"Our quick starts allowed us to establish good lead. Another big actor was Kevin Buczynski. He played extremely well." rape. Basically, Petroski has decided that rape isn - t it, iy. - Dave Niland, its necessary." KeFIVE I S Head Coach for Men's Basketball, .. - Janet Niedenber t ,o , )age 9 01 Opinion Page Edit, i'ri • ~. ~,..,/ . page • .. . tbrerttllti, 1 tarot" Friday, Febrary 9, 2007 Christopher LaFuria gives opinion on music, and old. page 4 Anna Nicole Smith, 39, was found dead in her hotel room. page 7 i l o i l i Les'' Behrend's Lady Lions' Basketball team continues to excel. page 10 orate nts News. Editorial Puzzle... Humor Student Life.. Sports Contact. Us Newsroom 898-6488 Fax: 898-6019 E-mail: cslsoos@psu.edu Our offices are located down stairs in the Reed Union Building. new Behrend commuter students are having trouble driving to classes, saying the snow-covered roads make driving to early morn ing classes especially dangerous. Students are forced to face bitter cold Many Penn State Behrend students have complained about the bitterness of the cold weather. With severe, freezing tem peratures and wind chills throughout the area, how cold is cold? Behrend remains open for classes and students continue to struggle to walk across campus. Meteorologist Mike Abair at the National Weather Service in Cleveland states, "Temperatures will remain below normal during the month of February." Abair also explained that this weather is not very common for this time of year. He continued to say, "The causes of such extreme cold conditions are the jet streams that have shifted south from Canada and allowed the cold air in." The National Weather Service predicts the tem peratures will reach the 20's in the middle of next week. Behrend students that commute to cam- pus are still having great difficulty traveling. About 53 percent of students commute to campus each day. With the wind blowing and the snow drifting, commuters are arriving late to campus. Commuter Beth Schreiber, a senior, took longer than usual. "Roads were packed down with snow and they were slick," she said. "About one third of my 8 a.m. class was late." Under hazardous road conditions, is it safe for students to travel to classes? Andrea Briney, a commuter student Behrend offers HPV vaccine for women on campus In Texas, school-age girls are now required to be vac cinated against the human papilloma virus (HPV) which has been proven to cause cervical cancer. Penn State Behrend women can also find comfort in receiving the vaccine from Behrend's own Health and Wellness Center. According to Patty McMahon, director of the Health and Wellness Center and Nurse Practitioner, HPV has been active among humans for centuries, but only in recent studies has it been proven to cause certain types of cervical cancer. ...7-8 .9-10 The HPV vaccine, Gardasil, is the first and only vac cine that can protect against the certain cancer-causing strains of HPV. The federal government approved Gardasil in June of 2006, along with a nation-wide rec ommendation for all girls to get the shots between the ages of 11 and 12. The idea behind vaccinating girls so young is to have the protection in their systems before they become sexually active. For women who are over this age, and who may already be sexually active, receiving the three shots of Gardasil has also been highly recommended, says McMahon. "It's important for women to know that over 70% of sexually active people have already been exposed to the virus. And for those women who have already been exposed or have received an abnormal pap smear, their chances of contracting cervical cancer are dramatically increased," said McMahon. There has been a lot of controversy over Governor .. • X:- . . -:: .. •,1 .r, By Laura Cook contributing writer By Ashley Bressler news editor A Penn State Behrend Student Publication +~ ~.~,` „~,. .. ."cy~~.y~+ 41 oi I, "I did five 360 degree turns at the intersec tion of Twelfth Street and the Bayfront. Thank God I'm alive." explained, "I did five 360-degree turns at the intersection of Twelfth Street and the Bayfront. Thank God I'm alive." Due to the freezing temperatures and intense wind chills, the Health and Wellness Center has posted signs throughout campus to inform students of the warning signs of frostbite. What students should do to prevent getting frostbite, and what should be done if a student would have frostbite. to the Health and Wellness Center, frostbite looks like a heat burn. Some of the warning signs are pain, swelling, white skin and numb ness. The Health and Wellness Center recom mends students wear multiple layers of clothing with a combination of thin layers and one bulky layer. Also, students should wear mittens on their hands instead of gloves and should cover their heads with a hat, hood or a scarf. Finally, students should avoid being exposed to the extreme cold whenever possible. There are some tips that the Health and Wellness Center recommends for students to do if frostbite has already set in. Students are According - Andrea Briney advised to soak the affected area in warm water, stopping when the area becomes red. Remember to never massage a frostbitten area, and elevate it when possible to increase blood flow. Most importantly, students should avoid alcohol, nico tine, and other drugs that may affect blood flow. If students have any further questions or need to seek imme diate medical care, contact the Health and Wellness Center at 898-6217. Rick Perry's decision last Frida: making it mandatory for all girl entering sixth grade in Texas receive the vaccine Gardasil. Evei though this new law has also made i possible for all women ages nine through 18 to receive the vaccine no cost (if it is not covered undo their medical insurance), many cot servative Texas families are ow raged at the state's mandatory vacci nation decision. Most of these com• plaints have been based on the ids that the vaccination will promos sexual activity among the girls who receive it. Opposing families aro also offended that they are no , being told how to raise their chi dren, saying the decision to vacci nate or to not vaccinate their chi dren should be the right of the par ents, not the state of Texas. While moral and religious values have been extensively debated, the creators of Gardasil, Merck & Co., have stated their vac cine is not a matter of ethics, but a national health pre caution against cervical cancer. McMahon said, "I don't believe a vaccine will cause people to do certain things. And taking this step of prevention will in no way encour age promiscuity." Cervical cancer is not particularly high among college- "This article is disgusting, and it trivializes, as well as mocks, led thv' " - ist oka• but Mike Sharkey/THE BEHREND BEACON With a series of three injections of the Gardasil vaccine, women can protect themselves a.ainst cervical cancer. Behrend student experiences China assistant news editor The country of China is a world away from the frigid temperatures and endless precipitation of Erie County, but Michael Long has found a way to he connected to both sides of the planet. Long is a sophomore and normally a student at Penn State Behrend, where he studies Chinese and Political Science, but he has been able to escape the harsh Erie winter this year by participating in a study abroad program that has landed him in Beijing, China. Long's trip across the seas is a program that will last an entire year. and he just departed for China again after finishing his first semester there. Long lives with a Chinese host family that only speaks their native language of Chinese. Long said that "they are very patient" with him when it comes to dialogue and speaking his sec ond language. He also has a group of bilingual friends who are native to China that help him gather a more expansive knowledge of the Chinese language. "They're bilingual, but mainly speak to me in Chinese," said Long. "If I don't understand something, they'll explain it to me in English and then repeat it in Chinese." During the fall semester in Beijing. Long stud ied the Chinese language, and completed what would amount to two-and-a-half semesters of it in a period of three weeks. Long had tour hours of Chinese class during the (Ly fiir four days each week. He said, "We completed four lessons in three days and had a test every Friday." He also took anthropology classes, along with gov ernment classes. Long's trip was made possible by his reception of the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, which aided his trip financially. This scholarship was given to him by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, and the Institute of International Education. Since the founding of this scholar ship in 2000, Long has been Behrend's first recipient. "I would not have been able to partake in an international program without this scholar ship," said Long in an interview conducted in August of 2006 before the commencement of his year abroad. "I don't come from a family of priv ilege and didn't have access to the same oppor tunities others did. Knowing that there is help out there gives me faith in the education sys- Behrend's director of the Learning Resource Center age women, says McMahon, but the HPV virus can be dormant anywhere from five to seven years before any abnormal signs are noticed, so receiving the necessary protection now is crucial. "Just as it is important for col lege age women to receive this vaccine, it is absolutely necessary for them to get annual pap smears done. If something is discovered early on, the right steps can then continued on page 2. Vol. LIII No. XV By Scott Muska continued on page 3
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers