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UL.LET L
LIBRARY j
THE BEHREND BEACON
Friday, September 24, 2004
Knowledge Park benefits Behrend
Corporations provide students with unique opportunities
By Alicia Raffensberger
staff writer
Knowledge Park is Behrend’s science and tech
nology park, in partnership with the Greater Erie
Industrial Development Corporation. What does
that mean? It means that Knowledge Park is a site
for businesses and organizations that promote re
search and development and is committed to creat
ing jobs in the Erie area.
A main attraction for tenants of Knowledge Park
is its proximity to campus allowing access to stu
dents, faculty, research and educational resources.
From a student's perspective, that means more
opportunities to add to the college experience.
Many majors on campus require internships or
projects prior to graduation. The accessibility of
Knowledge Park is an asset to students for such
purposes.
“Since education is the college’s core, Knowl
edge Park’s goal is to provide near-campus oppor
tunities for students which supplement their in-class
experiences, such as internships, part- and full-time
employment, and undergraduate research,” said Dr.
Robert Light, Associate Professor and Associate
Dean.
From an economic perspective, the role Knowl
edge Park plays is an important one. Everyone has
seen the state of the economy and realizes that jobs
can be hard to come by. That is something Knowl
edge Park is trying to alleviate.
“Knowledge Park’s overall goal is to accelerate
Inside
Recap this year’s Emmy Awards
STUDENT LIFE, Page 7
Ani DiFranco review.
STUDENT LIFE, Page 6
Golf team wins first tournament,
SPORTS, Page 9
CONTENTS
News 1-3
Editorial 4
Student Life 6-7
Sports 9-10
CONTACT US
Newsroom: 898-6440
Fax: 898-6019
E-mail: behrendbeacon@aol.com
Our offices are located down
stairs in the Reed Union Building.
A Penn State Erie Student Publication
regional economic development by promoting the
growth and development of high-paying, high
technology jobs that will replace the dwindling
number of traditional manufacturing jobs,” Light
said.
Jessica Buske, COMBA 08, is the Communi
cations Marketing Intern at the Center for
eßusiness and Advanced Information Technology,
located in Knowledge Park. She found out about
the internship through an e-mail from the Career
Development Center. “I started my internship in
May 2004 and I am planning on continuing it until
December,” Buske said.
Like many students, Buske didn’t know much
about Knowledge Park prior to her internship. “1
only knew that GE used to have internships in
Knowledge Park, but beyond that I thought it was
a few empty buildings and a lot of pretty trees,”
Buske said.
Buske feels that her internship has been a valu
able experience to her college career. “I love
working in Knowledge Park because I feel like I
am valued for the work I do at the Center for
eßusiness and Advanced Information Technology
and it provided me with the chance to learn more
about information technology and how commu
nication is integral in any organization.”
Knowledge Park is not just commercial space
for companies. Next time you head up Jordan
Road take a drive through Knowledge Park and
scope out the 200-acre park with scenic landscap
ing and walking trails.
Wine Festival
this weekend
By Bryan L. Spry
staff writer
The 23rd annual North East Wine Country Har
vest Festival begins today and will run through Sept.
26. The grapes have once again been harvested
for the fall and everyone is invited to stomp on out
to Gravel Pit Park and Gibson Park in North East
to experience the fun and sample the wine that is
produced right here in Erie.
Penn State Behrend’s Parents and Families
Weekend begins today. With only a short drive
from the campus here at Behrend, North East may
be the place for that extra entertainment your fam
ily is looking for. The 2004 North East Wine Fes
tival will be held at Gibson Park located in down
town North East and Gravel Pit Park, which is lo
cated just 1.5 miles west of downtown on Route
20.
The North East Wine Festival begins today at 6
p.m. at Gravel Pit Park. Tonight’s venue will fea
ture two of Erie’s outstanding bands, Freudian Slip
and Coyote Joe. Along with these two great bands,
there will be food and wine vendors on hand until
the park closes at 10 p.m.
The festival starts back up Saturday at noon in
Gravel Pit Park with a Beatles tribute band, Abbey
Road, performing along with the car show. The
10th Annual Car Cruise In will feature antique cars
and sports cars from many different eras and is free
to the public. On hand will be the Presque Isle Car
Club, PT Cruiser Club, and the Dodge Viper Club.
There will be three different grape stomping
events at Gravel Pit Park on Saturday. The grape
stomping events will be held at 2 p.m., 4 p.m., and
5:30 p.m. The grape stomping will feature the
Grape Queen, Apple Queen and the Erie County
Dairy Queen. The public is also invited to join in
the fun of grape stomping at any of these times.
