SGA elections will be held this semester Student asks if Wendy A. Hess staff reporter As a presidential election year, the fall of 1996 is full of cam paign rhetoric from the nominees, publici ty stunts, media hype, and polls that claim to reveal the true pulse of the nation. The evening news is full of "man on the street" interviews, with disgruntled citi zens who complain about their govern ment, then admit they don't vote. Penn State Harrisburg's (PSH) PSH Diversity Abounds Capital Times reporter introduces series Debbi Mall e k Staff R e porter When most of us see an article about diversity, we automatically think of racial, ethnic or religious diversity. But at Penn State Harrisburg (PSH), diver sity doesn't necessarily fit that mold. The diversity that I'm referring to is age. While the past decade or two has seen a marked increase in "adults" returning to college, there does n't seem to be much information (other than statisti cal) about these "adults" and the special challenges they face integrating their outside lives with the col lege, and interacting with typically younger students. What better forum to address these issues than our own Capital Times? So we've decided to tackle the issue of "return ing adults" by profiling adult students in each issue, hoping to bridge the age gap by letting younger stu dents learn more about us, and by letting older stu- dents know that there are others here that face the same difficulties that they encounter. I'll kick off this series by telling you a little bit about myself I am, first and foremost, the mother of three children - Joshua 9; Rachael 7; and Hannah, 5. I began my college career at Rutgers University in 1979 at the age of 17, but soon dropped out to get mar ried and raise a family. I kept promising myself that I'd go back and finish my degree, but the timing never seemed right. Now that my children are all in school, I've decided to make the time to finish my degree in Communications. It all sounds very simple, but it isn't. I've always been an active member of the community, and, since volunteers are scarce these days, I didn't want school to interfere with my community projects. Also, as a mom, I have a house to clean, lots of laundry, and meals to prepare. Not to mention the kids' homework and the never ending cycle of trans porting the children from one activity to the next. Although my life is particularly challenging right now, its never been more rewarding. I've missed the interaction with people who seek out and enjoy education - learning for learning's sake- and I hope that, despite your unique difficulties as "adult" students, you can embrace this experience as a posi tive step forward. We welcome your comments and additions to this series. If you're interested in participating in this series on returning students, please contact me at the Capital Times office, (717) 948-6440. We look for ward to sharing your stories. campus seems to mir ror the opinion of the nation, when it comes to frustration with the government. Walk down any hall and it is common to hear some- one say "there's noth- ing to do here," or just plain old, "this campus sucks". Well, it's an elec- tion semester, so take the opportunity and vote in the upcoming Student Government Assotiation (SGA) elec tions, and empower yourself to take con trol of your campus. The SGA is the communication link you will let your voice be heard between the student body and the PSH administration, that consists of elected rep resentatives from each academic division, and elected executive posi- tions. The purpose of the SGA is to meet the students' needs, deter mine the funding for campus dubs, plan recreational activities, help facilitate change and provide a forum for student concerns. Representative slots to be determined by the September 23 and 24 elections are : Junior Senator Behavioral Sciences/Education; Junior Senator Humanities; Junior Senator Business, Junior Senator talLnigoGig , : presented by the Red Cross Course covers adult, child & infant CPR October 16 & 17 6-9 p.m. Capital Union Building $15.00 ummefuneWble Sign up Deadline October 4 Contact: Ralph Renn 948-6588 or George Young 948-6269 VIEWPOINT Engineering; Junior Senator at Large; and Junior Senator Public Affairs. running and vote. After a year of controversy in 95-96, including illegal meet ing practices in which the SGA criticized the content of, and the coverage it received from the Capital Times, during budget determinations, left many students angry and confused about their government. day, this year is a chance for things to change. SGA back into the hands of the students," said Liann Bankos, 96 - 97 SGA vice-president. Coopers & Lybrand: Coming to Campus With a Unique Approach to Recruiting What are your strengths and weaknesses? Where do you see yourself in five years? What three adjectives best describe yourself? If you identified the above as "Questions frequently asked on an interview," you're right! Unless, that is, you're being interviewed by Coopers & Lybrand. Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P., one of the world's leading professional services firms, has introduced anew approach to college recruiting. The firm's National Director of Recruiting Brent Inman explains, "Research shows that candidates who possess certain competencies, as well as a comfort level with the demands of our buiness and the cul ture of our org a n i z ation, will mow likely be happy, succeed and grow professionally with us." They call the process Strategic Selection Advantage (SSAsm) and it's different from anything being l dore by other companies. For one thing, the firm won't judge you on a traditional resume like a lot of other companies do. Instead, candidates fill out a comprehensive application form and then go through a three-step assessment process: Competency-based interviewing, organization fit and role fit. What's In It For the Candidate? Coopers & Lybrand stresses the "win-win" aspect of SSASM. "It enables students to make an informed decision about Coopers & Lybrand after participating in this process -that's just as impor tant to their future success as ours," explains Harrisburg Business Assurance Partner, Mike Dollard In fact, several students have already gone through the SSASM process. Here's what they said: "I was able to present a part of myself that I don't think I would have been able to present in another interview. It allowed me to talk abort expe riences in my past which portrayed ny character and made me more marketable to Coopers & Lybrand." "I definitely think the situational interview allows for infraction on bob ends. Not only do they find out things about me that I think are important and valuable, but. . .the questions they ask allow you to see what qualities they're looking for." "As a yourg professional and as a student just having gone through interviews, it's very important to me that a firm is interested in who I am and what I am capable of accomplishing." A Three Step Process The first component of SSASM is Find out who is Like every new 'We want to put `This year we're more organized and our lines of communication are open," she said. Open meetings are held every Tuesday at 12:20 p.m., and each includes time for a student open forum, when anyone can voice their con- cerns or ideas to the SGA. Many people don't know that during SGA meetings, deci- sions about campus activities, like Gallery Lounge performances, visiting speakers, and others, are deter- mined. If you guf- fawed about the mime in the Gallery Lounge last year, it's your own fault. "We want to be for and of the stu- Paid for by Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P. CAPTIMES, September 19, 1996 Competency-Based Interviewing and Assessment Through a series of pre-developed, structured ques tions, recruiters go beyond the face of the resume. "You will be asked to describe how you have handled certain situations at work, in classroom settings, through membership in campus and outside organizations situa tions that may be similar to everyday life at Coopers & Lybrand," explains Mike Dollard. "Because you'll be asked open-ended questions, there are no right or wrong answers," Dollard adds. The Otganizptional Fit component comes next Corporate cultures vary from organization to organization, and not everyone thrives in the same type cl . environment. 'This component compares the ideal organization for which you would like to work against the characteristics that realistically define Coopers & Lybrand's organization al culture," Harrisburg Business Assurance Partner, Kevin Mitchell explains. Finally, Coopers & Lybrand examines Role Fit. Candidates will be evaluated not only on haw well they fit into the organization, but also on bow well they fit into specific work ides. We all have varying wilifort levels with different work situations based on our develop ment, our strengtlE and our talents. As a result, we are more likely to succeed in certain roles than others. 'The role fit examines your performance in past situations that may be similar to experiences at Coopers & Lybrand," says Kevin Mitchell. Competency Modeling Background At the request of the United States Foreign Service, research conducted by Harvard psychologist David Mcaelland in the early l97Qs led to the develop ment cf competency modeling. The RseignService asked McClelland to identify research methods that could predict job performance, and were less based by race, sex or socioeconcmic factors. Traditional acade mic aptitude and knowledge content tests had proven inadequate. As a result, the competency modeling approach was developed toserve as a sutstitute for directly obTrving actual performance. "SSASM is not an untested hypothesis or a con sultant's theory," Mike Dollard stresses. Since its inceptim, it has enabled us to develq a rela tionship with the students while identfying where they stand in terms of the skills and competencies, as well as how they would fitin with dupers & Lybrand," he says. "We know it works, and we see it as a clear competitive advantage." dents," said Frank Nieves, 95-96 SGA "We are president. going to make this a successful year." The budget meeting, that assigns funds to dubs, will be held on October 1. I f you belong to a club, attend it. This year don't complain about every thing on campus, help change things: vote, know your representa Lives by name AND face, and attend SGA meetings. The difference could determine whether the next cam pus activity will be an ice cream social or a beer bash. (Just kid ding...this is a dry campus).
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