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...I'm thinking
It would seem that if the registrar's office expects
students to turn their advance registration packets in
on time, they could make them available to students a
little earlier.
Some students were expected turn in the
completed forms yesterday. The packets were only
issued on Monday. That's not too much time for
students to figure out their schedule, set up an
appointment with their advisor and be advised.
By making the packets available just one week
earlier, the registrar's office could eliminate some
headaches for students and advisors.
• The Collegian has been getting a ton of Letters to
the Editor, which is good. However, the student
population has been grossly underrepresented. More
than two-thirds of the letters we've received have
been from faculty and staff.
We'd like to know what the students, the majority
of our constituency, is thinking. Let us know. By the
way, when submitting letters, please adhere to the
Letters Policy in the staff box on this page. In the
past, some of our more learned contributors (i.e.
faculty and staff) have penned works rivaling
Tolstoy's War and Peace. While there's nothing
wrong with covering a subject in depth, the letters
section isn't designed for an exhaustive dissertation -
- just the facts, please.
• Speaking of Letters to the Editor, one of our
biggest contributors, Chester Wolford, sent us a
correction this week. It seems that the quote that
Quinn Solem used in his first column was a little off.
The quote is actually, "Every nation has the
government it deserves," and it was said by Joseph
de Maistre (1753-1821). Thank you for your
support, Chet.
The Collegian
Published weekly by the students of Behrend College, Erie, PA
Editor
Todd J. kwln
Business Manager
Christie Redmond
The Collegian'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
News Editor
Lea Gotch
Features Editor
Jen Flanagan
Entertainment Editor
Robb Frederick
Sports Editor
John Musser
Layout Editor
Chris Kocott
Photo Coordinator
Jim Pierdomenico
Photo Coordinator
Michael B. Schell
Editorial
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 later 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,
Erie, Pa 16563.
Office Manager
David Mahoney
Distribution Marlow
Leigh Stanesic
Advisor
Dr. Mks Simmons
The Collegian
O p inion
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Letters to the Editor
Special people
The Lion Ambassadors are
sponsoring an essay contest
titled, "WHAT MAKES
BEHREND SPECIAL?" I wrote
an essay which I had no intention
of entering into the contest;
however, I would like to submit
it as a Letter to the Editor:
Behrend has many features
that make it special -- the
location, the beautiful campus,
picturesque throughout all
seasons, and the opportunity to
obtain a quality education. Even
more important, however, it is
the people who make Behrend
special.
Overall, the faculty are
excellent, the students are among
the best and there is a good
administration, but it is the
"forgotten people" who really
make Behrend special. You
always read and hear about the
administrators, faculty and
students. But who ever has
anything to say about the people
behind the scenes -- clerical,
support staff and tech service
employees?
Who greets you when you
walk in an office and then gives
you directions or tries to answer
your questions or schedules an
appointment if you need it? Who
types the letters, tests, syllabi,
research papers, class schedules,
and the endless amount of memos
that are distributed? Who types
the purchase orders and keeps
track of the budgets?
Who cooks the food and
serves it?
Who mows the lawn, plows
and shovels snow?
Who repairs the equipment,
cleans the building and scrubs the
restrooms?
And most of all, who listens
to the students, faculty, staff, and
parents when they are upset -- the
flak-catchers - our support staff.
Editorial
It is time for everyone to
recognize that these are the
people who are always there to
accomplish the important
everyday tasks and keep
everything running smooth.
Let's applaud our clerk
typists, secretaries, administrative
assistants, technicians, janitors,
and all other clerical and tech
service employees. These are the
people who really make Behrend
special
Loretta May
Administrative Assistant
Not RIGHT
Mr. Prindle's article "College
scene is really tiresome" is an
example of prolonged misuse of
the English language for political
reasons.
I think "college scene," and
life in a democracy are not "really
tiresome," they are challenging
and tough. Everybody can find
many wrong things, especially
those who are "liberals."
Since English is not my
native tongue, I got my faithful
dictionary to check whether this
word, which is an ordinary word
in Italian, is an offensive word in
English. The Random House
Dictionary reads: liberal - 1.
favoring progress and reform. 2.
open-minded or tolerant. The
"worst" meaning I could find
was: "left-winger, leftist" (The
Random House Thesaurus). Since
in my country left-wing parties
are very popular, I do not find the
word offensive (or any more
offensive than "conservative").
Well, when you favor reform,
you get different choices such as:
a. sit in an ivory tower and
tell other people what to do,
b. be fatalistic, keep quiet, and
wait for someone to make
changes,
c. play crybaby by
Thursday, October 25,1990
complaining and criticizing, too
"tired" to even use constructive
criticism (and be a hypocrite,
because crybabies never changed
anything),
d. get involved in the
changing process (there is no
guarantee of success, but this is
one of the side effects of
democracy).
I like to get my hands dirty
and fight for what I want. My
choices might not always be
wise, but they are made in good
faith.
Since one of my main goals
is to be a student and a teacher at
the same time for as long as I can
(I did not say "a math teacher" in
the dimwitted conviction that my
subject "is the one that will save
you"), I want to comment on the
misuse of these words.
A "student" is (see dictionary
again) "a person who studies."
So, this word is not a
condescending label, unless you
have a chip on your shoulder. A
"teacher" is (see dictionary once
again) "a person who instructs"
and not, a perfect human being. A
"teacher" is not a "guru" by
definition (dictionary anyone?).
These words are not synonyms.
Moreover, the words "teacher"
and "student" are not mutually
exclusive. Some of my students
are my best teachers at the same
time. And I can teach somethir
to my students, if they want to
listen.
Let me close with an example
of someone who does not want to
listen Lou! still taught me
something. Mr. Prindle was a
student of mine for two
semesters.
One of his complaints was
that since he worked (as a high
percentage of Behrend students
do), he was having a difficult
time seeing his teachers during
their office hours. I asked him to
pick a time for us to meet. His
answer was that he did not have
time, reminding me that there
will always be someone I cannot
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