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... Big Ten championships —Pa g e 10 by Paul Markowski
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—Page 6
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da th il e y C ollegian
Vol. 96, No. 145 18 Pages ©1996 Collegian Inc
We are: Tournament bound
Players from the men's basketball team togehter with staff and friends CBS at the Bryce Jordan Center Founder's Room. The Nittany Lions
watched the announcement of their seeding positions last night on were not surprised with their No. 5 seed.
Lions earn bid to Big Dance
By MICHAEL SIGNORA
Collegian Sports Writer
After a lengthy hiatus from college basket
ball's biggest party, Penn State is going dancing
again.
The Lions (21-6) earned an at-large bid to the
NCAA tournament yesterday and are seeded
No. 5 in the East Region, squaring off with No.
12 Arkansas (18-12) on Thursday in Providence,
R.I.
"I think it's a tremendous thing for us and our
program," Athletic Director Tim Curley said.
Students request grant extentions
By LISA HAARLANDER
Collegian Staff Writer
For many students, affording
college is difficult. But for some, it
is a fight to the death between a
limited checking account and col
lege expenses.
Keith Magasich (junior-comput
er science) would not be able to
attend the University if it was not
for a combination of federal and
state grants, loans and a job.
"It was a life-long dream to come
to this school," said Magasich, who
spent eight years in the Air Force.
"But I go to school only because of
the grants and loans I receive."
But Magasich is facing a prob
lem because it will take him more
than four years to get his degree,
and his grant from the Pennsylva
nia Higher Education Assistance
Agency will stop before he gradu
ates.
To make ends meet, Magasich
said he is considering joining the
National Guard to become eligible
tor additional aid.
To help students such as Maga-
Teen arrested for
assaulting woman
By SHAWNA CASWELL
and JENNIFER FABRY
Collegian Staff Writers
seriousness of the crime and
other factors that I am not at
liberty to discuss, I think it's an
appropriate case for him to be
tried as an adult," Gricar said.
Under Pennsylvania law, a
person under 18 is not capable
of committing a serious crime,
said John Sullivan, assistant
professor of administration of
ustice.
The suspect is two months 1
A 17-year-old male was
arrested Saturday in connection
with the Feb. 23 attempted mur
der of a Ferguson Township
woman and could be tried as an
adult for the crime.
shy of his 18th birthday, said
Ray Gricar, Centre County dis-
trict attorney
"Because of his age and the
"We set our goal to be competitive on a national
basis year in and year out and hopefully this is
the first step in making postseason activity the
norm."
The invitation to the Big Dance marks Penn
State's first trip to the tournament since 1991
when the Lions upset UCLA before succumbing
to Eastern Michigan in the second round.
Coach Jerry Dunn, an assistant to Bruce
Parkhill the last time Penn State made the field
of 64, was especially excited for the senior
class.
"These guys have given an awful lot of them-
sich, a few students went to Harris
burg during spring break to try to
make PHEAA funding available for
five years, instead of four.
State Rep. Lynn Herman, R-Cen
tre, is currently sponsoring a bill
that would extend PHEAA grants
to financially eligible fifth-year
students.
Some students who testified on
March 4 before the state Education
Committee's Sub-Committee on
Higher Education were Pat Scan
lan, former Penn State University
Veterans Organization president,
and Bill Rothwell, Undergraduate
Student Government Senate presi
dent.
At state-owned and state-related
universities, the number of stu
dents graduating within four years
now is less than it was in the 1980 s.
Many of the students are not fin
ishing school in four years because
of transferring, changing majors
or working while going to school.
At Penn State in 1992, 34.7 per
cent of students graduated in four
years. But at other state-related
universities, such as Temple Uni-
The assault occurred late Feb
ruary in the Schneider home at
22 Nittany View Circle. Laura
Please see ASSAULT, Page 7.
versity, only 23 percent graduated
in four years, according to Her
man's office.
Because more students are stay
ing longer, Scanlan is hopeful the
bill will become law.
But Scanlan said getting support
and money from Gov. Tom Ridge
may be difficult because education
is not a priority and the state bud
get is tight due to floods.
Extending the grants to students
for five years would cost an addi
tional $lO million, Rothwell said.
While some students can keep
attending the University without
PHEAA grants, it may mean going
further into debt.
Stephen Carli, PSUVO president,
said he plans to stay an extra
semester to get a minor in geron
tology to make himself more
attractive to employers.
"I really think it would be a
struggle to stay in school without
(the grant)," said Carli (senior
exercise and sport science). "It
enables me to be here in school and
keep my debt down."
Carli receives the maximum
Group pushes penis in phallic fight for presidency
By BRIDGETrE BLAIR
and JULIE M. RANDALL
Collegian Staff Writers
If the Madagascar Revolutionary Council has
its way, the next Undergraduate Student Gov
ernment president will be a penis.
Actually, it would be a 24-inch rubber penis,
which was seen leading the MRC in the Hal
loween "March with a Bunch of Morons"
through campus last semester.
In what they called a move to "stir fear in the
shallow hearts of the establishment," the MRC
recently announced their ticket for the upcom
ing USG elections a penis for president and a
plastic fish as its vice president.
"We think that USG is the sham of shams and
we want to discredit the whole organization,"
said Kevin Houlihan (senior-history), the gener
alissimo and head librarian of the MRC. "We
don't want to be part of the organization. We
just want to make fun of it."
Along with discrediting USG, Houlihan said
Monday, March 11, 1996
selves and in particular Matt Gaudio, who's suf
fered through back surgery and come back to
perhaps live out a dream," Dunn said.
