Page 2 The Lion's Eye Eye on Campus November 23, 2004 Gobble, gobble: GERI will be at your house Turkey for me, Turkey for you, Let's eat the turkey In my big brown shoe. — Adam Sandler The following is an excerpt from a paid commercial advertisement: "Attention, please. Are you a stu- dent at a commonwealth campus of a large university, near the Granite Run Mall? If so, then your life may he in danger this Thanksgiving holi- ay. But don't be alarmed, we here at General Employment Results International, or GERI for short, merely wish to inform you that the statistics provided by men in glasses and white lab coats show a steady rise of SICE (Sudden Involuntary Cranial Explosion), each Thanksgiving especially within the procrastinating college student pop- ulation. This is a major problem for most people and GERI offers a perfect solution. Due to the ease and acces- sibility of modern technology, stu- dents suffer SICE closer and closer to the beginning of the semester rather than the end. The glasses and white lab coats show that by the Thanksgiving holiday, 75 percent of average college students will survive onto the end of the semester while only 21 percent of the A clean-cut GERI representative will pleasantly show up at your door on Thanksgiving Day with a casse- role of your choice and a six-pack of O'Doul's non-alcoholic beer. After pleasant greetings and terms of contract are discussed, the GERI repre- sentative will escort you to your room, pat you on the shoulder for good luck and padlock the door behind you for the duration of the Thanksgiving Break. This student tested and mother approved approach procrastinating college pop- ulation will be able to attend classes after the break, put- ting the student body in an awk- ward position. This is why GERI will come to your house and eat your Thanksgiving dinner for you. to study is a sure-fire guar- antee that you will put a dent on all the assignments and completely avoid the dreaded SICE — or die trying. Worried that GERI won't hack it with your family? Fear not, GERI comes in many different backgrounds, shapes, and colors. All GERI representatives are trained to eat anything that is put in front of them with both genuine gratitude and ravenous pleasure. Every hour, on the hour, the GERI representative will slip under- neath your door a play-by-play account of the Thanksgiving dinner, from the initial toast about the revered value of family unity to the fresh out of the oven pumpkin pie with the melting rich vanilla ice- cream that is drizzled with choco- late syrup and crowned with a cher- ry on top. Each paper will be momentarily held over the steaming plump turkey entrapping its fra- grance, which will help you lay to rest that GERI is not suffering while you secure your future. Act now, operators are standing by and are hungry for your calls. Good luck and don't succumb to SICE. Happy Thanksgiving. Ballroom dancing is a revolution at PSU Delco A new way to earn phys ed credits and learn to step out as you do it By BRIDGET MUNDY Lion’s Eye staff writer BDM185@psu.edu Ballroom dancing has sashayed onto the scene here at Penn State Delco. Students are fox-trotting, swing dancing and doing the rumba to their hearts content. "It's fun, it's something new and different," said Tiera Gordon a soph- omore business major. "Now I know how to dance when I go out some- where." The class, Kinesiology 17, which has been popular at University Park, is making its debut at Delco with the help and enthusiasm of Tiz Griffith. "I retired as athletic director and I needed a class to teach,” said Griffith. "I knew this was the most popular course at U.P. so I thought we would test it out here. The stu- dents are helping me because I am new at this as well." The students testify that this is a great class and Tiz, as they familiar- ly refer to her, is a great instructor. The students also agree that it is an excellent way to acquire physical fit- ness requirements. "She's fun and very laid-back," said Maureen Dowds, sophomore, about Griffith, "I'm not really athlet- ic, so I thought taking this class would be a fun alternative way to get physical education credits." It isn't just the required credits that attract students to this class, but also the verve and vitality of its instructor. As she warms the class up to the "Electric Slide," Griffith gives a visi- tor a wink coupled with a bright smile and proclaims like a proud par- ent, "Aren't they so cute." Griffith realizes that dancing is an expression, and therefore, varies with each individual. She encour- ages her pupils to get creative and to let their own personal flares shine through. Ultimately, she wants to see her students have fun. During the retro swing portion of the class, Griffith congratulates Jim Kinney, a sophomore business major, as he displays innovation, testing out a new swing move with his partner. "I really love swing dancing," says Kinney with an enormous grin. Griffith said her favorite part of the class is "seeing the kids dance and enjoy dancing with a partner...they really love it." This course is not just about lac- ing up your shoes and promenading around with a partner. It is also interested in the evolution of move- ment. "TI use ANGEL and I put the his- tory of the different dances up so that the students can learn about them," said Griffith. "They learn that the dances change in conjunction with what happens historically in the country." There are 32 students in Griffith's class; about half are men. The male response for interest in this course is a bit different than the ladies’. "I'd like to be more versatile in my dancing ability but also I want to get points with women and show my Photo by Sarah Gallatig Instructor Tiz Griffith helps a student learn the steps of the fox trot dur- ing her Kinesiology 17 class, Ballroom Dancing. sensitive side," said Frank Flaim, a junior communications major. "The most important thing is to learn how to dance," said senior IST major Anthony Calise, emphatically. "Most guys don't like to dance, but maybe if we knew how to, we'd like it. I thought I was going to hate it, but I actually kind of like it." Griffith believes that for no mat- ter what reason, music and dance "...1s just wonderful." She is certain that students can take away some- thing very special from their experi- ence in ballroom dancing. "Dance is a wonderful lifetime activity...it is a fun and creative way to stay healthy and happy for the rest of your life."
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers