behrcolls@aol.com
est • on
of the week
by Jen Henderson,
assistant news editor
Seniors halfway
or Senior Class
by Christine Kleck
advertising manager
A lion statue for the Behrend
community is on the prowl and making
its way toward campus, thanks to
pledges made by the graduating seniors
from the class of 2003.
After Monday and Tuesday's Senior
Salute Days the committee announced
that pledge amounts show the class is
more than halfway to reaching its goal
of $lO,OOO to purchase the lion statue.
So far, $5,182 has been raised.
Around 20 percent, or 121 of the
more than 400 members of the
graduating class of 2003, have pledged
money towards the project. Pledges
will continue to be accepted until
spring commencement. Following
spring commencement, the December
2003 graduating class will take the
project over, as it will continue
fundraising efforts to bring the lion
home.
Seniors stopping by the pledge table
at Senior Salute days this past Monday
and Tuesday received a wide variety
of free Penn State Alumni
merchandise. Those who pledged
money by 5 p.m. Tuesday were placed
in a drawing for a $5O gift certificate
to the Millcreek Mall or a $25 gift
certificate to the Olive Garden. Jeffery
A. Reed won the Olive Garden gift
cert'ficate and William J. Dip:' , .cido
won the Mil!creek Mall gift certificate.
The Senior Class Gift committee is
beginning the second half of the
to goal
Gift
campaign for the lion statue. Anyone
who is interested in the committee, the
statue or making a pledge toward the
gift is asked to contact Kevin Moore,
director of alumni relations at 898-
6475 or kem7@psu.edu.
PHOTO BY ROB WYNNE /
BEHREND BEACON
Behrend student Jeff Reed receives
a $25 gift certificate to the Olive Gar
den after winning the Senior Class
Gift drawing. Not pictured is William
Dipiacido, who won a $5O gift certifi
cate to the mall in the drawing. Stu
dents who donated to the Senior
Class Gift last week were eligible for
prizes.
Friday, April 11, 2003
Amy Hempel to present lyrical prose
Writer Amy Hempel will read at
Behrend on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Reed
Lecture Hall. The event is free and open
to the public.
Amy Hempel's lyrical prose has been
called "deeply affecting," with "a taut and
slangy conversational verve that generates
its own energy." "What one cherishes in
Amy Hempel," Robert Towers wrote in
The New York Times Book Review, "are
her quirky sensibility and beautifully honed
verbal craft."
Hempel has published three collections
of fiction, "Reasons to Live" (1985) and
"At the Gates of the Animal Kingdom"
(1990), both from Knopf, and "Tumble
Home" (1997) from Scribner. She has pub
lished fiction and nonfiction in such pres
tigious venues as "Best American Short
Stories," "Esquire," "Vogue," "New York
Times Magazine," "Vanity Fair,"
"Harper's," "The Quarterly," "The Norton
Anthology of Short Fiction," and many
others. She also co-edited the poetry an
thology "Unleashed" (1997) from Crown
Press, and was awarded a Guggenheim
Fellowship in 2000.
She teaches in the Graduate Writing Pro
gram at Bennington College. She has also
taught at New York University, The New
School in New York City, Washington Uni
versity in St. Louis, Duke University, and
Beloit College.
A reception will be held Thursday at 4
p.m. at the Logan House. The event is
sponsored by the Clarence A. Smith and
Eugenie Bauman Smith fund.
New pattern improves traffic flow
by Erin Linn
contributing writer
Construction began before the 2002-03
school year on a traffic pattern that would
improve traffic flow at Behrend's
entrance and eliminate congestion. With
enrollment at an all-time high and
increasing, the amount of traffic is
increasing as well, causing the need for a
better system.
Prior to this school year, a one-way stop
sign was in place at the only entrance to
the University. The stop sign was off the
only road leading to the Interstate for two
miles, leaving the road as an extremely
high volume area. It was clear that a
change was needed, as many were forced
Demonstrators, Red Cross show support for troops
by Jesse Anderson
contributing writer
The war on Iraq is one topic that
every type of media has covered in the
past several weeks. Many individuals
are against this war. They feel that the
casualties caused by fighting are not
worth it. Others support it.
No matter your personal opinion
regarding this issue, many people die
for this country. Thousands of men,
women, grandchildren, nieces and
nephews fight for America's freedom.
Thousands of people here in the states
support those overseas in Iraq, with
rallies, protests, or simply placing an
American flag outside their home.
In Harrisburg last Saturday,
thousands of flag-waving
demonstrators filled the steps of the
Pennsylvania State Capitol building.
The demonstrators spoke out as much
Amy Hempel has published fiction and nonfiction. She will read
in Reed on Thursday at 7 p.m.
to sit at that stop sign for up to five
minutes before getting a chance to go.
"I like the new stop light because you
do not have to wait for traffic in order to
pull out," said Lyndsey Boor, a
Communication and Media Studies major
and senior at Behrend. Boor, who resides
on campus, knew all too well the
frustrations of driving from the
University. She said it was always a
headache to go anywhere.
During peak times, Police and Safety
helped out tremendously by controlling
traffic to eliminate the congestion, but it
still was not working. There was just too
much traffic.
Construction began in the summer and
was nearly finished by the first snowfall.
against anti-war groups as they were
to support U.S. troops in the Persian
Gulf.
The rally was organized by a
conservative radio station in
Harrisburg. The rally had a noisy and
even festive atmosphere as the people
chanted and sang patriotic songs to
support Americans in Iraq.
Demonstrators say the media covers
the anti-war participants, rather than
writing about those who support the
men and women overseas. The point
of the rally was to let troops know that
plenty of people in the U.S. support
them, even if they are outnumbered by
anti-war protesters. A police officer,
John Capps, said he hopes that the rally
sends a message to troops that "we
really are supporting their efforts."
This is a brief example of what
thousands of Americans are doing all
over the United States. In Erie, the
local American Red Cross is helping
The Behrend Beacon
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Construction workers had successfully re
routed the road, installed a new traffic
light and started expanding the exterior
road. The traffic light was put in place in
an attempt to improve the situation, but
what do students think?
"It does help relieve some of the
congestion, but it is confusing, especially
to those who do not usually drive to
Behrend," said Erika Dauber, a senior in
Communication and Media Studies.
Dauber believes that it has eliminated
some traffic, but during peak times there
is still a lot of congestion. Dauber, a
commuter student, understands like all
other students that the congestion will not
disappear though, due to the increasing
number of students enrolling at Behrend.
aid the troops and their families that
remain in the Erie region. John
Furman, C.E.O. of the Red Cross, says
they have sent more than 40 qualified
Red Cross workers overseas. The
workers tend to the needs of troops 24
hours a day.
The American Red Cross is also
partners with American Armed Forces,
which sends emergency information
directly to the Red Cross. Furman
suggests to family members of troops
to send letters through the federal mail
or email, because it is very difficult to
get anything to the troops with such
high security surrounding them. For
further information regarding the
American Red Cross, call 833-0942
and ask for Furman.
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