December 2010 Archives

Take a look at some of the highlights from the fall 2010 semester in the College of the Liberal Arts Office of Undergraduate Studies. We put together a timeline full of blog posts, photos, and videos highlighting the most notable events, programs, and undergraduate experiences in the College of the Liberal Arts from the fall. Of course LAUS Dwight makes a few appearances in the timeline as well.

What were your favorite moments in the fall 2010 semester?

Hello, LAUS community! Some long-time readers might remember me from entries on this blog last spring, and some newer readers might recognize my name from the comments section from time to time. For readers that don't know me, I'm a May 2010 graduate, the former President of the Liberal Arts Undergraduate Council, and deeply interested in Penn State's present and future.

When I was a student in my last three or four semesters, I remember thinking about how much I wanted to know what to do next. I knew what I needed to do as a student to graduate, and I had spoken with alumni and professionals that gave suggestions for how to behave once I was settled into a workplace world. But what about the time bridging those two periods in my life? What should I do to position myself to find a job I wanted while I was still in school so I wouldn't have to worry during and after graduation? What do entry level positions look like, and how can I find them?  What things - good or bad - are potential employers going to look for from my time at Penn State? Though your questions might be different, I think everyone has some questions - especially in the College of the Liberal Arts, where we're trained to ask things and think about our future selves and communities.

Now that I'm in a position to answer some of those questions (or attempt to answer, at least), I wanted to "rejoin" the LAUS online community and try to provide insight that I think only very recent alumni can. I consider this sort of an introductory entry and, if the good staff of Liberal Arts Undergraduate Studies is willing to put up with me, I hope to contribute regularly - I hope that you aren't shy with your questions.

I accepted an offer before I graduated and started in June. I work in the political world in Washington, DC, but I'm far from a political operative (no, I'm not one of the people they quote anonymously on politico.com). I do technical and social media work for a non-profit organization that works with political campaigns. I had a very wide range of exposure to different opportunities, and I think I can answer general and specific questions. If anyone is after unique information that I don't have, I bet I can find the answer from friends that graduated with different degrees and career plans.

I view this as an opportunity to create a back-and-forth style community through the blog. I am easily reachable on Twitter (@smloewner) and the comments section. You may also email me at sam.loewner@gmail.com.  Once you find a way to get questions to me, I'll try to answer them specifically and then, if you don't mind, I can compile some of them together and generate a post out of it.

Even in just the past year or so, I've seen many of the "moving parts" of the life-just-after-graduation world. There's job-searching, networking, resumes, cover letters, internships, relocating to different cities, career research, and much more. I think we can take questions on any of those topics.  

So, Penn Staters, what's first?

I started my Penn State education at the York campus, one of the university's 19 commonwealth campuses, after graduating Columbia International College, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It was my first time back in America since I left New York in 1997 and I knew as many people at the Penn State campus as I knew in America as a whole: none. For the first couple of weeks as a freshman, I limited myself to the comfort of my bedroom, where I did homework and spent countless hours on Skype, talking to family and friends - people I felt comfortable with, whom I could be myself around and did not have to worry about awkward moments. Although people who know me would describe me as: loud, crazy and possibly and extrovert, I am also very "observant" (I refuse to use the term shy) around crowds I am unfamiliar with. For this reason, I usually have a hard time adjusting to change. One thing that saved me during my transition from high school to PSU York and from PSU York to my transition this semester at PSU University Park is campus involvement!

At York, I began to meet new people and learn more about the Penn State culture as soon as I joined the Student Government Association (SGA). By joining THON, the modeling club, the dance crew, the Black Student Union and several other organizations on campus, I was able to quickly find myself and bond with others like me. This led me to join other clubs on campus my sophomore year, such as Lion Ambassadors, which acquainted me with a lot of staff around campus. It was almost like being "popular" in high school, but without the drama. I learned that I do not have to be a people-pleaser to be a people person and with that mindset, I grew more as a person than I ever thought possible in two years.

