—LION’'SEYE — December 9, 1993 Editorial: The Fading Dream of Christmas By Mike Jamison Believe it or not, I'm a cynic. I view the world with an arched eyebrow and a curious glance. I pride myself on seeing through glaring irregularities and lies and seeing the truth behind the mirage. But if there has been one event I did not view with cynicism, it was Christmas. I always loved Christmas, was entrapped by its mystic aura. However, over the last few years, I have come to this conclusion: Christmas isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Maybe my youth is lost; maybe it’s because my little cousins no longer believe in Santa. For whatever reasons, Christmas has lost its magic for me. I still look forward to seeing friends and family on the holidays, to seeing the joy one gets in opening a present, or enjoying a well cooked turkey on Christmas day. But for some reason, I no longer feel the breathtaking excitement that Christmas once generated in me. : Yes, I know Christmas is a holiday for greedy money-mongers to feed off the religious beliefs of a few million people and make a few bucks, but it was still a time of magic. Now, all it seems like is a time of pent up anticipation. My young cousins no longer look to the skies in wonderment, hoping to catch a glimpse of Santa; they now look through the closets and bedrooms, hoping to find their hidden gifts. Putting up and trimming the tree has even lost its charm, with work and other appointments forcing various family members to miss the event. Even the residents on my street feel the waning interest in the holiday; last year only half the houses were decorated. The Christmas holiday will never fade; the business world won't let it. But as the relatives and neighbors grow older, the magic of Christmas begins to fade for those who delighted in creating the image of peace on earth and good will towards men. They begin to realize that that is all it is: an image, a wistful dream created thousands of years ago. But although the dream has begun to deteriorate, a new generation will come, and the dream will begin anew. Remember that, when your children and grandchildren look to the sky on December 24, many years from now. Remember the dream especially when your reality is worth forgetting. — Letter to the Editor — Opinion lL Review To the Editor: Prior to November 11 edition of the Lions Eye, I was interviewed by its staff regarding my resignation from the position of Secretary of the Student Government Association. Unfortunately, I was later informed, that the “wrong draft” of the article entitled “S.G.A. Missing Main Issues” had been erroneously printed. Because of this error and the misinformation which has resulted from it, I would like to take this opportunity to “set the record straight.” First of all, one of the most important reasons why I resigned from the S.G.A. was on account of my grades. I was put in the position where I had to either make the decision to improve my academic performance and remain in the S.G.A. of to resign from the S.G.A. with “dignity” and spend more time on my classes. For various reasons, which I do not have room to discuss, I chose the latter. Secondly, I believe that the main reason that students are not satisfiec with the S.G.A. is because they do not feel that they are being dealt with as students of a commuter campus. Time and time again hundreds of dollars have been spent on nighttime activities which virtually no one attended. Roughly five hundred dollars was spent on the drive-in movie and we sold approximately two hundred dollars worth of tickets. In the future, activities shotcid be held while students are still on campus. Why not have more daytime activities which could run throughout the day since many students have breaks between their classes? From reading back issues of the Lion's Eye and talking to people about what worked in the past and what didn’t work, it is apparent that the Student Governments of the past twenty years have had similar problems with student involvement. We must learn from the mistakes of the past instead of repeating them. If there is one piece of advice I coui< give new members of the S.G.A., it wouid be: “Don’t be afraid to admit when youre wrong and to learn from your mistakes.” The S.G.A. should consist of students who work together because they care about the students of this campus, instead of people who work against each other. This semester is almost over and so is my time as a student at Penn State. This is the last article that I will write as a reporter for the Lion's Eye, a campus publication which has given me the opportunity to always write wiat I believe to be the truth. John Bishop First staff meeting: JOIN THE LION'S EYE! Monday, January 17 at 12:30, 112 L.C Sign Up During Drop/Add for: Eng. 297 A for 2 credits Makes Cut ia-¥5 Vandals, Thieves, and Litter By Emmanuel Seabrooks Just in case you haven't stopped by the Lion's Den on our campus this semester, you should know that the pool table, which has been there all semester for students use, is stuffed and is going to be removed in a matter of days. Only a month ago we came out to our cars and found medium sized plastic waste bags on our antennas. These were distributed in an attempt to keep the campus grounds cleaner. This was a really good idea. However, many students continue to ignore the hint and throw their trash where ever they please. + Just a week ago I had a conversation with Dr. Doran about thefts in the workout room facilities. “The thieves must be pretty strong. We have had a number weights stolen from this gym.” Over 18 pieces of equipment have been taken out. “45 pound weights, 35 pound weights, some bars, even a plant! Now that is hard to believe, but it’s true. It upsets me that these items are missing because the campus spends a lot of money on the equipment we use in the gym. When people pull pranks like this, others suffer for it,” stated Doran. Have we let college, independence (for those who have it), and free choice cause us not to care anymore? My point is, why don’t we start appreciating the facilities and privileges we are given at Delco, instead of abusing them? Weall remember the high school days, when we were treated like children by the administration. That was then. This is now, a time to act like the adults that we are all becoming. : If you have trash to chuck out, I'm sure if you can walk from building to building, you can managea toss to the waste basket or recycling bin. If you decide to make use of something on this campus, such as the weight room and the Lion's Den respect the rights, and be courteous to others by taking care of the equipment so we can keep it. Let us not have to read any more “out of order” signs if we can help it. After all, this is our campus. THE LION’S EYE Vol. XXV, No.5 The Pennsylvania State University December 9, 1993 Delaware County Campus : PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Wes Tomlinson EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Mike Jamison ASSISTANT EDITORS Martyna Sliwinska James Foltz STAFF John Bishop Emmanuel Seabrooks Jennifer Holland Mike Doyle Wes Tomlinson . Greg Reichard Nicole Gibbs Jamie Wentworth Sam Cohoon ADVISORS Barbara Daniel = John Terrell The LION’S EYE is published Monthly during the academic year by the students of the Delaware County Campus. Submissions are welcome from all students, faculty and staff. Material must be typed, double spaced, and submitted in the LION'S EYE mailbox located in the Lion's Den. Letters, articles and cartoons represent only the views of their authors. Advertisements do not necessarily reflect editorial opinion. THE LION’S EYE regrets it cannot guarantee the return of any material submitted. All submissions are subject to editing. No experience necessary
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers