THE BEHREND BEACON
Friday, October 6, 2006
“Country music has come a long “It is nice to see that we can
way from its original roots of the really make a difference as
country-western singers, so maybe if llv# college students.”
a new term should be applied to r
todays songs.
I i\| 11—# tL, '' " -Megan Miller
-Ashley Bressler Psychology Club President
03 .
Behrend student narrowly avoids fatal accident
By Christopher LaFuria
news editor
The picture that Shane Miller carries around with
hint is his reminder that drinking and driving can
affect anyone. Pictures of a completely destroyed
red Pontiac Sunfire are the only useable remains
what could have been a fatal accident, and ulti
mately a life-changing experience. On Sunday,
Sept. 4, Miller’s life was in jeopardy as the result
a vicious car accident,
While driving home from a late-night hockey
practice, Miller headed east on East 38th Street,
after a long, grueling session. When he reached the
intersection of 38th and Davison, Miller was struck
on the passenger side by an oncoming vehicle,
which completely neglected the red light. Upon
collision. Miller and his Pontiac Sunfire were sent
spinning onto the curb of Family Video.
Miller, who was uninjured except for a minor
knee bruise, has no recollection of the immediate
impact, but can vividly remember his thoughts. “I
didn’t even know what had happened,” he says, “I
just remember the fact that I got hit, and checked to
ONTRIBI'THD PHOTO
age. As he got to the other driver, he witnessed a After a near iy tragic accident, Shane Miller’s Pontiac Sunfire is left completely totalled and irreparable. Above is the remains of Miller's destroyed vehicle
dazed man in his mid-20s, who reeked of alcohol.
Miller then returned to his vehicle to observe the
calamity before him.
A few minutes later, a female passer by alerted
Miller of an apparent escape attempt by the other
driver. A group of residents from the area wit
nessed the driver taking off from the accident
scene, only to be brought back by an older male,
who caught the driver, and forcefully brought him
back to the scene of the accident
Moments elapsed as police, paramedics, and
ambulances arrived to provide assistance to the
injured parties. One officer informed Miller that
the other driver was being taken to the Emergency
Recent school shootings have students questioning safety
By Miranda Krause
copy editor
Penn State Behrend student, Katie Miller, 03, is
shocked by the recent school shootings that leave
her with one question, “Could this happen here?”
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see if I was
injured.”
exiting
through the
passenger
side of his
vehicle,
Miller hur
ried to the
other driver
to assess the
overall dam-
7-8
...9-10
A Penn State Erie Student Publication
Room for minor head injuries and also for a Blood
Alcohol Test.
After almost a week of awaiting the results,
Miller was notified that the other driver was cited
for a D.U.I. Although it failed to lessen much of the
damage, finding out that alcohol was related to the
accident brought Miller closure as to the cause of
the entire ordeal. Although the driver admitted to
drinking only four 16-ounce beers before the acci
dent occurred, the amount consumed was enough to
have an immediate impact on his driving capabili
ties.
In the mid-nineties, former Supreme Court judge
Miller says, “With
the shootings now,
it seems like they
are getting closer
and closer.”
Three school
shootings within
“With the shootings
now, it seems like
they are getting
closer and closer.”
one week occurred
and shattered com
munities. Students
of Platte Canyon
High School
mourn the loss of Emily Keyes, 16, after a 53-year
old gunman named Duane Morrison entered the
school and took six girls hostage on September 27.
Morrison molested all six of the girls and shot
Keyes before taking his own life. Two days later,
student of Weston High School, 15-year old Eric
Hainstock, opened fire on his school principal, John
Klang. Klang, 49, was shot in the head, chest, and
legs and died hours later at a nearby hospital. Then,
on October, Charles Carl Roberts IV, walked into a
small Amish schoolhouse in Lancaster, PA, took 11
girls hostage and let the others go. The girls were
aged from 6-13 years old. Roberts tied the girls and
had them face the chalkboard as he shot 5 girls in
the back of the head. Roberts then took his own life.
These recent shootings bring old memories to life
as students everywhere remember the Columbine
High School shooting which occurred on April 20,
1999. Two male students, Eric Harrison and Dylan
Klebold, killed 12 peers, a teacher, wounded 24
others and shattered the community of Jefferson
County. Harrison and Klebold took their own lives
If you see happen or would like to see something covered, please contact the Beacon news room or email CSLsoos@psu.edu for ideas
William Rehnquist revealed that there are over
25,000 annual deaths from alcohol related acci
dents. Miller was fortunate to not be a part of that
statistic. In every state, the legal Blood Alcohol
Concentration (BAC) is .08. Research has shown
that a 180-pound male can reach this level after
only four beers. Even though the driver in Miller’s
accident may have thought he was capable of driv
ing after such consumption, he was indeed intoxi
cated.
Drivers who have a BAC of .08 or greater are 11
times more likely to get into a car accident than
someone who has consumed no alcohol at all.
after the massacre ended. Just before Columbine,
on April 25, 1998 a 14- year old student of Parker
Middle school of Edinboro, PA, Andrew Jerome
Wurst, entered a graduation dance armed with a
.25-caliber handgun. Wurst shot science teacher,
John Gillette and wounded three others.
Liz Stablein, senior here at Penn State Behrend,
was not present at the school dance but attended
Parker Middle school. Stablein was in seventh
grade at the time, “ It’s hard for me to remember,
since I wasn’t there [at the dance], but, I just
remember it was highly publicized, and that’s one
-Katie Miller
of the factors in the recent shootings that it was so
highly glamorized that it gives
the shooter the attention they are
looking for. ”
At Behrend the possession or
use of any kind of weapon,
ammunition, or any kind of
explosive is only permitted by
authorized law enforcement offi
cers or other authorized by the
university. Paintball guns or
paintball markers may only be
used on the campus if authorized.
These rules apply to students as
well as visitors but nothing pre
vents an outsider from walking
onto our campus with any type of
weapon
Miller is concerned with safety
in some places more than others,
“I feel safe to a degree. I feel safe
in the dorm You think that you P°l' ce officers patrols Weston High School after a student shooting
Miller, upon realizing the citation for D.U.1., has a
prominent sense of the affects of drunk driving. “I
have never driven drunk before,” Miller says,
“After the accident. I realized the actual affects of
As long as Shane Miller keeps the picture in his
possession and recalls the nearly fatal accident, he
will forever be cognizant of the affects of drunk
driving. Miller also realized that car accidents of
this magnitude could happen at anytime. “Now I
realize,” Miller says, "accidents can happen at any-
time to anyone.”
would notice someone suspicious. In other schools
you have to show your I.D. to get into a building,
here anyone could just walk into a classroom. In
classrooms I don’t feel as safe,” she says.
Some students are not as worried as others. Jen
Eberlin, 03, says, “I guess I don’t think about it
because I feel safe here."
“It could happen anywhere. I’d be shocked if it
happened here,” said Ashley Magee, 05. However,
Magee isn’t worried about the Behrend campus, “I
feel extremely safe here."
Vol. LIII No. VI