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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
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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