!V\( I,\
Creative writer waxes poetic Behrend *** to ™ oN
'V by Libbie Johnson
by Abby Long
assistant sports editor
A parody of the creation of
earth opened the evening as
Marilyn Krysl, poet and author,
spoke at Behrend on Wednesday,
November 15, in the Reed
Lecture Hall. Krysl was featured
as part of the Creative Writers
Speaker Series. This short story
and poetry reading was popular
among students and faculty, as
there were very few empty seats
in the lecture hall. Some
students, including Sarah
Morrow, attended the reading
because, “I’m taking a women’s
studies class.” Others came “with
friends” like Bryan Trombetta.
; Krysl opened the evening with
;the short story “Extinct Species,”
•which was a parody of creation.
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She chose to
approach this
story with
parody
because,
like parody
it amuses
me.” Many
poems were
also included
reading, such
as “Erotic,”
“Blessing,”
“Manifesto,"
and “Water
and Salt.”
Student
Amy
Wilczynski
preferred
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Speaker Marilyn Krysl reads to the audience gathered in Reed 117
on Wednesday, Novemberls.
Fairness, Honesty, and
Possession.” Wilczynski enjoyed
this reading because she felt
Krysl was very easy to follow.
From working at a university,
to serving in the Peace Brigade
in Sri Lanka, Krysl has had many
experiences to inspire her
writing. Picking a single event
that has most inspired her was
impossible, in fact: “Lots of
things, events, people, countless
things,” she said. Another
interesting experience Krysl
participated in was helping the
sick at Mother Teresa’s house in
Calcutta.
Her concern for world humanity
was quite evident in her short
stories and poems. Krysl has
written several books including,
How to Accommodate Men,
Midwife and Other Poems on
NEWS
Caring, War-scape with Lovers,
and More Palomino, Please,
More Fuschia. She was also one
of many contributing writers to
The Best American Short Stories.
A story reflecting on the
tribulations a woman in Sri Lanka
experienced was the basis of her
favorite story, “The Thing
Around Them.”
Krysl enjoyed reading to this
large audience. “I loved it! It was
a very responsive audience.” She
is one of a series of visiting
writers that have and will be
speaking at Behrend in this
speaker series. Wendell Mayo
and Stephen Dunn will speak at
Behrend this spring. The 2000-
2001 Creative Writers Speaker
Series is sponsored by the
Clarence and Eugenie Smith
Fund.
Learning Resource
Center here to help
by Christine Kleck
associate editor
When next entering the library,
look up; there Ruth Pflueger,
Learning Resource Center
coordinator, can be seen hard at
work in her office. This beneficial
department, located on the second
floor of the Library, is home to
Behrend’s tutoring services,
Supplemental Instruction (SI)
programs, and many Education
Abroad opportunities, as well as
several workshops and resource
services.
Students Amy Super and Rob Weis take advantage of the the
learning environment at the Learning Resource Center.
“One of the goals of The Learning
Resource Center is to make the
transition from high school to
college as easy and painless as we
possibly can,” Pflueger said. “We
like to catch kids before they
damage their GPA.”
Pflueger works with students
individually on their study skills.
She has also been known to speak
to the various First-Year Seminar
classes as well as several groups and
PHOTO BY LIZ HAYES
staff writer
THON, Penn State’s 48-hour
dance marathon, is the largest
student-run philanthropy in the
world. THON raises money for the
Four Diamonds Fund, a
comprehensive fund that alleviates
expenses for children treated at the
Pennsylvania State University
Milton S. Hershey Medical Center,
the first ever children’s cancer
research center.
The 48-hour dance will be held
from 7:00 p.m. February 16 to 7:00
p.m. February 18, in the Recreation
Building, commonly known as the
Rec Hall, at University Park. More
than 600 dancers are expected to
participate. The families and
children with cancer who are
involved with the program will also
attend the dance marathon so that
the dancers and volunteers will have
an opportunity to interact with the
people they are raising money for.
The Dance Marathon is the main
fundraiser for the Four Diamonds
Fund, but students participate in
fundraising activities throughout the
year. Students also raise money by
solicitation and fundraising
activities sponsored by
organizations. Only two dancers
from each Penn State campus attend
THON; Behrend will send the two
people who raise the most money
before December 4.
