\I%IS ()NNW\ SPORTS
The Behrend College Graduation audits
see page 3'
Police Log Men's, Women's
Basketball
1-\lll4l IIN\II See pages 7, 8
(Ak legign see pag
NON-PROFIT 2 Hardcore hits Erie S I)
see page 5
: PAID
00 STAG E
ERIE, PA
PERMIT # 282
b 27 , 1997 E PA 16563 Volume XLV No. 16
Erie's past joins
Behrend's present
by Mike Woycheck
Collegian Staff
A part of Erie's past will join
Penn State Behrend's present later
this year when the Mack House is
officially opened.
The Mack House, located on
Station Road, built in 1928, has
undergone extensive internal and
external renovations since last
summer
The house was originally owned
by Clarence Mack, the owner of
Erie's Boston Store, previously
known as the Erie Dry Goods
Once the bridge and the sidewalks are built,
linking all of that together, it should feel like a
major campus expansion.
Store. The building has received
new wallpaper and carpeting, as
well as interior and exterior struc
tural changes that were necessary
requirements because of the De
partment of Labor and Industry,
Harborcreek Township, and the
Americans with Disabilities Act.
The first floor will primarily be
used for formal receptions, dinners
and special events which students
and faculty will be able to attend.
Also housed on the first floor is the
Office of Publications and Public
Information. The Office of Devel
opment and University Relations
resides on the second floor, while
the third remain unused until OS
HA standards for fire escape can be
Vanishing Greeks?
Pledge numbers dwindle
by Scott Woznicki
Collegian staff
Fewer students are joining
Behrend fraternities and sorori
ties. the Greek system in gener
al is experiencing drastically
low numbers.
Fraternities and sororities for
the most part are having a hard
time keeping their numbers up.
Even though the overall student
population of Behrend is steadi
ly increasing, the Greek system
is not following The fraternities
and sororities had many more
active members a few years
back, and pledge classes were
much bigger.
We all need to
take a different
approach b rush.
--Nicole Pepicello
AZT Rush Chairman
"Four years ago we had forty
guys and a pledge class of thir
teen, and now we have twenty
five guys and a pledge class of
six. All pledge classes were big
back then," said David Stoehr,
president of the Delta Chi fra
ternity.
Most students involved in the
Greek system cannot under
stand what is happening. Some
ruary
ack House renovations
met. Many of these offices have
been relocated from the Glenhill
Farmhouse to the Mack House
within the last two weeks.
The inclusion of the Mack
House into the campus of Penn
State Behrend will be integral in
the overall expansion of the col
lege, according to Dr. John Lilley,
Provost and Dean. Lilley indicates
that the house will be a definitive
part of the campus as soon as the
playing fields between the current
intramural fields and the Mack
House are complete. Lilley went on
to say that, "Once the bridge and
the sidewalks are built, linking all
of that together, it should feel like a
major campus expansion."
The house will also be exten
sively used by students and faculty
said Dr. Christopher Reber, Dean
of Student Affairs. "This kind of
student faculty interaction can be
very meaningful for students, and
has frequently been correlated with
student satisfaction and student
success," Reber states.
Lilley said he believes students
should see and use the Mack House
"primarily as their private dinner
club."
Student groups will be able to
use the dining room for club use as,
well as for receptions with com-
blame the problems on the
school and others on the stu
dents themselves.
"The administration does not
realty support the system," said
Brad Wetzel, rush chairman for
Kappa Delta Rho.
"A lot of people are scared of
the Greek system," said Nikki
Dellasandro, a sister of Theta
Phi Alpha.
There could be many reasons
why fraternities and sororities
are having a bad time, but one
of the major reasons might have
something to do with deferred
rush.
Deferred rush is a school pol
icy stating that freshmen in their
first semester cannot pledge a
fraternity or sorority. Most
schools around the country do
not have this policy, including
University Park.
When asked how she felt
about deferred rush, Katie
Ryan, a Panhellenic Council
delegate and sister of Theta Phi
Alpha stated, "It's discriminato
ry towards freshmen, which is
actually most of Behrend's
population."
"I strongly disagree Students
should have the choice whether
to join their first semester or
not," said Wetzel.
"It stinks," said Ron Horvath
of Tau Kappa Epsilon.
Not everyone believes that
deferred rush is a detrimental
thing. A Behrend staff member
and advisor for the Panhellenic
- Dr. John Lilley
Provost and Dean
munity members
With students able to "rehearse"
dining skills, which will be essen
tial in a business or interviewing
setting, Lilley indicates the Mack
House will be, "a place to learn to
handle oneself in a gracious setting
of the kind that one will encounter
Council, Chris Mata, stated,
"I'm for deferred rush. It's a
good thing because it gives
people the chance to think about
whether they are joining for the
right reasons."
A possible solution could be
that first semester freshmen
would be allowed to pledge on
ly if the chapter's grades were
in good standing. This way,
students might be attracted to an
organization with exemplary
academics.
If there is a way to overcome
the problems that the Greek
system is having, it needs to be
discovered soon. The answer
may be that the Greek system
needs to work together. "We all
need to take a different ap
proach to rush," said Nicole
Pepicello, rush chairman of Al
pha Sigma Tau.
If the numbers continue to
decrease, this could mean cer
tain doom for some of the
Greek organizations on campus.
Fraternities and sororities can
not exist without members. No
organizations are in extreme
danger, but the situation could
get worse.
Although the Greek system at
Behrend is quite diverse, the
popular adage of "We are all
Greek together" may take on
more meaning in the next few
years as fraternities and sorori
ties realize that they need to
work together, to overcome
their hardships.
in the business professional world
as an alum."
"It is a beautiful facility that will
benefit the entire Penn State
Behrend community in more ways
than we can fully envision now,"
Reber stated.
Loretta Brandon, public infor-
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mation assistant in the Office of
Publications and Public Informa
tion, indicated that there is still
work to be done. She indicated that
the process for placing the finish
ing touches on the house is now
underway.
On the path to completion, the
cessible on the Ethernet, Back
bone, will be available for facul
ty and staff to update events.
This will keep everyone in
formed of changes in the sched
ule and will also keep events
from being scheduled at the
same time. $4OO will be allocat
ed to a fund to place plaques on
all equipment purchased with
the student activity fee,
$3,000 was allocated to the
Back Room in the Reed Union
Building, to refurbish the water
damaged walls and make the al
ready popular game room a
more attractive place.
$17.500 of the fund will go to
the Jageman Fitness Room to
maintain the heavily used
equipment. This money will be
used to purchase new equipment
including a rowing machine, a
lateral pull down machine, a leg
press and two treadmills.
Intramural activities had a to
tal allocation of $9,000. ion
McCaslin, PLET 4, said, "Many
students on campus play intra
mural sports and it's good that it
is getting some money."
This money will support the
expense of referees, a part-time
assistant in the IM office, aero
bics equipment, and intramural
sports equipment.
$2,300 was allocated for a
new Behrencl College lion mas
cot uniform. Years of use dam
aged the old costume.
McCasUn felt that "the mas
cot is not really needed, but if
they are going to get it I don't
imagine it costs that much,
Lara Herrmann, BIOBD 06,
arrival and installation of furnitures
is set for March or April. Land
scaping outside the house is also on
the agenda. "I can see student ac
tivities getting fully underway in
the Fall semester," Brandon said.
A tentative open house is sched
uled for May or June.
and a member of the Student
Life Task Force, explained the
situation. '7 remember once
there was a speaker that wanted
to have his picture taken with
the mascot, but it looked horri
ble, and we were ashamed to
have its picture taken."
Mike Curryowsky, MIS 04,
said he thought that "R's tine if
they want to buy a new (mascot
uniform), as long as it is at more
student sports, like soccer."
Funding in the amount of
$1,675 will further diversity on
the Behrend campus. $l,OOO
was allocated for Multi-Cultural
Council Resource Center for
new equipment such as a new
TV/VCR to enhance the lending
library. The remainder of the
money will go to the Women's
Resource Center.
$20,000 will be given to the
Child Cart Center, According to
Dr. rhristccher Reber. Dean of
Student Affairs, only 20 of the
children at the center are from
Bei)Mad students and faculty.
The other remaining citildttri
are from the Erie communiV.
$9,600 was allocated to the
new varsity track and field prt>.
gram. This money will be spent
for the start-up costs of the new
sports.
Many requests for allocations
were turned down,
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