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
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offers new
major
claims that “economics and this ma
jor work extremely well together.”
She suggests that a student could
minor or major in both of them in
terchangeably.
Adrienne Janivk, 04 Business
econ, describes what interests her
about this major. “The actual job you
can get out of it [is what I like]. I’m
leaning towards moving to New
York City, and that’s something you
can get into there...l'd like to have
my own financial analyst some day.
and it’d save me money to do it my
self!”
Courses within this major will be
taught by Professor Johnson and Pro
fessor Tim Smaby, School of Busi
ness. A new faculty member may
also be added to assist with teaching
these classes.
In addition to this new major, a
new business class will be available
next school year. The class is called
Personal Finance. It will cover many
aspects of individual finance.
Johnson says "I highly recommend
it to all students. It’s what you need
to know about your own money.”
This class will be available in either
the fall or spring of next school year,
and it is open for students of any
major in their fifth semester of study.
Students interested in the tentative
new major can contact Professor
Johnson via email at
KNJ2 psu.edu.
Rehersals will begin imme
diately following spring break and run
for approximately one month until
showtime April 15-18. All interested
persons are encouraged to come to
Reed 119 on Monday or Tuesday to
get involved in this impelling event.