December 15, 2003 The Lion’s Eye Pye on Campus Page 3 By RENEE BLISARD Lion’s Eye staff writer REB202@psu.edu through Penn State Delco? Is it local church bells? each hour. Development Biscontini. the roof of Main." tunes and Beatles songs. What is that beautiful sound of bells wafting No, it's Penn State's very own chimes, tolling The actual name of the chimes is "carillon," according to Penn State Delco Director of and University Relations But ... we see no bells. Where are they? "The chimes are a big tape player in a janitor's electrical closet in Main Building," said Biscontini. "Speaker units for the chimes are clearly visible on In addition to chiming the hours, the carillon plays music, such as Penn State's alma mater, show "They used to play ‘Michelle, My Belle' and 'Never Joe Now it can be told ... they're ‘a tape player in a janitor’s closet’ Where are those bells that ring on the hour? Walk Alone' on them," said Biscontini. The chimes are not new; they were obtained in 1982 by Delco's first CEO, John D. Vairo, for $8,200. Biscontini said the carillon chimes, a Tyme Stryke- 41 model from Schulmeric Carillons, Inc., were fund- ed by various alumni and Penn State Club of Delaware County's phone-a-thon headed by the club's president, David E. Pergrin. The chimes were pur- chased in memory of James Armstrong (1936-1982), a past president of the club. But now, as 2004 approaches, what is their effect? "l didn't know there were chimes," said Stacey Kelly, Penn State Delco junior and senator of athlet- ics. "A lot of people don't know there is a clock on John Vairo, the first CEO of Penn State Delco, and then-Penn State Club President David Pergrin unveil the carillon chimes. The tapes that run the chimes still sit in their humble surroundings in the Main Bulding. the classroom building, let alone chimes. They think the chimes are from a church." Penn State Delco purchased the chimes because having chimes is a collegiate tradition. "The intent was to emulate Old Main at University Park that always had a carillon unit," said Biscontini. "It's the same as why they have the lion statue; it's very collegiate. In an original memo to everyone who helped get the chimes, John D. Vairo agreed. He wrote, "The carillons will add a new dimen- sion to this campus — one with which all Penn Staters are familiar — the tolling of the time bells and the playing of Penn State songs. Now everyone will hear them throughout the countryside.” Hear them, even if they can’t see them. Trying to keep budget crunch ‘invisible’ to students Continued from PAGE 1 anticipate any changes that will affect students. "We're working hard to keep it invis- ible to students," Franz said. While Franz doesn't think that stu- dents are going to see any problems anytime soon, the future is uncertain. His biggest concern is that indetermi- nate funding limits the school’s ability to start new programs. Lack of monetary support from the state isn't the only problem: Enrollment decline in most Commonwealth College campuses also poses difficulties, since enrollment is where most of the university's money comes from. Tuition increases affect enrollment, and Franz worries about students who work and a national trend shifting responsibility of education to the student. "There is a higher proportion of stu- dents working,” he said, “and working more hours. It's more pressure on stu- dents and their performance is not as good. A student that could be an A or B is a C student.” For now, the university is doing its best to deal with the unpredictable sit- uation with the state budget. University President Graham Spanier has proposed a three-tier budget for 2004-2005. Each tier is based on a dif- ferent appropriation amount, since the amount is uncertain until the assembly actually meets. And with increasingly declining appropriation, the university has become less dependent on the state. "The positive side of a bad picture is that we don't get as much money from the state,” Franz said. “When 1 first came here in the late ’60s, half of the budget came from the state. Now it’s 12 percent." Tomezsko acknowledges that some- thing will have to be done to raise rev- enue. His hope is to create an educated workforce, therefore creating jobs in Pennsylvania in order to make the com- monwealth appealing to both its own residents and residents of other states. But first things first: A finalized state budget would be a great start, and the Penn State alumni grassroots association is doing its part by contact ing legislators and applying political pressure. According to state Rep. Tom Killion, R-Delaware, the budget will be final sometime this month. If Penn State only had a dime for every time they heard that one ...
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers