9i,i,,,woolren 11111 LCA avows Flle4lll THE "WINITINI Omar nen YEAR MA I IIIII4II OFFER TIPS MR /IPNVIVIII4 41411, THRIVINE OVIIIIIC ERIC WINTER/. Suck it up: dealing with winter in Erie by Kristin Grudowski Staff Writer Whether you are an "Erieite" or this is your first winter in the lovely city, we all share one common realization. Winters in Erie are harsh and can be tough to handle. No one realizes this more than those students who are getting their first dose of arctic temperatures and bone-chilling winds as they experi ence their first semester at Behrend and other schools in the Northern U.S. Faisal Ashlan (Finance, 02) has spent about fourteen years of his life in Kuwait, where the winters are much more mild, raining rather than snowing, and maintaining an average win ter temperature of 45 to 50 degrees. Adapting to the elements of Erie has not been a leisurely process for Ashlan, as he com ments on Erie's weather, "I want it to stop. I hate it." Meshal Al-Khabbaz (Mec. Engineering, 02), who has spent about sixteen years in Kuwait, has also noticed the dramatic differences in the climates of the two regions. "Even Septem ber was too cold. I can stand the weather, but it is annoying at times." While Ashlan and Al-Khabbaz are from Kuwait, they have PHOTO BY JENN BENSON lived in the north-eastern U.S. before for short periods of time. Perhaps that experience helped them to prepare for their first semester at Behrend. But what could prepare a student who has never even seen snow for the brutality of Erie's climate'? That was the situation Nina Lasont (Pre Law, 02) found herself in this winter. Lasont, coming from Jacksonville, Florida, had never seen snow before attending Behrend. Luckily, she reacted positively to what Erie weather had to offer and lived it up, making snowmen and all. "I loved it because it's something I've never seen or experienced before. If Erie offered 80 degrees and snow I would live here for the rest of my life," I .asont said. Born and bred in north-western Millcreek, Denny Shaffer (Hist, 07) offers advice to those students experiencing their first taste of Erie's winter conditions. "Take advantage of the weather," Shaffer commented, continuing, "No matter how cold, windy or snowy it can get here, you can always find something fun to do in Erie." That said, if you are complaining about the conditions in Erie, suck it up and deal with the weather. Most students can find some positive characteristics hidden in the snow, hail, freezing temperatures, excess salt and muck of Erie. Winter commuting hazards By Daryl Ploss Staff Writer What do all commuters have in common in the winter? We have the privilege of driving to and from Behrend every day in wonderful Erie weather! Well, maybe it isn't a won derful privilege, but we still have to do it. For some com muters the drive is five minutes, and for others it is 45 minutes, but if we all take some extra time to prepare the right way, we won't run into any problems in the middle of a winter storm. As all commuters know, driv ing in Erie in the winter is to tally different than driving in Erie in the summer. Because of this, drivers should leave their homes early. There is no for- Treat your car with care: winter auto By Rob Wynne Associate Editor Your car loves winter in Erie about as much you do. The elements can truly take their toll on an automobile over the course of a winter, especially for those vehicles used to commute long distances. Salt, ice, snow, and slush become the colors of your vehicle on the outside, but your car's insides may be suffering as well. Giving your car some "under the hood" attention for a few min utes a week may just save you from being stranded on the high- ,E.vort mula to use to calculate the extra amount of time to allow your selves, so use your own discretion when leaving your home. For ex ample, everyday I have to venture on Cooper Road down through the treacherous Wintergreen gorge. If I hear of a bad winter storm sched uled to hit Erie the night before my math test, I know that I should al low myself at least ten extra min utes in the morning, so I can avoid the always present dangers of Cooper Road. Periodically it is very important to check your windshield washer fluid level. Nothing is more an noying than when you are running late to English class and flying across 38th Street when you get stuck behind some big 18-wheel semi-truck. Of course, the truck's tires are throwing dirty water and way 20 minutes before a mid term. Here are a few tips and suggestions for "winterizing" your car. You've probably heard that the best thing you can do for your car is to change the oil every 3,000 miles. This is es pecially true during the winter because colder temperatures, along with short-trip driving, can lead to premature breakdown of your oil, which will ulti mately decrease the life of your engine. \\\ -, • 1.,1\ j; i-. .:, .-: ~ .(s . .„, 1 -.-- • - ::•• IA .; '.',-,- i> r \N - 2)( l•-\k/ N •L~ . N .• " t --- i:N. , ‘ -7, • • . s'. f-c \ ''' .. .-: --- 'N•-• '•ZCI , I- v -- ~ ~,.... ..._ ------„ , • q•-• ' --- - J.: 14 9.1 -.•-• \‘'... - - : -..,„< - .7--......---- •, , ...: :: _s, --,,z-,;.-, 11.- -"\.- - - -:---;_vP• t: \ ‘ ,,,, , ,t ~.--.... r:,- 1 . - - -.\-: •:: • --:' -,-.."1 - z":": -*•!.-1.'":".N 1 1-.."- - „,......fi... , ~--;-,::_, 'A _.;.....:i1x;.,' ':'•"--.,• "a , "is t ,\z• - ''' 3,L2- ---1 -4: -. :- - ,-. 0. - = '” . N4''- . .: . :._•*Wh!'i ll f:Tlg& - :-: '',..% ,:.':. 1 t,e , - - ZI I. /4 %., ;,---: ..•.•. •,1"-rgrg== 6.- -7 -:"; 1 ' :7 ' 5.. . ",--' ' .:....'1 ' - '... - 10 --- .. -. • ' :0" . • `'‘ .- " r • - . Z'''W ' .".-..- '-'' :..1 ..{5:: . ::• • =2`1 - -- ,"., ~ """,:-IC: . 1.--e t ' - .: 4 *-1 -7 1 0- --- • tt - o'W -4 :4:'„,'- : .1.. Ne. i;....z•t•-zt."- - '....: - ---4:•:57 _ y'rsi‘a;:-.= ,• :.<, ,v• ;-,.' 7v .z if i s ii „ . .„ .... • i-w.z...., - z: - ..-• 1 ;-::<•..4 • , n t , ---7........-s---1,-..- - 7 ... -- c'tl4.- - ' -5-.- z .., ...r . . , -..‹ ... .,„„,„,..„...., ~, ~...,4 , , . 4 ". - •,, &- -.,-...,...... ~-,, .-• .:..- 4. .... •-'.•..!---- - ,•.• ~ ffill PHOTO BY JENN BENSON slush onto your windshield making it impossible to see! So you try to use windshield washer fluid, but nothing hap pens (except that the wipers smear the dirty water and slush, making it worse!). I know this has happened to all commuters, so regularly check your fluid level. One final tip, and this will be the hardest for us all to do. It is hard because as we all know college students rarely have money. So here it is: keep your gas level above half a tank. Why? Because the gas in your tank provides for weight when you are sliding on ice and try ing to make it up large hills. Also, the more gas in your tank, the less likely it is that your gas will freeze up. O o 0 o \ / & While the winters of Frie•s past might have seemed httring, the winters of today are tilled with many exciting sporting e% ems to help pass the time ay.. a \ The Erie sports scene is brim ming with acti \ Ily at thiN time or the year. Any given night e" Pro vide hours of quality entertain ment. Local spoils are not domi nated by high school athletics, as you might think from watching the local news. Eric's professional hockey team, the Otters, are now a part of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and the quality of play is better than ever. But the Otters are not alone. New to many fans this car is the addition of an arena football team, the Erie Invaders. Playing Also, try using a lower viscos ity oil in your vehicle during the winter. For example, if your car calls for 10W-30 oil, try using SW-30. Lower viscosity oils are more suitable for colder tem peratures and will allow sour o 0 Winter sports heat up in Erie By Mike Cooklis Staff Writer car easier starting. Many cars today are de signed with 4-cylinder engines. Thus, they run hotter than some 6 or 8 cylinder autos. And yes, even though it's cool outside, your ye a hide still needs cool- ant. Don't let your car catch a fever. Check Worst winter remembered Throughout the years Erie has endured some pretty inhospitable winters. What makes a hor rible winter? Lots of snow, ice, people flooding to the grocery store, car accidents, and, what every kid remembers, snow days. Everyone has his or her own idea about what makes winter terrible. However there seems to be a consensus among Behrend students that the worst winter in this area was in 1993. Among the students who singled out the win ter of '93, Eunice Ng (Bio, 06) said, "I remember there being ten inches of snow." Kim Moses (MET, 08) responded "I walked out of my house and remember the snow being up to my chin." Every kid has hopes of snow days, days that are sure to stick in a child's mind. Tracy Jones (Comm, 04) said, "My school never closed, but in '93 they canceled it for three days. The snow was so deep we couldn't even play in it." Erika Weissenfluh (Psy, 04) also remembers staying home for three days. There are some that remember another win ter as the worst. "1996 was the year me and my friends turned sixteen, so we started to pull each other behind the car on a sled," said John McDlhaney (MIS, 04). Winters have been rough in the past, but for tunately this winter has not been one to remember...yet! from April 1 to July 8, this will mark the first year that an arena team has ever called the Erie Civic Center home. Arena football is an exciting brand of football that will bring a high action, fast paced style that is more fan friendly than traditional football. Arena football recently produced Kurt Warner, MVP of Super Bowl XXXIV. Behrend student Chris Cooper (MIS, 02) said of the local sports the coolant level by using the guides on your coolant reserve tank (it contains green or red cool ant). When adding coolant to the re serve tank, ALWAYS dilute with water. Typically, a 50/50 ratio is called for. But, it's winter, so you can safely use a 70% coolant, 30% water mixture. Again, this is more suitable for your car in colder tem peratures. Is your car front or rear wheel drive? Most newer vehicles are front-wheel drive, with the excep tion of some vans and trucks. If you have snow-tires, put them closer to where your drive comes by Jeff Miller Photo Editor scene, "Erie has many more ath letic events, both pro and college, than my old home in Vancouver had." Not to be overlooked in Erie is the presence of quality college ath letics. The small schools are more than capable of providing big games. Behrend, Mercyhurst. Gannon, and Edinboro all field ex cellent basketball programs for both men and women. The action is as close as your own hack yard, Erie Hall, to be specific. Many students attend Behrend basketball games regularly. "1 like the games because of the atmo sphere and the level of play," said Drew Weinheimer (MIS, 02). As you can see, Erie might not be as "dreary - as you once thought. With a multitude of spoil ing events, you can keep busy right up until the spring thaw. .:~ M~'. PHOTO BY JENN BENSON tips from: back or front. If your car is rear-wheel drive, you have snow tires and you are still sliding, try adding some weight (like sand bags) in your trunk, evenly distrib uted. One last tip: start your car early and give it some warm-up time. Not only will this warm up the en gine and its components to pre vent damage, your interior (if it's vinyl or leather) will not suffer as much cracking when you sit on it. Some newer makes do not pro mote "warm-up" time , however. So, as always, consult your owner's manual for specifics. Here's to safe and happy driving!
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