Raflstenton
Fall 2005
Travis Johnson
Last week the
head-line on
the front page
of The Collegian
voiced what all
Penn State
: students and
football fans everywhere have
wanted to say for a long time:
“We're back!” Sitting on top
of the Big Ten conference at 8-
1 and off to their best start since
1999, the Nittany Lions have
State College in a victorious
uproar. Cruising through their
first three games against South
Florida, Cincinnati, and
Central Michigan with relative
ease, the Lions kicked off the
Big Ten schedule against
Northwestern with a buzz in
the air. The buzz is about the
freshmen,
Deon Butler,
Derrick
Williams,
Justin King,
and Jordan
Norwood |
that coach
Joe Paterno
has starting as
wi I de
receivers. The
buzz is about
senior
quarterback
And the buzz in general is
about how this
Michael Robinson, a
playmaker who scares defenses
with his incredible versatility.
is the year Penn State climbs
out of the basement of the Big
Ten standings. Starting with
September 1 2005 -a date
which will live in infamy for
me- it’s the day I found out that
1 was being deployed to
hurricane wracked Louisiana
~ When I found out I was in
art class. I noticed that I had a
missed call, and during the
break, I called to see who it
told me that we were being
deployed and that I must be
ready to go at 7am the next
morning.
I was in shock.
How could I be deployed? I
was involved in so much on
campus, and I was a first year
Hught to myself, “They
they did. It wasn't as if I didn't
go to help in
Louisiana, but why now, and
in some part of my mind I
asked “why
me?” I had so
much going on
for me I
wouldn't get to
graduate on |g
time, 1
wouldn't get to
go to U.P. in the
time I expected, §
nor would I get
to pledge a Bi
N P H C|
fraternity like I
always wanted.
I told people
around campus and they
couldn't believe it. The Resident
Life/Campus Life staff and
others in Conklin were very
helpful, however, 1 in getting me
prepared to leave.
After I took care of business
at Conklin, I still
had to call my
family. My mom
didn’t want to
believe it, and then
said, “Do you want
| me to blow up the
armory so you don’t
have to gol’ Of
course, she always
had the comical
way of looking at
bad situations, and
| thathelped alot. For
| almost the rest of the
day I stayed in my
room and packed while
watching the news. They kept
See Soldier page 4
a come-from-behind win
against Northwestern on the
road, Penn State returned
home and routed Minnesota,
one of the nation’s top rushing
teams, 44-14 on All-U-Day to
the delight of 106,000 fans at
Beaver Stadium. After their first
two impressive wins against
Big Ten opponents, the Lions
faced their biggest test yet, the
rival Ohio State Buckeyes.
Under the lights at Beaver
Stadium, the Lions got their
most impressive win of the
season, beating Ohio State by
a score of 17-10.
The Lions followed their
incredible victory over Ohio
State up with a trip to Michigan
to face the up-and-down
Wolverines. Penn State was
behind early but regained the
lead with less than a minute to
See Spirit page 3
Bobby Casiano
A Penn State 2003 Student
health survey shows that 78%
of the students have had one
or more sexual partners in their
lifetimes, while 69% had one
or more sexual partners in the
past year. Of eighteen students
that reported they had same sex
partners, twelve had one
partner, five had two partners,
and one had four partners. This
survey also reveals that most
sexually active students do not
practice safe sex regularly. 50%
of surveyed students admit
they used a condom during
their last intercourse; 25% use
a condom during every
intercourse. Only 19% of the
surveyed sexually active
students have ever been tested
for an STD.
Based on the student health
survey results, 22% of the
students are not sexually active.
There are several students who
practice abstinence as a
contraceptive and/or to keep
marriage sacred. Mont Alto
student Gwynne Turner says
she is “striving to be something
better than someone’s baby
mama” and “marriage should
be sacred and special.” Also,
Turner doesn’t believe in
“multiple sex partners.” She
finds it “dangerous and risky”
to engage in sexual activity.
Student Government
Freshman Representative Bella
Perez agrees: with "the
philosophy that “true love
waits.” She found it “sad” to
hear that such a low percentage
of students abstained from
sexual activity. Mont Alto
student Meka Brooks says
“people need to be careful of
these. viruses out there.”
Sophomore Ian Wintermyer,
on the other hand, says, “there
is nothing wrong with being
sexually active as long as there
is an awareness of all the
See STD page 5