MAY 25, P)59
Hazleton Campus Deversified Extracurricular Program
ORCHIDS TO THE GIRLS OF
THETA SBGIAA PHI SORORITY
Olga Markus Crowned 12th May Day Queen
THETA SIGMA I'HI. (Left to right) Mrs, Elizabeth Bodenstein
(Advisor), Anne Stebnitsky (Pres
tary—standing) and Olga Markus,
meeting in the Conference Room of
May Day.
Since the Theta Sigma Phi So-1
rority was started in September,l
1951, it has grown in size and in'
importance.
When the school year began in
September of '5l, the girls felt
that a sorority should be formed
so that the girls would have some
thing to call their own. Miss Flor
ence Yannes was the college nurse
and Dean of Women at Highacres
then., and at her suggestion the
sorority was formed and given the
name of Theta Sigma Phi, which
means "secret sisters." At the first
meeting of the newly formed soci
ety nominations for officers were
held. According to the bylaws of
the sorority formulated at that
time, the president and secretary
must be sophomores and the vice
president and treasurer, freshmen.
Miss Dolores Dißubbo took over
the duty as advisor to the sorority
when Miss Yannes left Highacres.
During the time that Miss Dißub
bo was advisor, the Frosh were
pledged with Blue Bows, pins with
the Theta Sigma Phi insignia were
ordered, payment of dues were in
stituted, and secret pals names
exchanged.
From 195:i-56 Miss Helen Dos
senbach, now on the faculty of the
West Hazleton School District, was
the advisor. During her term the
sorority progressed rapidly, and
when Mrs. Elizabeth Bodenstein
took over in September '56, the
sorority was in full swing.
Although the May Day tradition
is thought of as a sorority-snon-1
sored affair today, it was started
in 1945 at the Hazleton Center and
was a student body activity. The
combined ceremonies were then, as
now, the coronation of the queen:
Nv t h the May Day rites, and the
Queen's Ball all held indoors,
however. When the Center moved
front Broad Street to the present
s ite at Ilighticres in 1950, the May
Day tradition took on a new andi
natural freshness. Ceremonies
were held on the lawn in front of
the Administration building:, and
the ball held at a local ballroom.
Past queens have been the follow
ing:
1945---Irma Masley; 1940---Cath
erine Conahan; 1947 ---Shirley Van,
Nauker; 1948 - - Jean lizmamr,l
1949—Doris Bartol; 1950 Mary}
Louise Pollock; 1951 --Jane Marg-1
--
worth; 1952 - Josephine Donish;
1953-.. Marie Jack(); 1954--Harriet
Lee Tulin; 1955 --- Elaine Perko;
195 - Theresa Bokowski; 1957 ---
Jacqueline Kessel; 1958 --- Betty
Ann Fleck; 1959 Olga Markus,
(present queen).
Another activity of the sorority
is the annual banquet at which
time secret pals are revealed and
gifts exchanged. A hayride is usu
ally held in the fall, and a dance is
sponsored by the sorority some
time during the school year. Bake
sales, teas and suppers were held
in past years.
Theta Sigma l'hi has truly dis
tinguished itself in aiding the girls
who attend Hazleton Campus to
dent), Frances Werpshaw (Secre
this year's Highacres May Queen,
the SUB to discuss details of the
develop themselves as gracious
and cultured young women, and
will continue to do so in the future.
This year Anna Jean Stebnitsky is
president. Mrs. Elizabeth Boden
stein is faculty advisor.
Belles-Letters Society
Flourishing at Highacres
Literary Society Now
In Its Second Year
One of the newest organizations
on the Hazleton Campus (in
stituted only since 1957-58) and
fast becoming one of the most pop
ular is the Belles-Lettres Society.
Included in its activities for
1958-59 was the joint sponsorship
(with the English, Speech, and
Library Departments of the local
campus) of the highly successful
First Annual Highacres Reading
Festival, and participation in the
11th Annual Reading Festival at
the Main Campus of The Pennsyl
vania State University. Much ac
claim was given the Hazleton
Campus' contingent by experts at
the festival. Winners of the local
reading festival who were sent to
the Main Campus are these: An
drew Kavalecs, George Walker,
Anthony Sant ore, Barbara Jean
Pace, Anna Jean Stebnitsky, and
Eleanor Svok.
