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Opinion: Koenig Take control of yourself
By Ellen Koenig Staff columnist Despite what others may tell you, the years you spend as an undergraduate are probably the best spent years of your life. In addition to taking up space in the ungodly span of 48 pages, because the editors of the Merciad are only killing more trees, I have derived a list of realizations that time has contributed. The first is an uncanny style for clothing, going far beyond the traditions of blue jeans and a collection of sweatshirt hoodies. If you have the resources, try to establish an independent sense of style. It contributes to self-confidence. It is most important to acquire self-esteem in your college experience through the build-up of community and support. On a similar note, Cosmopolitan, which once dawned great authors, has pretty much turned to smut. Regardless, students should have the opportunity to read this publication. To be honest, it is preferred reading to the elaborate collection of wedding magazines that grace the top magazine rack at the coffee bar. In contrast, people have to ask for Cosmo from the bookstore’s staff. I suggest students demand the magazine more frequently to create a wider range of publication options. To those people who love to wear pajamas to class, sweatpants may be acceptable. However, the rest of us have managed to wake up within 10 minutes of class and still wiggle into a pair of blue jeans. You should be respectable and do the same. If you want people to take you seriously, dress like it. As your years in college increase, you find an increasing annoyance for underclassmen. Specifically, the increasing amount of foreign and domestic students who forge fake IDs to enjoy the bar scene. The drinking age in the U.S. may be old, however, if in your native country you are allowed to bar hop at 16, congratulations, welcome to the States. This is a right that comes with age, one you should not enjoy prior to the honorable age of 21. If you must, go to Canada. Those who participate in this thing called life are increasingly busy. I tend to doubt you have more going on than the next person. Learn how to juggle and manage time. If you feel the need to complain about how much occurs in your life, then simplify. On a similar note, regardless of how much schoolwork you may have, make an effort to read a non-academic book. People find you far more interesting if you have literary knowledge as well as a personality. Roommates are amazing people. While everyone has ticks in daily living, perfection is a utopian perspective that no human being has the ability to achieve. In terms of drama, if you are the cause, please stop. If you do not like the presence of drama in your life, remove it. On a similar note, I am increasingly concerned about the future of our world’s children and leadership. Specifically, when I see student leaders and education majors dancing on the bar at Park Place on a Thursday. Next time you feel the drunken urge to creep up on the bar in your mini skirt, take note of the type of men who are evidently gawking. If this is the kind of attention you want to attract, then go right ahead. Ultimately, you are in control of the people and decisions with which you surround yourself. When you enter a romantic relationship, it is important to be upfront about what you want. Otherwise you may just waste your time. In this life there is nothing more important or valuable than time. Thus commit yourself to something or someone you truly love and appreciate. You must be your own self-advocate in this life, so speak up. As the next two weeks begin to wrap up, I hope we have all had a fun time. Take all you can and enjoy it.
Holsters are simply compensation: sends threatening message
By Ellen Koenig Staff columnist As a prelude to graduation, my father inquired if I would prefer a hand gun or a dog as a graduation present. As a female soon-to-be living alone in a major city, I promptly deferred both offers, but rather asked for a more fashionable, metallic pink Lady Taser to accompany my cell phone, pocketbook and calendar. This conversation was followed by a Monday morning e-mail from Dr. Tobin informing the student body: Do not be alarmed when you see students wearing gun holsters around campus. They are protesting the campus hand gun policy. Support of the second amendment is understandable. Private citizens should be allowed to own firearms, but let them stay outside of academic institutions. More likely, they should be used for hunting and protection against property invasion and by law enforcement officials and soldiers. Students who believe in such gun ownership should spend time on the inner-city streets of Detroit or St. Louis. In such places, the amount of gun violence has risen to extremes over the past decade. Or, rather, such students would likely be supporters of arming 12-year-olds with assault rifles in the name of personal protection. Oh but wait, that only happens to the urban poor and child soldiers in Africa. The policies of privileged college students has no relation to widespread violence. I hate to break the news, but whatever happens in terms of liberalized gun laws is likely to only increase gun violence. As gun laws become liberalized and legalized, ownership becomes widespread as does the amount of illegal gun ownership. Let me put this in perspective: Leave the law enforcement up to those officials whose job it is to enforce laws set forth by governing bodies. If you have a desire to carry a weapon at all points of the day, there may be some deeper insecurities that need to be addressed. Guns tend to give a false sense of security. If you feel such a strong need to protect yourself on a college campus or in your dorm room from potential dangers, then spend more time learning non-weaponries self-defense. Or, rather, attend university from your home, then you will never have to set foot on a dangerous college campus and will spare the general population a lot of agitation. Students should not be allowed to carry weapons. Simply said, most students are too irrational and lack adequate training or judgment to handle such weapons. Guns that are easily accessible would probably become the first means when dealing with an argument or confrontation. The mere presence of gun holsters is threatening to the Mercyhurst community. In the meantime, we will have to live with those who are compensating for something besides evident feelings of inferiority.
Like-minded people, groups evident on campus
By Ellen Koenig Staff columnist This past week, as I was people-watching, I made an observation about students’ changing behavior throughout college. In the time spent at college you become more accustomed to recognizing situations and personalities. You can tell the differences between the athletic teams just as you can tell what personalities may belong to certain majors. While not always evident on the surface, there are socially-conscience people at this school and not only the kind from the outspoken, and sometimes blatant, conservative or neo-liberal camps. While these may be the voices that are most vocal there is a more subtle and moderate crowd, who believe that actions speak louder than words. We tend to recognize one another from attendance at benefits, PAC films, ad hoc dinners and general socializing. One of the largest characteristics that have become apparent through such people are their beliefs in causes or their goals for aspiration. Part of the college experience is growing into consciousness as an adult. The college years of your life are the best time to grow. To the student who may feel discouraged because they are surrounded by what seem like alcoholics and business majors, not that the two are synonymous. There is a great population of independent-minded and socially-aware people. This population is not always as loud or as populous. Going beyond the Mercyhurst community, it can be extended to Erie as well. Erie has a great independent art and music scene that you actually have to dig to find. I have been fortunate enough during my time in Erie to come in contact with different groups and find comfort in our similarities as well as our differences. I must say throughout your time here at the college, find something that you enjoy and put your full energy into that task. The best days are the ones where your mind is racing with a to-do list or the nights you sleep fully uninterrupted from pure exhaustion of an excessively full day. A day wasted is an entire 24 hours that you will never see again. While this all sounds incredibly cliché, I realize it is important to recognize that seizing the day speaks true to the character of a person. The work within the classroom is not always as essential as the work you do outside of the classrooms and lecture halls. So while some people may not advance past the maturity of a 12-year-old, I have hope for the general population.
Feminist commentary for 21st century
By Ellen Koenig Staff columnist In last week’s Merciad, a fellow columnist claimed, “I am not trying to sound like a feminist” when defending her statement to choose profession over marriage. I was driving back from the hospital on Sunday where a close friend had just delivered her first child. I realized she had chosen motherhood over a career at this point in her life, proving that not all women of the “twenty-somethings” are career driven. She is enjoying one of the choices women and men have been given, to determine the paths of their lives. The term “feminism” often gets a bad report from people of the modern age. Some may have images of beatniks and hipsters from the second wave of feminism protesting and dragging stuffed mannequins of “the man” through the streets. The term needs to be adapted beyond this negative stigma. My parents’ generation fought for equality in the work place, home and society. In the past 40 years many grounds have been covered to give women choices that were largely privileged to men. Feminism in this sense is not about man-hating or anti-motherhood. Feminism is a state of mind; it is about being treated as an equal. Acknowledging your status as a feminist is showing gratitude to the women who have come before you and fought for the choices that you embody. So in response to the comment of not sounding like a feminist, as a female, if you are pursuing a career after graduation, practicing regular birth control or enjoying a spot on a varsity athletic team, you are a product of the feminist movements. The term is much more expansive and inclusive then many give it credit. Overall the term applies to people who believe in social equality and equal rights among the sexes. So please go, do penance and wash your soul out with soap because you embody ideals of those “man-hating women.” But do consider the works and efforts of the two previous feminist movements. We are now engrossed in a struggle to continue the labors and maintain movement of equality issues. Many people have not been exposed to the horrors of domestic abuse. For the people still immersed in domestic violence and abusive relationships, they are still in a fight for equality. In an effort to promote a similar cause, Amnesty International is hosting a two-day benefit concert to fundraise for the Stop Violence Against Women campaign. Bands are attending from Cleveland and Pittsburgh and in case you do not hear us, we will be set up in the Grotto April 18 and 19, weather permitting.
