fr The Behrend Beacon
J \ February 21,2003 ? ? ?nfn l2 Pa g es
Vol. L &&HBEMD COLLEGE No. 13
‘Rossum’s Universal Robots' are
by Maria Barron
staff writer
Imagine a world that existed about
80 years ago, where a few scientists
on an island discovered how to
manufacture artificial people.
They look just like humans, and
they outnumber the human race by
one thousand to one. Their purpose
is to produce so much everything
that humans will never have to work
again.
Artificial intelligence seems to be
the answer to all the world’s
problems. But everyone knows that
when something sounds too good to
be true, it usually is. Find out what
happens when all but one of the
world’s humans are wiped off the
face of the earth and the rule of the
robots begins.
Tonight, the Studio Theater will be
taken over by robots. Yes, robots -
“Rossum’s Universal Robots” to be
exact. A few of Behrend’s
exceptionally talented students,
under the direction of Paula Barrett,
will be performing.
Make no mistake, the student
production of ‘R.U.R.’ will shock
and amaze you. It is the last show
at Behrend that Barrett will direct,
as she will teach and direct solely at
Gannon next semester. If you’ve
Moscow Chamber Orchestra
The Music at Noon series continued Tuesday with a performance by the world-renowned Moscow Chamber Or
chestra, a large ensemble with musicians from around the world. The group’s culturally diverse ideology has
helped it break musical barriers, such as being the first Russian orchestra to tour South Africa.
Behrend students forego food to thwart famine
by Jen Henderson
assistant news editor
In order to raise money for a worth
while cause, sometimes you have to
give up something you need.
Students here at Penn State Behrend
will give up food for 30 hours to raise
money for World Vision, an organiza
tion that helps various communities and
located around the world with essen
tial needs such as nutrition.
Communities also need assistance,
perhaps even long term, to enable
places to keep their standard of living
above malnutrition and starvation.
Students who choose to participate in
this meaningful event start their fast at
9 a.m. on Friday. They are allowed to
eat breakfast that day, but it must occur
before the start time. The famine fin
ishes at 3 p.m. on Saturday when the
group gets a free meal
NEWS 1 -3 FEATURES 6-7
NATL CAMPUS NEWS 4 CALENDAR 8
EDITORIAL 5 A&E 9
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
“R.U.R.” cast members (from left) Luka LoDico, Maria Barron, Jared Semrau, Marvin Telp, Ryan Stare, and Rob
Frank are caught in an intense scene. The play starts tonight and runs through March 2.
try Buffet. The restaurant donates the
meal to all involved in response to such
a genuine effort of charity.
Jennifer Kuntz has participated in this
event for four years and has nothing but
positive things to say about the event.
“Personally, I like to participate in the
event because it gives me the opportu
nity to truly help people in need,” said
Kuntz. ‘The money raised goes straight
to people who need it. At the same time,
I am getting to do service for others and
growing spiritually in my walk with
God.
“When I am fasting it is amazing to
realize how much time I spend eating
and digesting food and how much en
ergy it all takes. At the same time, I am
stepping into someone else’s shoes to see
what it’s like to not have food for three
meals a day and to imagine what it is
like to not know when my next meal is
Don’t feel sorry for these students
starving themselves for 30 hours. They
will be quite occupied during this time
period. On Friday, there are a number
of activities scheduled, such as a
Playdoh craft, ice breakers, decorating
and spray painting t-shirts to wear to
the events of the weekend, watching
movies, and playing board games.
In the midst of all of this, they will
also spend time listening to a speaker
about service projects and Third World
countries, perform skits based on Bible
verses, and sing worship songs. All of
these activities are sponsored by the
Catholic Campus Ministry and Protes
tant Campus Ministries.
“I think that the 30 hour famine is a
unique and fun way to raise money for
a great cause,” said participant Debbie
Crawford. “Many times people wish
that they could do something to fight
world hunger or to offer health care to
HUMOR 10
SPORTS 11-12
those who could really need it. Did you
know that $5O helps provide an orphaned
African child with access to education,
food and special one-on-one assistance?
Not many really know what a few dol
lars can do, but now they can get a
glimpse of the effort.
“I am so thankful for an opportunity
to not only spend a weekend in the com
munity volunteering with fellow stu
dents and faculty, but also to spread the
awareness of global poverty. I am eager
to volunteer and participate in an event
that is both spiritually nurturing and
emotionally rewarding!”
On Saturday the group will do service
projects at local places in Erie. The
group will go to the Erie Homes for Chil
dren and Adults, the Florence Crittendon
Home, the Blasco Library, and the Erie
City Mission Thrift Shop. They will then
wrap up their day at the Old Country
Contact Us
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FAX: 898-6019 behrcolls@aol.com downstairs in the
Reed Union Building
Fun in the snow
Outdoors Club hosts Winter Olympics
by Katie Zeliars
staff writer
Erie is notorious for its snow and the
Outdoors Club has decided to take
advantage of that. On Sunday at noon,
the Outdoors Club will host the
Behrend Winter Olympics on the ski
slope.
“Come see fiery crashes on sleds.
Don’t ask how it can happen, but it can
and it will,” said club secretary Floyd
Mattie.
Teams can consist six to eight
people. Students can sign up at the
RUB desk; the entry fee is $1 per
person. Organizations are welcome to
sponsor a team in their name.
The Games will have three events,
including the blindfolded snowman
building. One team member will be
able to dictate directions to teammates,
who are blindfolded, in how to build
the snowman. Points will be given for
speed and height. Nothing under four
feet will be accepted.
The second event will be a “Behrend
Style” biathalon/iditarod. The race
will be held on the Behrend fields flat.
The teams will cross country ski to a
target and throw snowballs at it. Once
the target is hit they will ski back and
tag in the remaining members to pull
a sled with their teammate on it to the
coming
ever had her as a teacher or seen a
performance that she directed, you
know that you won’t want to miss
this play.
‘R.U.R.’ was written in the 1920 s
by Karel Capek. It is a science
fiction drama that analyzes man’s
need to perfect himself: a woman’s
effect on man, and man's arrogance
in believing that humans can create
a person more perfectly than God.
If you like science fiction, you
will love it. If you like romance,
you will love it. The show is a bit
melodramatic and a bit ridiculous,
but then again, what isn’t? This
show is guaranteed to make you
think, it pushes lines and puts a lot
of, “what if’s” out there for the
audience to ponder. Above all, it is
entertaining.
‘R.U.R.’ will run until March 2.
There will not be a show on
Monday. Tickets are $3 each and
are currently available at the RUB
desk. Shows will begin at 8 p.m.
with the exception of Sunday
matinees, but if you want a good
seat, it would be a good idea to
show up a little bit early.
If you are looking to have a good
time, be intellectually stimulated, or
just to relax, ‘R.U.R.’ is the place
to be every night at 8 p.m.
finish line.
The highlight event of the day will
be the Anything that Slides race. For
this event teams will design their own
sleds. The Outdoors Club is hoping
for some really creative sleds so
points will be awarded for creativity,
as well as who finishes the race first.
The ehib will give out awards and
prizes in the closing ceremonies. Hot
chocolate will be sold at the Winter
Olympics, as well, to help keep
participants and spectators warm.
Weather can be very unpredictable,
so the Outdoors Club hopes that it
will remain cold and snowy. In case
there is no snow, the club seems
confident it can still create a fun day.
In response to the chance that they
could have no snow Sunday,
President Keenan Hansen said,
“Instead of the Winter Olympics it
will be the Winter Thaw Olympics
and the events are to be announced.”
Whatever the weather may be, the
Winter Olympics should be a lot of
fun, the club says. They encourage
people to come out, have a good time.
“Watch people wreck on their sleds
and your friends bump into each
other building a snowman
blindfolded,” Outdoors Club member
Mindy Schwartz said.
Buffet
Approximately 20 people will par
ticipate this year. Last year there were
30. Hopefully in the future the num
ber will grow and more people will see
what a rewarding experience the fam-
ine can be.
“There are few activities offered on
such a large scale that exemplify
Christ’s teaching on whole-hearted ser
vice,” said participant J. R. Rummel.
“The real question is, why wouldn’t I?”
“When you take the opportunity to
view life from someone else’s perspec
tive, it really changes your attitude of
how you view your life,” said Kuntz.
“I always walk away from the famine
with a deeper sense of gratitude for the
multitude of blessings I have in my life;
even the simple beauties and pleasures
of having a house to live in and more
than enough food to eat.”