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FATHER
FRIDAY - Mostly Cloudy
Check page 2 for
weekend forecast
NSIDE
PAGE 8
Take a ride to the dock for a
dinner on the waterfront.
Review of restaurant inside
PAGE 10
,IN "i.
t > ~ ~ ~'?
Summing up two nights of
awards in the entertainment
business. The American
Music Awards and People's
Choice Awards in review.
SPORTS (
The Lions tip-off their
conference schedules against
Pitt-Bradford. 2001 cam
paign off to rocky start.
INDEX
NEWS
V l / 4 •01 -41.D N N,V11.0.N„,
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
EDITORIAL
FEATURES
'Oll \INt,
SPORTS
04'1. ,
NEWSROOM: 898-6488
FAX US: 898-6019
Offices are located downstairs in
Reed Union Building
XLVIII No. 15
Behrend gets $3O million
State money for
REDC Building
largest
County
High 39
Low 27
Behrend has apparently been very busy while students
were away during winter break. On December 28
Governor Torn Ridge delivered $3O million of
Pennsylvania state money to Penn State Erie to fund the
building of the Research and Economic Development
Center (REDC). This grant was the largest ever in Erie
County History.
The REDC has been in the planning stages for more
than ten years, with construction being labeled as "high
priority" in 1996 and 1999 by the Erie Conference's
Community Coalition.
The REDC will be a 160,000 square-foot academic
building that will house the Schools of Business and
Engineering and Engineering Technology. According to
Dr. Jack Burke, senior associate provost and senior
associate dean, the building will provide 17,000 square
feet of classroom space, a great increase from Behrend's
current 23,000 feet. Also included will be up to ten
computer labs and a cybercafe.
"The REDC will allow us to abandon all of the office
REDC FUNDED
continued on page 2
Fall Commencement
graduates over 200
The ARC hosts ceremony for first time
COMMENCEMENT
On a cold, rainy Saturday afternoon,
Behrend students and families gathered
at the brand-new Athletics and
Recreation Center (ARC) to watch the
Fall 2000 commencement.
Families and friends were shuttled
from the Erie Hall lot to the ceremony
by bus, with limited cars having access
to the new ARC lot.
The ceremony began at 12:00 p.m.
with the procession of administration
and Fall 2000 graduates. Dr. John
Gamble, Provost and Dean John Lilley,
and Senior Associate Provost and Dean
Jack Burke led the procession. These
three were followed by faculty members
separated by schools. The candidates for
degrees then followed and were seated.
in Erie
history
by Liz Hayes
news editor
FALL
by Becky Weindorf
photo editor
Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge speaks with Behrend's Provost and Dean John Lilley after Ridge announced the state's
$3O million gift to the Behrend campus. The gift will be used to build the long awaited REDC Building which will get
Behrend's faculty out of trailers and will house the Schools of Business and Engineering.
During the ceremony on December 16,
amidst the smell of fresh paint and the sight
of protective plastic on the brand-new gym
floor, 17 associate degrees, over 200
baccalaureate degrees, and 18 graduate
degrees were conferred on the graduates
of fall 2000 before a large crowd of friends,
family, staff and faculty.
Opening remarks were made by Dr.
Lilley, followed by the welcome by
student Donald Adams and special
greetings by P.C. "Hoop" Roche, chairman
of Council of Fellows Board of Directors.
Dr. John P. Rossi, associate professor of
history, made this year's commencement
address.
In a solemn ceremony, but before an
excited and festive audience, graduates
were commended for their hard work at
Behrend by all who attended. Behrend
wished the graduates luck in the future,
welcoming them back to Penn State not
as students, but now as alumni members.
Before the conferral of the degrees, Ted
Junker, Penn State Board of Trustees
Chair, placed a medal around Dean Lilley's
neck, giving him the official Penn State
authority to award the degrees to the
graduating class.
The Behrend Ceremonial Brass &
Percussion performed traditional music of
"Pomp and Circumstance," the national
anthem, and the alma mater during the
JANUARY 12, 2001
procession of colors, presentation of
diplomas, and the recessional; ushers were
supplied by the members of the Lambda
Sigma Honors Society.
For the first time in years, Behrend was
able to hold commencement without the
need of issuing tickets to family and close
friends. Dr. Lilley commented that the
school is now able to enjoy the luxury of
having an open commencement for all
family and friends without worrying about
reserved space and allotting tickets to each
graduate.
In a speech to the new graduates, Dr.
Rossi reminded them that statistics show a
grim future for those who choose the single
life. Married people, statistically, are far
"happier" than single people are and feel
that their lives are more fulfilled and worth
living. Overall, graduates were reminded
that commencement was the easy stuff
behind getting a career; it is the work itself
inside the career that can bring a person
down. He wished the best of luck to
graduates at the end of his speech.
Several graduates made the most of
commencement this year by decorating
their mortarboards. One graduate
decorated hers with stars; several others
had little quips, quotes, or other meaningful
sayings for the audience, who occasionally
cheered or screamed the name of "their"
graduate :luring the degree presentation.
PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY RELATIONS
Marsalis to
highlight Martin
Luther King
celebration
by Chris Buchanan
On January 15, Penn State Behrend, along with the rest of
the country, will be celebrating the life and accomplishments
of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the observed date of his
birth. There will be several activities for the Behrend
community to participate in throughout the course of the day,
with jazz legend Ellis
Marsalis' lecture being
the highlighted activity.
The celebration will
begin with the Eighth
Annual Family Breakfast
in Bruno's Café, which
will take place from 7:15
to 8:30 a.m. Traditionally
Dr. King celebrated his
birthday with friends and
family at the breakfast
table, and the Behrend
community is invited to
do the same.
Later that afternoon,
from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.,
the campus is invited to participate in the annual celebration
of Dr. King in the Reed Commons. All classes are encouraged
to relocate to the Commons in effort to truly make the event
a success. This year's theme is "Celebrating a Movement
MLK CELEBRATIONS
continued on page 2
h', y~'~j
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2-71
staff writer
Ellis Marsalis
14 pages