Bad religion: 'Jesus Camp' is extreme
By Ellen Koenig Staff columnist This past weekend I had the, we’ll say the experience, of watching the A & E documentary called "Jesus Camp." While slightly disturbed I was also happy for people who have found reasoning in religion. The documentary centered on a Pentecostal camp, evangelical in nature, for children in North Dakota. The video showed children proclaiming themselves to God and to Jesus Christ. At one point, the youth are bowling and the girl, Ruth, is praying that she gets a strike as she rolls the ball down the lane. Praying, speaking or reflecting to whatever higher power you may claim, is a deeply spiritual and personal ritual. As I watched the film, I could not help but think these kids are making out wish lists for Jesus. The basis of the mission is to maintain America as a Christian country. The youth pastor that is a character in the film goes on to justify the targeting of Christian children because she explained that children of different faiths, i.e. Islam, also target their youth for extremism and dedication. As such, any message that is instilled in children before eight years of age is likely to stay with them for most of their lives. This is true in our own culture. Many people at this college were raised Catholic or some other Christian denomination. In many of these churches, children are not given the chance to decide. Through baptism, churches are able to ensure their numbers practically at birth. With regard to the Catholic Church, the Pope is supposed to visit the U.S. for the first time at the end of April. Thus, there had been concern over Catholic colleges hosting Presidential candidates. Mercyhurst was fortunate enough to host Hillary yesterday and overall serve the community by allowing people to see a candidate face-to-face. Colleges should be allowed to make their own decisions regardless of what the Pope says. Yes, we all believe in the same doctrine, but students are trained to be independent thinkers and resolve their own political ideals. By the time students arrive at college, it is more than likely their core values have already been instilled since youth. If Catholic-affiliated colleges are not allowed to diversify their guests and host people with different ideals, we can only hope to further the Evangelists’ mission of a polarized Christian state.
Diversify financial portfolio
By Ellen Koenig Staff columnist As the cell phone was passed among my various relatives with me on speaker, it was as though I was right in the action of avoiding crazy great-aunts while strategically coordinating with cousins who would mediate parental conversation to avoid ancient sibling rivalry flair-ups. Among the advice and anecdotes I received from my relatives the one I specifically took note of was to diversify my financial portfolio. The status of full-time student is soon coming to an end and, as of this publish date, 53 days remain until graduation for the class of 2008. Pretty soon those of us still on parental health insurance will no longer be covered and the excuse of poor college student will be pushed out of our lingo. Despite this development we also gain the sense of independence, although avoiding the questions of “What are you doing next?” Avoiding this conversation with one uncle, I quickly switched the conversation to current events; army affairs and finance specifically fills both his occupation and hobbies. I brought up the fall of the market early last week that hurt everyone from Bear Stearns to individual investors’ pockets. While younger cousins yelled at each other in the background I simply focused on his advice to invest now and to diversify. In short he rambled on about the importance of savings and investing yearly in an IRA. In retrospect in case you are unaware, the U.S. economic market is drastically ill. The dollar is at an all-time low and the price of gold shot up to over $1000 per ounce last week. During recessions is the time to invest in long-term stocks and to diversify your portfolio with investments in savings, money markets and, yes, the stock market. If you have the time, hire a broker, review a website or read the finance section of a newspaper and seek further advice. Maintaining assets at an earlier age may ensure financial security in the not so near future. Simultaneously it is good to listen to what older relatives tell you; sometimes the information is worth a listen.
Tone it down in the library
By Ellen Koenig Staff columnist Maybe it is me or perhaps it is simply the excessively loud students who are still freshly motivated to be at the library on a Sunday afternoon. The library, like the gym, is usually more crowded at the beginning of the term when students are still provoked to study and leave the confines of their apartments. There is a degree of etiquette that students need to be reminded of to use in the library. As a regular at the library, I have made several observations within the first week of the term. Largely related to the level of noise, if the music on your MP3 is loud enough that someone can hear you from the opposite side of the room, despite the use of headphones, please do not get snippy when the brave student next to you requests you turn down the noise; not everyone prefers “beat your mother” music while reading for class. Sitting at a computer in the Great Room, hoping to crank out a paper, I was constantly interrupted by the students doing a group paper on my left who cared to leave their cell phones on vibrate to designate the receipt of a text message. To the gaggle of freshmen who wear the Ugg boots and drag their heels through the Great Room, please learn how to walk. If you must talk, conduct yourselves in a designated area. To the ambassadors, I understand the need to display the library and other areas designated for studying. The library, however, is supposed to be a quiet environment and the lead-around of prospective students does not help with your explanation for what the library can be used. To the LECOM students who refuse to use their own library but rather take up room in ours and make ridiculously unfunny jokes about physiology that, despite your attempts to whisper, we can still hear you. Being the last term of the year, many students are trying to finish work before graduation and summer endeavors. The library is generally the place of silence where we can concentrate and conduct academic work. If I wanted to work in an area with excessive noise then I would do my work at the Student Union at lunch or in the MAC during volleyball practice. Please be respectful of your noise level and of people in the library actually trying to get work completed.
