October 2010 Archives

Happy Halloween! I hope everyone had a safe and fun weekend. I know I had fun watching people walk down Philadelphia St. wearing costumes. Some creative; like the two guys dressed as Bert and Ernie of Seasme Street or three people dressed as the cast of Juno. And then there were some not so creative: a playboy bunny, a cop or a cheerleader. Each Halloween I've noticed the same thing; a number of girls chose to dress up in lingerie and call it a costume. This year was no exception. I've always wondered, "What ever happened to being scary for Halloween?" But a coworker of mine, who wished to remain nameless, said,

"Scary isn't sexy and every girl wants to be sexy."

Now, I don't want to put every girl in that category because some girls want to be scary for Halloween. My point is why has Halloween turned into an excuse for girls to dress proactively? As I sat behind the counter of Pita Pit (my job), I watched countless girls walk by wearing next to nothing as costumes. An article I read on collegefashion.net titled, Do Halloween Costumes Have to be Slutty? speaks on the topic of Halloween costumes on college campuses and the "requirement" for girls to be "slutty" for Halloween. The article suggest that there's a lack of originality because it's difficult to be different; it's easy to find "slutty" costumes.

What do you think? In the past, have you ever worn a costume for Halloween such as the ones mentioned above? Or do you know anyone who has? Personally, I know that most of my friends have dressed as something sexy for Halloween. What's wrong with being scary? Do you ever feel pressured to dress sexy instead of scary for Halloween?

This past Tuesday, Oct. 19, I attended the Black Student League's general meeting (an organization of which I am a member). The topic of discussion was "When to Pull the Race Card". The "race card" is a term that has been used to question another's actions or words on the basis of race; in other words, the card gets pulled when one feels that a prejudice action has occurred.

For instance, one of the examples given at the meeting was police and racial profiling; a situation in which the "race card" should be pulled. The discussion of the "race card's" use and abuse created interesting feedback from the attendees of the meeting. (the videos will be uploaded a.s.a.p)

In the clip below, the "race card" is explained by BSL's public relations representative and IUP senior, Christina Ellis.(recorded by Tiana Reid)

Here is a listing of the upcoming events for IUP students:

·         Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc Lambda Mu Chapter's Sigma Study Tables

Time, date and place:

8-9 p.m., Monday, Oct 18 in the library basement

·         Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc Lambda Mu Chapter and Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. Kappa Lambda Chapter's Game Zone

Time, date and place:

7:20-9:22 p.m., Monday, Oct 18 in the Susquehanna Room in the HUB

·         Black Student League General Meeting

Topic:"When to pull the race card."

Time, Date and place:

7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 19 in the Knowlton room in the HUB

·         BEC and TEN's trip to Kennywod Fright Night

Time, date and place:

4:15 p.m., Friday, Oct 29 in the parking lot of the HUB (the bus will leave at 4:30 p.m. sharp)

Price: $20 (includes transportation and admission)

Tickets are being sold now in the HUB

*If there are any events that are not listed here that you are planning to attend this month, leave a comment with the event's name, time, place and date. Thanks!

I remember about a year ago I attended a meeting/discussion--hosted by Zeta Phi Beta Sorority--that focused on the topic of police brutality during Homecoming on our (IUP's) campus and in our surrounding areas (off campus). I remember some students had concerns with the intensity of police brutality during Homecoming and some who feared that black students would be targeted over white students. Police who attended the meeting as well assured students that black students would not be targeted.

This year, students had the same concerns...

Jazmyne Walker, a 20-year-old IUP junior and Child and Family Studies major, expressed her concerns for the Homecoming weekend,

"I noticed that there were six police men on horses surrounding the Underground--a night club on Philadelphia St-- but there were hardly any police men on "Frat Row"," She said. "There are just as many people intoxicated at the Underground as there are at Frat Row, so why is it any different in the security level?"

I want to know about your Homecoming experience this past weekend; did you notice the same thing that Jazmyne noticed or did you not see any difference? I also want to know your opinions on why it may seem like the presence of the police is greater when there's a party with predominately black attendees.

I would like to take a moment and send my condolences to the family of 21 year old Baria C. Miley, a junior IUP nursing major, who died Thursday morning--September 30-- in a car crash in Cherryhill Township. According to the pittsburghchannel.com, Miley was driving during heavy rain fall on Route 422 when she crossed the centerline and collided with an SUV.

I didn't know her personally but I do remember seeing her around the campus. This tragedy hits close to home because she was an IUP student; one of our own. It just snaps me back into reality because anything can happen at any time. A situation like this should bring us, all students of IUP, closer together.