Faculty Senate: Just Planning By Jill Karwoski Capital Times Staff Writer The Capital College Faculty Senate held its first faculty forum of the 1999-2000 school year, and the key issue raised was the need for a plan of action for the future. The Faculty Senate is a leg islative body that represents the Capital College as a whole and is the leading voice on academic issues at the campus. The Senate also serves as an advisory body to the Provost and Dean of Capital College and representatives from each col lege at the Harrisburg and Schuylkill campuses serve on the Senate. The forum, moderated by Faculty Senate President and Associate Professor of Engin eering Omid Ansary, allowed staff and faculty to express their views and concerns about the direction that Penn State Harrisburg is headed. Faculty members also dis cussed what the administration and faculty needs to do in order to compete with other universi ties in the region. Ansary informed those in attendance that a steering com mittee was being formed in order build a framework for the plan. All ideas from the schools would first be presented to a committee member, and that member would present the ideas to the Senate. This gives schools the oppor tunity to establish goals as a whole, while receiving input from all levels. Some faculty members used the forum as a means to get their ideas and goals heard. One hotly debated issue was the idea of a Humanities Building and Lab to strengthen and draw more students to the School of Humanities. Dr. Troy Thomas, Associate Professor of Continued on Page 3 Where to Smoke? The Debate Continues A smoking policy that has been in effect for a year and a half bans smoking near building entrances on campus. Since this policy has been established peo ple have continued to smoke in front of the Olmsted Building. The PSU Safety Committee, which is composed of faculty, staff, and students, has received complaints about smoking, specifically in front of the Olmsted Building. Objections about second-hand smoke entering the doors and library windows were given to campus Health Services. At the last Safety Committee meeting, Marylou Martz R.N., who is a committee member and the campus nurse, asked the committee what it could do to possibly enhance the posted rules. Martz commented about some of the complaints including ciga rette butts in the entrance way and on the ground. “Whether I am the nurse or not, it’s a concern,” Martz said. “Any concern needs to be looked at.” Fay Youngmark, Library Circulation Supervisor and Safety Committee member, said, “If the window is open I might smell the smoke. But to be honest, since most people don’t smoke on the porch of the Olmsted entrance it’s not that bad.” On Aug. 29, campus police extinguished a tan bark fire in front of the Olmsted Building. These factors were considered Workshop Supplement Phat Entertain And Your Diet Phallic The Muncheon Knowledge Philosophy Brain page 3 page 6 page 7 pages 8& ? Volume \|.. No. o Vcdnesdav September 22. 1S ( N) By Tina Sickler Capital Times Staff Writer when the Safety Committee dis cussed the smoking issue. Chief Kevin Stoehr, Safety Committee Chairman, met with the SGA to get more students’ input on possible resolutions to this matter. Stoehr said, “I don’t know if we will ever reach a 100 percent com pliance over this. The way the Olmsted Building is constructed presents problems by allowing the smoke to enter through the doors. I wondered what suggestion SGA would have.” SGA Treasurer Michelle Myers replied, “Does the Safety Committee plan on providing another space for smokers if it is raining or snowing? I am a smoker and I’m not going to stand in the rain.” Continued on Page 4 PSH: By Barry J. Hicks Capital Times Staff Writer Imagine a college campus with a state-of-the-art photo lab open 24 hours a day, even on holidays. There’s also a swimming pool for students to cool off from the blazing afternoon August sun. A bowling alley sits right on cam pus for students to partake in legal, healthy extra curricular activities. No, this campus isn’t in some dream world or even in some huge city where 50,000 students are enrolled. Meningitis Vaccine College students living on campus in dorms or apartments are three times more likely to contract meningitis than students who live off campus according to a recent study published in the May 26 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Assoc iation. These findings have prompt ed the American College Health Association to repeat their 1997 recommendation that all students under 30 consider a vaccine. The study, conducted by a research team from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, found that students at four-year residential schools face greater risk for meningitis than those who attend other col leges. Even though no students at Penn State Harrisburg have con tracted it, campus health officials advise vaccination. “I think if there’s any possibility that you can get an immunization that will protect you when living in close quarters, you should get it,” said Marylou Martz, R.N., coordinator of student health ser vices at PSH. What College Could Have Been This, very easily, could have been what Penn State Harrisburg looks like today. Ed Trunk, Associate Professor of Engineering, knows all too well about the many proposals that have come up regarding the well being of the Capital Campus. In June 1997, he finished up 28 years of teaching, advising, and coordinating clubs at Penn State Harrisburg. For the past two years, he’s Is Recommended for All Students Meningitis exists as a virus Continued on Page 4 By Paula Marinak Capital Times Staff Writer and a bacteria. It attacks the membranes around the brain and spinal cord. The more severe bacterial infection, meningococ cal disease, may invade the blood stream. If not treated with antibiotics as soon as possible after diagno sis, this disease, which progress es rapidly, can cause brain dam age, hearing loss, or death. Meningococcal disease, which the vaccine guards against, usually strikes in the late winter and early spring and may be contagious. This airborne illness spreads mainly by sneezing and cough ing, or through close contact with an infected person. Though the bacteria only sur vive a few minutes outside the body, Martz said, they can also be transmitted by sharing cups, silverware, or other items tainted with contaminated saliva. Martz said two other factors could elevate risk. These are: exposure to excessive stress, which depresses the immune sys tem; and smoking, which irritates the respiratory tract and increases Continued on Page 5 Photo by Matthew McKeown Dr. Ed Trunk
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