WEDNESDAY Dec. 5, 2001 Vol. 102 No. 94 20 pages Mike Bailey (freshman-business) works with his tutor, Sui Chaing Lin (sophomore-computer science) in the East Area Lodker Room Cream of the crop PSU athletes yield stellar graduation rates By Jeff Rice COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER jar342@psu.edu Tucked away in a little nook between The Bryce Jordan Center and the Nit tany Apartment complex, where the majority of Penn State student-athletes live, is a small building called the East Area Locker Room. It's not well-known to most, but ta student-athletes, it's a second home. Upstairs, the• hallway is silent, as is a well-lit room with bare gray walls and partitions on the tables. At 7:30 on a Tuesday evening, only a few students are in the room, wring fiver texts or scribbling math pffiblems into a note book Soon, though, there will be more. For Penn State student-athletes, evening study hall becomes as much a part of their daily routine as team prac- Police investigate bus accident By Lynne Funk COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER I lafunk@psu.edu The State College Police Department is continuing the investigation of the school bus/pedestrian accident that resulted in the death of Penn State stu dent Shellie Smarowsky. Lt. Diane Conrad of the State College Police Department said, "the investiga tion is not complete but there are no charges pending against the driver." David Johnson, 27, of Boalsburg, was operating the bus that turned right onto South Garner Street when the accident occurred. Johnson could not be reached for comment. No new information about the inves t ligation was available yesterday, Con rad said. Preliminary investigation revealed that Smarowsky, who was walking east on East Beaver Avenue, stepped into Inside Bush: Arafat display peace President George W. Bush said yes terday it is time for Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to crack down on Islam ic militants and demonstrate whether he supports peace with Israel. I NATIONAL, Page 12 Calendar debates continues Two university committees met yes terday to discuss the calendar, with still no consensus being reached among the faculty, staff and students involyed. "They could not decide what the best change would be," said Facul ty Senate Chair John Nichols. "There fore, no formal proposal was made, nothing got resolved." I LOCAL, Page 7 Welsh receives accolades Penn State women's soccer player Christie Welsh added some more hard ware to her trophy case yesterday. Welsh, who led the Nittany Lions in scoring for the third straight year, was awarded the prestigious Hermann Trophy, which is given to the nation's best soccer player. I SPORTS, Page 13 A 1 roliu \ 1 4,i, i LLruinn SHE ~....,,, g _i___, tices. The university stresses that freshman student-athletes get off to a strong academic start, which is why all freshmen are required to put in at least seven and a half study-hall hours each week Many big-time NCAA programs excel on the field but are far less productive off of it, as their graduation rates range from subpar to dismal. This is not the case at Penn State, which expects its athletes to graduate. And when the numbers are examined, the expecta tions usually are met. Of the last four student-athlete class es studied by the NCAA (of players who entered as freshmen in 1991, N., '93 and '94 and who earned or failed to earn degree within six years), Penn State graduated an average of 77 percent second best in the Ing Ten. The the side of the bus and then fell under neath it, according to a police press release. She sustained multiple internal injuries, which resulted in the 21-year old's death, police said. Penn State spokesman Tysen Kendig said the university has resources for students who are disturbed by Smarowsky's death. "It's obviously a terrible tragedy and we are saddened by it," Kendig said. "We hope students who are upset by it take Smarowsky advantage of the services provided by contacting Univer sity Health Services or stopping by the HUB." Kendig said the university has a policy that allows students who have been through a tragedy to be excused TABLE OF CONTENTS Calendar 3 National 12 Classifieds . 16 &17 Opinions ...10 & 11 Comics 19 Scoreboard ....14 Crossword 19 Sports 13 Horoscope 16 TV Listings 18 International 9 Weather 2 CONTACT US Newsroom: (814) 865-1828 Ads/Business: (814) 865-2531 ON THE WEB www.collegian.psu.edu PUBLISHED INDEPENDENTLY BY STUDENTS AT PENN STATE school's averages in the three major sports football and men's and women's basketball also were among the conference's best, at 70 per cent, 80 percent and 82 percent, respec tively. At Penn State, it's all about establish ing a "culture," an environment where importance is placed on academics early and maintained throughout an athlete's stay at the university While many athletic programs at big-time Division I schools struggle to meet NCAA graduation standards, this cul ture consistently helps put Penn State among the nation's best. "Penn State has always had a great culture for acade4nics and athletics being combined," Athletic Director Tim Curley said. "And I think the credit goes See ATHLETES, Page 4. from classes. "We have counseling services around the clock," Kendig said. Stharowsky (senior-public relations), who was from the Philadelphia suburb of West Chester, would have graduated within the coming year. Kendig said in the past, Penn State has given students who passed on an honorary diploma. "I'm not sure of the criteria needed," Kendig said. "I'd imagine it would have to do with the number of credits completed but I believe that has been done in the past." Mike Weinstock described his girl friend and roommate as "incredibly smart" and an "extremely hard work er" who was going to "make something of herself." Weinstock had to inform Smarowsky's mother about the death of her only child Monday. Witnesses to the accident are asked to call State College Police at 234-7150. Tips lead officials to Philadelphia Officers are conducting follow-up interviews in connection with Cindy Song. After investigators on