TUESDAY
Dec. 4, 2001
Vol. 102 No. 93 20 pages
School
By Lynne Funk
COLLEGIAN STAFF WFUTER I lafunk@psu.edu
Shellie Smarowsky, a 21-year-old Penn
State student, died yesterday after a
pedestrian/school bus accident on the
corner of East Beaver Avenue and South
Garner Street
The incident took place at about 9 a.m.
Shortly after, Smarowsky was taken to
Centre Community Hospital, where she
was pronounced dead from a "blunt
force trauma to the chest," said Scott A.
Sayers, Centre County Coroner, in a
press release.
Smarowsky was crossing the intersec
tion on South Garner Street at the time
the bus was turning right onto South
Garner Street from East Beaver Avenue.
The State College Area School District
Bus was operated by David Johnson, 27,
of Boalsburg. Four Grace Lutheran
School children were on the bus at the
Residents
troubled
with lack
of Internet
By Jennifer Brooks
FOR THE COLLEGIAN
The bankruptcy of Excite@Home
has left many Penn State students
who live off-campus without Internet
service since early Saturday morn
ing.
"A significant number of Penn
State's students have been affected
by this," said Howie Weiss (junior
finance and accounting).
Weiss said that he has been very
happy with his AT&T service up to
this point. Though having no Internet
service is an "inconvenience," the
company should not be blamed, he
added
"The company has covered their
bases," Weiss said. "They've provid
ed excellent service up to this point."
Elizabeth Engelbret (junior-educa
tion) has also been without Internet
access since Saturday, when she
received an automated voice mes
sage from AT&T explaining the situ
ation. AT&T said Internet access
would be restored within seven days,
she said.
Kim Pranton (senior-sociology) is
another disappointed AT&T cus
tomer. Pranton said that she is dis
pleased with the way that AT&T has
handled the situation.
"I really did wish they gave us
more warning about this so we could
make arrangements and find a new
service," Pranton said.
AT&T didn't give customers a
chance to have their questions
answered, she added. After this,
Pranton said she plans to find a new
Internet service provider.
Penn State staff members have
also been affected by the lack of
Internet service. Paul Kellermann, a
lecturer in English, has been having
difficulties staying in touch with his
students from his computer at home,
he said.
"I can't be without my e-mail,"
Kellermann added. "It's easier to
contact me by e-mail than phone. I
always answer my email; I don't
See INTERNET, Page 5.
Inside
Students fight fires for free
The scene would be typical of any
house full of college students at 2 p.m.
on a Thursday. Another is preparing
for his daily workout, while one eats
lunch, watching an ESPN replay of last
weekend's Penn State-Michigan State
football game. I LOCAL, Page 4
Scientists discover lizard
As objects in society become small
er, the creatures that are discovered
are becoming smaller as well, exempli
fied by two scientists who have discov
ered the world's smallest lizard locat
ed in the Caribbean. I SCIENCE AND
HEALTH, Page 13
Fencers dominate first meet
The Penn State fencing team start
ed its dual meet season with a bang,
beginning their quest for another
national championship.
Over the weekend, the Nittany and
Lady Lions traveled to New
Brunswick, N.J., to compete in their
first dual meet of the season. with Rut
gers and Princeton universities. I
SPORTS, Page 10
THE DAIL yco ,\
bus accident kills student
time of the accident. None of the children
were injured.
Smarowsky, from the Philadelphia
suburb of West Chester, moved in with
her boyfriend of more than two years at
the beginning of the semester.
"She was my best friend," said Mike
Weinstock, Smarowsky's roommate and
boyfriend.
Weinstock had to break the traumatic
news to Smarowsky's mother. .
"She was hysterical. I was crying, she
was crying," Weinstock said. "I'm all
cried out."
Smarowsky's mother was unable to
comment last night.
Weinstock, sitting in the room he
shared with Smarowsky in Park Hill
apartments, looked through personal
belongings and pictures, with the sup
port of his mother, Mary, and close friend
of Smarowsky's, Nick Bartilomo. The
three talked about their fond memories
A Palestinian family crouches against a wall after fleeing their house near Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's headquarters in Gaza
City. Israeli helicopter gunships retaliated for suicide bombings by Islamic militants that killed 26 people.
