The Behrend eacon
November 22, 2002 ' &WM, Pages
111110 Vol. L
, 4„ *NOV 2 No. 5
National Fuel move to Knowledge Park
would benefit Behrend students
by Rob Wynne
managing editor
Penn State Behrend would help play a major role
stopping the Pennsylvania "brain drain" if National
Fuel Gas Company decides to re-locate its
headquarters to Knowledge Park.
Earlier this month National Fuel announced that
it had cut its list of six possible building sites down
to three, with Knowledge Park still in the running.
The other two • •tential locations are in Buffalo,
`l'm glad I'm here fighting for my country'
Behrend student,
former Beacon member serving
at Af ha
111stani base
by Becky Weindorf
managing editor
Imagine waking up at 6 a.m. every morning with
a weapon by your side. This weapon, which remains
loaded and ready to use at every minute, stays with
you when you eat. It stays with you when you do
your work. It stays with you in the bathroom, during
your recreational activities, and again when you fall
asleep at night.
Jeffrey Miller has lived this life for the past month
and a half. The Army called Miller, a Behrend
student and former managing editor of the Beacon,
for active duty in March. After months of training
in Seattle, he flew to the Bagram base in Afghanistan
in mid-September.
Because there are only 15 phones and 12
computers for the 8,000 soldiers that are at the
Bagram base, the Beacon interviewed Ann Marie
Havey, Miller's girlfriend, about his experiences.
The time limit for the phone is 10 minutes per
soldier; for the computer, it's only 30 minutes.
"He'll wait in line for over two hours just to talk
on the phone," said Havey. "There are lines for
everything. He waits in line for the phone, the
computer, the chow hall, even the PX hall (the
convenience store).
"He said he would never vacation in Disney
World because he never wants to wait in line again!"
she added with a laugh.
Most of the area around the base is run by drug
and war lords, some of whom are hired to do smaller
jobs, such as picking up trash, around the base. They
are paid about $2OO for their work, Miller says,
which is more than they've seen in a lifetime.
"It's a Third World country," Havey said. "The
kids are the biggest problem because they steal or
beg all the time, and it's hard. Some locals take the
keys to the Army vehicles and ask for 'five dollar,
five dollar.—
Privacy is a precious commodity almost non
existent —on the base. The tents on the base fit I 0
people and are 20 x 8 yards. Miller's space consists
of one bed, the s 'ace underneath the bed, and a 2x2
Cardboard City raises awareness, money for homeless
by Melony Burnom
staff writer
"Can you please donate money f0r..." began the
student who occupied a cardboard box early this
week. "Sorry, I don't have any change," came the
prompt reply
Some weren't lucky enough to get responses
equally polite.
The grass was muddy, it was snowing and raining
and Behrend students sat in, next to, or on top of
cardboard boxes, asking people for change. This
was all for Cardboard City, a national event to
increase awareness of hunger and homelessness in
our society.
Each year the Smith Chapel sends out
announcements to all of Behrend's student clubs
and organizations before Hunger and Homelessness
Awareness Week asking for their participation in
the national event. However, this year was the first
year that Cardboard City was overnight, so many
student clubs that participated in it last year opted
not to this year.
Students from Trigon, Alpha Phi Omega and Tri
Beta all spent 24 hours in a cardboard box to raise
money for foundations that deal with hunger and
homelessness today.
Alpha Phi Omega donated its money to Safe Net,
a center for abused women and children, and Tri
Beta donated its money to Habitat for Humanity.
Throughout the night each box had students from
their organization rotating shifts during the 30-
degree weather.
One member from the Trigon box, which was set
NEWS 1-4
EDITORIAL 5
ADS 6
Inside
GREEK SUPPLEMENT 7
ERIE SUPPLEMENT 8
CALENDAR 9
FEATURES 10
where the company's headquarters have been
located since 1958.
"For the past few months we've visited dozens
of sites featuring a variety of landscapes. We have
been pleased with the interest so many communities
have shown for welcoming our headquarters and
workforce and we will now spend the next few
weeks scrutinizing the viability of just a few
locations," said David F. Smith, President of the
Company's utility segment, National Fuel Gas
Distribution Corporation.
Y
i
,~.
~~
~..
