Page 2 Troyers Establish Scholarship A $50,000 scholarship fund for outstanding students enrolled or planning to enroll at Behrend has been established by Clifford and Louise Troyer. The Troyers, owners of Troyer Potato Products Inc., of nearby Waterford, Pennsylvania, developed the annual scholarship for full-time students who have achieved superior academic records or show promise of outstanding academic success. First preference will be to students who are employees or children of employees at Troyer Potato Products. Second preference will be given to students who are graduates of Fort Leßoeuf High School. Recipients of the scholarship will be selected by the Penn State-Behrend Scholarship Committee. The number of scholarships awarded and the amount of each reward will also be determined by the scholarship committee. Each scholarship will be awarded for one academic year, but may be renewed for subsequent years providing the recipient continues to meet the conditions of eligibility and funds are available. For more information about the Troyer Scholarship, or to make a contribution to the scholarship fund, call 6159. Sire to Lead Discussion Dr. James W. Sire, editor of Inter Varsity Press and the author of several books, will lead a discussion entitled "Why Believe Anything At All?" tonight at 8 pm in Reed 117. Sire, who has lectured at over one hundred colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, and England, will offer an intellectual approach to Christianity. The Family Dr. Geri Giebel Chavis, editor of the anthology "Family: Stories From the Interior," will reveal the insights literature offers into family relationships during a free public lecture at Behrend on Thursday, March 23. Chavis' lecture, "Literature: The Powerful Illuminator of Family Relationships," begins at 8:15 pm in the Reed Lecture Hall. The "Family" anthology, published in 1987 by Graywolf Press, features a variety of vivid short stories by authors ranging from the 1900's Willa Cather to 1960's John Updike and 1970's Libbi Miriam. The stories, which are arranged into six sections, focus on various aspects of family relationships: husbands and wives, mothers and daughters, mothers and sons, fathers and daughters, fathers and sons, and siblings. Chavis offers an insightful Plastics Division The Engineering Plastics Division of Hoechst Celanese Corporation of Chatham, New Jersy presented $lO,OOO to Bchrend recently to help fund the college's $2 million undergraduate program in plastics engineering technology. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will match half of the Celanese gift, awarding Penn State Behrend an additional $5,000. The $lO,OOO check was presented by Patrick M. Hughes, senior research engineer at Celanese, during ceremonies in the college's plastics laboratory. "I'm glad that we're getting a chance to help industry in Survey Puts Behrend's Freshman Class in National Perspective by James Martin Over 90 percent of Behrend's freshman come from neighborhoods that are mostly white, about 10 percent higher than the national average. This and other figures were the results of a survey conducted jointly by the American Council on Education and the Graduate School of Education of California. This past fall, 513 Behrend freshmen participated in the survey designed to assess the effects of college on students. Over 90 percent of Behrend freshman responded to the survey. While Behrend students responses differ little from national norms, there are some exceptions. Students here appear to be somewhat more conservative than college students at other campuses, with 22 introduction to the entire book, as well as a preface to each section. In the former, she writes: "Readers will find here (in the collection) works reflecting both the negative and positive dimensions of family life. Taken together, these stories weave an intricate family tapestry in which the colors of joy and sorrow and the threads of conflict and reconciliation are tightly interwoven." A professor of English and the chair of the Department of English at the College of St. Catherine St. Paul, Minn., Chavis received Master of Arts degrees in both Counseling Psychology and English Literature and Language. She has also earned a doctorate in English Literature and Language. In her introduction, Chavis reveals the link between her two interests -- psychology and literature: "Vivid literary work Pennsylvania is already a national ' leader in the plastics industry, local companies must often seek skilled professionals from out of state. percent of Behrend freshman calling themselves conservative. This figure represents a steady increase here with figures rising each of the past three years. About 18 percent of the student surveyed identified themselves as being liberal. On the list of priorities, money rates high for this years freshmen class. Seventy-five percent of the freshmen class said it was essential or very important to be "well off" financially. While Behrend students are concerned with financial security, a slightly higher percentage of our students receive financial aid than the national average. Over 20 percent of our students received Pell grants, compared to 15.6 percent nationally. As has been the case in the past, about half of all students rank themselves in the top 10 percent nationally in a number of in Literature focusing on family relationships can indeed be an invaluable resource for us as we seek to learn more about the ways families function. Because of the diversity of her fields and of the audience attracted to family-oriented subjects, Chavis designed her critically acclaimed "Family" collection to suit a wide variety of individuals. "Family" focuses on two basic themes, says Chavis: "ambivalence and the ebb and flow of merging and separateness that characterize family relationships. "Since it is the very nature of the modern short story to present characters upon the brink of change, to capture moments of crisis and revelation in the lives of individuals, this anthology of 25 stories is filled with the drama of family living." Hughes. "There's a shift from smokestack technology to plastics technology, and plastics will definitely be a major economic force in the future of this region." Although northwestern And that is the problem Behrend administrators and local industry leaders set out to solve when they launched Behrend's plastics program over a year ago, according to a college press statement. "The plastics engineering program at Penn State Behrcnd The Collegian Wednesday, March 15 Recieves Donation fulfills a need for a local training and resource center, and promises to provide .new and revitalized economic growth in our area," explained Behrend Provost and Dean Dr. John Lilley, who, along with Paul Koch, associate professor of plastics engineering technology, received the check from Hughes. "In addition to the local pool of skilled plastics engineers our students provide to local industry, our faculty also contributes to zconomic growth," said Lilley. "They are currently developing new products, processes and technology that will benefit both the local and national plastics skill areas. Behrend's male freshman population would appear to be a more talented group than the freshmen females - or at least that's how they perceive themselves. Seventy percent of freshmen males rated themselves in the top 10 percent nationally in academic ability . Mother example: Forty four percent of the men surveyed rate thenmselves in the top 10 percent in terms of leadership ability, while 35 percent of Behrend women made the same assertion. Behrend women did rank themselves higher than the men in a few areas including how often they felt overwhelmed and the percentage planing to go on to a higher education. Sixty-three percent of surveyed women plan to obtain an advanced degree, compared to 50 mpercent for men. The Collegian Published weekly by the students of Behrend College, Erie Pa 16563 (814) 898-6221 Member of College Press Service Editor.... James Martin Assistant Editor.... Richard Cain News Editor.... Maria Plaza Feature Editor.... Rob Prindle Entertainment Editors.... Nan Quatchak and Vail Weller Photo Editor.... Marybeth Zawistoski Office Manager.... Tracy Starr Business Manager.... Stan Lefes Computer Consultant.... Tom Wilkinson Advisor....Nancy_ McGartland The Collegian is a student-edited newspaper industry." The Penn State Behrend plastics program is one of only a few in the nation and is designed for junior and senior-level engineering majors. To date, 30 students are enrolled in the program, which stresses a hands on approach and offers professional accreditation. In addition to receiving instruction in thermoplastics and thermosets, students must complete a rigorous general education in subjects such as writing, mathematics, general sciences, and computers. Courtesy of the Times Publishing Company. To offer some support for the high rankings Behrend students gave themselves, 80 percent of the surveyed freshmen reported they had a grade average of B. or better in high school. This figure is up by over 14 percent from last year. On the down side, the national survey results indicate some decline in the mental health of college freshemen. Survey results at Behrend may indicate such a trend but at the same time, there has been no great increase in the number of Behrend students who characterize themselves as being frequently depressed. Information for this article was taken from a memorandum composed by John P. Downey, Behrend's coordinator of student organizations.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers