Page 4 — LION'S EYE — December 6, 1995 Opinion P2view Editorial Campus Fails To Fight Racism By James Foltz It seems that every semester I have found the need to write about racial relations on this campus. Unfortunately, this semester is no different. There is a sickness here at Penn State Delco, and it seems as if there is very little effort on the part of the administration to nurse Delco back to health. Delco is plagued with racism. Primarily, from what I have seen, itis racism against the black community. In the bathrooms, specifically in the Vairo Library bathrooms, are disgusting remarks of “humor”, phrases filled with demeaning words of hate, and threats marked by the swastika of Nazism. The messages are written in pencil or pen and some are carved. Even though these messages represent the mentality of only a small portion of the student population, they unfortunately stigmatize all. Their existence reflects poorly upon Penn State University as a whole, bringing down the quality of education that students have worked very hard to get: : Racism is wrong no matter who instigates it, no matter what the reasoning behind it. The racism going on in this institution must be nipped before it can bloom into its full, wretched self. It cannot be supported, nor tolerated. Last January there was a campus getaway that revolved around racism and awareness. Apparently Penn State Delco needs some more of these “getaways” and much more. It is apparent that the administration is making RALAA IND Od FTHD 7 4 % \ EIS THE NEw ComPUTER NT” DIS SERVICES AVAL ARLE Ind THE caMPuS LIBRARY The Community? Or Penn State? little progress in diffusing racial tension at Delco, so it is up to the students. Student leaders, it is your responsibility to do something about the nonsense spewing from your peers. It should be part of SGA’s agenda to raise awareness of this behavior, not make it a side note, or even ignored. Clichés, such as being “color blind” and “all men are created equal”, need to be reiterated because apparently very few people are listening. So here they are again. / Be blind toward color. The color of one’s skin should not be a determining factor in deciding whether or not a person is decent. And of course, “All men are created equal.” Or so says the Declaration of Independence. Stop the nonsense. Stop the racism. ‘Serial Killings Draw Masses Toward Cinema By Michael Menichini The mind of a serial killer is so warped and ingenious that the American public has grasped a profound respect for them. For every Albert Einstein that used his knowledge to improve and expand the minds of others, there is a Jeffrey Dahmer who is using his intelligence to make others his helpless victims. Serial killers have become the phenom of the ‘90s. People everywhere have been dishing out $5.50 to get the cinema rush that comes from trying to disect the mind of the serial killer. Silence of the Lambs was an opportunity for the movie world to see Hollywood's version of Ed Gein. “It is eerie to see the way America has taken such a liking to these poetic murders.” Ed Gein was a serial killer who lived in the town of Plainfield, Wisconsin. He was obsessed with the thought of “turning female” in some sort of way. In the beginning, Gein would rob cemeteries and bring back body parts to his home. Eventually he started creating his own corpses from victims he carefully followed. When he was apprehended, the police discovered skulls, noses, lips, and many decorative displays of human bones. He used human skin for lamp shades, wastebaskets, and chair upholstery. For ceremonial occasions, Gein wore a human’s scalp and face, a skinned-out “vest” complete with breasts, and female genetalia strapped above his own. Although the thought of this may sound demented and repulsive, the theatres were packed with fans eagerly anticipating the killers identity. With the recent releases of Seven and Copycat, serial killers have been portrayed as aspiring young men with brilliant schemes and plans. Their minds function in ways that leave the audience with a loss of security. The portrait of a serial killer is practically the same with every movie. Their “people” personality and overall self-confidence lure those whose own insecurity is in doubt. It seems as though they carry themselves with style and confidence when in reality their minds are wrenching with anger. It is obvious that abuse and trauma filled their world as children. As adults, they ease their own pain through the senseless murders of innocent people. It is eerie to see the way America has taken such a liking to these poetic murders. Maybe it’s that they possess a creativity that many people lack, or maybe it is the stategic brilliance they use to capture their victims. Whatever the question may be, it is safe to say that America is anxiously awaiting the arrival of the next great mind. By Michael Menichini The availability of the gym to the students is a privilege that many students enjoy. However, that this privilege is slowly diminishing due to the recent flood of outside events that are taking over our facilities. For the period of October 13 up to and including the weekend of November 11 - 13, there were twenty days in which the gym and the Commons building were used for outside events. These events are an attempt to provide a service to the community as well as enhancing the reputation of Penn State University in Delaware County. It is also quite evident that these events bring money in for the campus and many are necessary. However, these events are beginning to take gym time away from those who need it the most... the students. The Men's and Women’s Trash Talk basketball teams started practicing for their upcoming seasons on October 15. Due to the gym scheduling conflict, many of the practices had to be cancelled or the teams were forced to move to other gyms in the area for practice. The men’s basketball team was unable to schedule any home scrimmages while the women’s team suffered because the weekend is the only time they can practice with a full team. The Karate Club, one of the largest active student clubs on campus, was not able to hold some of their workouts. The scheduled events are also affecting the everyday student recreation time during common hour due to the set up, preperation, and the breakdown times for these events. In the future, there should be an effort made to avoid such a heavy outside event schedule. When we consider the fact that the students and student-athletes were unable to use the facilities on five consecutive weekends, it crosses the boundary of being fair. Hey, You With The Butt! By Pete Howard Hey, you, eating lunch, what do you plan to do with that Snapple bottle and Tastykake wrapper when you are finished? Wait, swallow first. You're going to throw them out? Good. Make sure you do. : And how about the rest of you? There are plenty of trash cans around, so use them. I'm not saying that this place looks like North Philly, but there are some areas on campus that need help. The lounge usually has cans and empty Doritos bags lying around. The cafeteria is almost as bad, but only because people who work there usually clean up after students. And the worst thing about the cafeteria is the sticky tables. I'm sure we all have lost some perfectly good armbhairs to those tables. If you spill, squirt, spit, or discharge anything, go get a rag and wipe it up! Why spend thousands of dollars for one textbook only to get Hawaiian Punch all over the back cover? The picnic tables are another site for littering. On those Indian summer days on campus, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside when I see someone was nice enough to leave a can of Pepsi on a table for all those families of bees and ants to enjoy! "Share the sugar!" That's what I always say. Cans, wrappers, papers, yes we see them on the ground, but the number one item that we can find everywhere is..... Butts! Yes, butts! I love to check out the butts! Wherever you turn, you can see them. I bet that if we gathered up every cigarette butt found on campus since the school opened, we could fill up the Vairo Canyon. Walk the extra two feet to the ashtray or trashcan and make this campus a little cleaner, and if you don't frame and hang up the Lion's Eye like I do when I'm done reading it, put it back, or throw it out. But don’t just leave it on a chair, or on the floor, or on your desk, or on a picnic table. Well, I guess the picnic table would be OK. I like to read while I eat, so maybe the insects would too.
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