The Behrend PENNSTATE ' ~r| ' " R Beacon Ei - PA 16563 February 25, 1999 Volume XLVII No. 21 Baltimore, Washington D.C., and Spain are Behrend Spring Break destinations by Katie Galley wire service editor Some students like to relax and sleep in on their spring breaks. Some students will be heading to a warm, humid climate. Others will be work ing to save money up during their spring breaks. However, some stu dents though plan to get an education over their spring breaks. About 40 Behrend students will continue their education over the 9 day spring break this year opting for trips that range from Baltimore, Maryland, Washing ton D.C. and Madrid, Spain. The Alternative Spring Break hosted by Catholic Campus Ministries will be sending 16 students to Balti more, Maryland from March 7 to March 12. Behrend students will spend their time working between three local Baltimore charites. The students can choose whether they wish to volunteer at a soup kitchen, a men’s shelter, or a women’s drop-in facility. The soup kitchen in which the stu dents will work serves breakfast and lunch only. During the 2 hour lunch shift, the soup kitchen can serve up Wish-A-Thon to be held at Behrend by Rose Forrest copy editor On Friday April 9th to Sat urday April 10th, Commuter Council along with Student Activities, will hold the First Annual “Wish-A- Thon”, al2 hour dance marathon for the Make-A-Wish Foundation from 10:00pm to 10:00am in the Reed Commons. The event will sponsor Megan, a 5-year-old girl from Erie who has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy. The money that is raised from the efforts of students from Behrend, Mercyhurst, and Gannon will help pay for her wish, a trip to Disney World. The event started out as a simple project by Commuter Council to increase student involvement, but it has escalated as plans evolved. Karl Behrend English Profs share creative works by Rose Forrest copy editor This Monday, February 22, there was standing room only in the Stu dio Theater for the annual “Behrend Reads.” In the midst of the eerie, dimly lit scenery for The Visit, five Behrend professors from the English department, plus one guest, read se lections from their personal works to students and fellow faculty. Christy McKim, 08 English, and to 1,000 homeless people. The men’s shelter is more along the lines of a rehibilitational facility, help ing men get back on their feet and back out into society. The shelter is funded by several local Baltimore companies. After the men are ready to work again, the companies will hire the men that they have helped rehiblitate. All of the charities are run by Catholic Charities. The women’s drop-in shelter pro vides women with a place to arrange interviews and get back on thier feet. Unlike the men’s shelter though, it provides the women with a place to leave their children while they go on interview, or search for a job. The trip will not be all work, though. The students will spend one day in Washington D.C., taking walk ing tours of the city with time to ex plore what D.C. has to offer. The trip costs about $5O per student. Some of the students have raised their own funds by asking faculty to donate money. Father Mike Allison will be accompaning the students on the Al ternative Spring Break Students taking the trip to Washing ton D.C. coordinated by Dr. Robert Speel, assistant Professor of Politcal Gressley president of Commuter Council said, “I am very excited about the Wish-A-Thon. It is a great chance for students to have fun and help make a child’s dream come true.” DJ Titan will be providing the music for the overnight dance. There will also be games, activities and free food to break the evening up. “ There is a lot of great prizes to be given away at the dance especially the grand prize of $450.00 to the person who raises the most money,” explains Gressley. The money was donated by the South Shore Construction Com pany, Bob Ferando Ford World, Hallman Chevrolet, and Walker Brother’s dealership. Gressly explained that all students or there friends are eligible Robin Clarke, 08 English, started off the evening by reading a poem done in two voices by Melissa Bender, who also coordinates the Women’s Stud ies program here at Behrend. John Champagne next read an un titled piece on “gender trouble and ...appropriate masculinity.” This was an autobiographical essay that juxta posed his carreer with gendered expectaions he faced. The second reader, Brad Comaan, is new to Be hrend. He read poems from a collec Science will spend one week in the city taking part in a varity of tours and meetings. Students will be al lowed to tour the FBI building, the State Department, the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetary to name just a few. Students will also be able to meet with Representative Phil En glish and Senator Rick Santorum, who will pose with the students on the steps of the Capitol Building for a photo. “Those guys are Republicans, and I’m a Democrat, but it will be cool any way. I really want to go to a Wizards game,” said Craig Hartle 07, Pol Sci. The 10 students visiting D.C. will be doing most activities as a group be cause they are earning one credit for the trip. Students will have most nights off to explore the city on their own. The students will also have the op