The Collegian : the weekly newspaper of Behrend College. (Erie, PA) 1989-1993, February 08, 1989, Image 10

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    Page 10
Are' Peiipk Really Good at Wail?
by Darrell J. White
Collegian Staff Writer
"1 believe that people are
really good at heart."
---Anne Frank
" It's weird. Just before every
catastrophe of my teenage life I
would see that sentence, like a
bad omen. On a high school
Morning, I would read that quote
in a textbook. I would come
home that day with the feeling
that .my peers were cruel,
unfeeling, uncaring people.
Often, I would feel recyclable.
They would find me, humiliate or
make sport of me in some way
(it's amazing how creative my
peers could be). Tf , ey would toss
me aside for the day, and then re
use me, making sure that I'd seen
that stupid quote first, so I
wouldn't be breaking tradition.
It got to be so bad that one
day I came home and asked my
mother, "Mom, could it be that
in Tempus, and a copy of Dunes. The awards
will be formally presented at convocation
ceremonies in the late spring. Also, all
submissions are automatically considered for
publication in Tempus.
:Each poet: is encouraged to submit no
more than three poems for consideration.
Poets submitting entries must be a Behrend
student at the time of submission or must
have been enrolled during the regular
academic semester previous to the deadline.
This allows students transferring to
University Park or graduating to remain
eligible.
Each year the contest will be judged by
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Anne Frank-the Anne Frank-was
possibly putting me on?" Then I
would go to school the next day,
make sure I read nothing
concerning Jews (or even World
War II) and feel fine, on top of
the world.
Recently, I saw a PBS special
concerning the concentration
camp at Auschwitz. The narrator
drifted to the story of Anne Frank
(how could he not) and the quote
was mentioned. You'd think after
ail those minor yet life-shaking
tragedies that I would have
actually 'learned something.
Nope, I guess not. '
A few days ago, I was with a
good friend in a large group.
When, for one instant, the
attention was shifted to her, she
made fun of a part of my
personality that I am sensitive
about. (Please forgive my
vagueness, dear reader--the
incident is still fresh in memory.)
The effect on me was equal to
that of a sledgehammer below the
Krynock.... contd. from P. 8
evaluators with the appropriate
qualifications. This year's award was judged
by Maxine Kumin. Kumin won the Pulitzer
Prize in 1973 and is the author of four
novels, eight volumes of poetry, a collection
of essays and a short story collection. Her
most recent book is In Deep a collection of
essays.
Kumin selected 3 winners based on
submission of 3 poems each. Kumin also
mentioned that "a great deal of talent" was
represented in the entries from Behrend.
Next week the Collegian will feature
profiles on 2nd prize winner Ellen Goldberg
and 3rd prize winner Susan Lavrey.`
A:g, These musi -
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It was quite funny at the
time, but also a shot that
embarrassed me terribly (and my
friend, also). I felt astonished
that my friend had actually
betrayed me, after I confided in
her. I felt nothing but anger and
rage, and humiliation,
remembering that night.
The next day, my other friends
naturally poked fun at me over
the incident. They were doing
what anyone would have done.
How could they know how it had
affected me? Yet I still felt that I
was being rejected from my
group, that they were telling me I
was different. I felt outcast,
alone, unable to turn to anyone.
_Anne Frank was ultimately
wrong.
There was nobody who
would help me. The world was a
cold, uncaring, unfeeling place.
I was the one who was wrong.
One person in that group had
noticed my reactions, and how I
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The Collegian Wednesday; • FebrOry 8
tended to avoid mylisuatirie:nd,S.
She had made fun of the inciderit,
originally, but felt uneasy when
she saw how king the fervor was
lasting.
She felt bad that such' a big
rift had come between two of her
friends. What makes her different
is that she did something about
it. •
One evening, I received a
phone call from her, and was
amazed that she even knew my
phone number. •She asked me if I
wanted to step out for a while, go
get a cup of coffee, and talk. •
While we sat, over our tuna
melt sandwiches, she talked to
me like I hadn't been talked to in
a long while. She was actually
revealing herself to me. She
talked about her family,. her
studies, her work, from where she
just came, and about the other
people involved in my situation.
to help me recover from that
blow. She was doing all this for
me, despite the fact that she is
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ACROSS
1 Moccasin
4 Evaluates
9 Paddle
12 Goddess of
healing
13 Musical drama
14 Consumed
15 Confidence
17 Distended
19 Flesh
21 Weight of India
22 Argues
25 Title of respect
29 Spanish article
30 Renovate
32 Epic sea tale
33 Gratuity
35 Lavishes
fondess on
37 Fall behind
38 Short jacket
40 Harvests
COLLEGE PRESS SERVICE
42 Roman 1001
43 Repulse
45 Eccentric
47 A state: abbr
49 Location
50 Touching
54 Wants
57 Veneration
58 Earn
60 Cry of cow
61 Wager
62 Zodiac sign
63 Stitch
DOWN
Fondle
Ventilate
Fragment
Revolved
News-
gathering
org.
Spread for
drying
very much in 'love with, well,
not with me, and that I don't even
know her last name (to this very
day); - ••.
I sat there, staring at that
huge 'tuna melt, contemplating
what all this meant. It meant
that she was, is, and will always
a good person.
Now, the incident has been
forgotten. My friend and I have
reconciled. And I *still associate
with the same:group. The group
is no different (sometimes I
wonder about them), but I know
of one good person .
In the Bible , it was written
that_God would have spared the
cities Sodom and Gomorrah if he
found just ten good people there.
If the same fate should befall
Behrend, I'd pray that God takes
notice of Robin.
After all this time, now I find
out that Anne Frank was right.
It's weird.
An interfaith ministry offering
opportunities for worship,
counseling, study and prayer on
campus and transportation to
area worship services.
Come in and visit--we're in
Student Services--or call
898-6245
Weekly
Crosswarc
Puzzle
Goddess of
discord
Capital of
Oregon
Grain
animal
46 Abounds
48 Genus of
'maple's
50 Engineer's
compartment
51 Be in debt
52 Seine
53 Prefix:lhree
55• FeiMale deer
56 Seed
59 That is: abbr.
The
10 Devoured
11 Crimson
16 Scorch
18 Macaws
20 Choir voice
22 Hinder
23 Choice part
24 Mediterranean
vessel
26 Pigeon pea
27 Trumpeter bird
28 Enchantment
31 Has on one's
person
34 Parent: colloq.
36 Dashes
39 Tidy
41 Surfeit
44 South American