To party doesn't mean to drink!

The American Life podcast which is about Penn State University ranking number one party school is unjust. Yes, we can be the number one party school, but to party doesn’t mean to get drunk. The interviewers left out those who know how to have a good time without drinking. Penn State is already a big school in terms of numbers. So, while there are students who get drunk, there are certainly a lot of students who party and don’t drink and I am one of them.

The podcast focuses on a few students who acted bizarrely while drunk. Everywhere we go there will always be the crowd who get drunk and act accordingly. What about the students who don’t drink alcohol or those who don’t act in this manner even if they have drank some alcohol? It places me, as well as other student who are like me in the category of those who are being described in the podcast and that is not fair.

This Podcast was aired in 2009 and as of today Penn State is no longer ranked the number one party school. I feel as though that is a good thing although some may beg to differ. If the interviewers’ description of the number one party school means to be the school that has the most drunken students then I don’t understand why any Penn State student would want to still be considered number one. It’s now 2011 and it’s my first year at Penn State, so it feels good to know that we are no longer ranked number one. Still, it hurts to know that we were ‘known’ as that to begin with.

As a freshman, I’ve been very alert when walking around campus on weekdays and weekends. As alert as I have been I haven’t seen any crazy things taking place such as “ drunk students throwing furniture out of the window and setting it on fire or people punching delivery men” as they describe in the podcast. I don’t even understand how that is considered partying. I’m here every day and I go out almost every weekend once I’m done my work. It relieves stress and rebuilds your energy for the next week. On the other hand, we do know how to party. An event such as THON which is FTK (for the kids) takes place every year. That is a big party, where students dance to music and raise lots of money. This year Penn State raised $10, 686,924.83.  This isn’t the first year that THON has taken place so if we’re talking about partying, why wasn’t that described?

We’re in the stage of life where we want to have fun before we go off to our careers and after college we’ll never have the chance to party so much again. The set standard for number one party school did not qualify for the whole school. Out of the 40,000 or so students who attend Penn State, there were only about 10 students or less described in the podcast. How can they vouch for the whole school?

Expression of a Model

The angels of Victoria's Secret:


Modeling is art because its combination of promoting fashion clothing and the model herself who displays the beauty of females all at once is unique. In specific, Victoria’s Secret models portray the type of art that speaks to and inspires young women in their age range.

On one level we have the fashion from PINK by Victoria Secret which is a selection of clothing for teenage ladies. The clothing is beautiful and affordable at the same time. Teenage ladies are in their point of life when they begin to work and have to dress themselves. Therefore we need clothing that is beautiful and we can also afford.

The models on the other hand raise awareness to being healthy. Watching these models' bodies while they rip their runway inspires a young lady to keep herself in shape. Fitness is important today because it's a big issue, but by seeing these models in the media it helps us remember that being healthy is what rules. Therefore there are certain laws to promote healthy eating and weight control.

This is art at its finest because through modeling there is expression and communication of emotion. The struts of these models bring attention to both the clothing and their body. The clothing and the bodies are displayed beautifully and elegantly. When we can deliver art in such a way it is nonetheless pleasing and makes us feel comfortable about what we can wear and how our bodies look in it.

Under the 'My links' list is a scene of Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2011 if you're interested in watching.

The Palmer Museum: Affirmative Action

Jerry Kearns

America, b. 1943

Affirmative Action, 1987

Acrylic on canvas




Artist Jerry Kearns’ canvas ‘Affirmative Action’ depicts an elegantly dressed woman drawn in black and white juxtaposed against a dense cityscape drawn in red and yellow. Her dress stops right above the knees, and on her feet are some business woman style of heels. This woman is working in what seems to be manure and her facial expression is that of a hard worker as she shovels. Her fixed posture suggests that she needs to hold her grounds to do her job effectively. This is definitely back breaking labor because her feet are positioned apart in order for her to perform these duties. She also uses both hands to firmly grip the shovel. The dense cityscape in the background is definitely not drawn to scale because in the foreground she is both taller and wider than each building. This canvas shouts nothing but “women in the work field”.




The image was drawn in 1987 although the theme which it relates to was one that aroused in the 1940s. Affirmative action voices underrepresented groups such as race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or national origin. All which are rights that have to be protected because one can be treated inequitably if not. Without a doubt, this piece speaks to that time period because discrimination has to be justified. One way or another, women have been underrepresented in the work field for quite some time. Therefore the political comment that this piece touches on is ‘equal opportunity’.


As an African American woman this piece touches me on an emotional level. I’ve always been categorized at the minority level and as a woman it goes even deeper. As a minority my group already holds fewer positions in social power compared to that of other groups. On the other hand, as a woman I’m less dominate than any man in the work force. Particularly this canvas of this woman says to me that I don’t have to be singled out. Women’s rights play a big part as well because women are sometimes equated with the minority. I always feel as though gender, race, ethnicity or anything of that sort should not determine your ability to prosper. Today discrimination still exists, but this canvas shows that these respective laws or rights still matter.


Jerry Kearns himself was not only an artist, but a professor of art at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. So not only does this piece of art created by him speak to the affirmative action movement but experience with art as a whole. He has other canvases placed in different museums across the US. A lot of his art work reflects racial equality, equal treatment and how it shows reverse discrimination. This piece in particular claims that women can get down and work hard and certainly that all women aren’t weak. Surely you don’t have to be a man to do typical labor. When you think of shoveling it’s very normal to think of it being a man’s job, but this painting explains differently. Women are strong and we aren’t only office material. We can work in different areas and we are able to perform tasks that men can perform. Nonetheless women are on the rise in this work industry.


The Palmer Museum (the place where this canvas was on exhibit) has a very beautiful atmosphere. The time I saw this canvas was certainly not my first visit. I’ve been there on numerous occasions and it’s interesting that every now and then the exhibits change. Whether it’s sketches, paintings or sculptures, everything is always eye catching. That is because there are display that are ancient but there are also modern displays. The variety is definitely there. But sometimes some things just stand out more than others. Affirmative action is what sat within and spoke to me.