4 The Dally Collegian A quick look at our community Penn State Spanier to greet staff, students at open house University President Graham Spanier will host an open house for the Penn State community. Spanier will personally greet faculty, staff and students into his office. “He wants to share the space and host people and have them enjoy the murals and reach out to the University community,” said Alan Janesch, writer/editor for the University Public Infor mation Department. The event will be from 3 to 6 p.m. Monday in Spanier’s office, 201 Old Main. Visitors will be able to see a number of pieces of artwork from the Palmer Muse um of Art on display in the office. The Nittany Lion will be pre sent to welcome visitors, and Lion Ambassadors will provide tours of Old Main. The Ambas sadors will also provide a brief history of the mural paintings that decorate the Old Main lobby. Two top positions still open at PSU Two top University positions remain open as searches contin ue for a vice president of devel opment and alumni relations and executive director of University relations. “Our committee has met three times,” said Terri Brooks, dean of the College of Communica tions and chair of the search for executive director of University relations. “We have a pool of applications.” Nominations for the search for executive director of University relations will be kept open until the jjosition is filled, Brooks said. The new administrators will replace former Executive Direc tor of University Relations Roger Williams and former Senior Vice President for Devel opment and University Relations G. David Gearhart. State College jobless rate lowest in state The State College area had the lowest unemployment rate in the state in August for the eighth consecutive month, according to a news release from the state Department of Labor and Indus try. Resident employment and unemployment in the State Col lege Metropolitan Statistical Area both declined during August. The unemployment rate also went down to 3.3 percent, according to the release. There were 2,000 people unem ployed in August 1995, according to the release, as compared to last year, when 2,400 people were unemployed in August. Unemployment dipped 300 from July, dropping the rate three tenths of a percentage point. Centre County Property tax exemption supported by Herman State Rep. Lynn B. Herman, R- Centre, supports legislation to provide property tax exemptions for primary residents, according to a news release. Known as the Primary Resi dence Exemption (PRE), House Bill 1362 would exempt a portion of local property taxes from res idential property used as a pri mary place of residence, accord ing to the release. Herman said he supports the legislation, which will require a constitutional amendment if enacted, because it can “ensure people won’t lose their homes due to escalating property taxes.” If the House Finance Commit tee approves the legislation, he said, it will be considered on the floor in the near future. “This legislation, sometimes known as the ‘homestead exemp tion,’ is a first important step toward shifting away from prop erty tax to other revenue sources to support our local school dis tricts and municipal govern ments,” he said. White Cane Week tries to open residents' eyes By STEPHANIE BOWMAN Collegian Staff Writer A white cane for some it’s a symbol of independence and a sym bol of their life. But for most, it’s a symbol of mobility. In celebration of the white cane, Gov. Tom Ridge proclaimed Oct. 8 to 14 as White Cane Week, but areas around the state are celebrat ing it at different times. Lion’s Club of Harris Township is honor ing the event on Oct. 20 and 21. Inspired by the White Cane Law, which was enacted in 1959 to pro tect a blind person with a white cane or with a guide dog, the event is going to be honored during the month of October. The White Cane Law states that it is unlawful for a person who is not visually impaired to carry a white metallic cane in an extended position. It also states that whenev er a visually impaired person is Dunn rewarded for sacrifices, wait By KEVIN GORMAN Collegian Sports Writer When you can look at yourself from a distance and notice everything from the way you walk and talk to how you tilt your head to the left, you have to look hard in the mirror to be convinced that the image you see isn’t distorted. Especially when it isn’t even you. When you have grown up dressed exact ly like each other, playing the same sport, sharing the same circle of friends, you crave your own identity. But when you move for the fourth time and your only companion is the boy born five minutes after yourself, he becomes your best friend. And somehow, he wants to be just like you. So when Jerry Dunn became the 10th men’s basketball coach at Penn State and the first black head coach in the Universi ty’s history, no one was more excited than his identical twin brother Terry. Maybe that’s because Terry Dunn is an assistant men’s basketball coach at Col orado State and knows-the same fate may be in store for himself someday. And as one colleague put it: “If Jerry gets sick, Terry could fill in and you wouldn’t know it.” “We spent a lot of time trying to find our own identity," Terry says, “but to no avail.” “It’s a little eerie at times,” Jerry says. “Our mannerisms are identical." Born in Raleigh, N.C., and raised by their mother and grandmother, the Dunns moved to Washington, D.C., when they were 13 years old. Their mother, Maelene, married John Leake, who was in the U.S. Army and was later transferred to Fort Dix, N.J. At Pemberton Township High School, the Dunn twins started at the swingman and power forward positions for three years, only distinguished by the rubber band that Coach Richard Stahl forced Terry to wear to tell them apart. “They switched jerseys during a scrim mage one time,” Stahl remembers. “It last- Personality Profile Name: Jerry Dunn Age: 42 What he does: He is the new men's basketball coach. Unique facts: Dunn is the first black head coach in the history of Penn