Welcome Back! Orientation Issue 2001 i 1 , 1 1 - 1 4i i ) i i 1 P RE ' , ltekt• 4, g, 1 2 EAC I 0 L G IBR / 4 ! ' ts sv, A Penn State Erie Student Publication Vol. XLIX No. 1 August 24, 2001 PENNSTATE ...:..sErie 185') • . , ? .-, A, , ..,:,, ,,, c , i;j1...7 A. Friday's forecast: Partly cloudy, chance of rain Ar° Check page 2A for the weekend weather outlook Welcome Back! PAGE 4 , \ v, Take a look back at a few of last year's editorial columns and letters to the editor Several tri-weekly columnists will be returning this year, plus a few new faces as well. PAGE 8 \ , \1 f)“ Not only was the ARC re named over the summer, but several new coaches have been hired to lead Behrend's sports teams in the Junker Center News... 2 Nat'l Campus... 3 Editorial... 4-5 Features... 6-7 Sports...B NEWSROOM: 898-6488 FAX US: 898-6019 ON THE WEB: www.clubs.psu.edu/ beacononline/ E-MAIL: behrcolls@aolcom Offices are located downstairs in Reed Union Building Don't tread on me... Hi: mid 70s Lo: 60 What was once the softball field next to the main entrance on campus is now a Penn Dot playground. Trucks, heavy equipment, and orange-vested workers occupy the area that is being cleared for the Eastside Access Highway Project. Section A9O, the portion of the new highway that will connect the Wintergreen Gorge and 1-90, is expected to be completed in 2003. This section of the highway will bisect Behrend's campus, cutting through the current entrance, several existing buildings, and the Behrend Athletic Fields. However, the portion of the highway that will cross the front entrance won't be worked on until the end of the spring 2002 semester. Behrend students should expect traffic tie-ups for the next two months while trucks and equipment navigate Station Road. To assist in traffic flow, two flag persons are controlling traffic around the campus. Happy driving! Reed lot turned into speed lot for Second Harvest Food Bank Street racers, customized cars, and numerous spectators filled the Reed Parking Lot August 11 and 12 as the Sports Car Club of America held their annual driving course competition which ben efited the Second Harvest Food Bank. The Misery Bay Region of the S.C.C.A. and Enormis Audio spon sored the Solo II competition. Pro fessional drivers as well as the general public were invited to test their driving skills on a course out lined with cones. "Solo II competition is defined as a low speed, participant driving competition where one car at a time negotiates a prescribed course outlined with traffic pylons as quickly and cleanly as possible," said event chairman Todd Beddick. Many different makes and mod els of vehicles tackled the course: everything from a Ford Escort ZX2 to a BMW Roadster. Sport utility vehicles were not allowed to participate due to their high cen ter of gravity and possibility of roll-over. Some vehicles had both by Rob Wynne editor-in-chief Welcome Back! body and engine 'customizations; most were just stock, as if they were just purchased at a dealer. "The majority of cars that fun in Solo II events are classified in the `stock' category with little or no modifications," said Beddick. "No special equipment is needed to run. Drivers are required to wear a properly certified helmet during runs." Besides registration costs, there were also a number of sponsors that contributed to the Food Bank cause. Humes/Dodge/ChryslerL Plymouth Jeep, Champion Ford, Cramer Motors, Bianchi Motors, New Motors, Gary Miller Mazda, and Jimmy Z's Time Out Tavern sponsored awards for various cat egories - Fastest Chrysler, Fastest Ford, Fastest GM, Fastest VW, Fastest BMW, Fastest Mazda, and Fastest Female Driver, respec tively. Enormis Audio sponsored the award for fastest front-wheel drive vehicle, and Auto Zone, Ad vance Auto, and Splash's Auto Bathhouse supplied items for the Chinese auction and door prize give away. "Fun runs" were also a part of the fund-raising plan. A spectator or another driver was allowed to ride with a driver for one dollar while he or she tackled the course. Last year, the Solo II event raised over $900.00 for the Food Bank. This year that number is ex pected to be much higher. For more information about the event and the Misery Bay Region of the S.C.C.A., visit: hrtp:// frontpage.erie.net/mbrscca . Welcome Back! PHOTO BY ROB WYNNE COL Last 'Y 8 Pages Police and Safety to carry firearms by Liz Hayes news editor Penn State Behrend's Police and Safety officers could gain permission to carry firearms by the end of the academic year, according to Bill Donahue, manager of Police and Safety Services. For the past five years Donahue has pursued the issue of arming the eight commissioned police service officers on campus. Because officer armament is organized by the University rather than by Behrend's administration, it has taken several years to push through his appeal. " I'd like to see the process move faster, but I also appreciate the caution the University is using. We want this done right, not done fast," Donahue said. Donahue's main motivation for arming his officers is to ensure both public and officer safety: "We are the law enforcement agency for Penn State Behrend. The public expects us to provide for their safety." Currently, if a situation would arise on campus in which an armed officer was needed, Police and Safety would have to rely on the Pennsylvania State Police. While Donahue said he has no complaints with the service the State Police have provided, the State Police are responsible for a large geographic area, which could hinder response ti Inc. "If the nearest car is 20 minutes away, it will he 20 minutes until we can get support. And in many of these situations, time is critical," Donahue said. POLICE continued on page 2 Drivers participate in the Solo II event which was held August 11th and 12th in the Reed Parking Lot. Above: A customized Dodge Avenger steers through the driving course. Left: Cars and spectators line-up for "fun-runs."
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