Capitol times., February 26, 2007, Image 1

46 No. 8
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By RABYIA AHMED
Staff Reporter
RZAIO9@PSU.EDU
She knows six languages. When
she reads professional journals
in comparative literature, all six
languages come in handy. Besides
being fluent in English and Spanish,
she also knows Greek, French,
Portuguese and Latin. Her favorite
language is Spanish, which was her
first love that eventually evolved
into the literature and culture of
the language.
It all began in high school when she
took Spanish as her foreign language
requirement. She was a natural at
learning the various tenses of verbs
and picked up on the vocabulary
quickly. And that was it, decided
Gloria Clark, associate professor of
Humanities and Spanish. She knew
what she wanted to do with her life.
“I wanted to share my knowledge
of the language with other people,
so, I went into education,”
said Clark.
After teaching middle school, Clark
wanted to teach at a higher level.
She decided that teaching at a junior
college was a good leap. But then
she wanted to upgrade even higher.
To do so, she would need a doctorate
degree, which she did not have.
So, she went back to school and
attended the State University of New
York at Binghamton for Spanish
American literature and a minored in
peninsular literature.
Her passion and excitement of
teaching literature vibrated in her
tone as she described the love for
her discipline.
“I feel like I’m a natural bom
teacher,” said Clark. “It’s the perfect
job for me!”
The best days on the job for her are
when students are really engaged in
the class discussion. If students are
excited about what they’re learning,
Clark explained that she picks up on
their energy.
“It’s great when students are active
in class because those days I’m just
bouncing off the walls,” Clark said.
She wants students to be able to
take learning and make it a part of
them, instead of simply learning the
material for an exam.
“By making it a vital part of their
Please see CLARK on page 5
INDEX:
pitalUm
$5.2 m
Police Report.
Opinion
February 26, 2007
News 4 - 5
Club News 6 - 7
on strong
Campus Calendar.... 7
Sports
Celebrate 1 tie
THON: Many Hearts One Home
Penguins heal Panthers 2: I
Fashion tips to
your ‘star quality’
In the bitter 21 degrees on February
16, 2007, a small group of Penn State
Harrisburg students huddled together
waiting for their dancers. They were a
small part of a THON tradition called
the human tunnel, a one-mile stretch
of people standing on opposite sides
to form a tunnel.
As Ariel O’Malley and Matthew
Sarver walked through the tunnel,
their faces glowed and they waved
at those gathered to cheer them on as
they made their way into the Bryce
Jordan Center (BJC). O’Malley
and Sarver would then have a few
precious moments before they had to
stay on their feet for 46 hours.
THON is short for the Penn State
IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon.
Started in the 1970 s as a way to
bring apathetic students out from
their dorms during winter, THON has
now grown into an annual fundraiser
for The Four Diamonds Fund. The
Four Diamonds Fund takes care of
the families of cancer children at the
Hershey Medical Center by providing
money to cover what insurance
companies cannot. Throughout its
34-year history, THON has raised
$45 million.
The THON fundraising season
begins on October 1, culminating at
the end of the season with the dance
marathon, which words cannot
describe. Andrew Scott, senior,
Mechanical Engineering, described
THON as a “46-hour party,” but even
that does not do THON justice.
Though most people will use the
almost cliche phrases of “hard to
describe,” “see it to believe it,” “you
have to experience it,” in attempts
to get across THON, Dustin Holler,
freshman, Information Sciences, said,
“1 went in not knowing what to expect.
I had heard so much, that I have to be
there. That sums it up perfectly. To
see the hard work, dedication, and
selflessness for a wonderful cause, it’s
just amazing.”
Sarver said “[THON] is amazing,
spontaneous, a unique experience
you’ll never forget.” O’Malley
echoed adding, “It’s really exciting
and so much fun.”
Another THON tradition is the
line dance. The line dance made its
debut around the 1990 s and has now
become the highlight of THON. The
line dance incorporates elements
from sports, entertainment, news,
and Penn State to create a witty and
energetic dance.
PSH was no exception. Almost
every student interviewed named the
line dance as his or her favorite part
of THON. Some of their favorite
lyrics include:
“Diamonds in the stands, di
diamonds on the floor, Diamonds
over Hershey and we’ve got four.”
“Roar Lions Roar! T-H-O-N! THON
two thousand se-ven, for the kids.
Loyal to, white and blue, everything
is possible, dreams come true.”
“Science leads us down wrong route,
planet Pluto gets the boot.”
“We stand behind their courage
and wisdom at great length. We learn
from their honesty and celebrate
their strength.”
Please see THON on page 4
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By MARUJA ROSARIO
Editor in Chief
MXR3OO@PSU.EDU
THON creates fond memories
Entertainment 9-10
11
Games