I The Behrend Beacon
Behrend blacked out...again
B\ l.ennv Smith
iw ii s editor
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IX-c. 7. 2007
A power outage left Penn State Behrend in the dark
lor the second time in three weeks alter high winds took
down two electricity poles on Dec. 3.
At approximately 1:40 p.m. students were surprised
when dorm rooms, classrooms and cafeterias went
black. This most recent power outage again forced
campus administrators to cancel classes. The PSL'TXT
system alerted students at 2:25 p.m.. informing them
that classes would be canceled until 6 p.m.
As with the power outage on Nov. 13. Pcnclec's esti
mate as to when the power would be restored was
incorrect and a new message was sent to students. This
message said that campus w as closed for the rest of the
day. but would reopen again on Dec. 4.
Although most students enjoyed their day off on Nov.
13. this time it was different. As dusk quickly came
over the campus, students realized that they were
forced to sit in their black rooms.
Behrend student travels to Africa to work
loses with a grout
Aim Sahlmann
B> I.ennv Smith
news editor
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J;m. IS. 200 K
Am; Sahlmann. a junior biology
major al Penn Statu Behrend. left on
Dee. AO for a two week journey that took
her trom brie. Detroit, and Amsterdam
before she finally arrived in the African
eounirs of Kenya IS hours later.
Obsessed with living her life to the
fullest. Sahlmann knew that needed to
include charity work. "For a long time. I
wanted to do some type of international
volunteer work and then finally one day
1 said. ‘You know what. I'm gunna do
it.'" she said.
Kennedy rallies at Behrend
Continued front paste I
it' voting against going to war in Iraq
w hen the target should have been going
to war in Afghanistan and going after
(Kama bin l.aden.
We heard that voice that came from
Chicago. Illinois."
"We have Barak's opponent talking
about elitism and I look out there and I
see a Barack Obama that grew up under
a single mom." Kennedy said. "A Barack
Quotes on Civility
"Never befriend the oppressed
unless you are prepared to take
on the oppressor."
Ogden Nash,
American poet
(1902-1971)
Janet Neff Sample Center KSH
for Manners & Civility
' When the power went out I decided it would be a
good time to take a nap,” sophomore Michael Buesink
said. "But then when 1 woke up it was terrible because
my whole apartment was dark and I couldn’t see any
thing."
Buesink. who lives at University Gates, decided to
leave U Gates and go to a friend’s house that had elec-
Students found it particularly annoying that they
could not even make use of their time to study.
"It was ridiculous,” sophomore Kim Maier said. “I
had to go to Starbucks so I had the Internet so I could
study for my exam that was scheduled for 8 a.m. on
Tuesday."
More than academics were affected during the black
out. The Behrend men’s basketball team was forced to
practice in the dark.
Senior Dan Zeigler said, “We had to practice in the
Junker [Center] which was only lit by the emergency
lights." The Lions generally only have two days
between games, so a day off was out of the question.
“Coach wanted us to run a little bit and we went over
some plays for our game against Hilbert,” Zeigler said.
thange she volunteered at in Kenya,
t orn an or
Over the last several years. Sahlmann
has been diligently saving money from
her paychecks. Christmas presents, and
birthdays to fund the trip that cost
approximately 54.000.
To prevent spending the money, she
hid all her savings in a dresser drawer.
“1 was able to do it because I could
physically see that the pile was growing
higher and higher." she said. "I went to
Wal-Mart to do a money order to send it
all off and it was like sending away my
baby."
After a trip to the Congo over the sum
mer was canceled due to civil war,
Sahlmann's mother. Jann Bowman said
that Sahlmann would need to organize
Obama that lived on food stamps, a
Barack Obama that just paid off his stu
dent loan. We have enough political the
ater in this country; we need to talk about
things that matter."
"This is a person that is going to bring
a new kind of leadership.” he said. “This
is person that is going to turn the page.
This is choice, my friends, between the
past and the future and the person that
represents the future is Barack Obama.”
TEW.
her trip through an organization. After
researching a list of volunteer organiza
tions, she found the Global Volunteer
Network. “They seemed to be the least
expensive, which was definitely a fac
tor,” she said.
