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Friday's forecast:
Rain/snow showers
Windy
Check page 2A for the
weekend weather outlook
PAGE 6
Did you win the date with a
Beaconian? Wanna find
out who did? Check out the
lucky guys and gals.
PAGE 2
We got to the top of "Sand
Mountain" before you did.
Is it worth climbing or
should you should just read
the map?
PAGE 10
Erie offers some haunting
Halloween jaunts for fright
enthusiasts. Find out
where you should be
getting your thrills this
years.
PAGE 11
What Erie schools have the
highest tuition? Just how
many college students are
in credit card debt? What
does Paige's dad have to
say about the Erie
economy?
Behrend News...l-4
Calendar...s
Editorial... 6-7
Features... B-9
A & E... 10
Money...ll
Sports...l2-14
NEWSROOM: 898-6488
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Vol. XLIX No. 9
OUT WITH THE OLD
Bye bye, Station Road. Hello, Knowledge Park. The gang at the Child Care Center from left to right,
Aldan, Mirian, Xavier, Gabriel, Cody, Kyle, and Marilyn wave goodbye to their old digs on Wednesday
The end of this week saw the closing of the old center, which is in the path of the new Eastside Access
Highway and will be torn down shortly. The staff is packing up the center and moving into a new home,
located in Knowledge Park. The center will reopen Monday.
Station Road Child Care
Center closes its doors
by Liz Hayes
news editor
The Child Care Center on Station
Road closed its doors forever this
week, but will reopen Monday in
Knowledge Park.
The Center officially closed its
former location at 3 p.m. Wednesday.
The existing building will he torn
down to make way for the Eastsidc
Access Highway, which will cut
across Station Road right beside the
center. Ken Miller, director of Student
Affairs, said the Station Road building
could be razed as soon as next week.
From Wednesday afternoon on. the
Child Care Center staff and other
volunteers from the fie hre nd
community were busy packing up
equipment and toys from the old
center and moving them to the new
one. Thursday afternoon, movers had
just finished unloading the moving
van, but the new center was far from
ready for operation. Boxes were
everywhere, cardboard lined the
floors to prevent mud from getting
tracked in. and equipment still needed
Erie Post Office anthrax
scare affects Behrend
by Liz Hayes
news editor
Tuesday night, staff at the 38th
Street U.S. Postal Service General
Mail Facility found a suspicious
powder in a mail-sorting machine.
Anticipating the substance could be
anthrax or another dangerous
chemical, the Erie County Hazard
ous Materials Response Team sealed
off the machine.
As a result, mail distribution was
disrupted at Behrend on Wednesday
and Thursday. According to Ed
Blaguszewski, manager of Univer
sity Relations at Behrend, mail was
not picked up from the post office
until Thursday afternoon.
Although HazMat officials have
ruled out anthrax, they had not yet
said what the substance was at press
time. Maißoom Clerk Patrick Har
ris said they were told it would be
at least 48 hours before they would
be able to identify the substance.
Harris questioned whether Penn
State was wise to collect and sort
mail before ruling out whether the
substance was harmful. "I think they
jumped the gun a bit," he said.
Blaguszewski said the Post Office
assured Behrend the mail was safe
to be delivered and that the hazard
to he pw.itioned
According to Eunice Moore,
director of the center. they will hold
an open house for parents Saturday,
and children trill return to the center
On Monday.
The move went a lot smoother
than we had thought it would," Moore
said on Thursday. "But, ohs iously, we
are not quite Clone art
Moore said the Student Activity Fee
I unded a 4)1 of new equipment for the
center as much of the old equipment
had heen purchased used from another
ac i it \ when the Station Road center
‘, as established in 1991. Some of the
old supplies will make the move to
Knov. ledge Park, however, including
some shek ing, tables and chairs, and
flLI) lO' ',
Muorc i. •atitilii'd ith the new
location. She it will he
convenient as it is closer to campus
and was specifically designed for the
center. whereas the previous building
was purchased from Tupperware and
then renovated. While the overall
space is about the same, it is more
customized to the center's
of contamination was minimal.
