Vol. 26, No. 4 -1 facilitated A c* Stacey Simmers Capital Times Staff Modem technology has arrived at Penn State Harrisburg. T-l video interviewing lets students interview with recruiters at University Park without leaving this campus. "When I try to explain how it works to the students, I ask them if they remember the Jetsons from TV," said Karl Martz, coordinator of career services. The T-l system consists of a video monitor, a camera with a built-in speaker and a microphone. When a student arranges an interview at University Park, he has the option to do it via T-l. It only takes a call to career services to put the plan in action. On the day of the interview, the student goes to W-117 15 minutes before the scheduled time of the interview. During this time, Martz puts the student's image on the screen. "You can see how you'll look on the screen," Martz said, "the way you'll look to the recruiter. I try to offer suggestions to help ease the tension." When it is time for the interview to begin, Theresa Morrison, the secretary in the interview center at University Park enters the room and introduces the recruiter to the-student before leaving. According to Martz, the process is still a one-to-one process. The student is on his own once Martz sets up the screen. The first interview at Penn State Faculty moves toward diversity requirement Karen M. Putt Capital Times Staff After many months of heated debate, only 58 of appoximately 145 eligible [to vote] faculty members of Penn State Harrisburg voted 40 to 18 in favor of implementing a diversity requirement for undergraduates. Some ballots received were considered invalid votes by the Faculty Council because they were not returned in an envelope and some were not signed. The vote on whether or not to implement a diversity requirement came following an Oct. 1 meeting of the faculty organization. Though several faculty disagreed on the issue of how to implement the requirement, Tom Bowers, chair of the Academic Affairs Committee, said the faculty "as a whole seem committed to providing students with a diversified education." According to James Hudson, chair of faculty organization, the Academic Affairs Committee is now responsible for "operationalizing the several pieces of the proposal." Bowers said there are plans to form a subcommittee to address implementing the Cap ital T Pennsylvania State Jim Marshall, a senior finance and accounting major from Oberlin, interviews with a recruiter from General Electric on the T-1 system. The system became available to students for interviews on Oct. 1. Harrisburg was on Oct. 1, between Jim Marshall, a senior finance and accounting major, and the General Electric Corporation. "I was really nervous," Marshall said. "I didn’t know what to expect. I didn't know what they’d think." requirement and how students may satisfy it •£ "We're not esfctetly sure how it will shape up,” Bowel’s said. u We're depending heavily on the'f|culty to bring in new JBeas." ... * The diversity . proposal;- wYfttfen fast February, 9j|Qffgrstudffiss Hhe Through arrival a cofripleting d as enhanced"jplr "culturally and by ccgpp&ting several courses at'-other colleges' or University Park-thaf meet the requirement. Beiders said the first task of the subcommittSfe' will be to review proposals from faculty for new courses and for courses that would be "culturally focused" or "culturally enhanced." By the diversity proposal's definitions, culturally focused courses are those which "devote all class time to cultural diversity material, and culturally enhanced courses arc those which "devote at least 25 percent of class time to cultural diversity material." See Diversity, page 3 iversity at Harrisburg dent interviews Photo by Darrell Peterson According to Martz, recruiters are excited to use the new technology. "One recruiter at the Park wanted to know why some interviewers were getting to use the video system but she wasn't," Martz said. Students seem to have more International Affairs Association members surround one of two newly-planted trees by the bookstore. The club planted the trees on Oct. 12 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Penn State Harrisburg and the 20th anniversary of the association's spring semester Model I inited Nations. The lAA promotes the understanding of international relations at Penn State Harrisburg. mes apprehensions than the interviewers. After the interviewers used it once, they were hooked, Martz said. "The first time students use it they're nervous, but they're fine after the second," he said. PSH is not the only campus to use the T-l. Penn State Behrend, in Erie, has been using the system since 1988. "The students at Behrend have to travel about eight hours to go to the Park and back for a 30-minute interview," Martz said. "It saves students a lot of time and prevents them from missing so many classes." That is part of the reason that Marshall tried the T-l. "I had five interviews at University Park before the one with GE," Marshall said. "I was burned out from going bhck and forth. I remembered Karl talking about the video, so I checked it out.” Marshall recommends the process to other students. "It saves a lot of time and it lets the company know that you're not afraid to use modem technology," Marshall said. There are some problems with the system. It is compressed video, so if the person moves quickly there is a motion trail. According to Martz, "If you sit still, the image on the screen is very clear. But if you talk with your hands, there is some distortion on the screen." November 4, 1991 SeeT-i,page2
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