Is life ever hard here at Penn State. This wicked university that I attend is constantly trying to sabotage my educational experience.

They never help me when I ask for it.

They provide nothing online to assist my learning.

There's no place to go when I need to have fun or work out. How I've made it through two and a half years here I'll never know.

How can I get back at Penn State for making my life here so miserable? I know, maybe I'll protest something. Let's see, what can I protest?

It looks like the university is planning on cutting down four trees in their effort to build a new classroom facility next month. Four trees, why that's almost an entire ecosystem! That's ludicrous! A family of Penn State's famous fat squirrels might inhabit those oaks! I'll put a stop to this!

And so another dedicated Penn State protester finds his calling.

It seems that every other week some interest group is protesting something or another. Sometimes, these protests are warranted and effective. But often, it seems that they are trivial and no more than a desecration to our university.

Remember the protesters who camped out on the lawn of Old Main last spring?

Their actions created an eyesore on one of the most beautiful areas on our campus, and one of our symbols of tradition at Penn State.

Even when they finally ended their protest, they left behind patches of dead grass where their tents had once stood.

Recently, we even had students protesting the university's stance on the class gift proposal. I don't see what there was to contest. Everyone seems to look at Penn State as if the university is the bad guy. In my simple understanding of how situations like this work, if you don't have enough money for something, you can't buy it.

A gift is given to show your appreciation for what the university did for you, and to serve as a reminder of your presence on campus. Penn State should not be expected to pay for any of the gift — it's not its responsibility.

Heck, if my class is expecting the university to foot the difference for our gift, then I say we go all out and "give" them a new ice hockey facility.

Sure, it may cost a couple million to build, but we'll give you our $150,000 donation for it, put our name on it and say it was from us. Go, class of 2002!

A recent letter to the editor also sparked the idea for this column. The writer made the point that this university doesn't care about anyone.

It seems more and more people are taking this "Penn-State-is-out-to-get-me" approach, and it is really starting to bother me.

The letter went on to say that Penn State didn't even deserve a gift because the school didn't give him anything. He specifically says, "Everything I take with me when I graduate is a product of my money and hard work."

Well, it is a credit to you that you worked hard, and yes, you may have to pay to attend this school, but the things you should be thanking Penn State for are the intangibles that you leave with.

Responsibility, self-support, leadership, blah blah blah. I know, it sounds like a broken record, or maybe your mother's voice, but it's true.

These are the things that Penn State, or any college for that matter, should have embedded in your personality.

If someone decides not to take advantage of what college has to offer, then it is not the university's fault. Learning how to be an adult, when it's called for and becoming prepared for the real world is the defining element of whether your college experience was a success.

Yes, it is true that a college education is not cheap, but that is the reality of the world today. We as Penn State students should consider ourselves lucky to be able to receive a degree, which carries with it a certain prestige at a relatively low cost. Shop around and you will see that if you are from Pennsylvania, you can't beat the value of going to school here. Penn State graduates are respected everywhere.

For all of the people who are constantly taking objection to actions of Penn State, or think the college is doing everything in their power to ensure your failure, I would say take a step back and look at the big picture.

There may be times when you will be treated slightly unfairly or the administration might make a wrong decision, but this is the real world, and instances like that will occur.

When your days end here, more than likely, the good will outweigh the bad, and you will realize all that you have to thank Penn State for.

Until then, study, have fun and don't take everything so seriously. Life is good here. Take advantage of it.