Vol. XLIX No. 20
• A Penn State E Rit student- Publication *
pennState
■9 Erie
Spring 2002
Friday’s forecast:
Cloudy
High: 49°
Low: 28°
Check page 2 for the
weekend weather outlook
NEWS
AQUATIC FLIES
Dr. Edwin Masteller shares
his knowledge of aquatic
flies with the world with the
“Aquatic Flies Are Us”
website. See page 2.
MARIJUANA
A recent study shows that
student marijuana use is
not as high as some think.
See page 3.
SPORTS
Meet the man behind the
Lion mask in a Q and A
with Behrend mascot Brian
Vallor.
PAGE 12
Behrend A/e ws... 1-3
National A/e ws... 4-5
Editorial... 6-7
Calendar... 8
Humor... 9
Features... 10
Sports... 12-14
NEWSROOM: 898-6488
FAX: 898-6019
E-MAIL:
behrcolls@aol.com
Offices arii>cated
downstairs in the
Reed Union Building
Blanchard moves provost search
for Behrend into final phase
by Erin McCarty
news editor
Dr. Kendall A. Blanchard, the
fourth and final provost candidate to
visit Behrend, spoke at an open forum
in the Smith Chapel on Tuesday.
Blanchard, who studied
anthropology at Vanderbilt University
and did postdoctoral work at Johns
Hopkins University, most recently
served as the president of Fort Lewis
College. Prior to this position, he held
various administrative positions at the
University of Tennessee at Martin.
Lamar University, and Emporia State
University. He has also taught
anthropology courses on several
occasions.
Blanchard began his presentation
by thanking the college for the
reception he and his wife received and
commenting on the beauty of the
campus. He also joked that he had
recently read a novel in which an
English department chair at a western
Pennsylvania state university vowed
to kill a duck a day if his department
didn’t get its budget.
“I didn’t see any ducks when I got
here,” Blanchard quipped, "so I was
a little worried.” Blanchard then
launched into a list of what he
perceived to be the greatest challenges
currently facing colleges such as
Behrend.
“America is facing a challenging
yet uncertain future,” he said. He
predicted that the public would have
increased interest in higher education
because of this uncertain climate. He
addressed the challenges of five
different aspects of college life:
academic, political, technological,
economic, and cultural.
Academically, colleges would have to
focus on such issues as redefining the
methodology of science, legitimizing
the study and teaching of values,
increasing diversity, and integrating
Fraternities show support for student athletes with banner
by Zoe Rose
staff writer
Last Saturday night, the Interffater
nity Council and the Panhellenic Coun
cil presented the athletic department
with a banner declaring their ongoing
support for athletic events.
The banner, which was hung in the
Junker Center at halftime during the
men’s basketball game, is a symbol of
the hard work and effort that these or
ganizations do to promote their posi
tive image.
R.J. Mycka, in charge of organizing
this project and aTKE brother, empha
sized repeatedly how their dedication
to the college as well as the commu
nity does not seem to be appreciated.
He’s frustrated that some students ste
reotype the Greeks as party-animals de
spite all of the positive things they do
on campus.
“It is a shame that people judge and
stereotype us for no reason,” said
Mycka. “A couple people can ruin it for
the rest.”
Brian Streeter, Behrend’s athletic di
rector, also agreed the Greeks contrib
ute positively to the student life.
“ A lot of our fraternities do a lot, a
lot of extracurricular activities and a lot
of fundraisers for outside groups,” said
Streeter. “Sometimes, they don’t get
credit for it”
Granted $1,500 from Ken Miller, the
Greeks decided to use the money to
benefit the college somehow. They
chose to spend $BOO on the department
of athletics, which went to making the
banner. Currently, it is positioned in
the main basketball court in the Junker
Center, but plans for purchasing a mov-
Dr. Kendall A. Blanchard was the final provost candidate to visit Behrend.
His presentation occurred on Tuesday in the Smith Chapel.
technology. The trend toward
generalized education would also
need to be addressed.
