January 2010 Archives

Georgia Native Races North

Nicki Hendrix, the new major gifts officer in the College of the Liberal Arts, is used to finishing ahead of the competition. The Georgia native holds the 2006 Athens (Georgia) Area Humane Society Soapbox Derby title, which she won while riding a converted kayak. Now, she's applying those same winning ways to her job in development at Penn State. "I'm thrilled to be here," Nicki says. "In my new position, I hope to increase the engagement of Liberal Arts alumni and expand giving to the college."

Nicki started on October 19, 2009, having brought a wealth of diverse talents and experiences with her to Penn State. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in history and has worked in the advertising, marketing, public relations, and sales fields. Most recently, she held the title of assistant director for corporate and foundation relations at her alma mater, where she also previously served as the director of development for the College of Environment and Design and as an external affairs officer. "I look forward to being part of a top land-grant institution," Nicki says. "I'm ready to apply my skills to the advancement of Penn State."

When Nicki, who is working on a master's in historic preservation from the University of Georgia, relocated north, she found the perfect place to live -- Victorian Bellefonte. She and her husband, Christian Olmsted, a State College native, are restoring their Victorian-era home and enjoying the local restaurants. They are kept company by their three dogs, Judah, Nibbler, and Edgar; a cat, Honks; and a horse, A Boy Named Sioux.

In addition to history, Nicki is interested in environmental conservation. She watches hundreds of hours of film per year as a member of the Athens, Georgia Eco-Film Festival governing board. "I'm very environmentally aware and creative, and I like to apply those interests to everything I do," she says. She also volunteers as a court-appointed special advocate for children in foster care.

Please welcome this versatile woman to Penn State!

-Written by Virginia Harrison, Administrative Support Assistant, Development and Alumni Relations

LAUC spent the past canning weekend raising money FTK in Scranton, PA (home of Dunder Mifflin Paper Co.). Lauren Perrotti (webmaster!) and her family graciously hosted seven members Friday through Sunday. The council was able to raise $1,200 between canning in a local grocery store as well as bagging at another store across town. The people of the greater Scranton area proved to be extremely generous and supportive of our efforts to raise money to combat pediatric cancer. In addition to making great totals while canning, we ate a TON of fantastic food - one of the number one perks of going canning at a friend's house! We managed to fit in some quality time on the Wii, also, and we discovered our companions' hidden video game talents (or lack thereof!).

I had the opportunity to can in both of our locations. I have a completely new respect for grocery bagging technicians. Standing at the end of the cashier aisles was a great chance to talk to customers and explain to them the story behind THON, why we stand outside in the cold For The Kids, and all the good Penn State students do. Scranton is totally full of Penn State alumni, so a lot of people I talked with had a personal connection with THON. One of my donors was a three-time cancer survivor and thanked me for what THON does (easily the most satisfying part of my day - these stories are always so important). Even if I had the temptation to throw heavy groceries on top of bread and eggs when people refrained from donating, I bagged to the best of my ability to raise money For The Kids.

There is one more canning weekend left before THON 2010! While Lauren Perrotti and I cannot go because we'll be dancing, anyone interested can get in touch with me (chrissyboggs@psu.edu) if they'd like to plan a trip for that weekend. Thanks so much for everything you've all done to help our fight against cancer FTK!

-Chrissy Boggs, Liberal Arts Undergraduate Council THON Chair

A few years ago, I received the Dwight bobble head pictured here looking out of my office window as I work. This picture was taken by Heather Summerlin, IT Consultant in the College of Liberal Arts, and posted on our LAUSatPSU Flickr page.

Dwight has become a mascot of sorts for the Liberal Arts Undergraduate Studies (LAUS) office. He has recently returned from a trip to his hometown of Scranton, PA, where he joined a dedicated group of students from the Liberal Arts Undergraduate Council (LAUC) as they raised money for THON, the student-run philanthropy effort to fight pediatric cancer.

The students seem to have had a good time with LAUSDwight and I have embedded a slideshow of the pictures they posted to the LAUC Flickr account.


It is great to see the dedication of these students as they participate in the largest student-run philanthropy effort in the world. LAUSDwight looks good working the phones, playing Wii and bathing in some of the over $1200 the LAUC students raised last weekend.

I encourage everyone to follow the adventures of LAUSDwight as he attends various events, official and unofficial, participating in and observing the undergraduate experience in the College of the Liberal Arts.

We will be tweeting about him using the #LAUSDwight hash tag in the weeks and months to come.

On Friday, January 22nd, I headed to 402 Burrowes with other students and faculty in anticipation of seeing author Alicia Partnoy discuss her works and her past as an Argentinean prisoner of war. In her talk, "From Prison-Writing to YouTube: Testimonial as Tools for Survival," Partnoy recounted her capture by the Argentinean army in 1977 for publicly opposing the government and their policies. After being locked up with hundreds of other female prisoners in a 9x9 meter cell in a prison called La Escuelita, Partnoy began to write poems, later published in her poetry anthology Revenge of the Apple, as a means of building what she calls "a bridge of solidarity" between her and her fellow prisoners. The sense of community formed among the female prisoners is one of the reasons Partnoy refers to literature as a "tool for survival."

Partnoy is a huge part of the movement towards gaining recognition and demanding action for the disappearance of Argentineans that she says still occurs today. When asked why she felt it was so important for her to be a part of this cause, Partnoy answered, "We in academia can speak for others because we have the authority." As an English major, I couldn't have agreed with this statement more. What is the point of building a reputation as an author if not to speak for those who aren't in a position to communicate their problems? This talk led me to think about how different our lives as Americans would be if our rights were not protected by the Constitution, and if we instead had to risk our safety to convey our thoughts.

Partnoy also discussed YouTube as a more democratic form of testimonial, which led me to believe that YouTube will play a large role in future testimonials. It is on YouTube, after all, that you can truly express yourself with little threat of censorship. And what better way to reach the masses about important social issues than through something as universal as YouTube?

We are excited to announce the launch of our new LAUS Radio. LAUS Radio is a biweekly podcast dedicated to exploring the undergraduate student experience in the College of the Liberal Arts.

In our inaugural podcast, Associate Dean Chris Long discusses LAUS's transition into digital media.  In particular, he hopes that the new social media outlets, i.e. the blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc., can help to cultivate a greater sense of community within the College.  Heather Summerlin, IT Consultant, gives a detailed account of LAUS's digital network and explains how students can start getting involved.

Sam Loewner, Liberal Arts Undergraduate Council President, also joins LAUS Radio for our first podcast.  Sam elaborates on LAUC's goal of using social media to network with students, staff, faculty, and alumni.  Additionally, Geoff Halberstadt, LAUC Faculty Senator/AAC Delegate, talks about LAUC's various fundraising campaigns for THON.  In particular, he highlights LAUC's 2010 canning campaign in Scranton, PA. 

Lastly, Jillian Balay, Staff Assistant, highlights a few recent posts from the LAUS Announcement blog.

LAUS Radio Episode 1

To subscribe to LAUS Radio through iTunes, click here.

We all have watched the continued devastating news about the disaster in Haiti. As we mentioned in a recent post, the disaster has hit close to home for one of our co-workers. LAUS adviser Marie Villefranche is from Haiti and has several family members in Port-au-Prince.

She has not heard from all of her family members, but has reports from some who have survived; they are living in the street right now and have not had regular access to food or water. Marie is working on plans to move her family members out of Port-au-Prince and place them with relatives in the countryside who were not affected by the earthquake. The logistics of this are costly and difficult.

To find out how you can help, please contact Gay Catherman at glw1@psu.edu or Michele Moslak at mwm5@psu.edu. We are trying to pool our resources in a coordinated effort to help Marie and her family on January 22nd, so please contact Gay or Michele if you are interested in participating.

One of the highlights of the Fall 2009 semester was the celebration of 100 years of Liberal Arts education at Penn State.

Edwin Erle Sparks, the 8th President of Penn State, established the College of the Liberal Arts in 1909 by bringing art and mathematics together with the School of Language and Literature and the School of History and Political Science. (For more on our history, see the CLA website.)

Internship at Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape

The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape is a non-profit organization based in Harrisburg that works to prevent sexual and domestic violence. The organization works with rape crisis centers throughout the state to educate communities about sexual violence. Danielle Pavlansky (senior, crime law and justice major, women's studies minor) found a summer internship with PCAR through the Harrisburg Semester Program, which works to match students with internships in government, political advocacy, and community development.

Danielle worked three days a week as a Technical Assistant, logging 150 hours at the Harrisburg PCAR center. Her main duties revolved around creating curriculums for programs called Campus Initiative and the Men Against Sexual Violence Initiative. After conducting extensive research, Danielle created lesson plans for college classrooms and other public forums to teach volunteers and employees about sexual and domestic violence education. Danielle played an important role in the PCAR curriculum development. One of her favorite parts about her internship at PCAR was her involvement with Campus Initiative, because it was directly related to her and her peers. As she was conducting research for her own demographic, Danielle was able to ask her friends for opinions and then incorporate their thoughts into her research.

In addition to her work with curriculum development, Danielle would attend staff meetings and offer her input on ways to effectively educate college students. She even had the opportunity to attend a task force meeting in downtown Harrisburg with the lead DA, lead detective, PCAR and other advocacy groups, who congregated to discuss their recent field experiences. Additionally, Danielle played an important part in the re-design of the PCAR website due to her background in web design.

Danielle's Penn State classes provided her with a strong background for her internship. Her class discussions in her women's studies courses that concentrated on sexual and domestic violence allowed her to create effective curriculums that incorporated various perspectives. Although this was Danielle's first internship devoted to public advocacy, her prior internship experience at the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office and a private law firm helped her develop research skills, which frequently came in handy at PCAR. Danielle also notes the importance of strong communication skills to this internship, as she was responsible for keeping her supervisor and colleagues up-to-date on her findings.

After graduation, Danielle hopes to attend graduate school and then pursue a future in public advocacy. Her summer spent at the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape was an extremely influential experience in helping her settle on her future career path. Danielle recommends this internship for students who are interested in public advocacy and in creating awareness about domestic and sexual violence. Students interested in learning more about Danielle's experience can contact her at Danielle.pavlansky@gmail.com. Students who are interested in pursuing this internship, or other advocacy internships in Harrisburg, should contact Harrisburg Semester Director Dr. Carol Nechemias at c4n@psu.edu.

Written by Autumn Griffin, Liberal Arts sophomore

Make it a day on... NOT a day off!

As many of you know, today is the MLK Day of Service. Dr. King dedicated his life to service to the community and more importantly to the nation. I truly believe he would want us to celebrate his birthday by giving back to our own communities in some way.

For the past few months, Meg Penza, Veronica Ariel, and I have been working to coordinate the Day of Service on campus. We have researched and contacted sites, narrowed them down, recruited volunteers, trained team leaders, organized transportation, and the list goes on. The past few months have been a bit hectic, but we are all excited that the day is here and we are sure all of our hard work is going to pay off!

I would encourage everyone to get involved today. If not through the Day of Service, just do something to make someone else happy: call your grandparents, take your dog on a walk, donate a dollar to Project Haiti. Every little bit helps and everyone is capable of service.

I'll close by reiterating my opening statement: Make it a day on... NOT a day off!

Please visit Penn State's Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration Web site for more information on today's events schedule.

As many of you are aware Haiti experienced a devastating earthquake this past week. One of our own advisers, Marie Villefranche, a native of Haiti, has extended family who live in the Port-au-Prince region.

To date, they have not been in communication with Marie and her family in the States. The College of the Liberal Arts Office of Undergraduate Studies would like to extend our thoughts and best wishes for Marie and her family.

For those who would like to support the recovery and the relief effort, please visit the following organizations: Yele Haiti, the Red Cross, World Vision, Oxfam, or Partners in Health.

Growing up watching the Nittany Lions, Liberal Arts sophomore Kate Burlingame often dreamed of one day becoming a Penn State alumna. Penn State's location - Kate grew up in central Pennsylvania - and its strength in the humanities, her main area of interest, made the university a perfect fit for her. It was the Paterno Liberal Arts Undergraduate Fellows program, however, that Kate credits with inspiring her to reach her full potential.

The Fellows Program challenges interested Liberal Arts students to maintain a high grade point average, take numerous honors courses and ethics coursework, participate in relevant extracurricular activities, and develop their leadership and communication skills. Kate liked how the program was focused specifically on the liberal arts; she also liked knowing that meeting the goals of the program would be a challenge--but one fully within her grasp. "During my freshman year," Kate says, "the program pushed me to take more honors classes and made me really focus on the quality of my work." Her hard work paid off: at the end of her freshman year, Kate officially became a Paterno Fellow, concurrently gaining entrance to the Schreyer Honors College.

Kate chose one of her two majors, history, based on her positive experience in her high school history classes. "I've always loved ancient warfare and reading about the formation of powerful empires," Kate explains. She added Classics and Mediterranean Studies as her second major after taking a few CAMS classes, including an inspirational honors course called Lands of the Bible. With only fifteen students in this course, Kate found it easy to participate and to get the most out of the questions posed by her professor. "I'm so glad I took the honors classes that the [PFP] program requires," Kate said. "I've never felt so enlightened in my life."

Arriving at Penn State with the notion that the size of the university might keep her from finding a niche socially, Kate happily discovered that she was mistaken. She joined an intramural soccer team and auditioned for the university's jazz band, earning a spot as the piano player. Her recent volunteer experience, which she will likely continue next year, includes playing music for senior citizens at a local nursing home. "It's a great experience because the senior citizens really get into the music," Kate notes. "They are very appreciative of our taking the time to visit and share our music with them."

Funding provided by the Paterno Fellows Program will help Kate fulfill her dream of studying abroad in Greece, an ideal location for someone with her academic interests. This experience will dovetail well with Kate's long-term goals, which include graduate study in history or a related field. "I would love to oversee archeological digs, work in a prominent museum, and eventually teach at a major university like Penn State," she says. In the interim, she hopes to focus on her coursework, start thinking about her thesis and other Fellows program requirements, and of course, simply enjoy being a student. "I'm not planning my life out just yet," Kate says. "For now, I'm going to soak up as much knowledge as I can and enjoy the rest of my time at Penn State!"

At 25, August Dombrow is a bit older than the average Penn State freshman. He does not see his age as prohibitive, however: "The diversity of backgrounds here, including my own, represents a great opportunity for the students to learn - not only from professors, but from each other as well," August notes. An aspirant in the Paterno Fellows Program, August has chosen to focus his own learning in the College of the Liberal Arts.

August chose Penn State for its many opportunities, knowing that a large school would provide him with access to prospects and resources not available at smaller schools. Entering the university with philosophy as his declared major interest, August added political science as a second major after taking a seminar in politics and film. "I'm interested in what motivates people and how that translates into real world consequences," August explained. "The Politics in Film class was an excellent example of how social and political ideas can manifest themselves in the most subtle (and in some cases, not-so-subtle) ways."

Initially hesitant about taking the Paterno Fellows Challenge, August only registered for one honors course his first semester. However, after having a rewarding experience in this course--Honors Rhetoric and Composition--the prospect of the program became more attractive to him. If he continues to meet the program's requirements, he will receive funding that will allow him to participate in an unpaid internship or study abroad in Cairo, Egypt. As August is supporting himself through college, funding provided by the Fellows Program will go a long way in helping him afford these meaningful co-curricular experiences.

