rf rr 4 D IN Of I ZAI abi Li E i A C 0 N ....- IF . / 14. A Penn State Erie Student Publicatio PENNSTATE Erie i'l A "7 l'• t ir l ilk. Friday's forecast: Thunderstorms High: 75° Low: 57° Check page 2A for the weekend weather outlook PAGE 7 Take a look back with us at the good, the bad, and the ugly of this summer's PAGE 9 Follow our guinea pig freshmen around to learn how a few students are coping with their first "college experience." PAGES 11&12 F:: Introduce yourself to Behrend's fall athletic teams as players get ready to take to the fields and courts News... 2 Nat'l Campus... 3 Editorial... 4-5 Calendar... 6 A & E... 7 Features... B-9 Sports...ll-12 NEWSROOM: 898-6488 FAX US: 898-6019 ON THE WEB: www.clubs.psu.edu/ beacononline/ E-MAIL: behrcolls@aol.com Offices are located downstairs in the Reed Union Building Vol. XLIX No. 2 New chapel to provide by Erin McCarty assistant features editor When immersed in the activities and academic pursuits of college life, it is easy for a student to become overwhelmed. Now, thanks to a $3 million endowment from alumnus Larry Smith and family, Behrend students will have a place to relax and reflect. The Smith Multi faith Chapel will be available for use during the first or second week of September. Four couples already have reserved the chapel for their weddings, and families of Behrend students will have the opportunity to attend one of two worship services there on Sunday, Sept. 30, during Parents and Families Weekend. The chapel will also house worship services for students of other faiths, as well as accommodating concerts, speakers, service activities, and other special events. "We want to be certain that all students will have a chance to use the chapel," said Kelly Shrout, coordinator of service and student activities. Shrout explained that a careful set of policies is being sent out in order to ensure that there is an equal distribution of programs and worship services to fit the needs of everyone. The octagonal shape of the chapel's interior is intended to be aesthetically pleasing and religiously neutral, lending a great deal of mk Y r I ad to progress East Side Access Highway makes an appearance by Liz Hayes news editor As per custom, the start of a new school year went hand-in-hand with the start of new construction hassles. Last year, several concurrent renovations wrought havoc across the campus. This semester only one major construction project is in the works, but it is a biggie. The East Side Access Highway is beginning to make its presence known to the Behrend community. Students returning to Penn State Behrend last week were treated to a surprise: the campus that was intact, green, and relatively peaceful last May had turned into a dusty, hectic, truck crossing for construction vehicles traversing the route from Station Road to the Behrend Athletic Fields and beyond. flexibility. Participants can worship in a circle or facing one direction, in chairs or on prayer mats. All articles associated with a service are portable When the worship space is not in use, students may use it for their own personal reflection. In addition to the worship area, the chapel contains a living room, a conference room, and the offices of Shrout; Kathy Coleman, coordinator of Protestant Campus Ministry; Father Jeff Lucas, coordinator of Catholic Campus Ministry; and Sister Mary Drexler, assistant coordinator of Catholic Campus Ministry. The front desk will be staffed by work-study students. Although the chapel will be in general use within the next few weeks, it will not be completed until the spring semester, when a carillon consisting of 40 bells specially created for the chapel's bell tower will arrive. These bells can be played manually or electronically and will chime out the tunes to both secular and sacred songs at regular intervals. Additionally, the chapel will acquire a pipe organ, specially crafted for Penn State Behrend, within the next two years. The chapel and bell tower are located off Jordan Road and can be accessed via a pedestrian walkway that connects the Academic Building to the Junker Center. June 2001 saw the start of what the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is calling Section A9O of the highway project. Sections A9O & A9l will connect Interstate 90 with the Wintergreen Gorge (A9O refers to the grading of this portion, while A9l indicates the road paving). The highway will then cross the Gorge via a to-be-constructed bridge, continue through Shannon Road and East 38th Street, and join McClelland Road. The ESAH has been in the works for many years. According to ESAH's website, transportation studies of eastern Erie were first initiated in 1962. Earnest planning began in the late 1980 s and early 19905, as several planning commissions worked to appease opposition to the highway plans. The highway has been designed to alleviate various traffic problems and August 31, 2001 reflection space for all The Smith Multi-faith Chapel should open its doors early in September. The chapel will contain worship and reflection space for students of all denominations safety concerns in the area, including: • Inability of current traffic network to support existing and projected growth • Lack of sufficient north/south access over railroad tracks in Lawrence Park and Harborcreek Township. • High accident rates on existing street system. • Insufficient mass transit service. In addition to serving local communities, the ESAH should have a positive impact for the campus. John Ream, director of operations at Behrend, said there have been safety concerns due to the high number of accidents on Station and Cooper roads. "It is not uncommon to see an accident or the evidence of an accident on these roads," Ream said. As many commuters utilize Station The pathway that went from the Erie Hall Lot, over Trout Run, through the Behrend Fields, and to Logan House is now closed as nstruction rkers prepare e roadbed for e East Side Ighway is )mpleted, a ew walkway ill be con ructed that osses over le highway. At le moment, the th is open from the Erie Hall Lot to the hrend Fields. and Cooper roads to get to campus, the high-accident rate was of particular concern to Behrend. The ESAH will hopefully minimize the occurrence of safety hazards. "The East Side Access Highway will provide a safe corridor to the city and the interstate," Ream said. Ream explained that PennDOT has been very cooperative in working with the college to minimize the hassle for the Behrend community. "I think a good balance has been struck," Ream said. "The benefits appear at this point to outweigh the disadvantages." Another benefit to the campus will be the restructuring of the campus entrance. While the construction may be a traffic nightmare for students PROGRESS continued on page 2 Delta Sigs claim national, regional honors Earlier this month Penn State Behrend's professional, co-ed, business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi won two major national awards at the 43"' Grand Chapter Congress, a regional conference. Behrend's Delta Sigma Pi was awarded the National Most Outstanding Chapter distinction, which, as current chapter president Wayne Lauer pointed out, is the fraternity's highest award. It was in recognition of the chapter's commitment to maintaining quality programming and community service activities. Additionally, the chapter received the National Most Outstanding Community Service award. ;cess Nigh ty. After the "We won two of the three major national awards," Lauer said. "In the third major award category professional activities we placed first in our region, hut second in the PHOTO BY JEFF HANKEY nation." Lauer said Behrend's chapter also won 10 regional awards: "We pretty much swept our region, winning most of the awards we were eligible for." Other awards included highest grade point average of members and most points earned by a chapter. Each chapter in the national fraternity gains points for completing activities, community service, and for reaching other distinctions. Lauer said a fraternity has to accumulate at least 100,000 points to be in award-winning range. Also, the chapter can send letters of recommendation from faculty, business professionals, and regional or national administrators to vouch for its performance. The chapter's adviser, Robert Patterson, lecturer in business, was also awarded Regional Adviser of the Year. DELTA SIGS RECOVID AUG 31 2001 11111111 P 12 Pages PHOTO BY JEFF HANKEY by Liz Hayes news editor continued on page 2
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