THE BEHREND C DEC 0 2000 A PENN STATE ERIE STUDENT PERMICATION 1, 2000 18 pages PENNSTATE Erie FALL 2000 FRIDAY - Snow 0 9 a 9% it ": 9 1* 41 k.+( 0 High 35 *xk Low 30 Check page 2 for weekend forecast lii;TM Last issue of the semester. Get all your events adver tised before the Holiday Break on the Calendar of Events page. Christmas shopping tips and holiday spirit to kick off winter break 2000/2001 Farewell to Mike Frawley M!=MI PAGE 2A t IN i() till lit The Beacon and NSBE will co-sponsor an event aimed for students to share their suggestions with the Beacon editors. The theme of the event will be diversity, but al are welcome PAGE 13A NM, (aZIN( 11 `Tis the season for the Grinch. Movie and Music review NEWS AN ATM , R 2 WORLD NSA 1 5 1,, \ IONA!, CAMPLS . . 6A CALENDAR OF EVENTS Awn. v< wit cAI.F . NDAR... 7A EDITORIAL S F 11)1 FORI 8 \ FEATURES ERII itAPPENINCS 121. SPORTS BEHREND SPORTS.- NATIONAL SPORTS... NEWSROOM: 898-6488 FAX US: 898-6019 Offices are located downstairs in Reed Union Building XLVIII No. 13 More snow expected after week of cancellations More snowmen expected soon Tensions remain high Time running out for Child Care Center to be saved by Mike Frawley and Katie Galley managing editor and editorial page editor Parents with children at the Penn State Behrend Child Care Center were crestfallen after hearing the grim future of the center from school officials. The fate of the Penn State Behrend Child Care center was discussed at length this week at two meetings. The first meeting, held on Tuesday, November 28, was sponsored by the Women's Comission, and a second meeting was held on Thursday, November 30, sponsored by the Child Care Center Parent Teacher Organization. The first meeting held earlier in the week in Reed 114, was attended by an estimated 50 people. It gave concerned students, faculty and staff a chance to speak to many of the people on the boards that will be advising Provost and Dean John Lilley in the final decision about the Center. TENSIONS continued on page 2 Financial gifts offer opportunity for growth and scholarships by Amy Peffer staff writer Due to over $4 million in financial gifts and campaign programs, Be hrend is constructing a new chapel, completing the observatory, and awarding numerous scholarships. Those giving such generous gifts in clude families, corporations, Behrend alumni, community members, and Behrend faculty, all of whom are striv ing to see Behrend students succeed. Penn State University believes in destiny. That belief led the Univer sity to introduce a $1 billion campaign entitled "A Grand Destiny." Commit tees of students, staff, alumni, and Penn State friends had been planning the campaign for years before it was officially enacted on July 1, 1996. A Grand Destiny has four major goals that it hopes to reach and exceed be fore its finale on June 30, 2003. These goals include: undergraduate student by Mike Frawley managing editor Winter weather came roaring into Erie last week with two days of blizzard like snow storms which caused a myriad of problems for Behrend students, faculty, and staff. On Tuesday, November 21, area residents awoke to 6-12 inches of snow blanketing the ground, with reports of much more to come. With so much snow falling in so short of a period of time, local streets departments were unable to keep up with getting the roads cleared, and almost every area school was closed by 9 a.m., including Behrend, which cancelled all classes for the day. It was extremely slow going on most city streets throughout the day. While students across the county enjoyed a day off from their studies, the area began to dig out in preparation for the surge of travelers Ken Miller, center, and Dr. Peg Thorns, right, hold a meeting on Tuesday, November 28, in Reed 114. The meeting was hosted by the Women's Commission to discuss the future of the Behrend Child Care Center. Another meeting was held at the Child Care Center on Thursday. support, graduate student support, fac ulty support, and program and ongo ing support. The main objective of the campaign is to raise $1 billion through private pledges and funding, which will hopefully continue long after the program officially ends. Behrend Associate Provost for Ad vancement Chris Reber called the plan a "perpetual investment," because as Penn State University receives dona tions, the money is invested and the interest in used to implement pro grams and scholarships. Behrend, which will likely receive $l4-15 mil lion from A Grand Destiny, will make scholarship endowments