I was finally finding myself at York, doing what I love, getting to know everybody on campus, and participating in almost every organization on campus through the SGA. Then came University Park....with thousands of students, over 800 organizations, hundreds of faculty and staff, and just one me. It was like freshman year all over again, except this time I knew what to do: Get Involved. It is so easy to lose yourself in a school so big and a city so crowded, where everyone seems too busy to even breathe and professors are always on the go. It is so easy to think "no one will notice," or "no one will care," or "I am just one in a million," but it is importance to remember that every drop makes the ocean.

I had convinced myself I would never make as big an impact as I did at PSU York, and even if I did, nobody will notice, but then I decided to try anyway. I wanted to take on this challenge to see how much I could do in a limited amount of time and to turn this distant super-campus into the warm 1800-student campus I was used to.

Today I am happy and have made progress. I have not achieved my goal yet, but I look back at where I was 4 months ago and I'm proud of how far I have come. All the self-improvement and the relationships I have built on campus have come as a direct or indirect result of my involvement. If there was one thing I could tell any freshman today, it would be: GET INVOLVED. If there was one thing I could tell any transition student today, it would be: GET INVOLVED. It is the best thing I have done for myself at Penn State, and I am sure there are many who can say the same.

Personally, I am involved with the organizations listed below, but I will definitely encourage people to get involved with any of the other hundreds on campus, including Greek life and Honors Societies!

• Council of Commonwealth Student Governments (CCSG): Where to start with this? You will see me talking about this in almost every blog I post, so no worries if you do not get the gist of it now. As I said in my previous post, it is made up of central staff (here at University Park) and the SGAs of all the 19 Commonwealth campuses.
• Students Engaging Students (SES): The name is pretty much self-explanatory, but I will go on to say that there will be recruitment for the spring semester! If any one likes to get peers involved, bond with great, motivated student leaders, and help out with community service projects, JOIN US! 
• Liberal Arts Undergraduate Council (LAUC): From the mentoring program to playing THON dodgeball together, this is one of my favorite orgs, because we know how and when to mix business with pleasure. We strive at having discussions after each meeting, to get our minds thinking critically about various issues. We have guest speakers come to our meetings, such as Dean Long, and we also sponsor events that benefit every student in the College of the Liberal Arts, such as the internship panel I spoke about in my previous blog.
  
• The National Political Science Honors Society (Pi Sigma Alpha): I recently got initiated, which I am very excited about, and we have a lot of great goals for the year. No spoiler alerts here because my lips are sealed!
  
• The Golden Key International Honors Society: I wish I could sit here any type that I am actively involved with this organization, but then I would be lying, so in order to avoid that, I will tell you that I have in fact attended a meeting and to say the least, you can expect great things of this group.
  
• Black Caucus: This organization aims to promote the positive and successful growth and development of black students at Penn State. For social purposes, it is a good idea to join a cultural group so that you are certain of one meeting a week where you know you can just sit back, relax and socialize with a good group!
  
• LeaderShape 2011: On-site coordinator. If you have never heard of LeaderShape, google it. If you don't want to, here is a summary: Best five days of your life. In simpler words, it is a leadership training program, unlike any other. Applications go live next semester, so KEEP AN EYE OUT!
  

This went a little longer than expected, but that is only because getting involved is such a big deal to me, I think every word on this page is necessary to prove that point.

PEACE & LOVE ALWAYS. Stay Motivated. Stay Positive.

Good morning! Those Penn State students are at it again!!! This past weekend marked the second canning weekend to raise money FTK. This was my Committee's first canning weekend that we got to do together, which turned out to be so much fun and a great success!

Last week, the Rules and Regulations Committees organized the canning materials distribution. 2619 cans were distributed just before this past Canning Weekend, bringing us to a total of 8152 for the year so far. Basically, thousands of cans had to be cleaned and distributed to canners, along with signs, that can be used while canning. I got our cans from the HUB on Friday and one of my Committee members was kind enough to come get them to put in his car which saved me the trouble of lugging 16+ cans back to my West College apartment.

This weekend we decided to do a joint canning trip with another Communications Committee, which turned out to be awesome. Everyone got to get to know each other really well, which is so important and I was glad to see this happen.

