BEHREND
The Behrend College
C
I LIM
0 1 el glan
Thursday, December 4, 1997
INSIDE...
News
Sierra Club president
encourages activism
Editorial
Importance of SRTEs
National Campus News
Ballroom boom on campus
...page 5
World and Nation
Student opens fire on prayer
group
Features
Erie Philharmonic performs
"Mediterranean Passion"
Women's basketball wins first
three games
News analysis:
prayer at
graduation
by Anne Rajotte
managing editor
The constitutional basis of the on
going question of prayers at college
and university graduations is derived
from the Establishment clause of the
first amendment which states that
"Congress shall make no law respect
ing an establishment of religion." The
Supreme Court has traditionally in
terpreted this clause to mean that the
government may not coerce anyone
to support or participate in religion or
establish a state religion or faith.
In 1992, the Supreme Court heard
the case Lee v. Weisman which dealt
with prayers said at high school
graduation. The schools in Provi
dence, Rhode Island, had regularly
invited clergy members to say short,
nonsectarian invocation and benedic
tion prayers during the ceremony.
Daniel Weisman, the father of a stu-
Behrend's police and safety building: police and safety are re
campus. sponsible for givin g tickets on
Safe
..pa.e 2
Condoms, lubricants, body paint
ing, and romance in the bathtub; not
your typical safe sex presentation. At
the Safer Sex Cabaret Tuesday night,
co-sponsors Trigon and Joint Resi
dence Council put on an unorthodox
and well received presentation about
AIDS and safer sex.
The Studio Theater was filled to ca-
..page 4
pacity with over 70 audience mem
bers. Trigon president Christopher
Caraballo commented that he was
"extremely happy" with the turnout
and the presentation.
There were several portions of the
presentation, each being led by a stu
dent or faculty member. The first was
a presentation on condoms and den
tal dams. In addition to reiterating
what is common knowledge about
condoms, different kinds of condoms
were shown to the audience. The
condoms were discussed in terms of
how they felt and what kinds of
condoms were best for different types
of sex. Technical sexual terms were
abandoned in favor of more comfort-
...page 6
...page 7
...page 9
dent at Nathan Bishop Middle School
pbjected to the prayers that were to
be said at her graduation. Weisman
attempted to file a restraining order
in the United States District Court to
prohibit school officials from includ
ing an invocation or benediction in the
ceremony. The restraining order was
denied due to lack of time to consider
In July of 1989, after the Weismans
had attended the graduation that in
cluded the prayers, Daniel Weisman
filed another complaint requesting a
permanent injunction barring peti
tioners and officials of the Providence
public schools from inviting clergy to
deliver invocations and benedictions
at future graduations.
In coming to the Lee v. Weisman
decision, the Supreme Court looked
at a previous landmark case, Lemon
see prayer on page 2
by Anne Rajotte
managing editor
sex demonstrated
able slang terminology
A notable difference between the
Safer Sex Cabaret and other safe sex
presentations was the frank discussion
of gay sexuality. Robin Clarke, Trigon
member, stated, "The strongest im
pact the evening had was the discus
sion of gay and lesbian sexuality in a
straightforward, rather than closeted
way." Sue Daley, Behrend staff psy
chologist and Trigon co-adviser, re-
You can find just
about anything and
make it erotic
marked, "If we don't talk about awk
ward topics, they will stay awkward."
There were door prizes given out
throughout the night, as well as candy,
condoms, lubricants and bubble bath
periodically thrown into the audience.
Each member of the audience also left
with a box that was filled with
ee sex on
;~~r-: ;,
r ~ac
,n4eishotdd
ilua►
'very ~ h eavily'
)rofessor's
Erie, PA 16563 Published weekly by the students of Penn State Erie, The Behrend College Volume XLVI. No. 11
Pat Hiller
local artist
SGA President Michael Zampetti receives a foot masage demonstration during the Safer Sex Cabaret
Students voice opinions
about campus parking
As students pull into school in fall,
they almost immediately see a Penn
State- Behrend police officer. The of
ficer no doubt serves as a glaring re
minder that it's time to either get a
parking tag or face the fine for not
having one.
The parking regulations are a
source of frustration for many student
drivers. Many often make complaints
like, "Doesn't Police & safety have
anything better to do than walk around
and look for those criminals without
parking tags?" Bill Donahue, head of
Behrend's police force, replies, "We
have a lot of things to do, and enforc
ing parking regulations is certainly
one of them." With the number of of
ficers students see roaming the vari
ous parking lots, sometimes it seems
by Ray Morelli
collegian staff
arse
like that's the only thing the campus
police do. Donahue states, "We don't
break our shifts up like an officer
I'm elated to be going to
Edinboro next semester,
where I'll only have to
pay fifteen bucks for a
year-long parking permit!
Bob Newara
05 PLET
spends a certain percent in lots."
The roaming officers ticket for a
variety of offenses. They're always on
the lookout for cars without tags,
which results in a twenty dollar fine.
Parking in restricted areas or reserved
spaces carries an eleven dollar fine.
Dave Edwards, 01 DUS, complains,
ASS?
of the Fat
away
Adm. ,Thevis
feel
what
itte
said,
teacher
(especialt
given any
don
and
Cop
Lila
how
few
far she ankk
they "
~nreb",
t o a &hat:Andante
fiver• taken va7
„ num b er tration). in,
ina ti m my students before
"My younger brother left an air fresh
ener tree in front of the number on
my tag and I got a fine." The offense
was dubbed "improper display", and
resulted in a seven dollar fine. Accord
ing to Police and Safety, the number
must show to avoid lending of per
mits. ,
Where does all this money go?
"Money from parking tag sales goes
to a fund for lot maintenance and the
construction of new lots," says
Donahue. All fines from parking tick
ets go to the Student Government
Association, so they do benefit the
students.
Recipients of fines have a few op
tions. If they pay the fine within three
days, they get a two dollar reduction.
If it's paid, but more than ten days
see parking page 2
) COLLEGE
RAW
photo by Michael McCracken
'...;.;...'...'5?,;.,....
~2t , ' i:.,!:•.:.:;:''r..,.41;'.
:.,!:• . : . :;:''r.. , .4 1 ;'.
. . ...