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Tough Job But Somebody Has To Do It
By Denise Reinas
Resident Assistants have a job
which is more difficult than
many people know. Aside from
being on duty in the residence
halls and Mead Heights, and also
enforcing rules and regulations,
RAs must endure a very hectic
and difficult two weeks of train
ing before the school year even
begins.
Resident Assistants perform
five major roles. They are the
source of information for
students; they answer questions
such as where to go and who to
see about different problems.
They plan educational programs;
each must plan two programs per
semester which pertain to things
that the students are interested in
“Harv” slaving over a hot grill in the Lion’s Den
Times
EDITOR: Jan Travers
Tom Boyle Julie Larson
Ray Burkett Jean Mettz
Mike Camitli Sharon Olmstead
Thalia Cook Alan Pincus
Luke Hess Denise Reinas
Vicki Koon Bob TRs
ADVERTISING MANAGER: CARTOONIST:
Kris Hansen j oe Kupec
BUSINESS MANAGER:
Diane Fitzgerald PHOTOGRAPHERS:
Todd Hammaker
ADVISOR: Sylvia Johnson
Joanne Smith
Printed at the Press and Journal, Middletown.
The Capital Times is published by the students of Penn State at Harrisburg.
Concerns about content of any issue should be directed to the editor in Room
212, Olmsted Building. Any opinion expressed are those of the author and are
not representative of the college administration, faculty or student body.
The Capital Times does not endorse its advertisers.
The Capital Times welcomes signed letters from readers. Unsigned letters
cannot be printed; however a writer’s name can be withheld upon request
such as breast cancer, Three Mile
Island, career services, time
management, etc. They handle
emergencies such as first aid,
C.P.R., and fire safety. They en
force rules and policies such as
quiet hours, drinkinbg alcohol,
parties, etc. And lastly, they per
form the duties of a counselor;
they have skills in interpersonal
communications, basic counsel
ing and crisis intervention.
Two weeks before school
begins, RAs must attend a
leadership training program
which lasts three days and takes
place at a camp off-campus.
Then they attend a residence liv
ing programs with RAs from
other branch campuses of Penn
State. This also lasts three days
and its purpose is to find out
what it is like being an RA on
Capital Times
other campuses, within the next
week, RAs must meet with the
different departments on cam
pus, such as campus police, the
housing and food services, the
counseling center, health ser
vices, career services, arid finan
cial aid. The purpose of these
meetings is to learn how to work
along with the different depart
ments.
RAs also attend a session on
policies, ■ rules and procedures
where they learn how to
discipline people who break the
rules. They also meet with Dave
Doaty, who informs them of
how to take care of and help the
students with special needs.
Besides the two weeks of train
ing, RAs must be on duty for
two nights weekly and every
third weekend in the residence
Behind The Scenes:
By Sharon Olmstead
Mary Alice Pittman, better
known as “Harv” at Capital
College, believes in having fun
while she works. She jokes and
laughs as she talks. “If my hus
band reads this, I want a new red
convertible for
Christmas,” she says.
klarv is the petite daytime grill
cook'in the Lion’s Den at Capital
College. She says her husband,
who is an electrician, is “laid
back” in contrast to her.
“I get excited,” she says. “I
want something finished right
away. I want to know Penn State
won before the game,” she adds.
“I hate to wait!”
She is a busy, active person,
she says, playing racquetball on
campus and hiking, cross
country skiing, and tent camping
with her family.
On weekends and week nights
she judges United States Gym
nastics Federation (USGA) and
high school class three and four
gymnastics. She doesn’t have
much extra time, but she hurries
home to watch a favorite TV
program, “St. Elsewhere.”
Harv worked two years as a
nurse after graduating from nur
sing school in Pottsville, but
DISABILITY SUPPORT GROUP FORMING
Several students have express
ed an interest in establishing a
new support group at PSU, Har
risburg. We would be very in
terested in establishing a group
of students, faculty and staff
from the campus who may have
concerns or special needs concer
ning their disabilities or
disabilities of family or friends.
This support group would gather
either on a personal basis or
perhaps converse by telephone in
the event schedules do not
match. Although you personal
ly may not need additional ser
vices or need support, you
halls and Meade Heights. There
is one RA living on each floor in
the dorms and one on each street
in the Heights. Even when they
are not on duty, if something
goes wrong or rules are being
broken, they still must be there
to react and take care of the
situation.
Also, throughout the year
there are weekly staff meetings
and every two weeks there are in
service training sessions wfyich
cover topics such as substance
abuse, suicide, depression, death
and dying, time management, In order to be a Resident
and whatever else the RAs want Assistant, a cumulative average
to learn. of 2.0 is necessary. Also,
In February there will be qualities such as leadership,
advertisements posted for those maturity, responsibility, and
who would like to become RAs. commitment must be present.
An application must be submit- There will be thirteen applicants
ted along with three letters of selected to be RAs.
MARY ALICE ‘ ‘HARV’ ’PITTMAN
didn’t like it, she says. “It was
my mother’s dream,” she says in
a serious moment.
Choices for women were more
limited then, and you did what
was expected of you, she says.
“It was later on that I got
rebellious.”
She should have become a
physical education teacher, she
says because she’s an outdoors
person who is always active.
“I could never have a job sit
ting. I’ve got to move!” She says
she is happiest in sneakers,
sweatshirt and jeans.
At home, Harve likes making
family meals special with
gourmet food and pretty dishes.
They usually have candlelight,
expecially in winter, and white
wine with dinner-her favorite is
Blue Nun.
Fifteen years ago Harv moved
to Middletown with her husband
and two daughters, now ages 15
and 17, from Mahonoy City,
PA. “It’s coal country between
Hazelton and Pottsville,” she
replied. Harv is a nickname after
her maiden name, Harviletz.
Harv says she has many
friends, but doesn’t have any
“close” friends. “People here
regulations.
perhaps could be an individual to We are very interested in get
help others find ways to make ting this group organized. If
their lives easier, anyone is interested in becoming
If you do have a disability and associated with such a group,
you have learned to cope with it please contact Dave Doaty,
and have overcome obstacles, Room 200, Olmsted Building,
certainly you could be a strength 948 1 6 017.
I for the group. If you have a We perceive this group doing
disability and have some pro- a number of things. This can in
blems, the group could help you dude guest speakers from the
learn to cope with situations and state, University Park, or a
to overcome the barriers you multitude of other areas. The
may encounter. The group also group really would go in the
could work as a unit to make any direction that it would determine
needed changes not only within to be the most useful and most
the university but also perhaps productive. The group can only
with some of the state be as successful as you make it.
Oct. 29,1986
reference. In March, George
lYoung, coordinator of residence
life and Leslie Eames, assistant
coordinator, conduct interviews
with the applicants. There will be
a group interview which consist
of general questions, a group
project to see how well the ap
plicants perform in a group, and
role playing to see how the ap
plicants act in certain situations.
Then individual interviews are be
conducted. These interviews are
in deeper detail than the group
interviews.
are friendly, but they keep to
themselves,” she explained. Peo
ple in Mahonoy City, where her
parents and younger sister still
live, are easier to get to know, ac
cording to Harv. Her older
brother lives in Harrisburg where
he is manager of the City
Market.
Harv has experience as a
waitress, and had become
manager of a pizza parlor. But
after the TMI accident, she quit
the job to be home with her
daughters more. The accident
really upset her then, and it still
does.
She memorizes faces of people
with standard orders using
association, she says. “Oh,
you’re a grilled ham and
cheese,” she says, “but I don’t
know their name.”
She and the other two women
on the daty shift name sandwiches
and dinners after people for fun.
There’s the Mike Behney sand
wich, a lunch special of whole
wheat toast, fried egg, bacon,
cheese, lettuce, and tomato.
Humanities Chairman William
Mahar has a sandwich named
(continued on pg. 6)