Penn State Erie, The Behrend College


Penn State Behrend is a commonwealth campus of Pennsylvania State University and it is located in Erie, Pennsylvania. PSB is a four-year university with over 5,000 students and over 250 faculty, in five academic programs: the Schools of Business, Engineering, Humanities and Social Sciences, Science, and the Nursing Program. In addition to bachelor's degrees, PSB offers master's degrees in some programs as well as continuing education and non-degree programs.
PSB was founded in 1948 as a branch of Pennsylvania State College. In 1959, PSB became a campus in the new Pennsylvania State University system. In 1973, PSB began to offer bachelor's degrees.

Student life

Student organizations

Some of the larger organizations at Penn State Behrend include the Lion Entertainment Board, the Student Government Association, the Interfraternity Council, the Multi-Cultural Council, and the school newspaper, the Behrend Beacon.
The Lion Entertainment Board is responsible for bringing entertainment to Behrend's student population. There are weekly performances by bands and comedians, and other shows.
The Multi-Cultural Council organizes many groups to promote a multi-cultural environment, unity, and cooperation between groups at Behrend. The MCC is prominently located as a student organization in the Reed Union Building, and coordinates celebration of many different events, such as Martin Luther King Week, Hispanic History Month, and Black History Month.

The Behrend Beacon

The Behrend Beacon is the student newspaper. It is released every Tuesday during the academic school year. The primary goal of the Beacon is to be an objective source of local, global, and, most importantly, campus news. The student-run newspaper has a staff made up of multiple positions, beneath the supervision of the editor-in-chief. To become editor-in-chief, a student must apply and undergo a series of interviews.

BVZ Radio

The campus is also home to BVZ Radio, an online streaming radio station. The station officially launched on 11/11/11 and is managed by a student management team. All show programming is produced by students. BVZ often broadcasts live events on the Behrend campus and in the Erie area.

Greek organizations

Behrend has a Greek life system. There are four campus recognized social fraternities: Delta Chi, Kappa Delta Rho, Sigma Tau Gamma, and Triangle. There are four campus recognized social sororities: Alpha Sigma Alpha, Alpha Sigma Tau, Theta Phi Alpha, and Phi Sigma Rho. There is one campus recognized professional fraternity: Delta Sigma Pi. Gamma Sigma Sigma, a national service sorority, and Alpha Phi Omega, a national co-ed service fraternity, are also recognized on campus.

On-campus living

Residence Halls are named after individuals and ships who fought for the American side in the Battle of Lake Erie. Most Behrend freshmen live in Lawrence, Niagara or Perry Halls. Some students live in Senat Hall, which is reserved for upperclassmen. Honors students live in Ohio Hall and Almy Hall. In 2018 the campus saw the addition of the newest building, Trippe Hall. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors often opt to live in 8 person/4 bedroom suites in Tiffany, Tigress, and Porcupine Halls.
On-campus apartments are also available at the Behrend Apartments, located in the upper section of the main campus area. These apartment buildings include Ariel Hall, Caledonia Hall, Champlin Hall, Elliott Hall, Packet Hall, Scorpion Hall, Somers Hall, Turner Hall, and Yarnall Hall.

On-campus dining

There are five on-campus dining facilities:
Penn State Behrend men and women compete as the Behrend Lions in 13 varsity sports. Penn State Behrend is a member of NCAA Division III, the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference, and the Eastern College Athletic Conference.

Men's sports

Students also participate in four intercollegiate club teams, competing in ice hockey, rugby, and men's and women's lacrosse. The ice hockey team plays in the College Hockey East league and is a member of the ACHA.

Points of interest