Justin Curry & Angela Szesciorka, news editors Ohio Hall Council plans first-ever Homecoming by Justin Curry news editor Homecoming. It brings back memories for the majority of students of high school football games, dances and highly-coveted royalty status. After this year, that word might also spark memories of Behrend in students. Ohio Hall Council had been working since October to plan the first-ever Behrend Homecoming weekend, slated for Feb. 11-13,2004. “Behrend has never had a homecoming before,” said Jenna Boazzo CENBD 03, president of OHC, “so we planned this event during basketball season not only to give the teams some extra support, but also to bring a sense of unity to Behrend.” That sense of unity was first felt in an e-mail that was sent to every executive board member of every registered club and organization on campus. The e-mail explained what Homecoming was about, as well as gave the dates for the game and dance. Originally, the game was set for Feb. 4, against Pitt-Bradford and the dance was to be the following Friday, Feb. 6. OHC changed the date of the weekend after seeing that their original date was the same as the Dance Marathon that is being planned on campus. The e-mail also asked clubs and organizations what their thoughts were about Homecoming weekend. Questions regarding funding, theme generation and the success of the event were all asked. So far, response from the clubs has been low. “The only club that has taken a very large role in this is LEB,” said Boazzo. “They have sent me their nominations, feedback on the event, as well as a list of people who are willing to help out with Homecoming.” The Student Athletic Advisory Committee has also taken a large role in the planning and execution gf Homecoming. 2003 college grads face tough job market by Rob Wynne managing editor For students like Julie Lafferty, graduating from college meant moving on - moving on right back to Behrend. Lafferty, 22, graduated from Behrend last December with a bachelor’s degree in political science. Despite sending out numerous applications and resumes, Lafferty decided to go back to school and pick up another degree, this time in history. Despite the hiring slump in 2003, Lafferty feels that teaching might be a better bet in her career hunt. “I applied to different firms in the Erie area to be a paralegal. I also tried some federal agencies like the CIA and FBI, but I don’t meet the age/height/weight requirements. The CIA didn’t hire me because I wasn’t bilingual, and you can’t get certified to teach with just a political science degree, so I decided to take 30 credits to complete my History major so I can go to Mercyhurst as part of the 4+l teaching program,” said Lafferty. According to the National Association Students share by Justin Curry news editor In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday, the Penn State Erie Office of Educational Equity Programs, in conjunction with the Student Activity Fee, planned a weeklong celebration to commemorate King’s legacy and lifetime. This year’s celebration is titled “To see a change, be a change,” and will feature performances, lectures, movies and service projects throughout the week. Beginning Sunday, January 19 at 7 p.m. in Reed 117, there wasl be a showing of “Remember the Titans.” The movie, starring Denzel Washington highlights the perils of integration in a southern Virginia high school in the early 19705. Monday’s festivities began with a family breakfast held from 7 to 8 a.m. in Bruno’s. This meal was held to honor one of Dr. King, Jr’s, traditions, which was celebrating his birthday with his family and friends at breakfast. The guest speaker was Penn State alum Jeanine M. McCreary, who currently serves as an Erie School Board “Brian Streeter is extremely excited,” said Boazzo. The last part of the e-mail also explained to clubs that they would be able to nominate a candidate for king and queen “All clubs are able to make nominations for king and queen,” said Boazzo. “The clubs can nominate one male, one female, or one of each, depending on the interest in their club.” The only stipulation, according to the e-mail, is that the candidates be someone “Behrend would be proud to call their king and queen.” Students that aren’t involved in any club or organization are also eligible to be king or queen. There will be a Behrend Nomination Poll open sometime in January for students not directly involved with any club or organization, and they can be nominated at that time. The proposal of the Behrend king and queen slightly piggybacks off of the Alpha Sigma Tau’s Mr. and Ms. Penn State Behrend Competition. “We are not trying to steal AST’s idea, nor create any competition with them,” assured Boazzo. AST sister Maria Montana, PSYCH, 03 has the same sentiment. “I think that Homecoming is a great idea. I don’t feel that there will be any competition between the two events whatsoever. I think organizations should cooperate together to make Behrend a better place for all students.” “This would be a great opportunity to get more students involved on campus. Students should get involved regardless of the organization or activity, because it enhances their out of class experience,” said Panhellenic Council Vice President Eileen Falkenberg, COMBA, 05. Some confusion occurred also when OHC showed up on the inactive club list at the beginning of the year. Other organizations were unsure as to jyhether or notQHC could be planning 'this event. of Colleges and Employers, an information source for college career services throughout the country, hiring of new college grads dropped 36.4 percent in 2003 compared to 2002. “It is a fact of the current job market that new college grads will have a difficult job search, and it’s been that way for a few years,” said Andrew Watters, associate director of the Career Development Center at Behrend. Lafferty, currently employed as a server at Cracker Barrel restaurant, explained that many of her friends could not find work, either. “Pretty much all of my friends are having trouble finding jobs,” she said. “Even the ones with bachelor’s degrees are still working as servers, cooks, hosts, or working 12 hours a day at a minimum paying job. It’s rough.” It’s not just political science and other humanities majors that have problems in the current job market. The current slump has affected everyone from English to Engineering. “Actually, the job market has affected director. Later on in the afternoon, the play “The Meeting” was performed in the McGarvey Commons. “The Meetings” is playwright Jeff Stetson’s image of a meeting between King and Malcolm X. The setting for the meeting is Harlem in February of 1965.0n1y a week before Malcolm X’s death and three years before King’s. Immediately following the play, a candlelight vigil beginning at the Reed Union Building and ending at the Smith Chapel was held. Refreshments were served in the Chapel. The final part of Monday’s celebration was a presentation King’s legacy by Dr. Leswim Laubscher of Duquense University. Laubscher’s area of study is the differences in culture, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation and their correlation to psychology. On Tuesday, students had the opportunity to participate in a service project to the Child Care Center pre-school. Planned for the children were discussions on King, coloring pictures regarding his legacy and listening to stories about his life. NEWS Friday ; April 30, 2004 From left: Jaime Russell, . cooi inator ai 10 .11 Council member; Amy Caskie, D' CENBD 03 and Ryan Herzing, HRIM 03 work on promoting Homecoming activities. “That was a misprint, the club was Homecoming itself was be spread out never inactive,” said Jaime Russell, over two days. During the game on Feb. Resident Coordinator for Ohio and 11, the coronation ceremony, where the Almy Halls. As RC, Russell also serves king and queen were crowned, took as supervisor for both Hall Councils. place at halftime of the men’s game that “When the first inactive list went out, evening. OHC hadn’t completed all of their During the game, OHC had a requirements,” said Lynn Oborski, carnival-type event going on in the Financial Supervisor, “but they did Junker Center. There was a palm reader, finish completing the requirements caricaturist and other events for all shortly after the list went out.” students to participate in. “The students had money to spend “Not only will students be able to that was left over from last year,” said participate, but all spectators as well,” Russell, “and they thought that said Boazzo. Homecoming was a worthwhile event." The Homecoming Dance took place OHC has asked for funding from both on Feb .13. OHC priced various places Student Activity Fee and the Student throughout the area, and at the time of Government qssfst uifhe thc tocdlu& $4l sfct to be costs for Homecoming: ' determined .'lt was latdr aflfrodflced that all majors, to some degree,” said Watters. “The thing about job searching is that different majors will want to use different strategies and techniques to go after jobs.” Companies that typically come to campus to look for on campus recruiting and career fairs are usually looking for students in the technical field, business, management, accounting, and liberal arts majors who may have an interest in business or marketing. With liberal arts majors, those jobs are often fewer in number with any given employer and so the job search strategy with those majors will be not necessarily be through on-campus recruiting, but working with the Career Development Center, we can help them develop a list of contacts in a particular field.” Behrend does have its advantages when it comes to preparing for the job search. A visit to the CDC, for example, is strongly recommended by Watters, Lafferty, and Dr. Jack Burke, Behrend’s CEO and Dean. in King’s dream “It went very well last year, and the kids really enjoyed it,” said Olga Nacalaban, POLSC 08. “We hope it well go even better this year.” On Thursday, the movie “Higher Learning” was be shown in Reed 117. The movie, released in 1995 and starring Ice Cube, is set at a fictional college, Columbus University. “Higher Learning” focuses on the lives of several students as they deal with diversity, racism, sexism and self-identity. Ending the week was a Diversity Summit on Friday, hosted by MCC. Reps from other colleges and universities were on campus to discuss issues plaguing multi-cultural groups as well as participate in activities provided by Leadership Unlimited. Throughout the course of the week, a civil rights timeline was placed throughout the Reed Union Building, as well as events being coordinated by the residence halls. “We should celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Day to remember that he ended hate and segregation and gave up his life in order for all minorities and unprivileged citizens to have equalities,” said Twynell Kimble, ENG 08. “We offer access to all of the University’s career services and job fairs. We also offer personal attention in helping with resumes and I always encourage students to seek help with their resumes. There is nothing easier for an employer to do than to reduce the pile of resumes by throwing out the ones with typos or poor organization. Also, one should customize the resume for the particular job sought,” said Burke. “Another service that students are taking advantage of is our mock interview service. It’s a full-practice interview we video-tape to provide feedback,” said Watters. There are also a number of unique connections that Behrend has to the business world. Knowledge Park, for example, which houses offices of G.E. and Aalborg Industries, among others, is tied into Behrend campus and utilizes Penn State’s research abilities in addition to offering internships and employment to many students from Behrend. “The long-term goal is to eventually have 3,000 people employed in The Behrend Beacon the dance would be taking place at the Avalon Hotel, on lower Peach Street. The only sure thing planned for the dance was the problem of transporting students without vehicles off campus for an event “We are working on getting buses that will run from campus to the dance for those students,” said Boazzo. “We don’t want to leave anyone out.” OHC worked extremely hard during the end of the fall semester, as well as the beginning of the spring to pull off a successful Homecoming. “We only ask that students who want to help and participate, do so,” said Boazzo. “We hope to see Homecoming Knowledge Park. It will be a majoi source of jobs for graduates. Many o our graduates are employed there now, but the Park is still in its infancy,” said Burke. Students should also consider internships. Watters said that many employers will often fill a job opening with an intern because the company has had a chance to get to know an individual. Also, students can make many contacts within their field, which will ultimately help them in the long run. Students can take advantage of one of the Career Development Center’s features, the annual all-majors job fair, on Tuesday from noon until 4 p.m. in the Junker Center. Students in all academic areas and grade levels are encouraged to attend, as companies will be looking for interns and summer positions, as well as part and full-time jobs. For more information about the Career Development Center, visit www.pserie.psu.edu/student/cdc or call 898-6164. Thirty years ago, King, a legendary civil-rights leader, gave one of the most influential speeches in American history. On Aug. 28, 1963, in front of the Lincoln Memorial during a civil rights march on Washington, King addressed countless Americans and shared his view for a more civil and tolerant nation. “And when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and hamlet, from every state and city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children - black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Catholics and Protestants - will be able to join hands and to sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last, free at last; thank God Almighty, we are free at last.” With those words, King inspired people to rise up against civil unrest in a nation that preached equality towards all men. “Dr. King was one of few who made a difference in America,” said Julie Lafferty, HIS 09. Brian Mitchell contributed to this report. Page 03, Jenna Boazzo,
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