"Political climates change with the
frequency of Hollywood marriages,”
Blanchard said. Colleges have to deal
with this changeable climate. He cited
the conflict of tenure, higher
education’s sense of ownership,
accountability, and quality as key
concerns in this area. He described
technology as the driving force behind
change, for better or worse. The
challenges in this area include
humanizing technology, staying on
the cutting edge, and working to
assure that technology supports,
rather than controls, the curriculum.
"From what 1 can see, Behrend is a
able sign are in the process for the soc
cer and baseball fields, the swimming
pool area, and possibly the tennis
The support theme again plays a criti
cal goal as the Greeks are trying to en
courage all the athletic programs at
Behrend. Mycka stressed that the
coaches love when they are there, nam
ing men’s basketball coach Dave
Niland as one who is very enthusiastic
about the Greek’s support. Streeter is
another who enjoys the support the
Greeks show at games.
"They support our teams by being
fans, by being fans that show great spirit
and great sportsmanship- which is so
valuable,” said Streeter.
Down at the half, or in a tennis set,
the crowd can often be a vital boost in
getting the win. Support and cheers
from teammates, parents, and friends
from the sidelines are important to ath
letes. Their energy and focus are ener
gized, as well as the feeling of repre
senting the school, when they have a
home crowd behind them.
Fraternities such as Tau Kappa Epsilon,
Delta Chi, and Sigma Tau Gamma, to
name a few, pride themselves with con
tributing to the campus.
The money they raise for causes such
as the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation
walk or the Second Harvest Food Bank
is overseen because of the negative
view that society stereotypes Greek or
ganizations. With an uninformed col
lege populous, the many positive and
beneficial events that they participate
in are shadowed by those dealing with
the partying scene.
Overcoming obstacles, such as nega
state-assisted school, and there may
come a day when it is closer to being
•state-encouraged,”’ Blanchard said.
Decreased funding from the state
means a greater dependence upon
tuition, which may lead to increased
competition from private enterprise.
The challenge is retaining students in
such an atmosphere.
Finally, Blanchard discussed the
diverse culture of America. He said
that the widening gap between the
courses taught in public schools and
the prerequisites expected for college
students is of concern, as is the friction
that can occur between students of
different cultures.
“The optimist in me says that
Behrend’s situation is more about
tive attention, is the focus of the Greek in the way. *ref quarters and hatj one drop during
organizations. The frustration of feel- Mycka related this situation to a die last seconds of the game. Which
ing under-appreciated and not getting metaphor on the football field. playwi you remem fit e report
the proper respect is another obstacle “A player scored four touchdowns in four touchdowns.
PHOTO BY MIKE BELLO / BEHREND BEACON
Members of fraternities cheer on Behrend athletes. Many Greeks say they are misunderstood on campus,
and they are striving to improve their image with efforts such as this banner.
opportunities than problems,”
Blanchard said. He went on to list
what he considered to be Behrend’s
strengths. They included: a healthy
balance between theoretical and
applied knowledge; a spectacular
setting; a strong commitment to
regional development; academic
integrity; a good reputation; vitality;
sound financial situation; wide
breadth of offerings in degree
programs; and a strong and healthy
sense of what it is and what it wants
to be.
“Behrend has the makings of a
model 21 s 'century institution,”
Blanchard said.
Blanchard started off the question
and answer period by discussing what
his role would be in regards to
fundraising. He said that fundraising
is increasingly important and that he
would take an active role in bringing
money into the college. He also
indicated that he was impressed by the
amount of money that Behrend has
raised thus far.
Next, he turned to the issue of
internationalization, saying that it
involved sending students abroad and
bringing students from other countries
here. Although he said that ideally
each undergraduate student should
spend a year in a non-English
speaking country, he realized that cost
made this unrealistic. Thus, the
challenge of sending students abroad
is money; the challenge for bringing
students in involves having a solid
English as a Second Language
program.
When asked about the balance
between research and teaching,
Blanchard replied that that teaching
and scholarship go hand in hand and
different institutions put different
PROVOST
continued on page 3
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