Our caravan of cars departed State College around 6 p.m. on Friday night. We went to Missy's, one of my Committee Members, house in Pittsburgh. Her family was kind enough to open their home to 17 college students! When we arrived at Missy's house, her mom had a wonderful spread of food awaiting us. The way to college students' hearts is definitely through their stomachs.

We ate dinner and watched Elf, clearly a Christmas classic. We just hung out and put the labels on the cans that we were going to be using the next day. It was really great to just relax and get to know one another a little better.

Alarms went off at 7:45 a.m. on Saturday morning. It took us all a little bit to get moving but after a delicious breakfast and some much needed coffee, we were all ready to go. The weather forcast for the day was a high of 30 degrees with a strong wind chill factor...perfect. We piled on layers of clothing to stay warm, I literally put on every article of clothing that I had brought for the weekend. One of my Committee members managed to get on 4 pairs of pants, impressive!

We split up into four groups and found locations outside of stores and the mall. We found out that there are Penn Staters everywhere! I got so many "We Are" chants from the people who donated, which was really exciting.

We took a break for lunch and to defrost our bodies, which was much needed. Once we were recharged and warmed up, we headed back out to continue canning. We stayed out for a while longer then decided to call it a day. We headed back to Missy's house to count our money and find out how much we collectively raised FTK.

We started off by separating all the money (including the coins) by denomination. All the bills must be facing the same way which makes it much easier for Finance Committee who is in charge of all of THON's money. We ended up raising over $1,000 FOR THE KIDS! So exciting!

Missy's parents made us yet another delicious meal Saturday night while we relaxed and watched some football together. It's weekends like this when I am most proud to be a Penn Stater. I loved watching my Committee bond with one another and with members of the other Committee. It really is incredible what you can accomplish when you put together a group of very different people. The theme for THON 2011 is Together Without Limits, and I must say that this couldn't be any more fitting.

The money we raised was divided evenly up amongst the 16 people on our trip. Those who are also involved in an organization outside of our Committee, can credit their portion to their organization's THON fundraising total. Those who do not have an organization can just give their portion as a general donation to THON.

We headed back to State College early Sunday morning due to a snow storm that had started brewing. We all made it back safely and early enough on Sunday to still have time to prepare for our last week of classes.

Monday marked the 2nd canning drop-off. Each organization has a specified time to drop off their money raised during the canning weekend. This is run by the Finance Committee and they do such a great and efficient job doing this. They keep us all organized.

I can already see a change in the dynamic of my Committee members after our weekend together. It really is great to see a group of strangers bond together over a common cause. I am already looking forward to canning weekend number 3 in January! This time we will be venturing to my home in good old Kennett Square, PA! Fun Fact: It's the mushroom capital of the world.

I can't believe that fall semester is almost over. That means THON 2011 will be here before we know it. Stay tuned for more blogging from me as exciting events are always happening.

This week, my Committee is brainstorming ideas for more THON Faculty involvement, any ideas you think I should pass along to them?

Until next time!

FTK,

Marlee

Hello Blog Readers,

It's me again. It has been quite a while since I have posted here. Seems like being a college student has finally hit me. I've been swamped in not only school work but also with extracurricular activities such as ASA, NAACP, FastStart, and Black Caucus. Time management is one issue I surely have to perfect. And now finals are coming up...YIKES!

However I'm looking forward to the break, and even more so to next semester where I will really get my hands into the two majors I plan to pursue, Labor Studies and Employment Relations (LER) & Information Sciences and Technology (IST). I am focusing on these majors because I plan to pursue a career in intellectual property law. This type of law requires not only knowledge of technology but also being able to understand and interact with potential clients. Next semester will be even more challenging than this one. I am taking a whopping 19 credits with classes ranging from computer science to honors security risk and analysis. But I look forward to it.

As one one my idols Kwame Nkrumah would say, "Forward ever, Backwards never." With that in mind, I will happily keep moving forward in my sure to be great Penn State career. I enjoyed writing this blog, but it looks like it's time to get back to the books...

