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INSIDE
PAGE 3A
Behrend and Gannon's
Women Today groups team
up to hold successful march
in downtown Erie
PAGE 12A
( (VA
Stephanie Falcone's
submission for her trip to
her lakehouse in
Minnesota wins her $250
INDEX
NEWS
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EDITORIAL
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FEATURES
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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. 28
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Lilley's departure comes after
21 years of improvements
- 57°
46°
Imagine walking from one end of
the Penn State Behrend campus to
the other. Along your stroll, you
notice there's no Hammermill
Building, no Academic Building, no
apartments, no Almy or Ohio Hall,
no suites, no playing fields, no ARC,
no Logan House and no chapel. You
realize that your walk is relatively
short and you run into few people
along the way.
The walk you just took is the same
one that Provost and Dean John
Lilley made 21 years ago. The actual
walk that you take today is a result
of 21 years of growth and
development under Lilley's
leadership.
"It was a very quiet place," said
Lilley about his earliest experiences
at Behrend. Enrollment was around
1,700 students, with only 500
resident students. The campus was
confined to 405 acres, as opposed to
the 750 acres it has secured since
Lilley's arrival.
The model for growth began
immediately after Lilley's arrival,
when he and some colleagues wrote
a plan called, "The Grand Plan for
Behrend." After this plan was set,
Lilley met with Don Alstadt from
LORD Corp. for more guidance. The
two men spoke for four hours, and
when they were finished, Behrend's
future was much more clear in
LILLEY'S LEGACY
continued on page 7A
Wynne to start a new era for the Beacon
Snyder steps down after two-year reign as editor-in-chief
Dean Lilley will not be the only
person stepping down at the end of
this year: Jason Snyder, the Beacon's
current editor-in-chief, and Dr.
Robert Speel, associate professor of
political science and advisor to the
Beacon, will also be vacating their
positions.
"Deciding to step down from the
editor-in-chief position was one of
the most difficult decisions I have
had to make," said Snyder, who made
the decision to step down at the
beginning of this past semester.
"I'm worn out from the weekly
grind, which makes this the perfect
opportunity to pass the job on to
someone else with fresh ideas," said
Snyder.
Snyder, a junior majoring in
communications, has been the editor
in-chief for the past two years.
During his first year at Behrend he
was the sports editor.
"When I signed up for the
newspaper writing class here, I had
no idea that I would move up so
quickly. I saw a position was open
Leaving an indelible mark
• A final chat with Dean Lilley
• Colleagues remember
• 21 points of growth
by Jason Snyder
editor-in-chief
by Liz Hayes
news editor
UNIVERSITY RELATIONS PHOTO
Dean Lilley presided over 20 years of Commencement ceremonies
during his time at Behrend. His last ceremony will take place on May
12 on the Reed Lawn. Lilley, however, will be back in December to
watch his son graduate.
as sports editor, my favorite section at
the time, so I asked about it and was
brought aboard."
Rob Wynne, a fourth-semester
history major, will be taking control
of the reins this summer.
"I'm looking forward to a smooth
transition, and although Jason is
leaving, we have many talented
veterans remaining that make up a
great team."
Wynne served as the wire service
editor this year and auto page editor
this past semester. During Wynne's
first semester he was a staff writer for
the paper, and during his second
semester he was an associate editor in
charge of writing the staff editorials
for the editorial page.
"It's a big step up from wire-service
editor, but I'll try to fill Jay's shoes as
best as I can."
"Rob is a perfect fit for the job. He
is committed in continuing to work off
of the framework that has been set,
while still striving to improve," said
Snyder. "The Beacon has been left in
good hands with Rob and his new
staff."
Wynne has various goals for the
Beacon next year. Much of the
APRIL 27, 2001
PHOTO BY NEIL MAKADIA
Jason Snyder, left, and Rob Wynne, right, meet with the Beacon
Advisory Board to officially appoint Wynne as editor-in-chief.
present layout will probably remain
the same, with small stylistic and
content changes. He would like to
stress a more error-free and easier-to
read newspaper. By working with the
Beacon's new production manager,
Student
leads to
PHOTO BY NEIL MAKADIA
Students are forced to evacuate the Reed Union Building when a
suspicious object was spotted by the west entrance of the building.
The object was found to have been a student's model submarine.
by Rob Wynne, Liz Hayes,
and Christine Kleck
wire service editor, news editor,
and associate editor
Approximately 300 students were
evacuated from the campus buildings
as Behrend administrators alerted
local law enforcement officials that a
small, bottle-shaped object wrapped
with tape and wire possibly a bomb
- was sitting behind the Reed Union
Building at approximately 1:15 p.m.
on Wednesday, April 25.
In the end, the object detonated, but
by means of the City of Erie Police
Bomb Squad. "Well, it turned out to
be a rocket model," said sergeant Torn
Stankiewicz, the officer in charge of
the bomb squad. "No one ever said it
was a 'bomb,' it was just suspicious-
looking."
"What we're looking at is a device
replica of a space shuttle with black
tape and wires wrapped around it and
the word 'ballast' showing on part of
it," said Senior Associate Provost and
Senior Associate Dean Dr. Jack Burke
during the time of the evacuation.
A student has since come forward,
claiming ownership of the "device."
The student said that it was a model
submarine he had been using for an
oral presentation, given in class
Dave Richards of the Erie Times-
News, he believes this goal will be
BEACON CHANGES
continued on page 4A
22 pages - 3 SECTIONS
project
bomb scare
shortly before the model was found
The student claims that he did not
intend to disrupt the daily operations
of the university, and that the object
was never intended to look like a
bomb.
Bill Donahue, manager of Police
and Safety Services, said that the
student came forward on his own
accord. Donahue also said that the
incident had nothing to do with what
is happening at University Park. As
far as Donahue is concerned, the
matter has been settled to his
satisfaction.
At approximately 12:30 p.m. on
Wednesday, staff members noticed the
object outside of the side entrance of
Reed, along the pathway that goes to
the west side of campus. Standard
emergency protocol was then
followed. Students in the Reed Union
Building were evacuated to the Lower
Reed Lot while Police and Safety
checked the building. Students were
allowed back in the building after
approximately 20 minutes.
However, about 10 minutes after
being allowed back into the Reed
Building, the fire alarms sounded and
students and personnel were
BOMB SCARE
continued on page 4A
Two suspects
investigated
for equipment
thefts
by Jeff Miller
managing editor
This past semester Behrend has
been subjected to five data projector
thefts. These are the projectors that
are suspended from the ceilings of
many classrooms and are used with
Power Point and other programs.
Police and Safety Services, with the
help of the Pennsylvania State Police,
have followed the leads in the case
and have two suspects.
"With the help of a citizen we were
able to identify two very strong
suspects. An informant came forward
with information that wasn't
firsthand, So we back-tracked it to
gather enough evidence," said
William Donahue, manager of Police
and Safety Services.
Due to the ongoing investigation
Police and Safety is unable to release
THEFT SUSPECTS
continued on page 4A
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r 2001
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