MONDAY, APRIL 30, 2001 YR , foetbOter .if .:1J .: 91,11. let •mt viebt • • • 0, Mother Nature did not want Penn State Harrisburg to have their Rites of Spring festival, and maybe we should have listened to her. The day before, the event changed locations to the Capital Union Building due to the forecast for rain or snow showers. This should have been the first sign of bad things to come. When I entered the gym at about 11 a.m., the smell of McDonald's cheese burgers engulfed my olfactory nerves. I was told that in the past, the food at the Rites of Spring has been a barbecue with hot dogs, hamburgers and veggie burgers. However, this year, someone had the wonderful idea to get food from McDonald's but only cheeseburgers. No chicken, no fries, just cheeseburgers. There was no other "real" food to choose from. Only pretzels, Doritos and sheet cake: nothing like junk food for lunch. What about all the vegatarians out there? I guess we were supposed to deal with the junk. The entertainment consisted of a cover band, the Poptart Monkeys, a blow up obstacle course and a blow-up slide. The blow-up games were remotely enter taining, but they got old quickly. A frisbee game was also set up: throw the frisbee in the hole, keep the frisbee. That is fun for a four-year-old. The Poptart Monkeys covered many different bands such as Limp Bizkit and Blur, but they were not good at it. Who found these guys? I did feel bad for them, though, because when they took the stage at about 11:30 a.m., there were not even 20 people there. Some student participa tion, huh? Upstairs in the CUB was the Earth Day part of the event. Zoo America and many other environmental groups had tables set up with information about their OPINION By Kerry Monaco Capital Times Staff Writer organizations and their causes. Zoo America brought animals with them which actually caused a group to form around their table. In the hallway at the top of the stairs were some posters drawn by Feaser Middle School students celebrating Earth Day. I guess this would explain the throng of middle schoolers who were fil ing in and out of the gym all afternoon. This was a bit disturbing. I understand their artwork was displayed here and stu dents like to see their work on display, but isn't this a college? They do not belong here. Just like the controversy sur rounding the Tarnhelm last year when one of the complaints was that kids might see the ads why are there kids here? They do not belong around a bunch of college students. The middle schoolers enjoyed the frisbees. They were throwing them around the gym like they were in a field with no one else around. As I was attempting to take pictures of the event, I got hit about four times with frisbees. They were also the only audience that the band could hold the attention of. I am glad the student activity fee that is paid by PSH students could help entertain some middle school kids. Sorry to be so negative toward a school function, but I feel that more could have been done with our student activi ties fee. There are not too many things going on at PSH so you would think that a better job could have been done with the Rites. Many other colleges have sim ilar spring festivals, which last for more than three hours, and they have more entertainment. If more was offered, I think more people would have made the hike over to the CUB. the CAPITAL TIMES On Our Hill Since this is my last article, I am going to make a few predictions. First, the governor's race for 2002, and second, a small prediction foi T h e Democratic primary lineup next May will consist of two heavy hitters. First, the son of a former governor, Auditor General Bob Casey will face off against former Democratic National Committee Chairman Ed Rendell. Rendell and Casey both have the money to support a huge campaign, and plan on seeing plen ty of negative adds. Rendell will undoubtedly pull Philadelphia, and Casey will have Scranton, Harrisburg, and Erie. The Democrats will split Pittsburgh, so the true battle will be won in the suburbs and rural areas of Pennsylvania. As for the Republicans, Attorney General Mike Fisher is out of the blocks first and will only have a problem with Capital Times discovers 24-hour day By Cathie McCormick Capital Times Editor In Chief On any given day, several events, dozens of important decisions and a smat tering of mini-scandals emerge at PSH. All are newsworthy, deserve atten tion and beg to be covered in the paper. There's only one problem. The staff of The Capital Times are students with the same pressures, deadlines and chal lenges as every student on campus. We simply can't cover everything - especial ly with the last gongs on the semester clock sounding. I did attend the Unity Day Picnic for a few minutes Friday. Showing up for an event is only the beginning, unfortunate ly. Interview, photo, photo develop ment, writing, editing and room in the paper are all part of the equation. I'm proud PSH is lending support to the valiant students at "the Park" who are fighting for their rights - and risking their lives to be vocal. Take the time to check into the 2 percent accountability concept Editorialill „„„„„ OPINION • 9 By Joe Marsicano For The Capital Times former Lt. Gov. Bill Scranton and his money machine. State Treasurer Barbra Hafer, who has declared her intent as iake a dent in either the Fisher or Scranton campaigns My picks: Casey will receive the Democratic nomina tion and Fisher will landslide the Republican vote. Despite the Republican prosperity over the last seven years in Pennsylvania, we will see a Democratic governor November. Penn State Harrisburg has had the distinct honor of having Mark Single as an instructor on campus. He is the for mer Lt. Gov. under the Casey administra tion and has taught several courses on campus: Campaigns and Elections and State and Local Politics. I foresee Mark putting his name on another ballot; however, this time it will be a job in Washington. Good luck Mr. Single. You know you have the sup= port of your PSH students. for diversity efforts. I say, "YES!" No accountability means no results in my book. It's time PSU put their money where their collective mouth is with regard to diversity initiatives. If we're serious, we should be willing to risk the penalty. Page four is briming with the names of the outstanding students recognized yesterday for a multitude of accomplish ments. No pictures at 11, unfortunately. Mother Nature chose to chill Rites of Spring again this year. Her perogative. Can someone please invent the trans porter room so a trip to the CUB isn't such a commitment? Tarnhelm looks great - another great artistic accomplishment. Make sure you pick up a copy! Lots of other stuff happened. `nuff said. While I've got your attention. Thanks for reading The Capital Times. Being the editor in chief has been an honor. With next year's Editor, Mitch Bentley, at the helm, the quality will con tinue.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers