INTRAMURAL REVIEW A recap of this year's current IM champions. See page 6. Danny Glover to visit campus next week by Scott Solds managing editor Actor Danny Glover, co-star of the "Lethal Weapon" series, will be coming to the McGarvey Commons on Thursday. Glover will be the third installment of this year's Speaker Series, which has already featured Catherine Crier and Marci Rossell. Aside from his comical side in the "Lethal" series, Glover has also played memorable dramatic roles in the mid 1980's in "Places in the Heart" (1984), "The Color Purple" (1985), and "Mandela" (1987). Ice storm blasts Erie by Lauren Packer editor in chief Students and faculty alike awoke Tuesday morning to a painful reminder of what happens when Mother Nature and Old Man Winter combine forces. A complex weather system assaulting much of the Midwest states, in addition to a southern band of precipitation, are to blame for Tuesday's formidable weather, according to the Weather Channel. And according to reports, at least 44 deaths from Kansas to the Carolinas have been linked to the two-day winter mix of snow, sleet, rain and freezing rain. Two deaths occurred in Pennsylvania because of traffic accidents linked to the snow. Tom Atkins, meteorologist for WJET-TV and instructor of meteorology at Behrend, explained why Tuesday's weather was rain and not snow. "What happened on Tuesday was a result of a warm layer of air called a loft," Atkins said. "The rain actually starts as snow, but then it meets the warm air and changes to "Even though the temperature was barely at 32 degrees, we had six days of subfreezing temperatures that froze the ground. And when the rain met the ground it froze instantly." Tuesday's snowfall totaled only 2 inches, but almost a half-inch of rain fell on the roadways first, creating a slick base for pedestrians and motorists. Local school systems and business throughout the Erie area operated on A lone student walks through the Reed Lot late Tuesday afternoon NEWS 1-4 EDITORIAL 5 INTRAMURALS 6 Vol. LI Glover has been an activist, promoting education of health issues, primarily cancer and anemia. Glover's father died of anemia in 2001 and could have lived longer had he gone to the doctor more frequently for check-ups. Glover has been concerned that so many men do not go to the doctor as much as they should, so serious health problems can go untreated. The actor has also been an advocate for civil rights at home and abroad. Earlier this year, Glover traveled to Venezuela to examine race relations in that nation. However, his recent humanitarian efforts have been two-hour delays, followed by cancellations. However, nearly every school district, including Edinboro University, made the decision to cancel classes for the remainder of the day. Erie area schools last closed in 2000, according to the Erie-Times News. Inside This Issue FEATURES 7 A&E 8 CALENDAR 9 *9l Penn State Erie Student Publication* Friday, January 30, 200' Students braved the weather on their way to class rib The Behrend beacon MUM COLLEGE UIMARY overshadowed by his controversial political stances. His politics even came into play while in Venezuela when he expressed his displeasure in America's foreign policy role in the South American country. Glover's political views started causing controversy when two months after the attacks on New York City, he said that "one of the main purveyors of violence in this world has been this country, whether it's been against Nicaragua, Vietnam or wherever." He also said that American soldiers should spare Osama bin Laden's life if they found him. Penn State Behrend remained open after an altered schedule, with classes beginning at 10 a.m. and the childcare center closed entirely. Behrend last canceled class because of a snowstorm in November 2000. The National Weather Service placed Erie County under a winter SPORTS 11-12 Glover's controversial stances recently resurfaced when he reportedly called President Bush a racist and signed his name to a letter titled "To the Conscience of the World." An excerpt from this letter reads that "A single power is inflicting grave damage to the norms of understanding, debate and mediation amongst countries. This power has invoked a series of unverified reasons in order to justify its invasion." The "power" to which the letter references is the United States of America, and has drawn much criticism. Some of the extra media attention may be due to the current climate of moon storm warning, stating that "freezing rain and sleet will continue into the early afternoon. Some additional ice accumulation will be likely. This amount of icing will make driving very hazardous and may bring down tree limbs and power lines." Ice and snow began falling early in the morning and changed to snow by mid-afternoon. The ice draped cars, walkways, pathways and railways and left the campus looking more like a skating rink than a series of roadways and pathways. "I almost fell several times," said Samantha Cibula, COMBA 06. "My friend cut her leg on the ice ." "I live by the mall and Interstate 90 and it was horrible," Carolyn Tellers, ENGL 08, said. "If the university had regards for our safety, they would have canceled class. Tom Szymanowski, COMBA 08, disagrees. "I saw it as no challenge," Szymanowski said. "I could see where others would have a problem. Concern for safety should be a priority by the university. I didn't think Tuesday was the worst. I think last Friday was the worst." The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact Us NEWSROOM: 898-6488 E-MAIL: Offices are loratrr 4 FAX: 898-6019 behrcolls@aol.com downstairs in the, Reed Union Building FEE 3 0 5 RECIO Number 16 Commuters had mixed emotions SUPER BOWL SUNDAY Check out your Super Bowl IQ on page 7. portraying the media as conservative or liberal and will hopefully not overshadow Glover's speech later this week. Prior to the 7:30 p.m. event in the commons, there will be a dinner with Glover at the Logan House and a brief question and answer period, both of which were both by invitation. The Speaker Series is sponsored by the Student Activity Fee, the Office of Student Affairs, the Sam and Irene Black School of Business, the Janet Neff Sample Center for Manners and Civility. and the Harriet Behrend Ninow Memorial Lecture Series Fund. Study abroad broadens its horizons by Angela Szesciorka news editor Getting away from this frozen-over town is probably on everyone's mind as the snow continues to fall. Now there are six more reasons to leave; study abroad. The Office of Education Abroad (OEA) has added six new programs to its summer abroad destinations. These programs will take students to Vienna, Austria; Quebec City, Canada; Cairo, Egypt; Brighton, England; London, England and Tokyo, Japan. The OEA acts as Behrend's own education abroad organization. However, there are other study abroad organizations working with Penn State. The Council on Interna tional Educational Exchange and the Institute for the International Educa tion of Students are non-profit, edu cational institutions who provide in ternational education programs in various countries. According to Ruth Pfluger, the co ordinator of the Learning Resource Center, the Smeal College of Busi ness had an international programs major that required a full semester abroad in addition to the four years required. The major was discontin ued and an international programs minor was added. The minor re quires only six credits abroad. With the minor, more students were tak ing an interest and the demand for more programs rose. Students have the opportunity to participate in 130 programs in 40 dif ferent countries such as Italy, En gland, New Zealand, France, Ireland, China and many more. Summer pro grams are limited, however, because most are tailored to specific areas of study. One trip to Rome, for ex ample, focuses on the study of archi tecture, and a trip to the Netherlands deals with the study of the criminal justice system. Cumulative costs to study overseas can be high; however, students can apply for financial aid and scholar ships that may cover most of the tu ition and fees. The Benjamin A. Gilman international scholarship, for example, provides up to $5,000 for students who wish to study abroad. Most of programs cost the same as a semester at University Park. To learn more about studying abroad and the many programs of fered, contact Pfluger in the Learn ing Resource Center on the second floor of the Lilley Library.