_Dwight Collins celebrates Black America writers by Tracy Muffett Collegian Staff Writer Approximately 30 people attend ed the Friday, Feb. 13 Dark Sym phony in the Reed Lecture Hall at 8 p.m. Nearly an hour and a half I,iier, approximately 30 people walked out of the lecture hall much richer for an experience that no one should have missed. Actor Dwight Collins, an impos hip who has appeared in The Color Purple, stood alone on a stage adorned with only a podium and a stool -- and even these he rarely used, in what he called "My own personal interpretation of some legendary works by some le, , J.endary authors." Like a musical symphony, Dark S: mph on y has movements, each with a central and unifying, theme. The "Middle Passage" from ica to the Caribbean, life as sign es anJ later as "free" men, and V, amen arc but a fess of these themes. Simple and eloquent, the symphony includes poetry and pro se, and dance. and it lasts several hours. Collins, due to time reslrictions, performed only some e eerpts from the symphony; 1 - .;_ , ;.ever. the fact that the perfor The )regs" take first place in Valentine's Day Air Band contest 43 Jill Tourville Staff Writer an occasion foi mu h entertainnlent on cam <ponz,oreci by the Student Pro 441:_mminf... Council. The evening n with the Air [laud contest. i‘.lnn) students filled the Wintergreen Cafe to cheer on and laugh at the contestants. The all students of Behrend, i)oug Gainor. Greg Goldsmith. fin ei re Green and Andrea Sullivan, awarded "The Dregs" the first prize of S5O. "The Dregs" cons;sted of nine guys from Sigma Kappa Nu: Pat Espin, Dave S:arsnic. Chris Jordan. Kirk Rex \viral, Rob Boyle, Greg Garrison, Todd Raible, and Brian They performed the song - You Can Call Me Ai" by Paul Simon. "The Dregs" were well coordinated, all drassed in crisp white shirts and black tics, and had quite a stage presence which lifted the spirits of the audience. When o , ked why they called themselves "The Dregs", Chris Jordan expended emphatically, "SKN was referred to as 'the dregs of ~oc i ety' by Collegian staff writer Michelle Grasrnick...we just wanted to show people that that is not true.•' Also from SKN, imper sonating The Beastie Boys, was __au Fontana, Chuck Hess, and Ed Nlaeser. With their convincing per lormance they took the second prize of $25 with the song "You Cotta Fight For Your Right (To i'arty)." Then because two of the bands cancelled at the last minute, the master chairman, Ralph Let son, also a student at Behrend, and .0 cadets learn winter survival skills by Michelle Grasmick ar:d Lari Beals Collegian Staff Writers On Saturday. Jan. 31, all ROTC cadets participated in the first lead lab of the semester, entitled - Winter Survival -i6 Rifle Fir ing." Due to the freezing temperatures, most cadets reported to the first formation with extra sets of long underwear lining their Battle Dress Uniforms, while still rubbing the sleep from their eyes. The day began at the Wilson Pic nic Grove, where MS-11l Cadets Greg Durkac and Calvin Fryling launched the day's activities with a briefing on cold weather injuries and prevention. This proved to be timely, as many of the cadets were neginning to jump around in order to keep Old Man \\Tinter from nip ping at their toes. Durkac and Fryl tng taught cadets how to prevent hypothermia and frostbite by layer ing clothing, drinking warm fluids, conducting buddy checks, and maintaining constant bodily move ment. The cadets were also taught to recognize frostbite and hypothermia. Cadets snickered when they learned that one of the treatments for hypothermia involv ed getting into a sleeping bag naked with a nude but warm buddy. Cadets were then led to a station conducted by MS-IV Cadet Tom Milley. Milley instructed a class on finding your direction and orien ting yourself when you're lost and without a compass. This involved using the hands of a watch in com parison to the location of the sun. By this time, quite a few cadets were beginning to get twinges of mance was abridged made it no less powerful. The actual works that Collins us ed in his performance -- excerpts from novels, poems, and plays by Black American writers, primarily from the Harlem Renaissance period of the 1920's -- are dramatic in and of themselves; yet Collins, with expressive voice and face and fluid gestures, brought to them a life of his own. There was joy and celebration, as in James Johnson's "The Creation"; in a piece by Countee Cullen, there was sadness and deep bitterness toward a Fate that would "make a poet black, then bid him sing." There was laughter and grief and hatred; but, mostly, there was deep pride in be ing Black. "My soul has grown deep, like the rivers," quoted Col lins from a Langston Hughes piece...black and white alike, the rapt audience believed it. On a more serious note, Collins expressed to the audience his deep love for and feeling of unity with all Blacks. "If you see a junkie shootin' dope in the alley, or a wino layin' in the alley, you're lookin' at me; if you see a doctor, or a lawyer, or a minister, you're lookin' at me," he said at the end "The Dregs" from L to r. Dave Starsnic, Pat Espin, Kirk Rexford, Chris Jordan, Dave Wirth, Robert Boyle, Todd Raible, Greg Garrison. hunger in their bellies, so MS-111 Cadet John Moscato demonstrated how to kill and prepare a chicken while living in the field. This class proved to be more painful for some cadets to watch than for the actual chickens being killed. Moscato demonstrated two diffeient ways to kill a chicken: 1) by pulling and biting its neck off, and 2) by hang ing it upside down from a tree branch and breaking its neck with an entrenching tool and letting it bleed to death. After both chickens were dead and the necks were severed, Moscato demonstrated how to skin and gut the chickens properly. They also demonstrated