I The Behrend Beacon
Get your study abroad on
By Kate Kelecseny
opinion editor
Poet, essayist and literary critic Samuel Johnson
stated, “The use ot traveling is to regulate imagina
tion by reality, and. instead of thinking how things
may be, to see them as they are." Learning is life
long, plastic, continuous and not restricted to the
classroom, h very day there are obstacles and situa
tions that change an individual’s perspective and
challenge his or her views and beliefs on certain
issues. Using knowl
edge obtained from the
classroom as a founda
tion
students are
encouraged to build and
expand upon it, absorb
ing as much as possible
from the real world.
Education is extremely
valuable and should not
be constrained by the
walls of the classroom,
or for that matter, the
borders of the United
States.
Studying abroad is
something which all
professors and advisors
support and promote.
Not only will this expe
rience enrich classes and
requirements, it will also
enhance one’s apprecia-
tion of the world's
diverse cultures. Embracing new cultures will
expand awareness and potentially open the door to
future opportunities and experiences.
Penn State University has over 150 study abroad
programs in over 46 countries. In today's world,
every student, regardless of his or her major, needs
to graduate with knowledge of other cultures in
order to succeed. Penn State has programs to fit any
major and programs range from one week to an
entire year.
At Penn State Behrend there are several programs
Students and staff
By Deb Workman
contributing writer
With the overwhelming possibility that snowfall
will come before Halloween, students in the
Behrend community were asked about their
thoughts on winter—driving in certain weather con
ditions. getting up for class, and if they feel that
they are prepared for the snow. For the most part,
Behrend students and staff say, “Bring it on"!
With it only being a few weeks into October, the
conversations and plans have already begun. On
campus students can't wait for the first snowfall, the
snowfall that is bound to bring countless snowball
fights and games in the snow. Freshman Ashley
Knight said that she is very excited about the snow.
“I can't wait to see a snowball war outside my dorm
window or going on outside of Bruno’s. 1 would
definitely join in! That’s what the winter is all
about!”
Because the winter season in Erie is so cold,
keeping warm has become an issue that many stu
dents are concerned about. “I went out and got a lot
of new winter clothes, like warm sweaters, a hat,
some gloves, and a scarf. Then, I had to get a pair of
boots, too, because everyone was telling me how
cold it was here so I got them in case,” says Aseel
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CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
China is just one of the many countries you can travel to.
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available which travel to Canada, China, Costa
Rica, England, and Spain. These programs do not
necessarily involve enrollment in a specific class or
require any prerequisites
After considering the different programs and
deciding which is the best for your specific major,
there are plenty of ways to obtain financial aid in
order to make this invaluable experience affordable.
There are both need-based and merit-based scholar
ships available in addition to possible funding by
the Schreyer’s Honors College and other outside
sources. Do not rule
Pflueger, the
Behrend study abroad advisor, along with Dr. Dean
Baldwin, will be there to answer any questions and
provide all the necessary information in order to
begin planning for a successful and priceless expe
rience. Past participants of various study abroad
programs will also be in attendance to give advice
and share their experiences. Studying abroad is one
of the best things a student can do to enhance their
education and cultural awareness while having an
amazing time in the process!
ready for snowfall
Soudah
Erie is definitely cold during the winter and
dressing warm is key if you don’t want to get sick.
Senior Dylan Stewart said that, chances are, he’ll
catch a cold this season. Being a commuter student,
Stewart says he is excited about the snow and not
necessarily nervous about driving through it. That
was definitely not the case with a few of Behrend’s
faculty members. Professor Alvear-Madrid says that
she is terrified of driving in the snow because of icy
roads. This fear or nervousness of driving was near
ly universal amongst the commuter students.
Lastly, students mentioned the likelihood that
they will skip classes in order to avoid the cold.
Mike McLean theorized what students will be doing
when it comes to winter and classes. “I think people
are going to be more apt to sleep in and skip class
or work to dodge the cold. I know I’ll end up sleep
ing in to stay warm, especially if I have an 8 a.m.
class.”
It seems that Behrend students are excited about
the upcoming winter season. Despite a few worries
about driving, the students and faculty at Behrend
are looking forward to snowfall and all that comes
with it. Bring on the snow!
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out the option of
studying abroad
merely based on the
monetary aspect!
One of the
most important
things is to start
planning early.
Deadlines for some
of the programs are
quickly approach
ing; getting organ
ized is vital. There
are meetings on
Tuesday, November
7 at noon and
Wednesday,
November 8 at 1
p.m. in Reed 112.
Various programs
be presented
and discussed. Ruth
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term
Open house determines students’ future
We can all remember the dilemmas we faced
during our senior year of high school: What col
lege do 1 chose?: What major do 1 choose?; What
kind of activities are there to do?; How will 1 even
pay for my tuition? After attending Behrend's
Open House, we were able to find out the answers
to those particular questions. Many of us now
attend Behrend because of what we experienced at
the event. “On a scale from 1 to 5, I’d have to give
it... probably a 5," says freshman student Patrick
O’Loughlin as he recalls his experience at last
year's Open House. "When I went to Open House,
there were many things I was looking for that I
was able to find that would help me ease into the
college transition."
Director of Admissions and Financial Aid,
Mary-Ellen Madigan, describes what this week
end's Open House will consist of for the new
group of high school seniors. “They will have the
chance to attend the Student Services Fair that will
have tables set up for many of the offices on the
campus so that students can find out about all
kinds of activities that will be offered." "Faculty
from all the different departments will be set up to
talk to students about what the college has to
offer," she added.
Madigan also mentioned the many of programs
that will take place. "There will be a number of
presentations that will take on issues like choosing
a major, admissions and financial aid and to fresh-
man interest group information."
She also went on to detail some of the student
involvement with the Open House. “We have a lot
of current students who are involved. We have stu
dent volunteers who will be greeters; we'll have
students from the Lion Ambassadors who will
give campus tours, and then we have students who
have volunteered to show off their rooms as part
of the housing tours, which will show off all the
residence halls including the apartments."
Madigan mentioned a big change between this
Economist David Hale visits Behrend
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Friday, March 31, 2006
specific Open House and others throughout the
year. "One thing that is different about this Open
House than our other ones is that it's part of what's
called Penn State Day. Across the state, most cam
puses are having an Open House on Saturday and
as part of that, the University provides us with a
whole bunch of t-shirts that we can give out to all
the students who are coming."
O’Loughlin was able to give more insight on
some of the feelings he had about Behrend and
going to the Open House. “First of all, I got the
chance to take a tour of the campus which was
obviously a plus when trying to get a first impres
sion of colleges." He continued, “Of course I
wanted to see what activities, like clubs, were here
at Behrend, so I could do something outside of the
classroom. There were students available to
answer questions about the school. I basically
asked them their feelings on the campus and their
reactions influenced me greatly."
O’Loughlin also championed the fact that pro
fessors were on hand to chat about the campus and
its programs. "I liked the fact that a lot of the fac
ulty was there to talk about what things were out
there for careers; the faculty were probably the
most important people that you could talk to. And
it was kind of interesting because originally I was
n't looking at the major I’m deciding on now, but
had in mind a different one, and so my experi
ences with Open House kind of enlightened me a
little bit to look into it."
While it may be difficult for a young student to
determine his/her future so early, the Open House
is sure to answer many questions. O'Loughlin
said, “My parents and I also took advantage of the
presentations that were being held; it gave us a
chance to kind of go back home and discuss dif
ferent possibilities and to focus on what I was
interested in doing. It’ll be pretty weird to see
those students who's shoes I used to be in. and I
know that Behrend's Open House will be as
rewarding as it was for me."
On October 26, 2006, renowned global economist
David Hale spoke at Penn State Behrend's annual
Speaker Series, held in McGarvey Commons.
Hale is the founder of Chicago-based Hale
Advisors, LLC. An expert in the economy of
China, Hale also serves as Chairman of the Board
of China Online, LLC, a service which provides
news and economic feeds about China. Hale has
also frequently contributed to publications such as
the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and
Financial Times
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