Newspapers / Elon University Student Newspaper / Feb. 8, 1996, edition 1 / Page 2
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Editorials Viewpoint February 8,1996 Dedication: a must at Elon Dedication is something everyone needs in order to achieve. Whether it is dedication to a person, a job, a course or something else, it is important. It gives you something to look forward to. Dedication gives people something to strive for. For instance, the Pendulum staff is dedicated to doing the best possible job and creating a quality paper each week. There are people who are dedicated to their sororities and fraternities. They help their respective organizations plan events. Rush is upon us now. Many dedicated people are putting it together. Without them and their dedication there would be no rush. Most of the student body thinks that events at this school magically happen. Little fairies or elves put out the paper each week, plan rush events, dj on WSOE every day, plan spring concerts or put together a play. There are many people behind the scenes of each organization on this campus. People complain about anything they want to. If only they could step into the shoes of those dedicated individuals; they would realize how much hard work really goes into everything that happens here at Elon. Many students at Elon think that college is one big game. They party all the time and don’t necessarily care about their school work. It’s a shame because potentially hard-working, dedicated people are not getting involved. If they put forth some initiative and joined an organization they have the opportunity to make a difference. Perhaps, even find their niche. Dedication is not a joke. It is not something easy to come by. Dedicated individuals stay up until 6 a.m. to make sure The Pendulum gets published; they travel to Sugar Mt. in Boone, NC to go skiing and help out in a hospitality house and a soup kitchen. Anyone who is dedicated to anything is to be commended for their hard work and effort. Off The Record anything I might have just said helped you just carry on, your rise uphill may no longer seem a stryggle and your appetite for pain may all but be gone.” -Blues Traveler "Just Wait" THE III Pendulum Informing the Elon College Community Editor in Chief Stacey Ward Managing Editor Tracey Stark Asst. Manag. Editor Jeff Wirick A & E Editor Andrea Schmidt Sports Editor Colleen Herndon Photo Editor Andrew Brickey Graphics Editor Judy Sweger Layout Consultant Rob Mancuso Advertising Michelle Riley Advisor Deborah Durkee News Reporters Michelle Cater Adam Kriss Chris Knight Sports Reporters Bob Grimmie Allison Rinck Steve Lucatuorto A & E Reporters Eric McCnckard Chris Adams Jon Campbell Jeff Haniewich Photographers Jenny Jamecke Terri Culbertson Columnists Karyn Howard Joe Mattem Tonya Hubart The Pendulum, founded in 1974, is published by Elon students. Single copies of The Pendulum are free. If extra copies are needed, they can be purchased at The Pendulum office in Moseley Center. Office: 2800 Campus Box, Elon College, N.C. 27244. 584-2331 Carnivore or vegetarian? You decide “Hello. My name is Joe Mattern and I’m a carnivore,” My opening line at a meat eater’s support group? Well maybe, but more probably just my per sonal statement of nutritional faith. Do I kneel at the altar of the ribeye? Well not exactly, but I do ingest a good deal of red meat. Nowadays, it seems like a lot of people are vegetarians, I think that’s great, if that’s something you’re into. It would certainly ap pear to be a wise choice for the ever growing population of health con scious people out there. Let’s face it, you can’t be too health con scious these days. I have only two problems with the vegetarian lifestyle. First, there are so many types of vegetarians, how do you decide which kind to become? Can you only eat vegetables? How about dairy products? What about eggs and fish? Or grains and beans? Should you become a straight-up vegetarian or a lacto-ovo vegetar ian? My second problem with the vegetarian lifestyle is that it is in herently elitist in the sense that people who don’t eat animals in variably have the idea that they are somehow superior to people who do. As if the mindless slaughter and consumption of millions of plants each year is morally justifi able. Let me tell you something: If those turnips could talk, they would Joe Mattern be screaming, buddy. You think potatoes like being uprooted and then boiled, mashed, eaten, di gested, discarded as waste matter and then flushed? Well, think again, pal. I’m not saying that eating meat is any better. I’m certainly not ashamed of eating meat, but I’m not especially proud of it, either. It’s just something I do. That’s not to say that I don’ t think critically about the ramifications of it. On the contrary. I know that when I go to the grocery store and buy a steak, I might as well be the guy who hits the cow over the head with the sledge hammer and hangs his carcass in the meat locker. I don’t mind taking re sponsibility for the life of that cow. Would that cow still be alive if I don’t buy the steak? Well maybe not that particular cow, but let’s face it, there is no meat industry without meat eaters. Why then do I partake of the carnivorous lifestyle? What is it that binds me to the nutritional habits of the Tyrannosaurus Rex? Is it a primal urge to exercise power over “lesser” mammals? Is it a sadistic mindset that revels in the mass slaughter of defenseless ani mals? Is it a genetic predisposi tion for red meat? No, I don’t think it is any of these things. The truth is, it just comes down to taste. I think steak tastes way better than vegetables and I adjust my eating habits ac cordingly. I wish I could say that it had something to do with some religious ritual or a selfless act of conservation by keeping the cow population down, but in the end it’s just the taste. Of course, the beef industry does create a lot of jobs, from the rancher who raises the cattle to the meat packing workers to the butch ers and even to the guy who flips burgers at McDonald’s. These people have families to support. Without us carnivores, they’d all be out of a job. So the next time you eat a Big Mac, try not to think about it as killing a cow. Think about it as enjoying a good meal at a fair price while simultaneously creat ing jobs and adding to th'e economy. This increases the qual ity of life for all Americans and is a good deal for all involved. Ex cept the cows. On second thought, why don’t you have the salad in stead? This Week: Valentine's Day... Has Valentine's Day had any special meaning for you? Brad Ezzell, Senior: “Zuni and I were in London our sophomore year on Valentines Day. We decided to eat at TJI Friday, The waitress started asking us if we wanted to buy each other drinks because she thought we were ‘together.’ We didn’t catch on until she told us the name of the drinks. They all had sexual connotations. When I caught on I said, ‘Separate checks please.’” Tommy Martain, ARA location manager for Octagon Cafe: “This time last year I proposed to my wife. I had bought the ring a week and a half before and I think I wore out the hinges on the box showing it to people. I had planned to propose on Valen tines Day but I couldn’t wait, I ended up proposing the weekend before,” Felicia Massey, administra tor assistant: “Oh, I’d say it was special, I got married on Valentines Day in 1987. My husband has no excuse to forget our anniversary.” Tracey Rochelle, Freshman: “I’ve been with the same boyfriend for three years. Our first Valentines Day he gave me a ring and for the first time told me he loved me.” Compiled by Tonya Hubart
Elon University Student Newspaper
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