Thinking green for life
By Ellen Koenig Staff columnist Cutting out non-essentials in life is often necessary to simplify and understand what is required. Living modestly does not necessarily have to be uncomfortable. Referring back to the time without electricity and running water, our ancestors somehow managed to survive, primitively but possible. This Friday I must give kudos to the combined effort of Campus Ministry and Green Team. They have organized an energy reduction campaign. While according to certain populations they enjoy forgetting to recycle, the majority may opt to take this one effort and realize the massive amounts of energy that each individual consumes. Get used to being uncomfortable; you may actually learn something. One of the easiest steps is to recycle the beer cans and alcohol bottles consumed by students. Simple efforts such as turning off your computer monitor or closing your laptop when you leave are simple enough tasks to cut down consumption. Flipping through a recent magazine, every other page was an advertisement for "green products." After being bored from the same pastel colored advertisements, I am relieved that some popular culture has decided to take note. Other ways to promote a sustainable lifestyle are to simply consume less. This means shopping second hand to decrease the amount of new merchandise consumed. To females, the next pair of tights you purchase should be infused with wool or cashmere fibers rather than the less sturdy materials of lycra and nylon. Be an informed consumer, know from where your products come, information about stores you frequent and sustainable alternatives. Another alternative is to run, walk and exercise outside to avoid the monstrosities of energy-wasting cardio equipment in the gym. Our own women’s athletic teams often warm up on these machines in the morning rather than running laps or doing calisthenics for an accurate warm-up. The recreational facility staff already decided to reduce energy consumption declaring Super Bowl Sunday, a school-wide holiday, and closed the school’s facilities at 5 p.m. last Sunday. Purchase electronics with a better environmental record. If you are in the market for a new computer, research models that have mercury-free screens. A recent story in National Geographic was about left-over products of the early computer age and increased plastics production. Copper is a hot commodity and people who scrap this metal must go to extreme measures, such as burning the plastic off of the cable, in order to recover it. While exporting such waste to other nations is highly illegal, it still takes place. The way to make change is to begin at the source, meaning you. Everything you consume, use and produce has a consequence wherever it ends up. In order to take responsibility for the consequences I recommend we all start taking actions to reduce future circumstances.
Habeas corpus, fair trial
By Ellen Koenig Staff columnist If images of men in bright orange jumpsuits, often clothed with black hoods on their heads and escorted by U.S. Army personnel are unfamiliar to you, you have not been paying attention. While this is more often the garb of protesters rather than prisoners they are too familiar to represent the detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Detainees are kept at the U.S. Naval base as judges determine the future of habeas corpus in the country’s highest court. The writ of habeas corpus in Latin translates to "holding the body." Generally people in U.S. custody inside or outside of the continental states are able to petition the court with the writ of habeas corpus, thus questioning the government’s ability to detain the person. When a petition is filed against the court it is challenging the legitimacy of one’s detention. In a case heard last week before the Supreme Court the question of writ habeas corpus arose in the format of whether detainees being held in Cuba have the right to question their imprisonment. The Presidential Administration contends that, since detainees are being held outside of the United States, they should not be granted this right. While a ruling cannot be expected until June it is obvious the right to file for habeas corpus should be extended to the detainees at Guantanamo Bay. It has been around five years since the first detainees, many of whom are suspected affiliates of Al Qaeda, were transported to the facility and have remained. Many have not had contact with family or with one another and do not know the pending evidence. Evidence often stands as classified material and thus a "threat to national security." In addition multiple detainees have been held without knowing the charges that stand against them and have been unable to declare themselves through a fair trial. Of the 300 detainees that remain in custody, the administration plans to pursue around 70 to trial. Treatment of the detainees is not adequate to the Geneva Convention’s standards, as these have been determined as "outdated and quaint" by former Department of Justice Secretary Alberto Gonzales. However it must be noted that the treatment they do receive is better than our own soldiers are likely to get if captured by the enemies in Iraq and Afghanistan. The administration has bypassed several other standards of the Geneva Conventions by also referring to the detainees as "enemy combatants" rather than a "prisoner of war." Ultimately the decision to determine the writ of habeas corpus runs deeper than the 500 words expressed in this column. The decision is one of the landmark court cases of our lifetime and will determine the treatment and judiciary processes for future wars and prisoners. Thus it should be upheld to carry on the tradition of the right to a fair trial, including the tradition of habeas corpus, which has so far been largely unfair in the past five years.
Christmas commercialization
By Ellen Koenig Staff columnist While perusing through online shopping the other day I was reminded repeatedly that Christmas is right around the corner. The reminders came in the shape of a “holiday” section on the Anthropologie site as well as “top gift ideas” on Amazon. Not to mention the atrocious collection of Santa Clauses in the hallway connecting Old Main and Preston Hall. Be advised this is the time of year to avoid any shopping facility and remain sane by giving the Visa card a break and focusing on how much you already have. The whole holiday experience has turned into a headache in recent years with multiple gift exchanges and hesitations thrown into the mix. Around this time of the season you realize the luxury of 2 a.m. shopping trips and gift cards. Not to mention news agencies and economists predicting how much the American public is going to spend on holiday gifts. Overall the value of the holidays has been put aside while the lights and glimmer of American commercialism has taken a strong hold. Personally I have gained distaste for the holiday season. Other than the family celebrations, returning to see friends and practices of Christmas traditions, Christmas does not stand high on the list of favorite holidays. People have become more focused on the aesthetic pleasures of material items instead of being grateful for what they already have. Middle class America and those higher up the economic chain have repeatedly been about brand names, the newest products and the latest technologies. Since Christmas is a Christian- based holiday, greed at this time of the year is not the best quality. This and the other capital vices are often too common toward the end of the year. This Christmas why not be grateful for everything you already have? Consider the people who have less than you and delve into philanthropy to make yourself a little less greedy. With constant talk of global warming and lead paint from China the less you consume and acquire is probably better. If you are not sure what to get the person who has everything, consider a donation to their favorite charity in their name. Fair trade coffees and teas are always appreciated and support decent causes. Instead of exchanging presents, hold a White Elephant where guests simply do a gift draw for the quirky and funny gifts. If you are not sure what you want, tell relatives or friends to put it in the bank to help cover graduate application costs or put gas in your car. Consumables are always appreciated gifts such as alcohol from local breweries and vineyards and other locally-made products. If you receive excessive clothing for Christmas, donate one item from your wardrobe to charity for every item you have acquired. On Tuesday it was reported that robbers in Australia stole about $90,000 worth of pork from a grocer’s warehouse. In accordance with holiday tradition, an Australian charity is probably going to have a large holiday feast.
Presidential vote 2008
By Ellen Koenig Staff columnist Returning to school in late November means less than a year now exists between the present and the 2008 presidential election. Dinner conversation with family and friends about the upcoming elections led to opinion sharing and overall the best political humor in a while. Some peers have already promised their campaigning sweat and blood to a candidate and are already backing particular candidates. Specifically the supporters of Ron Paul and Hillary Clinton took the brunt of the political jokes and puns of conversation. In a bold attempt to shock older relatives, they were introduced to the world of Youtube videos and rivals between “Romney Girls,” “Obama Girl” and “Guiliani Girl.” They were more uneasy from the exposure of satirical videos of political candidates that are becoming so popular on sites such as Barelypolitical.com and use of the power of video stream to inform the world of their pick for office. One person even commented “politicians do a fine enough job of mucking up politics, half-dressed college students just tramp it up.” The Internet has turned the 2008 election into a breeding ground for mud slinging, personal attacks and seeing politicians put on nerve. The lifelike exposure brings politicians closer to a “normal” level and off of the Capital Hill pedestal. Oprah Winfrey expressed her support for Barack Obama and reportedly Barbra Streisand, Steven Spielberg and Magic Johnson have officially back Hillary Clinton. Streisand is not expected to have the same impact as Oprah. It has been reported that the support is going to send droves of women to show support in Iowa for Obama. Due to Oprah’s one-name celebrity status voters will have a new way to be influenced based on their choice for president. On that note, people often forget about the happy couple currently serving in the executive office. President Bush is meeting with world leaders in Annapolis, Md., to promote a platform for discussion between Palestine and Israel undoubtedly to promote Western support in the East. Overall the current president’s status is nearly irrelevant, except he still has veto power and can sign agreements, etc. The real excitement is developing on the campaign trail, more specifically since Iowa just moved their Democratic Primary to Jan. 3. Needless to say, it is going to be a long year.
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