inside this issue From the McComas CD Page Fashion Forward /'"Vlhe lNA K ;W Gapitallimem®| October 1, 2007 ■ MJ^f m Vol. 47 No. 1 By ALISON SMITH Staff Reporter ALSS39@PSU.EDU To many, Sandra Carter is a professor with a love for Middle East studies and communication. However this Texan native is also an adventurous world traveler and humanitarian at heart. Having once traveled to Egypt armed with little more than a one-way ticket, she has settled here at Penn State Harrisburg to share that passion with her students. Carter, an Assistant professor of Communications and Humanities, finds development communication an area of particular interest because, she said, “(It is) communication for human and social development. ...It’s how you use communication to make social change.” Her inspiration to reach out to those who may not have a voice partly comes from a professor she once had. Though she believes selflessness is not always efficient, it does not stop her from trying to make the world a better place. She would like to help with advancements in developing countries, particularly those with women and children who suffer from poverty and lack of options. Carter draws inspiration from “people who know how to love and be generous to other people, yet still get a bunch of work done.” Her mentors have been professors who took time to share their passion with students. A female professor who had a huge impact on her career path, she said fondly, “was a dynamo but still very motherly and loving and supportive for all of her students. She was a real role model.” One thing Carter loves about her job is that communication is so dynamic. “The world is getting smaller. We’re able to communicate with people all over the world now with the Please see CARTER on page 5 INDEX: Smoki By MARIN BENDORITIS Editor in Chief MABS33B@PSU.EDU A new policy at Penn State Harrisburg has made a majority of the campus ‘tobacco-free.’ The policy was agreed upon by the Tobacco Taskforce, made up of students, faculty and staff and charged by Chancellor, Madelyn Hanes, to explore the possibility of a tobacco free campus. Penn State Harrisburg, like all Penn State University campuses, already follows Policy AD-32, which prohibits smoking inside buildings, and any place where smoke will enter the building. The policy also states that buildings should post signs at entrances that state, “This is a No-Smoking Building.-’ The new policy prohibits smoking in the main core of campus, including outside the Olmsted building, Zeigler Commons, and the athletic fields. Because of a new baseball field and tennis courts, and the close proximity of fans to players, the task force decided to include the athletic fields in the ban. The task force took a look at this policy, and as one of the charges A needed facelift for the old Olmsted building By KATIE GOODRICH Staff Reporter KJGI6@PSU.EDU Penn State Harrisburg is evolving into a college campus one Lobby exit East Exit Photo by MARIN KNDORITIS/Capilol Times The construction on the new lobby entrance may create a hassle for students but renovations will provide a fresh look and newer capabilities to Olmsted. Photo by MATIHEW SARVER/Copitol Times construction project at a time. The main entrance to Olmsted is closed right, but construction is estimated to be finished the beginning of February 2008. The renovations to the front of Olmsted are all part of the Campus Police Report, Opinion ng ban snuffs given to them, reviewed and evaluated the implementation of the policy. The task force was also given 4 other charges, including mamuß llljllj^ hmi / . £ ■wnHNmwMk The new tobacco policy on campus prol Master Plan, according to Ed Dankanich, Director of physical plant and maintenance operations. “The cafeteria, majority of the classrooms and offices are all located here,” said Dankanich. CLOSED Olmsted will house an additional elevator. The existing elevator, an old freight elevator from when the building belonged to the air force base, will still remain Please see CONSTRUCTION on page 5 West Exit The new entrance will accessible to those ih many different needs l compliant with the tericans with Disabilities . It will have proper ramp ipes and motion sensor tomatic doors. In addition, ADA parking spots will added, nearly doubling : current amount. The new entrance to News 4 - 5 Club News 6 - 7 surveying policy, practices and trends related to tobacco usage at other Penn State Campuses and other colleges; soliciting ihibits smoking in the red area showed above mpus housing Ca The g reat debate over which is better By PETER ROQUEMORE Staff Reporter PARSOB7@PSU.EDU Penn State Harrisburg, originally a small commuter school for upperclassmen and graduate students, has done some growing over the past few years. Take for instance, that over 400 first-year students were admitted this fall compared to the 10 first-year students admitted in the fall semester of 2001. Sophomore Dustin Holler commented, “Having spent some time at the dorms in the past couple weeks, there does seem to be an influx of hoodlums this year. I haven’t noticed a spike in participation in student organizations as of yet, but 1 look for it to happen before too long. Something I’m eager to see happen is an increase in overall school spirit.” Another aspect of student life the increase will affect is eating. Everyone eats, everyone needs food, and Food Services at Penn State Harrisburg are doing everything they can to keep up with the student demand. This year, Assistant Director Greg Schiavoni hired more student employees than