The Behrend beacon. (Erie, Pa.) 1998-current, February 07, 2003, Image 3

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    behrcolls@aol.com
Question of the Week
■ assistant ncivs editor
"Should NASA continue to send manned shuttles into space?'’
"Yes, because even though we had
the explosion of the shuttle its not
going to happen everytime a shuttle
goes into space. We still need people
to explore. "
JoNette Sims
Business Mangament, 02
COLUMBI
On this day 390 years
ago, the grea t explorer
Sir fra nets Drake died
aboard sing off the coast
of Manama, In his life-
time the great frontiers
mere the oceans, and a
historian inter said, "He
Iwcd by the sea, died on
if and urns buried in it '
Weil, today u : e can say
of the i'hidlenqer new:
-a
Their dedication was,
like Drake s , complete
The crew of the space '
s k nil / e Ch all e nge r hon
ored u< In/ the manner in
which, liken lived their
. Jives,. JV«? will never
forge! them error the last
lime we saw them , this
morning, as they pre
pared for the journey and
waved goodbye and
slipped the surly bonds
of earth' to ‘touch the
lace ot hod,
- Ronald Reagan,
January 28,1986
teaching and research. He also shared
some ideas for increasing the income
brought into Behrend through fundraising
efforts.
“I believe Behrend is a place where I
can leave my imprint in the sand - or 1
should say the snow,” Hoffman said.
Repeatedly, he stressed the importance of
education and the need for faculty and
administration to work together for the
good of the college. In considering the
changes that could be made at Behrend,
he said that the future even a decade from
now will be radically different from the
present and that it was important to try to
build toward that future.
“The world is small and is really getting
dangerous,” Hoffman said, noting that
students face many difficult social issues
that the college should help them work
through. He has headed conferences on
the problems of violence in schools and
communities, and he discussed how
violent crimes at college can be traced
back to delinquent activity in elementary
school.
Hoffman concluded the forum with a
quote by John Donne reflecting his
philosophy as an academic administrator.
‘“No man is an island, entire of
itself...any man’s death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind; and
POWELI
captured recordings because “it was
ridiculous,” he said afterward. In his
rebuttal, Douri said: “Programs for
weapons of mass destruction are not like
an aspirin pill, easily hidden. They require
huge production facilities, starting from
research and development facilities, to
factories, to weaponization, then
deployment. Such things cannot be
concealed. Inspectors have crisscrossed all
of Iraq and have found none of that."
In Baghdad, Gen. Amir Saadi, a
presidential adviser, said Powell’s
presentation was “a typical American
show, complete with stunts and special
"Yes, even though we experienced a
tragedy this is not something that
will occur continuously. Wie can't
panic because of one very sad
occassion."
Jose Vazquez
Computer Engineering: 02
FROM FRONT PAGE
money for the space program is used.
“The shuttle program has siphoned
off lots of money for years,” Walker
said. “The money would be better
spent doing more robotic missions.”
“I think there has been an
overemphasis on manned flights,”
said Knacke. “Everything that can be
done with unmanned flights should be
done that way.”
Unmanned missions are far less
expensive, can travel further into
space, and do not carry the risk of
losing human lives. In addition, many
of the robotic missions, such as those
involving the Mars Rover and Hubble
Telescope, have produced the most
excitement because they were able to
bring back unique images.
“People like pictures,” said Walker.
“They want to see things they’ve
never seen before. Ultimately that is
He noteo that an early goal of the
space program was to develop
reusable unmanned vessels
inexpensive enough to send out
weekly, and he hopes to see the space
program move towards making that a
reality. Nonetheless, all three agree
that there is a place in the space
program for manned missions and
appreciate the bravery of those who
died during these missions.
“I’m not sure I’d do it myself, but I
understand why they do it,” said
Williams. “It’s the thrill of going
therefore never send to know for whom
the bell tolls; it tolls for thee,”’ he said.
The quote proved to be especially timely
as the bells in the Smith Carillon chimed
afterward.
The second candidate, Dr. Mark
McColloch, serves as Vice President for
Academic Affairs at the University of
Pittsburgh at Greensburg, where he has
spent a majority of his career moving up
through the ranks, starting as an assistant
professor of history. He expressed his
opinion that going through the academic
hierarchy is the best method of becoming
the leader of a campus.
Throughout the forum, he noted how
similar Behrend is to his Greensburg
campus. This sense of familiarity is one
reason that the Behrend campus interests
him so much. Beyond the similarities, he
said that Behrend is further along than
Greensburg in its development. He also
said that the position demands a person
of high energy, a description he would
apply to himself, and he is strongly in
favor of public and liberal arts colleges.
“I believe the arts enrich our lives and
enhance the quality of life for everyone,”
he said. He praised the arts and science
programs at Behrend and suggested the
option of choosing a flagship program for
each school.
effects.
The United States also did not appear
to fully convince long-standing skeptics
about the need for imminent military
action. France, Russia and China, three of
the five veto-wielding members of the
Security Council, all called for weapons
inspections to continue.
The Security Council of the United
Nations must do everything it can to
support the inspection process,” Russian
Foreign Minister Igor S. Ivanov said..
France suggested strengthening the
inspections process by doubling or tripling
the number of inspectors. But U.S.
HBvys
Friday, February 7, 2003
"Yes...the truth is out
there."
Victoria Anderson
Communications, 06
somewhere,” he said, comparing the
astronauts to the men who scale
Mount Everest. “We should
remember the astronauts and preserve
the spirit of adventure they stood for.”
Similarly, Walker likened the
astronauts to adventurers like
Marquette and Lewis and Clark..
“These people are putting their lives
at risk to explore,” he said. “Sadly, it
seems the only time people take close
interest in the space program is when
there’s a disaster.”
“I think we all identified with the
astronauts and the dangers they take,”
said Knacke. “It’s a very dangerous
thing to do. It’s pushing frontiers. We
have to work with the risks and
sometimes realize we’ll have unhappy
results. From what I know of them,
this crew was made of remarkable
peopje who realized the risks and were
williat
detract from the madness of the event,
but m&ybe it makes us admire them a
little more.”
“I would not like to see that it shuts
down NASA’s initiative,” said
Williams. “The space program excites
young children. It motivates them to
think about careers in science. I hope
that, in the next one or two centuries,
humans become spacefaring. We go
into space because we can’t help
ourselves. I hope this doesn’t dampen
that spirit.”
When asked about how he would deal
with the difficult economic situation and
the possibility of needing to cut programs,
he said that there are three major criteria
to consider in such discussions:
comparative strengths of the programs,
programs that cannot be cut, and
specialized missions of the college. •
He also discussed the importance of
study abroad; the value of available child
care and of environmental sustainability;
the importance of research; the equality
of responsibility between tenured and
non-tenured faculty; his role in
community involvement and in drug and
alcohol prevention on campus; and the
importance of recognizing the
achievements of faculty.
“There’s always sort of a sense that it’s
like Lake Wobegon - all the faculty are
strong,” he said. He said that faculty
effectiveness should be measured and
rewarded, and faculty abilities should be
nurtured. He particularly emphasized the
significance of peer recognition.
Economics again was raised as an issue
in relation to students, and McColloch
noted that there should be great focus on
financial aid and scholarships. He noted
that at Greensburg, about 80 percent of
the students are employed, and most of
those work about 20 hours a week.
officials showed little interest in the French
proposal or other suggestions for more
time for the inspections.
“If you have mobile biolaboratories, if
you have chemical weapons dispersed, to
military units around the country, moved
out of regular bunkers to God knows
where, if you have missiles hiding under
palm trees and being moved every one to
three weeks, one has to consider whether
any of these proposals would be able to
find these things under the circumstances,"
a senior State Department official said.
Yet with the key potential allies, there
was a slight but noticeable shift in tone
• "Of course! We shall never
• give up!! Although lam really
• sorry about the accident."
• Alex Wu
Electric Engineering, 04
In the skies today we
saw destruction and
tragedy. Yet farther than
we can we there is com -
fort and hope. In the
words o f the prophet
IJfi mmr cues
tsawli
> *■ *
> hie ncii'vi.
Old l
Who created oil fhcs>
}\r;f. 1 i V ifli / l f
Hv loin
starry hosts one by one
and calls them each by
name. Because of His
great power and mighty
strength
: not one of
them is missing ." Tin
same Creator who
h'nines the stars also
knows the names of the
seven semis we mourn
today . The crew o f the
shuttle Columbia did
not return safely to
Larth; yet we can pray
that all are safely home.
- George W. Bush,
February 1,2003
Studies show that grades begin to suffer
when a student works 10 to 15 hours per
week.
“Lots of students have been told it’s
good to work,” he said. “We have to tell
them too much is too much. The smartest
thing is to get out of college as fast, and
with as good of grades, as possible.”
The open forum with the third
candidate for CEO and Dean, Dr.
Anthony G. Collins, will be held at 3 p.m.
BEACON
CEO candidate Dr. Mark McColloch
speaks at an open forum Thursday.
after Powell’s presentation. The foreign
ministers of all three nations also
demanded that Iraq finally and fully
cooperate with U.N. inspections teams
before the Valentine’s Day report. France,
which has led the opposition,
acknowledged Iraq’s possession of
chemical and biological weapons and did
not rule out the use of force.
“The use of force can only be a final
recourse. If this approach fails and leads
us to an impasse, we will not rule out any
option, including, as a last resort, the use
of force, as we have said all along,”
The Behrend Beacon
• "I think they should con
• time because we have a lot
• more to learn about spaced'
• jasott Kraus
Electrical Engineering, 02
Behrend to replace
student ID numbers
by Kristen Schrum
staff writer
Want another number? Well, it’s com
ing. A plan has been set to replace Social
Security numbers as student identification
with random nine-digit numbers by the
fall of 2004. The onset of this decision
was concern from students for identity
theft.
Students may wonder why such a per
sonal number was used in the first place.
Years ago, using Social Security numbers
for student ID was not such an issue. They
were easy to use because people already
knew them. Now, virtually all transac
tions are performed electronically. Credit
card applications and banking, which ask
for your Social Security number, can now
be performed online. This can make So
cial Security numbers more accessible for
potential identity theft. The new student
ID numbers will help protect confidenti
ality and will replace Social Security num
bers as the prime form of sti^l&ftt' ujentjifi
cation. Many details must be taken into
consideration to put this plan into action.
“There is a planning committee at work,
preparing implications [of the plan] for the
President [of Penn State],” said Interim
CEO and Dean Dr. Jack Burke.
Those who pushed for this change in
clude the Council of Commonwealth Stu
dent Governments. The CCSG includes
representatives from all 19 Penn State lo
cations. This committee voiced their con
cern for this issue to University Park.
Other students would agree with the
CCSG.
“I’m glad that my private information
will now truly be private,” said Adam
Sweeney, senior.
As with all changes, this one will cost
money. This switch is obviously a lot more
complicated than just changing some
numbers. The main costs will come from
hiring computer programmers to repro
gram the system. Also, test procedures
must be developed to make sure the new
program works. Inevitably, all Student ID
cards will have to be replaced.
“The biggest cost is the massive con
version,” said Dr. Burke. All programs
that involve student identification must be
converted to the new numbers. The total
cost for this plan has not yet been deter
mined.
Social Security numbers will still be
used for those who work for the Univer
sity. The number is still needed for the
tax system.
■ Some students don’t want this change
to occur. Amy Wilczynski, a junior, does
not feel threatened by possible identity
theft. In fact, she likes using her social
security number for her student ID.
“I use it for everything and I don’t have
to memorize another nine-digit number,”
said Wilczynski.
Penn State is not the only college that
has made the decision to make the switch.
Other colleges such as the City College
of San Francisco are also concerned for
their identities, and their bank accounts.
French Foreign Minister Dominique de
Villepin said.
The hall was hushed as Powell set the
stage for an extraordinary unveiling of
evidence—a multimedia show that revealed
as much about U.S. intelligence capabilities
as it did about Iraq’s attempts to hide its
weapons programs.
Ambassadors and ministers—including
Iraqi diplomats who were specially invited
to sit at the Security Council’s horseshoe
table—listened in as an Iraqi general
ordered an underling to conceal weapons
materials.
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