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The Behrend College BEHRIND COWIN
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olleg lan
Thursday, November 20, 1997
INSIDE...
News
Campus snow removal
Editorial
No Coca Cola on campus
...page 4
National Campus News
Eating disorders rampant among
college students
World and Nation
Iraq crisis
Features
Music review: Moxy Fruvous
...page 9
Sorts
Strong finish for cross country
...page 1 1
Religious groups bring
diversity to campus
by John Grolier
news layout editor
For years, some virtually
unrecognized organizations have
provided Behrend students with a
nourishment often left behind during
the college transition. These same
organizations also provide for
charities of all types, including th
Salvation Army and the Second
Harvest Food Bank, and have been
awarded for their unmatched efforts
three years straight.
Campus Ministries have existed at
Behrend for ten years. Brought forth
by United Ministries and Higher
Education, which still aids in funding
the programs, Campus Ministries
offer students of any religious
denomination the spiritual
nourishment that may be otherwise
difficult to find.
Coordinator of Catholic Campus
Ministry, Father Mike Allison is new
to the Behrend scene this year. Father
Allison is a native of Erie, but spent
the last four years in Florida where
he served as a Chaplin, or Campus
Minister, to a Catholic school. He
feels that Penn State should be noted
for including a religious organization
in its portfolio.
"The college is right in recognizing
Two new dorms planned near Almy
Brian Ashbaugh
associate editor
In its November meeting, Penn
State's Board of Trustees approved
preliminary sketch plans for a new
$10.9 million residence hall to be
built for Behrend students. Ohio
Hall, the second building in a three
building project, Almy Hall being the
first, was developed to meet the
growing enrollment at Behrend. The
residence hall is being designed by
Hoffman-Popovich Architects and
Associates of Boalsburg.
Ohio Hall will be a 75,327 square
foot, four story building housing 265
students. It will include 64 single
occupant rooms and 96 double
occupant rooms; 9 single rooms for
resident hall assistants and disabled
students, as well as lounge and study
Penn
.page 2
At all of Penn State's campuses,
Pepsi is the only choice of cola
available in all dining halls, cafes and
vending machines. This is the result
of a 1992 contract with Pepsi that
earned Penn State $l4 million.
The Pepsi monopoly has upset
some who don't prefer to drink Pepsi
and resent that there is no choice
between the two major soda
companies.
page 7
Former Penn State president Joab
Thomas at the signing of the contract,
said that Penn State "will have new
and unexpected help for the
University Libraries, the HUB/
Cultural Center planned expansion,
and other Penn State campuses across
the Commonwealth." Six million
dollars was planned to go towards the
Bryce Jordan Center, one million
dollars for the University Libraries,
$500,000 towards the HUB/ Cultural
Center and $500,000 towards Penn
page 8
that education also involves
something called spirit. Our role is to
nourish those spirits," said Father
Allison.
Though Penn State provides office
space for the program, it does nothing
in the way of funding it. All funds
come from outside of the university,
usually from churches and other
organizations. The Catholic ministry
is funded solely by the Diocese of
Erie, which is composed of 13
counties in northwestern
Pennsylvania; the funding includes
both budget and salary. The Protestant
ministry is also funded by churches
as well as the United Ministries and
Higher Education Organization, one
of the forefathers of the program. The
Jewish Student Organization funding
comes from an even smaller source,
the Student Government Association
at Behrend. The Umbrella
Organization Religious Affairs
Council provides a student of any
religious denomination with a
spiritual "nourishment" and was, in
a sense, developed by the "main"
branches of the Campus Ministry
programs.
Goals of the organizations are
simple
see reli • ion on
areas. Ohio is scheduled to open in
fall of 1999.
To complete the three-building
project, Trippe Hall, identical to Ohio
and Almy, is scheduled to open in
2001. The names for the buildings
were formally approved by the Board
of Trustees, keeping with the tradition
of naming Behrend's residence halls
after ships and military personnel
involved in the Battle of Lake Erie
during the War of 1812. The "Ohio"
was a schooner and the "Trippe" was
a one-gun sloop.