the case of missing Penn State student Cindy Song received several phone tips, which are being looked into, members of the Fer guson Township Police Department and an FBI agent traveled to the Philadelphia area Monday in order to conduct follow up interviews, according to a press release. The police continue to investigate the disappearance of the 21-year-old woman who has been missing since the early morning hours of Nov. 1. Investi gators were unavailable for comment yesterday. Penn State Spokesman Bill Mahon said the university has been involved in the investigation since she was report ed missing. Mahon said the university has been working with police through Penn State Police Services as well as with the fam ily of the missing student. By Lynne Funk COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER I lafunk@psu.edu Troops for bin battles By Chris Tomlinson\ ASSOCIATED PRESS WR JALALABAD, Afghanistan Anti- Taliban troops hunting for Osama bin Laden said they clashed yesterday with al-Qaida fighters near their moun tain hideouts in Afghanistan. Else where, Taliban forces pushed tribal fighters back from the airport near the former ruling militia's last bastion, Kandahar. In Germany, Afghan factions negoti ating a post-Taliban government agreed to form a 29-member council to run the country and set to work on the difficult task of determining who will hold the major posts. Hundreds of anti-Taliban fighters piled into trucks and set off yesterday for the White Mountains south of Jalal abad, where local officials believe bin Laden and hundreds of his al-Qaida fighters are hiding. Provincial security chief Hazrat Ali said he was assem bling a force of about 3,000 fighters to join the hunt for bin Laden. "This fight has just begun," Gen. Israel unleashes bombs, missiles Two Palestinians were killed by airstrikes that hit close to Arafat's compound and the Gaza Strip. By Ibrahim Hazboun ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER RAMALLAH, West Bank Israel used bombs and missiles yesterday to pressure Yasser Arafat to move against Palestinian militants, striking just yards from the Palestinian leader's West Bank offices and in the were killed Strip. Two Palestinians ere killed and about 150 were injured in the attacks. The campaign stirred opposition from moderate Labor Party members of Israel's ruling coalition, who boy cotted a Cabinet vote on tougher action against the Palestinians. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's gov ernment said it was sending a stern warning to the Palestinian leader that there would be even harsher reprisals if he did not crack down on militants who have been attacking Israelis. "The purpose was to send a clear military message .... 'Friends, we've had enough, take the responsibility that you have and stop the terrorism," said the Israeli army spokesman, Brig. Gen. Ron Kitrey. The air attacks came in response to weekend bombings and shooting attacks on Israelis by Islamic militants that killed 26 people and wounded nearly 200. Kitrey said yesterday's raids targeted Palestinian Authority installations because the Islamic mili tants' headquarters "are secret and cannot be hit in this type of attack" Arafat, speaking to CNN after the airstrike on his Rainallah compound, "e ve met with her family and Mahon said the university will do developed a poster for the family," whatever it can to help find Cindy Song, Mahon said "We put the same informa- but now, they are looking to the police lion on our public information Web site to do what they can. linked to the Penn State Web site,,;' "It's awfully limited to what more we The university has can do," Mahon said. "She just van been polling its ished into thin air. Realistically, a lot of resources to help this is going to depend on the police." with the investiga- Mahon is as astonished about the dis tion. appearance as the many other people "A number of dif- involved with the search. ferent university "This kind of crime is so strange and offices have been so incredibly rare, I think everybody's working together to just so shocked and baffled by it." help with whatever Students now continue to work e can," Mahon Song together with the university and police said. to support the family and help with the For example, Mahon said, the univer- search. sity set up a Penn State e-mail account for Song's brother Kiho Song while he is staying in State College. As well as Internet media, Mahon said the university has been involved in setting up the reward that has been put on the posters for the return of Cindy Song. 30 cents off campus ©2OOl Collegian Inc. search Laden; persist Richard Myers, chairman of the U.S. joint chiefs of staff, said in Washington, D.C. All said a patrol of - about a dozen men plashed briefly with a group of al- Qaida fighters, who abandoned a tank and scurried off to higher ground. There were no casualties. Mohammed Zaman, defense chief here in Nangarhar province, estimates up to 1,200 al-Qaida fighters are hiding in the White Mountains of eastern Afghanistan, which include the Tora Bora cave complex. - Ali said days of intensive bombing have driven al-Qaida fighters from the See TROOPS, Page 6. A Palestinian school girl screams and cries in shock during an Israeli army missile attack in Gaza City. accused Sharon of trying to undermine his efforts to combat terrorism. The Palestinian Authority has rounded up some 130 members of the militant Islamic Jihad and Hamas groups since the weekend, and Palestinian officials said the sweep would continue despite the Israeli raids. ■ Arafat is taken underground after the bombings I INTERNATIONAL, Page 9 An e-mail list has been set up for the students and community members who attended a meeting Thursday organ ized by Black Caucus. An e-mail that was signed, "Sincerely, Family and friends of Cindy Song" was sent to the e-mail list and thanked the See TIPS, Page 6. WEATHER Page 2 TODAY: Partly sunny M ore coverage • U.N. envoy hies to ethnically balance the new Afghan govern ment I Page, 8 ■ World Trade Center victims may be "vaporized." I Page, 8 See ISRAELIS, Page 6