The Behrend beacon. (Erie, Pa.) 1998-current, April 17, 2009, Image 3
Friday, April 17, 2009 The Behrend Beacon 1 3 COPUS NEWS Growth from page 1 academic sectors of the univer sity. For other departments, however, technology can be utilized in many other ways. Andrea Konkol, an admis sions counselor, keeps a con stant eye on developing modes of communications to market to perspective students. Dave Christiansen, an Associate Dean at Behrend, generally directs the e-learning section, where online seg ments of courses are integrat ed into regular class schedules. Ron Hoffman, who directs the Computer Center and is the Manager of Information Technology services at Behrend, works to increase capabilities and efficiency of current equipment, while watching out for the needs of the academic community at the college. While the effort to use mod ern technology comes down to several different departments, the effort to maximizing the utility of these emerging tools is a University-wide project. Technology as a Marketing Tool In the last 70 days as of pub lication date, the amount of adults 35 or older on Facebook has doubled. As adults join an ever-growing network of mil lions online, schools are increasingly trying to figure out ways to use the new social networking revolution to mar ket to perspective students. Ms. Konkol, who has worked as an admissions counselor for eight years, says that Behrend started using Facebook to appeal to students by creating groups for incoming classes. "Look, this is the world of our students. Why would we want to sanitize their voArldn R•' 04 1P- The group for the "Class of 2012" has 620 members, while the "Class of 2013" group already has 378. Often, she says, students will join the groups to attain a better idea of whether or not they want to go to the college. Groups with stu dents that already attend the university (like the one for this year's freshmen) often morph into pure discussion boards containing threads on paint ball, sports and intramurals, or requests for roommates. "These groups also allow us to get a good idea on what stu dents want," Konkol says. Academic affairs to change advising system By Rachel Reeves editor in chief rcrsos7(u psu.edu Academic Affairs has been receiving numerous com plaints from students about Behrend's academic advising system. Matthew Foulk and Steven Burger, involved in the Academic Affairs Committee of the Student Government Association, have decided to make some changes. Right now, "advisors have the option of a training ses sion," says Foulk. The problem is that it is optional, not mandatory. As a result, some advisors can miss information, and the process can become more complicated for students. Foulk and Burger would like to see an online module set up in order to provide another ele ment to the advising system. "The best thing we can do is set up an online module to help students," says Burger. Burger says that the point of the module is to be a last resort for students who are having "There were a ton of groups this year dealing with snow boarding - where students get their equipment repaired, trips to [Peek 'n Peak], where they buy new equipment that allows us to get a better bead on what students care about." Konkol has also started a Twitter account for Admissions, which only has 44 followers. This, she says, is partly due to the fact that it only started last month, and there hasn't been much of an effort in getting the word out. One of the most successful additions to the digital market ing coming out of Admissions this year has been the utiliza tion of a student blog, written by Jennifer Villarroel, which has over 1100 hits. Located at jovso2l.wordpress.com, it fea tures an "inside scoop" of Behrend. "Lots of students have seen the blog and told me, That's exactly what I was looking for,"' Konkol says. The blog is not officially connected to Penn State, and does not go to the Admissions department for review before publication, but has gotten great reviews from incoming students. Villarroel's most recent post is one dealing with what students at Behrend generally do during weekends or in time off. Though there has been very little negative feedback to Behrend's attempt to market the college with digital com munications, there have arisen several problems with the site, including the censoring of feedback. Konkol says that she refuses to censor things like Behrend made Facebook pages. "Look, this is the world of our stu dents," she says. "Why would we want to sanitize their world?" The world of students, though, is quickly becoming a narr.. Andrea Konkol Admissions Counselor world shared by all. "It's sort of to the point where if I search for a business on Google, and they don't have a website, I get frustrated," Konkol says. "And now, a lot of students search for a business or school on Facebook, and if they don't have a page, the students feel frustrated too." And the best thing about using social networking? "It's free," says Konkol. "We still will use traditional ways like print, radio, or a website, but these new elements can be laid on top of those with very little cost, and it has been very successful." trouble with their advisors. "It's not meant to replace advi sors," says Burger. "If they have questions, the module is for when they can't see their advisor." Foulk and Burger say that the Division of Undergraduate Studies is excited about the new idea. "They're very enthu siastic, and they want to help as much as possible," says Burger. Behrend's website is potentially being upgraded soon, and if that were the case Burger hopes to get prominent placement on the site for the module. "We don't want any one to have to dig to access it," says Burger. The two students have "big plans" for the module. They are looking into a basic down loadable link with structure similar to a Powerpoint. Burger says that they will meet with the Division of Undergraduate Studies to con tinue work on the project. "We hope to have our ideas on the table by the end of the year," says Burger. Technology as an Academic Tool While a more in-depth look at how academics are utilizing technology to enhance class room learning will be printed in next week's issue, it's worth a look to see how Behrend is investing in new ideas and strategies to help the college grow intellectually. One of the biggest additions to Behrend's technical "arse nal," says Dave Christiansen, an Associate Dean at Behrend, has been the advent of "e -learning." "We've been introducing teachers to online e-learning tools," he says. "These usually have an online component, making them what we call a hybrid class. About ten to twenty percent of our classes have this online component in some degree." Wayne Anderson, who heads up the e-learning initiative at Behrend under the director of Christiansen, says that the highest priority is first finding out what is needed, then find ing what technology can get the university to that point. "My role is to support faculty in order to help them teach online," he says. "A lot of my time goes to workshops to show teachers what is out there. Those tend to be a blend of 'why do it' and 'what's avail able.'" Much of the rest of his time, he says, goes towards creating courses online. "We need to make sure that they have qual ity that is equal to or better than a face to face course," says Anderson, who was involved in creating at least three online courses. "It's not just something you can throw up there. To be able to make a high-quality course at the Penn State standard is very time consuming and challenging." Despite the challenges with Greeks from page 1 hosting the event were not allowed to know who received awards until the event itself. "We didn't know anything. I knew I was presenting when I got here, but I didn't know what I was saying until I went up there to read it." This year, many individuals were recognized for outstand ing efforts. Todd Ericson, 2008- 2009 President of the Interfraternity Council, and Lauren Brake, 2008-2009 President of the Panhellenic Council, announced a few of the awards given out at the cer emony. The Most Valuable Chapter Member Award was given to Todd Ericsson of Delta Chi and Elizabeth Warheit of Alpha Sigma Tau. The Outstanding Alumni/ae Programming Award was given to the Alpha Sigma Alpha and Delta Chi organiza tions. The Oustanding Chapter Programming Award was awarded to the Alpha Sigma Tau and Delta Chi organiza tions. The Outstanding Chapter Advisor Award was presented to Patty McMann who currently advises the sis ters of Alpha Sigma Alpha. The chapters that received the Highest Chapter Grade Point Average Award were Theta Phi Alpha and Sigma Tau Gamma. The Highest New Member Computers on campus will be receiving substantial upgrades througth 2010 creating hybrid elements and integrating them into current courses, Anderson sees cours es with an online portion grow ing. "Nationally, it's growing significantly still," he says. "Penn State has lots of resources, and is very advanced technologically, so it's very easy to expand." Students who are just start ing at Behrend should look out for increased quality in online components, and an increased use of digital elements. Feedback for quality of these elements will come from built in surveys, focus groups, and will also pull in statistics from national studies. Both Anderson and Todd Say, a manager at the Computer Center, have an interest in increasing possibili ties for collaborative group projects online. The challenge comes from finding a program that meets the standards of any program, and is easy to learn. "We don't want students to spend all their time learning how to use a tool," says Anderson. "Rather, we want them to spend their time using -it,to help them larn," Say thinks that the project will likely resemble the "P Drive" currently available to students by providing an online collaborative storage space that groups will be able to access. "The Computer Center has seen the need and drive from faculty and students for that," he says. "It will pro'ably be something 'home grown,' that the University or some of its students can make." Emerging technologies and improvements at Behrend Ron Hoffman and Todd Say at the Computer Center define one of their top priorities as improving the capacities and efficiency of current technolo gy, rather than simply adding "It's hard not to get energized around these girls. Everyone does so much. Winning and even being recognized is an honor in itself. Winning meant a lot to me because Greek life means a lot to me." Class Grade Point Average Award was given to Alpha Sigma Alpha and Sigma Tau Gamma. The Outstanding Sorority and Fraternity Leadership Awards were pre sented to Alpha Sigma Alpha and Kappa Delta Row, respec tively. The Greek Spirit Award was awarded to Lauren Brake. Lauren Brake expressed her apparent enthusiasm towards her personal victory and her sorority's accomplishments. "I put in a lot of effort because I feel like the organizations deserve a lot of effort to he put in. Everything I have done has been for the betterment of the community. It's hard not to get energized around these girls. Everyone does so much. Winning and even being recog nized is an honor in itself. Winning meant a lot to me because Greek life means a lot to me." To continue with the awards, the 2008 Greek Week Winners were Theta Phi Alpha and Kappa Delta Row. The Sorority Recruitment Excellence Award was presented to the Alpha Sigma Tau organization. The Fraternity Recruitment Much like the e-learning ini tiative. much of what the Computer Center does is dic tated by the needs of faculty. "We don't go out looking for technology," Hoffman 'We don't want to grab something just because it's brand new. If it just came out, we don't necessarily immedi ately need it in our labs." "We don't go out looking for new technolo gy. We don't want to grab something just because it's brand new." Aside from following faculty use, though, increasing effi ciency and going "green" have rounded out the schedules of Computer Center employees. "Thin client blade technolo gy," which runs an operating system from a server as opposed to running it from a local tower, is something that Behrend has already utilized. g The Computer Center plans to r'►xpand use of these, especially in some more of the RELIC labs. While it will help with space and energy conserva tion, it will also assist the col lege in increasing its efficiency of current space. Long-run, it can also save some significant costs in energy, too. Making Behrend more ener gy-efficient will also mean that any and all new equipment will be Energy Star compliant, meaning that it must meet gov ernment-set regulations on energy use. Behrend and the Computer Center will need to evaluate some current process es to see where additional con servation can occur; right now, computers must be turned on at all times in order to allow for updates, and for the conven ience of students using the lab. Excellence Award was present ed to the brothers of Kappa Delta Row. The Outstanding Individual in Community Service and Philanthropy Award was rightfully awarded to Jessica Lynch of Alpha Sigma Tau. The Outstanding Individual Community Service Project Award went to the Alpha Sigma Tau and Delta Chi organizations. The Outstanding Individual Philanthropy Project Award went to the Greek organiza tions of Alpha Sigma Tau and Delta Chi. The Outstanding Individual Philanthropy Project Award went to the Greek organization of Theta Phi Alpha. The Overall Excellence in Community Service Award went to Delta Chi and Alpha Sigma Alpha. The Overall Excellence in Philanthropy Award went to Alpha Sigma Tau. The Outstanding New Member Education Program Award went to Alpha Sigma Tau and Kappa Delta Row. The Outstanding New Member Award went to Alpha Sigma Tau's Sonia Rosales and Kappa Delta Row's Bryan Monroe. There could be a possibility that a process could be used to shut down computers while in non-use, and start them back up for updates and upon usage. Also, students should expect an upgrade to Windows 7 in the summer of 2010. "The plan was Vista in the summer of 2008," says Hoffman. Due to problems with the operating Ron Hoffman Manager, Computer Center system, he says. a move was made hack to Windows XP. Again, the dictation to switch to the new operating system will likely come from the facul ty at Behrend. which has dra matically different needs than University Park. A project that the Computer Center made outside of faculty instruction was the new "Cyberlounge" in Hammermill. Say calls the cyberlounge a response to student need, rather than a response to staff. "Students wanted a place to relax." he says. "We think that the cyberlounge provides that and also provides a check Facebook, or e-mail." The Computer Center is looking at plans to redo the ground floor of the library to create a cyberlounge type atmosphere. That project will likely heavily involve the staff of the Lilley Library, which Hoffman describes as very enthusiastic to the change. Also on the horizon will be a shift in Reed, where the heavi ly-used kiosks on the bottom floor will be moved up to the second floor balcony outside of Bruno's Cafe. Lauren Brake The Outstanding Fraternity and Sorority Athlete Award went to Karen Hobaugh of Theta Phi Alpha. The Outstanding Brotherhood and Sisterhood Awards went to Kappa Delta Row and Alpha Sigma Alpha, respectively. The Christopher L. Rizzo Friend of Greek Life Award was given to Lindsey Hopkins Hall. The Most Improved Chapter Award was awarded to the Greek organization of Kappa Delta Row. Last, but certainly not least, the Outstanding Greek Man and Woman Awards were presented to Paul Nick of Delta Chi and Lauren Brake of Theta Phi Alpha, respectively. In response to receiving his award, Paul Nick stated his enthusiasm. "It was very excit ing Ito receive the Greek Man of the Year award]. A lot of the time we try to act selfless, and we t►y to make sure our chap ter is doing well for the benefit of all the new guys coming in. It's exciting to get recognized. I put in a lot of hours. This is my second term as President of my chapter. 1 have a lot of ideas for the Second time coming in."