Courtney Straub & Justin Curry, News Editors
by Courtney Straub,
Question of the Week news editor, and
Heather Peterson,
staff writer
Shingles and showers: Sampogna speaks from her soul
Robin Sampogna reflects on her experiences building homes for the needy.
by Lauren Packer
editor in chief
Think of a time in your life when you
gave your best effort and didn't ask for
anything in return.
Robin Sampogna, senior accounting
major and resident assistant, asked the
audience to reflect on that sentence at the
end of her presentation at the first Soup
for the Soul this semester. Sponsored by
the Catholic Campus Ministry and the
Protestant Campus Ministry, Soup for the
Soul provides time for the campus to
come together for reflection and of
course, soup.
The theme of the event, held Thursday
in the living room of the Smith Chapel,
ATTENTION SENIORS
WHEN: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28-10 AM - 6PM
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29---9 AM - 4PM
WHERE: REED WINTERGARDEN
(FOR MORE INFO-STOP BY THE BOOKSTORE)
centered on inspirations. Sampogna's
story not only provided gales of laughter
from the many students, staff and
faculty in attendance, but also filled the
room with warmth.
For the past seven years, Sampogna
and her parish have been traveling to
Kentucky to build and remodel homes
for the needy and homeless. The houses
Sampogna builds are one floor with five
rooms.
"If you compare these houses to the
houses these people used to live in, it's
a large improvement," Sampogna said.
"You come back and you try to explain
it to other friends and family members,
and they don't really understand. It's ,r
SENIOR SALUTE DAYS
➢ PURCHASE YOUR CAP & GOWN
> ORDER YOUR CLASS RING
> ORDER COMMENCEMENT
ANNOUNCEMENTS
> PICK UP TICKETS FOR THE
COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY
> STOP BY THE SENIOR CLASS GIFT
TABLE TO SEE HOW YOU CAN MAKE
THE PENN STATE LION STATUE A
REALITY,
Friday, October 17, 2003
just a story to them.
Sampogna's story continued as she
told of a child from whom she drew a
great deal of inspiration. Tyler Roberts,
a 5-year-old recipient of a new home
provided her with a touching
experience.
"No one warned me that he was really
clingy and that he really likes people,"
Sampogna said. "He was driving me
absolutely insane for about the first two
hours, but all he wanted to do was help."
By the end of the week, Tyler was
covered in Spackle from helping. I told
him to go home and take a bath. He
replied, 'Robin, I don't have a bathtub.
I've never taken a bath before."
Sampogna and Roberts stuck a deal
that he would be the first one to take a
bath in his new home. A year later, she
called Roberts and he did it. He was
the first one to take a bath in his new
home.
"I ended up realizing that I takima lot
of things ft r owed: every
year tagive of myself and mytime and
effort. But I definitely don't expect
anything in return. However, every year
I go I am surprised with how much I
get in return"
The members of the parishes spend
eight to nine days every July fixing
homes in Kentucky.
"The program started 17 years ago
with one parish traveling to do small
odds and ends jobs. It has now grown
to over 150 people going every year,"
Sampogna said. "It has definitely
grown throughout the years. It now
includes five parishes from the tri-state
With such a large group, a majority
must sleep outside in tents every night,
Office of Admissions hosts fall open house
by B.J. Shields
staff writer
This weekend an estimated 800
visitors are expected to converge on
campus for one of three yearly Open
House events organized and hosted
by the Behrend Office of
Admissions.
"Each of the three events has a
different audience," said Donna
Fuller, Admissions Counselor. "This
fall session is geared towards high
school seniors," she said.
The Admissions office also holds
Open House events each spring and
summer.
"At February's Open House, the
audience is comprised mostly of high
school seniors who have applied and
been accepted for. admission, said
Fuller, "and in the summer, most of
the attendees are in their junior years
of high school."
The activities occurring at each of
the sessions are directed toward the
different audiences involved. Most
of the prospective students attending
this particular Open House have a
serious interest in enrolling at
Behrend and are basically looking
for more information on the school
before applying. Many may have
already decided to apply to Behrend,
but are attending the event to find
information on financial aid
even through the thunderstorms. hose
with allergies were afforded the luxury
of sleeping indoors.
However, no one escaped the shower
and bathroom situations. With only a
handful of indoor showers available,
most were forced to use the outdoor
showers and bathroom facilities for the
week.
"1 wasn't too keen on taking two
minute showers, the freezing cold well
water and the 110 degree weather for
eight days," Sampogna said.
Because of her dislike for the shower
facilities, Sampogna became
affectionately known as the "shower-
wench."
"I was the first one to take a shower
and then I would sit outside and time the
remaining people. It gave me a chance
to meet all the people who were working
Guadalupe Alvear, Gretchen Wolford, and Marie Jeanne Goodenow
(right to left) enjoyed this semester's first Soup for the Soul.
resources or to gather necessary
information in regard to completing
the admissions process.
"It takes hundreds of people,
literally, from every single club,
organization, department and
academic school to make a
successful event," said Fuller. "And
fortunately, over the years, we've had
a positive influx of participants to the
point that just about everyone on
campus is represented."
This level of participation across
campus will ensure that prospective
students and their parents will have
no difficulty in finding answers to
their inquiries of the school.
Currently enrolled Behrend students
are asked to be involved by assisting
visitors with directions and inquiries,
and "everyone should pay special
attention to keeping the campus clean
and debris-free," said Fuller.
The event kicks off at 10 a.m. with
check in at the Reed Union Building
Wintergarden Atrium. After check
in, the audience comprised mostly of
high school seniors with their friends
and families will have the
opportunity to attend information
fairs or take guided tours of the
campus and the residence halls.
Presentations and demonstrations by
the various academic schools will be
taking place across campus as well.
Much of the information available
at the event is centered at McGarvey
The Behrend Beacon
on the various different house-sites that
I otherwise might not have got to meet,"
Sampogna said.
At the construction sites, Sampogna
put on her tool belt and climbed to the
roof of the house. She admits that
roofing and placing shingles was the part
of construction that she liked the best.
Sampogna even brought a shingle she
found along the road enroute the Smith
Chapel and used the shingle as a prop in
her speech.
The final questions for discussion
Sampogna asked the audience to reflect
on: "Was it worth your time and effort?
Did you receive anything in return?"
"It was worth my time and I received
so much more than I ever could have
asked for. I have a new, larger family.
We are all brothers and sisters,"
Sampogna said.
Commons, where prospective
students can visit booths manned by
representatives from the Office of
Admissions, the Career Development
Center, the Division of
Undergraduate Studies, the Office of
Financial Aid, Student Activities
Office and other student support staff.
Additional faculty from the Schools
of Business, Humanities and Social
Sciences and Science will also be
present at the Commons to answer the
many questions of the visitors.
At Roche Hall and the Engineering
Complex, faculty will be on hand
from the School of Engineering and
Engineering Technology. Displays
and demonstrations will also be
available. Prospective students will
also have the opportunity to take tours
of the Astronomy, Chemistry, Physics
and Biology labs in their respective
buildings.
Junker Center will have its own
open house as well, where
information can be obtained on
intramurals, recreation and the
athletics department. The Health and
Wellness Center will also be open to
visitors.
In addition to all of these activities,
separate academic information
seminars will take place in
classrooms across campus, where
prospective students can get a better
idea of what Penn State Erie the
Behrend College has to offer.
Page 3