PENNSTATE Hmisbu g CAPITAL TIMES Volume 41, No. 12 Families moved off campus By Barbara Gertzen Capital Times Assistant News Editor As construction continues on the PSH single-student housing at the eastern end of the Olmsted building, families residing in Meade Heights received word concerning their PSH housing status. Confirming rumors that cir culated widely among the stu dent/family households, most of the families received a letter from JoAnn Coleman, manager of Four students run for SGA President Break out your tuxedos and gowns page 2 the PSH Housing and Food Services, notifying them that "with the completion of the new housing, the Meade Heights community will be phased out" by the end of December 2001. While Coleman's letter noted that "the new housing [will] accommodate single students, where the need is greatest," it extended the assurance that "Housing and Food Services is taking steps, now, to assist fami lies with relocation into the sur rounding community" and By Cathie McCormick Capital Times Editor In Chief Each spring, the officers and senior senators of the Student Government Association are chosen to represent the student body for the following school year. Elections are scheduled for March 27, 28 and 29 and will be held in the main lobby of the Olmsted building. This year there are four can didates for SGA president and three candidates for vice-presi dent. That is an unusual number of candidates according to for mer SGA President Roderick Lee. Last year, Carissa Herwig and Joe Werner ran for president and vice president unapposed. The officers of the SGA are responsible for leading the stu dent senate which is the repre sentative body for students at Penn State Harrisburg. The SGA intercedes with administration in areas of student concern and, in the past, has succeeded in having offered assistance "to make your transition within the local com munity as smooth as possible." A comparison list of apartment complexes in areas around PSH accompanied Coleman's letter. A meeting to discuss the fam ily housing issues at Meade Heights is scheduled for Tuesday, March 20 at 6:30 p.m. in the Meade Heights Community Center. Greg Minner, assistant director of Housing and Food Services for Commonwealth Colleges, will address families' library hours and Lion's Den hours extended and the 24-hour, 7-day-a-week open study room established and equipped with two computers and a copy machine. SGA members also serve on the faculty senate, the PSH board of advisors and the PSH alumni association board of directors. In addition, the SGA is responsible for oversight of Student Activity Fee allocations, including club and organization budgets. They also sponsor campus events such as Rites of Spring, Clubfest and the Organizational Activities Board award ceremo ny. The candidates running for office must submit a petition signed by at least 25 full-time students, carry a GPA of at least 2.0 and be screened by the cur rent SGA. Students should vote for their choice of president, vice president, treasurer and public relations officer. Wild Trilliums 11 I v starts March 28 page 4 The Student Voice of Penn State Harrisburg, Published Bi-weekly concerns and questions at the meeting According to Coleman and Greg Schiavoni, assistant manag er of Housing and Food Services, Meade Heights currently con tains 26 family housing units, but by year's end, graduations and natural attrition should leave ten families affected by the Meade Heights closure. Unlike single students at PSH who sign contracts for housing, Coleman explained that family tenants sign one-year leases that Dr. Mbulelo V. Mzamane talked with students after his lecture in the Gallery Lounge on February 28. Scholar discusses African renaissance On February 28, Penn State Harrisburg welcomed the renowned African scholar and educator Dr. Mbulelo V. Mzamane to the Gallery Lounge where he presented his lecture "And Still I Rise: Reflections on the African Renaissance." Mzamane examined the rise of Africans on the continent and in the diaspora from slavery, colo nialism, segregation, apartheid Monday, March 19, 2001 will expire August 31. The leases will be renewed by PSH for September 1 to December 31, 2001. The rent for family housing in Meade Heights is $6lO and includes utilities. The average monthly rent for properties listed on the March 3 attachment is $725, utilities excluded. Coleman said that the letter generated by her office on March 3 sought to "make sure all bases were covered" and "give as much By Barbara Gertzen Capital Times Assistant News Editor and neo-colonialism. Mzamane said his visit to PSH on the last day of Black History Month allowed him to reflect on the commemorative month's meaning to him and to everyone "in the context of the African universally but also in the context of a broad humanity. Oppressed people including Spring Break photo montage page 12 Continued on Page 3 Continued on Page 2