Pennsylvania State - University at Capitol Campus
CO ° ECM ire al ir
Volume 15, No. 2
It's News To Many
New News Is Good News
By Kathy Kern
Newcomers to Capitol Campus will
not notice the difference, but returning
students and faculty will no doubt take
notice to a revamped snack bar/lounge
area in the Main Building.
Also renovated during the summer
was the Office of Business Services,
which is now equipped with self-service
mailboxes for campus departments. The
Finance Office was also worked on,
receiving a flow-through counter ser
vice.
Joe Kemp, manager of the Capitol
Campus Physical Plant's Maintenance
and Operations, said that the idea to
have all the renovations in the Main
Building done by the time fall term
began "has been the goal of everything,"
and credited his work force of approxi
mately 40 people as being instrumental
in getting things done.
Explaining that "any work takes
money," Kemp added that the project
funds for the renovation funds were
given by the Student Government As
sociation, along with aid from University
Park. One example of funds allocated
was the $140,000 given for work on the
Main Building's snack bar/lounge area.
Kemp also noted that allocated funds for
maintenance were specifically for the
maintenance budget.
As for the work done on the Finance
Office, Kemp commented that "renova
tion and costs were minimal and done by
my own people," adding that only the
carper.try work was contracted..
Other changes in the Main Building
include sound and lighting improve
ments in the Auditorium. This is part of
phase one of the Auditorium's renova
tions which incl des blackout shades
He Teaches Good
MAHAR-VELOUS!
Dr. William J. Mahar, assistant pro
fessor of humanities and music at Capitol
Campus, is the recipient of the 10th
Annual James A. Jordan Jr. Memorial
Award for Teaching Excellence.
"All the news that fits we print"
new drapes on the windows, and in
creased artificial illumination.
The Psycho-Social Lab has been
remodeled with carpeted seminar rooms,
draped windows, and new furniture
aimed at providing a more relaxed
classroom atmosphere. Two-way mirrors
were also installed to allow monitors to
observe classroom activities.
Also, the corridor walls, doors, and
door trim of the Main Building's second
floor received a new coat of paint.
Because given prices were good, Kemp
noted, the painting was contracted.
The campus area itself was not
without changes either, as a 900 ft. long
by 4 ft. high chain-link fence was erected
along the east front of the campus
grounds. Eliminated were piles of rubble
and fence row growth. Overall landscape
beautification was also done.
But the bulk of the summer's renova
tion workload was the remodeling of the
snack bar/lounge area, which includes
the addition of carpet, wall covering,
booths, and new floor tile and furniture.
The area also sports a new ceiling and an
improved lighting system. Four large
planters with live plants decorate the
floor area.
A new system of food distribution
will also be introduced to the students.
Kemp said the new system will make it
so that the patrons "will not have to
stand in one line to get everything."
The new snack bar/lounge area was
designed by the Physical Plant Office at
University Park and Ken Witmer of
Capitol's Physical Plant, who designed
the snack bar section.
Dr. Mahar was selected by a com
mittee composed of students from each
academic program. The Student
Government Association conferred the
award during last spring's commence
ment ceremony.
Dr. Mahar received his A.B. in
philosophy from St. Bernard's Seminary
in 1960, and an M.A. in music history and
musicology (1966) and Ph. D. in human
ities (1972) from Syracuse University.
He has been teaching at Capitol Campus
for nine years and lives in Mechanics
burg.
"I think one of the principal tasks of
teaching is to get students to participate
in the learning process," Dr. Mahar says.
"We should be teaching our students to
learn how to learn, not just memorize
facts."
One of his students describes him
thus: "There are very few teachers in
the world today that combine an em
phasis on facts and impart enthusiasm
for the subject to the learner. Dr. Mahar
makes learning the rewarding and en
joyable experience that it should be."
The award is given in memory of
James A. Jordan, Jr., a faculty member
at Capitol Campus who died in a boating
accident in 1971.
The maintenance manager said that
everyone on his work force "had a role in
the Main Building's renovations,
including the custodians."
Future plans for remodeling at Cap
itol include more beautification projects
and a new darkroom, but plans have yet
to be approved by the campus for that.
And will those brightly colored bar
racks-type structures near C.R.A.G.S.
Building ever be painted one subtle,
matching color? "I hope so," said Kemp,
adding, however, that it would be hard
for him to "justify painting them just to
change their color." But as money for
landscape projects becomes available,
anything is possible.
As to how the faculty and students
might respond to the remodeling done in
the Main Building, Kemp feels that the
work will be well received and maybe
everyone will be a little surprised.
A little surprised? Maybe even
amazed!
If you think you're good enough to write for us, stop in our office anytime next
week and fill out an application.
Did you take the Pepsi Challenge last Saturday? If not, you can read about it
n pages 6 and 7. READER Photo by Steve Myers
Photo Club
1 October 1981
MORE NEW NEWS
--Heindel Library is now approxi
mately 99% complete. Renovations in
clude the removal of corridor walls,
carpeting, and reorganization of the
book shelves. The work will be com
pleted before the end of fall term.
--The Bookstore and the stairwells,
hallways, and outside windows of Wris
berg and Church Halls have all been
painted. In addition, carpeting was in
stalled in the first floor lounge of Church
Hall.
--The convenience "store" in the
Student Center opened on September
28. The old snack bar was removed this
summer to make room for the "store." It
will be equipped with several self-serve
units and staffed by students and Food
Service workers to sell six-packs of soda,
ice cream, chips, candy, pizza, and
hoagies.
--The light for the campus entrance
sign was replaced and the face of the
aluminum letters has been refinished to
provide visibility.