Page 6 Letter from the Editor Good-bye With finals week right around the corner, most of us are anxious to finish out the semester and get home for the holidays. For some students, this is their final semster at Behrend. Some are graduating, some are leaving this campus for another and some have yet other reasons. Many of us know people who are leaving. Some are friends or roomates, some are classmates or coworkers. All will be missed. As editor of The Collegian, I've learned to expect people to leave and their positions to become vacant. I've tried to look at losses in terms of turnover ratio. Sometimes it's just not that easy though. With this issue, The Collegian is saying good-bye to a few long time members of our staff. Gary Nolan has been writing reviews for us for the past several years. His descriptive style has brought albums and movies to life for out readers, and we've come to rely on him as a mainstay in the entertainment section. Gary is graduating this semester. Although John Musser isn't graduating until this Spring, he has decided it's time for him to turn in his editor's pencil and his X-acto and concentrate on his studies. Muss has been on staff since the Spring of 1989 and has been the sports editor for the past three semesters. John has been able to produce a reliable and solid section every week no matter what it takes. When I joined The Collegian, Rob Prindle was already an editor and a well known columnist. At one time, the most talked about and least recognized person on campus, Love Rob had people waiting to pick up The Collegian each week just to see what he wrote. And whether you loved him or you hated him, he always made us think. Rob is graduating this semester with a degree in General Arts and Sciences. Thanks guys and good luck. The Collegian Published weekly by the students of Behrend College, Erie, PA Editor Todd J. Irwin Buslnilss Menagoar ; •,l•1• 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. PAsnaging Editor Mark Owens News Editor Lea Gotch Entortakunont Editor Robb Frodoridc Sports Editor John Musser Layout Editor Chris Kocott Advertisement Layout Kevin Polcovich Photo Coordinator Jim Pierdomenico Photo Coordinator Michael B. Schell Office Menace David Mahoney Distrbution Menerpr Leigh Stanesic Advisor Dr. Mks Simmons Letter Policy: The Collegia encourages letters on new coverage. editorial content an. university affairs. Letters shoul. be typewritten, double-space , 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. The Collegian O p inion tilr. co President, fa Viei patience.. Be Core ute get into a wary lets give the embargo a •Cesit more - Letters to the Editor Open season I am writing this open letter to ask whomever is responsible for the policy making to respond. Penn-State-Erie owns a large tract of land here in northwestern Pennsylvania. Much of the land owned consists of woods. In these woods lives much wildlife, including the whitetailed deer. Now, the Game Commission of the state employs many biological specialists. These people through extensive research calculate what the estimated deer herd is currently. Then, they figure out how many deer the ecosystem of particular areas can support. After doing so they allot a given number of licenses to hunters to control the population of deer. In Erie county the deer herd is very massive. Especially in the more rural areas, like the land Behrend possesses. I would like to propose that a limited number of hunters be able to purchase a permit from the University and hunt on its private lots that are becoming overpopulated with so many deer. The benefits of such a program would be many fold. First, it would help the Game Commission with their deer harvesting program. Second, it would help the local farmers whose crops sustain heavy damage from the deer. Third, it would help the deer in that they would not have to compete for food and it would create better quality deer. Forth, it would alleviate the heavy hunting pressure on the area's public game lands thus making the sport safer and more enjoyable for local hunters. Fifth, it would generate revenue for the university if a fee were to be charged for the permits. There is a lot to gain and Editorial nothing to lose. So, why not? Sean W. Englert 2nd semester Engineering Technology Save Earth! In the next 20 years the population is expected to increase at a rate where humanity will be unable to support itself with its current resources. This outrageous expansion of the human population poses a threat to the destruction of the environment and mankind itself. This population explosion results in extensive use of resources, destruction of our ecological systems and environmental pollution. As we Americans strive to maintain affluence. our air and water shouts "pollution" louder and louder each year. Only recently have Americans begun to realize this problem as "Spaceship Earth" exceeds its capacity. Nobody knows exactly the capacity of the earth to support its people. However, our rapid consumption of our support systems involves the depletion of our fossil fuels and other natural resources vital to our survival. We are using the richest and most accessible resources at a very high rate without any plausible needs. At the rate we are going, our resources will be nearly consumed within 100 years. The eroding soils, the diminishing fresh water supply and the growing extinction of a number of plants and animals is further reducing our life support systems. It is important that we remember we cannot continue to support ourselves when we are continually degrading the systems that support us. Unfortunately, if we continue Thursday, December 6, 1990 IVI britidl barittritrtelo to reproduce at a faster rate, we will face many environmental problems to the point of no recovery. As a result of the population growth, we are experiencing a growth in the industry. And with the growth of industry comes pollution. Pollution of all types (i.e., air, water..etc.) You may not think this affects you or that in some way you may possibly be the cause; but, it affects us all and in one way or another our daily activities contribute to the deterioration of our environment. We can no longer take for granted our life support systems. Generally, we seem to have this idea that these resources will always be there. Well, They Won't! Drastic changes have to take place immediately! Also, in facing drastic change we must deal with our own attitudes. Generally, we are not too keen on change for the better; unless in some way it benefits us as individuals. However, just by altering our daily activities we can prevent some of the environmental issues we are facing'. In the long run, it will prove beneficial. There are many ways to alleviate both the population crisis and the environmental problems. For Americans have both the ability and the resources to do just that. For centuries we have been traveling first-class on "Spaceship Earth" ant it has almost put ns in a life.or death situation. Without thinking we are quickly destroying our life support systems. We must soon come to a better understanding of the Earth and the damage we are causing. And as the next generation, we are to take full responsibility in securing our future. Help save the Earth! Kimberly Edwards 3rd semester Communication