Page 4 — LION’S EYE — April 9, 1997 Editorials Is Anyone Out There? By Greg Jurkowski “Don’t take it personally.” I’ve heard that countless times in the past two weeks. Fine, I won't. But I'm still going to say what's on my mind. In the April issue of the Lions Eye, this staff ran three articles about a - proposal at University Park to arm the University police at that campus and other residential campuses in the CES system. I put together a small questionnaire for the students and faculty to respond about this issue in the context of this campus. I wanted to know if all of you felt safe on this campus. What were the results? I had 10 faculty and/or staff e-mail me, eight of whom gave their reply, one who wanted to know why I was doing such a thing, and one who basically told me it was none of my business to be doing what I was. Two staff members and one political science student filled out the tear-out questionnaire from the newspaper. I'd like to thank those 10 faculty /staff and especially that one student who took the time to reply. As for the rest of you, your apathy astounds me. Do any of you really care about this campus? I would tend to think not. I hear so many people complain about how this campus could be better. I've heard about some of the e-mail from faculty and staff who complain about parking and how the parking lots aren’t lit well enough at night. Yet, given the opportunity to voice their opinions and concerns in a campus-wide forum, a great majority of the campus community remained silent. I devised this questionnaire intending to turn the results over to Dr. Tomezsko. I came up with the idea while meeting with him in his office one day. Both he and I were curious about what the results would be, especially the student results. I think he might have even taken those results to UP to petition for our officers to be armed if the results demanded it. Go, ahead make your excuses. Say you were too busy, or you forgot, or that you meant to do it later, or that your dog ate the newspaper. The point is you didn’t do it. Yes, I'm shooting off my mouth. I’ve learned in my life that you have to do so sometimes. And I’ve learned something more from this little experience. I've learned that there are 165+ faculty and staff and about 1498 students, excluding myself and that political science student, who could care less if a maniac came on to this campus and started to shoot people randomly. What? What was that? I'm wrong, you say. Prove me wrong next time someone cares enough to change this campus for the better and needs your help to do so. Suicide Isn’t the Answer By Laurie Koechert It’s a Friday night, and your roomates are at a frat party. Meanwhile, you have your toes hanging over the balchony ledge deciding whether or not to um P Would that make anything better? Everyone has those days where everything seems to fall on them. And we have all at one point or another been forced to deal with some sort of tradgedy in our lives. Yet different people have different ways of dealing with their problems. Some think it’s easier to avoid coping with a problem they have no control over than to face and accept the true reality of life. For example, everyone will one day experience the loss of a friend or family member. The most tradgic experience I was forced to accept was the loss of a friend in a car accident. There were times in my life where I discovered my “true” friends stabbed me in the back. And I think every house hold contains at least one sibling who reminds you constantly of your worthlessness. A person can only take so many negatives in their life before they begin to believe they are true. In most cases their self esteem usually goes down with the individual. Unless an individual finds at least one positive in their life it is nearly impossible to turn their life around. A person has to find it in themself to go on living. I think that people who are depressed and lack self esteem do not want to turn to suicide but look at it as a way out. Take actress Halle Berry for example. She is going through a divorce with Atlanta Brave David Justice. Most people think this beautiful woman lives a life of luxury since she seems to have it all. But she was very depressed and confused about who she was. She was blind to the positives in her life and turned to suicide. For one hour she sat in her car with her dogs, in the garage, before she started the engine. But thoughts of her mother’s reaction kept her from suicide. With help from her family and a therapist, she found reasons in her life worth living for. No matter how bad things may seem, suicide is not a very good answer. I am not saying that I have experienced what it is like to come from a horrible home life or from a world where my best day is everyone else’s worst. But I have had my share of failures and feelings of worthlessness. I understand what it is like to consider running from my problems. Sometimes it seems to be the easiest thing to do. Where a person finds it in themselves to rediscover the positive things in their life, it shows the strength of who they really are. Sometimes the hardest thing is recognizing the good in who you are. Opinion fe Review hg By Cynthia Moore Never will there be another who gives life so generously as our Mother Earth. She is always there for us, even when we mistreat her. The earth is close to four and a half billion years old, and it supplies life to many. The importance of the earth to humans, as well as other living beings, is one which will probably never be matched again. So, it is crucial that people get educated about what we can do as a unit to help keep the earth strong. Although we should always be conscious of our treatment towards the land we live on, there is one day out of the year on which the people of the world celebrate this place we all call home. On April 22 several countries will forget their differences, at least for a few minutes, and concentrate on the preservation of earth by celebrating Earth Day. At Penn State Delco, students are conscious of some ways they can help keep the land clean and healthy. Dave Drummond, 2nd semester, DUS, suggested that people stop littering. “If everyone could put their trash in the proper receptacle instead of just tossing it on the grown, the land would be a lot cleaner”. There are several bins for trash and recycling all over campus. ), 51 Earth Day: Call to Action Another problem that is relevant on campus is the pollution of fuels from cars. Since we are a commuter campus, it is necessary for some people to arrive by car or bus, but if anyone is looking for a way to shed a few pounds and help keep the world clean, try riding a bike to school. Riding to school with another student in a car pool or van pool is also better for the environment. An Earth Day Festival will take place outdoors on campus on April 22. Students can get information on helping the environment at tables sponsored by SEPTA, Delaware County Transportation Management Association, the Bike Line bicycling club, and members of Student Life will be around providing literature and promoting ways members of a commuter campus can help clean up the environment. Other potential presenters are Greenpeace, Habitat for Humanity, and the Department of Environmental Protection. Students can also enjoy the music of an acoustic group, shop at “earthy” venders, and munch soda and snacks. Everybody interested in taking action towards a better environment should stop by the festival, which will take place in front of the Commons building between 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM.
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