Jeffrey Miller, standing second from right, is serving in Afghanistan. He is shown here in August during training at the CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Yacaman Desert, Washington
sq.ft. space on the wall. The only true privacy that
soldiers have is in the port-a-johns on the base.
Most Behrend students couldn't imagine what life
would be like without modern conveniences.
Almost none could imagine what it is like to live
on an Army base among a field of land mines and
wrecked Russian military planes from the Cold War.
"Jeff's camp is right next to the airport, so he
hears the bombers and fighters taking off all night,"
Havey said. "There are also Norwegian and Polish
troops that are removing all the mines, but if they
can't remove them, they have to set them off. He
doesn't even notice [the explosions] any more.
They can also see the Russian fighter planes shot
down during the Cold War, when Russia was
up outside of Bruno's, called it "no sweat," proudly
saying the club raised $l3O.
However, the fundraising wasn't so easy for Delta
Sigma Pi members who gave in to the rainy weather
after only 12 hours and abandoned their box, while
others stuck it out for the lot run. This was what
Two of Alpha Phi Omega's co-ed fraternity brothers, Elizabeth Marton and Nicole Bowser,
bundle up against the cold as they sit in a cardboard shelter to raise money for Safe Net, a local
safehouse for abused women and children. The service fraternity raised $131.22.
HUMOR 11
A&E 12
SPORTS 13-16
If Knowledge Park were favored, however, there
would be many internship and career opportunities
for a number of students in many different majors;
among the top would be business, communications,
and science.
"We've got a shot at it," said Jack Burke, Interim
Provost and Dean. "Certainly the business situation
in terms of running a business are better right now
in Pennsylvania."
He also said that one of the main reasons
Knowled:e Park is still bem considered is because
attempting to take over Afghanistan as a warm
water port."
Miller's training in Seattle prepared him for the
dangers on the base. He took classes in sanitary
precautions (such as keeping out rats) and is
required to take a pill every day to prevent malaria.
At the base, soldiers rotate tower duty, which
requires them to watch the base at night for any
kind of threat (snipers have already attacked the
base; no one was hurt.)
Not everything is weapons and waiting in lines,
though. The base hosts a morale program every
month, which has included a visit from the
Washington Redskins' cheerleaders and actor/
comedian Robin Williams.
participants at one box wanted, making the event
sound like survival of the fittest, saying it was a
"competition."
Other student organizations collected varying
amounts of money. The profits were donated to
help the hur and homeless.
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National Fuel is looking to move out of downtown
Buffalo because of space and security issues.
According to Burke, though, Knowledge Park could
accommodate its space concerns, which involve
mostly parking.
"Our immediate interest was focused on the
workspace needs for the segment of our employee
base now at 10 Lafayette Square, but as we evaluate
KNOWLEDGE
,x ifs ,
"He got to shake [Williams] hand," Havey said.
"He was great. He was supposed to do a standup
routine but he didn't leave until he talked to every
single soldier."
And Havey does send plenty of packages full of
Twizzlers, books, and even a Halloween package
with a trick-or-treat pumpkin bucket. It usually
helps ease the pain of being overseas for the largest
holiday season of the year. Miller is not due back
in the States until next March.
"He reads a lot. There's really not much to do
the only recreation they have is a weight room and
AFGHANISTAN
Marketing Club
new to Behrend
by Jen Henderson
associate editor
If you are looking for a way to expand your port
folio with a little experience in the field of market
ing, look no further. Penn State Behrend sports the
newly formed Marketing Club, started this semes
ter by Tom Medovitch, Kristy Wessel, and Erin
Nichols.
The three found each other when they realized
that they all wanted to start a club of the same inter
est. The constitution was passed unanimously by
the SGA this week. It is now one of the fastest grow
ing clubs on campus.
With approximately 50 members already and
steadily growing, the club has a variety of ideas for
the remainder of this semester and next.
"With the start of the Behrend Marketing Club,
we hope to bring together business majors who are
interested in marketing as well as build a strong
group of students who can identify with each other,"
said Nichols. "I think the Marketing Club is going
to be a great way to get involved on the Behrend
campus and work side by side with different pro
fessors and other student organizations."
Throughout the United States there are roughly
300 collegiate chapters of this group. The AMA,
or American Marketing Association, is a highly re-
MARKETING
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