New vice prez for graduate studies hopes to promote life-long learning

by Renee Tomcanin staff writer

Change is something that is not limited to college freshmen. All of the new faces at Cabrini have to adapt to the new environment.

Luckily for Dr. Ronald Becht, adjusting to his post as vice president for grad- uate and continuing studies was not too difficult. eventually degrees on-line, following the lead of other institutions.

Becht comes to Cabrini after some career changes.

He started teaching English Literature at various colleges in the United States and then decided to go into administration. He chose Cabrini because working with adults seemed intriguing and would take him in a slightly different direction.

He also decided on Cabrini to be closer to his family, and he loved the campus, both the appearance and the people.

He also hopes to meet the needs of the adults in the community.

Becht has spent a great part of his life travelling and experiencing new areas.

The Louisville, Ky. native has

to come away from their college career with a love of learning."

held jobs at many colleges and universities in the United States, from the University of Connecticut to Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pa.

He also enjoys travelling with his family, stating that he has visited every state with the exceptions of Alaska and Hawaii.

10/27,Sana,Yemen

Three Americans travelling in Yemen were kidnapped by tribesmen who demanded the releaseof 25 suspects who were detained after an attack on an oil pipeline. The kidnapped include an American teacher who was teaching in Yemen and her parents.

10/27,Moscow

The parliament in Annenia' s capital city of Yerevan set the stage for gunmen proclaiming a coup d'etat.

The ordeal, which was shown on live television, left Armenia's Prime Minister, Parliament Speaker and six other officials dead. Approximately 50 other members of parliament were held as hostages.

-Megan Zustra

A Christian Pilgrimage

To TIie HOLY LAND

May 8 - 30, 2000. Twenty-ThreeDays of UnforgettableProgramming; Walk the streets of Old Jerusalem; thrill to the majesty of Bethlehem, Masada, Qumran, Nazareth, Capernaum,the Dead Sea and so much more all over the

Holy Land. Encounter ancient Israel, Jesus' Galilee, the rise of Islam and Crusader fortresses. Next visit Mt. Sinai and enter Egypt by retracing the Exodus; be enthralled by mighty Pyramids, the awesome Cairo Museum, and then, after an ovemighl sleeper-car train to Luxor, ,isit the fabled Temples of Karnak and Luxor, the Valley of the Kings and Queens, including Tutankhamen'sTomb.

Visit us at: http://www.eastern.edu/preprod"/holyland/iodex.btmJ owns a collection of memorabilia from the era. fu addition to travel, Becht is -Dr. Ronald Becht also a Civil War enthusiast and vice president for graduate and continuing studies fu order to do this, he hopes to increase the visibility of Cabrini by offering on-line courses and

A«o-.t.tio,u 11n tJuw ,nu/s per "'1y;El A.IA.irtuta; st«,-.,,., tnuu; 1111 (Hli4 TfMIPrier: SJ2ff.

While at Cabrini, Becht hopes to promote lifelong learning. sionate.

"Students need to come away from their college career with a love of learning," Becht said.

He stated that one of his heroes is. Abraham Lincoln because he was very intelligent and compas-

"He accomplished something that very few could accomplish," Becht said.

Becht also acknowledges the importance of serving others. He says that it is a good life to give back to others, not just money, but yourself.

For further information please contact: Dr. Kenneth H. Maahs at 610-341-5895

by Adam Greenberg

assistant a&e editor

The world of cinema is like Noah's ark. It's populated with many pairs.

Thus, audiences witnessed the Earth getting pummeled by two asteroids ("Deep Impact" and "Armageddon"), felt the heat from two explosive volcanoes ("Dante's Peak"and "Volcano") and tuned in to watch two lives unfold on television ("The Truman Show" and "EdTV"). It seems inevitable that every "boldly original" work has its doppelganger.

This summer, a little film called "The Blair Witch Project" became one of the season's biggest hits, grossing over $130 million at the box-office. This low-budget horror "mockumentary," which chronicled the disappearance of three students in the woods, held its own against the blockbuster force of "The Phantom Menace" and the mojo-impaired "Austin Powers."

Critics and audiences alike praised ''The Blair Witch Project," which was released on home video and DVD Oct. 22, for its brilliant concept of playing out a fictional tale like an actual documentary, thereby upping the creepy-factor.

Filmmakers Stefan Avalos and Lance Weiler had already been there and done that, over a year before "Blair Witch" hit the screens.

Avalos and Weiler, both natives of Bucks County, wrote and directed ''The Last Broadcast," a pseudo-documentary about a case known as the Jersey Devil murders.

Casting themselves in starring roles, Avalos and Weiler play Steven Avkast and Locus Wheeler, respectively, the hosts of a cable-access show called "Fact or Fiction." In each episode, they would examine the world of the unknown and strange phenomena. The show became a minor hit, but then started to lose steam.

In attempt to gain more attention, Avkast and Wheeler devised a plan to do a live broadcast from the Pine Barrens in New Jersey, home of the legendary Jersey Devil, hoping to capture a glimpse of the creature along with some ratings. They enlisted the aid of paranormal-sound man Rein Clackin and psychic Jim Suerd.

Avkast, Wheeler, and Clackin never made it out of the woods that night; Suerd maintained his innocence, but was convicted of their murders. But now, filmmaker David Leigh is pursuing the story, asking "Did Suerd really do it?" Leigh attempts to uncover the truth about the gruesome murders, but finds more questions than answers.

''The Last Broadcast" is told through a combination of interviews, commentary, and "recovered footage" from that deadly night in the Pine Barrens. The attention to detail adds such a sense of authenticity to the film, some viewers may be convinced that it is real.

The film was made for $900, with the aid of desktop editing software, and went on to play theatrically in cities around the world.

Yes, that's right $900.

Using their own computer equipment and editing soft- point to "Blair Witch's" predecessor. all: Lance Weiler (left) and Stefan Avalos(right). ware, Avalos and Weiler were able to craft an expensivelooking production for almost no money at all.

Avalos and Weiler's film has greater richness in character and themes than "Blair Witch," which is a horror movie at its core. "Broadcast" also benefits from the voice-overs performed by the "documentary-maker," giving it the narrative glue that "Blair Witch" lacked. Also, the camera work is considerably less shaky.

Last month, 'The Last Broadcast" played a final weeklong engagement at the County Theater in Doylestown, Pa., hosted by the two filmmakers.

Following the screening of their film, Avalos and Weiler spoke briefly about their work, before fielding questions from the audience.

Avalos said that ''The Last Broadcast" is essentially about the blurred line between news and entertainment, with the rise of reality-based television shows such as "Cops." He said they wanted to demonstrate that when something is taped and edited there is "no such thing as true objectivity."

Scripted as a three-act play, Weiler described it as a "strange, multi-faceted film."

Of course, someone eventually had to ask them the controversial question.

"How much does 'Blair Witch' piss you guys off?" blurted out one audience member.

Not only did they break the bounds of budgetary constraints, they also made history with 'The Last Broadcast" being the first film to be released theatrically by satellite. The film was digitally stored on a server based in California, and then transmitted by satellite to digital projection systems at five theaters across the country. Shredding the technological envelope with their methods, Avalos and Weiler were named two of the new players who are "reinventing entertainment... helping to bring 21st century Hollywood to life," by "Wired" magazine.

Although their movie had been shown at screenings throughout 1998, it was resurrected this year, following the ''Blair Witch" hype. Amid the critical raves and the box office-blow up surrounding that film. some were quick to

The two filmmakers said the whole experience was "very surreal," with people even mistakenly congratulating them for making "The Blair Witch Project." Avalos was quick to point out a key difference between the two films, though. "Ours has an ending," he said.

However, they did feel vindicated when the mainstream press brought attention to their film, which was even stranger for Avalos and Weiler since they see 'Toe Last Broadcast" as an indictment of the media.

Ultimately, they came to see the "Blair Witch" phenomenon as beneficial for their work. It helped them get a national video release as well as deals with pay-TV, though Avalos lamented the lost sense of mystery surrounding the film, as to whether or not it was real.

As for the future, Avalos andWeiler are currently working independently on separate projects, but they would not provide any details about theplots.

Weiler said, "We've learned our lesson. We're not going to tell you the story."