The theme for this year’s dance
a-thon is “Within Reach.” Kelly
Croce, the University public
relations chair for the dance
marathon, said, “we felt that ‘Within
Reach’ encompassed so much. We
are within reach of fulfilling our $5
million commitment [to the
research center], we are within
reach of a cure for childhood cancer,
we are within reach of dancing for
48 hours...it can mean different
things to different people, but it’s
all about striving for a goal.”
Brandi Hovis, a fifth semester
organizations on the importance of
time management and how to adapt
to college life.
She also emphasizes the benefits
of studying abroad during the
summer and during student breaks
to broaden backgrounds, and to
make students more well rounded
and prepared for their careers. “We
are trying to get more students
involved in the Education Abroad
program, because it is beneficial, it’s
the opportunity of a lifetime, and it
is more affordable than most
students think,” Pfluger
commented.
PHOTO BY BECKY WEINDORF
this year, the LRC has expanded
their drop-in tutoring hours and their
resources to tend to and
accommodate as many students’
needs as possible. The LRC is now
home to the Behrend Honors and
Schreyers Scholars program under
the direction of Dr. John Gamble
and assisted by Patty Conboy.
Recently the SI Program
expanded as well. This international
program has been helping college
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17,2000
management major, is overseeing
Behrend’s participation in THON.
Her personal goal for this year is to
promote awareness of THON. She
hopes that next year Behrend
students will be more excited about
the event. A committee has been
formed that meets every week to
discuss fundraising ideas.
Hovis feels the benefits of
participating in THON include
being involved with all the
campuses and working with people
to raise money for the children with
cancer. She said THON “opens your
eyes to how many people have
cancer.”
The committee is selling shirts to
publicize THON. THON is printed
on the front of the shirt and Sabrina
Caruthers, a Four Diamonds patient,
is quoted on the back: “You only
have to endure 48 hours in order to
offer future hope and dreams to all
those children struggling with
cancer.” The shirts are available for
$lO. Those interested in purchasing
the shirts can stop in the SGA Office
or contact Hovis.
Another fundraising activity
planned for the THON is “canning.”
December 1-3, students will collect
money in cans at Summit Township.
Students can sign up for rides at the
RUB Desk.
Other projects include collecting
pledges, writing letters to local
businesses, clubs, and
organizations, and door-to-door
solicitation. Students can also fill
out credit card applications for
MBNA America. If accepted, $2O
will be donated.
Those interested in donating
money or volunteering in any of the
fundraising activities can contact
Hovis at blhl6l @ psu.edu or x 6863.
Students are invited to attend
THON meetings every Thursday at
5:00 in the SGA office. For further
information on THON, visit
www.thon.org or email questions to
thon@psu.edu.
students increase their performance
and retention for over 20 years.
Behrend is proud to provide this
assistance program to students
through the LRC.
The SI program helps students
with particularly difficult classes, so
that withdrawls and low grades in
those classes are kept to a minimum.
The program provides struggling
students with scheduled peer
sessions that are out of class and
more personal.
The meetings include students in
a particular class that are ranked at
all different academic levels, and
they usually take place in or near the
classroom where the actual class
normally meets. The service is
voluntary and free to anyone
attending that particular class.
The LRC is also noted for its peer
tutors. “These students are very
generous with their time, and they
know what they are doing. A lot of
them have had the same instructors
that you might have now, so they
can clue you in on some tips and
tricks,” Pflueger said. The various
tutors fall under the categories of
math, writing, and other. The LRC
has a tutor from every school, and
if a tutor from a particular area or
class is needed, the LRC is willing
to find one.
Being a tutor also has its benefits,
including personal satisfaction,
better understanding of the material
studied, and excellent credentials
for a resume or an interview. “It s
really a win-win situation for all
who participate in the program,”
Pflueger said.
Information, hours, and locations
for the tutor and the SI programs are
available in the LRC, or by e
mailing Ruth Pflueger at
rcpl@psu.edu, or calling x 6418.
Also, visit the LRC website at
www.pserie.psu.edu/learnctr for
more information on all that the
Learning Resource Center has to
offer.