Empty pockets, heavy books cont'd from 1 sell textbooks and other items such as music and movies; Bigwords.com: A site promising to "protect the universe from high textbook prices;" Ecampus.com: Offers new and used books and an opportunity to sell online. Despite the money saved by purchasing textbooks online, there are other factors to consid er when purchasing on the Web. Namely, shipping costs will increase the total cost of buying books online. In addition, a wait Utilizing book buyback is one way for students to save money on textbooks. WARNING: This is a Sharon Furfaro original cartoon. You will be subject to various visual rantings and ravings about all that is ironic, disturbing, sarcastic, cruel, humorous, or unfair in this world, according to me. Hey, you've been warned. Look for more cartoons, only in future issues of The Capital Times. PSH grad builds the future through engineerin. By Elizabeth Wingate Staff Reporter eawl9l@psu.edu Stephen Fleming is not a typical twenty-something. Yes, he spends quality time at the gym, and yes, he lives with a bunch of guys who are no strangers to having a good time. Occasionally, he even sleeps until noon. But Fleming, 26, a graduate of Penn State Harrisburg, has a drive and vision that few people his age possess, and according to him, Harrisburg is the perfect place to make it happen. Engineering runs in Fleming's family, and he knew early on that he wanted to make a career out of it, with a twist. After stints throughout high school and sum mer breaks at a local engineer ing firm, as well as occasionally working with his father at Hempt Bros., Fleming transferred from the University of Hartford to PSH, where he majored in Structural Design and Engineering Construction Technology. "That program helped me more than civil engi neering," said Fleming, "It taught me estimating and scheduling, with more of a focus on skills that would assist me in land develop- ing period of approximately seven to 14 days is part of the online buying experience, unless you want to shell out extra money for expedited ship ping. Other ways to save on text books include scanning campus bulletin boards for used books for sale or buying books from students who have already com pleted a course. Those students who buy direct ly from the bookstore are actual ly contributing back to Penn State, said Hockenberry. "...a substantial portion of every dol lar spent is kept within the ment, which is my primary inter est." Additionally, Fleming pur sued a Real Estate Sales License, which has allowed him to create a development compa ny with his uncles; the group recently purchased a 12-unit apartment complex and plans to acquire more investment proper ties. Engineers in Fleming's field design stormwater facilities, san itary sewer systems, roadways, oversee construction projects, design and implement commer cial and residential development projects, and oversee the permit ting of projects by working with local and state government agencies. Fleming loves the challenge that each piece of land "Harrisburg is a great market for someone in my field. It has a steady development record, and the potential for devel opment growth is huge..." -Stephen Fleming University to fund various pro grams, activities, improvements and scholarships. Penn State bookstores fund PSU scholar ship programs at nearly one mil lion dollars annually. The online retailers you may wish to pur chase from have no commit ment to you, your school or ensuring that you are provided with the necessary materials for a successful semester, while we at the bookstore are committed to all of these things," said Hockenberry. For more information on the PSH bookstore, contact (717) 948-6286. Photo by Kathryn Herr/Capital Times presents. "Each site has its own special features," said Fleming, "and preserving those features by incorporating them into the development ensures the space is enjoyed by those utilizing it. You see the real value of land, and the process is a great mix of creative design and technical engineering." "One day, a site is a field. A year later, there's a building there with people work ing in it, and you feel as though you've contributed to something positive, a good ending," he said. Fleming's first job after gradua tion was with Hartman and Associates, where he was an assistant project manager and design engineer. Fleming interned for the firm throughout college, and therefore had four years' experience and a solid relationship with his employer upon graduating. Fleming credits working at a small firm with pro viding him a greater degree of responsibility. "I don't feel I would have had the same opportunities at a large firm," he said, adding, "Harrisburg is a great market for someone in my field. It has a steady development record, and the potential for development growth is huge. Bigger markets seem to fluctuate much more." One of Fleming's mentors at News Harrisburg By Marc Levy A P Writer HARRISBURG, Pa. - As the public transit agencies serving Pittsburgh and Philadelphia threaten service cuts and fare increases, the scramble has begun in Harrisburg to deter mine who will pay. The ideas are beginning to pile up and it seems clear that, whether it is the motorists, com muters or home buyers and sell ers, someone will pay more. There also is plenty of finger pointing over how the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and the Port Authority of Allegheny County became mired in a com bined $92 million deficit this year. Gov. Ed Rendell has blamed the federal government, in part, for changing rules in 1991 to allow transit agencies to use fed eral dollars for capital costs like fixing trains and buses, but not for operating costs like salaries and benefits. That same year, lawmakers raised property taxes on utilities to provide new money for mass transit but that evaporated a few years later, when power plants were exempted from the tax as part of deregulation. Also, in six of the past nine years, state lawmakers did not increase public transit funding to keep up with inflation. "We've virtually done every- Stephen Fleming is a graduate of PSH's engineering program. Hartman, Ron Secary, moved to Herbert, Rowland, and Grubic, Inc., and Fleming followed him shortly after, undertaking more high-profile projects for corporate giants such as Wal-Mart, Sheetz, several area banks, and large scale commercial and residential developers. The fit has been a good one for Fleming, who added homeowner to his resume has mass transit mess thing we could do to cope with those declining state revenue sources, but it has finally caught up," said Paul Skoutelas, the Allegheny County port authori ty's chief executive officer. Some Republicans, whose party controls the Legislature, maintain that the state already spends enough on public trans portation. Sam Smith, the House Republican leader from Jefferson County, last week questioned why the state is "on the hook" to erase public transit deficits. Cities like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia may have to contribute more, he said. Pennsylvania was among the top four states in the nation in 2002 in spending on public transportation operating budgets at about $554 million, according to Federal Highway Administration figures, but coun ty and municipal contributions to public transit in Pennsylvania were 16th among states in 2002. Nationwide, public transit agen cies seem to be having similar financial troubles, and in many cases observers say sluggish tax revenues are to blame. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York City board voted last month to raise fares on unlimited-ride subway and bus Metro Cards, marking the second time in two years that prices for public trans portation have been increased. when he purchased a home in Camp Hill in 2002; his real estate license allowed him to represent himself in the transaction. Fleming's advice to those inter ested in engineering is simple: take the initiative. "Seek out a job in your field as soon as possible," he said. "You might make less money initially, but it will pay off in the long run. Look for an The Capital Times In Boston, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has been shedding chronically absent employees as it tries to reduce a $l6 million deficit. New Jersey Transit has raised the possibility of increasing fares to close its deficit. And in San Jose, where sales taxes bottomed out when the Silicon Valley dot-corn bubble burst, the Valley Transit Authority is facing a $lOO million deficit. Experts say that the transit authorities that tend to be the most stable are the ones financed by a broad range of revenues. Fare increases and service cuts might solve the deficit but they drive away customers, said William W. Millar, the president of the American Public Transportation Association in Washington, D.C. Rendell and state lawmakers have about six weeks to produce more money to stave off the fare increases and service cuts being planned by SEPTA and the port authority. Erik Arneson, the chief of staff to the Senate's majority leader, David J. Brightbill of Lebanon County, raised the possibility that lawmakers could come up with temporary funding until they can craft a longer term package that would include funding for high ways. "Nobody wants to see dramatic service cuts or dramatic fare hikes," he said. Photo by Elizabeth Wingate/Capital Times internship- you can do that in your first year of school- the experience will prove invalu able." "I never only wanted to go to work and come home every day," said Fleming. "I wanted to make a difference in the world around me, to create something tangi ble, and that's what I do." All in all, a very solid foundation.
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