EN er The Lion's Eye February 9, 2004 Opinion An editorial SGA: No follow-up to promising start All right, so the campus talked up the new SGA last semester. The Lion's Eye even praised it, and lauded its new openness and vigor. But now, as the year progresses, we see less and less of this "elite" group of students. The SGA has once again become a phantom organi- zation, the same ol’ SGA we've grown accus- tomed to in past years with a new structure and new people that mean little. Now the first of what should be several "open meetings" for this semester has been canceled. The open meetings, the one facet of the “new” SGA that the Lion’s Eye was particualrly impressed with in the Fall, 2003, semester, unfor- tunately proved the only things to really come out of the SGA last semester, and even those were very ill attended. There was no Fall Week, and there doesnt seem to be any plans for a Spring Week. So what exactly can we say that this powerful group of students has done? Not much. Not much, at least, that students outside the SGA can appreciate. The SGA held a beautiful banquet for itself and faculty and staff at the end of the fall semester. That was in celebration of a job well done. Well done for whom? Where are all the things the SGA promised the student body? Chalk it up to lack of funds, which would probably be a legitimate excuse, but why not hold picnics and other events for stu- dents instead of spending money on an event like that banquet, that only a small group of carefully chosen people enjoyed? The SGA has done more for itself than for the student body as a whole. If the members are fighting for students, no one — at least not the average Joe and Josie Student — really knows about it. If anything is being done to better stu- dents’ campus experience, no one sees it. It’s far too early to say the restructured SGA has been a failure. The restructuring has the potential of being great, and making for great things, but it's falling short of greatness right now. The group can only be as great as the sum of its parts, but when some of its people are leaving and some members seem to have their own agen- da, it makes it hard to get much accomplished. Instead of setting so many large, long-term goals for this "new" SGA, maybe SGA should set small- er, more manageable goals that people can appre- ciate. It's great to have many goals for the group, but when you're just re-establishing yourself as a powerful group, it seems better to set fewer goals so that you don't fail, or appear to fail, when no one sees anything getting done. The SGA is the most important organization this campus has. The stronger the SGA is, the stronger the student body can be. As a commuter campus, we struggle to keep students here for more than just classes. The SGA can still make a difference on this campus. But will it? Rest assured the Lion’s Eye will be watching. | like it. It's a fun holi- day if you have some- one to share it with. Patty Murphy Freshman It can be depressing, but if you're involved then it can be fun. Anthony lezzi Freshman Business It's a great way to show the people you love how much you love them. Natalie Delva Freshman Biology It's a special day to get together with your loved ones. Bobby Condon Freshman Business Blah, it's not a big deal. It should be Valentine's Day all the time. Jennifer Orihuela Junior HDFS It's pointless. If you care about someone you shouldn't have to wait until Valentine's Day to tell them. Branden Easley Freshman Communications because of its isolation. Berks has a printing Undecided What can brown do for you? When it comes to Vairo Library, not much place to go. I know it can happen because I have seen it. And, I like what I've seen. It’s something the students of Penn State Delaware County need. Now that we are in the age of technology, most things we need for research are online. In theory, we don't need to go to the library at all, what with virtual librarians and online databases. The library should fix itself. Now, the Berks campus has dorms and we're only commuters, but a nicer library may make students want to stay on campus for longer periods of time. cyber café. A place to meet friends. A place to study. Soundproof study rooms with DVD play- rs in each with students actually using them. A big picture window and bright colors. Welcome to Penn State Berks Boscov-Lakin Library. It’s what the John D. Vairo Library could be. Instead we have brown, brown and more brown. Be honest, do you actually use the library when you study? Do you even know about the first-floor Quiet Zone, allegedly haunted? There's a giant printing press down there, also known as the Catacombs, Of course, there is a downside to this renovation. After seeing how the Lion's Den was redone in the Commons Building, I'm afraid of what could be next. The students should have a hand in deciding how the library would be renovated. Students are the ones who would primarily get the most use out of it anyway. The cost is another negative, but that should be taken out of our ever-rising tuition. At least then we can see iL and benefit from where our money goes. EE Besides, doesn't Penn State want us to excel? I brought a guest named Kim from Berks to visit Delco one day. She was shocked by the ancient library. "I could never study here," she said. Coming from a Berks student's perspective, why settle for emeralds when you can have diamonds? press, too, though the rest of civilization can see it. I'm afraid to go to the Delco library. I'm not a fan of ghosts and I don't want to warp back to the '70s. One semester, I had no classes there and was able to evade the library the entire term. I can't study when I'm surrounded by the color of muck. This semester I am unfortunate enough to have classes there. The technology is old and the sounds on the televisions are scratchy and distracting. Aside from the cramped classrooms, I can't see the chalkboard. I can't call it a blackboard because, well, it's not black. It's, you guessed it, brown. And, white chalk doesn't appear too clearly on a brown surface. As you have experienced, the classrooms in the library really make for a great learning experience. I'm sure with proper renovation.the Library can become a place students can be proud of, an appeal- ing place students want to go. Think of it this way: Penn State wants its students to excel. They want us to get good grades and jobs so they can look good. How can we do that without using the library? Isn't it a bit contradictory of the school's mission to supply students with an outdated library? If the library were renovated, grades and GPAs would increase. Students would come flocking to a cyber café. Students could have a fun, productive PENNSTATE Editor-in-chief: Contributing Staff: Charlotte Barr, Renee Blisard, Jess Eye Contact: : ET Delaware Anteia Consorto | Goldey, Chrissy Greenan, Jeff Huber, Stacie Mann, Sean Orner, t The Lion's Eye would like to hear from Cc Associate Editor: | Jennifer Rufo. J you. Drop off letters to the editor in the ounty Sarah Gallatig Guest Columnist: Janice Kuehn. & Lion's Eye mailbox, first floor Main, or Femail AAC136@psu.edu, subject: Letter Copy Editor: to editor. All letters must be signed with 9 MH . THE LION'S EYE Contact the Lion’s Eye: At AAC136@psu.edu. contact info for verification purposes. Meredith Becker
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