'Capital Times Vol. 22, No. 6 The Writing Lab Due For Expansion in Spring By Kathleen Riley-King Soon the walls of The Writing Lab will burst! Literally. According to Joanne Smith, director, The Writing Lab, the provost recently approved plans to enlarge The Lab. To do so, one of the walls will be taken out, Smith says. When Smith started The Lab in 1981, she was given W-162, a faculty office, to work from. The office had an inner hallway and an outer hallway. "We had so many students the first semester . . . I had them lined up ... in the inner hallway, and I had them lined up in the outer hallway trying to get into The Writing Lab," she says. When some faculty members disapproved of having the students in the faculty suite, a new room, W-242, was made by combining a storeroom and a closet, and The Lab was moved there. Instantly, The Lab filled again, says Smith. By September 1986, she and Ronda Graby, a student worker in The Lab, were overwhelmed with work-- and they had no help. "We were disappointed because we had to turn students away," says Graby. Buckle Up! By Rhonda Peterman The car is packed and you are ready to drive home for Christmas vacation. Don't drive away before you reach, pull and click. Buckle-up-it's the law. On November 23, Senate Bill 637 became a law. Governor Casey signed the mandatory safety belt bill, which requires all front seat passengers to wear a safety belt. "Nearly 2,000 people died in accidents on Pennsylvania roads last year," said Casey. "If the seat belt law saves a single life, then it will be a success. But we know that the law's Werry 'Pli But last January Smith was able to employ two tutors, and this October she got emergency funding, which enabled her to employ more tutors. Currently, there are seven tutors working in The Lab--Janice Barnes, Sunshine Brown, Philip Clark, Joan Klein, Kendall Marcocci, Barbara Myers, Seat Belt Law Aimed to benefits will be broader than that." The law went into effect on November 23, however, motorists have a 120 day grace period. State and local police officers will issue verbal warnings during the grace period. In March a $lO fine will be imposed 'on all violators who have been stopped and convicted for some other vehicular offense. A driver cannot be stopped for pot wearing a seat belt. The driver is responsible for adjusting and securing the safety belt of front seat passengers under the age of 18. The law also requires all adults to make sure children under 4 years are buckled Penn State University at Harrisburg ristrnas and Kate Philbin In addition to the tutors, Smith obtained two more student workers--Lisa Ridley and Felicia Loreto. With more workers, Smith's team is now able to help an even greater number of students who want to im prove their writing skills. into approved child safety seats. Previously, only parents or legal guardians were covered by the legislation. The legislation, which was passed by 73 percent of the House and 81 percent of the Senate, approved exemptions to the law. The law does not apply to a driver or front seat passenger of any vehicle manufactured before July 1, 1966. A driver or front seat occupant can receive a medical exemption from a physician. A driver who makes frequent stops and is traveling less than 15 miles per hour for the purpose of deliveries is exempt from "This year, we want the students to know that The Lab is very accessible . . ." says Graby. "We want people not to feel hesitation [about] coming to The Writing Lab." About The Lab, Smith says, "It just grows by leaps and bounds. It's just been unbelievable." In a one-month period this fall, Smith says, The Lab had 192 students with regular appointments. This figure does not include those students who went to The Lab without appointments or who had one-time appointments. With so many students coming and going from W-242, Smith says that The Lab gets "chaotic at times." She even jokingly refers to it as "The Zoo." Smith is grateful for the ex pansion right now, since she has been trying to get approval for expansion for a year-and-half, but since The Lab is growing so rapidly, Smith says that even with the expansion, The Lab is "still not going to be big enough." She also says that she needs to double the number of tutors. Smith says that she hopes the expansion will begin by the middle of spring semester. Save Lives the law "This important legislation will bring with it a reduction of injuries and fatalities," said Dr. Howard Huges, Keystone Safety Belt Network chairman. "With the passage of this law and 70 percent or higher compliance rate by Pennsylvania drivers, we could save an average of one life per day." Buckle-up Penn State. Making it home alive for Christmas is the most precious gift you can give. Dec. 9, 1987
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