PSU BRANDYWINE
West Chester
Old Fa hioned
= The Lion’s Eye
INSIDE
Vol. 1, Issue 6.
Penn State Brandywine
Media, Peniisylvonis
December 10, 2008
THE
NITTANY
Lion
RECIEVES
DUI
~~ Special to the
Lion’s Eye
By Elizabeth Murphy -
Forgiving errors is part of the
Nittany Lion mascot’s job. He still sup-
ports the basketball player who misses
the 3-pointer at the buzzer or the baton
twirler who drops the baton on the last
throw. ; :
This legacy -- provided by
co-author of The Nittany Lion, Steven
Herb -- is especially fitting with the Nov.
22 arrest of the current mascot, James
Sheep, Herb said.
“I think probably there isn’t
anyone around who wouldn’t like him to
be able to rewind and do that day again,”
Herb said. “I’m sure the way he feels
right now -- nobody feels worse.”
i Sheep, a senior, was charged
with DUI after he was pulled over by
Penn State Police at 3:16 a.m. Nov. 22 on
Curtin Road and recorded a .164 BAC,
according to the criminal complaint.
: He was pulled over after a po-
lice officer noticed there were t00 many
people in the car he was driving, police
said. Sheep had “watery, sleepy eyes,”
and police detected the odor of alcohol
emanating from the vehicle, according to
the criminal complaint. Sheep failed field
sobriety tests and consented to a blood
test, police said.
University spokesman Geoff
Rushton said the incident is “disappoint-
sing;
2
“Any time there is an alcohol-
related violation with a student it’s disap-
pointing, but it wouldn’t be fair for me to
single out one person,” he said.
He also said he wouldn’t neces-
sarily call the mascot a figurehead, but he
is certainly “recognizable” and a “well-
regarded part of the campus.”
The Office of Judicial Affairs
has not taken any action against Sheep
yet, Rushton said.
Rushton said any decision
Photo courtesy of www. raymondeg. com
Collegian Staff Writer
about suspension of Sheep oh the role
as mascot is up to cheerleading coach
Curtis White. White did not respond to
repeated phone calls by press time Mon-
day. Sheep refused comment Sunday.
Herb, also the head of Penn
State’s education library, said the mascot
is the one of the few physical representa-
tions of Penn State that can move from
place to place.
“I think whatever that mythical
thing of Penn State’s spirit is -- that is
what he, and eventually she, symbol-
izes,” Herb said. “Excitement at victory,
sympathy at defeat.”
Herb said he hopes Sheep
finishes out his senior year as the Nittany
Lion mascot. :
Jackie Esposito, the other author
of The Nittany Lion and Penn State
library archivist, said the Nittany Lion
is the most recognizable mascot in the
nation.
“It’s all the good things that
- reflect Penn State about spirit and sports-
manship,” she said, “and I think that’s
what the man in the suit symbolizes.”
Esposito said the name of only
the last few of the 43 mascots have been
publicized. :
“Part of it is to make the reality
of the person in suit more realistic to fans
-- the humanity of the person in the suit,”
she said.
Still, Esposito said, Sheep
should possibly be held to a higher stan-
dard as the mascot. :
“If he was any one of other
42,000 Penn State students on a big foot-
ball game weekend, it would have just
been in the police blotter,” she said. “The
reason it is a story is because when he
is not being a normal Penn State senior,
he’s wearing the suit.”
INSIDE THE LION’S EYE
Faculty Forum........
80000000008 0000000000000000
Winter Weather Preview..................... World/Local
From the Vintage Bin.........ccovonvens. Entertainment
Twilight Movie Review.................... Entertainment
Brittany Neimeth'’s Seal of Approval............ Op/ Ed
Penn State Football Rose Bowl........ | eapSpOrts
Campus News
World AIDS Week
2008 on Brandywine
By Rahel Teklegiorgis — Lion’s Eye Staff Writer - rtt129@psu.edu
Laura Lam, Santeena Brown, and Matt Zangari proudly hold up the AIDS
question box for AIDS Week - Photo courtesty of Rahel Teklegiorgis
Lead-empower-deliver! This
is the theme for 2008 World (Acquired
Immune Deficiency Syndrome) AIDS day
* which was observed on December 1st this
year. Monday also marked the begin-
ning of the newly adopted AIDS week on
our campus. Members of Brandywine’s
Student Government Association decided
to not only acknowledge global AIDS day,
but to implement an entire week dedicated
to raising awareness.
This week serves as a time of
encouragement for those who have been
directly or indirectly affected by this dis-
ease. The student body was asked to wear
red the entire week in order to show sup-
port for those who are battling the disease
and to remind everyone to get tested.
John Strawbridge, President
of Brandywine’s Gay-Straight Alliance,
was handing out condoms to students on
Monday and plans to continue doing so
throughout the week. “These are for pro-
tection not for fun,” SGA President Ashley
Wood responds lightly when asked about
the condom distribution. This friendly and
simple peer-to-peer communication has
been a powerful method of spreading the
importance of protection from HIV (Hu-
man Immunodeficiency YimsyAlDS on
college campuses.
~ Students also left red boxes and
signs around campus, allowing those who
may have uncertainties about AIDS or
STDs to leave questions. This method al-
lows for questions to be left anonymously
“and saves students from openly speaking
on the topic, seeing that many students
may feel uncomfortable asking these ques-
tions in a public setting. :
The questions collected through-
out the week: will be submitted and
answered on Thursday, December 4th by
Kim Agozzino, a Registered Nurse and
Cent UE SK LT Ag CE SH BAG RL SRR AT UR GE ee PVELT
TER WR VE Sa Se
Faculty member of Brandywine. Professor
Agozzino 1s scheduled to make a presenta-
tion in the Lion’s' Den on vital information
about AIDS and explain the importance of
getting tested regularly.
Additionally, a simulated AIDS quilt is
displayed in Student Life.
Students are welcome to leave
a memory of friends and loved ones who
have been affected or have lost their fight
with HIV/AIDS. Anyone interested in
adding to the Brandywine AIDS quilt is
welcome to visit Student Life where you
will receive a patch to create his or her
own personalized message. The student
body is welcome to come and pay their
respects as well as receive a first-hand
view of the impact this rapidly, spreading
disease has left within our own commu-
nity.
This year, the Center for Ameri-
can Progress reported that there are -
roughly 33 million people infected with
HIV around the world. Some eye-opening
statistics were also released. In our capi-
tol, Washington D.C., the HIV rate is 1 in
20. This is the same rate of HIV infected
people in sub-Saharan Africa. African
Americans in particular make up 12% of
the U.S. population, yet account for 45%
of recent HIV infections. AIDS has been
identified as the number one cause of
death for African American women rang-
ing from ages 25-35. World AIDS day has
reached its 20th year since first observed
in 1988. :
With the semester winding down,
this week will remind students to get
tested over the holiday break. Hopefully
these efforts on campus will leave students
with information they can share with fam-
ily and friends in our surrounding commu-
nities.