THE BEHREND BEACON
Friday, February 17, 2006
Fly the friendly Erie skies
Flip-flops, fun and fabulous friends are what this year's spring break is all about. College students in
Erie are finalizing spring break plans by double checking hotel rooms and airplane tickets. Haven't
booked your tickets yet? No need to panic. Transportation to a spring break getaway is only minutes away.
More and more students are opting to travel by plane as gas prices continue to soar. Traveling by plane
is one of the easiest and most convenient decisions an Erie student can make when planning his or her
spring break trip.
Erie is home to an International Airport which is located 17 miles west of Penn State Erie, the Behrend
Erie International Airport expects to see an increase in business over Spring Break
College. The benefit of having an international "airport only minutes away makes it a lot easier to trav
el,- said ninth semester student Kenny Johnston. Johnston said the convenience of Tom Ridge Field is
appealing. The closest airports to Erie are in major cities such as Cleveland, OH, Buffalo, NY and
Pittsburgh, PA. Travelers that choose those airports are forced to deal with heavy traffic, outrageous park
ing fees and other hassles that come with larger cities. The easy, twenty-some minute drive to the airport
from Penn State Erie is a bonus to flying from the airport.
Size is no issue when it comes to the Erie International Airport. The modest airport can accommodate
all spring break, business or leisure travel needs. Listed on the airport's website is the 'Top 25 Destinations
from Erie.' Cities such as Los Angeles, Tampa, Boston, Houston and Chicago are only a few destinations
currently listed on the website. which is updated weekly. Locating prices to these destinations is only a
click away. On their website, select any desired location and an airfare box will appear displaying the price
for one round trip ticket. The airport uses four major airline carriers: North West, Delta, US Airways and
Continental. which display an individual ticket price when a location is chosen.
Since its opening in 1952, Erie International Airport is constantly taking steps to become this region's
airport of choice. The airport was a topic of conversation at Wednesday's Erie City Council meeting.
Councilwoman Jessica Horan-Kunco said that the airport is a
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By Stephanie Bowen
staff writer
.mh.33icn psu.cdu
growing business; she stated, "there were more passengers in 2005
than in 2004." Last year, 187,848 passengers boarded planes in
Erie, which is a 6.1% increase since the previous year. The Erie
Municipal Airport Authority has other goals in mind besides
increasing passenger numbers. Horan-Kunco said the airport
"hopes to expand a runway as well."
Check out the Erie International Airport. Your spring break
destination could be a click away.
Health and Wellness gives Meningitis prevention tips
An Edinboro student was admitted to an Erie hospital
in serious condition with bacterial meningitis over the
weekend, and questions about safety at Behrend are
ge 10
being raised.
Meningitis, while cases are rare, is a serious and
potentially deadly illness. It is a swelling around the
spine and brain. While there are only about 3,000 cases
reported in the U.S. each year, if contracted, symptoms
can develop over the course of a few hours. With col
lege students living and interacting in such close quar
ters, the risk of contracting any kind of illness is
increased. How can students defend themselves against
infections like meningitis?
The best way to defend against meningitis is to be
knowledgeable about it. Meningitis is listed as a bacter
ial infection. It is an airborne disease and can be passed
through coughing, sneezing, sharing a drink and yes
even kissing. The infection is hard to identify, but there
are signs that can help with detection.
Many of the symptoms are similar to the flu, but if you
experience a sore neck and or back and a fever of 101
degrees or higher, you should notify someone immedi
ately. Other symptoms include headache, nausea, vom
iting, confusion, sleepiness or sensitivity to bright light.
The student at Edinboro lives in one of the university's
major residence halls. She did have a vaccination, how
ever, she developed Type B meningitis, which there is no
vaccine for. There have not been any other reported
cases of the disease on the campus or the surrounding
area due to swift actions taken by Edinboro. Is Behrend
prepared in the event something similar would happen
here?
