Jack Frost harasses heatless Heights
Kate Sherman
Capital Times Staff
At least six houses in the 900 section
of Meade Heights have been without heat
in the largest bedroom since the fall '92
semester, said Jo Ann Coleman, manager
of housing and food services.
Though winter is still upon us,
housing services has not yet found a
permanent solution to the problem.
Coleman said she is not even sure what is
causing the problem.
"The piping is underneath the slabs the
houses are built on, so, I don't think it's
something we can fix right away,"
Coleman said. "We have called a plumber
in."
According to maintenance worker Jim
Matinchek, the plumber found no
problems with the pipes or heaters.
Coleman said that housing services is
considering installing baseboard heating
systems in the homes, but it doesn't look
like a decision will be made soon.
In the meantime. housing has provided
Library plans approved; wait continues
Susan Jones-Yurkiewicz
Capital times Staff
Penn State Harrisburg's long awaited
library has finally mhde it on the list of
capital projects the state plans to build,
but when there will be money for the
project remains uncertain.
The library plan survived Gov. Robert
P. Casey's vetoes of over $BOO million in
other higher education projects, said Sue
Grimm, spokesperson, for the governor's
budget office.
More than half of Penn State's building
projects for other campuses were cut, Penn
State Provost Ruth Leventhal said.
The $17.33 million project, needed
since 1973, was approved by the governor
on Dec. 29.
His approval is just the first step in
what may turn out to be a lengthy road to
bedroom space heaters for students who
reported the heating problem. Coleman
also suggested that students leave their
bedroom doors open to allow heat to drift
in from , other rooms and that they close
their storm windows.
Coleman would not release the exact
house numbers or names of the students
affected. However, a few came forward to
share their comments on the matter.
Frank Heimbach, a senior business
major, said he has had a heat problem
since November. No air blew from the
vents in his room and cold air came from
the vents in his roommate's bedroom, he
said.
"As long as they provide heaters for us,
I don't think it's that bad," Heimbach
added.
Heimbach's neighbor, Cheri e
Pucciarella, a junior secondary education
major, is not taking it so well.
"The first two nights I was here, I
froze," Pucciarella said. "Why the hell
see COLD, page 2
completion. The next step is releasing the
funds to finance the work. This could take
place in the next 10 years or longer, said
Leventhal.
,Funds approved in 1971 for a building
on the Altoona campus were recently
released, said Dave Schuckers, Penn State
government relations specialist at
University Park.
"It may or may not be this governor
who releases the funds," Schuckers said.
The release should take less than 10
years if Rep. Frank Tulli Jr.'s efforts
succeed.
Tulli is one of several legislators who
worked to get the project approved
initially and is continuing to work on the
fund release.
See LIBRARY, page 7
Humanities renovation creates
hassles for staff and students
Ed Paukstis
Capital Times Staff
In recent weeks, Humanities Division
Head William Mahar has been doing
business from a secretary's desk or any
place he can find an available phone and
computer.
Mahar has been a floating administrator
since the beginning of December when the
humanities division launched a thorough
renovation of its offfice suite, W-360.
The renovation increases the number of
offices in the division from 18 to 20,
permitting part-time faculty, who were in
the photo lab, to be accomodated in the
suite.
"At this time there is no more space
available to accomodate any new faculty
members," Mahar said. "We have reached
the limit of what we can do with space in
W-360."
The renovation will also improve
security.
"We've had some instances in the past
where various items were reported
missing, so this project will attempt to
resolve any additional problems with
security," said Simon Bronner, coordinator
of American studies.
The renovation which is being done by
the university's maintenance staff working
both day and night shifts, began when the
division was granted $4,000 from Penn
State central administrative funding to take
care of the construction, painting, and the
relocation of phone lines, Mahar said.
The renovation has created an awkward
environment for some staff members. At
least 10 humanities division faculty had
their offices moved or reconstructed.
Vol. 29, No. 1 February 1, 1993
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: [W'
Michele Loeper urges President Clinton
get a backbone in "Loeper's Bomb Shell" 5
The new Jesus Jones album gets a
perverse rating from "The Dickster"
Rising star Don Reed opens Cabaret '93 6
The PSH baseball team gets on deck for the
spring season with a new club 7
PSH does lunch with Malaysia 7
"It has been extremely hard to work in
these conditions," said Louise Hoffman,
coordinator of the graduate program in
humanities and associate professor of
humanities and history. " I didn't feel like
coming to the office (because) I was
inaccessible to students."
Mahar said the funds had to be allocated
for this fiscal year--July 1,1992 to June
30, 1993.
Mahar said that the division would like
to have spared the faculty all of the
inconveniences but realized that many staff
members would not be present during the
summer months.
"We wanted the faculty to be able to
supervise the movement of their offices so
that they could voice their opinions and
collect personal items that could be lost
during the construction," Mahar said.
The division was forced to start the
project during the Christmas break because
of the maintenance administration's busy
schedule.
"We hoped to have the project
completed before classes resumed, but it
proved to be a bit more involving than we
had anticipated," Mahar said.
In the new layout, people will enter the
suite through one door, instead of of two
as in the past. Secretaries' desks have been
consolidated in the center of the suite,
Mahar said. The layout will resemble
those in the business and public affairs
divisions.
The renovation will also free the photo
lab for photography courses, its intended
purpose. Mahar said.
The renovation's scheduled completion
date was Jan. 29, Mahar said.