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,