e hr e n o n Friday, October 7, 2005 Student vandal caught on security camera Above: A moment by moment account of vandalism was reportedly committed by an individual Saturday, Oct 1. Below: Vandal leaves about a three foot hole m the wall beside the campus elevator. By Justin DeSantis staff writer/jdd22o@psu.edu Vandals have hit the Behrend Campus again. Janitorial staff reported damage done in the bottom of the stair well. Campus police say that a large hole was punched into the wall near the elevator. Damage estimates weren’t immediately available. The damage will not be attributed to any one residence hall due to the fact that the stair tower is maintained by the entire campus. In fact, the only way the campus pays for the destruction is through the inability to use the area. There is an on-going investigation to find out which individual was respon sible for the damage to the wall. Vandalism on campus is a frustrating prospect foT-the-Maintenonee Department. They handle all forms of vandalism done to the school that is not covered by Housing and Food Services. Although the problem is technically an issue that is handled by Police and Safety, Randy Geering, the Director of Housing and Food Services, gave some “Corpse Bride” previewed on page 8 Contact Us Newsroom: 898-6488 Fax: 898-6019 E-mail: editor inchief® psu.edu Our offices are locat ed downstairs in the Reed Union Building. of his own opinions on this broad issue. He thinks that the damage appears to have been done by a student who got a “little zealous” and he sus pects the damage was furthered by other students Geering made the assumption by looking at the hole but was unable to positively determine how the damage was caused. At this time, Police and Safety has said that a student has been apprehend ed in connection with the crime. There are also some suspects that have been questioned. Police and Safety specu lated that there may be more students involved as well. The department wouldn’t make any further comments. The Stair Tower is a part of the aca demic campus, a broad term that refers it to the area of campus not monitored by Housing and Food Services. Placing security cameras seems to be an answer that always comes up as a solution, but Geering obviously wants to be able to trust the students of the resident halls. “We don’t want to cre ate a police state,” said Geering. Even in commonly targeted areas, Township election commences with Harborcreek Forum Pretzels, punch and passionate politics were on the menu Tuesday night in McGarvey Commons for those in attendance at the Harborcreek Supervisor Candidate’s Forum. Audience members were given a full two hours of facts for consideration when casting their votes in this upcoming local election. Behrend students and local citizens from the Harborcreek community were well prepared with several questions that could very well have swayed a vote from one side to the other. Running for the position of Township Supervisor are business owner and for mer radio talk show host Dean Pepicello (R), and Harborcreek Code Enforcement Officer Joe Peck (D). Both candidates expressed an enthusiastic interest in getting the job done right, but differed somewhat on specific issues and individual quali fications. Pepicello believes that, “qualifications are important, but not every thing,” as he fur ther explained his plan to be a fresh new voice and run things as though he were the “CEO of Harborcreek.” Pepicello supports his plan with his list of experience in owning busi nesses such as North Coast Hockey and D&M Properties, as well as 20 years of mar keting experience. Candidates for the position of Harborcreek Township Supervisor prepare to defend their stances on issues presented to them during the Harborcreek Forum His opponent, Joe Peck, assured those in attendance of his qualifications: 12 years experience work ing for the city, and as a roads construction and building inspector. Peck told the crowd that he believes, with his list of qualifications, he will be able to “hit the ground running” on January 1. One of the topics that generated a great deal of interest Tuesday evening was concerning development in Harborcreek, more specifically, the area on Station Road near campus. Both candidates agreed that there is always need for change, but the two differed on their approach to the matter. “Harborcreek is unique- it’s not all pavement, not all trees.. .and no one wants it to change. Residents like the rural-ness, but don’t want a Peach Street,” Pepicello said when asked about re zoning for potential businesses in the area. He said that he strongly believes Harborcreek is a place that people will want to return to and a community that will attract business. Peck responded by vowing to support commercial develop ment near the school, saying, “the types of options I envision are delicatessen- A Penn State Erie Student Publication n the installation of security cameras is not an idea that Geearing prefers. Usually, the RA’s are contacted and a meeting is formed. The residents are called together and are informed of the problem. “The idea is for students to understand that there are consequences to actions and you must take responsi bility for those actions,” said Geering. It shouldn’t be seen by students as a type of punishment or roundabout way for Penn State Erie to make students pay for the repairs. The idea is to cre ate a community of students. This would create a community in which the students wouldn’t want to destroy the campus. “I think that education is the best way to correct the behavior,” said Geering. It must be kept in mind that we need to preserve the school for the future as well as the present. If any students have information regarding the acts of vandalism, they can call Police and Safety. The funda mental goal is to make students aware of the consequences of destroying the campus without turning Behrend into a police state. By Melissa Whitten staff writer/mrwso29@ psu.edu type restaurants, a golf course, bookstores, music stores- all of these are things that could be easily approved.” According to Peck, the area is ripe for develop- The planned opening of the new college apartments next fall raised concerns at the forum as well. Peck wants to encourage developers to pay special attention to the intersection around the area, and plans to provide walkways and crosswalks for the off-campus student housing; however, overhead walkways were not in the immediate plans. Pepicello concurs on how “safety should be a concern in these areas.” Regarding the intersection of Cooper and Station Roads, Pepicello says that “there should be a light there- I’ll fight for it, period.” While Peck agrees that a light would help in some respects, he further explained that, due to the geo graphical location on top of a hill, a light would be more hazardous than benefi cial in the wintertime due to the road’s heavy semi-truck population. Joining the two candidates running for the position of Supervisor were four other community members running for Harborcreek School Board. They are: Political Science Society, and was moderated by Political Science Professor Robert Speel. He encourages students t 6 vote and reminds them that “all Behrend students living on campus and many off-campus students are residents of Harborcreek and can vote in this local election. Their futures while at Behrend and, in some cases after they graduate, will be greatly affected by decisions made by elected Harborcreek officials, including commercial development in the cam pus area.” He has told his classes in the past that if every Behrend student who is either an on-or-off-campus Harborcreek resident were to vote in the election they would out-vote the rest of the community and ultimately control the outcome. The deadline to register to vote is October 11, and if you still need to register, tables outside of the Bruno’s entrance will be set up from 11 a.m. throughout the day Friday. Students are strongly encouraged to vote on Tuesday, November 8, 2005. Vol. LIII No. 7 Annie Sevin/THE BEHREND BEACON write-in Lisa Barone, independ ent David Zdunski, Democratic / Republican cross file Carol Bucklin, and Green Party candidate Larry Maxted. Three other candidates did not make an appearance at the forum. The candidate’s forum was spon sored by Student Government Association and the
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers