Clubfest a direct hit this year By Maruja Rosario Assistant Editor mxr3oo@psu.edu The sun shone brightly on the day known as Clubfest, brightening the spirits of club officers, recruiters, and prospects alike. Clubfest is an annual event at Penn State Harrisburg held to encourage students to join the various clubs on campus. Each club at PSH can set up a table complete with signs and literature on their clubs and sing up sheets for those students who want to join right away. This year's Clubfest turnout was Erin Moskalczak uses rubberbands to Make a cool design on her free t-shirt from the Capital Times. The student newspaper sponsored free tie-dying at thier stand. Olmsted to become more wheelchair friendly DISSABILITIES cont'd from 1 students." Stacks Market is one of a number of PSH areas not wheelchair friendly. The counters are too high to see a customer in a wheelchair and items on display sold in the refrigerator cases are out of reach. Many tables cannot be used by those in wheelchairs because the legs bow outward and are too close together. "It's a very poor design," Kearney said. However, the people working in Dr. Julie Kearney spends time at home with her dog Doogen. once of the largest in recent years, and that had a lot to do with club involvement in Clubfest. Chi Gamma lota (XGI), the military veterans' fraternity, sponsored sumo wrestling, where participants entered into large, air-filled suits and got to fight Japanese style in a large, inflatable ring. XGI also sponsored a DJ to fill the atmosphere with a variety of tunes. The Student Government Association sponsored the food, which included three different types of subs, chips, cookies, and drinks. The Capital Times, the student newspaper, sponsored free t shirts that featured the slogan Stacks Market are always willing to assist Kearney when she needs it "If I had to equate [handicap accommodations] to grades, this campus would get a C," Kearney confided. "Like I tell my students, a C is a respectable grade, but as Penn State, they should aspire toward a higher grade," she added. Bravo lists areas that need addressed: - The curb in front of the Olmsted building should be cut and the third floor accessible bathroom needs to be labeled. Photo by Augustine Bravo "I bleed blue and white," which students could choose to tie dye blue. Labeling the buckets "blue" in different languages caused much confusion among the masses, but a good time and blue hands were experienced by all who participated. All the clubs who participated had active turnout at their tables, tapping into the freshmen that were looking for their interests and veteran students that may not have known about them. Clubfest was a huge success and hopefully that energy will carry forth into the year. These two students are taking some time out from studying to kick each other's butts. Sumo wresteleing was a popular event at this year's clubfest. XGI sponsored the sumo wrestleing this year. The DJ and SGA sponsored food make Clubfest a more attractive distraction for students this year. - The second floor has no handicap accessible bathrooms and the back ramp is carpeted, making it more difficult to use. - The elevator in the Olmsted building is old and seemingly takes an inordinate amount of time to arrive. It's also known to break down from time to time. "It is frustrating, but who do you blame?" Kearney asks. She has adapted to the elevator wait and allows 20 minutes to go to class. Kearney says one night the elevator was down and she was unable leave for the day. Her husband Pat and two maintenance workers helped her to the first floor. "I was worried they would hurt themselves," said Kearney. "But there was no other way." "There is a new elevator in the works," Holtzman said. The elevator is part of a much needed revamp of the front of the Olmsted building that Holtzman hopes will begin in the next year. A new ramp with a softer incline and a better-designed access route into the building is part of that plan, said Holtzman. During his time in the wheelchair Bravo made note of some other problems such as accessibility to fire alarms. "I couldn't reach the fire alarms while in the chair," said Bravo. "This is a major concern." The ramps, curb cuts, elevator and doorways proved most difficult for students during the demonstration and almost everyone fell out of the chair at some point. "I will bust up the concrete myself," said Bravo in regards to the curb in front of Olmsted. "We need that curb cut. Let's not make the person in the wheelchair work harder then the rest of us," News International Affairs Association set up a colorful stand with flags from around the world. While the ramp in front of Olmsted building is up to American's with disabilities Act code it still gives wheelchair-bound persons some difficulty on a daily basis. he said According to Holtzman the new to move because there is no design for Olmsted includes stopping in the middle," Kearney moving the handicap parking to said. the other side of the road running Late last year a group of students "The thing that restricts the disabled more than physical barriers is society's attitudes," "And it is those attitudes that determine physical barriers." across the front of Olmsted; making access to parking and other buildings much more convenient. Those who smoke at the top of the ramp make it even more difficult for those in a wheelchair to enter the building. "You have to sit at the bottom and yell at them -Dr. Julie Kearney asked their peers to sign a petition to move the smoking areas away from the front entrance. Holtzman said there is a meeting scheduled 'with those students to begin a plan of action that will remedy that problem. There is one area of the school that Kearney applauds for the The Capital Times, September 26, 2005 Photos by Ashely Lockard/Captial Timess Photo by Kathryn Her/Capital Times changes that have been made. The Information Technology Department has gone above and beyond to make a technology based classroom wheelchair friendly. The IT department anticipated Kearney's needs when setting up the new computer labs, with extra space between table rows and a special teaching table that lifts and lowers. In addition, a technology classroom has been set up on the first floor. "This is a positive step," Kearney said. In the past if the elevator was unusable and Kearney was stuck on the first floor her class had to be held in the library. "The thing that restricts the disabled more than physical barriers is society's attitudes," she said. "And it is those attitudes that determine physical barriers."
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