Any bright ideas? Transparent f] rL Penn Staters gOVemment lU) f7A\V7 T 'l ■ r . brainstorm how to V-/LJ U \_K_y Tob^|a ** # cut carbon use The University Park Allocation Committee LOCAL, Page 4. opens its meetings to all | LOCAL, Page 3. Collegian^! Seat changes may increase noise The proposed realignment and expan sion of the Beaver Stadium student section for the 2011 season should create a louder atmosphere during games, Penn State researchers say. With the student section set to move from its current range of seats between the ED section and past the tunnel to the seats between the EA and WA sections, researchers say louder sounds from a more condensed area should reverberate through the stadium. Andrew Barnard is a senior research assistant at Penn State’s Applied Research Laboratory and an acoustics Ph.D. candi date. He and his team of graduate students and professors were brought into Beaver Stadium by the Penn State athletic depart ment three times in the last three years to measure noise levels. WE’RE AH IN THIS TOGETHER j Chloe Elmer/Collegian ! Blake Stadnik (freshman-musical theatre), center, performs as Troy Bolton in the Penn State School of Theatre THON organization's produc i tion of Disney's “High School Musical" in the Forum on Tuesday night. The group used the show as a fundraiser to benefit 8-year-old THON child | Bryan Weinsheimer and was inspired by the musical’s message, "We’re all in this together." For the full story: psucollegian.com. PSU student paralyzed by ‘O6 fall dies By Peter Panepinto COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER A Penn State student set to graduate in December died Sunday more than three years after a fall from a apartment balcony paralyzed him from the waist down. Cory Anthony Wincek, 24, a State College resi dent, was 21 when he fell 16 feet after a balcony gave way outside his University Terrace apart ment, 924 Bellaire Ave., on March 31,2006. He was paralyzed from the waist down by the fall. Penn State spokeswoman Jill Shockey said it is always sad to hear about the loss of a member of the Penn State community. “Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family and friends at this time,” Shockey said. Shockey could not provide any details as to the cause of Wincek’s death. Wincek’s father declined comment. Wincek was pursuing a bachelor’s degree in petroleum and natural gas engineering. He was scheduled to graduate next month. Shortly after Wincek’s 15-foot fall, University Terrace apartments issued a memo stating they would be installing a new railing system. Wincek sued the owners of the building, Keystone Real Estate Group and The Apartment Store, for negligence in 2007, according to court documents. Wincek was seeking the recoverable expenses from his medical bills in his lawsuit against the building owners, according to the documents. The lawsuit was settled in August 2007. See STUDENT. Page 2. By Matt Fortuna COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER Considerably louder Barnard and his team predict that changes to the student section could make Beaver Stadium a louder environment \ w ■- o Beaver Stadium Student section noise travels to the field and out of the stadium. Subsequently, only the east side of the stadium is loud, giving opposing quarterbacks on the west side an easier time. Source: Senior Research Assistant Andrew Barnard Coutesy of imdb.com Actor Denzel Washington visited Centre County to film "Unstoppable.” The production included a group of students who acted as extras and one who worked as a stand-in. 'Unstoppable’ filming enthralls student actors By Kristen Karas COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER Standing a few feet away from actors Denzel Washington and Rosario Dawson is not how most Penn State students would expect to spend a cold fall morning in Centre County. But that is exactly what a group of the atre students did Nov. 6 in Milesburg when they got the chance to become extras on the set of “Unstoppable,” a feature film starring Washington, Dawson and Chris Pine that just completed shooting in Pennsylvania. a ■ 0 / > , r © Beaver Stadium 'Witn tr-e proposed changes, noise from the student section would hit the upper decks on the south s:de of the stadium, bounce onto the field, hi t ? r e upper decks on the north side of the stadium and bounce back onto the field. Megan Yanchitis/Collegian "It was intoxicating,” Ashley Morocco (senior-theatre) said. “The energy was so intense you have all these people buzzing around you. It was electric and alive.” Morocco and her fellow students attend ed the set as part of Theatre 497 C (Acting for the Camera). Professor Charles Dumas, a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) member, said he knew about the filming in the area and inquired as to whether extras were needed. "The reason it happens is because there aren’t too many professional actors,” See FILMING, Page 2. They were at the Nittany Lions’ 2007 game against Ohio State and the team’s games this season against lowa and Ohio State. Using sound level meters handheld microphones that measure sound pressure levels the group would measure sound every 10 seconds during the loudest parts of the game in front of the student section by the 10-yard line. At games this year, Barnard said, the volume reached as high as 110 deci bels. Sustained exposure to decibel levels between 90 and 95 could result in hearing loss. Looking to gauge what could make Beaver Stadium louder, Penn State asked the group to make predictions of what crowd noise levels would be in different areas. “Everyone talks about stadium noise,” Barnard said. “But there are not a lot of cal ibrated measurements.” Tax locally As politicians in Pittsburgh debate the legality of a 1 per cent tax on tuition for colleges in Pittsburgh, members of the State College Borough Council will be watching close ly- “It is some thing that cer tainly has our Goreham attention,” said Borough Council President Elizabeth Goreham. “The 1 per cent tax looks mighty inviting.” Pittsburgh’s tuition tax was proposed by 29-year-old Mayor Luke Ravenstahl as a solution for a $l5 million gap in the city budget. Opponents of the tax in Pittsburgh argue a specific peo ple group should not be singled out for taxation. Proponents say the tax is allowable because higher education is a “privi lege” which the city is allowed to tax. Goreham, the mayor-elect, said State College is in a tough position because of the cost of services it must provide to stu dents who do not pay many of the borough’s taxes. “Although we welcome visi tors ... we need to cover those expenses,” Goreham said. According to current Penn State tuition rates, a 1 percent tax would result in more than $6O per semester for upper classman residents of Pennsylvania and more than $92 for out-of-state upperclass men. Borough council member Ron Filippelli agreed that the tax is appealing. “I think it would be attractive and something we would con sider if it turns out that we have the authority to levy such a tax,” Filippelli said. The borough’s two major sources of revenue are income taxes and property taxes, Filippelli said. These taxes don’t bring in as much money as they do in other cities because 74 percent of residents are stu dents who pay little or no income tax, he said. Goreham had a response for students who argue that they should not be taxed because the borough would not exist as it is without them. “It’s like your mother and father saying, ‘Yes, you would not exist without us, so why should we give you any money?’ ” Goreham said. Penn State spokeswoman Annemarie Mountz said she See TAX, Page 2. ‘Mac’ c headlines tour at the BJC tonight VENUES ollegian.com See NOISE. Page 2. looms By Evan Trowbridge COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
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