"Donovan Williams and Glenn Sekunda have
really contributed a great deal, as well as Chris
Rogers. He was a walk-on and its got to be
something special for him to be a part of this."
For Dunn, gaining a bid to the NCAA tourna
ment in his first year as a head coach could be
the exclamation point in an outstanding season
for Penn State basketball.
After going undefeated in the brand new
Please see MEN, Page 7.
grant, which is more than $1,200 a
semester.
Scanlan said the reason PSUVO
is concerned about extending aid is
that the group represents many
adult students who, because of
family responsibilities, need more
than four years to get a degree.
More than 10,000 nontraditional
students attend the University and
more than 2,700 of them served in
the armed forces, Carli said.
When the legislation to extend
the grant was first introduced in
1987, it was PSUVO that originally
initiated the legislation.
Herman also introduced the bill
at that time.
"(Herman) has been a die-hard
worker for this goal for nearly 10
years now." Scanlan said. "We're
hopeful this year we can finally do
it."
This is not the first time the vet
erans organization has fought for
more money.
In 1982, the group supported leg
islation that restored $l4O million
from the previously trimmed Pell
Grant program.
Collegian Photo/Hector Caro
the main issue the MRC wants to address in
elections this year is the University budget. He
said the MRC wants to make the budget open to
students.
"I want to know where the money's going,"
Houlihan said. "That's all."
Houlihan added that the MRC is a nonviolent
group dedicated to voicing their objections
about the University.
USG Senate President Bill Rothwell said elec
tions rules and regulations will be applied to the
MRC candidates if they are on the ballot. If the
MRC runs a write-in campaign, however, it will
be harder to enforce the code.
Because the MRC declared their candidacy
before March 11, they could be fined between
$25 and $5O under the elections code for early
campaigning, but Rothwell said enforcing that
particular violation would be difficult.
"How's a penis going to pay a fine?" Rothwell
said.
Head Elections Commissioner Darren Patz
Lady
N 0.2
This year, Rene
Portland hopes to take
her team further than the
hardwood of Happy
Valley.
By GEOFF MOSHER
Collegian Sports Writer
Last year, the Lady Lion basket
ball team won the Big Ten title and
earned a No. 2 seed in the Midwest
regional, getting the chance to play
their first two games at home.
Things are looking very similar
in 1996.
After conquering the Big Ten
tournament for the second consec
utive year, the No. 9 Lady Lions
(25-6) earned a No. 2 seed in the
West region of the NCAA tourna
ment.
The Lady Lions host Mid-Conti
nent Conference champs
Youngstown State, the No. 15 seed,
at 8:30 p.m. on Friday in the Bryce
Jordan Center. The first game will
be between Texas A&M (20-11) and
Kent (23-6) at 6:30 p.m. The win
ners of each game play in the sec
ond round game at 6:30 on Sunday.
Lady Lion coach Rene Portland
hopes not everything in 1996 is
similar. Penn State took an early
exit in last year's tourney when
N.C. State point guard Tammy Gib
son drove the length of the court
and scored a layup in transition
with time running out.
"Our goal is to get out of State
College," Portland said.
The following graphic displays the percentage of students that
graduate in four years from the following places:
of Pittsbur
Universit
Penn State
mERT=
State System of Higher Education
.ource: Re•. L n Herman's office
Published independently by students at Penn State
Lions earn
spot again
If the Lady Lions win their first
two games, they will advance to the
Sweet 16 on March 23 in Seattle.
"You have to get the ice pick out of
your heart one day," Portland said.
"This is the time."
The West regional is certainly
not the strongest. Stanford (25-2),
the nation's 4th-ranked team,
earned the region's top seed. Col
orado (25-8) gets the third seed and
Alabama (22-6) the fourth. "The
toughest is where Vanderbilt is,
ours is do-able" Portland said. Van
derbilt (20-7) is the No. 3 seed in
the Mideast region, which boasts
six top-25 teams, including No. 2
Connecticut (30-3), No. 8 lowa (25-
3), No. 13 Duke (25-6), No. 16 Flori
da (21-8) and No. 17 Wisconsin (20-
7).
The No. 1 nationally ranked
team, Louisiana Tech (28-1), gets
the No. 1 seed in the Midwest and
No. 4 Tennessee (26-4) gets the No.
1 seed in the East.
The upcoming tournament will
be the last chance for Lady Lion
seniors Tina Nicholson, Kim Cal
houn- and Katina Mack- to bring
home a national championship.
Portland feels the play of seniors
will dictate how the team fares.
"I never realized the impor
tance of the seniors until they did
n't do a good job in the lowa game,"
Portland said, recalling the Lady
Lions' 12-point loss to the
Hawkeyes. "I do believe that they
can take us to that special place."
That special place being Char
lottesville, Va., the site of the
Please see WOMEN, Page 7.
said the joke campaign sparking student inter
est in the USG elections may be a positive
thing.
"However, I would hope that the students
would do what was best for the University and
not elect a joke campaign," Patz said.
Pate added that if the MRC ticket won the
election, they would not be able to take office
because the presidential and vice presidential
candidates must be full-time undergraduate
students.
One student said having a penis as the USG
president would have no effect on him.
"I don't know what the president does for me
now, so I really don't care if it's a penis," said
Mike Galo (junior-environmental engineering).
Rothwell said campaigns, like the one the
MRC is planning, take away from the legitima
cy of the elections.
"They make the elections seem like more of
a joke than people already perceive them as,"
he said.
Collegian Graphic/Ryan O'Rourke