Courtney Straub & Justin Curry, News Editors =T' Mars, Venus converge on Behrend campus by Courtney Straub news editor "What really makes up a relationship?" and "Who really wants to have sex all the time?" were some of the questions discussed at the Mars and Venus Relationship Forum held on Tuesday. The forum was held in the Multi- Cultural Council Suite and was sponsored by Human Relations Programming Council (HRPC) Last year the e-board of the HRPC came up with the idea for the Mars and Venus Relationship Forum. To prepare for the forum, the HRPC left a box outside of the MCC for students to put questions in. "They could ask whatever kinds of questions they wanted about males and females," said Tameka Tilliman, president of HRPC. The HRPC set the mood in the MCC suite by dimming the lights and playing slow music. Approximately twenty students participated in the fo rum. "We always get good participation," said Tilliman, "but this time they were more diverse, which I thought was good." INA Elections Official Results; I Freshman Senator Positions 1 1 Deepti Sonni Ashley Pourmehr Jason Flaherty i Aaron Wood i I ' Open Senate Position Kathleen Streaker i Christopher Myers :Matthew Johnson 'Keenan Hansen Leap sign up to be an RA by Jessica Allegretto "Congratulations for taking the first step in exploring an opportunity, which could change your life." These words mark the beginning of yet another annual quest to find applicants for the position of resident assistant here at Behrend. Each year the office of student affairs recruits students to fill distinctive roles within the university's residence halls, suites and apartments. The selected students, termed resident assistants, serve as role models, disciplinarians, mediators, advisers, and liaisons between students residing on campus and other members of the Penn State University community. There are a total of 42 RAs currently employed at Behrend College, and the addition of an new residence hall, Senat Hall, to be completed for the fall 2004 semester will bring that number to 47. Requirements for resident assistant contenders include a 2.5 semester GPA, 24 completed credit hours, satisfactory behavior history, successful completion of a three-credit training course and interview process and positive recommendations from professors, among other things. Those students chosen to be resident assistants will arrive one week earlier than the rest of the campus to train and prepare for arrival day. Throughout the semester they are required to be on duty approximately one night each week and one weekend per month, making rounds and maintaining order within their buildings. Additionally, each RA is responsible for planning a variety of social, educational, and diversity promoting programs to, in the words of Assistant Director of Residence Life Jill Parker, "help build into your future: staff writer Participants were divided into two sections. The males sat on one side of the room and the females on the Questions were chosen at random from the box. The person with the corresponding number got a chance to answer the question first. Then the question was open to everyone. "I think it went over very well," said Tilliman. In November they will be holding a part two to the relationship forum. This one will be called "A Woman's Work" On Oct. 28 at 6:30 p.m. there will be a program Heteorosexuality, Race, and Religion" in the MCC suite. The purpose of the forum is to explain the misconceptions people have about the three categories. In November another program will be held in the MCC suite. This one will be entitled "Tearing down exist ing myths and barriers". "This one's a game show format," said Tilliman. The group will be divided into two sides. Each side gets a chance to ask questions and the other side decides if the question is a myth or fact. 3 out of 4 179 votes 159 votes 148 votes 137 votes (1 out of 4) 80 votes 60 votes 52 votes 49 votes a sense of community" among the residents of their floor. So why would any college student juggling classes, work, friends and family commitments volunteer for so much added responsibility? Surprisingly enough, the student body almost always responds enthusiastically to the call for resident assistant candidates. As of Thursday, almost 120 applications had been requested, and the Office of Student Affairs expects to interview at least 70 or more of those applicants. The monetary compensation offered is enough reason for some financially strapped students to try for the position. In addition to free room and board, RAs can also receive a complimentary meal plan and anywhere from a $275 to $7OO stipend to use toward their tuition. But more importantly, being an RA is a once-in a-lifetime experience. Parker said of the position, "The first benefit is the leadership abilities you learn so many awesome skills to use when you get out in the real world paperwork, people skills it looks really great on a résumé." So what qualities should an RA hopeful possess? "We're looking for someone with great leadership potential," said Parker, "Some who's really personable; you know, a person people can relate to...and someone who takes their schoolwork seriously. We have a cutoff of 2.5 (GPA) and we stick to it." Applications are available in the Office of Student Affairs for all interested students, and are due by 5 p.m. on Oct. 17. Interviews will be conducted during the evenings of Oct. 26 28, and those chosen to be resident assistants for the 2004 school year will be notified on Nov. 7. V ki.,i , ,ltriiiiiil.l.ii i , ~AA :: .: , •c , ,...: , ,,,, ~.j : ~i ' ,. i 4 Oti, : i , : . !:" 1 ;01, , ,s: Ozit 4 iitg. 3f ;: ,],,.• .: ,:1!k,.!. - • ' ''''''. ''''''''' '''' - 'l, , ,lt , ':t:=A ,4.,;:','• ~ , ~,: ti riiii '''. l :;'''''''''''''' .. ''''''''. •:." Friday October 10, 2003 GRAND DESTINY University-wide campaign raises $1.3 Billion to secure its future by B.J. Shields staff writer Ever thought about why certain buildings on campus bear the names of people, or perhaps wondered why scholarships have somebody's name on it? Or maybe at some point been curious as to how the college funds some of the research, or for that matter how the programs themselves are funde?. While individual education is paid for through yearly tuition, the amount paid to attend classes at Behrend is not enough to keep the college running. As a public University, one might believe that tax dollars fund the infrastructure of the college, but that is not the case either. As a matter of fact, Penn State receives the least amount of funds per student out of all the public universities in the Commonwealth. The truth of the matter is that much of what you see and experience as a student at Penn State Erie is made possible through the donation of private funds. Without this type of funding, Behrend would quite simply not exist. In 1882, when Penn State was called the Pennsylvania State College, then President George Atherton spoke on his ambitions for the college graduates. He said that as a result of their education, students should see themselves "...not just as winners of bread, but as a moral force in the world...and with the possibilities of a grand destiny which they must labor to achieve." These words were adapted and used as the theme of Penn State's University wide fund-raising campaign which began July 1, 1996, and culminated June 30,2003. Named "A Grand Destiny: the Penn State Campaign," a record $1.3 billion was raised state-wide, making it by far the largest fund-raising effort in Penn State history. Here at Penn State Erie, the original Latest Construction News -Senat Hall is about 3 weeks behind schedule due to the wet weather. -The Research and Economic Development Center (REDC) should be out to bid by the end of the month and construction will begin in March. -A new sidewalk is now under construction and will allow students to walk to the Junker Center from the east side of Jordan Road to Aquarious Drive. ,:?,. ~ s gok4;ia ',i4E#O:4C77- financial goal was established at $2l million. By the close of the campaign, that goal was far exceeded as campaign gifts to Behrend totaled $51.7 million. All of these funds remain in the Behrend community, and are used to create scholarships, new programs, and new facilities. Campus CEO and Dean Dr. Jack Burke noted, "When we began the campaign, we had 58 endowed funds, and today we have 113." The respective increase from $5.3 million to $34 million has led to the college, for the first time, to grant over a half-million dollars in endowed scholarships, allowing Behrend to attract and help academically talented students from inside and outside the region. Additionally, these gifts make higher education a reality for students who otherwise could not afford to attend college. In addition to the creation of new scholarships, these substantial new endowments have provided support for the establishment of faculty chairs and research. "Other gifts have enabled us to add important new buildings and acquire property needed to assure room for future growth, and thanks to the transformational gift to name and endow the Sam and Irene Black School of Business, we have our first named school at Penn State Behrend," said Ed Blaguszewski, Behrend's Manager of University Relations. Charitable donors don't just hand money out to the college, though. The process of successfully soliciting donations involves the efforts of hundreds of university and civic leaders. Key factors include effective planning and a good case for support to take to the community. "Before any institution launches a fund-raising campaign, it makes a The Behrend Beacon strategic assessment of its needs as well as a market assessment of how much support it can expect from potential stakeholders," said Blaguszewski. The overall campaign was organized by the Penn State Board of Trustees. Penn State President Graham Spanier, a Campaign Committee comprised of volunteers and the University Development office. "Each (campus) worked with officials at University Park to establish local campaign goals and strategy." said Blaguszewski. Locally, former Provost and Dean John Lilley headed the campaign as the college's chief administrator. Lilley was succeeded Burke. The local campaign chair was Edward P. "Ted" Junker 111, and the vice chairs, P.C. "Hoop" Roche and Robert D. Metzgar. The three chairmen all graduated from Behrend, and have since made significant financial contributions to the campus. "(The) Corporate Campaign will benefit the region's people, securing the future of the college as a resource which greatly enhances the economic and social well-being of our community," said Junker. Community leaders who led the Corporate Campaign, which solicited major businesses, were Samuel P. Black 111 and George A. Clark. Robert Farrell chaired the Faculty and Staff Campaign, and other contributing volunteers were Joseph Benacci, Kurt Buseck, Jack Fatica, Louis Pollock and Gary Raimy. These and other volunteers and staff took a well-articulated mission and set of priorities into the Erie region, convincing donors to invest in Penn State Erie both for the good of its students and the future of the region. It is through their efforts that Behrend will remain an integral part of Erie's economy, and an institution that will continue to educate tomorrow's leaders. Carrasquero ,left, and David Daquelente ,right, enjoy working together Be/ow: Coordinators (from left) Jill Forsman, Jaime Russell, Jill Parker, and Meeghan Trumbull look over RA Page Left . Two current Perry Hall Resident Assistants, Jair
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