State Athletics. Quote: "When I first entered this busi ness, everything I did from that point until now was directed at preparing myself to be a head coach." Skills Group to receive funds from sale of Amish photos By LAURA M. BOSCARINO Collegian Staff Writer With the federal government looking to reduce its spending, Bar bara Askin is afraid that potential cuts in Medicaid will directly affect at least 500 people in her life. Askin is the vice resident of the Skills Group, a 35-year-old non profit organization that provides services for people with disabili ties. Skills Group, 2597-1 Clyde Ave., receives its primary funding from the Office of Mental Retardation and the United Way. Askin said Skills Group desperately needs money because of a lack of govern mental funds. For a while, however, the finan cial burdens of Skills Group will be slightly eased with the help of local Towf^o/, crossing a street, drivers must take special precautions. But the White Cane Law is unknown to many people. William Range, director of public affairs for the Pennsylvania Asso ciation for the Blind, said many people do not even slow down for visually impaired pedestrians. “People are not even aware that there is such a law, so every year we set aside a week in October that states the importance of the white cane,” Range said. The week, Range said, came about in order to raise the public’s awareness of the importance of stopping their vehicles if they see a blind person on the street. The white cane is also a sign of independence, aiding blind people to conduct their lives as others do. “I think it symbolizes the fact that people who are blind can have their own independence,” Range said. artist Bill Coleman, a photographer whose pictures of Amish people can often be seen in the window displays of the Corner Room, 100 W. College Ave. Each year, Coleman sells thou sands of his photographs, with the slightest defects, at 70 percent to 80 percent discount and gives all the proceeds to a children’s organi zation of his choice. This year, he chose Skills Group to benefit from the thousands of dollars his photographs raise. The average price of a photograph is $ll, with the highest price at $3O. Coleman has been working with the Old Order Amish for 20 years, taking photographs at his favorite location in Pennsylvania, which he would not reveal. Coleman said 10 percent of the families allow him to take their pictures candidly. His love for children can be seen ed for about 30 seconds until I could call time out. As identical as they looked, it was not easy. I could not tell them apart until they got onto the floor.” That was where the otherwise insepara ble Dunns were obviously different: Terry had finesse, but with Jerry you didn’t mess. Terry and Jerry finished their careers by setting scoring and rebounding records, of which Jerry’s still stands. Making personal sacrifices to benefit the team is one of Jerry Dunn’s credos. He could have been the leading scorer, but it was more important to him to get the rebounds. Hell, anyone can score, but can you box out and position yourself in front of a guy twice your size and come down with the ball? Terry went to Casper (Wyo.) Junior Col lege to play basketball, while Jerry, already a military brat, turned down foot ball scholarships from Virginia Military Institute and West Point before deciding what he wanted to do. After a year, he joined his brother at Casper and played until he developed tendonitis in both knees. And then the Dunn twins went their sep arate ways. Terry played basketball at Northern Col orado. Jerry went back to Washington, where he worked for the federal govern ment and met Gwen Phillips, who soon became his wife. They had a daughter, Nikki, now 17, about the same time Jerry returned to school, this time at George Mason. Jerry worked as a volunteer assistant men’s basketball coach under the late John Linn, his first mentor. He became a part time and later full-time assistant under Joe Harrington, who was hired in 1980 when George Mason rose from Division II to Division I status. If there’s one thing to be said about Jerry Dunn’s rise through the college coaching ranks, it’s that he never took the easy road. At George Mason, Harrington, Dunn and fellow assistant Rick Barnes were the coaches, managers and janitors rolled into one. They swept the floors before and after practice, did laundry, used their own trans portation and paid for their own gas on recruiting trips, drove vans to games and took McDonald’s orders for dinner. There were no sports budgets or team meals unless you counted Ponderosa the night before a game. And that was a treat. “When we were at George Mason, we had nothing,” says Harrington. “Jerry, Rick and I saw the lowest Division-I school in the country go to one of the most respected schools. That has something to do with the success.” It helped Harrington become head coach at Colorado, helped Barnes succeed him at George Mason, and later get head coaching jobs at Providence and now Clemson. Dunn joined Bruce Parkhill’s staff as an assistant at the University in 1983 and remained so for 12 years until a little more than a month ago. “I’ve had several opportunities, some of which I didn’t feel were right,” Dunn says. “I’ve never been one to take a head job Kenneth Dixon of the Harris Township Lion’s Club agrees with Range. Dixon, who has been helping with the Sight-Loss Support Group of Central Pennsylvania, Inc., 11l Sowers St., for the last 12 to 15 years, said the visually impaired population deserves its indepen dence and he thinks drivers should be more courteous. “My observations of how people handle the White Cane Law is that they don’t obey it,” Dixon said. Dixon and Range both agree White Cane Week presents the sup port the visually impaired have in the community. “It should symbolize that there are people that are concerned and trying to help,” Dixon said. Howev er, he said, students do not know enough about the White Cane Law. * Students think it’s never going happen to them, so why worry about it, he said. Head coach Jerry Dunn talks to basketball player Rahsaan Carlton. Dunn was named the new head coach for the Penn State Men’s Basketball team. because it was a head job. In the back of my mind, I believed if I did a good job, I might have a chance at the job here.” He waited, spending time on the road, away from his family. He passed on job opportunities and fell into the stereotype of the assistant coach who was destined to stay one seat away. “Sometimes you wonder if it’s going to happen,” Jerry says. “But I wouldn’t say I had any regrets. Sometimes, I was sitting around thinking, ‘What if?’ ” Now, Dunn has inherited a team that was an NIT semifinalist, returns eight letter men and will celebrate its centennial sea son with the grand opening of the 15,000- seat Bryce Jordan Center. He is the first black coach in the history of Penn State athletics, almost reluctantly, not for its significance but, rather, its insignificance. “Sometimes you don’t want to be referred to as just being a black coach,” Dunn once said. “You want to be referred to as a coach.” Dunn speaks calmly and thoughtfully, carefully choosing his words. The task of raising Penn State’s program to a top 25 program has consumed him. He wants to in many of his photographs, and Coleman said not enough is being done to help children and people with disabilities. “The price of one stealth bomber would take care of the needs of all the children in these situations,” Coleman said. “It’s too bad we have screwed-up values I’m one of millions of people who have no idea of the dire need these organiza tions are in.” And with its many services, Skills Group will benefit from Coleman's donation. Askin said Skills Group provides services within seven surrounding counties of State College, and it serves more than 500 participants with daily living support, work shops and employment placement and training. “We try to get people into the community as much as possible, But Doug Little, a blind member of the Sight-Loss Support Group, said drivers should be more cau tious. “I have been totally blind for nine years, and in that time I have been hit once and have been in numerous other accounts,” Little said. “It only takes a second, and you can be up and over or below the car. I wouldn’t want to be there again.” Little said he believes this week is important to get the -facts out that white-cane users exist and people need to be cautious. “If they obey the law for this week and this week only, it doesn’t do any good,” Little said. “It should be for the other 51 weeks of the year also.” Kay Marshall, a disability ser vice counselor for the University, who is blind, said many students do not know about the law either from ignorance or disregard. living normal lives like everybody else does,” said Andrea Ryan, Skills Group communications coor dinator. Many of the program’s partici pants appreciate the help Skills Group offers and take advantage of Lenni Bell is a program partici pant. Since her graduation from State College Area High School, Bell has held a number of jobs through the organization. Bell is now working at the new Sleep Inn, 111 Village Drive, where she folds towels and sheets four days a week. By her side is Lisa Urban, an employee of Skills Group who helps train program participants in their new jobs. Urban said she has helped Bell learn her responsibilities and make friends. When Bell first started the job, Thursday, Oct. 19, 1995 Unfortunately, she said, they learn ■ about the law the hard way. “People usually find out about* (the law) when they hit somebody i with a white cane,” Marshall said. . In general, Marshall said, she' thinks people in State College typi cally are very nice and polite to! blind pedestrians. ' One of the students who didn’t, know about the law is Brooke; Weinert (senior-broadcast-cable). < “Judging from me not knowing, I, don’t think a lot of students realize • it exists,” Weinert said. ■ “I’ve been very pleased in gener al on how people typically > respond,” she said. i Like Dixon, Marshall said she; thinks White Cane Week is a nice * reminder to promote awareness of people with sight loss. “It may cause a little more cau tion in people,” Marshall said. “But I don’t expect people to stop right • away as soon as they see me.” be in the Big Ten conference’s upper eche lon, wants to return to 20-win seasons and NCAA tournament berths. “Everything I do is obviously going to be scrutinized. And that’s what I’m trying to get away from,” Dunn says. “I’m in a posi tion where there’s always going to be sec ond-guesses, but I’ve got to do it my way and live with those decisions. “Too many times you feel pressure when you are a black coach to appease every body. But you have to do what’s right for your program.” When your sights have been set on a sin gle destination, you make sacrifices. You spend less time with your family and more time with strangers. You talk with your brother once a week, see each other once a year. Sometimes when you are thinking about your mirror-image and ready to make a call, the telephone rings. And it’s Terry. “I could not be more proud of him, because he’s my mentor,” Terry says. “When you’re growing up, you never expect to say that. But Terry wants to be like Jerry.” Even more than he already is. Urban worked with her. But now that Bell feels more confident to carry out certain responsibilities by herself, Urban stays in the background, and is there if Bell should need her. “I like it,” Bell said of her job. The money received from the charity will be directed toward improving services and more importantly keeping them going, Askin said. “Unless we set up schools, instead of bombers, for young peo ple to learn skills, we’re going to be in trouble,” Coleman said. Ryan said Skills Group hopes to raise over $lO,OOO in photography sales. The sale will be at the Holi day Inn Penn State, 1450 S. Ather ton St., from 2 to 6 p.m. Friday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sun day.
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