I The Behrend Beacon
Freshmen find orientation a mixed bag
By Matthew Schwabenbauer
college editor
mjss3B7(°'psu.edu
Penn State Behrend welcomed 1,100 freshman
this weekend, the second largest class in school
history (the largest being the class of 2011) . After
all the unpacking, book-buying and goodbyes, the
Penn State Behrend class of 2012 took part in a
number of on-campus activities to welcome them
to the University.
The events were similar to those used in past
years with activities such as a luau, volleyball tour
nament and ice cream social.
For most, orientation began with mandatory hall
meetings with their Resident Assistants to go over
rules and campus policies. Following the meetings
was a performance titled Dueling
Pianos at McGarvey Commons,
where students enjoyed a variety
of covers of artists such as Billy
Joel and Tom Petty, among many
old favorites and student
requests
“They played a bunch of old
stuff. They took requests too,"
said Seth Scannell, an undecided
major. “1 almost requested
Vanessa Carlton, but 1 couldn't. I
just couldn't do that."
“I liked it a lot." Jeff Fohr said
of the performance, also an unde
cided major. "They played some
songs 1 knew and 1 had a good
time singing along.”
The lack of contemporary
tunes may have turned some people away from the
performance.
“There were a lot of people there when it first
started, but it just filtered out after a while." said
Scannell.
Despite some of the events being mandatory,
many freshman didn't attend orientation at all.
“1 went to some things the first day, but didn't go
to anything Saturday or Sunday. I didn't think it
was important," said Selma Voljevica. an environ
mental engineering major. “1 just slept instead."
Some avoided orientation on advice front those
that went through it before.
“A lot of people that aren't freshman anymore
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Friday August 29
Friday Night Soccer
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Erie Hall Gymnasium
Saturday August 30 7:30 P m - t 0 8:30 P- m -
Women's Varsity Soccer Smith Chapel
Game
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Men's Varsity Soccer
Game
2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
“Most of orienta
tion was pretty
relevant. Most
people didn't go,
but / think it was
actually helpful ”
Week of Aug 29-Sept 4
v y rni
U .
told me it was pointless." said Aida Caluk.
Many students avoid orientation each year, and
this one was no different. Some believe they could
be worse for it
"Most of orientation was pretty relevant," said
Chad Agosti. a physics major. “Most people didn’t
go. but l think it was actually helpful.”
Saturday morning began with Diversity Matters,
a program aimed to urge students to embrace and
celebrate diversity.
“The speaker had good points that actually made
you think." said Agosti. “Whether you wanted to
be there or not. it was a good program."
Later that morning, freshmen were treated to a
program from an educational company called Swift
Kick.
It was pretty cool." said Dean Davis, a
-Chad Agosti
mandatory event each year is the Sunday Sandblast
volleyball tournament hosted by Sigma Tau
Gamma, this year was no different. “The tourna
ment was a good way for new students to meet
people other than freshmen, said Agosti. “I was on
a team with a few guys who have been here a
while, so it was nice to meet people other than just
those on my floor."
With orientation over. Freshmen have to adjust
to the hectic life of a college student. Some are
quicker to adapt than others.
"Adjusting wasn't hard at all. You always hear
that adjusting to college is so hard, but so far it’s
been pretty easy, said Voljevica. “That’s just as of
right now. 1 hope it doesn't get harder."
Sunday August 31
Men's Varsity Soccer
Game
2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Catholic Mass
Monday Sept 1
Labor Day
No Classes
Thursday Sept 4
Club Rush
2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
McGarvey Commons
Chemical Engineering major.
"They told us how to use
Myspace and Facebook to
interact with each other and
meet new people, or even to
make money."
On Saturday afternoon was
the Academic Convocation in
Erie Hall, a ceremony which
officially marks the beginning
of the academic year.
“It was really hot. It was just
a bunch of old guys walking
down the aisle in robes,” said
Scannell. “Some students gave
speeches too, but overall it was
just boring.”
Most students' favorite non-
Sky Eats Airplane played at Forward Hall on Thursday, mixing Electronica Hardcore and Indie.
Sky Eats Airplane melds old and new at Forward Hall
By Matthew Schwabenbauer
college editor
mjss3B7 (?' psu.edu
It's not very often that a band boasts mixing
Electroniea. Indie and Hardcore. It's not very often
that a laptop is on stage running a light arrangement
at a hardcore show. It's not very often that a venue
is packed on a Thursday night. It’s even less often
that all these things happen in Erie.
Well, all three of those things came together to
create an unlikely but outstanding concert at
Forward Hall on Thursday. Local bands Denzel,
Silence the Sanity and History's End kicked off the
night, playing the same generic hardcore that the
weird kid with shaggy hair and girl pants from your
High School listened to
There was a decent turnout for theeV&iihg; with
concertgoers being forced to sit in the balcony sec
tions of Forward Hall to be able to see the bands.
With little room on the floor, it was unusual for
such a large number of people to come out on a
Thursday night.
The large turnout is a good sign for the local
music scene and Forward Hall, which has recently
come under new management. Previously, shows
would generate small turnouts, despite having pop
ular acts on the bill. High ticket prices were to
blame- a result of the management of Forward Hall
charging a steep rental price. With new manage
ment in place, ticket costs are hovering around or
below the ten dollar mark.
Two touring hands headlined the show. A Skylit
Drive from Lodi. California and Sky Eats Airplane
from Fort Worth. Texas.
A Skylit Drive took the stage first, playing noth-
“A
.
ing you couldn’t hear coming from the speakers at
a Hot Topic store. The Californian sextet really did
nothing new. playing soft part followed by heavy
part with little variation. Despite having a member
dedicated solely to electronics, A Skylit Drive
failed to accomplish the originality and genre
blending of Sky Eats Airplane.
Between bands at concerts it’s common to see
members of bands carrying their guitars and ampli
fiers on stage. What isn’t common is seeing band
members carry light fixtures and computers on
stage. Throughout Sky Eats Airplane's set, the
group had a computer running which managed not
only the lighting, but also contributed to the music.
It's not very often a band boasts mixing Electronica
Indie and Hardcore, but that bragging is for good
reasond^JS^
WhiiS&iMs Airplane was performing, there
were times I felt like I was at a rave listening to
techno. Other times I was getting screamed at with
loud guitars piercing my ears to a slow tempo. And
a few times I felt like I was at a normal rock show,
with great singing, clean guitars and a fast beat.
Somehow, Sky Eats Airplane was able to mix a
diverse range of musical styles together perfectly.
You could say if eighties metal met up with nineties
emo and invited over two thousand's electronica,
the result would be Sky Eats Airplane.
Sky Eats Airplane just released their self-titled
second album on Equal Vision Records. The quin
tet just finished a stint on the Vans Warped Tour
and are now on another nation-wide tour, with dates
featuring Senses Fail in October. If you have an
open mind give Sky Eats Airplane a listen, there’s
nothing else like it.
-"V
Friday, August 29, 2008
her receive*
Taylor Foilcs
rom erieshows.com