lbehrcolls@aol.com
Q■f th e W ee
by Jen Henderson, associate editor
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"1 went to lunch with friends and
watched a movie with cold bever-
ages."
Julie Lafferty
Political Science, 07
Adams, Parenti urge caring
by Erinn Hansen
calendar page editor
Hunter "Patch" Adams, clown, social activist,
and medical doctor, continued the Speaker Series
at Penn State Behrend on Nov. 26 in the Reed
McGarvey Commons. His assistant Dr. Susan
Parenti, philosophy professor, composer, and
performer, accompanied him.
"We are here to inspire people to think they can
do what they want to do, and accomplish their
dreams," said Parenti. "When people are able to
do what they want to do, it makes them feel bigger
and better."
Adams, born in Virginia, was an Army Brat and
grew up in Japan. He was once a mental patient,
attended the Medical College of Virginia, and is a
professional clown, for which he wears a rubber
nose and funny hats. Adams became an advocate
for reform, and mental health, as well as medicine,
He and his colleagues started the Gesundheit
Institute in Virginia, in 1972, which operated for
12 years. During those 12 years, the institute saw
more than 15,000 patients, charged nothing, and
did not have malpractice insurance.
However, in 1984, the employees working at the
institute were burning out, and the money situation
was becoming a problem. They had no time for
fundraising. As a result, Adams felt it was
necessary to close the Gesundeit Institute, and start
raising money to build a bigger and better hospital
located in the same area.
After the institute closed, Adams became a
professional clown, and both he and Parenti began
traveling around the world, helping people while
trying to raise funds for their new hospital.
They have been to places such as Afghanistan,
China, Thailand, Australia, Mexico, and many
more, including the Kabul Pediatric Hospital,
located in Africa. At this hospital, children needed
food medicine. As a result, Adams started
collecting food and medicine in the United States,
and eventually shipped from three to ten tons of
food and medicine over to this hospital.
"We will be going to Rome, Italy, next," said
Adams. "We will be leaving within a couple
weeks."
Along with traveling the world, Adams became
a social activist. He began speaking out about the
joy and quality of lives through caring, how to
reduce stress through humor, as well as his
experiences and medical practices.
"The goal of speaking out is to inspire people
about caring and using humor as a stress lowering
mechanism," said Adams.
Adams believes that America's current health
care system is elitist and in slavery to money and
technology. He also believes that humor, joy,
compassion, and simple listening have their own
healing power, and builds friendship and trust with
his patients before moving on to any sort of
treatment that is not involved with trauma.
TO
Dr. Patch Adams and his assistant, Dr. Susan Parenti, spoke at Behrend as part of the Speaker
Series.
"I stayed around campus and
studied." •
Cris ten Stephansky • •
Biology, 07 •
He spoke out about how important it is to care
for people, as well as using humor to reduce stress
and make people feel better.
"Humor is a political strategy," said Adams. "It
is also an amazing tool in helping people."
Adams also spoke about his own experiences
with a brief history of his life, with regards to the
movie "Patch Adams."
"Patch Adams," a movie with Robin Williams
in the title role, tells the story of Adam's early years
at medical school and some of the obstacles that
he overcame. However, Adams said this movie
only covered the political side of his life, and left
out a great portion of what actually happened. The
movie left out the marks against racism, and also
lost the spirit of the '6os.
Adams cleared up some of the events that the
movie either left out or showed in a different point
of view. He spoke about his experiences with
people around the world, and showed a video of
the places he went and the people that he worked
with.
When Adams finished, he turned the microphone
over to his assistant Parenti, who spoke about the
importance of caring, as well as her experiences.
She spoke about how people think that caring is
not part of their career, and about how people go
into nursing homes.
"The people in the nursing homes are in there
so they will not be a burden to their family," said
Parenti. " I would love to wake up in a world where
people would say, 'My mother has Alzheimer's
and I can finally take care of her. —
She spoke about her experience with a patient
who had emphysema, and how she loved taking
care of her, as well as about how people live in a
society where freedom is more important than care.
"Young people are not connected and do not
understand," said Parenti. "They spend more time
at the malls then caring."
The Speaker Series concluded with a special
thanks to the people who came, and a question and
answer session, which followed the presentation.
Adams and Parenti made the Speaker Series a
huge success, as the audience's attendance and
reaction showed.
"It was very informative," said Laura Doerr,
freshman at Behrend.
