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February 27, 2006 ___
Vol. 46 No. 9
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By RABYIA AHMED
Staff Reporter
RZAIO9@PSU.EDU
Dr. Lisa Buenaventura, assistant
professor of education and
coordinator of special projects,
has a degree in every combination
of psychology and education. She
has a bachelor’s in psychology, a
master’s in educational psychology
(school psychology in counseling)
and her doctorate in education.
She was bom in Honolulu, but
considers her hometown to be
Seattle since that’s where she lived
the longest. “Seattle,” she said, “is
basically mountains and water.”
“But it’s pretty,” she added.
Buenaventura first entered
education when she was
completing her psychology degree
while working as a student in
special education. She worked at
the Children’s Home Society and
Residential Treatment Center in
Seattle for emotionally disturbed
boys. Here, she got to know a
school psychologist who sparked
her interest in school psychology
and counseling which is what she
went on to pursue in grad school
for her master’s degree.
Before continuing to her doctorate
degree, she gained experience in
the education world. “I went out
into the field and worked in K-12
at Puget Sound Area in Seattle,
as a school psychologist,’’ said
Buenaventura. Once she felt that
she had enough experience, she
decided to go back to school for
her doctorate degree and soon after
began to teach at the college level.
Buenaventura said that she enjoys
teaching college students. “I really
like it,” she said. “I like teaching
something I care about. I want
to help others develop and gain
respect for knowledge just the way
I do.”
She said that it’s exciting for her
when students are able to learn
something that they didn’t know
about before. “I think it’s great
that I get to watch them grow and
change into more knowledgeable
human beings.” Buenaventura
also said that she considers
herself lucky because she has the
opportunity to work with people
who share her interests.
She said that she probably
wouldn’t be where she is today
without her father’s influence. “He
encouraged me to become educated
and see learning as a never ending
experience,” said Buenaventura.
Her father also encouraged her to
take risks and be adventuresome.
“His advice to never be dissuaded
from challenges and to be
persistent in everything stays with
me all the time,” she said. “And
from this I later learned that what I
say will impact the people around
me, so it’s a good thing to think
about our surrounding community,”
Please see BUENA VENTURA on
IMriFY’ SGA Update
||MUC/\. Editorial
Together, we’ll p
Thousands of diamonds are formed throughout Rec. Hall as the final moments of THON come to a close. The Rec. Hall was packed to
capacity with dancers and supporters, and all were cheering in the stands when the final total of $4,214,748.18 was revealed.
By MARUJA ROSARIO
Assistant Editor
MXR3OO@PSU.EDU
On Sunday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. in
the Recreation Hall at University
Park, it would finally all be over.
The hallucinations of dancing stars
would soon stop, the pain that began
in the feet and traveled up the calves,
thighs, and found rest in the lower
back would start to minimize, and
the ever-teasing fluttering
of eyelashes as sleep fell
like anvils would soon be
able to shut indefinitely.
Yet through it all, one
thought was clear. It was
worth it
Each year, beginning
in October, Penn State
University begins to
prepare itself for the
Annual Penn State
IFC/Panhellenic Dance
Marathon, known simply
as THON. THON is the
culmination of months
of fundraising efforts
through traditional and
non-traditional means.
The actual marathon takes
place the third weekend
of February in which over
700 dancers pack into Rec.
Hall and prepare to stand
on their feet without sleep
for 48 hours.
THON is completely
student-run, making it
the largest student-run
philanthropy in the world.
Every single aspect of
THON, from security
to catering to morale to
public relations, is done
by PSU students. Even
though 700 students dance,
the hundreds more that are
necessary to make the event the
success it has become makes THON
even more overwhelming.
THON 2006 was different from
previous THONs in that for the first
time since 1992, all Commonwealth
campuses were active in fundraising.
page 3
From left: Dancer Steve O'Holla, Michael Edwards, Augie Bravo, Aerial O’Malley, Maruja
Rosario, Matthew Mahoney, and dancer Erin Moskalczak. The dancers and their sup
porters pose for a fun photo memory,
Culturally Inept 5 Entertainment.
Sports 7 Hot Spot
2
5
Some campuses, such as
Worthington Scranton, only had
a tiny committee of four to help
them fundraise, and yet they still
succeeded in raising $3OOO.
This year, Penn State Harrisburg
actively pursued fundraising and
came up with plenty of ideas to
help them raise money. Besides
the infamous canning weekends,
in which Penn Staters state-wide
stand outside Wal-Marts, K-Marts,
and median strips holding cans and
accepting donations, PSH held Cold
Stone Creamery days every last
Wednesday of the month.
On those days, students would
assume the hat and apron of Cold
Stone Creamery and serve ice
cream to patrons, earning money for
THON as pay for their wages. The
event resulted in less than stellar
enthusiasm from the student body,
even after guerilla advertising tactics,
so PSH THON Committee members
had to think of other ways to earn
some money.
The culmination of their efforts
was the first annual Penn State Idol.
Penn State Idol combined karaoke
with two raffles, one for an iPod
Shuffle and a 50/50 raffle. The event
was a huge success, and students
generously gave over $4OO of their
hard earned cash.
With approximately $7OOO raised
in five months, it was time for
Erin Moskaiczak, sophomore
Sushi
Photo by ERIN MOSKALCZAK /The Capital Times
Telecommunications, and Stephen
O’Holla, senior Communications, to
do their part. On their shoulders rode
the pride and honor of PSH, as they
were the two chosen dancers that
would stand for 48 hours at THON.
“I was somewhat nervous because
48 hours is a long time to be on my
feet. However, ever since I found
out about THON, I wanted to be
involved and dancing is the top
of the THON pyramid and I was
happy to be honored to
dance for this campus,”
Moskalczak said.
Moskalczak and
O’Holla crammed into
the backseat of junior
Matthew Mahoney’s
Dodge Dakota for the
trip to University Park
on Thursday evening to
get a good night’s rest
and prepare for their
upcoming marathon.
THON Chair Maruja
Rosario, who bid them a
hopeful and inspirational
farewell, then escorted
them to the Rec. Hall on
Friday morning, where
Moskalczak and O’Holla
received gifts from Nike,
Apple iTunes, Cold Stone
Creamery, Geico, and
other sponsors.
After standing in the
freezing cold to form
a chunk of the Human
Tunnel, PSH filed into the
Rec. Hall stands in order
to support the dancers
from above. The spot
in the stands they chose
that Friday afternoon
remained PSH’s spot for
almost the entire weekend,
Photo courtesy of a THON dancer
with the only variation
being when most of the
crew assembled in a tiny spot close
to the dance floor.
At approximately 7 p.m. on Friday,
Moskalczak and O’Holla stood up
and began THON. "I remember that
the only thing I thought of after the
Geek Corner.
Media Virus..
Please see THON on B
9 Calendar.
10 Puzzles....
Parking
Problem
By MATTHEW MAHONEY
Staff Reporter
MLMSO39@PSU.EDU
You get to school with minutes to
spare, take two tests, pay $1.79 for
a single slice of pizza, sit through
one more lecture, a lab period,
and then you finally get to your
car only to find a ticket. Maybe
you should have invested in that
parking permit.
In a pamphlet readily accessible
to all students found in the Vehicle
Registration Office of the Swatara
building, it states, “All students
having vehicles on campus are
required to register their vehicles
each semester or session.”
It goes on to state that students
are encouraged to mail in their
registration. If a registration form
is mailed in students are more
likely to have their passes before
school even starts, eliminating the
worry of ever having a ticket before
driving to campus.
A motor vehicle isn’t solely
limited to a standard car, SUV or
truck. According to the definition
provided by Vehicle Registration
Services a motor vehicle is defined
as anything driven by a motor. This
includes anything from a motorcycle
down to a mini bike or moped.
This policy is in line with the
Vehicle Code of the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania, which is also in
effect at all Penn State locations.
The cost of a parking permit
for students varies based on how
many credits a student is taking.
If a student is taking 12 or more
credits, he or she is required to pay
$4O for a single semester parking
pass or $75 for two concurrent
semesters. If a student is taking 11
credits or less they are required to
pay $2O for one semester or $35 for
two concurrent semesters.
Any vehicle that falls under the
classification of motorcycle has a
$lO.OO annual flat rate.
An option not many students are
aware of is to buy a car pool pass.
The cost is the same as a full time
student. Only one pass is issued,
but that pass is registered to every
vehicle that is part of the pool. The
only stipulation is that only one car
is permitted on campus at a time.
Students aren’t the only people
required to pay for parking
registration. Faculty, staff and
all other employees that work
at PSH are required to pay a
parking permit fee. Full time
employees are required to
pay $lO per month, which is
withheld by payroll deduction.
Professors are rated by how
many credits they teach, and
further staff breakdowns are
made based on the percentage
of full time work that they do.
Often students will notice
professors taking the long walk
to Wharton Avenue, which is the
closest place for parking where
permits are not required.
Without a parking pass properly
displayed in the rearview mirror
of a vehicle a student can expect
to have a ticket posted on their
windshield. The fee for the ticket
is more than the cost of the pass
itself, $5O.
Please see PARKING on 3