"I felt better than in the summer when
she wanted to go to the Congo,”
Bowman said. “I kept getting teary
eyed.”
That was before Bowman finally
heard about the rioting in Kenya. “We
were so busy getting her ready that we
didn’t even know about the presidential
election or anything,” Bowman said. “At
that point you just hope that everything
you’ve said to them and taught them in
their lives has sunk in. And that it was
enough.”
Upon arrival in Nairobi, Sahlmann’s
plans immediately changed. Originally
planned to volunteer at an all-girl’s
orphanage near Nairobi, Political unrest
after last month’s presidential election
forced Sahlmann and her group to move.
“When I got to Nairobi we had to wait
for three hours for someone to pick us
up,” she said. “When I go to the airport
(in Nairobi), I was freaking out because
it's complete chaos over there.”
Sahlmann and the rest of the volun
teers were moved to the safer city of
Nyeri. “At that point, five of the 10 vol
unteers decided they were going to go
back to the States because they thought it
was too unsafe.”
In Nyeri, Sahlmann stayed with a host
family and quickly learned their views
on women are a lot different from the
United States. “Women are below your
animals, it was hard for me to see that.
Women [in Kenya] are expected to get
married, have children, and are home
makers.”
When the father of the host family
asked Sahlmann what she was going to
school for, he could not comprehend that
she wanted to go to medical school. “He
kept looking at me like I was crazy,” she
said. The house itself was also very dif
ferent. “They have a squat toilet. It’s
pretty much just a hole in the ground,”
managing editor
srmsoB2@psu.edu
Jan. 25, 2008
According to Reverend Al Sharpton,
who spoke at Erie Hall on the evening of
Thursday, Jan. 24, there has been a great
deal of progress made towards the goals
of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. since his
death nearly 40 years ago.
“Just to make progress,” he said, “Was
not the point. The point was to reach a
society of equality, and the issue was not
to do better, but to do right.”
Sharpton has made these points his
life’s goal and work.
He was brought to Erie as part of “His
Voice, Our Choice,” Behrend’s 2008 cel
ebration of Dr. King’s legacy.
r i
O
The power was restored to campus at about 8:40
p.m„ seven hours later. Maier thinks it took way too
long. “There is no reason why it should have taken
seven hours to get the power back,” she said.
“Penelec officials were immediately called,” Director
of Operations John Ream said. “They really responded.
They needed to install two new poles and move the
wires from the old to the new poles.”
“It takes time and the weather conditions made it
longer,” Ream said. “They could only keep someone in
the bucket for so long.”
Two extended power outages in less than a month
worry both students and administrators. Behrend is
powered by a single electrical feed, so when that feed is
interrupted, the campus is left without power.
“We’ve had discussions with Penelec to see if it is
possible for them to provide another feed that we could
switch over to while the primary feed is being
repaired,” Ream said. “[However] it would require the
installation of new lines.”
Ream said that this is revisited every time there is a
power outage. “Penelec has no good solution,” he said.
at orphanages
she said
To make the most out of her time with
the children, Sahlmann brought a variety
of items like bubbles, finger paints, col
oring books, Play-Doh, and more with
her.
“We played Red Rover with them,
they really liked that game,” she recalls.
Sahlmann started every day of her two
week trip by walking to the Saint Mary’s
All-Boys Orphanage and worked with
the children by playing games and mak
ing crafts. “We did activities like paint
ing, coloring, Twister, and Bingo.”
After her volunteer work was done for
the day at St. Mary’s, Sahlmann went to
the New Life AIDS Orphanage for
Babies to help with feedings and putting
them to bed.
“I learned that I’m a lot stronger and a
lot more mature than I thought I was,”
Sahlmann said. “I felt good that I was
able to go into a situation and talk to
myself and figure out the best way to get
out (of a situation).”
Two days before her trip ended, that
strength and maturity was put to a test
when she found herself in the middle of
“I didn’t think that I would have that
much of an impact,” she said. “But to
just hold their hands and telling them I
loved them, they’ve never heard those
words before.” “I’ve learned so much
about the world,” Sahlmann shared. “In
America, we take so much for granted.”
The one-time fee associated with join
ing the Global Volunteer Network will
give Sahlmann a five-year membership
that will allow her to continue her
humanitarian work in the future. “As
soon as this semester ends, I want to go
back,” she said.
Sahlmann plans on returning to Nyeri
again. “I figured if I keep going back to
this one place I could make the most
impact," she said. “This is definitely not
a one time thing.”
After medical school, Sahlmann
already has thoughts on moving to a
Third World country and possibly open
ing up a clinic.
ber King and the other civil rights
activists that paved the way towards the
progress of the present.
“Progress was indeed made,” he said.
“But let us remember the prices that
were paid for that progress. Many of us
are impressed with the results and scorn
those that paid the price.”
He spoke of the amount of people that
admire Condoleeza Rice, but reminded
the audience that without a Rosa Parks,
there would be no Rice.
“Sometimes, people are more
impressed with the fruit than the root,”
Sharpton said.
“It’s not that we didn’t have the blacks
of qualification,” he said of the past.
“It’s just that their qualifications weren’t
Friday, May 2, 2008
President
Clinton
speaks in
Erie Hall
Continued from page 1
He said that she believes to create
more jobs in this country, we need to
focus more on going green. He said her
plan includes the increasing the amount
of solar and wind energy, and make
buildings greener because these are jobs
you cannot outsource.
“The second reason you should vote
for her is because she is the only candi
date that will give you a plan that will
provide affordable health that will cover
every single, solitary American,”
President Clinton said.
As he asked the crowd to raise their
hands if they knew someone without
health insurance the majority of the
crowd did so. “This is no wealthy nation
on Earth where you would get that
response,” he said. “This is no other
wealthy country where this question
would be asked because everybody else
has a system to cover everyone and that
enables them to save money.”
Under Sen. Clinton’s plan, the former
President said, Americans would have
the opportunity to buy into the same plan
that ensures employees of the federal
government and members of Congress.
“If it’s good enough for our family,
you should have access to it,” he said.
President Clinton’s third pitch for his
wife was on college affordability. “She is
the only candidate that has ever done
anything to make college more afford
able and her plan will enable every
young American who finishes high
school to get at least two years of educa
tion,” he said. “And everyone that wants
a four year degree to get it and that is in
America’s economic self interest. We
have to do that.”
President Clinton explained that his
wife’s plan would be to raise the Pell
Grants every year to keep up with infla
tion and more than double the tuiton tax
credit from $1,600 to $3,200 per student
a year. He also said, “[She will] crack
down on the abuses of the private loan
companies that are charging 14, 16, 18
percent. It’s wrong.”
“She’s the only person that actually
has a plan to end this home mortgage cri
sis,” President Clinton said. Her plan, he
said, is if the homeowner has been mak
ing all their payments, the homeowner
can stay in the house at the same mort
gage rate for the next five years.
President Clinton also touched on Sen.
Clinton’s plans to reform trade agree
ments and her plan to produce a way to
pull out of the Iraq War safely.
“I would still be here, even if we had
never been married,” President Clinton
said. “Obama is a good speaker, but
Hillary has empowerment.”
considered.”
Sharpton stated his displeasure to the
war, and said that he couldn’t understand
how the government can afford to spend
$6 billion a month in Iraq but doesn’t
have the monetary funds to computerize
schools in Erie.
He also spoke of his displeasure with
those who are disadvantaged and treated
as so, and made it clear that his qualms
along with those of Dr. King’s were not
as race-fueled as many often assume,
and said, “It was never black and white,
but right and wrong.”
Sharpton fended off questions about
who he will endorse in the upcoming
election in his pre-speech press confer
ence by saying, “I haven’t pronounced
my endorsement for anybody yet. I’m
going to hold onto my vote.”
He went on to say that he might
endorse somebody a little later on, and
during his speech further elaborated that
he would remain neutral “So that I can
challenge all of the candidates on civil
rights issues.”
Earl Bass, Sharpton’s nephew who
introduced him to the audience, referred
to his uncle as “strong-minded, strong
willed and set in his beliefs.”
These beliefs, according to Sharpton,
are to expose injustices and attempt to do
something about them, and to make the
world and continue the progress that Dr.
King helped to begin.