MONDAY, MARCH 19, 2001
continued from page 1
notice as possible and . . . do everything
possible from here to help those affected."
While plans had been drawn up for the
family housing, Coleman said that the sin
gle-student housing and family housing
represent two separate phases of construc
tion with single-student housing as Phase
I. Bids for each phase were issued sepa
rately, and contractors submitted indepen
dent bids on each phase. According to
Coleman, bids for the Phase II family
housing project came in "significantly
over budget," temporarily halting the pro
ject.
Dr.- Donald Holtzman, senior director
of Student Affairs and Enrollment
Services at PSH, says there is no way to
predict when the family housing project
may be reinitiated, in part because HFS
essentially operates independently of the
university under its own budget. Holtzman
said the possibility remains for the project
to eventually be revived.
That possibility does little to assuage
the dismay of current family tenants of
Meade Heights whose reaction to news of
their displacement ranges from disillusion
ment to anger.
Andre Nelson, a PSH sophomore who
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Families moved off campus
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the
CAPITAL TIMES
is undecided what major he will pursue, is
also a father awaiting the birth of his sixth
child. Nelson said rumors about Meade
Heights closing were not only rampant,
but varied "depending on who you asked,"
and that "three different faculty members
gave him three different stories" regarding
what was happening.
The commitment made by Seong Ju
Kang and
Nora
Carreras,
both doc
toral can
didates in
public
adminis-
trati on
and graduate assistants in PSH's school of
public affairs, not only involved selecting
Penn State, but traveling hundreds of miles
to pursue their educational goals. For
Carreras and Kang, family housing was a
key element in deciding where to pursue
their doctorate.
Nora Carreras, a single mother, left a
job working for the federal government in
Puerto Rico to attend Penn State. When
she was recruited, Carreras says "PSH
advertised family housing." Carreras visit
ed Meade Heights three times before mak-
ing her final decision because "housing
and community" were vitally important to
her.
Carreras confesses "I'm using my
whole life's savings to come here to pur
sue my Ph.D."
Carreras' Puerto Rican citizenship con
fers United States citizenship on her so
she can work locally.
week at
PSH. in addition to the $l,OOO monthly
stipend he receives. • ..
Kang started his studies at PSH last
semester after earning his masters degree
at Syracuse University. Although Kang
admits he strongly considered attending
SUNY-Albany, the school offered no
housing, which is a problem for a man
with a wife and two children.
After attending two classes at PSH last
summer and talking to several Korean stu
dents on campus, Kang decided to enroll at
PSH. Kang, a runner, admits he was
Highisuuki
pleased to be able to run every morning,
play racquetball at the CUB during the
weekend, and walk everywhere he needed
to go in a secure environment. Kang
regrets that it "looks like I'll now lose" all
those conveniences.
Another advantage Kang fears losing
is the furnishings in his Meade Heights
home; all the properties included on the
university's apartment comparison list are
unfurnished.
restric-
Kang says that "last year, I thought
[PSH] was good," but he admits that he
was "very concerned" by Coleman's letter
that indicated "that single students are the
greatest need" at PSH.
tions
limit
Kang to
working
2 0
"If I knew this information when I was
debating going here last year," Kang says,
"I would've considered SUNY-Albany or
Syracuse" Kang said his worse-case sce
nario "is having to go back to my country."
Jon Smith, current chair of judiciary
and incoming vice president of GSA, said
the lack of family housing at PSH will
"push a lot of families away and it will be
difficult to [lure] them back." Smith feels
that "the [people] impacted the hardest are
the ones who received the least considera
tion," and he points out that the March 20
meeting is scheduled at 6:30 p.m., when
many students have classes.
hours a
Celia,.
NEWS • 3
Tundra