One of August's impressive first-year accomplishments was becoming a member of the inaugural class of the Presidential Leadership Academy, a selective program led by Penn State President Graham Spanier and aimed at developing students' leadership skills. The program involves taking a seminar taught by President Spanier and participating in various field experiences planned by the Academy. August sees the program as "a great compromise between academia and application," and appreciates its emphasis on critical thinking. In addition to participating in the Academy, next year August will also serve on the executive board of the Liberal Arts Undergraduate Council and work as a peer tutor at the Center for Writing Excellence.

August hopes to incorporate his academic interests in government and international affairs, and his undergraduate experiences more broadly, into his future career. Law school is a possibility, as is working for the government. "I think work with the State Department or something similar might prove both personally and professionally satisfying," he notes. Whatever path August chooses, the skills he develops and the knowledge he gains through the Paterno Fellows Program are bound to help him reach his goals.

When applying to colleges, Autumn Griffin was initially unsure that Penn State was the best fit for her. Her interest skyrocketed, however, when she attended Achievers' Weekend--three days of programming intended to recruit already-accepted minority students to the university. Here, she spoke with the Liberal Arts multicultural equity programs coordinator Earl Merritt, and learned about the various academic opportunities available to her through the College of the Liberal Arts. As she accepted her offer to attend the university so late, she did not have the time to apply to the Schreyer Honors College. Luckily, the Paterno Fellows Program is giving her a second path to a Penn State honors education.

An English and African and African American Studies (AAAS) major, Autumn loved to read and write from a young age. Her mother's interests in black history and art, as well as her Paterno Fellows adviser's encouragement that a double major was within her reach, inspired her to add AAAS as a second major. Some of Autumn's favorite courses her freshman year were the honors courses she took to fulfill PFP requirements, including an African American poetry course. "I just had the mindset that professors expected more out of me in honors classes, so I worked harder in them," Autumn said. "As a result, I ended up doing really well."

During spring semester of her freshman year, Autumn volunteered with a group of Fellows aspirants as part of Penn State's Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. In addition to introducing her to other Paterno Fellows aspirants in her cohort, the project inspired her to increase her commitment to community service. Next year, she will serve as the co-chair of a Day of Service committee, reaching out to local nonprofits that need volunteers and assigning student groups to these projects. Autumn's involvement in the Penn State community doesn't end here, meanwhile; she serves as the Features Editor for a multicultural campus newspaper called The Drum and gives tours to prospective students and families as part of the Student Minority Advisory Recruitment Team.

Autumn's goals for this year include gaining entrance to the McNair Scholars Program, a program that gives talented Penn State students the opportunity to research with professors in their fields at other Big Ten schools. This opportunity would give her a head start on another Fellows Program requirement--her capstone research paper. Autumn is also looking forward to studying abroad in South Africa her junior year, and to receiving the education abroad grant she is guaranteed when she officially becomes a Paterno Fellow. "It will be one less thing my parents and I will need to stress over," she says.

Eventually, Autumn plans to pursue a master's degree in education; one of her long-term goals is working to increase the number of economically disadvantaged students who attend college. For now, she looks forward to taking more humanities courses and, through the Paterno Fellows program, cultivating her Liberal Arts identity more generally. "I was inspired by a high school teacher with a Liberal Arts background who had such a broad knowledge base," Autumn says. "I knew that she was the kind of person I wanted to become."

I hope everyone has had an excellent break and is ready for the spring semester. Although it doesn't feel much like spring at the moment here in State College, we in the Liberal Arts Undergraduate Studies (LAUS) office are very excited about the new semester.


As we move into the Spring 2010 semester, we invite you to join us by participating in the digital community we hope to create together:

• Join our Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/LAUSatPSU
• Follow us on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/LAUSatPSU and
  http://twitter.com/LAUSDeanLong
  
• Subscribe to our YouTube page at: http://www.youtube.com/LAUSatPennState
• View our Photostream at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lausatpsu/

Finally, we are particularly excited to have the excellent student leaders of the Liberal Arts Undergraduate Council (LAUC) already beginning to take advantage of digital media to get out the good word about their activities:

• Follow them on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/psulauc