Page 6 EDITORIAL Show up to show you care Thursday, we will all have the opportunity to give our input and listen to the proposals put together by Behrend’s Future Committee before they arc submitted to the University Future Committee. The committee is designed to investigate and decide where to implement a ten percent cut in Behrend’s permanent budget if that should ever become necessary. However, though the committee is NOT recommending any wide scale cuts, it is imperative that students know what is at slake and witatcouid happen in the near luturc should Utmersity Park decide to implement the reductions. This plan may be necessary at University Park, a much larger campus with much huger expenditures and a lot more waste. But, ii docs not make any sense at a campus this size, which has the lowest expenditure per student of all the campuses. Not only does Bchrcnd support twenty-four 4 year majors, it is the most thinly staffed campus in the system. This campus has raised over 17 million dollars from the greater Eric area, but at the same time has the lowest faculty to student ratio in the university system. A worst case scenario: University Park will implement the cuts. At best, University Park’s Future Committee will sit down, study the data and agree that Behrend is in fact, as lean and mean as it claims to be. Whatever the case, if we aren’t active on this issue, if we don’t get involved and they do decide to implement the cuts, we’ll never see those programs again. One stipulation in this plan is that once an area is cut it can't be restored. The money must instead be used to enhance the programs which were not axed. For some students, this is their last semester at Behrend, for others their first. Regardless, of your semester standing, this campus needs its students to look out for the future students who have no say in all of this. If this concerns you, and it should, we’ll see you at Thursday’s meeting. It takes place at 4:00 p.m. in the Reed Lecture Hall. This process deserves our time and attention, lets give it a chance. The Collegian Published weekly by the students of The Pennsylvania State University at Erie, The Behrend Collei Editor Vicky Snyder Business Manager Karen Major 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. News Editor Loretta Russ Entertainment Editor Craig Campbell Sports Editor Matt Cissne Copy Editor Keith McFall Advertising Manager David Mahoney Collegian Staff: April Bogdanski,, Jim Burke, Brian Chaffee, Robin Clement, Hal Coffey, Julie Coughenour, Von Cousin, Shawn Gallagher, Abby Greenberg, Amy Herb, Gary Johnson, Sue Kass, Rick Kastan, Ben Kern, Ryan Marquis, Calandra Matthews, Sue Moreno, Joe Mottillo, Liam O'Mahony, Danette Parrett, Melissa Sabo, Randy Schmoyer, Tim Schweitzer, Rob Taylor, Jen Toubakans, Teresa Turley Photographers: Amel Balcita, Tim Barr, Steve Binder, Craig Breter, Andrew Festa, Kristie Guldner, Dan Jaecks, Darren Schilberg Typists: Pamela Baccus, Dylan Sousa Advisor: Cathy Mester Columnists: Andrew Festa, Alicia Hartman, George Hiegel 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 standing 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. Letters should be submitted to The Collegian office no later than noon on the Tuesday prior to the desired publication date. Letters submitted to The Collegian become property of the newspaper. The Collegian is published every Thursday during the academic year on recycled paper. Postal Information: The Collegian (814-898-6488) is published weekly by the students of The Pennsylvania State University at Erie, The Behrend College; First Floor, The J. Elmer Reed Union Building, Station Road, Erie, PA 16563. FAX (814) 898-6019 Opinion ' ..^quy* v AUCfIWi. Letters to the Editor Be Yourself Every four years the people of the United States choose a leader to guide our country and serve as a symbol to the world and every time we end up looking like fools. A presidential election is the process by which we try to pick a representative of our wishes. Unfortunately for "we the people," the only people who run for office are those that have sold away their individualism to gain a party backing. They make their decisions, not for the good of the whole, but for the good of the party platform. They act not on the experience gained in their lifetimes, but on the dogma ingrained in them through countless years of exposure to people with shallow and closed minds who think that there is only one solution to a problem. When teenagers tell their parents that the reason they did something was because all their friends were doing it, or because their friends said it was right, their parents yell at them and tell them how stupid that kind of thinking is. They tell their children that they should learn to think for themselves and make their own decisions even though it may not be easy and others may make fun of them. They say that one of the greatest assets to being an American is that you can think by yourself and do what you think is right. Yet, those same parents never listen to or live by the advice they give. Every four years, we elect a leader based on how well he or she thinks like the party. They elect the one that has that best NOPKK... V»T w&.. personality, the one that looks and sounds good, but has the least individuality and puts down any who think for themselves and disagree with the parly platform. They choose to pick a shallow, closed minded party puppet as the symbol of our country for the world. Maybe we should reconsider our values and instead of saying we live in the home of the free and the brave, we should be truthful to ourselves and say that we live in the home of the correct thinking and professional looking. Maybe the deterioration of the "American Dream” isn't the fault of the other guy, but our own cowardice to live up the ideal of individualism this country was founded upon. Mike Duminiak 3rd Semester Biology Major Taking Issue with Column This letter is in response to Alicia Hartman's column in the Oct. 15th issue of The Collegian. I feel that I must point out a few problems with Alicia's argument. How can you say that the debate topics are “pulp”? The choices made with respect to the economy, national debt, and America's place in the post-Cold War world will determine the fu ture of the United States. These topics aren’t pulp, they're vital! It may be time for action, but who do you want to act? Governer Clinton cannot DO anything about the country's problems unless he is elected! If you want to know what Clinton Thursday, October 22, 1992 ,<> 1 will do, I suggest that you read the Clinton/Gore book, Putting People First: How we can all I must disagree with your solu tions to two of America's prob lems. Your solutions to the wel fare problem, which sounds like typical tax-and-spend liberalism, would plunge the U.S. into an even deeper recession! Your edu cation proposal is also irrational as uneducated people will only add to the welfare mess, decrease the tax base, and increase spend ing on prisons (which is where many of these people would end up). For examples of more ra tional solutions, please read the Clinton/Gore book. As for your belief that America should be the "bottom power for awhile", history has taught us that this just doesn't happen. Classic Greece and Rome fell from the top spot, and where are they now? Once we go down, we will, most likely, stay down! The president DOES have an impact on our lives. The presi dent can veto bills that Congress approves, and appoint members to the Supreme Court which can interpret or even nullify laws passed by Congress. By the way, Alicia, it DOES matter "who the president is." The president is the focal point of American govern ment which makes good leader ship abilities essential. Finally, I was very relieved that you no longer wish to be president of the United States. The country couldn't survive your presidency! Also, in the future, please read about the subject be fore you write about it. James Ruhlman sth Semester Political Science Amerii
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