Plans for next year include a
Second Annual ITig . hacres Reading
Festival, a cultural tour, talks by
several guest speakers, and discus
sion on the merits of poems, es
says, novels, and short stories com
posed by members of the society
and by professionals.
The society's objectives in c lude
encouragement of creative writing,
criticism of all st udent s• iirks
when submitted, and analysis of
literary compositions for the pur
pose of examiningg•writing' ech
nig LICS.
The present president is Henry
IZiehard. Fortner presidents were
Olga Markus and Vita Sappe. The
faculty sponsor is Professor An
drew Kafka.
H igh a c res Dance Band
Reorganizes
The Highacres Hance Band, the
newest extra-curricular activity to'
appeal' on campus, has been in
active this spring because the
brass section transferred to the
main campus. The band is pres
ently holding a series of reorgani
zation meetings, however, with the
aim of an improved and enlarged
aggregation for the 1959-1960 sea
son. Several incoming freshmen
have already expressed the inten
tion of joining. These people plus
the nucleus of this year's group
which will return to Highacres in
sures students many enjoyable
dances next year.
Dance Band members who per
formed so faithfully and well last
semester are to be heartily com
mended for the enjoyment they
gave to the many people who at
tended dances at Highacres.
COLLEGIAN
STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION,
CO-ORDINATOR OF
JOINS IN MARKING
The Student Government Associ
ation is sharing its Silver Anniver
sary with the Hazleton C a mpus.
Professor Stewart (has, w h o i s
now at the Main Campus of the
Pennsylvania State University, or
ganized and drew up the constitu
tion for the first student council in
Mil. Since then, it has been very
active in Off-campus activities as
well as in on-campus functions.
For example, when the Pennsylva
nia Association of Student Govern
ment Associations of Junior Col
leges, of which Hazleton Campus'
SGA is a member, was first formed
for off-campus centers, of PSU,
they soon extended an invitation of
membership to all Junior Colleges
of Pennsylvania. The first Junior
College Basketball League was
formed by this organization, and
for many years Highacres was an
active member of it. The same is
true for golf and tennis.
How many people realize that
the Student Union Building was
brought to Highacres largely
through the efforts of three succes
sive Student Government Associa
tions? In 1951, a member of the
SGA, while sitting on the Student-
Faculty Board, first proposed this
idea. Seventy-five per cent of the
student body endorsed a petition
which would have assessed them
$5.00 per semester for the SUB
fund. Main Campus officials de
cided that this sum would be in
sufficient, and in 1952 a new peti
tion was put forth for the amount
of $lO.OO per semester. Passage of
this petition failed until in 1950,
largely through the efforts of the
SGA. it was endorsed.
We should not confine ourselves
to past achievements, however,
lest one would think that recent
Collegian Serves Campus
By Printing News Bi-weekly
COLLEGIAN STAFF pause during a busy time while publishing
a hi-NS eeklc Collegian. Lett to right Frances Werpshaw, Nancy Brad
ne:t (Editor), flank Rich , Hd. Celia Kalinowshi, Adeline Schumacher.
Prisea I'at Reteneller, and Bobbie Jean Pace.
Studying copy to the lower left are Francis Sullivan and John
McCullough.
ifighacres has had a "Collegian" the first floor of the Main Building.'
in one form or another almost Soon, however, the Collegian had
since the Center began. Back in its own office again. A drafting!
the Markle Bank days, the Col-' storage on the third floor of the!
legion came out in mimeographed Main Building was cleaned andl
form every week or so. Then, as supplied with desk, , , and chairs.l
now, it dealt mainly with the activ- ' This has remained the Collegian!
