4 Thursday, September 17,1998
Residents adapt
tighter quarters
Continued from page 1
different,” Freed said, “there’s a lot
more responsibility, I have to cook
for myself and clean for myself. It’s
a lot more crowded in the home.
“What I like about it is that it’s
more individual and personal. In the
dorms, there were more people then
chairs to watch TV. Now we have
this huge living room, although we
don’t have a television set!”
He added, “I actually save money
now buying my groceries instead of
the meal plan I had last year.”
Kris Mayhue, a senior majoring
in information systems, commuted
to school last year. “I like living in
Meade Heights more for conve
nience reasons. There’s less travel
Jesse Gutierrez --
After a long day at the office,
Eugene Pumpernickel 111, still
wearing his fancy but outdated
three piece suit, sits nervously at
the dinner table surrounded by his
obnoxious family. As he reaches for
the ketchup, his bony wrists pro
trude from his polyester jacket
sleeves. He then drowns his maca
roni and cheese, takes a deep
breath and waits for the sounds ...
the sounds that routinely boil his
blood. Waiting, he gently eats his
dinner, pinkie extended.
The taste of the macaroni and
cheese turns his stomach. He takes
a small bite then quickly rinses it
down with warm cherry Kool-Aid.
Eugene then looks to his wife
Brenda and politely says,
“Honey, don’t you think we can
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time, more free time, and in gen
eral, I like it more. I’m saving a lot
of gas money also. Outside of my
house, the social life’s better. More
distractions from school, if you
know what I mean.”
Some students expressed some
frustrations about the tight condi
tions. One resident said he would
rank his roommates a one on a 10-
scale. But for the most part, people
are getting along.
Matt Dierolf lived in a smaller
Meade Heights house last year.
Dierolf had nothing but good things
to say about the area. “(The hous
ing office) fixed the pads up from
last year, they are more spacious.
I’m getting along with my room
mates also. The only adjustments
have something else for dinner
other than macaroni orTater-Tots?”
She ignores him. She just sits
there and routinely files her nails.
Back and fourth, up and down.
Scraping and sanding, filing and
shaping. The sound makes him feel
as if he were dragging his bottom
front teeth across a cinder block.
She doesn’t look up ... she doesn’t
even raise a brow. Scrape, scrape,
scrape.
He stares at her hands, like an
owl, his eyes pierce. He grits his
teeth. Eugene becomes light
headed, the sound echo’s in his
brain. She just sits there ... filing.
Brenda then holds her hands out in
front of her, tilts her head a little and
gently blows on her fingertips.
“Honey,” he says again.
NEWS/FICTION
"Outside of my
house, the social
life's better. More
distractions from
school, if you know
what I mean."
-Kris Mayhue
have been with bathroom times,
parking in the driveway and a lot
more dishes in the sink.”
The new Meade Heights experi
ence has gone over well with stu
dents and faculty with a few minor
exceptions. Hopefully, the present
constructions of housing and apart
ments will accomplish the faculty’s
goal to increase the number of stu
dents residing at Penn State Harris
burg.
HP gives $1 million
cuit layouts under the guidance of
an instructor, according to a recent
article in Currents, the college’s
seasonal newsletter.
“The students are very enthusias
tic with the idea of learning about
this new software,” Bahagi said.
Penn State is the first Pennsylva
nia school to receive the HP grant,
created after the company pur
chased Esoftware in 1996. In order
to earn the donation, the University
had to offer certain electrical engi
neering courses in addition to ad
equate digital communications
laboratory facilities and new com
puters, he explained.
Through a seperate $700,000
grant from the National Science
Foundation, Bahagi established a
wireless communications lab in the
Olmsted building to complement
"Silence, At Last"
Still ignoring him, she picks up a
pair of fingernail clippers and
begins to fine tune and shape. Clip,
clip, clip... clip. His eyes open and
his eyelids cramp. That little clip
ping noise turns into a ferocious
slam. Eugene closes his eyes as
tight as he can. They begin to
water. His feet grow cold and his
toes spread and curl up.
“Honey, every time we sit down
for a meal you fuss with your finger
nails. Dear, don’t you think you
should eat something or talk?
Honey, how was your day?”
“Gene, eat your dinner,” she
sighs, still not taking her focus off of
her fingers.
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THEN, COME DOWN TO W-106 OLMSTED TO
EXPLORE YOUR OPTIONS FOR STUDYING ABROAD.
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Continued from page 1
WWW.HBG.PSU.EDU/OUTREACH
the new software. The university
also purchased 13 new computers
capable of handling the new equip
ment.
Although news of the donation
has mostly been concentrated
within the engineering department,
Provost and Dean John G. Bruhn
lauded Bahagi’s efforts to improve
the classroom experience through
the acquisition of new software.
“I know that Dr. Bruhn has been
especially proud of (Bahagi’s) ef
forts,” Lois Jordan of the school’s
Human Developement Office said.
Bahagi believes the use of the
software might attract prospective
students and local business people
to take courses on the use of the
software:
“With the technology becoming
more complex, it is important for
everyone in the field to remain on
top of the latest developements.”
“I’m not hungry anymore,” he
says quietly.
“God damn it Gene, I take care of
the house all day. I clean, I write out
the bills, I do your laundry, and all
you do is bitch about dinner!”
“I know, I know,” he says in
shame, “and I really appreciate all
the hard work that you do.”
Eugene drops his chin to his
chest and stares at the curdled
cheese that has coagulated on the
undercooked macaroni.
END PART I
Editor's Note: Jesse's series will continue
in the next issue of the CapTlmes