Sharon declares war
By Ibrahim Barzak
and Mark Lavie
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITERS
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon declared war on
terror yesterday, and Israeli airstrikes
destroyed two of the Palestinian leader
Yasser Arafat's helicopters in Gaza and
hit West Bank security installations.
Ten Palestinians were wounded in
the missile attack by Israeli helicopter
gunships near Arafat's seaside head
quarters, which raised a plume of black
. smoke over Gaza City. Arafat was in the
West Bank at the time of the attack
Sharon convened an emergency Cab
inet meeting to decide the scope of
Israel's response to suicide bombings
and shootings by Islamic militant
groups that killed 26 people in Israel on
Saturday and Sunday.
Palestinian Cabinet minister Saeb
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Weather 2
of their times with Smarowsky.
The room, covered in framed photo
graphs of the smiling couple and their
friends, was blanketed by an aura of sad
ness.
Bartilomo nodded in quiet agreement
to what Mike and Mary Weinstock said
about Smarowsky. The three smiled
through tear-filled eyes, recalling the
fond memories of Smarowsky's person
ality.
"She was really passionate. She was
the hardest worker so incredibly
smart," Mike Weinitock said. "She was
ready to go out and get the world"
Mike Weinstock looked at his mother
and friend, recalling the many times
Smarowsky helped him through rough
times he had.
"How many problems has she been
there for me she was the strongest
girl," Weinstock said.
See ACCIDENT, Page 5
Erekat said Sharon's speech, coupled
with the airstrikes, signaled an Israeli
attempt to "overthrow the Palestinian
Authority." Palestinian officials said the
harsh reprisals undermined a sincere
Arafat effort to crack down on Islamic
militants in the wake of the suicide
bombings.
However, Israeli Defense Minister
Binyamin Ben-Eliezer told reporters
that Israel has no intention of bringing
down Arafat's administration.
Brig. Gen. Ron Kitrey, the Israeli mil
itary spokesman, said helicopters used
by Arafat to shuttle between the West
Bank and Gaza were targeted because
"they were symbols of his mobility and
freedom."
Since Sunday night, Palestinian secu
rity forces have rounded up about 110
members of the Islamic Jihad and
Hamas, the group that claimed respon
sibility for twin suicide bombings in a
Shellie Smarowsky, 21, poses with her boyfriend Mike Weinstock
on terror
Jerusalem pedestrian mall that killed
10 young Israelis Saturday and another
suicide bombing that killed 15 on a bus
in Haifa Sunday. A Hamas shooting in
the Gaza Strip on Sunday killed one
Israeli.
In the past, the Palestinians have
quickly released some militants
detained in sweeps and the Bush
administration yesterday cautioned
against what White House spokesman
Ari Fleischer called a "revolving door."
Concerning Israel's airstrikes, Fleis
cher said, "Israel has a right to defend
itself."
Secretary of State Colin Powell cau
tioned that all sides must consider the
repercussions of their actions on the
peace process.
M Arafat makes arrests and issues more
warnings. I INTERNATIONAL, Page 9
WEATHER Page 2
TODAY: Sun, then clouds.
30 cents off campus ©2OOl Collegian Inc.
Bush puts
America
on third
high alert
The president said to
remain aware during
the holiday season.
By Ron Foumler
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
WASHINGTON, D.C. President
Bush put America on high alert yes
terday for possible terrorist strikes
during the holiday seepon after U.S.
intelligence officiali reported an
increase in credible threats.
Homeland Seturity Director Tom
Ridge, standing in for Bush in order
to announce the
third government
alert that has
occured since the
Sept. 11 suicide
hijackings in New
York and Wash
ington, D.C., said
the information
they have
received does not
point to a specific
target or type of attack, either in the
United States or abroad
"The convergence of information
suggests, ladies and gentlemen of
America, you know, we're at war, be
on alert," Ridge told reporters in the
White House briefing room.
"Now is not the time to back off,"
Ridge said, echoing a warning he
issued the nation's governors in a
conference call yesterday
More coverage
111 U.S. warplanes pound
Kandahar. I Page 6
■ Three captured Taliban mem
bers claim to-be Americans. I
Page 6
II Northern Alliance releases list
of leaders for future government.
I Page 6