in his 12-year history at Penn State. Along with the student hires, Food Services is making a few changes with the hiring of a second chef next semester, the introduction of some new food items and more “grab and go” options. One thing they won’t be changing is quality. “We’re pretty proud... we make most of our stuff from scratch,” said Schiavoni. Being a smaller college campus allows the food service to be versatile and change to fit the student preferences. A major aspect of their decision-making comes from student input which they don’t get enough of. A suggestion box is located in the Stacks Market and all ideas we welcomed. comments related to tobacco usage; recommend policy for implementation; and recommend in spirit of improved health and As Penn State grows, the food services grow. “We think we have one of the best food services in all of the common wealth campuses,” Schiavoni said, expressing confidence in the growth. Director of Admissions Robert Coffman projects that this growth will continue. “Our future enrollments look strong. We continue to attract applications from an academically strong and diverse population of prospective students,” he said. A statement easily backed up by the 13 percent increase in applicants this year over last. “The growth here at Harrisburg does seem to be stronger than some other campuses,” he continued. “But that is due to many factors such as our academic offerings, housing, student activities and athletics.” With the construction of apartment style dormitory buildings in The Village at Capital College, Penn State is able to offer excellent housing to students of any year. The dormitories for first-year students consist of three double occupancy rooms and one triple occupancy room, while upperclassmen receive four single occupancy rooms. Every apartment comes with features such as a living room, fully loaded kitchen and a washer/dryer unit. Freshman Sarah Barraza said, “I love living on campus. If you live in the 9000 building, you get your bathrooms cleaned, you have a huge living room, all of my roommates are awesome and the kitchen is perfect to cook feasts in, which we do!” Unfortunately not everyone can enjoy these facilities. The Village at Capital College houses only 328 students, leaving the rest to commute. Many students have opted to move into apartments in the surrounding area rather than commute all the way from home. A popular apartment Campus Calendar.... 7 Sports to the task force, which was made up of 2 students, 5 faculty members and 11 staff. According to Mary Lou Martz, co-director of the task force, about 4 to 5 members showed up to each meeting. wellness, voluntary educational The task force researched other PSU campuses’ smoking policies, such as Altoona as well as other programming in according to the impact and progress of the policy. colleges in the Big Ten. The campuses of Berks and York do not have a smoking policy in addition to AD-32, and Penn State Schuylkill has restricted smoking from around entry ways according to Engracia Texidor, Schuylkill The task force met at the end of the spring SGA President. Penn State Berks also holds smoking cessation sessions to help students who wish to quit smoking. semester and during the summer for a total of 6 times, with meetings continuing into the fall A survey was also sent out in April to students, faculty and staff asking their opinion on a no smoking policy on campus. Out of 345 faculty, 59 responded, with 71 percent in favor, 104 out of 214 staff responded with 77 percent in favor, and out of 3,722 students, 333 responded with 62 percent in favor of the no anwkwg policy, ■ The new policy was announced Aug. 22 and took effect Aug. 27. The meetings were not closed, but were only Please see TOBACCO on page 5 announced commuting VS. continues to grow complex nearby is The Village of Pineford. Its popularity is attributed to its close location, price, benefits and student population. “I was surprised when I first learned on-campus housing fills up fast and is very limited. I didn’t think a school would take on such a large number of students that it can’t house,” said freshman Stephen Seal. “It is great that there are nice apartments nearby. I enjoy my apartment because I have freedom to do whatever I want whenever I want. I also don’t have three to eight roommates. One or two is OK.” Freshman Anna West also enjoys the perks of living in Pineford. “I do enjoy it much more than living at home and commuting every day,” she said. There are students who commute long distances to campus every day however. The commute can make the campus experience very different from that of someone living in the dorms. “I enjoy commuting because I feel like it is less limiting. I can also keep the same job that I had during the summer,” said freshman Alicia Castro. “I think that commuting has definitely made it a little harder to fit in. Living with your classmates will definitely create a stronger bond than just seeing them a few times a week.” Freshman Cherie Smith chimed in, “For the most part, I don’t mind commuting. I really like the fact that I’m saving $7,000 on room and board by not living on campus. I really like that all my classes are spread out so I have plenty of time between them. Overall, I am enjoying my Penn State experience.” Any expansion of on-campus housing is at best five to 10 years down the road, so the best way for any student interested in housing on campus is to visit www.eLiving.psu. edu. Entertainment 9-10 11 Games
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