It • From athlete to chef? See page 13 • 4 .--.."'"'Jft.-...., , , S.. ',%, , . J s 'l ', The BehrendE„,Beacori ~,.. November 21, 2003 NOV 21 2003 14 Pages •4- - licoaEG4 No. 11 Vol. LI 40A Penn State .F."vitT '.t - 1141cAfIRAR_ritt.Iii,. - 414 - 1,111. J ,- . Students 'weight' to get buff by Ray Immekus staff writer Working out is an activity that many Behrend students enjoy. However, when they go to the Jageman Fitness Center and spend more time waiting for a machine than actually using it, it is not a rewarding activity. "This is a big college, we need a big weight room. I think we need to ex pand," said Nick Kish, AG 01. There are a lot of machines in a little room, which crowds things up in there. I just think they need to expand, maybe make two weight rooms, like one down in Erie (Hall) or one up on the hill some where." This seems to be a popular complaint among the school's weight-trainers and other students who try to utilize the Jageman Fitness Center. Jageman suf fers from over-crowding, especially be tween the hours of 4 and 9 p.m. The Junker Center replaced Erie Hall in 2001 as the principal indoor athletic facility on campus. Erie Hall was reno vated to accommodate offices, but the first-floor gym remains open and is used for intramurals. Jageman has about 10 treadmills and ellipticals, along with 10 to 15 other various weight lifting machines, seven benches and a plethora of free weights. There is very little empty space left in the weight room, so students are often shoulder to shoulder in certain areas. "I go lifting a lot at night, and I'd say one out of five people in there really aren't doing anything," said Bill Scheuer, BUS 01. "People go in there just to like hang out, just to stand around and talk to buddies and friends and stuff. If we could somehow regu late the socialization and keep it strictly lifting, that would be great." Volunteers provide hope during hunger and homelessness week by Eileen Jensen staff writer Some people may say there is no cure for homelessness, but in the past week many faculty and students became aware that one act of kindness can make a difference. According to the 2002 Census Bureau, nearly 34.6 million Americans live in poverty, roughly 1.7 million more than last year. Penn State Behrend students have made a difference and contributed to helping the homeless. Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week began on Monday with the Empty Soup Bowl Dinner. The featured speaker was Jonathan Hall. He spoke of his experiences in the Peace Corps. Kelly Shrout, Coordinator of Community Service and The Smith Chapel, attended the luncheon on Monday. She said the reason she attended this event was because "the concept of hunger and homelessness is meaningful to me." Shrout learned that "you can be old and go into the Peace Corps" speaking of Hall's example he spoke about. He spoke of President Jimmy Carter's mother entering the Peace Corps. There is very intensive training in order to be active in the Peace Corps and you learn your desired skill once you enter job training. Many people believe that once you sign to be a part of the Peace Corps, that you are sent right into the working field, but that isn't the case. One experience that Shrout got from this event was "anybody can volunteer and it's not that hard. There are so many ways to volunteer." NEWS 1-4 EDITORIAL 5 A&E 8-9 NAT'L CAMPUS NEWS 6 FEATURE 10 When asked what her view on hunger and homelessness is in society, Shrout said "it's a serious problem here in Erie and there are many ways to reach out to them (homeless people)." Shrout believes it is important to help advocate hunger and homelessness week. "Penn State supports hunger and homelessness through the United Way. The United Way is the official philanthropy that we (Penn State) are supportive of," said Shrout. "The United Way reaches out to so many organizations and that's what's best," she said Beginning at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, students set up their cardboard cities throughout campus and began to "beg" for money in order to raise money for organizations that support hunger and homelessness. Three organizations raised money while experiencing firsthand what homeless people experience everyday of their lives. Lauren Piera, POLSC, 07, of Alpha Phi Omega, said the reason they (APO) chose to be involved in the Cardbq,arcl City was because "it is an excellent cause and a cherished club tradition." According to Piera, "getting people to acknowledge us is always the most difficult, and weather might not cooperate." When asked about the number of people who acknowledged the "homeless," Piera said "most people either say they have no money or just put their heads down and walk, but some scrounge around in the pockets to give change, so it is not a lost cause!" Overcrowded weight rooms such as the one pictured above have many students in an uproar over the size of the facilities. "For how many people who use the weight room it should be twice the size," said Jeff Peterson, ENGL 03 The men's and women's basketball teams often have mandatory lifting ses sions in Jageman in the evening, plus individuals from other athletic teams lift on their own. These players com bined with other serious weight lifters and exercisers, leave no room for so cializers and slackers. An estimated 50 to 65 students use the weight room between these hours, but the number is deflated because many do not sign the book. "One of the reasons that the weight room is so full is because 'weight loss slash skinniness' is in style and many Behrend students are trying to get in style," said Adam Best, MRKT 07, Some students seem to come to the weight room just to enjoy the scenery of the opposite sex. The guys get girls Piera said that one thing she would want others to know about homelessness is to "remember that there are many people that are less fortunate than we are." Representing the Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship, Cassie Willey, MEBD, 07 said that reason the Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship organization decided to participate in the Cardboard City event was because "Jesus was concerned with people's physical needs, so we believe that we should be also. It is easy to ignore the needs of people in the world when we have food and shelter. People need to make a conscious choice to sympathize with the needs of others by becoming educated about what is going on in the world around them." A third time contributor to the Cardboard City event, Willey said the hardest part of participating is that "it's obviously cold. It can also be discouraging to ask people for money for a good cause and have them just walk away." "Most people acknowledged me, but people aren't usually IY LIVING 11 SPORTS 13-14 in short shorts or tight pants to gaze at, while the ladies have muscular men with cut off shirts on to stare at. One student, who wishes just to be known as "Dr. Seuss had this to say: "I don't go to the gym to do curls for girls. Forget the curls, I'm there just for the girls." Although this approach does not re flect a majority of students that use willing to give money. We're all poor college students, but why is it that we'll freely spend money on pizza, but not on supporting worthwhile causes?" said Willey. "Cardboard City is a good opportunity to put yourself in the shoes of a homeless person if only for a few hours," said Willey. A student braves the cold weather while residing in his box for twenty four during a Card board City event last spring. The money raised from Cardboard Cities go to charities that fight hunger and homlessness. Contact Us NEWSROOM: 898-6488 E-MAIL: Offices are located FAX: 898-6019 behrcolls@aol.com downstairs in the Reed Union Building According to the National Coalition Jageman, those students who are social izing, are crowding the weight room and are keeping many serious weight lifters from finishing in a reasonable amount of time. Right now a second weight room is not in the picture. "For how many people who use the weight room it should be twice the size," said Jeff Peterson, ENGL 03. for the Homeless, more than 3.5 million Americans experience homelessness each year. When people mention that one person can't make a difference, think about the students who have made a difference in the community this week. Everyone can make a positive difference in the lives of others, by just giving a little bit of themselves once in a while.
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