E'mmiid Dcncon
Friday, April 11, 2008
Obama’s absence
could cost him in
the Pa. primary
By Marcus Yeagley
staff writer
mjySO 12 (o’psu.edu
Over a week after Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) held a
rally at Mercyhurst College, her opponent, Senator Barack
Obama (D-IL), has yet to campaign in the Erie area.
Recently Obama held a bus tour across Pennsylvania, hit
ting the cities of Pittsburgh, Altoona, Johnstown, State
College, Harrisburg, Scranton, Allentown and Philadelphia,
missing the northwestern part of the state entirely.
But why? What reasons would the Obama campaign have
for not touching on this important sector of the state, one that
in the last few elections has swung more towards the
Democrats'?
"Part of it is probably a misreading of the politics of this
area and part of it is just probably the state geography.”
answered the chair of the Political Science department at
Behrend, Dr. Robert Speel.
"I'm not sure they fully understand the importance of the
Erie region in the statewide vote totals and that Erie is a
swing region." continued Speel. “If you look at the rest of the
state, there is the potential there for it to be evenly divided
and if that happens in the northwest quarter of the state,
where Erie is the largest city, may make the difference.”
He went on to mention that, because Erie is in the north
west. distanced from other prime targets, a day of driving to
Erie and back from other locations may make it an inefficient
itinerary for Obama.
Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA)
will speak in McGarvey
Commons on Monday, April
14 in a town hall meeting at
1:30 p.m.
By Rachel Reeves
opinion editor
rcrsos7@psu.cdu
“If you are smart and poor in Erie county, you should quit
school in ninth grade,” Erie County Executive Mark
DiVecchio tells a Behrend communications class. This com
ment, while extreme, illustrated Erie’s need for a communi
ty college, which the county executive board is trying to
establish by 2010.
It is true that Erie is aching for a step between a high
school diploma and a college degree. The four-year colleges
and universities in the area are expensive, and the closest
community college is in Butler, Pa. The poverty rate in Erie
is 16 percent, which is higher than the state average, and
there are 2,000 jobs going unfilled, due to a lack of skilled
workers.
As DiVecchio said, a community college would be able to
provide Erie County with trained workers. “A community
college takes on the flavor of the county as far as what com
panies need and what they’re lacking.” He estimated
News
Opinion
Humor..
See LACK on page 2.
See DIVECCHIO on page 2.
Contents
...1-3 Entertainment..
4 Student Life
5 Music
A Penn State Behrend Student Publication
Third Eye Blind lead singer Stephan Jenkins sings to a packed house in the Junker Center on April 4. The band played for approximately two hours
By Lenny Smith
news editor
lrsso46(e'psu.e<Ju
Penn State Behrend's Junker Center trans
formed from the home of intramural sports and
basketball teams to the home of a high-energy
rock concert on Friday, April 4.
Third Eye Blind, a popular group from the
19905. playeu to a packed house full of fans of
all ages, most noticeably drunk.
Despite the condition of many of the concert
goers, students had a mixed reaction to the show.
They disliked a lot of things, such as the band's
Virginia Tech: One year later
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Mourners hug in front of makeshift memorial at Virginia Tech, after 32 students were killed.
By Matthew Schwabenbauer
assistant news editor
mjss3B7@psu.edu
April 16 marks the one year anniversary of
the massacre at Virginia Tech. The tragedy in
Blacksburg, Virginia is considered the deadliest
school shooting ever, with 32 dead and many
others wounded. The shooter, Seung-Hui Cho
turned the gun on himself after the shooting,
and, shortly after, NBC news received a pack
age of him in the mail with various threatening
pictures.
From the media repeatedly airing menacing
images of Cho to many vigils and remem
brances across the nation, Virginia Tech affect
ed the lives of countless people.
The shootings at Virginia Tech sparked debate
on numerous issues. From gun control, to priva
cy issues, to the responsibility of college admin
istrations to police high-risk students, blame
was never placed on just one factor. The tragedy
even prompted the passing of new laws. In
Virginia, laws were changed so that individuals
with a history of mental instability, such as Cho.
appearance, the sound system, and how long the
show was. Many agreed, however, that it was
definitely worth the $l5 admission fee.
Absent Star look the stage as the opening act
around 7:30 p.m. and played for about 45 min
utes.
As the lights dimmed at 9:30 p.m.. the crowd
erupted into cheers and Third Eye Blind took the
stage to begin their nearly two hour set.
"I was really excited for the concert to start."
sophomore accounting major Adam Kaiser said.
“They are one of my favorite bands."
The band began the concert w ith a lot of songs
that were somewhat unfamiliar to the Third Eye
would not be able to purchase firearms. Also,
the first major federal law concerning gun con
trol in 13 years was passed, which bolstered the
National Instant Criminal Background Check
System.
Some have stated the shooter's past should
have prompted intervention before the mas
sacre. The perpetrator had been diagnosed with
an anxiety disorder in middle school, but ended
his therapy as a junior in high school. In college,
Cho was declared mentally ill by a special jus
tice, stalked two female students and was asked
by professors to seek help. "The shooter should
have received some sort of help before the
tragedy. His history should have raised some
red flags." said Mike Foerstner, a freshman
majoring in Mechanical Engineering. “If some
one is declared mentally ill and got caught stalk
ing girls then something should have been done,
man.”
While some may blame negligence for the
killings, others believe it's impossible to pre
vent shootings such as this. "There's no way to
predict whether or not someone is going to go
We are now on the Web!
Visit us online at www.thebehrendbeacon.com
See BEHREND on page 2.
Vol. LIV No. XXI
Blind fans
"People were bored and wanted to leave by the
time they played any of the good songs." sopho
more speech pathology major Kayla McLauhglin
said.
The audience did hear Third Eye Blind hits
such as “Jumper," "How's It Going To Be" and
“Semi-Charmed Kind of Life." The audience
sang along with ail of the favorite songs from the
band.
As the concert progressed, security could be
seen physically removing people after throwing
Third Eye Blind
lead singer
Jenkins rallies
for Obama
By Lenny Smith
news editor
Irsso46(<i psu.edu
It seems to be a year of firsts - politically speak
ing. This is the first time that Pennsylvania's pres
idential primary will really matter. This is the first
time that an African-American and a woman each
have a viable chance of becoming the next presi
dent. This is the first presidential primary and gen
eral election that most Penn State Behrend stu
dents will have the opportunity to vote in. And. on
April 4, Stephan Jenkins gave his first political
speech in Behrend's Reed Union Building.
Jenkins is the lead singer for Third Eve Blind,
who performed in the Junker Center later that
night. Visibly nervous, Jenkins took a seat on a
wooden stool just after the audience of about 50
people finished watching a promotional film for
presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL).
Jenkins’ main focus during his approximately
30-minute speech in support of Obama was a
direct parallel to the Obama campaign's message,
change.
As Jenkins read the first few sentences of the
Declaration of Independence, he told the audience.
“These words were written right here in
Pennsylvania.”
“Now, in Pennsylvania, there is an opportunity
for you to make a huge, huge change in the coun
try,” he said. “This is our moment to help others
understand the message Obama has.”
Jenkins stressed that maybe policies are not the
most important thing to take into account when
considering a candidate. “Intelligence, judgment,
and calmness all come into play," he said. He also
told the crowd that Obama is the only one of the
remaining three candidates that is uncompromised
by special interest groups.
See THIRD on page 8.
See JENKINS on