BEHREND BEACON YEAR IN REVIEW • A look back at the stories that define the 2009-2010 academic year at Penn State Behrend ALL STORIES PRINTED WITH AUTHOR, THEIR STAFF TITLE AT THE TIME AT WHICH THE ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED, AND DATE THE ARTICLE ORIGINALLY RAN IN THE BEHREND BEACON.) MY VOICE A hard decision for the right reasons With the year quickly wind ing down, I have begun to think back on the first two years of my college education and how much I have learned here at Penn State Behrend. For most of my life, I knew I wanted to go to Penn State. My mom, my dad and a number of other family members are Penn State graduates, and I knew it was where I belonged. I wanted to go to University Park right away, but I knew that going to such a large campus after graduating from a small school would make it hard to adjust to college life. After taking some time to think about it, I decided to start my college education at Behrend. I knew that the close location to home and the small campus would help me better prepare myself for University Park. As I prepare to transfer to State College to finish my last two years, I am beginning to re alize how much I have learned and how much Behrend has prepared me to go on to Uni versity Park. My most rewarding experi ence, by far, has been my op- OA NW GOD! VEY JOST KILLED K MY VOICE I am not a political science major, and I have never held strong political opinions. I won't pretend to have any ex tensive knowledge of President Barack Obama's work since his election or his intentions for his term in office. However, what I do know is that in a time when many have lost everything, in cluding their optimism, Obama has inspired millions to main tain their hope for the future, and I think that is pretty im pressive. Last week, The Norwegian Nobel Committee also ex pressed their endorsement of our president's efforts by awarding him the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. He was chosen from 205 nominees for "his ex traordinary efforts to strengthen international diplo macy and cooperation between peoples" and especially for his "vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons." While I looked at this news in 4701 College Drive, Erie PA 16563 Room 10H THE BEHREND BEACON Executive Board Editor-in-Chlet: Business Manager Connor Sattely Bethany Long editor@psu.edu bjlso37@psu.edu Managing Editor: Faculty Advisor: Shawn Annarelli Kim Young klylo@psu.edu Marketing Manager Katie Cook klcs293@psuedu smaslB9@psu.edu Web Editor: Jeremy Korwek jdksoo9@psu.edu portunity to work as a sports editor for the Beacon. As a journalism major, I have learned an invaluable amount of skills that will help me in my career as a sports journalist 6 11111 :1 sot 44 1/ Pf / Respect the Nobel Prize a positive light, I was disap pointed to hear so many people react very negativel have stated that Ob: done nothing to the award, some gi far as to say his re the award is a joke. The President the Nobel Committi have even been cri cized publically political figures an 4 mocked by the media. Michael Steel chairman of the R publican Nation Committee, spoke out regardir Obama's award, star ing that his stF power outshin( other nominees' "re; achievements." Erick Erickson, editor-in-chief of the conservative News Editors: Ally Orlando acososl@psu.edu Rachelle Thompson rltso6s@psu.edu Asst. News Editor: Eric Peirce ewpsos2 psu. edu NICK BLAKE tqlarn o"..0 I 6 * %,. staff writer Sports Editors: Nick Blake npbso4l @psu.edu Alec Italiano ajiso37@psu.edu Opinion Editor: Neil James opinion@psu.edu I have seen my writing im prove dramatically over the last two years, and I have learned how to edit and layout a news paper. I have started the foun dation I need to have a successful career in the journal ism field. Although the journalism ex perience I have gained is irre placeable, it is the relationships that I have made that I will truly remember as . Is' blog RedState.com, suggested Obama was chosen to meet an affirmative action quota, earn opinion, this should be a pos- ri • I Beard Edit Culture Editor: Shannon Ehrin sbesol7@psu.edu Copy Editors: Jeff Kramer isksl6l@psu.edu Marcus Yeagley mjysol2@psu.edu Videographer: Mike Fultz mils2o4@psusedu For everyone who knows what it is like to be in the Bea con newsroom on Thursday night, it is hard to believe that it could be missed. Even though some long, sleepless nights were spent in that room, some of my most memorable experiences at Behrend happened there as well. The small group of people that I work with on a weekly basis is easily going to be what I miss the most from Behrend. I have learned so much from the group of editors that I work with, and that is just as valuable as anything else that I have learned. As I go on to University Park, I will be diving into the broad cast side of journalism, and there will be a number of new experiences that come with that. I will not forget all the things that I have learned here at Behrend, though, and I am very proud to have worked with everyone on the Beacon staff. I am glad that I am able to call them my friends, and I could not have imagined working with any other group. itive piece of news. Our president has been hon ored with one of the world's most prestigious awards during a time when our country is still struggling to get back on its feet and to regain the rest of the world's respect. He is reacting humbly to the news, and in tends to donate the $1.4 million Night on the e only 1r "not award to charity. Also, the award will likely help Obama achieve some of his admirable goals, such as working towards a more unified world. It's unate there been _h a .k of tort for presi such So why are we looking at this in such a negative light? Why are we finding reasons to com plain and ridicule those in volved in this decision? Setting politics aside, why don't we try to avoid the nega tivity since there is already enough that can bring us down? Instead, let's support the committee's decision to honor a man who has inspired in millions when we need it most. honor yen to !cially Telephone: (814) 898-6488 Fax: (814) 898-6019 Photo Editor Business Editor Akeem Mclntosh Any letters intended for publication must be addressed to the editor. he no more than 350 words, and include the wri