Fall 2004
Martina Pfeuffer
Office space for Penn State
Mont Alto adjuncts has been
a rising issue within our
campus community. Part time
instructors who commute to
and from multiple jobs every
day have had difficulty
obtaining adequate workspace
at our campus. Without proper
office space, adjuncts struggle
to complete the basic functions
of an instructor, whether it’s
conducting conferences or
tutoring students.
The majority of students
interviewed were unaware of
the difference between an
adjunct and a full time
instructor and only two could
state whether or not they have
or have had an adjunct as their
instructor. Most adjuncts do
not have a set office or set office
hours posted; the few who do
are considered fortunate.
Wayne Knepper, an adjunct
of seven years, is one such
person. He shares an office with
up to four others at a time,
resulting in an extreme absence
of privacy while consulting
with students.
Since adjuncts do not have
their own office lines, students
must rely on email to contact
them outside of the classroom.
Many feel that this is too
impersonal and inefficient, as
response time varies and servers
go down. Students feel
detached from adjuncts because
there is no physical space to
associate them with.
Adjuncts often give out their
home and daytime phone
numbers to students, instead of
an office phone number. None
see Adjuncts page 7
Danielle Ramsay
Many students are
complaining about insufficient
parking on campus. Often,
there are student vehicles
parked on the grass in the
commuter lot, or in faculty
designated parking spaces
behind General Studies.
According to the standards set
by the Parking Management
Association based on the
number of
permits
issued, Mont
Alto campus
adheres to
the recom-
mended
guidelines for
student
parking.
PMA says
that Mont
Alto should
provide 232-
248 faculty/
staff spaces,
386-429
commuter
spaces, 86-92
spaces for
Mont Alto
Bons Lil
staff who do not have enough
parking.
Police Chief Jim Sourbier
suggests that the reason for the
congestion in the commuter lot
is the schedule of classes
overlapping on certain days:
“On Mondays and
Wednesdays, we don’t have
that perpetual turnover.” On
most days, however, the
There are a few concerns
regarding the overflow lot that
are currently being ignored.
There is no lighting, so it is
unsafe to park there if your class
lets out after dark. Sourbier
recommends that you move
your car during a break
between classes if you plan to
stay on campus after dark.
There is no crosswalk either
across 233 or
Slabtown
Rd. Drivers
don’t expect
pedestrians
to be cros-
sing on the
other side of
Slabtown
Rd., so be
sure to Cross
Wool t=h
caution. It is
not paved,
there are no
delineation
markings,
and there is
no walk-
way.
Students
and faculty
residents, 112-
120 for Penn Gate residents,
and 25 handicapped spaces
with three of those being van
‘accessible. Currently, Mont
Alto provides 96 faculty/staff
spaces, 390 commuter parking
spaces, 86 for Mont Alto Hall
residents, 127 for Penn Gate
residents, and 18 handicapped,
of which 6 are van accessible.
Parking should not be an issue
for students; it is the faculty and
s commuter lot
sufficient parking.
The commuter lot serves as
an overflow lot for the other
parking lots on campus for
faculty, residents and visitors.
Sourbier reminds students that
the overflow lot beside the
nursery will hold 100 cars and
1s available when the
commuter lot is full.
provides
may have some reasons to
complain about the parking on
this campus. No one, however,
can com-plain about the cost.
You could pay up to $540 a
year to park at University Park
while parking here is free. In
addition, there is no limit to the
number of permits issued to
each student.
see Parking page 7