T) 111 E B E II R E N Drs JF Beacon" A PENN STATE ERIE STUDENT PUBLICATION pennState SPRING 2001 I WEATHER FRIDAY - Mostly Cloudy High - 43 Low - 32 Check page 2A for the weekend weather outlook INSIDE PAGE 12A s" il, vl >. lil I ,N Review of Academy Award winner “All About My Mother” which will play on campus this Tuesday. PAGE 14A ?*SC. \ N l \ From his days as Mr. Boombastic to these days of being a “Hotshot,” we’ve got Shaggy covered. PLUS... The Beacon’s monthly installment of Your Money and You on BA. NEWS WEATHER WORM.* N V\ HON NATIONAL CAMPUS.... CALENDAR OF EVENTS MARK W)i R ( AITNDUi <>A EDITORIAL STAtf EIHTORIAI FEATURES HO'! SPOTS IN LRU: SPORTS BEHRENS) 5P0RT5.,....,. IB NATIONAL SPORTS ..Mi NEWSROOM: 898-6488 FAX US: 898-6019 ON THE WEB: www.clubs.psu.edu/beacononline/ Offices are located downstairs in Reed Union Building 111 No. 23 Dean Lilley may be moving on by Liz Hayes news editor While the Behrend community has become accustomed to rapid change over the past five or ten years, an even more radical change may be in the College’s future: Behrend’s longtime Provost and Dean Dr. John Lilley may be moving on. Lilley is currently being considered for a position at the University of Nevada, Reno. Dr. Lilley, who has been with Behrend for 20 years and is one of only three executive officers the College has had since its inception in 1948, is one of four candidates up for the presidency of UNR. In a press statement released earlier this week, Dr. Lilley made the following comments: PHOTO BY NEIL MAKADIA Despite the “official” beginning of the spring season, Behrend’s grounds are still feeling the effects of the white season. And just as the remaining snow patches on campus melt completely, as seen in front of Behrend’s Glenhill Farmhouse, more snow is expected to cover Behrend’s spring grass again. See page 2A for the weekend weather outlook, which predicts...yeah, more snow. Effectiveness of first-year seminars questioned by Erin McCarty assistant news editor In 1999, Penn State University revised its General Education requirement to make First- Year Seminars mandatory for every freshman. These courses, primarily carrying a weight of one credit, are designed to serve as an introduction to college life and to allow students to work closely with a professor in a small-class atmosphere. Each Penn State student must complete a seminar that corresponds to his or her course of study during the freshman year. But, how effective are these classes? According to a university-wide study done last year, the seminars are doing their job. The majority of students who responded to the survey reported Play review on page 12A '* r' '-<?£ - V John Lilley search committee is considering. “I am delighted that Penn State Behrend has reached the level of national attention that caused the search firm to be interested in my that the FYS helped them to adjust to life on a college campus. They appreciated the small class size, group discussions, and opportunities to get to know the professor. The students also cited library and computer skills, knowledge of the correlation between the choice of major and a career, and time management skills as some of the major lessons they took away from the course. At Behrend, the response to the seminars has been positive, but not overwhelmingly so. While the FYS may be the only small class which a student at University Park will have freshman year, small classes are more typical at Behrend. So, too, is close interaction with professors. The class setting is therefore nothing extraordinary, though it does present an opportunity for MARCH 23, 2001 “A search firm has contacted me about the presidency of the University of Nevada, Reno, the flagship, research, and land-grant university in the state system, I gave permission for the search firm to talk to the University about me, and my name is one of several the being a candidate. “Penn State Behrend has come a long way with your help, but it still has a big agenda about which I am very excited. The University of Nevada, Reno, presidential search will not distract me from that agenda.” UNR is currently searching for the replacement of longtime president Joe Crowley. An ad hoc Presidential Search Committee was formed to interview and narrow down the more than 70 candidates who applied. These candidates were narrowed down to eleven by February 21, 2001. Two of these semifinalists dropped out, and the remaining candidates were narrowed down to six earlier this month. These six candidates were asked to attend a daylong series of interviews at the Airport . I students within a given major to get to know one another early on. Content, however, is another matter. “I think the seminars are a really good idea. I wish that I had something like them when I started college,” says Charles Brock, lecturer in religious studies who teaches an FYS on the American Dream. “Introduction to college study, book lists, different styles of teaching, unusual content, integrative material, etc. are all what education is about.” While these are some of the standard objectives for the courses, each seminar is FIRST-YEAR SEMINARS continued on page 3A 18 pages - 2 SECTIONS Plaza Hotel in Reno. Last Thursday, March 15, these six were cut down to four, who then were invited to return for follow-up visits within the next few weeks. The candidates asked to return were: Joann Boughman, vice president for academic affairs and graduate school dean at the University of Maryland, Baltimore; Richard Davenport, provost and vice president for academic and student affairs at Central Michigan University; R. Michael Tanner, interim director of the Silicon Valley Center and former vice chancellor at the University of California, Santa Cruz; and Dr. Lilley. The Search Committee, which consists of members from the Board of Regents of the University of Nevada, is expected to choose the new president by April 17. Residence rates increasing at Behrend by Jeff Miller managing editor Penn State’s Board of Trustees has approved increases in residence community rates for the 2001-2002 school year, which will boost costs to $4,910. The increase is largely due to Penn State’s continuous expansion. “We’ve reached a debt ceiling ... so we have to raise rates to make up for the deficit,” said Ken Miller, Director of Student Affairs at Behrend. For a standard double room the charge will increase from $1,205 to $1,340 per semester, a total increase of $135. The most common meal plan, meal plan three, will increase $6O per semester, from $1,250 to $1,310. This increase is university-wide. The funds generated from this increase will be directed to upgrades in housing. Due partly to recent fatal fires in residence halls at other universities, namely Rutgers and St. Bonaventure, vital legislation has been passed to ensure the safety of students. Therefore, $5O million will be used to add sprinkler systems and make other improvements to the older residence halls on campus Perry, Lawrence, and Niagara Halls and the apartments. This plan to retrofit residence halls is estimated to take ten years to complete and is already under way. Other improvements to housing are being planned. An addition to Perry Hall is expected to add 150 spaces in student housing. The new construction will bring the building down over the hill between Bruno’s and Perry so that the residence hall will almost connect with the Reed Union Building. It will also make the Stair Tower and its new elevator more easy to access by students in Reed, thereby making the whole campus more handicapped accessible. The shape will be similar to the letter H. The Perry Hall expansion is expected to be completed by fall of 2004. Housing and Food Services is a self supporting Auxiliary Enterprise. This means any money spent on food or lodging by students and guests are only to be used for maintenance, operation, and construction expenses; state funding does not support on-campus housing. The food and housing monies from all the campuses are consolidated at University Park and then allocated for various campuses. A total RESIDENCE RATES continued on page 3A 2 5 mi ®college
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