portunity to meet w’ith embassy offcials from other countries, such as Canada and Jamaica. The trip will also include tours of some of the memori als and monuments. Dr. Matt Davies, assistant professor of Political Science will also accompany the Behrend stu dents. From March 6to March 14 students will be able to earn 3 credits by going for the grand prize by picking up a pledge form and signing up at the RUB Desk. The original deadline was February 17th, but increased support persuaded the groups to extend the deadline through February 261 h. Par ticipants can collect flat donations and return them on March 26th. All participants will recicve a free t-shirt for taking part in the dance marathon, regardless of how much money they raise. For students not interesting in finding pledges, there will be admission at the door for part or all of the night with a $ 1.00 donation to Make-A-Wish Founda tion. The Commuter Council hopes to raise enough money to send Megan to Disney World, her wish. tion he entitled, “South Pacific.” His first was a sonnet written to an aging athlete, more specifically, a friend who had played basketball at the Bos ton Gardens during highschool. His second selection was “While Passing the Much Hated Leafblower.” This poem, along with “Helium,” were based on his experiences while liv ing in Northeast, PA. Many of his poems were “geographically based,” English cont. page 2 P3’s are great Review of Shakespeare In Love to Spain with Dr. Juan Fernandez, professor of Spanish, and Dr. Stephen DeHart, professor of German. The week long trip will give students the opportunity to have direct contact with the Spanish culture. The students will travel across Spain beginning in Madrid and con tinuing on to Toledo, Granada and EsCanuela. Students will visit the National Library, the Prado Museum, the Spanish Pailunneita House(Las Cortes) and many ancient Moorish Monuments. “I am looking forward to spending my Spring Break in an area unknown to me. I really want to visit the Alhambra, a Moorish castle,” said Ayodele Jones 06, Pol Sci. The trip costs about $1,200, including travel and accommodations. Two students, Melina Fernandez and Ayodele Jones, won scholarships which will help them pay for half of the cost of the trip. So what are you doing for your spring break? It’s too late to join any of these activites, but the Washing ton D.C. trip is planned again for next year and the Catholic Campus Min istries is planning a trip to work in a men’s shelter for later this semester. The foundation will fly her and her family to Florida, where she will stay at kids village, a resort designed for sick kids that is next to Disney World. There are fishing ponds, play areas, and even a wheelchair accessible swimming pool. She will be tucked in at night by “Mayor Clayton”, a giant bunny. If enough is raised, Megan will get to go to the Magic Kingdom, Universal Studios, and Sea World. If all goes well, the Commuter Council is looking forward to running this fund-raiser every spring. Audtions by Valerie Trost staff writer The Penn State Behrend the atre group, Matchbox Players, wants to introduce to all students a new and theatrical way of looking at Behrend college life. This musical review, written by students themselves, pre sents a satirical view illustrating the twists and turns of student experi ences. The musical takes light to ev erything a student can relate to, these include: first loves, expenses, classes, dining halls, parties, and much more. All this and popular broadway songs Behrend business by Nicole McGee staff writer A new major is being proposed to Behrend’s School of Business. At this point in time, details are sub ject to change. Tentatively, in the fall of 1999, classes will begin for a new finance major. Unlike traditional majors , the new Finance major is designed to be job-specific, perparing students to become Charted Financial Anlaysts (CFA). In order to become a CFA, three extremely comprehensive exams must be passed. This is where Be hrend students will have an edge on competition. The courses involved in studying the major will be geared towards preparing students for the first of these exams. Professor Kay Johnson, School of Business, explains "We’re trying to give students one step ahead, if possible, get students one step ahead of competition; this is more than just a finance degree. We tried to put together a criteria where students are actually trained for something in the business world; a specific career." Professor Johnson explains that there are various job opportunities for CFAs. Many of them work for banks, mutual funds, or individual companies. There are international opportunities as well lohnson also Professor Kay Johnson, School of Business for 8.R.U.N.0.5. make up the first exclusively student operated musical review. Auditions for this exciting new project are Monday, March Ist, from 3:30-5, and Tuesday, March 2, from 5:30-7, in the music room which is Reed 119. Students need to come with sheet music and a prepared song, and also a class and work schedule. There are six main charac- ters and a supporting cast. However, and it is noted that there is potential for possibly adding as many parts as the number of people that audition. Free tickets AMCC Champion 1 . >. BfCFIVW "B ? j 1993 (,o;