...1-3
4
7-8
...9-10
Director of Health and Wellness for Behrend Patty
A Penn State Erie Student Publication FFR 7 i llu6 Vol. LIII No. 20
By Ben Raymond
contributing writer
bar23s O_D psu.edu
Leadership progrityprovides housing
The Service Learning and Leadership House will be
open to all students with 24 completed credits at the
beginning of thethe year 2006-2007 academic year.
The program was a collaboration between Jill
Forsman, Coordinator of Residence Life, Kelly
Shrout, Coordinator of Community Service and Smith
Chapel, and Chris Fox, Coordinator of Student
Involvement and Leadership Development. The
Leadership program is brand new and includes perks
such as the opportunity to gain new skills and a guar
anteed spot in the suites. Also service hours and lead
ership look great on a resume.
Forsman wanted to create a program that would
appeal to students. She said, "We wanted to do some
intentional programs that would be appealing to soph
omores and juniors living on campus, who wanted
more leadership experience and community service
options."
Though it is undecided which hall the Leadership
service will be located in. Tiffany, Tigress or
Porcupine. To be included, you must participate in
four hours of service learning, attend a two hour lead
ership workshop once a month, and plan a campus
wide team service project. For service learning, the
student has three different options. The volunteer
could participate in tutoring at Diehl Elementary, vol
unteer at the Child Day Care Center here at Behrend or
become a book buddy with a child in second grade at
Pasky McMahon had encouraging words about the safe
ty of not only On-campus residents, but the entire stu
dent and faculty population. McMahon said that in
accordance with state law and university policy, "All
residence hall students must have documented proof of
receiving the vaccine or sign a waiver, stating that they
know about meningitis and take responsibility for it. If
a student was found to have the disease we would con
tact anyone that they regularly came in contact with and
get them antibiotic medication and we are prepared to
handle this kind of situation if it would happen here."
If a student thinks he or she may have the disease or
anything similar '
it, they should vis)
the Health al
Wellness Center
campus. Afti
review, if a studei
is thought that tht
may have mening)
tis, he or she will '
sent to the hospi
for testing. The m
true way to identil
the illness is to ha.
a spinal tap. A pei
son can devel(
meningitis fn
having a wei
immune system, IN
there are also think
that Behrend sti
dents can do to .
themselves again:
the bacterial infer
tion.
Meningitis is an illness that causes swelling around the spine and brain and can lead to death
By Miranda Krause
staff writer
mlk3l9ovpsu edu
Irving Elementary School. The team service project
could be something as simple as organizing a food
drive. This involvement with the community also
looks great on a resume.
Jessica Christmann, who is content with her current
living situation in Perry Hall. wouldn't mind living in
a suite. She said, "It seems like such a great opportu
nity and it will guarantee me a nice place to live." Erin
Gasiewski, a sophomore would love to live in the
suites and wouldn't mind learning new skills as a
leader. "Rooms in the suites is limited and it's always
good to help out the community any way you can," she
said.
However, these spots are filling fast and the offer
ends March 3. It's first come, first serve and 32 spots
have already been filled. However, if more students
apply, the Leadership service will expand to the whole
hall rather than one floor. To apply you can follow
three easy steps. Go to http://hls.psu.edu/contract/ and
request on line suite housing. Print, sign and turn in the
Service Learning and Leadership Contract to the
Office of Student Affairs, Reed 115.
"When students are involved within the campus
they tend to have more of an ownership and to make
their community even a better place to live in their col
lege experience," said Forsman.
For more information you can contact Forsman with
questions at 814-898-6111 or email at
jlf227@psu.edu. You can also visit the website at
http://pennstatebehrend.psu.edu/student/service
leader/index.htm
Since meningitis can be spread a number of ways and
residents and commuters are in contact every day, there
are some simple precautions that will help fend it off.
The first is something many people learn as children;
just cover your mouth when you cough and sneeze.
Getting enough sleep is also vital to staying healthy. If
you are having trouble sleeping, regular exercise is a
great way to build up your immune system and help you
sleep better. Even with a busy schedule, students are
encouraged to try and eat a balanced diet including fruits
and vegetables.