Capital Exchange
Held to Help Student
by Michelle Sutton
Graduation; will that day ever
get here? For some it is only a few
months ahead, for others a few years, but
it will be here.
Once graduation ceremonies are
over, it is time tc hit the pavement, job
hunting.
Whether it is engineering or
humanities, public policy or business,
the one question that everyone ponders is
-- What does it take to succeed?
This question was answered at
the "Capital Exchange" program held on
February 11 in the Gallery Lounge from
3 pm to 5 pm by the Pennsylvania State
Harrisburg Alumni Association.
The program opened with a
panel consisting of six alumni. They
were Yvonne Harhigh, 1983; Michele D.
Madonna, 1985; Richard L. Zelko,
1974; Richard Laychock, 1976 and
1979; and Janice Archibald, 1974 and
1985.
The purpose of the panel
discussion was to give prospective
graduates and undergraduates advice
concerning the "real world" job
situations and the obstacles they may
have encountered.
Madonna, now employed at
Agnew and Corrigan Advertising as an
account executive, said the most
challenging hurdle she faced was the old
"chicken or the egg" problem. How do
you get experience, until you have a job
to gain experience, she asked?
She slipped into a marketing
department job and eventually worked
her way to her current position.
Her advice to students looking
for a future in the advertising profession
is not to go the traditional
communication route into journalism
and then try for advertising. "Their
perception is that it is of no help," said
Madonna.
Advice was also given at the
Nationally Known Artist Visits
by Laura Karinch
Nationally known artist Richard
Mayhew visited the Gallery Lounge on
Monday, February 15, to speak with
students about his work on display there
as part of Black History Month. His
exhibit, entitled "Landscapes of Space
and Time," will be on display through
February 26.
Mayhew is a professor of art at
University Park, .where he has taught
painting for ten years. He is represented
by Midtown Galleries in New York, and
a review of his exhibit there can be
found in the February 1988 issue of Art
in America.
Mayhew has always
concentrated on painting landscapes, and
has traveled across the country several
Exchange for Engineers. According to
Richard Laychock, database manager at
Inergy Service Corporation, only
a small portion of engineers actually do
design work; most move to
administration or computer work. His
advice was "to keep your mind open and
be flexible."
Yvonne Harhigh, associate
director of publications for the Office of
the Chancellor of the State System for
Higher Education, offered advice for
Humanities majors. The first is to
always keep working on your writing
skills. "Keep them fine turned," said
Yvonne. "Secondly, get loads of
experience in all fields of media. It all
becomes important when you want to
move up."
The topic arose of being active
in campus activities and their
importance. The panel agreed
unanimously that campus organizations
were part of the education process.
Chris Barrett, the master of
ceremonies for "Capital Exchange," said,
"Ninety percent of a job is your ability
to communicate with others, whether it
be oral or written." He added, "Where
else can you be active and flop?"
Richard L. Zelko, Assistant
Director of Residences and Programs at
Wiley House, said when it came down to
himself and another job applicant, who
both had the same Social Science degree
and G.P.A., he got the job because of
his activity on campus.
When asked whether this kind
of information sharing would be done
again, Nancy Coyne, 1977 graduate and
President of the Alumni Association,
said it would depend on the feelings of
the Association because of the low
turnout of only three students.
The closing statement of the
panel was to be confident with the skills
you received at Harrisburg when you go
out into the world of business.
times to "soak up" the Ameriean
landscape. During these trips he does no
sketches and takes no photographs,
preferring to "re-experience the senses on
canvas" as opposed to painting straight
from memory.
Calling himself an American
Impressionist, Mayhew considers
painting a "constantly challenging
adventure" in which his senses create
mood landscapes through color and
shape.
Speaking on the diversity of the
society in which we live, Mayhew
believes Americans should become a part
of each other's culture and take advantage
of the great diversity that exists.
Regional Job Fair
Gives Seniors Opportunities
By Kimberly Anastas
For some Penn State Harrisburg job-hunters, February 18 was an
exciting glimpse at the real world: for others it was a cattle call.
In the north annex of the State Farm Show Complex students in blue
and gray business suits lined up at employers' booths and in another area of
the complex draft horses and mules crowded the auction block.
One Capital College student questioned whether the events were
separate.
"It smells like cattle and we feel like cattle, the way we're getting
herded around," said Jim Beyer, a senior electrical engineering technology
major.
Some students who ignored their senses of smell, found the first
annual job fair sponsored by Central Pennsylvania Employment Consortium
(CPEC) very opportunistic.
"I think this [the job fair] is a great opportunity. It's my first chance
to interview and I'm a nervous wreck," said Ronda Graby, a
humanities/communication major.
Joseph Reiner, a senior information systems major thought the job
fair was a good idea. He said he wanted to know which jobs are available and
what the companies are like.
Jo Hull, a senior behavioral science major said the job fair was a
good chance for her to get some of her resumes out to companies in which she
is interested.
Other students found the job fair to be less than they expected.
"The drawback is that so many students are here and they [the,
prospective employers] can only spend a few minutes with each person," said
Hoa Q. Nguygnkhoa, a senior information systems major.
Mark Coldren, a senior electrical engineering technology major, said,
"It's nice to get to see all the companies but for my job interest, which isM
power, hiring is on a freeze."
Although discouraging, learning about a hiring freeze is a welcome
to the reality of the job world.
• Mort•thati 100 employers interviewed approximately 1000 seniors,
graduate students and alumni from. 11 Pennsylvania schools, said Maria
Lavorgna-Smith, career services specialist in the Capital College career
services office. Lavorgna-Smith said about 300 Penn State Harrisburg
students attended the job f*.
Lavorgna-Smith said the purpose of the consortium is to bring
employers and job-hunting students together "all in one place at one time."
Participating firm.spaid up -to $l2O for space and the colleges each
contributed $3OO seed money, Lavorgna-Smith said.
Each job-hunter received a catalogue containing addresses and
information on all the participating firms. The catalogue also outlined
interview tips for the students, such as how to dress, how to be prepared and
how to communicate well.
Job-hunters also received
Studying Abroad
By Andrea Willard
Driving up the rocky coastline
of Northern England to Edinburgh
Universtiy, the 15 American students
marveled at the breathtaking scenery.
"The water was so blue, the sky
was filled with clouds, and everything
was so green," said Mary Laycock, a
graduate student and instructor in
education at Capital College.
"We got to a point where we
would just look at each other and laugh
because someone was always saying, '
It's so green, it's just so green', " she
said.
Laycock and her companions
were studying the British educational
system through the Pennsylvania State
University's Education Abroad Program.
Traveling throughout England, they
visited every type of school from infant
(pre-kindergarten), to Oxford and
Cambridge University.
"I guess the greatest value of
studying the British educational system
was comparing and contrasting our two
systems. Then realizing that children are
Capital Times, February 24, 1988, Page 3
complimentary pens and frisbees
Can be Rewarding
the same throughout the woild and that
teachers have the same kinds of
problems, and rejoice over their student's
achievements in the same way," Laycock
said.
Students who have studied
abroad agree that experiencing a different
culture—studying in a different
educational system, living in a foreign
country and meeting the people-- is an
educational adventure never to be
forgotten.
Joan Swetz, coordinator of
Capital College's study abroad program,
is currently offering undergraduate and
graduate students just such an
opportunity. Applications are now
being accepted for admission into
educational programs in various
countries for the Spring 1989 semester.
For example, business students
may want to enroll in a 15 credit
program in International Business
See STUDY ABROAD, page 9