For the Glory,

Denise

Where has the time gone! Only two weeks remaining in the Fall semester! Congratulations to all of you for making it this far. How exciting for the graduating seniors! I am sure most of you graduating seniors are amazed at how fast time has gone by at Penn State! Below are a few tips to help you all end your semester on a good note:

Studying for the Finals: Have you started preparing for your final exams yet? Keep your minds alert by making sure that you get enough sleep and that you are eating well. It wouldn't hurt to create a study time table. Allocate enough time to each subject according to levels of difficulty. Be consistent and study a little each day to prepare. The university offers many resources to help you succeed, so be proactive and reach out for help if you are experiencing difficulties in preparing for your finals.

The Penn State Learning Center: Having trouble understanding the material in the following subjects: MATH 110, ACCTG. 211, CHEM 201, STAT. 200 or a foreign language, as well as many others? Did you know that you can receive tutoring in many subjects or be a part of a guided study group free of charge through the Penn State learning center? It is not too late to seek help. You can go to their website to learn more about their hours, what they have to offer and how to contact them. You can also reach them by calling: 814-865-1841.

Graduating Seniors for Fall 2010: Most of you probably can't wait to join the real world! I would suggest running a current degree audit to see if all requirements have been met or showing that they are in progress. Meet with your adviser to discuss options available to you, if for example, you are experiencing academic difficulties with a class or classes, and you feel that you might not be able to successfully complete all your scheduled classes. You should have activated your intent to graduate during the activation period, but if you missed it, you can call the Liberal Arts Undergraduate Studies office at: 814-865-2545 or contact your academic adviser as soon as possible to have your name added to the graduation list. Congratulations you are almost there!

Returning Seniors: You should have your Spring 2011 classes scheduled by now. Run a current degree audit on eLion and check to make sure that all degree requirements are showing either as "OK" or "IP" (in progress). Meet with your academic adviser if you see any missing requirements as you might need to adjust your schedule. Make sure you make plans to complete any deferred or incomplete work. Meet with your academic adviser to discuss any incoming course work such as transfer credits, study abroad credits, or if you need course substitutions. Also be sure to activate your intent to graduate during the activation period (January 2-24, 2011).

Juniors: You should also have your Spring 2011 schedule in place. You should at this point, have a plan as to what your senior year will look like (e.g. remaining credits and how they will fit into your remaining semesters). You should also review your audit to make sure it is current and accurate.

Sophomores: Remember to declare your major through e-lion in the spring of 2011 through the Entrance to Major process (ETM). You should also have your Spring 2011 schedule in place by now. It is not too early to start thinking of a possible minor. If you are pursuing the Paterno Fellows program (PFP), remember to work closely with your academic adviser to ensure that you are completing the PFP requirements.

Freshmen: You should all have your schedules for Spring 2011 completed by now. If not, you need to meet with your academic adviser as soon as possible to discuss what courses you should take to continue making good progress towards your intended major. For those of you who needed, but were unable to schedule English 015 and the first year seminar for the fall of 2010, make sure that you schedule these classes in the Spring of 2011. If you are aspiring to becoming a Paterno Fellow (PFP), LA 101H should be your choice in place of English 015 or 30. If you are not sure, plan to check in with your academic adviser as soon as possible for guidance.

Finally, wishing you all the best and success in your exams! Remember to manage your time wisely and not to leave everything until the last minute. Happy Holidays! We will see you next year!

English major Robert Turchick and Philosophy major Alex Lipton join Episode 19 of Liberal Arts Voices to discuss the student run liberal arts magazine Agora.

Alex and Rob talk with Dean Long about their involvement with Agora. Rob is currently serving as one of the editors for the magazine and Alex contributed a written work to the November issue. Agora was founded last year by Sean Healy and Mohamed Raouda in hopes of creating a "market place for ideas" (which is the publication's slogan as well). Rob also emphasizes that the goal for Agora is to provide a venue for students to voice their opinions in a variety of areas including: current affairs, history, politics, the arts, diversity, and more.

Dean Long and Alex have a more in depth discussion on some of the themes generated in Alex's article "Content Based Tolerance" featured in the November 2010 issue of Agora.  Specifically, Alex and Dean Long discuss what it means to be truly tolerant and how the notion of tolerance has perhaps been misconstrued in contemporary political ideology.

