We leave home to discover a new life, to make decisions on our own without any help from our creators.

So, why is Graham Spanier, the president of this fine institution, trying to revert our destiny? How, you ask? Well, he seems to have another wondrous idea to better our college community.

According to a March 3 article in the New York Times, Spanier submitted some of his feelings toward the idea of making campuses go full circle or in other words, make more rules. Yeaaaaaah. That will make my life better. Spanier said, " 'We do not want to make them more childlike. But parents are constantly contacting us asking what is going on.' " Spanier added that parents were telling him to give students more structure. Whose parents, Graham? Sure ain't my folks, they're in Jersey. Unlike you, they trust me, and they talk to me. If parents want to know what is up, why would they call you and not their own kids? Parents seem like a nice scapegoat to me.

The article goes into the theory of "in loco parentis" -- the idea of educators as stand-in parents, or mentors. In laymen's terms, chaperones. That is what I said, chaperones. Now that would not make us more childlike. It would bring us back in the days of seventh grade, you know Teen Nights, the big dances where mom or dad and Mr. Durkeen, the guidance counselor, stand in the corner of the gym, making sure everyone is so many inches apart and not getting their swerve on. Being 19, I feel it would be necessary to have the same supervision at fraternity or apartment parties. It would make me feel so much safer because I am just a stupid, immature little girl who cannot make her own decisions. I would love it if there was an adult there, just in case I had to make a life-altering decision, such as regular or light beer.

Are you kidding me? I thought if we were grown up enough to go college, we are grown up enough to make our own decisions.

The HUB late night is used as an alcohol-free option, providing entertainment every Friday and Saturday night. Yo, I'm not ripping on the HUB late night, I've made an appearance once or twice, I just don't see why it is supervised. That is just going to discourage students more from attending because it is so awkward and degrading. I think it is great the university offers so many options, but take it easy with this idea of supervision. We don't need more rules. Next thing you know, State College will have a midnight curfew.

There are also suggestions from other schools stating that housing should be stricter, and there should be house mothers like colleges had in the '70s. I guess they feel that resident assistants aren't enough, and we need someone in our residential area to look after us, day and night. But do I really need someone to tuck me in at night, just like Mommy used to do? The administration's defense of stricter policies is that the society we live in is more complicated and it is easier to find trouble. Yes, I'll admit I've made some mistakes in the two years I've been here, but nothing I couldn't figure out with the help of my crew. I thought life was supposed to be full of experiences. Along with experiences come mistakes, from which you learn and grow. I have learned from my wrong doings and have been shown the way and will not make the same ones again. If you need some guidance, check out peer groups or come to me. I am very wise, obviously. Every head honcho feels mentoring from adults is perfect and much needed to control us. I guess they think we are these out-of-control beasts, struggling for our survival in the confusing jungle of life. So not true.

It is funny that we, the student body, can raise more than $2.5 million dollars in the largest student-run philanthropy in the nation, but the administration still can't trust us. College is all about personal freedom, and I don't want that taken away from me.

By the way Graham, I'll be having a kickin' party sometime soon, date and details, TBA. I'll give you $3.50 an hour, but if you already have a higher-paying babysitting job, I'll understand.