BEHREND BRIEFS
Senior Projects 2001 features
president of Aalborg Industries
On Saturday, April 28, graduating seniors in Behrend's School of
Enginet ii t and Engineering Technology will present Senior Projects
2001, a series of half-hour, industry-sponsored presentations that offer
solutions to engineering problems. The event will commence at 8:30
a.m. and conclude with an address by Aalborg Industries CEO James S
Davis. The speech will take place in Roche Hall from 12:15 to 12:45
p.m.
Sponsors for student projects include Alliance Plastics, Ameridrive,
Inc., Bliley Electric Co., Cybersonics, Eriez Magnetics, GE Transporta
tion Systems, Lord Corporation, Mine Safety Appliance Co., OEM,
Smith Meter, and several other companies ranging from the local to
national level.
There is no charge for this event, which is open to the public. Industry
representatives are encouraged to attend. For more information, contact
the SEET at x 6133.
Behrend celebrates Astronomy Day
The public will have an opportunity to try out Behrend's new Mehalso
Observatory at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 28. This event, which
celebrates National Astronomy Day, is co-sponsored by the Erie County
Mobile Observers Group and Behrend.
Telescopes set up to observe the moon, stars, galaxies, and nebulae will
be in the field behind the Behrend Science Building. Astronomy Day at
Behrend, which does not include a lecture, is suitable for all ages. For
more information, call the School of Science at x 6105.
Faculty and staff receive awards
At Behrend's Honors and Awards Convocation held Sunday, April 22,
the following Behrend faculty and staff members received awards: Dr.
Carl Kallgren, Council of Fellows Faculty Outreach Award; Dr. Andreas
Fuchs, Council of Fellows Excellence in Teaching Award; Dr. Chuck
Yeung, Council of Fellows Faculty Research Award; Dr. Michael
Campbell, Guy W. Wilson Award for Excellence in Advising; Roger
Owens and Robert Schenker, Benjamin A. Lane Outstanding Service
Award.
04/17/2001
04/17/2001
04/17/2001
22:00
04/17/2001
21:15
04/18/2001
04/18/2001
22:59
04/18/2001
00:20
04/19/2001
00:20
04/21/2001
04/21/2001
13:00
04/21/2001
04/22/2001
A complainant reported that the fire alarm was
going off in Niagara Hall.
A student came to P&S to report that his car
was damaged last week.
A staff member reported that some audio
equipment was missing.
An RA from Niagara Hall reported that the
power had gone out on the west side of the
building. The first floor was reset.
A student reported that he put his backpack
down in the Lawrence Hall lobby to watch an
event. When he returned to retrieve the
backpack, it was missing. P&S checked the
area and could not locate it.
There was a report of a large, white male
wearing a plaid jacket down in the gorge. He
was carrying a hatchet. The man swung at the
complainant's dogs, and he heard him later
cutting wood. Officers were dispatched, and
the individual could not be located.
A staff member reported that most of the
furniture was missing by the mailroom in
Reed. P&S advised the complainant to check
with the RUB Desk in the morning to see if
they removed the items. Also, P&S advised
that they would talk with all the departments
in the morning.
A complainant reported an incident of
harassment by communication.
An RA reported that a tire extinguisher cover
on his floor had been broken.
A staff member from the MISC reported that
their vehicle might be missing. He wanted
to know if P&S issued the vehicle to anyone.
P&S advised him that his department is the
• only one with keys to that vehicle. The vehicle
was found parked on the west side of the Reed
Lot since Friday.
A complainant reported that his license plate
was stolen from his vehicle that was parked
in the Reed Lot overnight. The complainant
requested a complaint number to get a tempo
rary plate from AAA. The stolen plate number
was entered into the system.
There was a report of a fallen victim in the
gorge about 1.5 miles upstream from Cooper
Road.
What can we say, we get a little crazy at the end of the year. The usual distribution manager was unable to deliver the
papers this past week, and the rest of the staff got ahold of the "donated" buggy. We logged some major mileage on
that baby. We visited the halls of the Science, Academic, and Reed Buildings. We rode the elevator. We found out
what the inside of the Engineering Complex looks like (nice digs, guys! smelt like you had some real learnin' going on
over there). We drove around on the sidewalks and backed up traffic on Stadium Drive. We also completed many
Jackassesque maneuvers (please do not attempt in your dorm rooms). It was just our way of saying, "We love you
Behrend. Have a great summer." Beacon out.
Return to my sanity
I never thought this day would actually come
And now that it's here, I truly wish it wasn't.
This issue of the newspaper will be my last as
editor-in-chief of the Behrend Beacon. And
even though, for the first time in three years, I
feel a sense of freedom, I also have a strong
feeling of regret and sadness that the weekly
grind of the Beacon is now only a memory.
But what a memory it will be. I can't
possibly begin to explain to everyone the close
bond I have shared with the members of this
newspaper. But I will try.
Imagine being enclosed in a room, about the
size of a closet, with a group of people from
different backgrounds, different ideologies, and
different perspectives on life. This room has no
windows to see the outside world. It's just a
group of people, all working on a common
goal.
You would think this would cause complete
chaos. You would assume that people would be
wringing each other's necks. I'll agree that
about 5% of the time spent in this mom was
like this. But the other 95%?
The other 95% was spent talking, laughing,
hanging out and ... oh yeah, working. This
group did almost everything together. We made
weekly trips to Eat n' Park after putting the
paper to bed at 2:00 a.m. every Thursday. We
sang karaoke, watched 50-cent movies, and
witnessed some of us get drunk, while the sober
ones (me) laughed. We crammed five of us into
a photo booth at the mall to get a snapshot of
our insanity. To put it in simpler terms, we had
fun.
Because of this bond, it's difficult to walk
away. And if I didn't have other priorities in
my life, the Beacon would be my life until I
graduate.
I wanted to start this farewell with an
explanation of this group's friendship, because I
think it's the most important aspect of a group.
Many people that haven't even stepped foot
into the Beacon offices are quick to criticize.
They don't understand how a group can be so
goofy, yet still put out a respected publication.
We, ourselves, often say, "how in the world do
we put out this newspaper?"
People on this campus may disagree and say
that a fun environment can't be a productive
one. If the environment on this newspaper
wasn't productive, then you wouldn't he
reading it right now. The fact is, we couldn't
function as a productive group without the close
bonds that we have come to share.
I remember a moment in my life about four
years ago. I was at work one night when I
began to talk to one of my co-workers who was
a student at Behrend. I informed her that I
would be attending Behrend the next fall and I
told her I was interested in journalism. She said
to me, "maybe you can do something to fix up
the Collegian. It needs work." I looked at her
and chuckled, for she didn't know that I was
FOCAL POINT
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
just a high school kid who was too shy to even
say hello to people. And she was challenging
me to fix a newspaper? Yeah, right.
I guess four years later, that talk means a little
more to me than it did that night. I am no
longer scared to approach someone, and I'll
admit that the Beacon is a little better than it
used to be. No, I am not going to take credit for
the quality of the publication that comes out
every Friday. I will, however, take credit for
coming out of my shell and taking the initiative
to change it.
The credit for the quality of this newspaper
lies with my staff. This group is the most
dedicated and hardest working collection of
people on this campus. I know this because I
see the daily grind that the editors and staff
writers go through. There's no week off.
There's no one-day delay in making a phone
call. Everything has to get done. And it does. I
guess that's what amazes me. We realize that
anything less than our level best is
unacceptable, not just for the sake of the
newspaper, but for the sake of ourselves.
I've come to learn, with some help from my
parents and some faculty, that no matter what
we do, we aren't going to be the most liked
group of people on this campus. That's a tough
pill for me to swallow. I have always been a
person that wants to be liked, so to hear
someone say that I am a terrible person because
one of my editorial columnists wrote
something controversial, is painful.
We get people complaining all the time that
we complain too much. I used to take that as an
insult. Now, I take it as a compliment. If we
didn't complain and we didn't get complaints
for being critical, then we didn't do our job. It
is the job of a campus newspaper to raise
awareness. It's not our job to fluff up problems
on this campus. That's the job of a newsletter,
not a newspaper.
Those were my parting shots (things I had to
get off my chest because it's something that this
campus needs to be aware of). Now, there's
some people I have to mention and thank for
making my three years on the Beacon so
enjoyable.
I will start from the outside by thanking Chris
Rizzo and Ken Miller. I won't say we have
always seen eye-to-eye on every issue, but I am
extremely grateful that these two people have
been on my side when it comes to the Beacon's
future. Without their support, the Beacon could
not have grown to where it is today. Both of
these administrators are at Behrend because
they want to see this campus, and the students
on this campus improve.
I'm sure that many of you would prefer to
skip out on the "thank yous" and memories to
my staff members, so I will conclude this
section by saying that I am extremely thankful
for the opportunity to do with this newspaper,
what we have done over the past two years.
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FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2001
It's going to be so difficult for me to pick up
a newspaper on Friday without knowing what is
in it. The Beacon has been my life for three
years. It's something that I can associate myself
with. I've met great people on and off of the
staff that I will remember for a very long time.
It's those new friendships that I won't have the
opportunity to see. and I regret that.
I am leaving knowing that the Beacon is in
good hands. Rob Wynne and his new staff will
continue where I left off. It's time for fresh
ideas and a new leader for this newspaper, and
Rob will serve his duty well.
So, I thank all of our readers and everyone
who has supported this group over the past two
years. I hope thatl have helped provide a
newspaper that this campus can be proud of, or
at least put it in that direction. Thanks for
reading. And with a heavy heart, I say, "good
bye."
Lizzie I really appreciate your hail work. It,
for sure, hasn't gone unnoticed. Keep both feet on
the ground and stay away from the wall. Wait a
minute ... what do I care? Kick away.
Dr. Sped Thanks for all of your time that you
have spent looking over every page of the
newspaper. Also, Jeb didn't cheat. Bush won
Florida, no matter what the stupid ballots said.
Robbie It's good to keep a right-winger at the
helm. Stay as unbiased as you possibly can, and
don't let Liz influence you too much. Good luck .
. you'll need it.
Jeffy Where's Jeff, Dude? Dude, Where's
Jeff? Where's Jeff, dude? Dude, where's Jeff?
Just kidding. Hey, do me a favor and focus on
some of your classes next year, ok?
Ann Marie You have the dirtiest mind out of
anyone I have ever known before, including
Mikey. Congrats.
Paigey No, you don't have to edit any more
pages for the rest of your life. Rob has set you
free.
Neil Neil Don't cut through the middle of
letters when you are pasting down pages. And, of
course, "your Mom."
Becky Good luck with Spencer and keep
taking silly photos of the staff.
Michael Frawley —Are you sure we get to wear
top hats?
Missy Can you double check and make sure
Mike miffed top hats?
Sarah On . Hello!
Deanna You are good. Think of your old
editor-in-chief when you are a millionaire, ok?
Ainslie Good luck with your boyfriend. I
hope my advice helped.
Erin - You are a very talented writer. Keep that
MPS tradition alive on the Beacon for me.
Kari It is Bill Donahue, not Donny Hugh.
Remember that. You can get me back in a Beacon
code if you want.
Jermaine Good luck at University Park
Abby When's my editorial due?
Jeanine, Christine, Josh, Mnortyaaaaa, Kristine,
Doug, Jon Good luck in all that you do!
Katie Best for Last - Let's Celebrate! It's
Over!