-7. TH E BEHREND
September 20,
2002 a C
REO ill
UP 9 1 1002 14 Pages
Vol. - XLIX BEHREND COLLEGE No. 33
____
• A PENN STATE ERIE STUDENT "UFILICAI( '
PENNSTATE
i i Erie
Fall 2002
Friday's forecast:
f
d
T-storms
High: 78°
Low: 62°
Check page 2 for the
weekend weather outlook.
NEWS
The Student Government
Association has a lot in
store for the next year.
Read about the different
committees and their plans
on page 3.
NNF GARNER
Anne Garner has joined the
Behrend community as an
art professor. Read more
about her on page 3.
A&E
MOVIES
Check out a review about
the fresh faces in "My Big
Fat Greek Wedding," which
recently hit Erie's theatres.
SPORTS
c
The Behrend Lions many
teams have had a rough
start to their seasons, but
that doesn't mean they
don't have a plan for
games to come.
Behrend
News...l -3
National Campus
News... 4-5
Calendar ..6
Editorial... 7
Humor ..8
Features... 9
A&E...10
Sports...ll-14
N EWS ROON4, 898-6488
FAX: 434601 9
E-MAIL:
behrcolls@aol.com
Offices are located
downstairs in the
Reed Union Building
Behrend continues
search for CEO and Dean
by Erinn Hanson
calendar page editor
The Penn State Behrend Search
Committee is still on the hunt for a new
Provost, or properly named Campus
Executive Officer (CEO) and Dean.
"The name was changed to CEO and
Dean to make it consistent with the titles
being used at the other PSU campus
colleges," said Dr. Jack Burke, Interim
Provost and Dean at Behrend.
A new Search and Screening
Committee has been appointed to do the
search, and consists of 12 members:
Douglas Anderson, Dean of the College
of Communications (Chair); Dawn
Blasko, Associate Professor of
Experimental Psychology; David Falvo,
Lecturer in Mathematics; Juan
Fernandez-Jimenez, Professor of
Spanish; Ralph Ford, Associate
Professor of Electrical and Computer
Engineering; Brandi Hovis, President of
Student Government Association, Kevin
Moore, Director of Alumni Relations;
Ruth Pflueger, Coordinator of Learning
Resource Center; Hoop Roche, President
and CEO of Erie Plastics; Robert Secor,
Vice Provost of Academic Affairs, Office
of the Provost; Robert Simoneau,
Director of the School of Engineering
and Engineering Technology; and Peg
Thorns, Associate Professor of
Management.
According to Secor, Anderson has put
an advertisement in "The Chronicle of
Higher Education" and other periodicals.
Letters will be written to administrators,
organizations, societies, and institutions
Biology professor Voss joins Behrend faculty
by Erin Scott
staff writer
Dr. Margaret Voss, an animal lover, was
recently added as a new assistant professor
of biology at Behrend.
Voss was born in Houston, Texas, but
spent most of her childhood in Nashville,
Tennessee, with her two younger brothers
and younger sister. Her father is a
psychologist and her mother, an
accountant.
At a young age, after spending countless
days at the zoo near her home, Dr. Voss
decided that she wanted to become a
veterinarian. Upon graduating from high
school she attended a small specialty
'school in New York, that was mainly a
science and engineering school.
After graduating, she spent a few years as
a veterinary assistant but later decided
against becoming a veterinarian because
she felt there were too many "business"
aspects to the profession. She then focused
her interests in a different direction:
biology.
all across the country, identify potential
candidates. After screening applicants
and interviewing candidates, the
committee will present a list of possible
candidates to Anderson, who will then
invite several candidates for extensive
interviews at Penn State Behrend and
University Park.
At Behrend, all the faculty and staff
will have an opportunity to meet with the
candidates and express their impressions
to Anderson, who will then consult with
President Graham Spanier to make the
final decision. After the search committee
convenes in the fall, the committee will
share a copy of the position
announcement and invite participation in
the nomination process.
The search has gone on since August
2001, after Dr. Lilley left last year. About
80 candidates applied last year, but no one
was chosen.
"We had good candidates last time, but
none of them rose to the high level we
were seeking," said Burke. "We did not
want to 'settle' and thus continue the
search. Therefore we started over this
year."
The CEO is the chief academic and
administrative officer who functions
much like a college president but also has
dean-like duties related to the faculty and
curriculum. The position requires an
individual who can lead a college that is
part of a multi-campus research and land
continued on page 3
She believed that she had two paths to
choose from: one in which she would solely
devote her time to doing research, and
another where she could teach and do
research. She chose to teach and do research
here at Behrend because she likes the Penn
State system. She thought that Penn State
would enable her to see her hard work pay
off and that she may one day become a
professor. She said she is very committed
to her work and helping students explore
their options in the sciences.
When asked what her best advice to any
student would be, she answered, "Find your
passion because you have to do it for the
rest of your life." She then went on to say
how she enjoys helping others find their
interests and about how helping students
explore career opportunities makes her job
worthwhile.
She also believes that no decision is
irrevocable.
"If you change your mind about what you
want to do in life, it's okay," she said. "You
should do what makes you happy and what
makes you feel like you're making a
difference."
UCN summer program
in danger of closing
by Erin McCarty
news editor
Summertime has come and gone, and
school is now upon us. Already planning
out your next summer vacation? Here is
an option to consider: study abroad. This
year may be your last chance to take
advantage of the International Summer
Program at University College
Northampton in England.
This past summer, eight Behrend
students Alicia Adameck, David Doyle,
Renee Gornall, Michelle McKernan,
Lasette Miskis, lan Rosthauser, Hallie
Seaman, and Katie Spyker joined 15
other Americans and two Austrians for
the program. Three students from
Edinboro completed the Erie group,
which was led by Behrend English
professor Mary Connerty.
"As to whether or not the trip to
Northampton was worth it I can securely
say it was worth it!" said Rosthauser, a
History major who just graduated. "I was
able to meet people from various places
in both the U.S. and Europe. I continue
to keep in touch with most of them via e
mail, which is cool."
"I would go back in a heartbeat," said
Connerty, who had not participated in this
program previously. She made the trip
with her 2-year-old son Ari, who got a
heavy dose of English culture by
spending time each day at day care in a
refurbished 18th-century farmhouse while
his mom was teaching class. Connerty
replaced Dr. Dean Baldwin, who had
gone to Northampton for many years,
accompanied by his wife Vicki.
PHOTO BY JEFF HANKEY / BEHREND BEACON
Dr. Margaret Voss joins the Behrend Science department as assistant pro
fessor of biology.
"The students were disappointed at
first that there were only 25 in the
program," said Connerty. "But they made
very good friends. It was a cozier time,
and there was a lot more flexibility with
classes."
For instance, Connerty's class of four
often met outside, and when her students
were planning a weekend trip, she
arranged their class time so that they
would have ample time to get back. Each
three-credit class met on a rotating
schedule, with class time occupying a
different two-hour slot for each of the
four days a week that class was in session.
The remaining weekdays were
reserved for special day trips, which
students were not obligated to attend but
usually did. The destinations consisted
of Northamptonshire and Althorpe,
Princess Diana's final resting place,
Cambridge, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Stoke
Bruerne, and Bath. In addition to these
brief outings, students also made a one
week trip during the third week of
classes. They spent their week in Italy or
London, depending on which field trip
most related to their course of study.
Students also had some unexpected
opportunities to meet some of England's
famous residents. While they were
visiting Althorpe, the group met Princess
Diana's brother, Charles Spencer. He
was there with his twin daughters, who
were entranced with Ari. Connerty was
especially excited to have Alan Sillitoe,
a writer she has long admired, visit her
UCN
continued on page 2