page 4 The Fourth Wall ET Trevon Pegram News Editor Just imagine if you will a high school in which, after black students wanted to sit under a tree that was typically used by white . students, three nooses were hung from that same tree on the very next day. Instead of school officials seeing this event as something very discriminatory they pass it off as a simple school prank. The incident causes racial tensions not only in the school to heat up, but in the town as well. Then the real drama starts when six young black men are charged as adults with attempted murder after being involved in a fight with a white classmate. The story only gets worse from here. A few of the young men are not given fair trials. The charges weren’t the only things that were Editorial: By Ashley Rowe Layout Editor Welcome, new freshmen, to Penn State Mont Alto. No longer are you in your safe high school world. Everything is different now: selecting your own classes, learning to be an independent student, and living life all on your own. I’m sure by now you have settled into your routine, made lots of new friends, and have already taken your first big exam. College can be a stressful, difficult change in a person’s life. All students have trouble adjusting to this new world. Now is the time to take critical steps toward your future. Here is some advice on how to make your college experience successful. There are many resources on campus to help new students become adjusted to the college life. The Student Success Center is a great spot where you can develop study habits and skills that are necessary to achieving your goals. They have many tutors who are able to help you on a personal harsh, so was the bail amount that was set for them. This sounds like something that could never happen in this day and age but I'm sorry to say that’s not the case. This has been going on for the past year in Jena, Louisiana. The six young men referred to have become known in the media as the Jena 6. I don’t defend the actions taken by these six young men but I must also speak out at how their cases have been handled. This has slowly become a highly publicized case in the media. Hearing more and more about this case and how it has been handled causes me to question how far it is we’ve actually come as a people. When I use the term people I mean not only as American citizens but as human beings in general. This country prides itself on being the land of opportunity, a place where you can come with nothing and -work your way up to become basis. When asked if she would have done anything differently last year, Shaquwana Duncan (sophomore), said, “I would have managed my time a little better.” Isel Ibragimova (sophomore) agreed. “Make sure you have enough time to study for each class and are doing your homewor -Shaquwana Duncan Resident Assistant at Penn State Mont Alto She stated, “I would have studied more and procrastinated less.” The college experience is unlike anything you have ever encountered before. Isel Ibragimova confirmed, “Be someone successful. This may be true in a sense; this nation welcomes people of all sexes, origins, creeds, and colors. Though this nation may welcome all these different people has it ever really gotten over the question of race? The one thing that has truly plagued this country since the beginning is the argument over the color of skin. Many of us would love to think that we have gotten over this but the fact of the matter is that we most likely haven’t done so at all. No matter what movements or Supreme Court decisions we’ve had in the past the truth of the matter is that race still plays a huge part in everything we do. It sometimes determines where we live, work, what we say, and even what we wear. One of the single most important things to find out about a person for a job is usually their sex and then their race. The idea of race has become so prominent that we even hinder ourselves from doing certain things because they can be termed as being something that someone in our particular race doesn’t do. We can’t necessarily blame ourselves for this either because it’s something that we’ve lives. It has been force-fed to us that these things are standard practice. How far can the human race actually evolve? Can we reach our highest potential when we are stuck on something as unimportant as the color of someone’s skin? Not like the color of their skin has any effect on their intellectual ability or is some preview as to what that person will be able to accomplish. Yet we still are hung up on something like this. It’s great for people to learn about come from but, for it to then be outgoing and friendly to everybody and make Sure you attend the campus activities.” Be sure to balance your schedule between school work and recreation. Spending time with stress that college students face. Find out what events or activities are going on throughout the week and plan your schedule or in the General Studies Building. Also, if you live on campus you can ask your Resident Assistant for a list of activities. Good time management skills are something that most freshmen learn after the first few months of being in college. Shaquwana insisted, “Make sure you have enough time to study for each class and are doing your homework.” Isel added, “Don’t procrastinate! Get things done early. You never know when the printer will break or a power used as a form of discrimination against them is totally inappropriate. Is it even possible to imagine living in a world that isn’t clouded with questions of race? No matter how much we tell ourselves that race isn’t an issue with us, in the back of our minds we know that the question of race is there? It’s just a matter of whether or not we choose to acknowledge it. Until we choose not to acknowledge race as such a big issue then we can never truly be at peace as a society. S20 outage happens.” If and when you are assigned to do an assignment or write a paper, remember to use your time effectively. If you have a two hour break in between classes (let’s say, for example, on a Tuesday), and the paper is due that next Thursday, do not waste your time. Accomplish the task early so that you will not have to worry about completing it later. When asked about the most enjoyable memory at Penn State Mont Alto, Isel Ibragimova replied, “Spending time with my friends at dances or watching movies in the lobby or our rooms.” You should enjoy your time here as a student. The best thing to remember is that we all make mistakes. If you don’t adjust as quickly as you would have liked, it’s okay! There are things that I wish I had done differently my freshman year. The most important advice I can give you is to take all of this information and use it to your advantage. It is up to you to make your college experience a success.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers