Photo courtesy of the Photo Club
Former SGA President Roderick Lee (left), Interim Provost and Dean Dr. John Leathers and current SGA
President Carissa Herwig show the plaques given to them at the Student Awards Luncheon on April 19.
Roderick Lee, Former SGA
Leader,
By Paula Marinak
Capital Times Staff Writer
Roderick Lee never had any
experience serving in student
government before his election as
Student Government Association
president last April, and he may
not have campaigned without the
encouragement of several PSH
students and faculty.
Earns High Honor,
But he has proven that sup
portive words coupled with
determination and dedication can
reap big rewards.
In the yearly Student Awards
Recognition ceremony held at
University Park on April 9, Lee
was recognized as one of Penn
State’s most promising student
leaders when he received the
Ralph Dorn Hetzel Memorial
Award.
Given annually, the award is
named for the university’s 10th
president, who held the post from
1926 to 1947.
It recognizes two seniors for
outstanding academic talent,
good citizenship and participa
tion and leadership in activities
within and outside the college
community.
“It is one of the top student
achievement awards of the uni
versity,” said Dr. Mukund
Kulkarni, director of the PSH
School of Business
Administration.
Students, faculty and staff can
recommend any Penn State
senior for the award. Interested
students may also nominate
Crying
Over
Credit
Crisis?
Volume XL. No. 16 Wednesday. .April 26. 2000
Praise
themselves. Career services coor
dinator Karl Martz served on the
committee who selected this
year’s recipients.
The group of faculty and staff
from University Park and several
satellite campuses chose Lee
from 85 candidates.
Martz said Lee received 11
nominations, a record for this
prize in the nine years he has
been a committee member.
When Lee received the letter
announcing his selection as a
Hetzel recipient, he said, “It was
a thrilling, refreshing moment to
be recognized for this award. I
really didn’t think I had a chance
because University Park students
do things on such a larger scale
than what we do.”
As one of the two honorees,
Lee received a plaque and a $lOO
check, which he has already
spent. “I used it to take my fami
ly out to dinner,” he said, smiling.
Not since the early 90s has a
PSH student won.“ There are
about 65,000 Penn State students
system-wide,” said Martz. “To be
Continued on Page 6
Radical
Readin’
Ritin’
‘Rithmatic
page 8
page 3
Student
Awards Luncheon
Outgoing Provost and Dean
Dr. John Leathers strode casually
to the podium and accepted an
award from outgoing SGA
President Roderick Lee.
The luncheon guests applaud
ed and the words “speech,
speech” echoed from several cor
ners of the room. Leathers turned,
raised the plaque skyward and
simply said, “It’s been a real
hoot.”
Those words seemed a fitting
end to the 1999 - 2000 PSH stu
dent government and organiza
tion year.
The Student Awards Luncheon
was held April 19 in the CUB.
Faculty, staff and members of the
more than 30 campus clubs and
organizations talked, ate and rec-
On Tuesday, April 18, film
maker Aviva Kempner met in the
Gallery Lounge with a large
group of PSH students and facul
ty to talk about her film, The
Partisans of Vilna.
The tone was intimate
Cap Times
Commentary
Recognized at
By Cathie McCormick Musser
Capilal Times Staff Wriier
Filmmaker Kempner
Speaks About the
Holocaust Resistance
Aviva Kempner
page 9
Groups
ognized the contributions of stu
dent leadership.
Dr. Don Holtzman, PSH
director of student affairs,
addressed the issue of leadership
in his opening remarks.
Holtzman feels this has been an
outstanding year for student
leadership at PSH.
According to Holtzman,
besides being more visible on
campus, student organizations
have eaten “enough pizza to keep
two local vendors in business.”
It certainly has been an excit
ing year. SGA President Roderick
Lee gave new definition to being
actively involved in campus life
and championed changes in
Continued on Page 7
By Drew Ames
For The Capital Times
Kempner sat next to the podium,
sipped water and only occasion
ally glanced at her notes. She
talked about growing up Jewish
in Detroit and her motivation for
making the film.
According to Kempner,
Partisans of Vilna won a number
of awards, including a CINE
Golden Eagle award. It has been
shown theatrically, and viewed at
the Berlin; Haifa, Israel;
London; Toronto; and Troia film
festivals. The album of music
from the film was nominated for
a Grammy in 1991.
Kempner was born in Berlin
immediately after the end of
World War 11. Her mother was a
Polish Jew who managed to pass
as a non-Jew and spent the war
working in a factory.
Continued on Page 4
“Bare”
Earth
Day
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