Student reaction to this new plan
has been mixed. Roie Gat, 09 MIS,
feels that "it's nice t 9 see Penn State
is meeting the demand of a growing
student population." While Todd
Benson, 01 Accounting, is less
optimistic. He states, "I don't want
to see tuition go up."
by Richard White
staff writer
and
Anne Rajotte
managing editor
State Pepsi monopoly
State campuses
The contract was made with
funding for the Bryce Jordan Center
in mind. However, according to
Thomas at the time, "the scope of the
partnership has allowed us to provide
badly needed funds to other areas as
well."
The $500,000 was divided among
the seventeen Commonwealth
Campuses that compose the
Commonwealth Educational System,
as well as Behrend, Penn State Great
Valley, and Penn State Harrisburg.
The money was also used for
University Housing and Food Service
vending operations and a new
scoreboard for Beaver Stadium.
Pepsi was also happy with the
arrangement, as it provided Pepsi
with "an array of marketing
opportunities in connection with one
of America's most prestigious
universities," according to Andy
Cross, Pepsi's vice president for on
premise sales.
In return for donating the money,
Pepsi gained exclusive rights to put
please see Pepsi page two
Student activity fee going to
Child Care
Andrea DiPlacido
One of the most controversial issues over the past
year has been the contribution to the Child Care
Center using student activity fee money.
The activity fee, which is a $25 per semester charge,
is to be used "solely for student activities and issues,"
according to the background in the Student Activity
Fee implementation packet. Yet the activity fee was
used as financing to help startup the center.
Last year, $20,000 of the $160,000 projected, over
12%, was given to support the Child Care Center.
The reason this money was contributed to the center
was because the expenses in the first three years had
exceeded projections. The funding was used to help
cover some of the equipment, playground, and
materials expenses associated with start-up.
After not being able to find space on campus the
child care center was placed in its current location on
Station Road, because it was found to be more cost
efficient to the university.
Early on, the center found itself with a $105,000
debt due to startup expenses, new equipment, and
renovations that weren't accounted for at the
beginning but needed to be done. It is now self
supporting and the university provides the building
free of charge. They are able to pay all the direct
Ohio Hall sits in the center of an architect's design with Almy Hall to the left and Trippe Hall to the ri
Volume XLVI. No. 10
Erie, PA 16563 Published weekly by the students of Penn State Erie, The Behrend College
PEPSI, PEPSI everywhere and not a Coke to drink
stuff writer
Center
costs through user fees and some grants, but are
still trying to pay off the initial $105,000
investment. The university has contributed $45,000
of the original $105,000 and the activity fee
provided more relief by giving $20,000.
According to Dr. Chris Reber, Dean of Students,
"I don't understand how
we can take students'
money and allocate it to
something that the major
ity of students can't use.
It's an injustice to the stu
dents that we spent their
money."
Michael Zampetti
Student Government Association President
"the activity fee guidelines are written with a view
of flexibility, so that students at the campus make
the decisions about how to spend the money."
However, only 0.8% of the student body uses the
child care center's services.
Why then does Behrend have a child care center?
photo by John Hoderny
Reber stated, "the child care center, while it serves
a relatively small number of students, provides an
extremely important service for students who need
quality child care to attend Penn State." He also
added that "students have expressed, historically, a
need for child care." Of the 40 children that are
enrolled, 40 are the children of students, faculty,
staff, and alumni, the others being community-based
members.
One of the principal challenges was finding space
for the Child Care Center on the campus. The center
will have to relocate soon due to the East Side Access
Highway, which will cause the child care center to
be torn down. They are currently working on a new
building to relocate the center.
Michael Zampetti, Student Government
Association President, two year member of the
Student Activity Fee Funding Committee, and this
year's co-chair, feels the committee is being unfair
to the students because they pay activity fee money
and it is being used on something other than them.
Zampetti strongly disagrees with allocating the
money for the child care center because the money
is supposed to be given to activities. He said, "I don't
understand how we can take students' money and
allocate it to something that the majority of students
can't use. It's an injustice to the students that we
spent their money."