Musical performances will be held at Gravel Pit
Park on the main stage throughout Saturday and
will feature such bands as Thirst’n Howl, Jim
Moore and Endless Summer.
WINE, continued on Page 2
Search begins for SEET director
By Teresa Nicolia
staff writer
The School of Engineering and Engineering
Technology will be starting its search for a new di
rector. Dr. Robert Simoneau, the current director,
will retire at the end of this academic school year,
leaving the position to be filled by an applicant who
meets and exceeds a list of several qualifications.
“The candidate should have a PhD in the field of
engineering. They should have a record of schol
arship and research and excellent teaching,” said
Dr. Rob Weissbach, chair of the search committee
The hired applicant is not required to teach a class,
however, Simoneau took on the task during his years
as the director. It is typically understood that the
person chosen will function mostly at an adminis
trative level, which is why the committee prefers
applicants with prior administrative experience.
However, Weissbach emphasizes, “Applicants
should be able to have industrial experience...to
show something outside of academic credentials.”
The procedure for finding the most promising
interviewee is simple yet structured. Advertisements
are placed in various publications identifying the
available position. Prospective applicants across the
nation will then submit their resumes to the search
committee. The committee will make sure all ap
plications are read and screened. Finalists are then
contacted first by phone and finally asked to attend
an on-campus interview.
It was originally believed that the current direc
tor had a large say in selecting his replacement; how-
nts stri
Senat Hall comes up short?
Students reveal pros and cons of new residence hall
By Aaron J. Amendola and Adam McLachlan
staff writers
Freshmen residents of the newly built Senat Hall
have been having quite the time since moving in.
The hall, which began its construction last year, was
built with accommodating new freshmen students
in mind.
Senat Hall was specifically designed to meet the
needs of freshman students in the First-Year Inter
est Group program. Students will only be housed in
Senat for their first year at Behrend and must re
main in the FIG program their first semester.
With operational elevators on each floor (for
handicapped students), several lounges and study
rooms for residents to mosey around in and with an
updated look from the Niagara and Perry dorm halls,
Senat Hall is aiming to please.
The hall, which opened in August, cost $11.9
million and is supposed to hold around 150 students,
all of whom will be grouped by academic major.
The hall is named after Acting Sailing Master
George Senat, commander of the schooner Porcu
pine.
With three floors to fill the demand of incoming
students, plenty of fun can be had at every comer,
but there’s also room for some errors.
Rob Covert, 810 05, an RA on Senat’s second
towards their new dorm,
ever, that is not the case.
“The outgoing director is pretty much a by
stander in this process,” said Simoneau.
On the other hand, the search committee has the
right to nominate individuals in whom they seepo
tential.
“The process is pretty standardized. It’s pretty
well-established,” Weissbach remarked.
The search committee is looking for a well
rounded person. One who will be able to help ad
vance the program that is already well established.
Applicants must be aware that Penn State
Behrend has a very unique engineering program to
be managed since the merger of engineering and
engineering technology into the same school. The
example the director sets for the department must
be respectable and businesslike.
“The position entails somebody who will repre
sent the school and communicate between the fac
ulty of the school and the administration of the col
lege such, as the dean,” said Weissbach.
The next director of the engineering and engi
neering technology program will be the fifth per
son to fill the position. The current director has
paved the way for research and economic develop
ment. Next year’s leader will need to focus on ex
panding the schools educational and outreach op
portunities.
Since the search is nationwide, there is no esti
mation or assumption of the types or number of
people who will apply for Dr. Simoneau’s position.
Details on the progress of the search are not yet
available.
floor said Senat has “a great atmosphere for
students. It’s a lot more conducive to studying
than the other dorms. Not everything is per
fect though.”
‘They’ve had a few problems with plumb
ing and the sewer backing up the first day... All
the kinks are basically out now,” said Covert.
Melissa Damon, PSHBS 01, had emphasized
the air conditioning. ”1 love having air condi
tioning,” said Damon. “Even though some
nights, it is almost too cold, it is still great to
have in your dorm room.”
Staci Rowlands, ACNTG 01, and Lindsay
Porter, DUS 01, second floor Senat residents,
seem to have already bonded into great friends
along with other Senat students. “The floors
are bonding, we’re all pretty tight.. .there’s still
a little bit of rivalry though,” said Rowlands.
‘The only bad thing is the construction out
side when we’re trying to sleep in. The floor
of our shower wasn’t done...but we’ve been
making the best of it.”
The incomplete bathrooms have been the
only repetitive complaint from Senat residents,
also coming from Jason Dellosala, 810 01,
who said, “It’s awesome compared to the other
dorms.. .they just had to come in an finish our
bathroom.”
Vol. LII No. 5