Page 4 February 5, 1997 — LION’S EYE — Editorials Holiday for the Birds? By Greg Jurkowski The emphasis that this country put on holidays has always amazed me. It seems that this country in general goes from Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas to New Year's in one giant blur. As soon as one is over another steps in. Decorations for one holiday get taken down and the next holiday's decorations are put up immediately. The Christmas season starts earlier and earlier each year for the department stores. Let's face it: this country is obsessed with holidays...national, religious, or otherwise. That's right, I hate holidays. - The holiday that I hate the most is Valentine's Day. The reason it disgusts me more than all of the rest of them is because it not for everybody, only those in love. National holidays can be celebrated by anyone who lives in this “great” country. Religious holidays like Christmas and Easter are celebrated by Christians, and these have counterparts, like Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Passover, and others that I am not aware of. In other words, no one is left out. But someone is always left out during Valentine’s Day...a whole lot of someones. Those without a boyfriend or girlfriend have to sit around and deal with the depression they feel as they watch people giving other people candy or flowers or even a simple card. Some of those lonely people use this day to find someone, figuring that this is the best day to tell their secret love how they feel about him or her. In a perfect world, the result is always good. They find out that he or she likes them too and they go out on a date. But this isn’t a perfect world, is it? Others use this day to just tell a close friend that they care. Big deal. They might overcome the way this holiday makes them feel by doing so, but what does it get them? A thank you and maybe a response similar to what they said. That's it. No date, no love, just loneliness. I just have one thing to say to all of those without the love of another in their lives. Despair not, my friends. Just remember this little bit of information that I found out about Valentine’s day: “The custom of sending ‘Valentines’ on Feb 14 is based on the medieval belief that birds began to pair on the 14th of February.” Birds.. little, flying, and for the most part stupid, animals. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it. (Go ahead look it up if you don’t believe me. It’s on page 702 of The Book of Saints in the Reference section of our library, Call# BX4655.B6 1966.) Wanted: Love and Money By Laurie Koechert Is this another lecture on the lack of pride at Delco? No, but students need to be encouraged. Now is the perfect opportunity. Valentine's Day is the most popular day of the year to show your significant other or those close to you that you love and care about them. The day is filled with red roses, chocolate candy, mushy cards and possibly diamonds. Who knows, maybe even a love note from a secret admirer. : Has anyone jumped out of that rush to consider those who do not get the love and attention they need? What about those who do not believe in love because they are seriously ill and know that it is impossible for love to change that? I'm thinking particularly of the children living with cancer and leukemia *at the Hershey Medical Center who do not have the chance to be “children”. What better day to help them than Valentine's Day? For the past 25 years students at Penn State have come together in hopes of raising $1 million for these children through the Four-Diamond Fund. The annual PSU Dancethon, known as “Thon”, is one of the biggest fund raisers in the entire country. Thon will take place the weekend of February 14 through 16 at University Park. But you do not have to show your face to give support. The only sacrifice asked is to cut down your spending on that love bunny (who will probably drop you for that secret admirer who was blessed with some b.s. Casanova line) and pledge some money. Two people from each campus go to University Park to dance at the Thon and to enter contests, such as relay races, dance contests, and are awarded prizes. In order for the two people to enter this event they must get sponsors. Ottrina Bond, SGA Treasurer, and her dance partner are representing Delco and looking for Sponsors: $1,000 worth, if not more. All it takes is for every person to pledge $10 or even $2. Go to those privately owned businesses you know and ask for a $50 donation. How about $20? Drop off your pledge in the SGA office in the Commons Building ASAP! The money raised goes to the families of sick children to help pay for their treatment, medication, hospital expenses, and other bills. Just knowing that someone else can benefit from an event like this one should encourage many to reconsider giving something only to someone with whom they are involved this February 14. Valentine's Day, a day to give and receive love, should do just that Opinion & Peview Loumqe thor a] Exonorate Ex-SGA Pres! By David Metcalf The end should not define the whole game. On the first day of classes this semester, Student Government President Jay Mills resigned his position in a shroud of controversy Excluding one ill-fated trip, Mill's term was a great one. He accomplished much for the Student Government Association and the whole campus. He brought the student government closer to the average student. Last year the SGA seemed cliquey, a “social elite,” like the popular kids in high school. The group excluded outsiders, seeing them as such, and did little for the involvement of the campus. Jay Mills seemed to be closer to the common student, making friends with every sort of person anyone can categorize, such as myself, a pierced, dyed “freak.” He wasn’t a social recluse nor was he an embarrassingly hyper monarch. He upheld this open social policy, which made him a good president. He gave too much time, selflessly, to the SGA, to have his whole term tarnished by the problems of the January ski trip. Jay held two meetings to prepare for the trip and set deadlines for payments. Results: less than one- eighth of the people registered for the trip attended the meetings, and about one-fourth of the people had their payments in on time. At the second meeting, those attending were told that meals were not included, a contradiction to what was earlier announced and what was published in What's Happening. When the students got to the resort, most of them were unaware about the change in meals and most couldn't afford to eat. In the end, the SGA ended up paying about $3000 to cover the nourishment expenses for these people. It seems to me the SGA paid for people who were too irresponsible to attend these meetings. We are in college; we shouldn’t need anybody to hold our hands. True, there were people who tried their best to keep up on the information, but didn’t get enough, partly to the fault of Jay. In the aftermath, Jay resigned. It might appear that he stepped down due to this whole controversy, but it should be known that there were personal reasons, related to school and work, for his decision, which was made before the ski trip even started. Jay is a great guy in my book who would bend over backwards for anyone on this campus. His good deeds far exceed the problems with the ski trip and that's how he should be remembered.
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