Editorial
Censorship stops
There seems to be an interesting misconception on this
campus. Although it is completely unfounded and untrue, one
might understand how that could come about.
We have read a lot about censorship lately. It has been
rearing its ugly head everywhere. Music vendors have been
jailed for selling 2 Live Crew albums. The director of an art
gallery in Cincinnati went to trial for displaying the
photographs of Robert Mapplethorpe because some people
found them offensive.
Here in Erie there have been battles over the contents of
area high school reading lists. There was even an attempt to
keep the under-17 crowd from seeing the KISS concert
Tuesday night.
Censorship is running rampant across the nation, so it
should not be surprising that a student walked into The
Collegian office last week and asked how much we are
censored by the administration. The student did not ask if we
are censored, but how much we are censored.
If it is commonly believed on campus that The Collegian is
censored, then it is time that the air be cleared.
The Collegian is a student-produced newspaper. Student
reporters and photographers write the articles and take the
photographs. Student editors edit the articles, determine the
editorial stance, and make the final decision on what appears
in the paper each week.
The first time anyone in the administration or the faculty,
including our advisor, sees The Collegian is the same time the
rest of our readers do when it hits the stands Thursday
morning.
There have been attempts at censorship by some
administrators when they felt that a story was a touchy
subject. But The Collegian will not let anyone other than our
student editors edit the news.
As soon as a newspaper is edited by the people making the
news, it has lost all value and credibility; it becomes nothing
more than a tool for the news makers.
The Collegian has a responsibility to our constituency and
to ourselves to never let that happen here.
And we take that seriously.
The Collegian
Published weekly by the students of Behrend College, Erie, PA
Editor
Todd J. Irwin
Business Manager
Chdsde Redmond
The Colleglan•s editorial opinion
is determined by the editorial
staff, with the editor holding
final responsibility. • Opinions
expressed in The Collegian are
not necessarily those of The
Collegian or the Pennsylvania
State University.
Managing Editor
Mark Owens
Non Edlor
Lea Catch
Faattnos Editor
Jon Flanagan
Entodainmont Editor
Roth Frederick
Sports Editor
John Musser
Layout Editor
Chris Kocott
Photo Coordinator
Jim Pierdomenico
Phob Coonfkutor
Michael B. Schell
here
Office Manaiw
David Mahoney
DistrlbutionMenager
Leigh Stanesic
Advisor
Dr. Mks Simmons
Letter Policy: The Collegian
encourages letters on news
coverage, editorial content and
university affairs. Letters should
be typewritten, double-spaced
and signed by no more than two
persons. Letters should be no
longer than 400 words. Letters
should include the semester and
major of the writer. All letters
should provide the address and
phone number of the writer for
verification of the letter. The
Collegian reserves the right to
edit letters for length and to
reject letters if they are libelous
or do not conform to standards
of good taste. Letters should be
submitted to The Collegian
office no latter than noon on
Tuesday prior to the desired
publication date.
Postal Information: Th e
Collegian (814 898-6488) is
published weekly by the students
of the Behrend College; Reed
Union Building, Station Road,
Eric, Pa 16563.
The Collegian
O p inion
Letters to the Editor
Lesson #2
Last year, children, lesson #1
in polemics came from one of
Professor George's many
beautifully crafted Essays-to-The
Collegian : how to cut off
dissenting opinion, even while
calling, ostensibly, for more
debate.
This year's lesson, #2,
appeared just last week as
"Thinking Alike": how to
become a shining champion for
both sides of an
issue...simultaneously. Here's
how.
Issue #1: Although, sadly,
written by a white male now--
happily--dead, Huck Finn is part
of the "canon" (whatever that is),
a great book, and should be read
by everyone. Thus, the anti
censorship champion.
Issue #2: On the other hand,
Huck Finn is a bad book
politically and should be shelved
in favor of right-thinking works--
like any old laundry list scribbled
by anyone not a dead white male.
The rainbow-colored horseperson
says that all books are equal, but
that some are less equal than
others. Thus, the pro-censorship
champion.
This is a very good lesson. At
least, it should teach us to
observe carefully those who chase
fire engines. Experts tell us that
it is not uncommon to find the
arsonist leading the bucket
brigade.
Chester Wolford
Associate Professor of
Business
Parking problem
This is not' a letter of
revenge...l haven't had a parking
ticket since last spring, and it
was only my second. But never
Editorial
ME DEFICIT RUCTION PLAN
the less, I've noticed an
increasing number of Police and
Safety tags on cars scattered
anDnnd campus. I believe that
under normal circumstances, the
vast majority of these cars
deserved to be fined.
Just read your parking
rulebook, and you'll see that, yes
Virginia, it is illegal to park
where you did. And under normal
circumstances I'd rather not see
cars lining the roadways and
occupying the accessible mud
holes.
Obviously, any genius can see
that Behrend is temporarily short
on parking spaces and long on
heartless enforcement. While new
lots are being constructed, the
construction vehicles are
barricading two old lots. Granted,
these Amazon Tonkas have to
park some place. Unfortunately,
we Behrend commuters have to
park some place too.
Given the choice, I'd much
rather park on real pavement in a
designated space. But without a
choice, my Honda will risk the
mud bogs and scratches associated
with free style parking. I'll get
out of the car and walk through
the mud, because I paid $55 to.
And if I have spare time to
kill, I'll show up on campus
early and join the other cars
trolling for a legitimate place to
park. I don't even really mind this
aggravation, because as I said,
any genius can see that Behrend
is only temporarily short on
parking.
However, the aggravation of
sloppy and inconsistent
enforcement of the parking
regulations is mindless. Cars can
park untagged for days in some
areas.
Then one day Mr. Rulebook
comes along and writes up every
car in the same areas where car
were safe before. So what will
Police and Safety tolerate?
Obviously, cars blocking fire
hydrants and those double-parked
Thursday, October 18, 1990
a. „ /
61 itAtta (461
1
as to interfere with emergency
vehicles should be ticketed.
But rather than having the
officers walk aimlessly from lot
to lot, or mudhole to mudhole, as
the case may be, in search of
students who showed up too late
to park "legally", why not just
position the car on Station Road
and write every car that arrives
after five till the hour.
After all, where are they going
to park anyhow?
So, in closing, I'd like to
thank Police and Safety for
making Behrend a more
aggravating place to park.
NSBE stumped
Penn State Behrend
Community, my name is
Christopher Lewis and I am the
Vice President of the National
Society of Black Engineers
organization here on campus.
When we began NSBE its
purpose was to be a support
group here on campus for
engineering students to meet and
help each other scholastically and
socially.
The organization however has
run into some serious dead ends
which alarm me and hopefully
you as well. Within its first two
weeks here at Behrend NSBE
sought to plan activities such as:
1. A one day super Dodge Ball
tournament
2. A one day Balloon (prize)
Bust contest
3. A Bchrcnd Movie night to
show films which never came to
this area. Such as Mo' Better
Blues or Glory in which
Denzell Washington won the
Oscar.
These ideas however were
short lived when Student Services
informed the organization that
I. A Dodge Ball tournament
was too dangerous. Yet this
season alone a student dislocated
(continued on page 6)
((2)
Greg Farrel
3rd semester
Economics