ities of the students and faculty. office to the present. The Collegian
When the Center moved to High- 1 now appeal's as a hi-weekly with
acres, the paper had its office in the aid of two typewriters, a re-1
what is now the Zoology storage: conditioned mimeographing ma-:
room on the third floor of the Main chine, and, of course, the staff with
Building
In the 40's, it came out as a
printed edition once a month. At, important campus functions: (1)
this time, Professor Peightal was It brings news to everyone on our
the advisor. However, after a few! campus and, via exchange, to other
years, the printed edition became,'
places as we11.(2) It is an outlet
too expensive and the paper went for students' writing, art, and
back to the old mimeo format. The
typing was done in Professor Kaf-1 opinions. (3) It offers training and
ka's present office, and it was mini-; experience to students who plan to
eographed in the old bookstore on major or minor in journalism.
STUDENT ACTIVITIES,
SILVER ANNIVERSARY
HIGHACRES STUDENT COUNCIL: (Top—left to right) Hank
Richard, Al Binger, Thomas Brennan, Frank Kleckner.
(Bottom—left to right) Frank Kostos, Jr. (Treasurer), Jack Sotack
(President), Ann Colancecco (Secretary), Bonnie Schechterly.
councils have been dormant. The
benches that are placed around the
campus are but one example of a
recent SGA activity, This year's
council has purchased, among
other things, a world globe for the
library, a portable stage, trash
cans, and a water cooler to be in
stalled in South Hall. In addition,
the SGA handles financial matters
for the student organizations, and
sponsors many of the social events
that take place at Highacres,. It is
the representative body of the stu
dents, and is responsible to them.
Professors Richard Mattern and
1 - 1 n Longo are faculty advisors.
Iti
Professor Andrew Kafka advising.
The newspaper has a number of
PA(;F: TIIIi3 1f
Hail To Parnassus
Parnassus, the Hazleton Campus'
honor society, originated in the ac
ademic year of 1951-52 as a result
of the faculty's student welfare
committee who decided that recog
nition be given to the well-rounded
student, one who attains high
scholastic standards and who also
actively participates in extracur
ricular activities.
Professor James R. Steel, a
member of the faculty at High
acreA and 0 charter member of :hr,
society, suggested the name, Par
nassus. Parnassus is the name of
a two-peaked mountain in Greece,
which was sacred to the Muses,
the goddess of learning, and to
Apollo, the sun god, who repre
sented purity, loyalty, good citi
zenship, and justice.
The society now has 87 students,
faculty and honorary members.
Students are chosen on the basis
of their scholarship averages and
total number of activity points.
They must have completed one or
more semesters of college work,
earned a 2.8 aVc rage and accumu
lated four activity points per sv
mester.
Parnassus sponsors the elect ion
for Most Va 1 hit. Freshman and
Sophomore whi,..11 taLes place each
year.
'wick is tulyNot
to the tttruttp.
COLLEGE-CrMMUNITY
CHORUS D:zAWS
LOCAL TALENT
I 1- ,
In 1916 tt.l,' 11:1/1 , Thri
imntt.(l ;II t
+l',lll `C11(
ChM tw,) (•“Ixt.ll,
at t'ht ilLnr<tS ztio.i in I},t
Spritiv. It al () ciolv
I ion and .d hur event,.
Th.. ~nly r. , . l airernent far !rm
bership is int,.•r,A in singuw thi
kind of triu<ic. Community pyrson:
students. and faculty member
comprised i he o.oup which
imd(r the tutela4e of 11i~~ Gar
brick.
This spring' esentat ion. giver
May 21 at tk , th,
entir "Re intieui" by itabrit
SeCti , [lS- of "The .F ace
Kingdom" by Randall IT imp:4w
and "0 Jesus Christ, My Life ter
Light, - one of Johann Stibast iti,
.Rach's cantatas.
Among thr st talent members
th e Chorus are Al Hinger. Oft
Markus, Thomas Clatch. Kar ,
Snyder, Fred Keller, Edwina 1,:.r
land, George Walker. Jonal
Kaercher, Joe Jumpeter, II ar.
Richard and John Benner.
The faculty members are Mr:
Elizabeth Bodenstein and Gordo
Wilcox.