"This was a unique experience for Behrend,"
added Chris Rizzo, director of Student Activities.
"This Speaker Series was unlike any other one that
we have had."
Adams and Parenti agree that the presentation
was successful
"Penn State Behrend is a wonderful school, and
Erie is a nice community," said Parenti. "The
turnout was terrific, the audience was very attentive
and helpful."
The next Speaker Series features Spike Lee on
Jan. 15 at 7:30 p.m. in the Reed McGarvey
Commons.
4 7 '
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Friday, Deecember 6, 2002
"I went to Barnes & Noble
and took notes for a paper
that was due the next day,
because the library was
closed."
Alex Styborski
FilmNideo, 03
Driving in a Winter Wonderland
by Erin Scott
staff writer
"Oh, the weather outside is frightful," and
commuters are just beginning to face the frosty
fallings. Flakes began to fall on Nov. 22 and
haven't stopped since. Many students are leaving
an hour early to come to campus, before their
classes start. They are also staying on campus all
day until their classes are over because the stress
and hassle of coming and going just isn't worth
it.
"The snow makes it impossible to use Cooper
Road,so it takes longer to get to school," said
Dan Rosa, a commuter to campus. When the
roads are bad, it doubles the time it takes to get to
school."
Cooper Road is a good alternative to using I
-90, yet when it's out of commission, many students
are left stranded either at home or on campus.
Many commuters deal with the inconveniences
by hanging out at Bruno's or the library between
classes to catch up on some reading or to enjoy a
moment to themselves.
The snow doesn't seem to be stopping anytime
soon, so here are a few common sense tips to help
keep you safe and on time.
t':
Vie.
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"~-~
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PHOTO BY KEVIN FALLON / BEHREND BEACON
It's time to dig out those shovels as snow blankets the campus - and the roads - again. .
Reality Check sponsors ESO dance
by Erin McCarty
news editor
The holidays are a time of coming together,
and opportunities abound for college students to
converge and celebrate the season in a variety of
ways. At Behrend, for instance, Christmas carol
sing-alongs, meditative gatherings, winter
concerts, and department parties are only a few
events in which members of the student body,
faculty and staff can participate. But what about
people who do not belong to such a community
and do not have the means to seek out activities?
The organization ESO (Expanding Sociability
Opportunities) was formed last year in order to
give college-aged Erie residents with
developmental disabilities the opportunity to
interact with one another and with local college
students in a social setting.
ESO was conceived by Joyce McDonnell of
the Gertrude Barber Center and includes
NEM
"1 went home."
Amanda Suites
Biology, 07
The Behrend Beacon
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• "1 went home to relax after a
• long - weekend in Toronto (big
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Keened Lorya
I . Leave earlier. The more time you have at your
leisure; the less chance there is that you will be
careless in a hurry.
2. Watch the weather report. Find out what's going
to happen before it happens!
3. Feel comfortable driving your car. The better
you know your vehicle and how it handles in the
snow, the more confident you will be on the road.
4. Drive at a pace you are comfortable with. Just
because everyone else is going 40 doesn't mean
you have to. Set your own speed and let them
pass you if they must.
5. Drive defensively. Everyone thinks they are
good drivers, and they think they are even better
in the snow. Be aware of who is on the road with
Although many professors, students, and faculty
complain the snow is a problem, some students
think it's no big deal.
"The only traffic in Erie is on campus, so that's
what takes the extra time," said Ben Askin. "The
snow doesn't really bother me."
Whether you like the snow or not, it's here to
stay for quite awhile. So remember to take the
extra time to orepare for any circumstance.
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Mil
representatives from Gannon, Mercyhurst,
Edinboro and Behrend. Students from Reality
Check, Behrend's service organization, serve as
representatives from this campus.
ESO holds six dances a year, and Reality Check
will host the last dance of this year tonight in
Erie Hall from 7 to 9 p.m. The dance will feature
festive decor and snacks. Developmentally
disabled 18- to 30-year-olds are encouraged to
attend at a ticket cost of $3.
Any college students who want to come may
do so free of charge. Not only does this program
give these 18- to 30-year-olds a time to be
together and have a good time, it also offers
college students with little exposure to this
segment of the population a chance to increa4s
their understanding.
Gannon will host the next dance in February.
Anyone interested in participating in the planning
of ESO events should contact McMillen at
ktm I 20@psu.edu.
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Communication, 03