The Mailßoom was also for
warded a copy of an FBI advisory
with recommendations for safe han
dling of mail. It advised how to
identify suspicious packages, which
could include oily stains, excess
tape or string use, and crystalliza
tion. It also gave protocol for threat
assessment, Blaguszewski said.
Blaguszewski said the mail room
employees were give the option of
wearing latex gloves while handling
the mail, but the College was not
forcing them to.
Patty McMahon, coordinator of
Health and Wellness Services, dem
onstrated earlier this month the
proper way to remove the gloves to
prevent further contamination
should a harmful substance be
found.
Harris went one step further and
bought a respirator to wear in the
Mailßoom. He said while there
have been no false alarms at
Behrend, he is taking no chances
and is disappointed the University
is not supplying breathing appara
tus for the Mail Room employees.
"I think they arc more concerned
with getting the mail than being
safe, - Harris said.
October 26, 2001
specifications. The rooms are larger
and there will be a staff room and
areas tor Behrend students to make
observations as part of their classes.
Also, there will he more available
Outside space at the new location than
there was at the tOrmer one.
Construction on the new center
began July I. The Greater Erie
Industrial Development Corporation
built the I. million, 8.500 square
foot facility and is leasing it to Penn
State. Moore said the College hopes
to eventually buy the building.
Toward the end of the fall 2000
semester. the future of the Child Care
('enter was uncertain. Penn State was
to receive $936,000 from the
Pennsylvania Department of
Transportation for the purchase of the
old site. I lowever, a new site would
cost more than that amount and Penn
State still owed $451,000 on the old
A great outcry met the
announcement that childcare might be
CHILD CARE CENTER
continued on page 3
Erie County Executive
candidates return to
Behrend, debate issues
by Liz Hayes
news editor
The Erie County Executive race
heated up another notch on Thursday
as the two frontrunners took to the
podium for a town meeting in the
McGarvey Commons. Democratic
incumbent Judy Lynch and
Republican challenger Rick Schenker
defended their positions to a
sometimes hostile audience while
Lisa Zompa of WSEE, Channel 35.
moderated. The debate was co
sponsored by the Young Democrats
and College Republicans.
"Our nation's at war and our
community is facing a tough
Zompa began, referring to
the recent terrorist threats and the
economic instability in Erie. "County
government has never been more
important. - The two candidates then
proceeded to explain to the audience
how they would help stabilize Erie
County.
"Behrend is an integral part of the
many good things happening in Erie,"
Lynch began. She pointed to
Knowledge Park, the area's "premier
industrial project. - Lynch said her
administration has funneled more
han`iiB million into the park and
isserted Erie's fastest growing
ndustries are located there.
"Much of this campaign is focused
on jobs, - Lynch said, a sentiment
Schenker also supported throughout
the debate.
"I have a vision for Erie County,"
Schenker said. He said he wants to
14 Pages
work on recreating the county's image
by boosting tourism. improving the
technological infrastructure. and
attracting new, high-tech firms.
Schenker also referred to his
connection with Behrend. Ile
completed approximately 15 credits
of undergraduate work at Behrend
served as the Vice President of the
Student Government Association. I I is
brother. Robert Schenker. was al.o
Behrend's long-time Registrar. ho
retired earlier this semester.
"A lot of good people don't run for
office. - Schenker said. "because it can
get nasty ... people may say lies abi , ut
you. - He said he was glad io
participate in a debate at Behrend
PHOTOS BY ROB WYNNE
For the second time in a year, the
candidates for Erie County
Executive came to Behrend to
debate the issues. Democrat
Judy Lynch, above, and Republi
can Rick Schenker, left, ex-
plained their stances on religion,
the economy, negative cam
paigns, and the airport.
because it might influence yourp.2er
people to become more involved in
politics.
Stephen Webb, president of die
Young Democrats, presented the lust
question, asking the candidates lii)w
they would reform the votini..!
DEBATE
continued on page 3
1 7 1"?