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11, 2004 V0L..45 N 0.3
Professor
Spotlight
Education Prof has hands
full of children’s books
By Patricia Grick
Staff Reporter
pmgl4B@psu.edu
I was asked to interview a pro
fessor who I feel deserves to be
in the spotlight. I choose Dr.
Mary Napoli, an Assistant
Professor of Education,
because we were only into the
third week of school and she
already had a huge impact on
my education at Penn State
Harrisburg. She is one of the
most enthusiastic teachers I
have ever had. She teaches
college courses in a very differ
ent way than many other, pro
fessors, in fact, she started out
the very first class by reading
us a children’s storybook. This
would usually sound strange,
but the class is a children’s lit
erature course for undergradu
ate students. Although Dr.
Napoli gives tests in her class,
she also assigns interesting
projects that will be of use to
many of her students when
they begin student teaching or
get jobs as teachers.
“I always knew that I wanted to
be a teacher,” was the answer
Dr. Napoli responded with
when I asked her why she
decided to become an elemen
tary school teacher. Dr. Napoli
explained that as a child she
played "school” all the time.
She says that she just wanted
to touch the lives of her stu-
Please see NAPOLI on 2
What’s on 7
Penn State butts
helmets with
Purdue but comes
up short.
Game story and
commentary inside.
What’s on 9
The Capital Times
visits Kokomo’s
downtown Harris
burg. A review of
the bar and festivi
ties inside.
Hey you kids! Get out of my yard!
By Bill Howe
Staff Reporter
wahl4B@psu.edu
Photo courtesy of Bill Howe
Bill Howe is one of many adult students who attend classes at PSH. Howe and his daughter Lauryn work together
on their respective Biology homework assignments. Although the content is the same, Howe has found that the
level of difficulty between his assignments and his daughter’s varies greatly.
Beware of the ‘Freshmen 15’
By Beth Mozeleski
Staff Reporter
Ixm9l6@psu.edu
Each year, many new students
come to Penn State Harrisburg
excited about starting something
new in their lives. Along with the
excitement come a few worries.
Classes, professors, friends, and
the “freshman fifteen” are just a
few things that can cause a stu
dent to worry.
Most students are leaving
home for the first time, so it’s up
to them to eat right and exercise.
When students are just starting
college or returning to school,
most do not really think about
How to juggle your family,
work, classes and fun from
an adult PSH student
By the time this article hits the
newstands, I will have celebrated
a milestone in my life, my fortieth
birthday, the big 4-0, joined the
Over the Hill Gang, Poppycock!
Why people are so obsessed
with the perceived backlash of
turning forty is strange to me.
Those of you who know anything
about me are probably surprised
at my age, for I do not act mid
dle-aged. In fact, some have
even accused me of being rather
immature to which I say, “Oh
Yeah? You Are!”
When I was in my early twen-
what they eat or if they are exer
cising enough. Students focus
more about convenience; getting
something quick that is not too
expensive.
According to CNN.com, gaining
about fifteen pounds your first
year of college is not uncommon
or a myth. Dave Levitsky, a nutri
tional sciences and psychology
professor at Cornell University,
conducted a study on the fresh
man fifteen three years ago. His
study followed eighty students
from the beginning of their first
semester to the end. An average
of five pounds was gained during
the semester for both the men
and women. This would add up
to about fifteen pounds within a
year if the person continued to
gain weight at the same rate.
Many things can cause a stu
dent to gain weight when they
first go away to school. Eating
large portions, eating foods with
high fat and calorie content,
snacking late at night, eating fast
food, and drinking soda, alcohol,
and coffee are some major caus-
ties, it was hard to imagine how
old forty must be. Back then, my
only experience with forty came
from a brown bottle that had a
big red cobra on the label. But
I am indeed forty now, so I
thought it might be interesting to
share some of my experiences
as an adult student here, and
perhaps lay a little knowledge
down for some of you young
whippersnappers. So pay atten
tion or I’ll smack you in the
ankles with my cane.
Like many of you more tradi
tional students, when I graduat
ed from high school in the year of
our Lord, nineteen-hundred and
eighty-three, I went straight away
to college. Free from my control
ling parents at last! Let’s just say,
es of gaining weight. Also, stu
dents’ lack of exercise also caus-
es problems
Stack’s Market in the Olmsted
Building is where students can
go to get something quick to eat
at PSH. With items such as cof
fee, pizza, pre-packed meals,
sandwiches and hamburgers, it
is easy to find something you
would enjoy. Joann Coleman,
director of Housing and Food
Services, said that hamburgers
and pizza are still the best sellers
even with all the diets that are
out right now. They choose foods
that are healthy but don’t really
follow the rules for any specific
diet such as the Atkins Diet or
the South Beach Diet.
Gregory Schiavoni, assistant
director of Housing and Food
Services, said it has been busier
since freshmen arrived on cam
pus, especially on Fridays when
the campus itself is really not
busy.
If you want to work out or are
just looking for something to do,
it is easy to get the exercise you
I had a busy social calendar that
conflicted with my academic
schedule. (If you want details,
see me when the grown-ups
aren’t around.) Things have a
way of working out for the best
though. When I could not have
sunk any deeper into a life of
debauchery, I fell in love and
have since been married for over
fifteen years and have a beautiful
ten-year-old daughter.
This is why I came back to
school. Those guys, you know
the ones-the guys who tell you
that college is a waste of time,
and that they never went to col
lege and look at them, as they
lean on their shovels. They’re
liars, man! Trying to make it out
there without a degree, with a
Photos by Jennifer Kauffman
need right here on campus. The
Capital Union Building, also
known as the CUB, has a gym,
fitness room, and swimming pool
that can be used by PSH stu
dents and faculty. It is open dur
ing the day as well as at night.
Unlike other Penn State cam
puses, which require a member
ship to use the gym’s services,
the CUB at PSH is free of charge
to students.
wife and kid, a mortgage, car
payments and everything else is
a pain in the ass!
A Penn State degree is GOLD,
trust me on this. Don’t drop a
class thinking you can make it up
next semester, tough it out! Don’t
skip a class in secession; before
you know it, it’s a habit that’ll ruin
you.'Once you dig yourself that
low G.P.A . pit, you’ll find you
can’t climb out. This is a great
campus with some incredibly tal
ented instructors and professors,
outstanding clubs and organiza
tions, and so-so students (just
seeing if you’re paying attention)
that will become great friends.
When I first set foot back in the
classroom, I just let me be me. I
figured that these students were
young adults and that they would
either accept my peculiar ways,
or ostracize me completely leav
ing me naked and alone. I have
come to realize that there is a
limit to what I should offer during
class discussions. Any mention
of Rudolph Valentino as a point
of reference invokes stark
silence. Don’t indicate that you
know anything about the history
of quilts (that still comes back to
bite me in the ass), and NEVER
quote anything that you heard on
T.V. Land. Obey these simple
rules and you'll blend right in.
What’s really bizarre is that
there are times when my daugh
ter Lauryn’s classes and mine
intersect. We both have biology
classes and we’re both studying
cells and atoms, although her
homework tends to utilize more
crayons. She has been a real
angel for me when I need help
with the computer too. My wife
will even let us have a study
snack if we leave her alone while
she watches E!. I’m not fat! I’m
smart! Graduation is in
December, which will make all
the collective sacrifices well
worth it and it will be a celebra
tion we can all take pride in.
Get involved! You don’t want to
look back someday and wonder,
if I had joined the photo club,
how might my station in life been
Please see BILL on 6
Contents
Professor Spot light
SGA Election Results
Sudan Civil War
Penn State Pootball
NHL Lockout
Hot Spot
CD Review
Movie Review
Campus Calander