The daily collegian. (University Park, Pa.) 1940-current, November 02, 2010, Image 1

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    The Dail
Published independently by students at Penn State
Union
pursues
strike
By Mike Hricik
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
Union workers picketing the
$215 million Millennium Science
Complex expanded their
protests to include the Gary
Schultz Childcare Center at Hort
Woods and Moore Building all
in an attempt to get their sub
contractor to pay higher wages
and use union workers.
Members of the International
Union of Painters and Allied
Trades, of Monroeville. Pa., will
protest until the building's sub
contractor hires union workers
on all its campus projects, lUPAT
District Council 57 Business
Manager Tom lyger said.
He said protesters will not
stop until the union and subcon
tractor Allegheny Interiors and
Drywall reach an agreement
but Penn , :rate officials said
they'll rennin neutral in the
negotiation process.
"We'll stand out here for how
ever long it takes, - Tyger said,
holding his sign. "This is our liv
ing and naturally when we see
guys from out of state taking
over, it makes us mad.-
Altoona-based contracting
firm Leonard S. Fiore, Inc. hired
Allegheny Interiors as a subcon
tractor for the project.
A representative from
Allegheny Interiors declined
comment.
The union workers walked off
the job Friday to begin picketing
for employment reforms after
Tyger said negotiations disinte
grated between the two parties.
Picketers began standing in
the cold on Pollock Road starting
of ti a.m. ionday.
The woi rs braved the early
morning cold. holding signs say
ing "Allegheny Interiors does not
have a contract with
Non-union employees continued
worldng despite the chants.
said they plan to picket
throughout this week.
Penn State spokeswoman Lisa
Powers wrote in an e-mail that
the university is an "open shop,"
hiring employees without union
requirements.
She wrote that Penn State will
still take a neutral stance in
negotiations for now.
"It's not really our role to
mediate these issues." Powers
wrote. "We're most concerned
with our contractors meeting our
quality expectations. project
budget and established con
struction timeline."
'l',7ger said lUPAT contends
that Allegheny Interiors contin
ues to hire out-of-state and non
unionized employees.
He said Allegheny Interiors
has consistently disobeyed pre
vailing wage laws, failing to pay
workers salaries required by the
state.
Pennsylvania Department of
Labor and Industry Deputy
Press Secretary Christopher
Manlove said both Allegheny
Interiors and LSF have clean
records.
LSF Superintendent Rob
Morrow said his contracting
company is not taking part in
negotiations between lUPAT and
Allegheny Interiors.
Morrow said he could not com
ment on the fairness of
Allegheny Interiors' employ
ment procedures.
The Millenium Science com
plex is scheduled to be complet
ed by summer 2011. according to
Powers.
To e-mail reporter: mjhsso7@psu.edu
Tyler Nolf (senior-mechanical engineering) rings up some Penn State logo shot glass
es for a student at the Student Book Store on Monday afternoon.
Shot glasses sell
Downtown rush follows logo ban
By Megan Rogers
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
Student Book Store cashier Tyler Nolf
said Monday was a crazy day, as students
swarmed the store to purchase shot
glasses after learning of the university's
decision to ban its name or logo from
them.
At the Student Book Store, 330 East
Beaver Ave., most of the purchases
Monday afternoon were for shot glasses,
Nolf (senior-mechanical engineering)
said.
Normally, the Student Book Store
doesn't sell many shot glasses on week
days, he• said but Monday was the
Borough discusses Beaver Canyon
A student walks by Canyon Pizza. The State College Planning
Commission and borough council discussed rezoning 254 East Beaver
Ave., which includes Canyon Pizza, at a meeting Monday.
exception.
One male student canie in and bought
$B5 worth of shot glasses, he said.
Other students bought up to ten glass
es in one purchase. Nolf said, and stu
dents have been stopping in to the store
between classes.
"It seems like everyone has been in
here, - he said. "Today is crazy"
Nolf said there are still shot glasses
left, but cautioned that they are selling
fast.
Penn State isn't the first university to
restrict the use of logos on alcohol-relat
ed products. said Tammy Purves.
Collegiate Licensing Company spoke
See SALES. Page 2.
Surge in
turnout
expected
With numbers reflecting an unexpected •urge in
Penn State student voter registration this year.
polling places across the borough opened their doors
to voters at 7 a.m. this morning.
On campus, 12.836 people are elip,ihle \ roe today
said Jodi Neidig. supervisor of the L(.ntre rountx
Office of Elections and Voter ReL;istranon
"'"ll‘,Tiically, it's only with presidential & 1 clions that
we get a huge number of student registration appli
cations:- Neidig said. - This time it was much more
than what we expected."'
Centre County has a total of 101,660 voters regis
tered and eligible to vote in today's midterm cit.('
tions, Neidig said.
Of those registered. 44,103 registered with the
Den.oeratie Party and 39,171 with the Republican
Party Neidig said.
The student turnout in the last midterm election
was about 18 percent of those registered. Neidig said.
but she anticipates the turnout this year will be much
higher based on the number cf registrations
received.
TJ Bard, Governmental Affairs committee chair
man of the University Park Undergraduate
Association, said he hopes for the same high turnout.
Members of the committee will he in the HUB-
Robeson Center from 12 to 4 p.m. handing out flyers,
food and drinks to voters. Bard said.
The flyers include basic information about each
candidate including their positions on major issues,
See ELECTION. Page 2.
Voter Registration 2010
Jodi Neidig. supervisor of elections and voter registration.
said student registratlon exceeded expectations.
Centre County
Affiliation
;1 - )
l a 2
c.)
By Colleen Boyle
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
After the State College
Planning Commission was
unable to agree on a single plan,
the issue of rezoning 254 East
Beaver Ave. returned to the State
College Borough Council on
Monday evening. The Council dis
cussed the issue and voted for
further dialogue about the issue
at a later work session.
Since April, the commission
and the council have worked to
produce a feasible plan to rezone
the property, which now includes
Canyon Pizza.
Commission members said the
decision is a difficult one because
of all of the different factors at
psucollegian.com
By Katrina Wehr
COLLEGIAN STAFF
Campus Precinct Derek Williams/Collegian
hand. Council members agreed
Theresa Lafer described the
issue as a "conundrum wrapped
in an enigma stuck in the middle
of downtown.-
One of the only solutions on
which the commission could
agree is the removal of a student
overlay requirement. Other fac
tors such as parking. height and
density drew different opinions
from commission members.
Herman Slaybaugh presented
the council with five different
options, including no action, the
original plan presented by the
developer and three others.
Commission members, he said,
were leaning toward a hybrid of
zoning options.
See COUNCIL. Page 2
43.4%
Dem.