the focus of its spending. The campaign has pro vided for Behrend immensely this fall, as scholarship services increased by thirty-two percent, from $219,140 last year, to $289,200 this year. Over 250 Behrend students have already ben efited from the program, but as pledges and donations increase, many DECEMBER that was sure to come the next day as people attempted to get home for the Thanksgiving holiday. While the snow did stop by early afternoon on Tuesday and the roads were slowly opened up, Mother Nature had more in story for the Erie area on Wednesday. Classes on Wednesday at Behrend began as usual. The roads were clear and no snow was falling, but by late morning snow was falling steadily, and road conditions were deteriorating. Local school districts began dismissing school early, and many Behrend students skipped their classes to get an early start on their drive home. Behrend officially closed the campus at 2 p.m. Road conditions were so bad by this time that it took many Behrend students almost five hours to make the usual two-hour drive to Pittsburgh. "Wednesday morning from 10:00 a.m. to 11:40 a.m., four inches of snow fell on my car. After digging out from that, it took more students will likely see their des tinies through scholarship awards. The Grand Destiny Campaign is also receiving funds from the Erie Community Foundation and General Electric. The ECF donated $200,000 to install elevators in both the Reed Union Building and the glass-enclosed stair tower. Meanwhile, GE is in volved with Behrend in a two-year $175,000 plan. The GE Fund, known as the Learning Excellence Grant, will work with the Schools of Business and the School of Engineering. The ob jective is to create collaborative learn ing environments with students and faculty. Students will gain entreprenurship and problem-solving skills, both of which are vital for suc cess in today's world. Behrend will soon be home to a multi-faith chapel and carillon, cour tesy of Larry and Kathryn Smith and their $3.1 million donation. The Smiths announced their gift at a press conference in the spring of 1999, and more recently announced the expan sion of bells in the carillon. The Smiths, who own Automation De vices, Inc. in Fairview, pledged to fund the chapel after receiving support from family, friends, and local clergy when Larry learned that he would eventu ally need a kidney transplant. Kathryn Smith said about the im portance of a campus chapel, "stu dents are making lots of critical deci sions in college, and many of them will benefit by having a place to re ceive support and guidance." The chapel is being designed by a nation ally renowned architect, famous for his churches, such as the one at Camp David. The chapel will host weddings, baptisms, special religious events, and possibly even community concerts. The chapel's structure is designed to welcome students, faculty, and com munity members of all denominations and beliefs. me almost four hours to get to Pittsburgh. I usually make the trip there in two hours," said Behrend student Lesa Lewis Werkmeister. Both 1-90 and 1-79 were closed for various amounts of time over both days, as many accidents, especially ones involving tractor-trailers, occurring along both highways. One local accident of note occurred at the Wal-Mart in Keystone Place along upper Peach Street on Tuesday evening, when the Plexiglas enclosure over the front entrance collapsed, trapping one person for a short period of time. It is believed that the collapse was due to the build up of snow on the enclosure during the storm on Tuesday. Resident students reported that snow removal on campus was very poor during the storm, with SNOWFALL continued on page 2 Ar.egvc, Behrend released a statement re questing that the design "inspire rev erence, awe, contemplation, and peace," combining the aspects of Glenhill Farm, the Library, and the En gineering Complex. Completion of the chapel, which will be named for Larry and Kathryn Smith, is projected at July 31, 2001. Larry Smith's parents, Juanita and the late Floyd Smith, made a $1 mil lion donation to Behrend in .1989 with its purpose to be determined at a later date. Since Floyd loved the idea of a bell tower, Larry said that the only sen sible thing to do was designate his father's gift for the new bell tower and carillon. The bell tower and carillon, which have a complete set of forty eight bells, should be completed in fall LiikJ - 2 SECTIONS PHOTO BY JEFF MILLER continued on page 2
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