March 2011 Archives

Just over two months remain in my semester in Georgetown. Where did all of that time go? I feel as though I was frantically running through the hallways of the Russell Senate Office Building just yesterday, in a panic because I could not find my office on the first day of work. This semester has been quite busy, incredibly enriching, and a complete rush.

If I had to sum up all of the things I have learned so far, I would simply say this: There is nothing like being here! This city is young and electric, an exciting place to be no matter what your interest or career. I have to pinch myself on my commute every morning when I pass the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, because I am in the center of it all. I read and hear news online that is happening all around me. Sometimes, especially at work, I am ahead of the news. For instance, I have assisted an aide by summarizing a brief and a few hours later, Politico covered an event in which my boss referenced that same brief. This opportunity to spend a semester away from Penn State has allowed me to experience a new university and atmosphere while remaining a Penn State undergrad, knowing I will return eventually and that my college experience at UP is not over yet! Studying in D.C. for a semester has actually allowed me to appreciate my time in the city more than if I had gone to school here for 4 years because I know I have only a short time to do and see everything I want.

I am interning for the United States Senate and to say that Congress's image is a little tarnished right now would be generous. Although I am not anywhere near qualified by my 2 months as an intern to make any sweeping statements about the state of affairs in Congress, I would only say this: public service is truly a sacrifice, and I don't think that it is appreciated. An image persists of Congress as a world of comfortable work, inattentiveness, and self-satisfaction. What is not often understood is that lawmakers sustain a workweek of 80+ hours, incessant travel, separation from family for weeks at a time, and a sincere work ethic that pervades the office, from the senator or congressman down to the intern.

I was told by one of my professors, Brad Blakeman, that holding a political office is an opportunity, not a career. I appreciate that distinction, but on the whole I disagree; public service is a vocation to which we are all called. It does not have to be, and will not be for most, a career working on Capitol Hill or in the White House. We have the capacity to serve, and as Liberal Arts students, we are asked to take an interest in serving our university, our communities, our states, or our countries with pride and honor. I firmly believe that Liberal Arts students can be service leaders of the University. The University was founded with the notion that financial capital would be invested to return a yield of scientific and agricultural knowledge. Now, with our greatly expanded mission, Penn State yields an even greater return of human capital in its graduates. We have the privilege granted by our education to improve our world. I have been following the Pennsylvania budget battle from DC, and I would only say that I hope Governor Corbett realizes what kind of return he gains from the finances invested in his state universities.

Do your summer plans include taking classes? If not, there are many reasons you could consider adding summer credits--you don't even have to stay in town!

• Gen ed courses that have watch lists during the fall and spring have availability in the summer. Courses such as CAS 100 (Effective Speech--GWS), ENGL 202 (Effective Writing--GWS), PHIL 012 (Symbolic Logic--GQ), and 400-level PL SC, which students often have to wait to take, are easier to schedule during the summer.
  
• Have you had trouble fitting in a lab science? ANTH 021 (Biological Anthropology--GN) is available during the summer, and it fulfills the lab requirement for Liberal Arts.
  
• Still need foreign language credits? You have the opportunity to complete one, two, or three levels of language in the summer. Because the educational objectives vary somewhat from traditional language courses, the language placement policy enforced during the fall and spring is not in place for these summer courses. That means that if your previous units place you in a higher level of a language than you are comfortable with, you would still receive credit if you take a lower-level language in the summer.
  
• Class sizes are small. As an example, CRIM/SOC 012 (Criminology--GS) could have 300 students during the spring and just 20 students during the summer.
  
• Courses are offered during different sessions and different formats, so you choose what works best with your schedule:
  
• Online, six-week courses: Courses are available in two different sessions--May 16 to June 24 and June 29 to August 10. Examples are AAA S 110 (Introduction to Contemporary Africa--GS, IL, Other Cultures), CMLIT 108 (Myths and Mythologies--GH, IL, Other Cultures), ECON 102 (Introductory Microeconomics Analysis and Policy--GS, Business and the Liberal Arts Minor), LER 100 (Employment Relations--GS, Business and the Liberal Arts Minor), and WMNST 003 (Introduction to Women, the Humanities, and the Arts--GH, US, IL).
  
• Online, summer-long courses: Courses are available from May 16 to August 10. Examples are ENGL 202 (Effective Writing--GWS), PHIL 103W (Introduction to Ethics--GH, Writing Across the Curriculum), PL SC 014 (International Relations--GS, IL), and PSYCH 100 (Introductory Psychology--GS). The educational objectives are the same for the summer-long courses as the six-week offerings--you are doing less work per week, though, since the lessons are spread across more weeks. 

(NOTE: For a complete listing of online offerings, search both the University Park and World Campus listings on the Schedule of Courses. You do not need residency at University Park for any portion of the online courses.)

• Resident instruction six-week courses:Courses are available on campus during two different sessions--May 16 - June 24 and June 29 - August 10. Examples are ANTH 045 (Cultural Anthropology--GS, US, IL, Other Cultures), CAS 100 (Effective Speech--GWS), CAS 450W (Group Communication Theory and Research--Writing Across the Curriculum), CRIM 100 (Introduction to Criminal Justice--GS), ENGL 050 (Introduction to Creative Writing--GA), HIST 010 (World History I--GH, IL, Other Cultures), LER 201 (Employment Relationship: Law and Policy--GS), PHIL 105 (Introduction to Philosophy of Law and Legal Ethics--GH), and PSYCH 100 (Introductory Psychology--GS).
  
• You can catch up on credits if you are behind, or you can get ahead so you have more flexibility in future scheduling. If you have late dropped credits or taken smaller semester loads and are looking at a heavier credit average for your remaining semesters, summer credits are a way to get back on track. Maybe you are completing a concurrent major or minor and want to take some of your minor credits or 400-level major credits in the summer to make things easier in your final semesters. Some students even plan for full-time enrollment in the summer in an effort to graduate a semester early.
  
• Students pay the current tuition rate for summer credits. You may use the tuition calculator on the Bursar's site to determine your costs based on the number of credits, and you would check with Student Aid to determine if you are eligible for financial aid during the summer.
  

You may register for summer courses through eLion. If you have questions about whether or not taking summer credits is a good idea for you, consult with your adviser.

For more information about Penn State Summer Courses, visit the outreach website.

Take Battle of the Bands literally. It was a battle with forces moving from floor space to floor space like pegs on a strategy map. Last Saturday from 9 PM to 1 AM in the HUB's Alumni Hall, the student organizers of the free concert Movin' On set up stage. Or I guess I should say stages.

After flashing my ID and getting that always exclusive concert bracelet slapped on my wrist, I entered from the back of Alumni Hall into a mood-lit arena with two stages set up in front of the wall of windows. I was ready for a night of good music. The ever artistic Jen Kach assured me of this. She is a member of the core committee for Movin' On, which she jumps up and down to tell everyone is happening on April 29th on the IM Field West.

But back to the battle at hand, 12 bands duked it out for 4 spaces to play at Movin' On in addition to the headliners O.A.R., Lupe Fiasco and Little Big Town. Besides the five or six rows of seating set up in front of each stage, the majority of Alumni Hall was open and perfect for roaming or dancing along to the music. And off to the side, by the front doors of Alumni Hall, was a booth for the State College radio station B94.5, fully stocked with T-shirts for the bands to toss to the audience and to crowd banter between songs.

The Had Knots were already jamming on the left stage when I walked in. I think jamming really is the only word I could use to describe them. Their performance was free and fun. The stage was packed with people from a mini horn section to two acoustic guitar players and singers. Their set had a great family feel to it, like these were people who shared their lives and their music. It was fun to watch them laugh with each other. I felt good listening to their songs that I could easily snap and sway to. 

A little later in the night, the Zak Sobel Band took to stage right. Each band that played alternated stages from the last band that went on, and each time the next band came on there was a great migration of the crowd to get in front of the right stage. It was a great shuffle to be in the middle of. The Zak Sobel Band was another simply fun band to watch. Zak Sobel himself was a very charismatic front man who liked to call out the guitar and trombone players on their solos. He also did a killer solo on the harmonica during one of their songs. Two couples danced in front of the stage while they were playing and I must admit I danced along myself. How could I not with their dig deep melodies and smooth vocal combinations? Even more impressive than their Battle of the Bands performance was the fact that they were pulling double duty that night. They played Battle at 9:45 and were set to play at the Dark Horse Tavern by 11.

Back to the left stage and near the end of the night, I was also entertained by No Slip Condition. I could probably take or leave their rock music, but they had great stage presence. They joked about being rock star engineers since every member of the band is also a graduate student in Penn State's Aerospace Engineering program. You even get a taste of that humor of theirs in their online bio that explains NASA's budget cuts couldn't make them the first rock band in space, but could send them to State College instead.

By the end of the night I didn't quite get my wish list bands in the top four, but I will at least get to see the Zak Sobel Band playing at Movin' On. They took second place in the Battle. The fourth place winners were So Long, Pluto, third place went to Atlas Soundtrack and first place was 5 Cherry Lewis. Now I'm looking out for another great day of music to trek to. 1 month and 1 day!

A Complete List of the Battle Bands:

So Long, Pluto

5 Cherry Lewis

No Slip Condition     

Atlas Soundtrack

FreQontrol

The Good News

Chris Good

Zak Sobel Band

TonyP

Jordan Graves

Brethren

The Had Knots

In episode 24 of Liberal Arts Voices, International Politics and Sociology major Ruth Canagarajah joins the program to discuss her service leadership initiative Paalam.

Ruth begins the podcast by discussing her philosophy behind the Paalam project. She explains how the Paalam project works in collaboration with an NGO called SJC 87, a scholarship program for children in Sri Lanka, to provide Sri Lankan youth with an opportunity to write and perform their own plays. Ruth talks about how the Paalam project uses art, and specifically playwriting and theatre, as a medium through which Sri Lankan youth can communicate and reflect on their experiences. Classes in Sri Lanka participate in a playwriting competition where the winning groups have their plays performed at Penn State.

Towards the end of the podcast, Dean Long congratulates Ruth for winning one of the 2011 Rock Ethics Institute Stand Up Award. The annual Stand Up Award is given to students who have demonstrated a proficiency in ethical leadership. 

Liberal Arts Voices: Episode 24

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

You can visit the Paalam project website to find out more or to get involved. Also, make sure to check out the Paalam video on the Liberal Arts Undergraduate Studies You Tube Page.


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.

The National Model African Union is an annual conference held at Howard University in Washington D.C. at which students from across the country are invited to participate in a simulation of the real African Union and discussions about current issues facing Africa. The focus of the conference centers on intra-African relations and international affairs. The Model African Union gives students the opportunity to participate, as individuals and in teams, while conducting research on the political issues of a specific African nation. Each university is assigned a different country every year and this year, Penn State University was assigned to represent the interests of Malawi within the African Union.

As the Model AU's Faculty Advisor and Trip Coordinator, Dr. Abrokwaa introduced me to the benefits of participating in the Model AU while I was enrolled in AAA S/HIST 192. After making the decision to attend the conference, I met with Dr. Abrokwaa to decide which committee would be right for me. Every student is assigned to a particular committee meant to maximize their educational experience. As I am an International Politics Major, Dr. Abrokwaa felt that it would be to my advantage to serve on the Technical Committee on Economic Matters. This would provide me with a chance to learn about Malawi's role in the global market and how the latter affects international relations and foreign policy.

Following my committee assignment, I was ready to begin preliminary research about the current economy of Malawi. Guided by the Model AU's Handbook, I learned how to create and format a formal resolution (just like the ones submitted in the actual African Union). Soon, I submitted a final copy to the Executive Council of the Model AU at Howard University.

Finally, February came around and we were ready for the conference. Shortly after we arrived in D.C., we headed to Embassy Row for our briefing at the Malawian Embassy. This briefing was designed to answer any questions or clarifications we had in order to best represent the interests of our assigned country. The briefing was definitely a highlight of the trip. Various members of the embassy were present at our meeting, including specialists in investments, agriculture, water and sanitation, communications, tourism, and gender equality.

The conference officially kicked off that evening at Howard University where we met the other students involved in the conference from across the United States. It was that evening that the council sessions began for the first time and we received copies of all submitted resolutions. The next morning we attended our day-long Executive Council and Ordinary Committee Sessions. Each committee worked on assigning resolutions to agenda topics; establishing the order of consideration for agenda topics; introducing and debating resolutions; adding amendments to resolutions; and finally, working together to pass resolutions. My fellow Malawian delegate in the Economic Committee and I worked alongside delegates from the African countries of Nigeria and Togo to merge our resolutions in order to create a single, more powerful resolution. This condensed resolution was eventually submitted to the secretariat for potential adoption. Sunday concluded the conference with the Assembly of Heads of State and Government. During this time, all submitted resolutions were voted on and adopted as final resolutions and certificates of recognition/participation were given out in the closing ceremony. In addition to my participation in the Model African Union, I also got to see a lot of Washington D.C. when the committees were out of session. It was a lot of fun to wander around D.C. and try some new restaurants.

