fi n vv ri : k m BEHREND STUDENT GOVERNMENT & PENNSYLVANIA PRIMARIES Behrend JIL Beacon Vol. XLVII No. 25 14 pages Behrend on week Pennsylvania primaries to take place on Tuesday by Mike Frawley managing editor Even though the presidential primaries have been decided, with George W. Bush and Albert Gore moving on to the general elec tion in November, the primary elections that are going to take place in Pennsylvania on Tuesday. April 4, still have some very im portant races taking place. Many different positions are up for election this year, and while not all of their primary races are con tested. they all will be on the ballot for people to vote for. These elections include races for US Senator, US House of Representatives, Attorney General of PA, Auditor General of PA, and various state senator and representa tive races. When voting in the primaries you can only vote for candidates from your party, which leaves people who are registered independent out in the cold in Pennsylvania. The purpose of a primary election is to narrow the field of candidates down to one from each party. So if there are six Democrats running for an of fice, the primary will narrow the field down to one candidate to run in the November gen eral election. One of the most interesting and highly con tested elections that will occur on April 4 is for US Senator. Senator Rick Santorum, a SGA to hold first contested election in two years by Tracy Jones staff writer Elections for the first contested race in more than two years for SGA President and Vice President are quickly approaching. Running for President are Jen Miles and Demian Blair. Clint Skillen has teamed up with Miles as her potential Vice Presi dent while Mike Frawley is on board with Blair. Blair currently serves as a Senator on Police and Safety Jr opping I ever Saturday, April 1 Republican, is up lor re-election this year. Many Democrats feel that there is a good chance he can be beaten and the Democrats can take over the scat. While Santorum is the only Republican running in the primary, Demo crats have been lining up to take a shot at un seating him. Six Democrats are currently listed on the ballot, all vying for a chance to take on Santorum in November's general election. They are Tom Foley, Allyson Schwartz, Murray Levin, Ron Klink. Phil Berg, and Bob Rovner. Representative Phil English, a Republican representing Pennsylvania's 21st Congres sional District, is also up for re-election this year. He is running uncontestcd in the primary elections, as is his Democratic challenger Marc Flitter, a local Erie Neurosurgeon. There are three state offices that are up for election - Attorney General, State Treasurer, and Auditor General. The Democratic primary for Attorney General is contested this year, with Jim Eisenhower and John Morganelli compet ing for the chance to try to unseat the Republi can incumbent Mike Fisher. The election tor Auditor General is uncontested in the primary, so the Democratic incumbent Bob Casey Jr. will be facing Republican challenger Katie True. In the Treasurer's race, incumbent Re publican and Democrat Catherine Baker Knoll, the former State Treasurer, also have uncon- SGA, and is a member of Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity. Frawlcy serves as a Senator and Parlimentarian for SGA, and is the Manag ing Editor of The Beacon. Miles is the current Treasurer for SGA, and Skillen is the President of Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity. “It’s a big step for SGA that we have a contested election. It’s been quite awhile since there has been one. I think it’s be cause we (SGA) have a better image with the students this year,” said Miles. to embark of elections tested primaries None of the local races for state senator or representatives are contested for this election cycle. For state senate. Republican incumbent Jane Earll is running unopposed as is her Democratic challenger John Paul Jones. They will face each other in the November general elections. For state representative, local incum bent Democrat Tom Scrimenti and his Repub lican challenger, David Mitchell, have uncon tested primaries as well. Many people do not even know all of the races that they can cast their ballot in. “I can vote for all of those? If I am not well informed about a race, I vote on party lines,” said Behrend student Becky Weindorf. “I am confident that I am making an in formed choice about the races that count,” said “Contested elections show how far SGA has come in just the past year, and whoever wins will hopefully be able to continue to improve the organization,” said Frawley. Melody Sherosky, head of the elections committee, invites students to attend an up coming debate between the two teams of candidates. The debate will take place Mon day, April 3, at 5:30, in Reed 117. Also up for election at this time are the the 11 SGA senate seats for next year and SGA secretary. There are 13 people run The Behrenp Beacon Index pfnnStatf Wire Service page 5 Features page 10 ‘ L SGA Elections page 7 Editorial page 8 Other Sports page 13 Friday, March 31, 2000 Behrend’s Criminal Hearts opened on Thursday, March 30. The play will run for the next Check the Features section for show times and ticket information. student Matt Wiertel. Many people vote on name recognition or position on the ballot if they do not know anyone who is running. Traditionally college students have one of the lowest turnouts of any age group in any election, and with the presidential primary already decided, the turnout will mostly likely be very low again. If you are not already registered to vote it is too late to be able to vote in the primary election, but you can still register to vote in November’s general elec tion. If you are a student who lives on cam pus you can register to vote either here at Be hrend and vote locally, or you can register to vote at your home and get an absentee bal lot. The Pennsylvania primary will be held on Tuesday, April 4th. ning for Senate while Michelle Benjamin is running uncontested for SGA secretary. Voting will take place April 5 and 6 out side of Bruno’s from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Students are encouraged to take ad vantage of the opportunity to vote in this contested race. For complete SGA election coverage, including statements and photos from all candidates, please turn to the special elec tion insert on page 7. two weeks in the Studio Theatre. Calendar page 9 Spring Sports page 12 A Penn State Erie Student Publication Spring Fever returns to the Quad by Katie Przepyszny features co-editor This Saturday, April 1, Behrend will host the traditional Spring Fever in the Apartment Quad from 4:30 p.m. until 11:30 p.m. Previously known as the Battle of the Bands, the event has since become more upscale and elaborate with the combined help of the Behrend community. Sponsored by IFC, JRC, the Commuter Council. LEB, Panhellenic Council, and the Student Activity Fee, Spring Fever will host a variety of carnival-themed activities this year. Centered upon music with the help of five area bands Organic Voodoo Machine, No On 15, Crown Me Kings, Burden, and the Buzz Poets the event will also offer Sum wrestling, bouncy boxing, a palm reader, temporary tattoos, spin art, and free food. Each campus club and organization also has the chance to set up its own booth with attractions of its own. Several planning to partake include the Commuter Council hosting a tie-dye booth, Niagara Hall Council providing a popcorn booth, the Apartment Hall Council offering a root beer sundae booth, and Alpha Sigma Tau. Much time and dedication has gone into planning this year’s Spring Fever celebration. An event committee has been meeting for two months to cover publicity and security concerns, due to unfortunate situations that have occurred at the event in the past. Several precautions are now being taken, and all information concerning rules and regulations can be found on an available campus flyer. A major concern for the event involves alcohol. Any parties held on campus during the event must be behind closed doors, and students attending the event are not permitted to drink if underage, serve minors, use false identification, hold parties in which both alcohol and minors are present, or possess any open beverage containers on the grounds other than the cups that will be supplied by Housing and Food. Every student at the event will be held responsible for his or her actions, as well as the actions of his or her guests. Posters are being supplied to hang in the Quad as reminders of the evening’s policies. To monitor the event, extra Police and Safety officers, as well as extra resident assistants, will be on duty. Aside from offering crowd and traffic control, they will also be available for other services, such as medical assistance, Fever continued on page 2 |^Eri e
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