6 - Thursday, January 22, 1998
As the seasons change, so does
The Capital Times
Ahh...the changes of spring. The fresh air, the flowers and the world
returning to the color green. The beauty of mother earth awakening from
her slumber.
Alright, so maybe it is a little early to get out the shorts. There has not
even been a significant snowfall yet. But, it is the spring semester and
things are changing at The Capital Times office. Despite delusions of
grandeur, no one is taking a deep breath of the W 341 air.
To continue the metaphor, last semester's paper was deep into autumn.
There was little interest in contributing to what was an open page to write
on. The chill of apathy was in the air.
Previous editor and current consultant Jeff Warren struggled in vain to
break the proverbial ice. That same barrier seemed to keep people from
the Cap Times door. The struggle to recruit writers, along with his full
time job, made it difficult to consistently produce a quality paper.
Along came the non-issue, what could have been the winter of the pa
per. Suddenly, a response arose from the school. People appeared who
were willing to help put the Cap Times back on its feet.
With some late work and contributions from more students, along with
Warren's generous assistance, one last fall issue was released. Could it
be the glimmer of spring?
Now, the Cap Times will take spring to summer. Some of the staff who
intend to do this can be seen in this issue. Some will appear in upcoming
issues. You have an open invitation to meet them all.
Warren will continue to assist the new editors, Matthew Bowman and
yours truly. Providing a little consistency to the mix is Christine Downs
who will continue as the business manager.
Providing a breath of fresh air in W 341 is Dani Church, our entertain
ment editor. She had previously edited the student paper at the York
Campus
Also returning from last fall is writer Rick Deitz. Many remember the
work he did on parking fees and their appropriation. The other writers
you will see on the pages of this and upcoming issues of the Cap Times.
They are Makito Yurita, Suzanne Rossi, Beverly Johnson, Devin Graham
and Jackie Moyer.
Behind the scenes, the supporting staff keeps us afloat. Working the
advertising beat is Dave Buono, and the person who laid out the pages
you are looking at was Lauren Capitani.
Bolstered by this new (and larger) staff, the paper will head for sum
mer. But this will happen only with continued student support. The
Cap Times is always looking for contributors of any sort.
Can't wait to get to the beach.
The new Capital Times e-mail address is
captimes@psu.edu
-Do you enjoy sports?
-Do you currently participate in any
atheletics in any manner?
-Would you like to see sports
covered in The Ca 1 ital Times?
If you could answer yes to any of the previous
questions, then The Capital Times is looking for you! We
desire to dedicate an entire page each issue to sports and
the topics that surround them. This will include
intramurals as well as local and national sports. However,
there is a need for sports reporters, and this page will
only be successful if there are regular contributers. Do
not let this opportunity pass you by. Anyone interested
should contact Matthew Bowman by stopping by W 341
or by calling 948-6440.
Editorial
OPINION/EDITORIAL
There
A drive-thru is among the greatest
time-saving inventions in the world
since it is convenient, quick, and
relatively easy for busy people to
use. When we are too often in a hurry
to eat-in, or maybe too tired to get
out of the car, we can just use the
drive-thru—it saves time and
doesn't require much energy on our
part. However, a drive-thru does
have one major
disadvantage: the lack of face-to
face communication with other hu
man beings. Since we talk through a
hamburger-shaped machine full of
static, there are bound to be misun
derstandings or mix-ups with the
person on the other end.
With this in mind, do we really
want to use a drive-thru system at
Capital College to receive our de
grees? Currently, Capital College
resembles a fast food drive-thru; in
stead of a spirited, lively campus
filled with lots of interpersonal and
intercultural relationships. It has
become a place where students just
pop in and pop out for classes.
Unfortunately, it is true that there
are not many places on campus for
students to get together and social
ize besides in the classroom. The
Lion's Den is a good hang out spot,
but it closes very early. Likewise, the
front lobby is nice, but it is too small
for students to congregate and hang
around for a long period of time.
Despite the limited areas to social
ize on campus, however, there are
still many fun, educational, and
worthwhile activities that many stu
dents are not aware of. There is defi
nitely more to do and more that can
Daniel A. Zehr
The Capital Times is published by the students of Penn State Har
risburg. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author and are
not representative of the college administration, faculty or student
body. Concerns regarding the content of any issue should be di
rected to the editors.
The Capital Times welcomes signed letters from readers. No un
signed submission will be reprinted, however, a writer's name may
be withheld upon request and by approval of the editors.
You may reach The Clpitzd Tunes at Penn State Harrisburg Carn
pus, Olmsted Building, W-341, 777 W. Harrisburg Pike, Middletown,
Pa., 17057. You may phone at (717) 948-6440, or email at
captimes@psu.edu.
All materials articles, photographs and artwork are property of
The Capital Times. No parts of this paper may be reproduced with
out the expressed written permission consent of the editors.
The Capital 'limes does not endorse its advertisers.
is more than just drive-thru
by Makito Yurita
The Capital Times
Editors
be done besides attending classes
and just driving thru. Everyone
should contribute to building more
of a social community in which we
can interact with and learn from each
other on a regular basis.
By using a drive-thru approach to
school, many do not realize that they
are missing out on the chance to take
advantage of the rich cultural diver
sity that exists at PSU Harrisburg.
How many of you have noticed that
Capital College's international stu
dent population, which is currently
about 30 students from all over the
"By using a drive-thru
approach to school, many
do not realize that they are
missing out on the chance
to take advantage of the
rich cultural diversity that
exists at PSU Harrisburg."
world, hosts events that are open and
free of
charge to everyone? The interna
tional students frequently organize
events in hopes of developing more
of a college spirit and community
between the international and U.S.
students of Penn State Harrisburg.
Why not take the time to interact
with and learn from each other? Par
ticipating in these events will expose
you to different cultures, languages,
and people, as well as improve in
tercultural communication and un
derstanding. Not only that, getting
involved in the activities organized
by the international students would
be the perfect opportunity to build
more of a college atmosphere at
Matthew J. Bowman
THE CAPITAL TIME
Capital College.
An example of a weekly event that
anyone can take advantage of is the
French Conversation Table. Babacar
M'baye, a graduate student from
Senegal, says, "The French Conver
sation Table is open to everybody,
regardless of their level of French.
When the semester ends, they [par
ticipants] improve their French con
versational skills surprisingly a lot."
He also adds, "Everyone [who joins]
can learn from each other with lots
of fun." Anyone who is interested in
joining the French Conversation
Table can come to meetings held
every Mon. at 5:00 p.m. in the Lion's
Den.
Confucius once said, "Wise men
are linked through education, then
aim to form the perfect virtue
through enriching each other by ex
changing ideas." The French Con
versation Table is only one of the ex
amples that puts this Confucian
theory into practice. There are many
other events and activities in which
we can learn from and influence
each other. We should all remember
that the University is not just a drive
thru to our degrees. It is a place
where all kinds of people gather and
can freely exchange ideas and
thoughts. It is a place to communi
cate and learn from each other on a
personal and cultural level.
So, why don't we start leaving the
cars in the parking lot for a little
while and take some time to explore
campus life? Chances are the same
burger and fries you ordered by
drive-thru will be more satisfying
when you actually take time to en
joy them.
Dani Church
Entertainment Editor
Christine Downs
4ns, 'nos Manager
Jeffrey C. Warren
Photographer
Lauren Capitani
Layout
Rick Deitz
Staff Writer
Makito Yurita
Staff Writer