In all, The Model AU helps students gain knowledge in various fields such as African studies, political science, international politics and relations, economics, social sciences, etc. More importantly, it shows participants that an understanding of African development is an important part in the comprehension of globalization in the 21st century. The Model AU allows participants to develop an understanding of current politics and economics of African countries and gives students a chance to represent the interests of a specific country. By understanding these individual needs, we can take important steps toward globalization.

I feel very fortunate that Dr. Abrokwaa chose me to participate in the National Model African Union conference. It is something that I wouldn't have found out about otherwise, and I feel that I have gained exponentially from the experience. Not only have I gained knowledge and grown as an individual, but the Model African Union has also opened many opportunities for me to further my career goals. I would recommend that anyone interested in any of the areas mentioned above inquire about participation in the Model African Union.

If you are interested in participating in this opportunity there are a few more things you should know. First of all, it did not cost anything to participate in the Model AU this year. The conference was generously funded by various Penn State University organizations, offices and departments. Contributors included the Africana Research Center, the AAA S Department, the Liberal Arts Associate Dean's Office, the Liberal Arts Minority Programs Office, and the Vice Provost for Educational Equity's Office. You might also be wondering if participation in the conference is limited to AAA S majors or minors. That is not the case at all. Students in all majors are encouraged to participate. There are various committees (including committees focusing on government, economics, security, technology, etc.) within the Model AU, which cover areas in a variety of different majors in the College of the Liberal Arts.

For more information, visit the African & African American Studies Department website.  In the meantime, take a look at some photos from the 2011 National Model African Union Conference.

This is the fifth spring semester poetry edition of Liberal Arts Voices featuring this year's Penn State Laureate, poet and Professor of English and Womens' Studies, Robin Becker. Throughout the spring, Liberal Arts Voices will be collaborating with Penn State Live to cover the poems and work of Professor Becker.

In this podcast Professor Becker joins Dean Long; English major Natalie Kovak; and English graduate students Leah Huizar and William Woolfit to discuss Professor Becker's poem "Island of Daily Life." You can read the full version of "Island of Daily Life" on Penn State Live.

Professor Becker begins the podcast by explaining how she attempted to celebrate daily life in this poem by using imagery that would evoke the senses and reflect the atmosphere of a rural setting in the summer. The group discusses the playful imagery used in the poem. They talk about how the format and layout of the poem further emphasize its rhythmic nature.  Lastly, the group reflects on themes of isolation and community that coexist in the poem.

We invite you to respond to this poem or to the question that Professor Becker asks at the conclusion of her poem: What special practices or rituals characterize summer for you? How might you write a celebration of those pleasures?

Liberal Arts Voices: Robin Becker's "Island of Daily Life"

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

To watch a video of Professor Becker reading this poem or to read the actual poem, visit Penn State Live.

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.

It's beginning to look a lot like Spring, isn't it, University Park? I'm sure your weather is beginning to improve in State College as mine certainly is in Virginia. For this edition of my post, I had a few ideas for content: a post about drawing upon connections at Penn State, a post about resume tips, or a post about what kinds of thoughts should be going through your head when you receive an offer from a potential employer. Eventually I decided on the connections topic, but I welcome your feedback on the other two future topics (including which one I cover next and what I discuss in each). Feel free to reach out to me in the comments section or on Twitter (@smloewner).

Before I begin writing about connections and the human resources you have around you, I ought to mention that my prolonged absence between posts is due to a recent job opportunity I was offered and accepted. Although I was originally writing these entries as an employee of a political non-profit, I now work for a large consulting firm where I teach different agencies and organizations how to make the best use of online communications (specifically, social media). I mention the change because it's going to be pretty significant in this post.

Connections at any stage of life are important. As a child, our main connections are with our parents or families who put us in a position to succeed. As we age, we might retain that connection, but we try to develop others: teachers, friends, community leaders. These are all very important, and if you're about to graduate from college, they can be helpful for finding a place in the workforce.

Two specific types of connections can be very useful when you're looking for a job as a soon-to-be Penn State Alum: other PSU Alumni and the faculty around you.

I was fortunate to meet a Penn State alumnus named Steve Kelmar through one of the College's programs, and I asked if he might know anyone in DC whom I could have an informational interview with. He had a few contacts and he was actually excited to match us up - eventually, that led to me getting my role in the non-profit I worked for. I think I speak for most of my fellow alumni when I say that we love to help current students. You might not be able to draw upon the college's already established programs for finding an alum, but there are many other ways to meet alumni (like this and this) - try to do so and consider using us as resources.

When it comes to helpful faculty, the College of the Liberal Arts is really ahead of the curve. These connections are a little bit different than the alumni-centric ones. Faculty may or may not know industry professionals that they could connect you to, but they can help you learn a lot about yourself. I mentioned that my new role in social media would be important, and here it is: It was only about 14 months ago that I even began to learn what social media is (and can be), and I only arrived at that point because of then-Professor (now Associate Dean) Long, who introduced the Liberal Arts Undergraduate Council to social media. Now, only about a year later, I'm working with it every day. Look for your faculty community to be more than just conveyors of lecture material. If their passion matches your passion (in this case, I think Dean Long and I share a passion for building online communities in new and innovative ways), draw upon it. You rarely get that opportunity with members of a business community. I learned that I love the theory behind social media and online communities, and I wouldn't have done that if I hadn't worked with members of the LAUS office. Those kinds of connections are definitely valuable for determining a good direction to take.

Can you think of other connections that students might draw upon while they're an undergraduate? Do any other readers have experiences with connections they made in school leading to employment later on? As always, if you have questions about this post's topic or anything else you want me to discuss, feel free to leave them in the comments.

Last week, the College of the Liberal Arts hosted an awards reception at the Nittany Lion Inn to recognize its staff. Staff and faculty members from across the College gathered to celebrate another year of outstanding work. Reception attendees were able to mingle with colleagues, listen to the music of Irreconcilable Differences, and even enjoy some tasty treats (including a chocolate fountain or two).

At the reception, a select number of Liberal Arts staff members were recognized for their various achievements. Dean Susan Welch presented the following awards:

Exceptional Service Award:  Amy Barone, Administrative Support Coordinator in the English Department

Esprit Award: Karen Davis, Administrative Support Coordinator in the English Department

Rising Star Award: Jillian Balay, Program Assistant in the Liberal Arts Undergraduate Studies Office

LASER Awards: Sherri Bumbarger, Administrative Assistant in Alumni Relations and Development; Sondra Morrison, Staff Assistant in the Sociology Department; and Connie Stahlman, Financial Coordinator in the Liberal Arts Financial Office

Outstanding Teamwork Award: Liberal Arts IT Staff Members involved in the Win Install Team: Joseph Carlson, Melissa Price, Shane Freehauf, Scott Varrassa, Jasun Lego, and Bradley Winters

The following staff members were also recognized for ten years of service to the College: Steven Dotts, Intormation Technology Systems Design Specialist;  Kimberly Miller, Staff Assistant in the Anthropology Department; Clifford Evans, Clinical Specialist in the Psychology Department; Lynn Setzler, Administrative Support Assistant in the Department of English; Lisa Knudson, Res Coordinator in the Psychology Department; Diane Shoop, Research Project manager in the Sociology Department; Maxine Laslo, Staff Assistant in the Economics Department; and Bradley Winters, Information Technology Specialist.

The Dean also recognized numerous staff members currently working towards Associate, Bachelors, and Masters degrees for their efforts to continue their education, and members of the staff involved with CLA's United Way Campaign for their service to the community.

Congratulations again to all of the College of the Liberal Arts staff. Your work is truly valued and appreciated!

For more information, visit the Liberal Arts Staff Awards website.  In the meantime, check out some photos of the event:

On Friday, February 25, approximately 200 students from the College of the Liberal Arts in search of summer employment and internships trudged through the rain to the People-to-People Fair in the HUB Alumni Hall.

In past years, this fair--focused on service, wellness and recreation agencies--primarily attracted students with majors in the College of Health and Human Development. During the Fall 2010 semester, however, our office proposed that Career Services work with Liberal Arts departments that might be interested in also co-sponsoring the event.  Sociology and Crime, Law and Justice got on board immediately, followed by Psychology, Communication Arts & Sciences, Political Science, English, and Women's Studies. LAUS, as well as representatives in a few of these departments, suggested new agencies and organizations to Career Services, who then coordinated the details of actually getting the employers to the HUB.  From the increased number of liberal arts students who attended the event, and the greater diversity of employers (including a few from the criminal justice field), we'd say that we made a great choice getting more involved.

The Career Services staff who expertly coordinated and helped with the event, including Christena Dwyer, Corinna Fisher and Kristi Van Epps, agree.  As they said, "Student traffic was outstanding, co-sponsoring really helped show how we can all come together and create a great event, and all in all there was just this whole sense of high energy and excitement in the room."

Thanks to everyone who participated, both in CLA and Career Services.  We look forward to collaborating even more closely on this fair in the future!

Check out our slideshow of photos from the event to see some of the organizations in attendance: