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Up Close:
Union President
By Sharon Olmstead
"By March I'll be dead,
but I hope everyone will say *We
had a nice time,"' says Carena
Mcllwain, the petite, vivacious
president of the Black Student
Union.
Mcllwain and the 25
Black students in the BSU have
worked hard to make Black
History Month in February a
huge success this year. "They
like to see progress, and they're
motivated to work for the
organization," she says.
"This year the group
decided what they wanted to do,"
she says. Last year the focus
was on education, but there was
a lack of enthusiasm, she says.
This year the members decided
for themselves what they wanted
as a theme for Black History
Month-Blacks in entertainment.
Mcllwain says they are really
excited about that decision. "I
think we can educate the public
and have fun too," she says.
Nikki Giovanni, the
famous Black writer and poei
will highlight the month's
activities. She lectured in the
CUB on February 24.
Other BSU events for
February were a Valentine's
dance, an art exhibit by PSU
student Lee Coffer, a jazz
concert, a lecture by
Westinghouse Corporation
executive William Hart, a United
States Air Force Stage Band
concert on February 25, and a
gospel music concert by The
Scott White Singers from
Harrisburg on February. All
events were open to everyone.
I'd be in a real mess if it
weren’t for Janet Widoff," she
says. Widoff, the student
activities coordinator has been a
tremendous help, according to
Mcllwain.
Widoff says, "Carena
really goes that extra mile. She
has energy, enthusiasm--
exhaustion! "The three E’s,” she
says. "She's fun to work with."
Besides being president
of BSU, Mcllwain is carrying 18
credits to graduate in May with a
Black
degree in public policy with a
concentration in law and justice.
She also has two part
time jobs. During the week, she
works 16 hours in the library in
the periodical division, and on
weekends she works in a beauty
salon in Philadelphia where her
boyfriend and her mother live.
"My dream was to be a
supreme court judge," says
Mcllwain. She will attend
Duke, Wake Forest, or
University of North .Carolina at
Chapel Hill, she says. "With an
MBA and a JD in corporate law,
J expect to advance pretty
quickly," she says.
She says she moved to
Philadelphia from Charlotte,
N.C., with her mother and two
sisters when she was in high
school. Her mother felt that her
daughters would have better
opportunities for college by
moving to Pennsylvania.
"Education is very important to
her," Mcllwain says.
During the week, her
mother works as an executive
secretary to the president of
Conßail, and on weekends, she
works as a radiology technician,
according to Mcllwain. "She
works seven days a week," she
added.
Mcllwain's older sister,
who attends LaSalle, is going to
be a surgeon, she says. "My
younger sister goes to (PSU)
main campus and has 2,000
friends," she laughs. "She's
going to be a computer analyst"
"My mother told us we
could do whatever we wanted
with our lives-after we get our
college education. We could be a
bum, but have your college
education, she said," remembers
Mcllwain. "I think it's really her
motivation to give us an
opportunity to achieve,” says
Mcllwain.
Mcllwain’s father and
brother live in North Carolina.
Mcllwain is excited to
go to school in the South where
people are friendlier. "It was a
rude shock to come to
Philadelphia," she says. One of
the reasons she likes Capital
Capital Times
Student
College so much is that it is
more personal, with one on one
relationships with professors.
In the South everyone
is "really tight," she says. "In
order to get that warmth that you
experience from people down
South, you have to be in a close
knit community in the North.
"I have to go back
home,” she explains. She wants
to get married after finishing law
school and is established in her
career. Then, she wants to have
a "trainload-full of kids," she
says. "I'm a true Southerner to
my heart,"
Mcllwain talks about
her favorite Black hero, Rosie
Wallace Brown, pastor of her
church in Philadelphia. She says
Brown has made gospel music
albums that have become gold
records. "She's great. She
expresses so much love to
anybody she talks to," she says.
Brown doesn't mind hugging
anyone, no matter how poor or
dirty they are. Mcllwain says she
(Brown) says she can always
wash her clothes and take a bath.
"She never turns anyone away. I
want to pattern my life after her.
She's my hero," says Mcllwain.
Mcllwain describes
herself. She talks about all the
silly stages teens go through. "I
skipped 'em. I’ve always been
very determined. I hate
depending on people," she says.
”1 like doing everything myself."
"In order to get
anything, I had to get a job. I’ve
always been working at least one
job ever since I was 16. During
the summer-two jobs.
"That’s one thing my
mother really instilled in us-be
independent! she says. You can
only depend on yourself-and
God, of course," she adds, "but
don’t depend on any man to do
anything for you."
Mcllwain admits that
she usually takes on a little more
than she should, especially with
the BSU, which demands at least
three meetings a week.
"It's a headache at
times,” she says. "It's stressful!”
She took a community
psychology class last semester,
and the instructor asked "What is
stress?"
"I was 1ike...1 know! I
know!." Mcllwain remembers, as
she holds up her hand and waves
it. "It's (stress) a very
important part of my life, but
I'm managing," she says calmly.
"It makes it a lot easier
when you enjoy what you're
doing. But I enjoy working with
the BSU, so that makes it easy.
And I love money...so that
makes my jobs easy," she says.
Dating Game Gets
Good Turnout
"Describe your body in four
words or less." Marty Shevlin
"The Dating Game," answered, "Well oiled sex
which was held in the CUB machine.
building on Valentine’s Day, was Th ® happily coupled
definitely a success Aooroxi- winners of the S ames were
oetmitety a success. Approxi Flo e Tranguch and Jeff
mately s,xty-five eager s udents Tondt Jennifer S Masevick and
showed up to join in the fun. . Koehler Pattv Abramcheck
The night began with Udo Koehlo-, Patty Abramcheck
resident assistant, Greg Rzeplin- f d Shevhn : * nd was
Jennette Moss and Dan Moore,
ski, opening up the show by Each COUDIe won certificates for
introducing the contestants. Four ““ co “ ple won ce ™ ticates tor
. dinner at various restaurants in
consecutive games were played. .
Each consisted of one female, me area ‘ ,
who asked the questions, and . ~ Of™ .door preres were
three males, who answered the •“f “ e ! r « hl ‘ ndmd,lals **
. audience. The game was a suc
-1 orvi . cess and everyone had fun, and
An example of one of Valentine’s Dav few of
the more humorous questions ° n . !, s vaien . s ~r y ' rew 01
was asked by Patty Abramcheck: Cu P ld s arrows missed -
By Denise Reims
Times
Editor-in-Chief
Managing Editor
Photography Editor,
Graphic Artist
Advertising Mgr
The Capital Times is published by the students of Penn State at Hanisburg.
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
Photo By Sylvia Johnson
Contributor. Gene Albano
Advisor: Joanne Smith
Printed nt the Press and Journal , Middletown.
Feb. 25,1987
..Jan Travers
.Vicki Koon
.Sylvia Johnson
.Joe Kupec
Kris Hansen