CUB offers escape from studies
By Andrea Bierly
Staff Reporter
andreabierly@aol.com
Grades, money, family, deadlines.
These are just a few things
college students are plagued with
on a daily basis. How does one
cope with the stress of college
life? The answer is right here on
campus in the Capital Union
Building.
Non-degree student Sherry
Andrea Bierly tries out running on the treadmill, one of the many
athletic opportunities available at the Capital Union Building on the
Penn State Harrisburg campus.
reshmen return to PSH for second semester
By Chris Kramm
Staff Reporter
ctkl33@psu.edu
Last fall, Penn State Harrisburg
welcomed its first full class of
freshmen. Although freshmen
had been attending PSH in
selected majors since 2001, it
was the first semester that all
of PSH's majors were open to
freshmen. Over 150 freshmen
began study in areas ranging
from engineering to humanities to
business. Last fall, the newspaper
explored the faculty and student
reactions to the freshmen. Now
that the freshmen have had a
chance to spend a semester at
PSH, what are their impressions
of life at PSH?
"I love the structure of the
dorms, how it's set up as an
actual apartment that you're
sharing with three other
Freshman BJ Wehry, Physics major (left), and Robert Tormey, Secondary Education major (right) enjoy
munching on Stack's Market food during their second PSI! semester.
Berger, who by the way is
getting married very soon, said,
"Exercising is a great way to
relieve stress and clear your
mind."
With all types of exercise
equipment, the CUB is just the
place to burn off stress and
calories. The CUB houses
treadmills to run off those leftover
holiday pounds, Stairmasters to
keep our bums in shape so we
can endure sitting in those long
classes, and weights to keep us
Photo by Supat Kanchanasakul/Capital Times
people," said Eva-Marie Bruce,
a Communications major with
emphasis in broadcasting.
"I absolutely love my dorm
life, despite the fact that your
roommates can get extremely
messy at times, and take forever
to clean up their mess." Bruce is
one of more than 50 freshmen
who reside in the dorms. More
students would choose to live in
the dorms if space was available,
but the school simply cannot
provide any more housing. This
leaves more than one-third of
the freshmen students with no
choice but to commute. "To me it
feels too much like high school,"
said Josh Corrado, an Aerospace
Engineering major, in regards
to commuting from home while
attending school.
The addition of more freshmen
has been noticed in more than
just the dorms. The additional
buff and tough.
For other students, it is not
all about relieving stress; it is
about fitness. Sheila Hansen,
an American Studies graduate
student, said, "I feel it's important
to get regular exercise since we
live in a nation where we have to
drive everywhere."
Besides exercise equipment,
the CUB also offers 4 racquetball
courts, ping-pong tables, a
swimming pool and areas to play
basketball, badminton, indoor
soccer, and volleyball. The CUB
will even supply everything
you need to play, including
safety equipment. When
playing racquetball, players are
required to wear goggles that
are provided by the CUB. The
goggles may not make much of
a fashion statement, but they are
necessary. Based on first hand
experience, this reporter can
assure you that a fast moving
racquetball stings quite a bit and
you shouldn't jeopardize your
eyesight for fashion. So basically,
all you have to bring is a friend.
Heck, it does not even have to be
a friend.
The CUB not only watches out
for our health; it also watches
out for our financial well-being.
American Studies graduate
student Amanda Lasley said she
utilizes the CUB because "it's free
and convenient." Why pay for a
gym membership when you have
free admission to the CUB?
Something many students may
not know about the CUB is that it
has a quiet study area, a perfect
alternative to the library or the
noisy food court. And hey, if you
need a break from studying, the
punching bags aren't too far away.
There is also a game room in the
CUB with a pool table, foosball
table, darts, speed hockey table
and tables you can use for board
games.
There is something for everyone
at the CUB.
students driving onto campus
each day has created a parking
shortage. "Reserve a personal
parking space for me as close
to the Olmsted building as
possible" said Caitlin Kabik,
an Interdisciplinary Humanities
major and regular commuter.
Kabik experiences the same
problem most commuters face;
difficulty finding parking near the
student buildings.
Once the freshmen finally find
parking, they enter the world of
academics. Many are beginning
their study at PSH with plans to
finish at University Park. With
freshmen setting their sights high,
one wonders if the professors
and academics are living up to
their expectations. When asked
about the quality of academics at
PSH, Bruce said, "The majority
of the professors that I have do
a great job. They teach me what
Photos by Supat Kanchanasakul/Capital Times
News
Multiculturali . sm important to
CHURCH cont'd from 1
of God; not just a few. He also
explained that while God is
beyond human definition, the act
of human dignity is perhaps the
only valid image of God. Several
panelists nodded in agreement.
"Multiculturalism is . . . an
ongoing struggle to relate to
people that are different than us,"
said minister Nancy Gable, of the
Lutheran Theological Seminary
at Gettysburg. The only female
panelist, Gable has seen a great
struggle in the church between
races and genders. "We've
had a terrible time dealing with
difference."
"We have a lot of work to do,"
said Gable, "We need to see that
differences are blessings, not
enslavements."
Dr. Abdul Quadri Adeseun, of
the Islamic Center Masjid-As-
Saberen, said that Islamic gender
issues are often misunderstood.
"Women are segregated during
services, but it is out of a great
respect," said Adeseun. He
explained that the separation is
to prevent the occurrence of any
indecent acts or gestures toward
the women.
"Women are our primary teachers
our children depend on their
wisdom, on how they are raised
in the home," said Adeseun.
Adeseun said the largest obstacle
to embracing multiculturalism
has been the Taliban. "Religious
fanatics can create an inaccurate
portrayal of a religion," he said,
and also explained that every
religion has fanatics and cults
that deviate from the core beliefs
of the majority.
Father Srboljub Jockovich, of
St. Nicholas Serbian Orthodox
Church, told a vast history of the
religion, and said that the unity
between orthodox churches is an
expression of multiculturalism.
Jockovich said that at a 200-
year-old church building,
multiculturalism is not only that of
I need to know, offer help if any
of the students need [it], and
are really down to earth." Bruce
also enjoyed the way that she
had been able to develop a fairly
personal relationship with her
professors. "It makes the campus
that much more welcoming,
along with all the friendly staff
and students here," she said.
James Dougherty, a History
major, agreed, saying that most
professors were good and
willing to work with students.
"[They have a] nice commitment
to excellence," he said. Kristi
Mennitto, a Mechanical
Engineering major, observed
that commitment in her calculus
professor. "I've never met anyone
who puts in so much extra time
with his students," she said.
Not all are excited about the
classes, however. In regards
to his First Year Seminar (FYS)
experience, Dan Hauck, Bio
Engineering major, said, "Dr.
Ciocci was a cool teacher, [but]
I found no need for the whole
semester-long class. Maybe a
few hour-long introductions to
get you acquainted with ANGEL."
FYS is a mandatory class that
helps incoming freshmen hone
their study and time management
skills, learn the school's
technology, and adjust to life on
campus.
When not in class, PSH students
(freshmen included) can be
found studying at the library,
hanging out in the food court and
computer labs, or exercising at
the CUB, where many students
enjoy spending their free time
playing sports and exercising.
Hauck is one of them; enjoying
intramural sports such as football
The Capital Times, February 21, 2005
different races or cultures, but also
the generational congregation
standing the test of time.
When Father Bernardo Pistone
came to New York, the last place
he said he would have thought he
would be found was at the front
of the St. Frances Xavier Church.
Born in Sicily, Pistone said that,
"When I got to America, I didn't
want to work for a living . . . so I
decided I'd become a priest."
Laughter erupted around the
room. "Little did I know, eh?" said
"Accepting folks
as God intended
them to be, that is
multiculturalism."
-Rev. Dr. Anthony Alexander
Pistone, with a grin.
Pistone said that spirituality is
as diverse in its expression as
culture. "For me, multiculturalism
or multicultural spirituality - is
understanding that God is here,"
said Pistone, pointing around
the room. "How you see things
is what you are going to see,"
he said, "and we need to see
through the eyes of our God."
The panelists were asked their
opinions about religious art in
public places in our culture. The
responses varied greatly.
"Our own community has
suffered," said Choper. Religious
icons and art - the mandatory
Stars of David worn by Jews
during World War 11, for example
have been and can be wrongly
used for power, he said.
"If the Ten Commandments in
a public park are being used for
the assertion of authority and
exclusivity, then no, they have no
Jennifer Mannahoe, pausing a moment while getting lunch at Stacks
Market in Olmsted, is in her second semester at PSH as a freshman ac-
counting major.
and basketball. Corrado, who is
eventually headed to University
Park, spends much of his free
time hanging out with his friends
in the food court. "I don't like the
fact that there are only plugs here
[at the island] and against the wall
for computers," he said. "Some
students need power for their
computers." Dougherty dislikes
how the kitchen is only open until
7 pm. "The prices seem a bit high
in some cases. Maybe a larger
selection of meals [could be
offered]," he said.
The freshmen seem to have
made a smooth transition to
area churches
right to be used that way," said
Choper.
Alexander agreed and said, "I
hear from many that we are a
Christian nation as a Christian I
don't agree with that."
"If we truly were a Christian
nation, we would have less
racism, hate and disunity," said
Alexander, "and art as assertion of
power does create exclusivity."
Gable said it is sometimes
difficult to draw the line. Law,
for example, is diverse and does
include a history of religion; law
is often depicted in art using
religious symbols or characters.
"The roots of our law are Roman,
Greek, Jewish and Christian,"
she said. Although Gable did not
see a problem with religious art
per se, she did see a problem
with how people can use it. "The
Christian voice should not be
used as tension, or negative,"
said Gable.
"If we worked harder to put the
Ten Commandments in our hearts
and less on our buildings, we'd
be a better place," said Choper.
Pistone cleared his throat before
speaking. "This is a very delicate
and difficult issue," he said. "It's
such a fine line. Much of the art in
question has spiritual, historical
and cultural significance," he
said.
"The danger is . . . we can
create a world without religion,"
said Pistone.
All panelists concluded that until
people of different religions can
study, learn, and work together,
cultural differences will continue
to separate communities.
Pistone said the battle starts with
problems within one church. Until
we address the issues in our own
church cohmmunity, we cannot
expect to adequately reach out
to other church communities, he
said. "The strength in getting
people to study together is . . . we
might have to stretch our hearts
more than we did before."
PSH and have become an
integral part of the campus. The
majority are pleased with the
level of academics and quality
of professors. Perhaps the only
complaint that the freshmen
have with PSH can be summed
up with the following observation
from Dougherty: "Provide more
activities for the weekend. It would
be nice to have a better nightlife,
especially for those under 21,
on campus or in Middletown.
There isn't much of anything to
do, which often leads to illegal
activities."