f77e (jfte/i/H>/u/ {/beacon
Friday, August 29, 2008
Behrend turns 60
“If l look back, r/ie biggest change has been the increase in quality. We've gotten bigger
and we've gotten better at the same time," says Behrend Chancellor Jack Burke. A lot
of times you can do one and not the other,
A quick blast from the past reveals a young Behrend that would gradually reach the status it stands at today
College
Democrats
support local
politician
By Rachel Reeves
editor-in-chief
rcrsos7@psu.edu
The College Democrats turned out Tuesday. Aug
26, to support Cindy Purvis as she campaigned for
Pennsylvania District 49 Senate and condemned the
recent administration of PHEAA, Pennsylvania
Higher Education Assistance Agency.
Purvis held a brief conference in Perry Square
with the backing of Joshua Snyder and Chris
Alphen, President and Vice President of Penn State
Behrend’s College Democrats, along with other
local supporters. Her main points addressed the
“mismanagement and overspending” of PHEAA.
Roughly $3.9 million in employee bonuses, 40% of
employee driving reimbursements going towards
personal use and the annual salary of the CEO
amounting to $320,000 even though PHEAA is a
nonprofit organization were among her list of griev
ances.
Even while the organization was spending extrav
agant amounts of money on themselves, they cut
grants to students across the state.
Visit us on the web at
898 - MBB News 1-3
F ax: .
“ WWW thebehrend E=!
E-mail: rcrsos7@psu.edu VV VV VV. 1 1 1 C ISC’ I 1 1 I IU, College Life 6
Our offices are located downstairs T # Sports 7
i„ the Reed Union Building. UCQCOTI. COUt!
A Penn State Behrend Student Publication
UNDISCLOSED NUMBER OF RESIDENT ASSISTANTS
FIRED SINCE PRE-FALL WEEK
At least six Resident Assistants have been
released from their positions in one of the greatest
personnel disasters that the Office of Student
Affairs has ever dealt with at Penn State Behrend.
Throughout “pre-fall." the week prior to
Orientation reserved for Rcsidenee Life training, at
least 15 RAs out of a staff of 47 were found to be
in violation of their contract, prompting the Office
of Student Affairs to actively investigate the actions
of their employees. So far. buildings known to have
been affected by the subsequent removal of RAs
include the Behrend Apartments, at least one of the
suite buildings, and Lawrence and Ohio Halls.
A source with close connections to school admin
istrators spoke with the Beacon on condition of
anonymity. According to their information, which
has neither been confirmed nor denied by the
Office of Student Affairs, the ordeal began when a
group of students was discovered on the roof of a
campus residence hall. After looking into the situa
tion. Residence Life coordinators found that the
offenders were their own RAs.
This, according to the Beacon's anonymous
source, led to the unearthing of multiple cases of
underage drinking involving Resident Assistants
over the course of the pre-fall week. Out of at least
fifteen RAs who had violated their contracts, a min
imum of six have been let go to date, and others
may be on probation.
have three years to get it up and running, or it's
going to he a two year campus." recalls Burke.
When given an ultimatum of that nature, there
isn't much room in the land of decision-making.
So Chancellor Burke (who actually wouldn l
become Chancellor until some years later) and the
rest of the incessantly dedicated staff went to work.
This was in the 1980's. A quick tour of the now'
flourishing campus manifests their achievements
in ways that marvel.
Behrend initially started out in 1948. when Mary
Behrend donated Glenhill Farm to the university. A
mere 146 students made up the entire body. When
Dr. Burke arrived in 1981, about 1800 students
were attending Behrend. with 600 living on cam
pus. Bruno's Cafe was known as The Gorge, and
the Science building, along with the Nick Building,
were the only structures that held lecture/class.
Behrend is now home to 51 buildings across 725
acres of what once held the image of a working
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO farm.
but we ’ve done them both here. ”
“When I went down there. I asked the provost
How long does Behrend have?' He said you
To say that times have changed would be more
than a keen observation.
Rachel Reeves
editor-in-chief
rcrsos7@pMi.edu
The Office of Student Affairs would not com
ment on any aetions that they are taking beyond
stating that no public documents have been filed
through the police. This means that the investiga
tion lies within the domain of the University,
specifically Student Affairs. As a result, the Family
Educational Right to Privacy Act protects the stu
dents involved, so Behrend is unable to release any
identifying information.
Ken Miller. Director of Student Affairs, explains
that this is why the office is restricted from releas
ing information about the investigation. "Any
issues concerning student discipline is confiden
tial," he says. "We have to respect the privacy of
students."
Even current RAs soon found that they would not
be given any information regarding the situation.
Associate Director of Student Affairs Kelly Shrout
says that staff meetings were held to announce that
things had occurred which would "change the
[Residence Life] family." No names or specific
details were divulged at these meetings. For those
who came by knowledge of the ordeal by other
means, it was made clear that they should not share
any information. One RA said in an e-mail that he
believed he would jeopardize his job if he were to
talk about what happened.
See RESIDENT ASSISTANT on page J
By Ryan P. Gallagher
news editor
rpgsoo4(« psu.edu
Connor Sattely
managing editor
eisso6o@psu.edu
Chancellor Burke reminisees. “What has
changed? 1 mean just about everything. We are
much stronger academically and we've really
increased the quality." He goes on to reflect on the
tremendous increase in student body and staff and
what a significant transformation it has been.
"You know it was a different time then, the Internet
hadn't been invented yet.” Chancellor Burke
recalls with a warm smile.
Currently, there are more than 4500 students
enrolled at the eollege- around 75% of these stu
dents will complete their degrees on Behrend soil.
Before 1973. there was no option to graduate here
- two years, then off to University Park. Now stu
dents are thrilled to stay the four years. Mike
Wachter. a business major, is finishing up his final
semester. “At first. I just assumed that 1 would
leave after my sophomore year, but the campus
was too good to leave. I know all of my professors
and have the opportunity to experience a wide vari
ety of social life since there are under 5000 stu
dents here." explains Wachter. “If I had the chance
to do it again, nothing would change."
See ANNIVERSARY on page j
Vol. LIV No. II