Fall
By Rabyia Ahmed
Staff Reporter
rzalo9@psu.edu
This year, Fall Fest took place at
noon, Oct. 18, in the Vartan Plaza.
Students and staff alike gathered
to celebrate the upcoming start
of fall.
The free food, sunny weather,
activities, and The Scott Celani
band practically called everyone's
name. The food stands included
cake, corn bread, chilly and
caramel apples. Free candy
bags and Fall Fest t-shirts were
also available. Activities included
pumpkin painting, a club pumpkin
contest and a pie-eating contest.
Several students participated
in the pie-eating contest and in
just a matter of minutes there
was a winner. His name is Mike
Edwards. Congratulations to
Mike.
The caramel apples were by far
the favorite of the food. Dipped
in hot caramel and chocolate
sprinkles, some students even
got seconds of those sweet,
red, candy apples. "I like the
candy apples" was a common
statement made throughout the
The Scot Celani band performed at Fall Fest this year, featuring lead singer Scot Celani
himself and band members Marty Nightengale on guitar and Lars Rizzuto on drums.
Penn
SMOKING cont'd from 1
what the policy is and it is not
advertised."
Students at Penn State
Harrisburg expressed mixed
emotions about the present
smoking policy.
"I think it's kind of silly to put
a no smoking sign right on top
of the ashtray. Put the ashtrays
away from the sign. It's common
courtesy. It is also human nature
not to go way down there to smoke
if the ashtray is here," said Robert
Anspach, 27, communications,
Fredricksburg, smoker.
"I would like for there to be a
designated place for it because
the smell is offensive. When I
smell it, I say, Did I smell like that?
I want to apologize to everyone I
was with," said Andrea Rung, 48,
secondary education, Harrisburg.
This comes from a smoker who
quit in July.
Many more colleges are looking at becoming tobacco-free.
PSH already has policies promoting wellness of its students.
Fest a success
entire student body. Augie Bravo,
senior Information Systems
Technology major, said that it's
not Fall Fest without the free
chilly and corn bread.
Free. This is a word that means
a lot to college students. Many
times students wonder how their
tuition money is spent. When
asked what she thought of Fall
Fest this year, Laura Cope,
junior Communications major,
said, "I know one place my
tuition was used. It's nice to have
something here for free." Krishna
Mandavia, sophomore Health
Administration major, said she is
looking forward to attending Fall
Fest this year because, "it's fun
and it's free." "Free food makes
all the difference," said Rachel
Mahan, sophomore Criminal
Justice major. Mahan helped
organize the event. "We put out
grilled cheese and it was all gone
in about 40 minutes!" she said.
So why is it that the turnout rate
was better this year? Well, the
advertising and weather played
a key role. "We advertised a
lot and put flyers around," said
Mahan. And the weather? It
was much warmer than it has
State smoking policy evaluated
"This is where everybody stands.
I'm sure if there were a more
dedicated spot, people would go
there. I think if there was a specific
area covered from the weather, it
would work," said Michelle Allen,
28, criminal justice, smoker.
"I would go to my car to smoke
if I had to," said Evan Myzithras,
25, electrical engineering,
Harrisburg.
"I think there should be
designated areas because not
everyone smokes," said Matt
Ruffner, 19, criminal justice,
Hummeistown, a non-smoker
who does not have a problem
with smoke.
Penn State University has
a university-wide policy to
promote a healthy environment.
Wellness initiatives typically
include cessation programs. The
Commission for the Prevention
of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other
Drug Abuse (CPATODA) is
preparing to announce campus
mini grants and student mini-
Photos by M. E. Adams/Capital Times
been in the past few days. The
Scott Celani band also helped a
lot. Wayne Davey, sophomore
Political Science major, said it's
good to have music and friendly
folks.
Which Fall Fest was better,
this year's or last year's? Saud
Albuainain, junior IST major,
said, last year's was good, but
this year's was better because
it was outdoors on a nice day.
Cope said it was not as fun last
year as it was this year, because
there wasn't a band playing.
Samantha Lewis, sophomore
Psychology major, said that it
was better this year since more
people knew about it, and as a
result, more people attended.
Fall Fest was an event to get
students to relax and have some
fun during mid-semester when
their class workload begins pilling
up and students begin to fall
behind. Whether it was because
of the pie eating contest, listening
to The Scott Celani band, or
just sitting outside enjoying the
free food and weather, "Fall
Fest is awesome!" said senior
Secondary Education major
Lutfia Hnesh.
grant opportunities to support
Penn State campuses in their
efforts to reduce tobacco use
among students.
"The university wants to promote
a wellness program and good
health in general," said William
Mahar, Senior Dean for Academic
Affairs, Penn State Harrisburg.
"It's one of Penn State's values."
After participating in a Harvard
School of Public Health study in
2001, 85 percent of 393 health
center directors from 4-year
colleges concluded that smoking
among college students was a
serious problem. Recognizing
that tobacco companies market
to 18-24 year old college
students, universities initiated
smoking cessation programs. In
May 2003, 84 students from 14
Pennsylvania universities met at
Clarion University to participate in
the first annual Tobacco Summit
for the Pennsylvania Smoking
Cessation and Prevention
Campaign (PSCPC). Students
voted to become known as PA
SWAT (Pennsylvania Students
Working Against Tobacco).
More and more, colleges are
looking at becoming tobacco
free, both in the United States
and abroad. In addition to
Riverside Community College in
California and Ozarks Technical
Community College in Missouri,
both smoke-free since 2003, the
new policy at Alvin Community
College in Texas went into effect
in August. Glasgow University in
Britain is also proposing a ban.
LaSalle believes half of the
people right now aren't aware that
they can change the environment
and the policy. In states where
they're changing legislation to
prevent smoking in bars and
restaurants, norms are changing,
and people get used to breathing
clean indoor air, she said.
News
All the clubs of PSH were able to compete in a pumpkin decorating contest. Lion Am
bassadors succeeded in winning the popular student vote with their lion face pumpkin.
"It's really a matter of social
change," said LaSalle. "People
don't complain because it's
accepted culturally. Part of
the issue in our culture is that
smoking is for a segment of the
population. It's perceived as
normal, so people accept the fact
that they have to walk through
smoke. Accepting the fact that
there's a smoking section is a
cultural norm."
A general smoking policy exists
at each of the fourteen schools
within the State System of Higher
Education in Pennsylvania. In
the policy, preferences of both
nonsmoker and smoker are
to be respected except when
preferences conflict, then the
preference of the nonsmoker will
prevail. Each school can also
elaborate beyond the general
policy. Several other mid-state
colleges have rearranged their
campuses because of smoking
policies.
Smoking banned a few years
ago at Hershey Medical Center
proved to be problematic. People
took longer breaks and smoked
in bathrooms. Designated
smoking areas now exist away
from buildings, inside gazebos
and glass bus stop shelters.
Despite the hopes of those
pushing for a smoke-free
campus, a referendum at Penn
State Schuylkill moved all
smoking receptacles 50 feet
away from buildings and added a
small gazebo with receptacles for
those who smoke.
For over a year, Penn State York,
a small campus of five buildings,
has designated smoking areas.
"It used to be times 30 people
standing smoking," said Bill
Vangreen, director, safety and
security. By establishing smoking
areas and the university having a
policy, it's a lot better. It's a safety
The Capital Times, October 24, 2005
A smoking policy does exist which mentions not smoking within
24 feet of the doors but many students do not follow this rule.
factor affecting other people with
secondary smoke," he said.
Students and faculty walking
through clouds of smoke changed
the policy at Bloomsburg
University last spring. The
designated smoking areas
are now at least 25 feet away
from building entrances and
ventilation systems. People are
still complaining. "This smoking
policy will always be something
to look at and change," said
Liza Benedict, Communications
Director.
Harrisburg Area Community
College acquired four gazebos
over the last two years in which
Deb Eichenberger, coordinator
or grounds and arboretum,
doesn't think anything has really
changed. "It is pretty much status
quo," she said.
Smoking is permitted at Temple
University 25 feet away from
building entrances and exits.
The policy review committee is
looking into the idea of a smoke
free campus. "It's not a particular
position Temple is interested
in pursuing at this point, but it
does seem there is sufficient
interest from staff and students,"
said Michael McNeil, director of
health empowerment office. "The
Photos by Ashley Locker,
first step was not smoking in
academic and administrative and
residential halls, then the number
of feet from buildings. Ultimately,
it will happen in time."
More relaxed policies exist
at Lebanon Valley College,
Dickinson, and the University
of Pittsburgh where it is simply
preferred that people not smoke in
front of buildings. No designated
areas exist and, in some cases,
no minimum distance from
buildings is required.
In January, San Francisco
became the first major city in the
United States banning smoking
in public parks. Since July, local
and statewide smoke-free laws
changed the atmosphere in
restaurants inAlexandria, Virginia;
all public and private dormitories
in New Jersey; all enclosed
public areas in Montana; and the
University Hospital in Syracuse
New York.
"The social wave of change is
now nearing a tipping point,"
said Terry Pechacek, Ph.D.,
Associate Director of Science in
the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention's Office on
Smoking and Health in Atlanta.
"These type of changes ... are
not atypical anywhere anymore."
e Capital Times