the correct method of preparing a chicken over an open fire. After this very explicit and detailed demonstration, cadets found their appetites either nonex istent or ravenous, and were en trusted to the care of MS-IV Cadet of the show•. Perhaps an excerpt from Collin's closing piece, a monologue from Charles Gor done's play No Place to Be Somebody, best sums up Collins' message to people of all races: "They's mo' to bein' black than Ken Lesher for chow around a rag ing fire, where toes soon began to thaw out. Just as cadets settled down to a scrumptious lunch of hot dogs, potato chips, hot chocolate, and soup, as well as the infamous chicken stew, MS-111 Cadet Craig Paske discovered the head of one of the chickens in the bottom of the pot in which the hot dogs were boil ing. Simultaneously, everyone's mouths stopped chewing and drop ped open, while shrieks of shock and dread were sounded. However, as soon as Paske broke down in fits of hysterical laughter and admitted it was a practical joke, cadets relax ed and went on munching in order to prepare themselves for the next quest of the day, which allowed cac:_:ts to learn about the M-16A1 Rifle. Each platoon was transported to the Lawrence Park indoor rifle range, where they were given a TROUBLED? NEED TO TALK? 'E CAN HELP...WE ARE ABOUT YOU! IN STATE-BEHREND AMPUS MINISTRY ant Affairs Reed Building 898-6245 F CAMPUS WORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES RANSPORTATION AVAILABLE FOR 11.00 a.m. SERVICES BUS LEAVES REED 10.15 a.m SUNDAYS ON CAMPUS WORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES ROMAN CATHOLIC MASS with The Rev. Ron Toven• (Fr. Ron) SATURDAYS, 5:30 p.m. m THE REED LECTURE HALL PENN STATE•BEHREND CAMPUS MINISTRY Dwight Collins meets the eye! It's all the stuff that nobody wants but cain't live without! It's the body that keeps us standin'! The soul that keeps us goin'! An' the spirit that'll take us th 000! Yes! They's mo' to bein' black that meets the eyeS" class on the assembly and disassembly of the M-16. After a safety briefing, 5 people at a time were put on the firing line, each with an instructor from Behrend's Rifle Club. Each person was given 15 (.22 caliber) rounds to fire at silhouette targets. They were in structed on loading, siting, and clearing the rifle, and on different firing techniques. Many people en joyed this, and did very well hitting inside the inner circle of the target. The cadets went home with a more complete knowledge of M-I6 rifle marksmanship and winter sur vival techniques. ....... - • ..:::,...4&._ Levi's __ .___, -.....-- Farr _ , _ 6 *Cary Samoa ariTh lig ?Jr,/ litilffii In 46.0. DeLONG SPORTSWEAR ll SPORTSWEAR. Photo by Wendell Bates Drill team shows off March by Michelle Grasmiek Collegiate Staff Writer • .new,pCsheylliaS'ineri established of awarding blue,' berets to those cadetS ,Who rierfonn two color • .guard exercises artd•megt other par- The beginning of the Spring 'B7 , 6:War Criteria,, • semester saw the birth of a new • trend's drill • team Aral corn club on campus: the ROTC Drill' pete wkb other,,Penn State College Team. Many people are already , 4rillteattisitiFort - Indiantown-Gap familiar with the drill team after, inlvlarch. Most of the meetings are watching the Color Guard perform spent in preparation for this event, at basketball games. The Color Bebrend ROTC ; has the obligation Guard has participated in other oftipholding the tradition of dean such events such as high school - ing upon awards. • - football games and Erie Blade Other events, in which the Drill games. ' Team will participate include the _ The club's purpose is to give "ROTC"Awards Ceremony, cadets the chance to learn moves Behrend ComMencement Exer with the M-16 rifle and teach eise4 and the Reserve= Officer's precise marching techniques. A Association Military Bail. If you have a story for the Collegian, call 898-6221 Photo by Holly Lew Buy one Pizza Sub, get one FREE! *pick-up only w/coupon Expires 3/19/87 ;# .t v 4 / A Store Catering to NAV the Needs of \ raternitites Sororities HEAVYWEIGHT SWEATS, JACKETS. CUSTOM SEWING. SILK SCREENING, LAVEUERS & GIFTS, 411 FEBRUARY 26,1987 Collegian PAGE 5 the judges decided to open up the stage to anyone courageous enough to do an impromtu for the third prize of $lO. Only two acts volunteered. First, the sisters from Sigma Theta Chi lip-synched to, according to Susie Jalosky: "one of their favorite songs, 'The Suit case Blues' by Triumph." Finally; with much persuasion from the alai dience, Bill Packwood agreed to take the stage. He impersonated Prince by dancing to the song "Kiss." This entertaining perfor mance won third prize. Despite all the fun of the Air Band Contest, Chris Jordan said, " It was sad that the only two bands participating were fraternities:..more people should, get iny6lved.j.:The fun con - tattled later with 'a:ddriee held in the Wintergreen Cafe. The dance started off a bit slow, but by midnight the Cafe, decorated with red and white streamers and hearts, was full with more than eighty students. To com plete the warm and friendly at mosphere of the dance, heart shaped cookies were served, com pliments of SPC. The music for the dance was provided by Ralph Let son and included a wide variety of musical tastes from "Twist and Shout" to "Purple Rain." Several sessions of slow songs were includ ed, perhaps to provide an oppor tunity for students to ask someone to be his or her Valentine. The dance seemed to be an excellent time for students to relax by danc ing, socializing or just sitting back and watching the action on the dance floor. Bmr.4dAk:t. ITALIAN RESTAURANT 3512 Buffalo Road Wesleyville Phone: 899-3423 We Deliver Pizza to Behrend Dorms and . Apartments spy arty design. orders welcome: 'ce" for most in stock. 0
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