MAY 25, P)59 Hazleton Campus Deversified Extracurricular Program ORCHIDS TO THE GIRLS OF THETA SBGIAA PHI SORORITY Olga Markus Crowned 12th May Day Queen THETA SIGMA I'HI. (Left to right) Mrs, Elizabeth Bodenstein (Advisor), Anne Stebnitsky (Pres tary—standing) and Olga Markus, meeting in the Conference Room of May Day. Since the Theta Sigma Phi So-1 rority was started in September,l 1951, it has grown in size and in' importance. When the school year began in September of '5l, the girls felt that a sorority should be formed so that the girls would have some thing to call their own. Miss Flor ence Yannes was the college nurse and Dean of Women at Highacres then., and at her suggestion the sorority was formed and given the name of Theta Sigma Phi, which means "secret sisters." At the first meeting of the newly formed soci ety nominations for officers were held. According to the bylaws of the sorority formulated at that time, the president and secretary must be sophomores and the vice president and treasurer, freshmen. Miss Dolores Dißubbo took over the duty as advisor to the sorority when Miss Yannes left Highacres. During the time that Miss Dißub bo was advisor, the Frosh were pledged with Blue Bows, pins with the Theta Sigma Phi insignia were ordered, payment of dues were in stituted, and secret pals names exchanged. From 195:i-56 Miss Helen Dos senbach, now on the faculty of the West Hazleton School District, was the advisor. During her term the sorority progressed rapidly, and when Mrs. Elizabeth Bodenstein took over in September '56, the sorority was in full swing. Although the May Day tradition is thought of as a sorority-snon-1 sored affair today, it was started in 1945 at the Hazleton Center and was a student body activity. The combined ceremonies were then, as now, the coronation of the queen: Nv t h the May Day rites, and the Queen's Ball all held indoors, however. When the Center moved front Broad Street to the present s ite at Ilighticres in 1950, the May Day tradition took on a new andi natural freshness. Ceremonies were held on the lawn in front of the Administration building:, and the ball held at a local ballroom. Past queens have been the follow ing: 1945---Irma Masley; 1940---Cath erine Conahan; 1947 ---Shirley Van, Nauker; 1948 - - Jean lizmamr,l 1949—Doris Bartol; 1950 Mary} Louise Pollock; 1951 --Jane Marg-1 -- worth; 1952 - Josephine Donish; 1953-.. Marie Jack(); 1954--Harriet Lee Tulin; 1955 --- Elaine Perko; 195 - Theresa Bokowski; 1957 --- Jacqueline Kessel; 1958 --- Betty Ann Fleck; 1959 Olga Markus, (present queen). Another activity of the sorority is the annual banquet at which time secret pals are revealed and gifts exchanged. A hayride is usu ally held in the fall, and a dance is sponsored by the sorority some time during the school year. Bake sales, teas and suppers were held in past years. Theta Sigma l'hi has truly dis tinguished itself in aiding the girls who attend Hazleton Campus to dent), Frances Werpshaw (Secre this year's Highacres May Queen, the SUB to discuss details of the develop themselves as gracious and cultured young women, and will continue to do so in the future. This year Anna Jean Stebnitsky is president. Mrs. Elizabeth Boden stein is faculty advisor. Belles-Letters Society Flourishing at Highacres Literary Society Now In Its Second Year One of the newest organizations on the Hazleton Campus (in stituted only since 1957-58) and fast becoming one of the most pop ular is the Belles-Lettres Society. Included in its activities for 1958-59 was the joint sponsorship (with the English, Speech, and Library Departments of the local campus) of the highly successful First Annual Highacres Reading Festival, and participation in the 11th Annual Reading Festival at the Main Campus of The Pennsyl vania State University. Much ac claim was given the Hazleton Campus' contingent by experts at the festival. Winners of the local reading festival who were sent to the Main Campus are these: An drew Kavalecs, George Walker, Anthony Sant ore, Barbara Jean Pace, Anna Jean Stebnitsky, and Eleanor Svok. Plans for next year include a Second Annual ITig . hacres Reading Festival, a cultural tour, talks by several guest speakers, and discus sion on the merits of poems, es says, novels, and short stories com posed by members of the society and by professionals. The society's objectives in c lude encouragement of creative writing, criticism of all st udent s• iirks when submitted, and analysis of literary compositions for the pur pose of examiningg•writing' ech nig LICS. The present president is Henry IZiehard. Fortner presidents were Olga Markus and Vita Sappe. The faculty sponsor is Professor An drew Kafka. H igh a c res Dance Band Reorganizes The Highacres Hance Band, the newest extra-curricular activity to' appeal' on campus, has been in active this spring because the brass section transferred to the main campus. The band is pres ently holding a series of reorgani zation meetings, however, with the aim of an improved and enlarged aggregation for the 1959-1960 sea son. Several incoming freshmen have already expressed the inten tion of joining. These people plus the nucleus of this year's group which will return to Highacres in sures students many enjoyable dances next year. Dance Band members who per formed so faithfully and well last semester are to be heartily com mended for the enjoyment they gave to the many people who at tended dances at Highacres. COLLEGIAN STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION, CO-ORDINATOR OF JOINS IN MARKING The Student Government Associ ation is sharing its Silver Anniver sary with the Hazleton C a mpus. Professor Stewart (has, w h o i s now at the Main Campus of the Pennsylvania State University, or ganized and drew up the constitu tion for the first student council in Mil. Since then, it has been very active in Off-campus activities as well as in on-campus functions. For example, when the Pennsylva nia Association of Student Govern ment Associations of Junior Col leges, of which Hazleton Campus' SGA is a member, was first formed for off-campus centers, of PSU, they soon extended an invitation of membership to all Junior Colleges of Pennsylvania. The first Junior College Basketball League was formed by this organization, and for many years Highacres was an active member of it. The same is true for golf and tennis. How many people realize that the Student Union Building was brought to Highacres largely through the efforts of three succes sive Student Government Associa tions? In 1951, a member of the SGA, while sitting on the Student- Faculty Board, first proposed this idea. Seventy-five per cent of the student body endorsed a petition which would have assessed them $5.00 per semester for the SUB fund. Main Campus officials de cided that this sum would be in sufficient, and in 1952 a new peti tion was put forth for the amount of $lO.OO per semester. Passage of this petition failed until in 1950, largely through the efforts of the SGA. it was endorsed. We should not confine ourselves to past achievements, however, lest one would think that recent Collegian Serves Campus By Printing News Bi-weekly COLLEGIAN STAFF pause during a busy time while publishing a hi-NS eeklc Collegian. Lett to right Frances Werpshaw, Nancy Brad ne:t (Editor), flank Rich , Hd. Celia Kalinowshi, Adeline Schumacher. Prisea I'at Reteneller, and Bobbie Jean Pace. Studying copy to the lower left are Francis Sullivan and John McCullough. ifighacres has had a "Collegian" the first floor of the Main Building.' in one form or another almost Soon, however, the Collegian had since the Center began. Back in its own office again. A drafting! the Markle Bank days, the Col-' storage on the third floor of the! legion came out in mimeographed Main Building was cleaned andl form every week or so. Then, as supplied with desk, , , and chairs.l now, it dealt mainly with the activ- ' This has remained the Collegian! ities of the students and faculty. office to the present. The Collegian When the Center moved to High- 1 now appeal's as a hi-weekly with acres, the paper had its office in the aid of two typewriters, a re-1 what is now the Zoology storage: conditioned mimeographing ma-: room on the third floor of the Main chine, and, of course, the staff with Building In the 40's, it came out as a printed edition once a month. At, important campus functions: (1) this time, Professor Peightal was It brings news to everyone on our the advisor. However, after a few! campus and, via exchange, to other years, the printed edition became,' places as we11.(2) It is an outlet too expensive and the paper went for students' writing, art, and back to the old mimeo format. The typing was done in Professor Kaf-1 opinions. (3) It offers training and ka's present office, and it was mini-; experience to students who plan to eographed in the old bookstore on major or minor in journalism. STUDENT ACTIVITIES, SILVER ANNIVERSARY HIGHACRES STUDENT COUNCIL: (Top—left to right) Hank Richard, Al Binger, Thomas Brennan, Frank Kleckner. (Bottom—left to right) Frank Kostos, Jr. (Treasurer), Jack Sotack (President), Ann Colancecco (Secretary), Bonnie Schechterly. councils have been dormant. The benches that are placed around the campus are but one example of a recent SGA activity, This year's council has purchased, among other things, a world globe for the library, a portable stage, trash cans, and a water cooler to be in stalled in South Hall. In addition, the SGA handles financial matters for the student organizations, and sponsors many of the social events that take place at Highacres,. It is the representative body of the stu dents, and is responsible to them. Professors Richard Mattern and 1 - 1 n Longo are faculty advisors. Iti Professor Andrew Kafka advising. The newspaper has a number of PA(;F: TIIIi3 1f Hail To Parnassus Parnassus, the Hazleton Campus' honor society, originated in the ac ademic year of 1951-52 as a result of the faculty's student welfare committee who decided that recog nition be given to the well-rounded student, one who attains high scholastic standards and who also actively participates in extracur ricular activities. Professor James R. Steel, a member of the faculty at High acreA and 0 charter member of :hr, society, suggested the name, Par nassus. Parnassus is the name of a two-peaked mountain in Greece, which was sacred to the Muses, the goddess of learning, and to Apollo, the sun god, who repre sented purity, loyalty, good citi zenship, and justice. The society now has 87 students, faculty and honorary members. Students are chosen on the basis of their scholarship averages and total number of activity points. They must have completed one or more semesters of college work, earned a 2.8 aVc rage and accumu lated four activity points per sv mester. Parnassus sponsors the elect ion for Most Va 1 hit. Freshman and Sophomore whi,..11 taLes place each year. 'wick is tulyNot to the tttruttp. COLLEGE-CrMMUNITY CHORUS D:zAWS LOCAL TALENT I 1- , In 1916 tt.l,' 11:1/1 , Thri imntt.(l ;II t +l',lll `C11( ChM tw,) (•“Ixt.ll, at t'ht ilLnr