CASEY CLEARED OF ALL CHARGES
A Hudson County, N.J. grand jury voted yesterday to drop all charges against Penn State quarterback Rashard Casey, who had been accused of being involved in an assault outside a Hoboken bar last May.

The Grand Jury was empaneled to consider felony charges against the senior quarterback and a high school friend, Desmond Miller. Miller was indicted for the assault. The grand jury, after deciding not to indict Casey, could have reduced the charges or referred the case to a municipal court, but chose to drop all charges.

Assistant District Attorney Terry Hull, who took the case to the Grand Jury, said yesterday that there was insufficient evidence to charge Casey with any crime.

Last week numerous newspapers erroneously reported that Casey had been indicted.

Head Coach Joe Paterno declined to comment on the situation. Paterno had been under fire from many in the media for continuing to play Casey, but the coach had contended that he believed Casey's account of the incident and had argued that when Casey's side of the story came out, he would be vindicated.

Penn State President Graham Spanier praised Paterno's handling of the situation. "We all try to make the right calls, and in the business of coaching or university administration, judgements need to be made," said Spanier. "Joe Paterno has always stood for integrity in intercolegiate athletics, and I know that will continue to be the case in the future." 

THE MYSTERY OF THE MILLION LOST PINE TREES
Whatever happened to the million pine tree saplings sent to France by Pennsylvania forestry students to help reforest the countryside after World War I? Eighty years later, those at the forest academy -- now the Penn State Mont Alto campus -- would like to know. Solving the mystery has become a campus goal as members prepare for the school's 100th anniversary in 2003. Unfortunately, the students of 1919 did not hear where the pine trees were planted, or even if they survived the transatlantic shipment . "Many of the forestry students and faculty served in World War I, and saw the devastation in France first hand " says David Goldenberg, Mont Alto CEO. When they returned to the academy, they voted to bundle and ship perhaps as much as one-half to one-third of the nursery stock at the academy to help repair the damage to the French countryside. Now, local legislators and alumni have joined the hunt and are contacting their counterparts in France to help solve the mystery of the missing pines — stay tuned. For more on this story by Holly Yingling, go to http://www.psu.edu/ur/2000/montaltotrees.html 

SENIORS SELECT HISTORICAL STREET LIGHTS AS CLASS GIFT
Penn State seniors have voted to light the campus walkways with shepherd’s crook lamps that evoke times past as their gift to the University. Lamps modeled on turn-of-the-century walk-lights that use to line the Old Campus Complex will be installed on The Mall and perhaps elsewhere in the historic part of campus, depending on funds. Erika London, chair of the senior class gift committee, said, "We wanted to leave our mark in a way that shows the unity among our class. The historic lighting reflects our pride and unity because we’re celebrating the history and uniqueness of the University." Penn State’s Office of Physical Plant will work with LaFace and McGovern Associates Inc., a lighting manufacturer representative, to custom design the lights so they are crafted in a way suitable to Penn State’s University Park campus. For more on this story by Anne Danahy, go to http://www.psu.edu/ur/2000/2001lamp.html. 

BUSINESS DEAN LEADS SMEAL INTO BRAVE NEW WORLD
Good business is no longer just being an expert. Today's business managers must create products in six months, tackle competitors from every corner of the planet, motivate a talented workforce located in unseen locations worldwide, and use the Web efficiently to fulfill customer orders and negotiate with potential suppliers. And that's just a handful of the new challenges. At Penn State, the new business school dean is leading the charge. "The dramatic change in the business world is being driven by the knowledge and information management revolution, the dominant role of entrepreneurship and innovation, and the global marketplace," says Dr. Judy Olian, dean of the Mary and Frank Smeal College of Business Administration at Penn State. For more on this profile by Vicki Fong, go to http://www.psu.edu/ur/2000/deanprofileolian.html 

MAPS AND IMAGES OF WORLD WAR II NOW ON DISPLAY
World War II conflicts in Europe, Africa and Asia are clearly illustrated in a new exhibit of maps in Pattee Library. The exhibit, "Maps and Images of World War II" and accompanying text and photo panels, were developed by map specialist Derrick Beckner, and are on display today, Wednesday, Nov. 1, through Jan. 3. For information on the Maps Library, go to http://www.libraries.psu.edu/crsweb/maps/ 

QUESTION FOR DR. SPANIER:
-- DICK MALLARY ON THE INTERNET
Editor's Note: In each Beaver Stadium program this season, we will publish a conversation in which distinguished individuals pose questions about Penn State to President Graham Spanier. This week's conversation is with Dick Mallary ('64 Journ), senior vice president for Gannett Broadcasting and a member of the College of Communications Board of Directors.

MALLARY: You are on the front line of some of the most exciting thinking and developments regarding the Internet. Along with all of its positive value, do you have any concern that it is "Big Brother," that we are leaving trails of information about ourselves that may ultimately be put to improper use?

SPANIER: That is a valid concern and I think it will be some time before Internet law and ethics catch up with the rapid advancement in technology we are experiencing. That is one of the issues I'm sure the faculty and students in our new School of Information Science and Technology are looking at carefully. But keep in mind that just as most of us hate junk mail, some people actually like to get it. I don't much go for it, and what I really hate is replying to a junk emailer that I want to be removed from their list and getting the message bounced back that it is undeliverable. And I don't know anyone who likes to get telemarketing calls! In the end, it will be important for citizens to get some control of their privacy rights, and the public will need to have a say in where to draw the lines.