OCTOBER 1, 1999, THE BEHREND BEACON, PAGE 3 NEWS Behrendstock '99 - Flood Report lood waters rage through Penn State Behrend by Deanna Symoski features editor A raging stream of water rushed in nd around the Hammermill Building ednesday after a long day of torren ial rain. The run-off converged at the 'oot of the complex and apparently egan seeping into the building some ime during evening classes. Students caving classes were met with leak ing doorways and piping as they 'aded through puddles forming in oche Hall. "There was this water 'all rushing down the ski slope and •rashing into Roche," explained Liz Hayes, 05 COMBA. Earlier that evening, Hammermill was temporarily closed down after a over-outage set off the fire alarm. 'tudents and faculty were evacuated 'or forty-five minutes while authori ies checked the building for any ac tual problems. Amber Foster, 03 'omputer Engineering, said, "we vere kicked out of the building and weren't allowed hack in until six hirty." While no fire-related prob lems were found, some students com plained of losing work they had not saved on the computers before the power went out. Most students sought shelter under overhangs and in nearby buildings as they waited out the storm. Most classes were simply delayed, but some were moved into other rooms to keep from wasting time. Sopping students were forced to make their way between buildings as light ning and monsoon-like rain pum meled campus. "Police and Safety forced me to cross over the bridge behind Turnbull that was almost un der water, rather than let me cross through the two inches of water on the sidewalk," said Kate Galley, 05 COMBA. The area between the Car riage Houses and Glenhill was even tually roped off to deter students from passing through the rapids that finally overtook the sidewalk. At deadline, the Computer Center reported that cleanup efforts were still on-going. Though the water has re ceded, it seems to have left a lasting impression on those caught in its wrath. ABOVE : Flood scene near Carriage House BELOW : Body sliding outside of Perry "TRAIN" COMING TO BEHREND October 29, 1999 Tickets: $lO students, $l3 public Depression Screening Day at Behrend by Jennifer Primerano staff writer On Oct. 7, 1999, the Counseling and Advising Office will participate in National Depression Screening Day from Ila.m.- Ip.m. outside of Bruno's." Our goal is to heighten awareness of depression and its symp toms," said Amy Hamilton, a first year intern at the Personal Counsel ing Center and counseling/psychol ogy graduate student at Gannon Uni versity. Depression is a very common and serious mood disorder that affects both the body and mind. "It [Depres sion] is not a sign of weakness. It's something many people experience," said Hamilton. With so many dead lines, the high amount of stress and the lifestyle changes, college students are particularly at risk, according to Hamilton." Your first time away from home can be very difficult," she added. Along with many other universities across the country, the Penn State Be hrend Counseling and Advising Of- you have what it takes? by Karl Benacci staff writer Residence Life is currently look ing for leaders interested in becom ing Resident Assistants (R.A.'s) for the 2000-2001 academic year. Every floor of the residence halls and suites, and each student apart ment building, has one R.A. who serves as the primary resource and aide for the residents of that floor or in that building. There are some requirements that a student must meet in order to be eli gible for an R.A. position. The stu dent must have a 2.50 cumulative GPA, have 24 earned credit hours upon the completion of spring 2000 semester, have good conduct stand ing with the University, and plan to attend classes at Penn State Behrend for at least one year following completion of the R.A. class. Some benefits an R.A. receives include free room and board, an excellent leader ship opportunity, and money towards tuition. five will have a table set up for Na tional Depression Screening Day. There, students will have the oppor tunity to fill out a depression screen ing form, which will he scored and reviewed on a one-on-one basis with mental health professionals Sue Daley. Allison Parr-Plasha, or Hamilton, all from the Counseling and Advising Office. After the questionnaire is scored and reviewed. "we can make recom- mendations on preventative mea sures," said Hamilton. "I think most people can benefit from a depression screening. Most people experience stress which can cause depression." Additionally, students can fill out a suicide questionnaire if they arc concerned about a friend, loved one, or even themselves. Furthermore, an educational video about depression will he playing, and a variety of in formational pamphlets will be All forms are anonymous and stu dents will he identified numerically, not by name. When asked why she decided to become an R.A., Erin Baker, 05 MIS, said, "I like getting to know my resi dents and planning fun stuff for us to do as a floor. I don't like it when people look at me as a cop and not a student like they are." Jeff Conklin, 03 Education, added, became an R.A. to get more involved and to help me concentrate on my studies more." Conklin offered advice for poten tial R.A.s, "Just he fair and friendly to everyone, and be consistent." On the same subject, Erin Baker re sponded, - my advice to prospective R.A.'s would be to think about how much responsibility you want to have while you're in college. Think about how many weekends you want to have to yourself a month and think about your personality and how well you get along with other people. The job takes up a lot of time, but it is a great experience.- RA continued on p. 4 Body, Mind, and Spirit is jointly vvritten by the Per sonal Counselors and will appear nunahl.l BODY . MIND . SPIRIT Welcome to a combined effort of your Personal Counselors. Health and Wellness Center staff, and Campus Ministry. This monthly column will feature messages for balancing your Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Self throughout the year. This month's column will focus on the im portance of Living in Balance and hov' to get there From Health and Wellness (x 6217) To stay balanced, we recommend: Reduce your chance of illness. Pro tect yourself with a meningitis and flu vaccine which are availahle on cam pus. Strive for FIVE: eat a combi nation of 5 servings of fruits and veg etables a day for well-balanced nu trition. This is essential to keep the immune system ready to ward oil vi ruses that cause colds and flu: Drink that 2 liters of water a day. Your body needs the fluids; sometimes feelings of hunger are truly feelings of thirst, especially if your fluid intake is low or has excessive caffeine. Feeling stressed, tense: Exercise by taking a "stress walk," while physically ex ercising you can mentally exercise as you take note of the beautiful sur roundings. From Personal Counseling (x 6164) Almost every minute of your con scious life you are engaging in "self talk," your internal thought of lan guage. These are the statements with which you describe and interpret the world. Keeping your self-talk accu rate and in touch with reality is one way of maintaining emotional bal ance. If it is irrational and untrue, then you experience stress and emo tional disturbance. An example of ir rational self-talk: "I feel so alone. I'm going to die if I don't make friends soon." Just because you FEEL a certain way, doesn't mean it's TRUE and no physically healthy person has ever died from merely being alone anyway. Being new on campus is challenging and frustrat ing, but not terminal. Stop making stuff up! Start working to change your irrational beliefs. Don't make assumptions about how others feel about you . .. go after some evidence. While you have only limited enor mous control over your emotions. REMEMBER, IT'S THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTS! From Campus Ministry (x 6171) Have you noticed how hard it is to have a well-balanced life as a college student? There are so many oppor tunities and not enough time. With academics, social opportunities,fam ily and all of the many other demands put upon you it is hard to keep bal anced. But, did you ever stop to think that having a lot to do can he a gift? That our many abilities are a spiri tual blessing? That being "in the middle" of so much is a real sign of health? Having a lot to do can he a sign of our giftedness: the task to make sure we're not overwhelmed. We all know the old saying, "If you want to get something done, ask a busy person." Often, these are people who are awake to their own lives, their own creativity, and who can give thanks for the work they've been given. When it feels like there's too much to do, look closely at tasks. Can each one be an opportunity for growth? Can we be glad for the trust that others have placed on us to get things done? Busy people who are spiritually aware thrive on lots to do, maybe because they recognize the gifts and give them thanks for them.
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