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PENNSTATE
Erie
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PAGE 7
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the ugly of this summer's
PAGE 9
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how a few students are
coping with their first
"college experience."
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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