T te h r c :s ß n e a h m re e n a d n ß d e p a h c o o t n ie d n o u e m s n b o e t r p L u e b tt l e is rs h n a i n lb y e m e ( d w it s ed le f t i t i e r r t s .o t r i i , te th n e t ( e m d l i e w n r gt i h r z s i t t u t d h e e n e t d s it w o a r n in t chief's ther aomsl43@psu.edule il Fs discretion.t to he Humanities Editor: published, they must include their name. The Behrend Beacon intends for its Opinion page to be a forum for Adam Spinelli discussion, not a screen to hide behind. Occasionally, The Behrend Beacon may request responses to online alsssB9@psu.edu queries in which responders will be identified by their username. Science Editor: The Behrend Beacon is editorially independent from the Penn State system the Behrend Beacon operates par- Ryan Gula tially on Student Activity Fee. and partially on advertising revenue. Ii is published every Fridtu during the school year except for before and during scheduled vacations, with excepituns fur special issues. rggso29@psu.edu The editor-in-chief has the final authority on editorial decisions, including. but not limited to, all columns. edito rials, and letters to the editor, Complaints regarding Beacon coverage of school events should he directed to the edi tor at editor' , psu edit Daniel J. Smith photoeditor@psu.edu Ast. Photo Editor: Stephen Fyfitch stlso26@psu.edu Engineering Editor Ryan Frankowski rsfsos4@psu.edu However, in December I was n't sleeping nearly the amount I should have been, considering how fatigued and exhausted mono makes a person. I kept going with classes, producing a newspaper and attending meet ings. I'm not sure how I was able to keep going. At times, it was honestly God who gave me the strength. All of this eventu ally led to me leaving a day early during finals week be cause I was too sick. For this current semester, I am commuting to Penn State Greater Allegheny (McK eesport) as a part-time student. I will head to University Park in the fall of 2010 to pursue a de gree in journalism and a minor in business. The Beacon has been such a significant and large part of my life for the past year and a half and it will always be a part of me. I'm not quite sure how to live without it yet. I've learned an unbelievable amount through my experiences. I could fill this entire newspaper with the knowledge I've gained because of this club. • * J • 0 RAL'' -u Last spring, the editor-in chief interview taught me so much. I was nervous when I walked into the meeting and saw six interviewers ready to fire questions at me. However, I learned that being extremely prepared and stepping into a room with confidence will com pletely surpass nervousness. I've learned how to produce a newspaper every week and how to manage and run a staff. I've learned how to prepare for an interview, know the types of questions to ask, and dramati cally increased my speed with writing an article. I know what to do if there is a breaking news situation on campus. I've built up hours and Single copies of the Beacon are free and available at newsstands around campus. Additional copies can he pur chased with permission of the editor-in-chief for SI SO each. Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of all students. faculty or University administration Opin ions expressed in columns. cartoons, and letters are not necessarily those of The Behrend Beacon unless otherwise indicated. MY VOICE A detour in life I have unexpectedly run out of time at Behrend. It is a surreal feeling. Over the winter break, my mind ran a marathon thinking about whether or not I could re turn as a full-time stu dent. This hardest decis I've ever had due to how love Behren Beacon, and b of the fact would have my last semes in Erie. In the ern my decisioi came down one thing: m' health. I kno that I've mad the right deci- sion because I must get my body back to 100 percent. I was told that I had mono the week be fore Thanks- giving break Afterwords, my initial symptoms were gone and I thought I'd be fine going back to my nonstop daily schedule. The Behrend Beacon Editorial staff 'wishes aCC students a very safe, productive, and enjoyable summer vacation. hours of endurance for proof reading on a Thursday night, our layout night. Not only have I learned more about journalism, but because of the Beacon I also learned more about life in general. «)nothuttng urihet your continued support. To the staff, thank you and I know you will keep im proving the Beacon. Always try new ideas, take on challenges, and strive for your goals. Keep recruiting for the future, don't be afraid of anything, and re member to always take care of yourselves. I know that the Beacon will move on without me as manag ing editor and I want it to con tinue to improve. I look forward to picking up a paper when I make my way back to Behrend to visit. I'm excited to see what the future holds for the Beacon, in both the print and online ver sion. I also can't wait to get in volved with the Center for Sports Journalism at University Park and learn even more. I hope that the future editors of the Beacon will find some thing they love when they step into the newsroom and begin their journey because I sure did. For me, nothing will be the same because of mine. I decided to return to the Beacon newsroom for the lay out night of the Year in Review issue. So what has life been like without the Beacon? Well at first, I wasn't sure how to live without it. The Beacon was my life at Behrend. I can't even count the number of hours I've spent working in the newsroom or the amount of time I've spent covering games or events, in terviewing people, and then writing articles. But, I've learned that there are a lot of other things to do. After a person spends so much of their time on one specific thing, you have to sit back and remember what you used to enjoy doing. I am glad I could be back for the Year in Review issue and once again, in the Beacon newsroom. majo it. t•k• . D. i-IS it /B• • s B•• . it is like to pup of peo hat specific the videos, mesh to- Thursday 'w how to my time ef- learned just by ing a close would al be there, at 2 a.m., sometimes at a person s to know. :now what ike to love t I do. T o pporters If the Bea .on, thank you so much and I ask for
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers