Ithrcnii ®olleaiatt Volume XXM No. 13 Behrend Safety Precautions Needed For Growing College Within the past two year, two groundsmen have had their eyeballs punctured by pine tree needles. One would assume this is a rare experience. Not so. When a man mows close to the trunk of a tree, he is vulnerable to lashing by sharp needles. The correction was made by mulching out from the trunk to a diameter that a man could mow to without en dangering himself. Fortunately, most accidents at Behrend College have been limited to the rare and the unusual, but this does not relieve the business office of the responsibility for taking every preventive measure possible to stop accidents. One measure involves wizardry; that is, forecasting the future. For example, within the near future the growth of Behrend College will probably occur with the influx of mostly commuter students. This puts an additional burden on parking facilities and PSU Safety Expands Witn a college the size of Behrend and the increased growth that is taking place academically and physically, certain factors concerning the safety of the college community must be taken into consideration. Commenting on the importance of. this issue, Robert C. Baughman, business manager, stressed' his feelings about safety measures employed by the University as being “prevention rather than after the fact.” Safety regulations are in spected regularly by various specialists and the Penn State University insurance companies Daily reports by security -and maintenance personnel are given to Mr. Baughman concerning the physical conditions of the college such as lights and sidewalks, traffic conditions, and weather conditions. Certain standards have been established by the Pennsylvania State Department of labor and industry, who also participates in the construction and redesign of buildings. Compliance with a state oc cupational safety and health administration, (OSHA) similar to the Federal organization by the same name, will be necessary soon. Penn State University has not been included in this program previously. The conditions under this program govern walk ways, work surfaces, exits, health and Preliminary Match Ed Pisani and Rob Anderson practice their skills in a preliminary chess match. Pitting his talents against Pisani, Anderson out-manuevers him 3 out of 4; especially on traffic flow pat terns. To help prevent accidents, the College has already had the state declare Station road a “no passing zone” at the College entrance. The next step will be installation of a warning blinker light. Further studies will be made regarding traffic flow past Erie Hall with consideration of a restricted pedestrian crosswalk, a review ot trattic uow'mto and out of the Erie Hall lot, the in stallation of improved lighting and controls at the “Y” at the tennis courts, plus more effective placement of “stop” signs and other traffic indicators throughout the campus. Whatever decisions are made to achieve a safer and more ef ficient flow of traffic for Fall, 1973, will have to be watched carefully during implementation so bottlenecks can be removed if they occur and before they, in turn, cause accidents. environmental control, protective equipment, medical and First Aid supplies, and fire protection, to name a few. When asked his opinion on Behrend’s rating under this new criteria, Baughman replied “that the college is ex tremely well off in conditions and that Behrend has a fine record because of concerned people." Most safety hazards found on campus are brought to Baugh man’s attention mainly by people who are concerned. Because Behrend is considered to be a low hazard occupation, Baughman feels that we will have little difficulty meeting the standards detailed, by the OSH A state plan. Because safety is a daily necessity, a Safety Committee has been organized to deal with specific safety hazards and the improvement of conditions. This committee, which has not met yet this term, consists so far of those persons who have expressed interest in the committee— Barbara J. Kuligowski, Director of Health Services; Melody Laudensack, Physical Education Instructor; Janet Wilson, Physical Education Instructor; and Steven T. Zakrzewski, Assistant Professor of Engineering. Other interested persons, including students, are urged to contact Mr. Baughman in the Administration Building. Published by the Students of the Behrend College of the Pennsylvania State University Station Road, Erie, Pa. 16510 With the arrival of these ad ditional students, already heavily used facilities will be even more crowded. Here, a real danger is fire. All buildings must be con stantly monitored to be sure all means of egress are clear and all exit doors are open freely. Smoking also causes problems. One way students and faculty can help is to stop smoking com pletely in the classrooms. Not only would this be a considerate act for nonsmokers, it would help prevent the possibility that seemingly nonflammable buildings would become filled with toxic smoke. Unseen building materials can smoulder and ignite therefore causing smoke inhalation illness or death from materials such as burning electrical insulation, from bur ning plastic, and dense smoke from the oil binder used in “nonflammable” building in sulation. This violation of “no smoking” regulations is noted here to point out how apparently innocent bending of safety notices can have tragic consequences. Today, with elaborate safeguards surroun ding us, it usually takes something unusual to cause an accident. But even a casual reading of a daily newspaper reveals an abundance of “unusual” accidents. The business office cannot, alone, anticipate ■ all the bizarre events on this campus which could lead to an accident. This means that all potential hazards should be reported at once to the business office in the administration building. The safety committee can meet and review safety ef forts, but the real work is done on a day-to-day preventive and corrective basis. Not only is everyone asked to call the business office to report hazards, but those interested in a more effective role are invited to the next meeting of the safety committee in the office of the business manager, Thursday, February 22, at 11 a.m. SGA Changes Meeting Place To Residence Hall Lobbies by Jim Benner Staff Writer So much has been written in this paper and said around campus about student apathy that it is worthless to continue this approach. SGA has felt the brunt of abuse about being inactive from the students. Some have suggested that SGA is too disconnected from the student body. So the organization has decided to go a step further. Sort of bring the mountain to Mohammad style. Starting next week, Monday evening meetings will be held in the residence hall lobbies. Next week will begin with Perry Hall at 7:30 p.m. This new arrangement should allow easy access to the meetings for resident students. Of course, commuters are equally invited to these meetings, as every student has been since the beginning of the year. It was felt that this would make SGA and the im portant issues they handle more visible. Such things as: security reform; problems with con tinuing education; revision of parking regulations; the Legal- The Portable Circus The Portable Circus, an amazingly versatile satirical performing comedy group will appear in Erie Hall, February 24 at 8 p.m. This group will examine the effects of television on our culture with their pointed satire. "Portable Circus" Comedy to Perform One of the finest touring comedy groups will be making an appearance at Behrend. The Portable Circus, a lively en semble of four performers, will examine the effects of television on our culture with their pointed satire. Formed in 1969 as an un dergraduate improvisational comedy act, the Portable Circus met with success at various eastern colleges and in February 1971 decided to pursue comedy as a career. They sought the professional advice of George Sherman, a writer and theater director. Sherman became ex cited with the group’s potential and helped them establish a name for themselves in clubs, television, and college campuses. The Portable Circus performs completely without the aid of props, costumes or sets. Audiences comment that the four performers are “unique and refreshing”, “amazingly versa tile”, and “unbelievably funny.” The Portable Circus will be appearing at Erie Hall, February Services committee; and even another effort to instill an interest the “invisible” skating rink are among the students about this genuine issues and topics for campus. The issues and discussion. It is hoped that with problems, like a malignant this more available set-up tumor, will remain to break down students will be willing to voice our strength as a school. They their opinions and more im- need surgeons to cut them out and portantly . their suggestions for revive the ailing spirit. And every solutions. ' student on campus could be one of The dorm-meeting idea is those surgeons. Drug Assimilation Successful A drug assimilation program was recently held with Behrend students and faculty participating in the role playing. The program, co-ordinated by Gary Mead, Assistant to Dean of Student Affairs, was an experimental activity. The program’s main objective was to gain exposure to different attitudes concerning the drug problem of today. A mock community, called “Comington” was developed. Those people participating each received a particular role to perform to Thursday, Februaryyg, 1973 24 at 8 p.m. Tickets for this event are priced at one dollar with an activity card, $1.75 without, and $2.50 for the general public. This week’s movie is “Hotel” starring Karl Malden and Rod Taylor. Faltering fortunes, blackmail and romance all help to weave a fascinating story. The hotel’s owner must sell his building because of outstanding debts, but wants to make sure that the new owner will maintain the hotel’s standards. The prospective buyers jockey for the best deal, and in doing so, en tangle themselves in a myriad of problems. “Hotel” will have two showings on Sunday, February 18 at 7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. Prices remain at 35 cents with an activity card, and a dollar without. The SUB is also sponsoring a pinochle tournament. Registration begins on Monday, FeDruary IS at the KUB desk, and runs until February 23. For more information on the pinochle tournament, go to the RUB desk. incorporate beliefs and attitudes. Faculty and students portrayed characters of modern parents, conservative parents, students, prominent business leaders, lawyers, police chief and other community members. It seems the program was a success with the participants as each member enjoyed the role playing. But due to lack of publicity, the program was not attended by many students. This program was only experimental. Keep posted for other such ac tivities to take place and sign up to be a participant.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers