Page 4 The Behrend Beacon Students `Political by Jenna Dominick "I'll take Political Theory for $4OO, Alex." Phrases such as this rang through Reed 117 Wednesday evening as the fourth annual" Political Science Jeopardy" took place. The setting was a "Jeopardy"-like, with an audience, stage, category board, and contestants with buzzers. Dr. Robert Speel acted as proctor and posed questions and awarded points at his podium. More than 50 students gathered in Reed to either participate in or watch "Jeopardy." Participation is open to all students, but first there is a pretest to be taken. A sample question was, "Name any six US senators who will be in office next year." All questions and categories are political science-related. Students with the top nine scores were named semi-finalists. Prizes included $25 gift certificates to Millcreek Mall, Borders Books, Tinseltown, and various restaurants. Certificates were chosen in order of top points earned. Volunteer scorekeeper, timekeeper, and category tracker were needed. Volunteers' names were drawn from a box. The scorekeeper had to be able to add and subtract quickly, while the timekeeper had to keep track of the rounds' time, as well as how long the question was available. The category tracker was in charge of writing down the categories, and erasing questions that had already been chosen. All semi-finalists, volunteers, and one lucky audience member received gift certificates. The game worked very much like real "Jeopardy." Three contestants sat on stage, buzzers at hand, while Dr. Speel gave trivia. Categories were posted on a chalkboard, but instead of dollar values, there was a point system. In the first round, there were points one through five available, and in Double Jeopardy, points two through ten were awarded, in two point increments. There were six categories. Score MUSIC music that students may otherwise not hear. "(We want to) expose students who might never take the initiative to go to a concert to this kind of The apparent lack of interest is a little depressing, considering the amount of work that goes into the program. Barnard explained that about $50,000 a year is spent to bring these performers to the school. The funds are donated through a grant from the Harry A. Logan Jr. Foundation. Kay Logan, a former music educator, is in charge of the grant, and takes an active role in choosing the groups that Arranging for the musicians to perform also takes a lot of planning. Barnard explained that he goes Tuition hikes explained at Pizza with the Provost by Erin Scott staff writer On Monday, members of the Behrend community gathered again in Lawrence Hall to discuss recent campus events at Pizza with the Provost. These monthly arrangements provide a time when students can express their concerns or ask questions about the campus. The meetings are informal and casual, although Interim Provost and Dean Dr. Jack Burke and head of Housing and Food Services Randall Geering are usually in their "business" attire. This month 20-25 students attended the meeting . All in attendance enjoyed pepperoni, cheese, and vegetable pizza with a variety of soft drinks. Dr. Burke opened the meeting by telling the students that the new contracts for campus housing for the spring semester would be available online. Beginning Dec. 9 and continuing through Jan. 21, students will be able to access the contracts electronically. "This will be much more convenient," Burke said. "The contracts will he accessible to everyone from anywhere In past years, housing contracts were dispersed through the mail and each student would receive the contract in their mailbox. The student then had to fill it out and return it within a few days. However, the new online system should be much easier and faster, improving Behrend's housing situation greatly. The conversation then turned to the big question of the night: Why did tuition increase 13.5 percent this year and what did we get for it? Burke replied that because of the recession, states are getting less and less money, which is causing an increase in student tuition. "When I went to school, 80 percent of the money given to schools was grant money and 20 percent was loans. Now it is 80 percent in loans and only 20 staff writer FROM FRONT PAGE compete Science Jeopardy' PHOTO BY JEFF HANKEY / BEHREND BEACON Political science-savvy students show off their knowledge during Wednesday's "Political Science Jeopardy." All contestants received $25 gift certificates. was kept on the left side of the auditorium with a big tablet of paper and marker, as a running tally. Dr. Zachary Irwin, Dr. John Gamble, and Dr. Celise Schneider acted as judges. Dr. Irwin's task was to name the person who buzzed in first to answer. Each round was 10 minutes long, and there were 10 seconds to buzz in to answer each question. The first person to buzz in got to answer first. Responses had to be in the form of a question. There was a Jeopardy round, a Double Jeopardy round, and a Final Jeopardy round. The finalist from each semi-final round then moved on to play a fourth round, repeating all components. The process to set everything up was lengthy, as it took over 45 minutes. Once the game got rolling, however, it moved along at a very quick pace. Contestants and Dr. to different conferences in order to listen to the music and decide if the group is worth inviting. He has been to a conference in Atlanta and is currently planning on attending one in New York. Once he finds a group of performers that he likes, he contacts them and asks them to come to Behrend, where they will perform a concert and speak to some classes. The musicians also perform for students at the Diehl School in Erie. Barnard has already begun planning for next fall's series. When arranging for this year's performers, Barnard tried to make the program as diverse as possible. In past years, the music tended to be 18 and 19' century chamber music, performed by mostly white, male musicians. This year the aim percent in grants. This is a dramatic change in a short amount of time," said Burke. He then went on to explain how the University of Pennsylvania receives $3O million in state assistance, while Penn State's College of Medicine receives a mere $4 million. And if that isn't bad enough incoming freshmen will pay even more to attend Penn State next year! Jenna Boazza then lightened the mood by asking if the ranch dressing in Dobbins could be homemade because of the increase in tuition. "Seriously," she said, "the homemade dressing is so much better than the generic Ken's!" Boazza's comment then stirred Mike Hargather to request a soft serve ice cream machine. "We need one," he said. "I've heard a few other students talk about wanting one too." This of course led to the question of why we aren't served Creamery ice cream. The answer was simple. "It's too expensive!" said Geering. Other topics that were not touched upon in detail were what is being done about the Lion cash machines and when debiting will be an option again. The Junker Center hours were also discussed, with students wondering if it could possibly stay open later on the weekends. The last issue raised at the meeting came from Katie Nichols. She expressed a concern about the power failures in Lawrence. "It's weird 'cause it's only four rooms," she said. "The first four rooms on the second floor have a power failure at least three times a week. It's only at night and only my side of the hall." Geering responded by telling her that he would look into it, and that many times it's because too many things are plugged in at once, or too many electronic devices are being used at one time. If you have a question or concerns about campus, come join Dr. Burke and Geering at the next Pizza with the Provost. Frida , November 15, 2002 n Behrend' 1 ii .in . 4111 0, 1 A Speel seemed to get very into "Jeopardy"-mode. as they sounded like they were actually on the Nicole Dirling, Dave Sandy. and Raphael Scarnati began the first round. Sonic of the categories throughout the night included Global Political Economy, Civil Rights, and Campaign 2002. The audience could sense the anticipation in the contestants, as they anxiously awaited the trivia and chance to buzz. in. With the top score to heat at 57, belonging to Sandy, Dave Bichner, a returning finalist of last year's competition, Guy Reschenthaler, and Tony Ceechini began the second round. Ceechini excelled best with points. Malt Damian() came out on top to beat out Scott Soltis and Emily Allen of the third round of semi-finalists. Many of the questions weir difficult. and the was musical, ethnic, and gender diversity as groups ranging from the Gryphon Trio, a Canadian gomp, to the Silk Road from China, and to the all African- American Marian Anderson String Quartet, came to Erie. In February, the Moscow Chamber Orchestra is scheduled to perform. followed by Ariel Winds, an all female woodwind group, and the Turtle Island String Quartet. All of these groups are comprised of professional musicians. As Barnard explained. they are world-class artists, who have produced CDs and whose music is actually their job. What students can see for free at Behrend, would he hard to find anyplace else. "If the students realized the value of what's Bicentennial trees leave a living legacy by Courtney Straub staff write! On Wednesday, Jeremy States completed one part of his Eagle Scout Project by planting a tree at Penn State Behrend. He was able to do this with help from the Harbor ('reek 'Township Bicentennial Committee. States has been planting trees this year so that next year they will (lower for the bicentennial "I picked this project because it helps the community and shows citizenship, - said States. Johnson's Evergreen Nursery donated 10 flowering trees for States to plant in harbor Creek Township. They have been planted in different locations such as the Faith Lutheran Church and Cline Elementary School. The tenth tree to be planted was placed next to Behrend's tennis courts. "This is the first part of leaving a living legacy, - said Ed Daglish, chairman of the bicentennial committee. States has been scouting since second grade and is now a junior at Harbor Creek High School. He belongs to Troop 175. His parents. Marcia and Robert States, are very supportive of their son. "I'm very pliiud that Jeremy takes pride in the community , anti, wanted to do something lasting. The tree is in aplace of honor because every car has to go by it 4t some time." said Marcia States, who attended Bit * hrend. States beearop involved in the bicentennial committee becatise as part of his project, he needed to help an organization in his committee. He also had to show service to the members in his troop. "I had to do di the planning and carrying out," said States. contenders were stumped often. One of the questions was, "The World Trade Organization is headquartered in this country." "What is Switzerland?" was the correct response. A flurry of questions and answers flew as excitement grew and stakes rose. For Final Jeopardy, participants learned of the category, wrote down their wagers, and took a stab at the tough inquiry before them. The final winner. Cecchini, a political science major, choose the certificate for Damon's, Applebee's, or Quaker Steak and Lube first. Sophomore finance major Sandy and freshman Damiano tied in the final round. "It was cool," said freshman Jenn Schwant. "I didn't think I'd get into it as much as I did, but the last pace interested me and it was fun trying to answer the questions." there, they would come... said Barnard "They just don't haye aJ app,r i eci,aooo.7 , , Barnard estimated that of all the students who _ . come to Music at Noon, about half are required to he there, while the other half come because they enjoy the music. He has looked into other possible time slots for students that have class, but so far noon is the best time. requiring students to attend music at noon for classes, such as Music Appreciation, Barnard stated that many students who would not normally go, discover something they like about the music that they did not expect. He hopes that by attending. students will develop a taste for the The next performance, featuring the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, will he held on Feb. 18 at noon in the Reed Union Building. Trees are a legacy for the environment because they have environmental benefits, they increase property value, and they provide an actual setting for a community. "It's important to have projects like this one because of all the benefits," said Ken Springirth, Supervisor of Harbor Creek Township. A&G Wholesales has already donated 15 white or blue Spruce trees to be planted next year. Dr. Wortman and Dr. Burke, Penn State Behrend staff, are also on the bicentennial committee. They will soon begin holding bicentennial events on campus such as a picnic. "I had fun watching them plant the tree. I think it's great that Behrend is involved in the community," said Amy Frizzell, freshman. "Events like this are fun and educational for Behrend students." behrcolls@aol.com
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