THE BLUR; ND EACON A Penn State Erie Student Publicatio PENNSTATE Erie FALL 2001 — AMIIIII Friday's forecast: Cloudy 4,10 High: 56° Low: 50° Check page 2A for the weekend weather outlook PAGE 3 BEHRE fl fIrSimVISTS Students in the military reserves give their thoughts on the possibility of being shipped out. PAGE 5 BUSH BIN I..ADEN President Bush takes the next step in blocking terrorists by freezing the assets of those associated with Osama bin Laden. PAGE 6 PARDON . Tll FRi ",ICII Editorialist Ryan Anthony lets loose on why Europe is way cooler than the United States. PAGE 9 JAY AND SILEN I 808 SI RIRE f3ACK Check out the latest review on this infamous duo. Behrend News...l-4 National News...s Editorial... 6-7 Calendar...B A & E... 9 Features...lo-11 Sports...l2-14 NEWSROOM: 898-6488 FAX: 898-6019 E-MAIL: behrcolls@aol.com Offices are located downstairs in the Reed Union Building Vol. XLIX No. 6 United States of ... Al/ ? Who said college students don't have any spirit? How's this for American patriotism! Some people put flags in their windows, others tie flags to their car antennas. Some people even wear the flag in various incarnations. What do Behrend students do to demonstrate their patriotism? They drink! And drink a lot! Next time you walk through the apartment quad, be sure to glance up at this display of allegiance. Penn State organizes relief efforts by Becky Welndorf copy editor It might have taken a tragedy, but America is banding together against hatred and terrorism, especially Americans at Penn State University its lirsuch'PamPuses• jiiiiilediately after the attacks on Sept ~ , A; Penn State began relief utturlit and PrOer vigils. PeoPle 4.lilligto give blood " donations plaid rgbetbanlot everywhere, with up to tw o4 tuutVaits• luweloo halPittaff. • --At ilk& 4 n CiaSldOns 9 4 $ ,ut the .46ktit*it '''t&siatefacattY, :grclunth to Ad bit* implicitions rofessor puts aviation experience to use Dr. Robert Gray is in his third year of teaching electrical engineering at Behrend. He has spent the last 20 years cultivating his knowledge of avionics the study of guidance and control systems for aircraft through research and first-hand experience. After enlisting in the United States Air Force in 1981, Gray received navigational training which helped prepare him for the upcoming assignments he would face. When his travels led him to Alaska's Shemya Air Force Base, a series of three plane wrecks had a profound impact upon his life. He then moved to Ohio's Wright- Patterson Air Force Base, where he spent ten years working on engineering aspects of aircraft. He also completed graduate school at the Air Force Institute of Technology and worked with sensor fusion and integration at Wright Laboratories. Since 1994 he has focused on increasing safety on commercial airlines, particularly during the landing phase. ket•t is . was Lble to '.;:staff. diedin ints to and their . Cannt 'finatlXaani Gray also received special Air Force training against terrorism, encompassing kidnapping, hijacking, and detecting car bombs. Some of this training was given by survivors of the kidnaping in Beirut, Lebanon, and in instances of both kidnapping and hi jacking he was instructed to keep quiet, have patience, and hope for escape or rescue. "Of course," says Gray, "I am sure this training has changed. Hijacking has been redefined." Additionally, Gray was part of a disaster preparedness team whose mission was to prepare for airborne retaliation should a biological, chemical, or nuclear attack on America occur. This training taught him that other countries are capable of unleashing attacks upon America et up , thO,J4l,oot x a ,: ago 2 by Erin McCarty assistant news editor September 28, 2001 PHOTO BY JEFF MILLER Dr. Robert Gray, assistant professor of engineering, has 20 years of experience in avionics, the guidance and control systems of aircraft. Gray also works extensively with global positioning technology and is seen above in the GE locomotive cab outside the Engineering Complex. that would cause unimaginable devastation and distress. And even if some biological weapons such as anthrax had a known cure, the disease itself is undetectable until symptoms appear. "By then," said Gray, "it is too late." Terrorism has become more prevalent in the United States and is capable of causing massive destruction, Gray warns. In order to prevent another attack from occurring, the government will need to implement drastic security measures. Airlines will have to work particularly hard to make up for their prior shortcomings. "The false sense of security measures at airports up until the New York hijackings were based largely on image," Gray noted. Airports lured passengers into believing they were safe with the presence of uniformed workers, ID badges, and fancy equipment. Gray said those measures are often inadequate. Many airline employees are insufficiently trained and are often hired without a background check. Passengers with fake IDs can pass through security without being stopped. And while some airports have technology capable of sniffing out a bomb, smaller airports are unable to afford this luxury. Even with a metal 14 Pages Student reservists prepare for duty by Kelly Walsh and Liz Hayes photographer and news editor Not long after the attacks on Sept.ll, the prospect of war became a definite possibility. And as that pos sibility threatens to become reality, American troops have been alerted and readied for mobilization. Many of those preparing for service are in reserve forces, and several of them at tend Penn State Behrend. According to Major Martin Zangus, the coordinator of Behrend's ROTC program, reserve units are on high alert status, meaning extra caution is to be exercised at the units' physical locations. For civil emergencies such as the attack in New York City, the National Guard of the affected state and sur rounding states are called upon first to control the situation, Zangus said. He said the United States military usually is not called upon to police domestic crises; the military is more involved in humanitarian efforts. In this case, the military will be used to remove debris, to control traffic, and help in the recovery effort. While reservists may be called upon for homeland defense, they RESERVES continued on page 3 detector, there are many weapons that are capable of passing through security anything made of plastic, for instance. "Unfortunately," says Gray, "a breach in any one of these airports allows terrorists to enter into the system, which as we know can be catastrophic." Employees in the airline industry from the pilot unions to the FAA have several ideas for how to increase security. Pilots may be allowed to carry weapons and all crew members might be taught self-defense. AVIATION continued on page 2
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