Poll to measure voting system opinions
An online poll to test whether Penn State students are informed about voting will be available beginning today until noon Sunday at cscl.ist.psu.edu/psuvote. The poll will include a survey of students' feelings on issues such as electronic voting and trust in the voting system, as well as questions on where students get their political information.
The poll is being released by information sciences and technologies professors John Carroll and Craig Ganoe and undergraduates Caitlin Ferro (freshman-information sciences and technology) and Timothy Knapton (sophomore-information sciences and technology), in association with student voting coalition Represent Penn State. A similar poll was conducted two years ago regarding the presidential elections, in which about 500 Penn State students participated.
University Park Airport evacuated
The University Park Airport was evacuated at 9:45 a.m. yesterday after a patron found a written threat on a bathroom stall wall that said a bomb would go off at 11 a.m., Penn State University police assistant director Tyrone Parham said.
The airport was searched by bomb-sniffing dogs and reopened at 11:10 a.m. when a bomb was not found, Parham said.
Police believe the threat was written in the men's bathroom between 6 and 9:45 yesterday morning, he said. Parham said it was the first threat of this nature at the airport. Police are also looking to see if there is a connection between yesterday's incident and an Oct. 25 bomb threat at Bellefonte High School.
Officers awarded for standoff efforts
Two Penn State University Police service officers were recognized this week for their efforts during the standoff with an armed gunman Oct. 21 at Nittany Apartments.
John Torres and Willia Wagner were awarded Performance Recognition Certificates for putting themselves in harm's way to ensure innocent bystanders were safe, according to a Penn State press release. The two were recognized for their effort during an incident that resulted in the suicide of visitor Qwynton Armstead, 24, who shot himself after a standoff with police.
Smith memorial set for Saturday
A memorial service for the man killed Saturday by an alleged drunk driver will be held tomorrow in West Chester.
Westminster Presbyterian Church, 10 W. Pleasant Grove Rd., will be holding an informal gathering at 2 p.m. followed by a "life celebration" service t 4 p.m. for Richard Smith.
Smith, who had recently moved to Conshohoken where he was working as a computer analyst, was visiting a Penn State student for the weekend the night of the accident.