If you are interested in submitting something to Agora or helping out behind the scenes, you can join their student group on Angel (just search for "Agora" in the "Find a Group" section). You can find online copies of past issues of Agora on their new website.

The December 2010 issue of Agora should be available this Friday in a variety of locations across campus, including 101 Sparks and the HUB.  Take a look at our LAUS Announcements blog later in the week for more details. 

Liberal Arts Voices: Episode 19

To subscribe to Liberal Arts Voices through iTunes, click here. 

We encourage all of our listeners to write to us with comments, questions, or suggestions at laus@la.psu.edu. We may even respond to these comments on the next episode of Liberal Arts Voices.

Geoff Halberstadt: The comments for our previous blog post were definitely heartening to see. I'm glad that this conversation has some traction, hopefully that focus can continue as we go forward.

LAUSDeanLong: Yes, I was very impressed by the responses to our first post and hope it provides a good starting point. One concern I have, though, is the degree to which the framework and the comments remain focused largely on the experience of students. This is understandable given that students made up the majority of respondents.

But I know that you attended the Presidential Leadership Academy's presentation to the Borough Council last month. It seems to me that some discussion of that presentation might turn our attention toward the impact of the drinking culture on the wider community. What were your impressions of the event?

Geoff Halberstadt: On Wednesday, November 10, I went to the Presidential Leadership Academy's presentation to the Borough Council. The panelists listening represented the Borough, Penn State, and students - T.J. Bard and Christian Ragland were representing UPUA.

LAUSDeanLong: Can you give us some context about how that meeting came about?

Geoff Halberstadt: Last semester, Spring '10, the PLA researched dangerous drinking in our community and presented their findings in the HUB. The presentation last Wednesday was summary of some elements of their research. The presentation focused on the the phenomenon of pre-gaming, Alumni behavior, Town and Gown relations, and alternative activities to drinking.

I'll be honest, I was disappointed in the conversation I heard. The point that was continuously made was that we must change the culture of drinking here. At one point the assertion was made that, "culture can change in 4 years." This theme of changing the culture of drinking is exactly why Penn State and the Borough will fail with whatever policies and initiatives they implement.

LAUSDeanLong: OK, that is a bold claim. Tell me more about what leads you to this position.

Geoff Halberstadt: Lets take a step back and really look at this position - it is untenable. Policy can not bring about real change when it is facing an entrenched culture like this. Any plan that begins with the premise that the University or the Borough can change the culture is doomed to failure and subsequent head scratching. We must work from the premise that we can alleviate the drinking problem, rather than eradicating it. Once the University and Borough agree to that premise then they can identify policies and initiatives tailored towards achieving that goal.

LAUSDeanLong: I agree that cultural changes are best effected from within the culture itself rather than as imposed from outside. I wonder, though, what it would mean to "alleviate the drinking problem"? If we agree that drinking will not be eradicated, then what does responsible drinking look like? What would it mean to have a community of mature student, parent, faculty, staff and resident drinkers? Perhaps we can shift the discussion by changing the vocabulary from one that emphasizes the "problem to be alleviated or solved" to one that asked "what does it mean to live a healthy, fulfilling life?"

Geoff Halberstadt: You raise an excellent question in pondering what alleviating the excessive drinking problem looks like. To me, alleviating the drinking problem requires an emphasis on reducing excessive drinking, providing relevant, appealing alternatives to high risk drinking (increased intramural sports, concerts, performances), and sound policies that educate students of the dangers in excessive drinking. Those are just a few of many plausible solutions that should be simultaneously enacted. I believe that alleviating the excessive drinking problem is a step towards achieving a "healthy, fulfilling life." I don't feel qualified to determine what a healthy fulfilling life is for everyone. How is that determined? What are the factors included in the determination? 

The Modern Language Association of America announced it is awarding its eighteenth annual Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for Comparative Literary Studies to Penn State Comparative Literature Professor Alexander C. Y. Huang his for book Chinese Shakespeares: Two Centuries of Cultural Exchange, published by Columbia University Press. The prize is awarded annually for an outstanding scholarly work that is written by a member of the association and that involves at least two literatures.

Professor Huang will be officially presented with this award during the MLA Annual Convention in January 2011. The award selection committee provides the following account of Professor Huang's book:

"Alexander C. Y. Huang's Chinese Shakespeares: Two Centuries of Cultural Exchange maps new territory for the most promising project in comparative literature today. Huang's object is the movement of cultural forms across geographical space, but he regards such movement not as mere diffusion or even as exchange. Instead he examines the way movement across geographical and geopolitical fault lines reaches into cultural forms and changes their meanings from the inside, often revealing possibilities that had lain dormant, unnoticed, or submerged in the texts' cultures of origin. Remarkable not only for its sophistication but also for its scholarly depth, Chinese Shakespeares is a landmark in the renewal of comparative literature as a discipline."

Professor Huang is the cofounder and coeditor of two open-access performance archives, Global Shakespeares and Shakespeare Performance in Asia. Visit our LAUS Announcements blog to find out information about the Global Shakespeare course that is being offered in the spring.  

Congratulations to Professor Huang!  For more details about this award, please visit the Modern Language Association website.

Hi everyone!

Let me start off by introducing myself! My name is Marlee Kattler and I am a senior Public Relations student. Last year I decided to join a Communications Committee for THON 2010. I fell in love with the cause and I instantly knew that I wanted to do more. Now I am the Campus Outreach Faculty Communications Captain for THON 2011.

Looking back on my four years here at Penn State, it all seems a blur. What sticks out in my mind as my best memories are my THON memories.

Every week something new is happening or in the works involving THON. There is always something new to learn, and I continue to learn every week.

Since this is my very first blog, I figured I should give you all a little look into what your students are doing outside of the classroom when they are involved in THON. So much has happened thus far, so stick with me as I try to catch you up!

As a Captain we have our weekly meetings every Monday night. It is here that our Overall Chairperson runs our meeting and keeps us up-to-date and informed about everything happening with THON. This can include things like fundraising events, blood drives, and merchandise sales.

This year I get the privilege to have a Committee of 30 members who my Co-Captain and I interviewed at the beginning of the semester. We have our meetings on Wednesday nights where we go over important dates to remember and brainstorm ideas to increase Faculty and Staff involvement as that is our specific role within THON.

November 16th marked the fourth annual Faculty and Staff Luncheon held at the Hintz Alumni Center. This was my Committee's big event! I began working on planning this event at the beginning of the semester with my Overall, Elaine. I worked with the Public Relations Graphic Design Captain in order to design an invitation for the event, which came out awesome, she is so creative! Once we had a general idea of how many invitations we were going to need we got them ordered and printed at ProCopy. Then the distribution began and RSVPs started rolling in.

The luncheon was held at the Hintz Alumni Center from 12-2. All Faculty and Staff were encouraged to come and go at their convenience. Once everyone was settled with their food, the presentation began. The presentation included facts and figures about THON and what it is all about. I was pretty nervous about speaking, but once I got going I felt at ease! We were fortunate enough to have two Faculty members who are also Four Diamond parents speak about their personal encounters, which was extremely moving. Two THON Captains who are Four Diamond Families also spoke at the event which gave a very powerful perspective to everyone in attendance.The turn-out at the event was great, and I felt it ran very smoothly! You can all look forward to another luncheon next year that will be hosted by my successor.

This week my Committee and I will be making THONvelopes before our meeting on Wednesday. It's always more fun to do it with  friends!! For those of you who don't already know, THONvelopes are another way that we fundraise FTK (For The Kids). They are letters that we send out to our families and friends that explain what THON is and encourage them to donate. The THONvelopes include an addressed return envelope, making it simple for them to mail their donations back.

This weekend is the second Canning trip and my Committee is going to Pittsburgh. There are four designated Canning weekends throughout the year where student volunteers stand outside of store fronts requesting donations from passerbys. No matter the weather conditions, you can be sure to see Penn State students bundled up with their signs and cans!  

Stay tuned for a recap of how the weekend went. Keep your fingers crossed for no snow and rain!

Until next time!

For The Kids,

Marlee