
setting is shocking to students from
more urban areas. It does feel like
there is not much to do, especially
if you did not bring your car. There
are activities on campus, but they
seem to happen at the wrong times,
and they are not advertised well. In
order to cut down on the “partying”
the school needs to come up with
more ways to engage students.
'eople do at
their school
to make
and keep
friends,
then it is
going to be
considerably
larder for
>u. That leads
One idea is having weekend trips
to different places. The school
provides transportation, and the
group spends the day somewhere.
Your college experience will be
what you make of it, so put in
suggestions and there will be a good
chance you will make a change.
President's
Corner
By ARIEL O'MALLEY
SGA President
AEOSOO2@PSU.EDU
That’s right folks; it is time for
THON'again. It is time to dig deep
into our pockets to give as much as
we can possibly afford to THON to
help children with cancer.
THON is the biggest philanthropy
project run by university students in
the entire world (last year over $4.2
million was raised). Everything at
the actual THON dance is organized
and run by students; from security
to food to entertainment. Every little
detail is planned and put into motion
by Penn State students.
This year the THON committee of
Penn State Harrisburg has all sorts
of good events planned to allow you
to help out and support THON.
One event that is going on right
now is the t-shirt sale. You can buy a
THON t-shirt for 10.00 in the lobby
starting at the beginning of October.
If there is no one at the table when
you wish to purchase please contact
Craig Dewalt (CAD2Bl@psu.edu)
and he will be more than happy to
hook you up. There will also be
THON bracelets on sale, canning
events, pledge booking, a date
auction, and much, much more.
So make sure when you are out at
events on campus to keep an eye out
for cans with the THON logos on
them to make a donation. Also, if
you would like to take more action
and help with the events (or if you
have some fundraising ideas of your
own) contact Craig Dewalt and join
the THON committee.
Though THON is a great event,
many of the commonwealth
campuses are feeling a bit of a
let down at the moment. It seems
as though University Park has
come to decision that none of the
commonwealth campuses may host
their own mini-THON. Seeing as we
are a commonwealth campus we are
only allowed to send two dancers up
for the main event. Because of this
small amount of representation we
were hoping to host our own smaller
version of the THON even so as
to allow more of the Penn State
Harrisburg community to have a
chance to be involved.
THON Is by far one of the most
amazing events that you as a student
of Penn State University will ever
have the chance to partake in. It is
an opportunity to help children with
cancer as well as their families. An
unbelievable amount of work, time,
and heart goes into the planning
and running of THON and it is all
worth it!
I encourage each and every one of
you to take the time to get involved
in THON this year. Whether that
means that you drop your spare
change in one of the THON cans or
if it means that you go out and stand
in the cold and collect money from
the community. Every little bit helps
and YOU have the opportunity to
make a difference.
So please get out there and do
what you can to help. And when
you are outside in the middle winter
absolutely freezing, remember
everything you do is
“For The Kids!”
For more
on THON
or to get
involved,
contact
Craig Dewalt
(cad2Bl@psu.edu)