CThe Behrend College
6 APR 18)99g m
oll^gian
Thursday, April 16, 1998
Students’ Bill of Rights in first stages
by Ik Chan Kang
news edilor
In our society today, we as citizens
are provided with protections that en
able us to stand up for our rights.
Many student organizations and Stu
dent Government Association (SGA)
members are putting their full effort
to provide rights to students at Penn
State. The initial strategy these mem
bers have taken in giving support to
the student body is by promoting a
"Students' Bill of Rights." not only
at Behrend, but for the whole Penn
State community. Even though the
Students' Bill of Rights is not com
pleted at the present time, their initial
attempt is well into the first stages.
So exactly what is the Students’ Bill
of Rights?
Right I
Every University student has the right
to express his/her own individual di
versity, not limited to. but including
age, ancestry, color, disability, na
tional origin, race, religious creed,
gender, sexual orientation or veteran
status.
Right II
The educational and social environ
ment of the University shall be com
fortable and inviting to all students
and free of any acts of prejudice, both
inside and outside the classroom.
Right 111
Academic equality is guaranteed to all
students regardless of age, ancestry,
color, disability, national origin, race,
religious creed, gender, sexual orien
tation or veteran status. No student
should be expected to represent the
views, thoughts and opinions of the
group.
Right IV
Students shall have the freedom from
any type of abuse, be it verbal, physi
cal, or written of any form due to his/
Library gallery presents
Behrend history
One in a series of articles on Behrend’s 50th Anniversary
by Andrea Zaffino
editor in chief
With the fiftieth anniversary of the
Behrend College coming up in what
is now just a few months, it is appar
ent that many of the students and even
some faculty and staff know little
about the history of this campus and
the family that founded it. Another
thing of which many people are un-
Portraits of the Behrend family line the walls of the library gallery.
her individual diversity.
Right V
Conflicts shall be handled by the ap
propriate campus committee immedi
ately and in an expedient manner so
as not to deprive the student of an en
vironment conducive to learning. Stu
dents have the right to get a conflict
resolved and to not have it interfere
with his/her learning experience.
Right VI
Every student has the right to desig
nated safe-havens, at each campus,
where help can be found free from in
tolerance, and where he/she does not
have to fear discrimination and can
freely express his/her individual di
versity.
Right VII
Ongoing improvements in the Penn
sylvania State University’s opposition
to intolerance and continued evalua
tion of course material and program
ming to promote the diversity of all
students both in the classrooms and
all programs at the University.
There have been several controver
sial arguments made about these
rights by both members of SGA and
school administrators. For instance,
the words "individual diversity” lead
to the question, where and how should
a student be placed under this broad
category? All people are diverse in
the sense that they originate from dif
ferent places, so how should we dis
tinguish among ‘diverse’ students?
Also, by promoting these rights of stu
dents in ambiguous wording, the po
tential of bringing legal problems,
such as lawsuits, cannot be ignored.
These were some of the primary rea
sons why the CCSG (Council of Com
monwealth Student Governments)
has revised it a few times, and many
more revisions are still to come.
aware on this campus is that obtain
ing information about the campus his
tory is readily available to them.
Anybody who has ever walked into
the Behrend Library has noticed the
small gallery to the right of the en
trance doors. It displays various arti
facts from the Behrend family’s his
tory. There is a bust of Moritz Be
hrend, a painting of Ernst Behrend,
Approximately six times a year, the
Student Government Associations
from all the PSU commonwealth
campuses gather at University Park
for periodic meetings. At these meet
ings, issues such as networking, up
dating, activity fees, and many others
are usually brought up. In the Spring
of 1996, CCSG at University Park
started to draft the Students’ Bill of
Rights.
Jennifer Fontecchio, the current
secretary of Behrend’s Multi-Cultural
Council, was one of the first mem
bers who got involved with the draft-
photo by Jason Blake
Jennifer Fontecchio, Secretary of MCC, is an advocate of the Students’ Bill of Rights.
and a painting of Norman H. Wilson,
who was Hammermill Paper
Company’s second president and an
honorary Chairman of the Board,
among other people important to
Behrend’s and Hammermill’s past.
There are drawings and blueprint
sketches of the Paper Company’s de
sign.
The Army/Navy “E” flag was
photo by Jason Blake
Ehe, PA 16563 Published weekly by the students of Penn State Erie, The Behrend College
ing. Fontecchio states, “our original
intents for promoting the Students’
Bill of Rights were that it was to act
as a statement that gives protection of
rights and secondly we have noticed
that in our campus literature, there
was no formal document that states
specific rights for students.” She
agrees with the fact that some of
wording in the Students' Bill of Rights
is controversial and it might poten
tially bring lawsuits, but she firmly
states that this is not a completed is
sue.
She added, “I agree with it. I don’t
awarded to Hammermill by the
United States Department of War. It
was an award given to those produc
tion plants that attained an excellent
level in manufacturing and distribut
ing war-related goods during the sec
ond world war. It was very presti
gious and given out on a rather com
petitive basis. Hammermill contrib
uted to the war effort by supplying
paper which the Army and Navy used
for forms, orders, maps and blue-
prints
One of the professors who spear
headed the work done to this gallery
was Dr. John Rossi, Assistant Profes
sor of History. He was asked to re
search the historical backgrounds and
descriptions of the portraits and the
artifacts within the gallery, due to his
being a twentieth century historian.
Dr. Sharon Dale, Associate Professor
of Art History, was in charge of the
layout of the room. Dr. Rossi, Lynne
Weber from Development and Uni
versity Relations and student Chris
Duine were assigned to work on it.
In the basement of the Otto Behrend
Science building many of these arti
facts and paintings were being stored
in cardboard boxes and at the end of
winter when the snow was melting,
the boxes were being leaked on. Rossi
said, “Chris Duine, Lynn Weber and
myself made arrangements to move
the records and portraits to a safer,
drier location.”
When the library opened in 1993,
the room where the artifacts and por
traits are now was put in especially
for that reason. It is actually called
the Gallery Room.
agree with some of the phrasing. If it
was to be adapted as a formal litera
ture, I really don't want students to
use the advantage in a wrong way.
The idea of it was to acknowledge stu
dents’ rights. For example, in terms
of student services such as the health
and wellness center, some of the stu
dents on other campuses don’t have
any access to these facilities. They
have to find them in their own way.
What is the use of a nurse visiting
once a week on, let’s say Thursday, if
you are sick on Monday ? Also, there
are several other campuses where
SGA
elections
Voting to occur Tuesday, Wednesday
by Andrea Zaffino
editor in chief
Spring semester is about to come
to a close and preparation for next
year is underway. Next week on Tues
day and Wednesday the 21 st and 22nd
between 11:00 and 2:00 the changes
taking place for SGA will be decided
by the students of Behrend. Prepara
tion for the SGA elections is currently
in full swing.
There are 17 candidates total
competeing for the eleven positions
of SGA senator. The positions for
Secretary, Vice President and Presi
dent however will be less of a chal
lenge with only one candidate running
to fill each of those positions.
Michelle Benjamin is running for her
second term as SGA Secretary. Both
“They have a lot on their plates and don’t have
enough time to devote the attention to it that it needs
Andrea DiPlacido who is running for
Vice President and Buck Goedicke,
the sole candidate for President are
running are together on their first ticket.
The current SGA President,
Michael Zampetti and Vice President,
Tim Smith, will not be running for any
of next year’s positions. Christa
Bucholtz SGA senator and Chair of
the Elections Committee said of the
two nonretuming officers, "They have
a lot on their plates and don’t have
enough time to devote the attention
to it that it needs.” Bucholtz went on
to say about Zampetti, “I’m very dis
appointed that he’s not running, SGA
Volume XLVi. No PS
there is no career udu-i
within the campus. Haul
advising center is a reason
How are rights of students
tected here?'
Fontecchio believes ilia
a whi'e until students will
tual formal documents lie
out to students in uui can
it was only a short nine agi
ham Spanier. the I’icniiU
Pennsylvania Slate I'niu
informed about the Studei
Rights. A positive thing. I
that in some of the other
wealth campuses, it is abends implc
merited into SGA documents uni 'lieu
student handbook. Eonteccino added.
“We got positive teedback hem mu
own administration, too. Rut 1 am
quite sure that the process w ill take a
while, since approval has to ionic
through Graham Spaniel to 1 aeuits
Senate then to the Student At lan ■ ()!
fice, which then goes to th.e cone
sponding committees. I don't me a
happening in a semester's time hut ,t
will eventually appeal at Reiiicnd m
one way or the other "
Even though the controsciM.il pio
cess of establishing the Students Pull
of Rights is not concluded set
Behrend's studenl-organi/ed gioups
such as MCC, alone with student m
gani/.ed groups in other common
wealth campuses have taken a gte it
step forward. Eontecchio mm, ludeu’
by stating, "Don't lorget .students ti.o >
rights. 1 would adsise students aim
are having problems t with an\ .opc. is
of school) to seek the pi op-. . h : ; A
If you are not satisfied unh it v i
should go beyond to Imd mat - mi O'
ing place. You pav the '-indent ,n n ,
ity fees and you pay tuition Youli.oe
the right to have right ac.ulemn s and
right services"
to hold
is not going to be the same v. ithoiit
him there in some capacity
The candidates tor Sen.not Ive m
publicizing their campaieio i.im Mon
day, April 13th. As <>| ilia
the candidates were pemnin 3 n« !m i.
signs advertising their uiit|nivn.
There are official posting pi 3k i< i:,a
require compliance. No nun, in >,
sixty posters for an\ eseni :mo da
guideline for the Reed Ihiion !Nm,!
ing is around twenty li\e -leu
However the rule has heei
somewhat loose!v h\ some
running. "Charles |Testrahe| . •
papering these buildings' Hlk.li. U/
said of one aspiring >. undulate
Charles Testrake is one ot die iwu
people running who held a S-.-ri.it.ui.il
position this past year, the ahei i-
SGA senator and Chair of the A./ct iion\ ( <
freshman Senator. Julie Me\e
Students;ire encouraged 1 ■.> -top >m
in front of Bruno's Calc am.iimr he
tween 11 .CM) and 2:00 on l uc-da'. "i
Wednesday of next week an.l ' onc
their opinion on who should till 'ls se
positions. It is also apparent that .tin
one voting, bring then student ID to
verify there student number making
certain no one votes more than once
The winners wall be .miMiiKe.l
Wednesday the 22nd at 5: ft) during
the SGA meeting, and posted outside
the SGA office in the bottom floor of
the Reed Union Building the billow
ing Thursday morning.
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