The Behrend Beacon BENACC Joseph Benacci's family cheers him on Thursday as he is presented with the Alumni Fellow Award. Third from right is Karl Benacci, current Behrend student and member of The Beacon's editorial staff. Greener Behrend Task Force tackles campus ecological issues by Erin McCarty news editor On Monday, Bruno's unveiled the Ecomug, a reusable mug emblazoned with a reminder to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Students can buy the mug, full of coffee or pop, for a dollar and refill it for 80 cents. It comes with a hook allowing it to be attached to bookbags, making it easy to transport. Bruno's disposes an estimated 10,000 cups a week, so the mugs have the potential to greatly reduce waste on campus. Nonetheless, it was one of the smaller projects undertaken by the Greener Behrend Task Force, which focuses on campus sustainability issues. "It's the message that's so important," said Dr. Thomas Wortman, chair of the task force. "A project like this will create some commitment." Wortman is also pleased that the project was a collaborative effort between the task force and Housing and Food Services. Students in Jeanette Schnars' environmental science class conceived Dusckas discusses grieving process by Courtney Straub staff writer At Soup for the Soul on Thursday, Nancy Dusckas from the Dusckas Funeral Home dis cussed burying the dead. She also talked about coping with grief and ways to help the grieving. Dusckas said three components affect how people deal with death- religious involvement, societal concerns and community concern for family. Religious involvement depends on what the family members choose to do with the diseased. The family could have the body embalmed, cre mated, or have an immediate burial. Funerals or memorials are valuable for three reasons. First, burial of the dead is respecting the person who died. Second, funerals help the deceased and living. The living feel like they have closure after a funeral. Third, community members also get a chance to grieve. "One of the interesting things about my job is observing how families and community members react," said Dusckas. Health and legal issues make up the societal concerns. Each state has its own set of rules about what must be done with the deceased person. Community concern for the family includes CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Dusckas Funeral Home has two locations in Erie. Nancy Dusckas, the second speaker in the Soup for the Soul series, discussed her insi • hts about the .rievin. • rocess. the idea. The cups were designed specifically for Behrend, but they are expected to spread throughout the rest of the Penn State system. Since it formed last year, the task force has developed more than 20 projects designed for Behrend's ecological benefit. Right now, it is focusing on two major projects. First, it is writing a grant with Erie County Recycling to get money for a composting machine. This machine would be the first of its kind in Erie County, and the resulting compost would be used as fertilizer in various areas around campus. Second, it is working to inventory what trees are on campus; decide where trees should be planted; re-beautify the entrance area; develop a map of trees on campus; and have Behrend declared an arboretum. At least one specimen of each of the 50 state trees resides at Behrend. "There is a major push for all things trees." said Wortman. "This is exactly the time for us to celebrate the arboreal heritage of the campus." As the task force tackles major issues, students can display their ecological awareness in a obituaries in the newspaper, viewings, and fu nerals. When a family is grieving, community members can offer their support just by listen ing. Community members can also send flow ers to the funeral home for the viewing. "A funeral home is a safe place for people to grieve together. Lots of tears are shed when there is an appropriate place to cry," said Dusckas. Dusckas said that when someone close to you dies, give yourself permission to grieve "Grief is work because it takes lots of energy, emotion, and time. It is also a personal reac tion," said Dusckas. Dusckas also said that people think they are prepared for someone dying, but they find they really aren't. You can never be totally prepared for the death of a loved one. "Nancy gave us some good insights about how we deal with grief and often how it is based on our faith values," said Lynn McNeil, coordina tor for Protestant Campus Ministry. "It helps to know that just being there for the other person means a lot." "I'm really happy to be here and I think [Soup for the Soul] is a really neat thing that the col lege campus is doing," said Dusckas. Literary journal Lake Effect seeks submission 4 by Aimee Pogson staff writer Creative writers of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction are invited to share their latest musings with Lake Effect, Behrend's literaiy journal. The journal is currently accepting submissions for this year's 'publication. Any student may send an entry, regardless of major. The number of submissions a person sends is not limited, but poetry and creative nonfiction cannot exceed 15 pages. All submissions must by typed and double.eptuxkl and must also include • the title of the submission, the author's name, their phone number, and their mailbox. Subnisdons can be placed in the Lake'Effect drawer loottedin the H&SS mailroom in kmo o Eo lo _ l6 % • LakeEffect.is also accepting photographs °!' • o' • * "x "<' • Friday, October 11, 2002 FROM FRONT PAGE variety of simple ways. For instance, they can take advantage of the new printing system in Behrend's computer centers that prints on both sides of the paper and make efforts not to print unnecessary items. The task force ikientifies seven major sections within the sustainahility issue: reducing energy use: conserving water: minimizing waste: increasing the healthfulness of food and reducing its waste; protecting and preserving natural areas; using environmentally friendly practices; and promoting ecological stewardship within the community. "It's important to do the little things. - said Wortman. "Anything we do locally has a direct impact on everything_ outside hcie It's not wally about a greener Behrend: it ., about a greener everything. - Wortman went on to so\ that we, the beneficiaries of the Behrend tan►ilN's generosity, have an obligation to tl►e gift they gave us. lie feels that they would he pioud of the steps that are being taken to preserve the natural beauty of featuring a water theme for the cover of the journal. Preferably, these photos should be in black and white. All submissions are due by Nov. 1. Lake Effect features literary work from students attending Behrend, along with students from other universities and some professional writers. It is published once a year and will be available at the end of the spring semester, when it will be sold outside of Bruno's. The journal is a non-profit organization. The money made from the journal sales goes straight to paying for next year's publication. It is staffed by students who decide which submissions will be published, then proofread and edit them. Editing is primarily for spelling and grammar mistakes. The students are careful to stay true to the author's original format, though they occasionally make changes to the content with the permission of authors. behrcolls@aoLcom speaking with the four School of Business Classes. The speeches included details about money, finance, and the social, legal, and ethi cal aspects of business. Benacci is a member of the Mount Nittany Society, a member of the President's Club, and a lifetime member of the Penn State Alumni Association. He and his wife also created a scholarship in 1998 named the Jo seph A. and Berit I. Benacci Family Scholar ship. Eight students so far have received this scholarship. "If you've had a good life, it's important to think about giving something back to the corn munity so the next generation can have a good life, too," said Benacci. Larry Mroz, president of the Alumni Asso ciation, concluded the presentation. Benacci, he said, "has a special place in the history and heart of Penn State Behrend." "It is truly an honor, after all these years of association with Penn State Behrend, to be named an Alumni Fellow," said Benacci af ter the presentation. "One of the most excit ing things was meeting and talking with the students today. That was great." the campus "Ecology is not a political issue," said Wortman. "It's for everybody." The task force is seeking more participants, especially students. For more information, please refer to the website ,mon Students who enter work for the Farrell Nonfiction Award, the Sormenbeig Poetry Award, or the Rebman Fiction Award, Which are given annually to Behrend students, will automatically have that work considered for Lake Effect. The journal is also open to submissions from writers outside of the Behrend community who learn of Lake Effect from writing directories and university writing programs. There are many benefits to being published in the Lake Effect. First, potential employers like to see it on a resume; it shows them that the applicant has a wide talents. Second, it gives getting their work ptdtli person) its tik As said, It gives a nice to see your work in• ptlt'
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers