Have a great Spring Break 2O i Beacon A PENN STATE ERIE STUDENT PUBLICATION pennState ESS Erie l I*-i ’’ * ' , 4 '1 **£ FRIDAY - Partly Cloudy High - 31 Low - 23 Check page 2 for the weekend weather outlook The next Beacon will not come out until Friday, March 16, due to Spring Break. Enjoy your time off! X'\ -smsm PAGE 6A, 3-4 B A country mourns as NASCAR loses its most storied driver, Dale Earnhardt The Beacon pays tribute to the man known as “The Indimidator.” PAGE 13A BAR HOFPIM, ‘ % 1: MSS There is something to do in Erie for students over 21. Check out Erie’s best bars in pictures g* INDEX NEWS EDITORIAL sr.y-T mhtori u CALENDAR OF EVENTS FEATURES HOT SITUS 1 CRH- SPORTS SPORTS Hi N.U'SONAI SPORT'S., 4B NEWSROOM: 898-6488 FAX US: 898-6019 ON THE WEB: www.clubs.psu.edu/beacononline/ Offices are located downstairs in Reed Union Building XLVIII No. 21 Flowers ‘breathes life’ into Extravaganza by Liz Hayes news editor He may not write poetry, but he can certainly perform it. He may have no formal training in theatre, but he can certainly act. And he may borrow from the works of other writers, but he can certainly spin some of his own tales. In short, Arthur Flowers can do it all. A novelist, performance artist, and contemporary African griot, Flowers was the highlight of Behrend’s Black History Month celebrations. On Wednesday, February 21, Flowers entertained a small crowd in the Reed Commons after a full day of activities. The Reed Wintergarden has been decorated all week with artwork commemorating the works of famous African American leaders, performers, and celebrities. Also displayed was a timeline of major events in African American history. On Wednesday, several African-themed READY TO GO: The Behrend women’s basketball team is ready to take back the reigns of the AMCC this weekend in Erie Hall Lions look for AMCC glory Without O'Lare, Lions will face daunting task by Jason Snyder editor-in-chief When senior Jen O’Lare went down to injury mid-season, the hopes of the Behrend women’s bas ketball team could have gone down with her. But the depth that head coach Roz Fomari saw early in the season proved itself, as the Lions hung on to their conference lead enabling them to again host the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference tournament this weekend. Behrend’s 69-51 victory over conference oppo nent Lake Erie this past week clinched the regular season AMCC title for the Lions. In only four years as members of the AMCC, the Behrend women have hosted three straight confer ence tournaments. Their short, but successful, membership in the conference has rewarded them with three title game appearances and one champi onship going into this year’s tournament. displays were set up to surround the Reed Commons. Beginning at 4:00 p.m., various performers took the stage. There were several open mic opportunities for the community at large, as well as planned mime, dance, and stepper performances. Arthur Flowers took the stage at 6:30 p.m. to cap the night’s events. Flowers, jingling his way from his seat in the audience, stepped up to the mic to introduce himself and then proceeded to tune his wide array of instruments - a conch shell, a harmonica, a shell-covered gourd, and several other traditional African music-makers. Flowers began by explaining some of his methods and style for the audience. He said that he had inherited two traditions that shaped his style: the Western written methods and the traditional African oral methods. He calls himself a griot, a term used to describe traditional African storytellers. In the pre literate societies of ancient Africa, the only way ‘1 . 4^4 Defying the odds Lions plav host aeain. CONTINUING HER SUCCESS: Coach Roz Fomari hopes her Lions can regain AMCC supremacy. In 1998, the Lions lost a heartbreaker to host Pitt- Bradford. Behrend avenged their loss in 1999, de feating Pitt-Bradford 61-58 in Erie Hall for their first AMCC crown. In 2000, Behrend couldn’t over come a Frostburg squad that couldn’t miss from the field. This year, the Behrend women are back. After losing seniors Carrie Nestor and Tiffany Buck after last season, Fomari called the season a “growing FEBRUARY 23, 2001 to pass on history to new generations was to impart them orally. Another concept Flowers described was that of “hoodoo.” Flowers explained that because the early African Americans - the slaves - were prohibited from practicing their traditional religions, they began to develop a religious practice that basically didn’t have a God. They instead relied on a type of magic, which was eventually combined with Western Catholicism and elements-of their native religions. And hoodoo was formed. Versions of this religion are also practiced in various Caribbean islands. Flowers began his performance with the “Signifying Monkey,” a tale originating from the African slave community. It is the story of a scheming monkey stirring up problems in the jungle. To tell his stories Flowers uses a combination of poetry, song, theatrical FLOWERS continued on page 3A Before the season, Fomari said the AMCC was “up in the air.” As the Lions enter the weekend, her prediction is correct as there is no dominant team in the conference. The Lions and Penn State Altoona are both tied at conference records of 10- 2. Pitt-Greensburg finished one game back at 9-3. Behrend is 1-1 against both conference opponents and winless against these teams since losing O’Lare. The Lions have managed to increase their scor ing by two points per game in conference play even without O’Lare. However, the women are giving up 62 points per game as opposed to the 56 they were giving up with O’Lare. The AMCC tournament will tip off on Friday, February 23, in Erie Hall. First round games were held this past Wednesday. Pitt-Bradford’s (#4) win over La Roche (#5) has earned them a shot at the Lions at 8:00 p.m. on Friday. Behrend won both games against Pitt- Bradford earlier in this season, 65-41 and 63-48. Penn State Altoona (#2) and Pitt-Greensburg (#3) both won their first round games and will face each other in the 6:00 p.m. game to tip things off for the weekend. The winners of these games will face off in the championship game on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. The Lions hope to “defy the odds” this weekend without O’Lare and regain their conference crown. 18 pages - 2 SECTIONS Arthur Flowers blows into a conch shell at the African Extravaganza. Corty rewarded for his teaching The 2001 Alumni Teaching Fellow Award for Outstanding Teaching has been awarded to Penn State Behrend’s Dr. Eric M. Corty, associate professor of psychology. All tenured faculty members who have taught for at least five years in the Penn State system are eligible for this award, which recognizes extraordinary teaching while encouraging its recipients to share insights about what constitutes effective teaching. Corty, only the fourth Behrend faculty member in two decades to be honored with a university-wide teaching award, has been a professor for 14 years. Since he began teaching at Behrend in 1993, he has taught statistics, abnormal psychology, principles of measurement, human sexuality, personality, and introduction to psychology. He was acknowledged in 1997 as Behrend’s Excellence in Teaching Awardee. DR.COKIY continued on page 3A Kelley publishes book on Hillary Clinton's rhetoric “Ike runs the country. I just turn the pork chops.” While former First Lady Mamie Eisenhower may have been content to sit back and let her husband take the spotlight, Senator and former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton had a drastically different perspective on her duties as the first wife. In her hot-off-the-press book The Rhetoric of First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton: Crisis Management Discourse, Dr. Colleen Kelley, assistant professor of speech DR. KELLEY continued on page 3A by Erin McCarty assistant news editor by Liz Hayes news editor
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