I The Behrend Beacon
Court applies First Amendment to MySpace
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana: The Indiana Court of Appeals overturned a ruling by the Putnam County
Circuit Court that placed a Greencastle Middle School student on parole for criticizing a school prin
cipal on her MySpace account.
The school and the state filed a delinquency petition against the student, identified only as A.B.
in court documents, after principal Shawn Gobert discovered the expletive-laden website criticizing
parts of the school dress code that restricted body piercings. The school claimed that publishing
those comments under an internel handle constituted "harassment, identity deception and identity
theft" on the part of the student making the comments. The juvenile court dismissed several of the
charges but still sentenced the studend to no less than nine months probation.
The student appealed, claiming that her First Amendment rights had been violated and her com
ments were protected because they were legitimate political speech criticizing a school policy. The
appeals court agreed, determining that the juvenile court had unconstitutionally restricted her right
to free speech,
"While we have little regard for A.B.'s use of vulgar epithets, we conclude that her overall mes
sage constitutes political speech," wrote Appeals Court Judge Patricia Riley on behalf of the three
member appeals panel.
Senior gift to spruce up Junker
to REDC continued from page 1
passers-by will be able to enjoy changing scenery and fragrances
from the garden. The area will be designed as a meditation area,
and will serve as a bright oasis for those touring the campus.
Although Perennial flowers grow back each year, there is only a
certain time of year when they bud and flower. Every few weeks
there will be something different to look at. The garden will also
add a new option for those who schedule their weddings at the
chapel.
Planting can only be done at certain times of the year, but over
the next year the garden's construction will begin and add just one
more unique feature to the constantly changing campus landscape.
Those interested in the project or who want to donate to the gar
den can contact Rebecca Grimaldi at rcgl2@psu.edu.
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Vigilante death squads haunt Brazil
BRASILIA, Brazil: Government police groups arrested 15 people suspected of being involved
in assassination groups that plagued Brazil on Thursday.
Death squads are a growing problem in Brazil, where understaffed and often corrupt police
forces struggle to suppress the crime that runs rampant in the cities and the countryside. instead,
some people turn to groups of armed vigilantes, who charge anywhere from $5OO to $2,500 per
head depending on the target. Gunmen in Caruaru City average four jobs a week, killing about
200 people a year in that city alone,
"Unfortunately, these extermination groups exist all over Brazil. They reflect the lack of state
presence and are a blemish on our image," said Marcos Antonio da Silva Costa, a federal public
prosecutor in Pernambuco province, where Carom City is located.
Brazil currently ranks as the fourth-most violent country in the world, with a murder rate of
about 30 per 100,000 residents a year.
Students question where parking permit
ees and fines go continued from page 1
urrently, a new parking garage is being constructed near the REDC to help fix the very problem Nguyen
tressed. This will add 382 parking spaces that are expected to fill up three levels, and will be ready for
ie start of the fall 2007 semester. This is only the tip of the iceberg of what is being done to take care of
'ehrend's parking problem. According to the Director of Operations, John Ream, parking lots are
;sensed every spring to decide if anything needs to be done to repair them.
"Most of the damage is done through freezing weather," Ream said, "It's not always necessary to pave
ie whole parking lot." He said that parking lots generally only need to be resurfaced approximately every
1 years. However, maintenance crews go through all of the parking lots every summer to do spot repairs.
"We went through Erie Hall and filled cracks with tar," Ream said, referring to work done during the
immer of 2006. He also added that the Nick and Reed parking lots received a complete overlay, and new
;vel lanes were created throughout the campus. The Wilson Picnic Grove also got a makeover, accord
ig to Ream.
Another big question that comes up for students is how costs for parking at Behrend compare to other
Ical colleges, such as Mercyhurst College or even other Penn State branches. Parking fines are higher at
Behrend than Penn State Harrisburg by about $lO, but they are equal to the fines given at University Park.
Permits themse4ses are more expensive for University Park, as prices vary depending on the dorm where
a student lives. When comparing Mercyhurst College to Behrend, parking fines come out equal for the
most part, with only a few dollars in difference. However, permits are free at both of Mercyhurst's cam
puses.
According to Behrend's website, the reason parking fees are higher than other campuses is because
many other campuses use part of tuition to cover lot maintenance, while Behrend relies solely on money
generated from permits.
Behrend students can rest assured with the knowledge that the money they pay for their parking permits
goes right back to the lots. And while those bright orange parking tickets are never enjoyable to find
underneath a windshield wiper, they ensure there will always be activities for students and income for the
more than 80 clubs and organizations available.
Behrend staff attempts to improve diversity
among faculty members continued from page 1
over those we are less likely with," Onipede said
Under the diversity section on Behrend's website, there is a list of challenges the college is focused on
meeting. "Challenge 4: Recruiting and Retaining a Diverse Workforce" is focused on attracting more
women and minorities to the college. Christiansen, who analyzed the challenges, said, "We're making
progress, but it's going to take time." Christiansen feels that because of new programs opening in the fall,
the campus is widening the range of professors. "We have already hired a few women who will be work
ing here in the fall and we still have a few more positions to fill and candidates to look at. I'm hoping these
changes will widen the range of diversity," he said.
Onipede feels that Behrend has a greater challenge when it comes to diversity, due to its resources, size
and location. According to the U.S. Department of Education, out of the 7,194 African Americans, Asians,
and Hispanics who have a Ph.D., 1,621 of them have it in Education. Education is currently a degree that
Behrend does not offer. Only 577 have a Ph.D. in Engineering, which is the most highly populated major
at Behrend. Although these are not excuses as to why Behrend does not have a wider range of diversity,
Christiansen feels that these statistics could be playing a part.
Onipede feels that in order for changes to be made, the college needs a more aggressive approach.
"More proactive steps need to be taken to attract and retain women and minority faculty and students. The
administration, staff, faculty and students need to be involved in these efforts," Onipede said. Christiansen
feels that the Engineering department is making a great effort. Director of Engineering and Engineering
Technology Ralph Ford is behind the program of widening diversity here 100 percent according to
Christiansen.
Although changes are not evident yet, the administration at Behrend hopes to expand the diversity
amongst faculty and students greatly. "We want students to be able to relate to the professors that we have.
Dipo is a great asset to our campus. He is the example of the faculty we want to attract here." Christiansen
said. He added, "We ultimately want a faculty that is a cross of all American society. Hopefully one day
our campus will achieve that."
Friday, April 13, 2007
Source: CNN.com, Yahoo! News