By DYLAN JOHNSON
Staff Writer
DJJSO43@PSU.EDU
A new law in Middletown has left off-campus parking
limited for students without a permit. Effective since
June 9, 2009, ordinance #1253 has made it illegal
for any car without a bright orange pass to park
along the residential streets that neighbor campus.
However, signs that state this new law were not posted
until three weeks into the beginning of the semester.
I, like many other students who utilized
the side streets and walked onto campus,
was surprised. This solution was much
easier to do than shell out the $75 it costs
to get a pass to park in the school’s lots.
Now, I know some of you are thinking
that this is not very expensive at all. But,
if you calculate in the cost of books,
rent, food, and just about every other
college fee, the expenditures begin to
add up. When the permit signs went up,
I decided it was time to find out why.
My first thought was to ask the campus
police. Perhaps they had the answer that
I was looking for. Unfortunately, they
did not. They did, however, point me in
the direction of the Middletown borough.
Upon arrival at the Middletown offices, I
found out that the acting borough manager
Cindy Foster was not in. Luckily, her
secretary was nice enough to print a
copy of Ordinance #1253 out for me,
BySEPIDEHSAFAEE
Staff Writer
SOSSO34@PSU.EDU
Dr. Clemmie E. Gilpin is an assistant professor of
Community Systems and Afro-American Studies. He
started teaching at Penn State Harrisburg in 1971, as a
faculty member. Before starting at the PSH he taught for
a year and a half at an Agricultural Internment Center as a
Peace Corps volunteer in Nigeria.
“Since I retired a year ago, I teach two courses,” he
said. Presently in the summer he teaches a course called
Social Conflicts and in the fall he teaches a course called
Geography on International Affairs. “Working in a
university you have to teach courses in which you have
some experience,” he said.
Dr. Gilpin said he has a keen interest in international
politics, in inter group relationships, and in ways which
governments cooperate and interlink. The two courses
he teaches give him a chance to relate to these topics.
ng permits now required on Wharton Ave.
Photo by JENNA DENOYELLES/ The Capital Times
Students who park along Wharton Ave. must now display parking permits.
Prof, spot: Dr. Clemmie E.
After reading over the document some light was shed
on the law that I did not know prior to investigation.
The community that borders campus (referred to
as the Grandview Neighborhood) had a number of
residents complaining about students taking their
parking spaces during school. Therefore, meetings
were held in order to layout a new parking scheme for
students. Representatives from Penn State Harrisburg
were also in attendance for these meetings. The
verdict was finally reached when the community and
Although he has retired a year ago he had decided to teach
at PSH. He did not want to travel when he retired. Th6ugh
he has traveled to many places, he said he does not like to
travel, and that he wants to do something with his time.
As an undergraduate student ofDr. Gilpin, Ben Branstetter,
Layout Editor for The Capital Times, is currently enrolled
in Dr. Gilpin’s Geography and International Affairs course.
“I feel like I have taken this course before, but he keeps
it very entertaining. “He is very freestyle in his teaching,
he likes to use humor, and question people, and keep them
involved,” said Branstetter.
Although Dr. Gilpin enjoys teaching International Affairs,
he said that he really did not set out to teach.
“I think if I were to look at the transformation of my
career goals, it went from Architecture in high school to
undecided in undergraduate school to a history major. I
had no desire to teach history at a high school level,” he
said.
He became really interested in international issues
because of his dad. His father was his influence. As far
as motivation, he thinks it is something that comes
internally.
“The fact that my dad was an avid newspaper reader...
I knew that it was important to him, and I found that it
would be something I would be interested in,” said Dr.
Gilpin, “And so I became an avid newspaper reader and
became involved in issues that were happening in other
countries.”
Before coming to Pennsylvania Dr. Gilpin worked for
VISTA, Volunteer in Service to America, part of the
AmeriCorps program, which he did for six to seven months
before joining the Peace Corps and going for his Masters
PSH agreed on a fair and legally enforceable plan.
The houses that make up the Grandview Neighborhood
were all issued three parkingpassesper house. These permits
entitle the holder to park on the marked streets without
any consequence. If someone without a permit parks in the
‘permit only’ zone, they can receive a citation. The extent
of the ordinance still did not answer some of my questions.
What if the homeowner has more than three cars? What
if visitors come over and there are not enough passes for
their car? Is this new law permanent during the summer?
So I hit the streets to find some opinions
on the new decree. First, I asked a resident
who is affected by the situation. John
Hertzler, an elderly man, told me that he
was not too affected. “I live on the comer
so I have plenty of parking.” Hertzler
stated. “My only question is will it still be
effective during the school’s breaks?”
It turns out that I was not the only one
with questions for the borough. Sophomore
Cody Pennington had a different view
on the situation. “I think it is a complete
outrage. College students need all of
the assistance they can get financially
and this is a classic act of extortion.”
Ordinance #1253 has definitely stirred
things up on campus. Now, less parking
is available on a campus that already has
overflowing lots. Taking these residential
spots away from the student’s selection has
caused Wharton Ave. to become a complete
parallel parking pandemic.
Gilpin
Degree program.
“Joining the Peace Corps was one of the best decisions
I made in my life...” he said. He said the fact that I am
able to live in different cultures, and interact and meet
different people is an amazing experience, also meeting
Americans from all over the country. “I think this was a
great experience for me,” said Dr. Gilpin.
Dr. Gilpin said the three main experiences from any
countries that he has seen was getting to know people,
getting to know the major culture, and the cuisines. Each
culture is oenter around eating.
“That is how you get to know and experience different
cultures,” he said.
‘To people who are interested in joining die Peace Corps
I say think about it... give it a lot of thought. It is not for
everyone, it requires a commitment and I think it could
eventually become one of the best jobs you ever loved,”
he said.
“I think you literally bring that position back home with
you. In reality one of the goals in the Peace Corps is not
what people bring back to the field, but what people bring
back home,” he said.
Dr. Gilpin said that the term for returned Peace Corps
Volunteer used to be Ex-Peace Corps Volunteers, and that
term was used for the longest time.
“The assumption,” he said, “is that the place you served
in the world... many of us have some type of engagement
with countries we serve in...”
Right now Dr. Gilpin is not thinking of stopping his
teaching career at Penn State Harrisburg and he does not
would not want to travel on a full time bases, as much as
he like to experience new cultures.