The Fourth Wall
page 3
On Oct. 27, four members
of the University Faculty
Senate visited Mont Alto.
Fourteen students were present
to voice their complaints and
to make suggestions on how to
improve our campus.
Issue: The need for the
establishment of a four-year
Forestry degree.
Campus Response: For it to
even be considered, a four-year
program needs at least eight
faculty; Mont Alto currently
employs three Forest
Technology instructors. The
campus ten-year Program
Statement includes the
addition of either an
Arboriculture or Natural
Resource Management
Baccalaureate Degree.
Issue: Facilities on campus
need to extend their hours. If
there were more wage jobs on
campus, there would be more
people available to keep
facilities open longer, more
students would stay on campus
rather than go home every
weekend, and students would
have an income, giving them
the ability to further assert their
independence. It is difficult for
a student without a car on
campus to earn a paycheck.
Campus Response:
Currently, the Millstream,
Residence Life for night
assistance, and the Information
and Technology department
offer wage jobs — all other jobs
are work study. Currently the
possibility of coffee machines
in buildings next to the soda
machines to be available 24/7
is being researched.
Issue: The food quality in
the Millstream 1s poor.
Campus Response: Alicia
Henderson, Assistant Director
of Housing and Food Services,
asks any student with a
complaint or recommendation
to speak to Housing and Food
Services. The Millstream has
not changed their recipes or the
people producing them; they
have not changed their
equipment. They have created
more options with the display
station three days a week.
Smaller portions are presented
and replenished more often to
ensure the freshness of the food.
Issue: The Millstream is
not student-oriented. For
instance, it is not sensitive to
the religious needs of students
and there are too many
limitations on posters and
displays allowed in the
Millstream.
Campus Response: The
Millstream may not be aware
of your needs; if notified, they
will try to accommodate you.
Students are encouraged to
prepare, if possible, by taking
something back to their room
to have to eat if the Millstream
doesn’t open early enough for
you.
In fact, not all posters and
displays are banned. Due to
problems in the past, the
Millstream has set guidelines so
the staff is not left with a mess
to clean up. Students are
allowed to paint the windows
for an event, but they must also
clean them. Cork strips are
available for students to post
signs.
Issue: Lack: of trans-
portation.
Campus Response: We are
doing more activities off
campus this year. We did trips
to UP this year but with low
student participation. An
intern is currently asking
students what they want. For
the personal needs of students
with no transportation, no
solution has been found. There
is not enough funding to meet
every student’s needs.
Transportation to the
Harrisburg bus and train
station is provided every time
the halls close for break. There
are more trips to the movies and
the mall this year. Amy Cotner-
Klinger in Student Affairs is
interested in hearing what
students want and is willing to
try anything within reason.
Issue: Information is not
Veterans Affairs at University
Park. They need make sure that
students with questions can get
in contact with the appropriate
people who can help them.
Campus Response: Kathy
Swope is the Veterans Affairs
representative for the Mont
Alto campus. She encourages
students to direct any questions
or concerns to her. If ‘she
doesn’t have the answers, she
will gladly find them for you.
There are currently 27 vets on
the Mont Alto campus. Kathy
has suggested that interested
students establish a Veterans
Club’on campus; she will be an
advisor for the club. A club
would connect the students
and open communication
about common issues and
questions.
Issue: We need to find a
way to get commuters more
involved in on-campus
activities. Too many come here
only for class; they are missing
a large part of the college
experience.
Campus Response: The
bulletin board at the commuter
lot will be used more to let
commuters know what’s
happening on campus.
After meeting with the
students, the Senate members
met with the faculty, and then
with the executive board. The
Senate turns in a report to
President Spanier about any
recommended changes that
need to be made.
The Faculty Senate visited
two other campuses this
semester before coming to
Mont Alto. The chief
complaint from them was the
cost of tuition. The last campus
they visited only had two
students in attendance; the
increased turnout at Mont Alto
(14 people) shows a greater
student interest.
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Corey White
The benefits of the Mont
Alto campus library may be
underestimated by some
students. As a Penn State
facility, our library has one of
the most expansive libraries in
the country.
Mont Alto has
approximately thirty-five
thousand books and access to
approximately four million
books within the Penn State
system. Additionally, Penn
State participates in the
interlibrary loan program
which allows students to
borrow books from other
colleges and universities; this
provides access to almost any
book you want. The library
alse has about two hundred
hardcopy periodicals and
journals, and over fifteen
thousand available
electronically.
Lisa White, Peggy
Angelovich, Tom Reinsfelder
and Carol Maholtz comprise
the library’s very friendly and
helpful staff.
They want students to
know that the library is
designed to be helpful to
students by making research
easier. The library has small,
independent study rooms
which are ideal for group
projects and meetings that may
require a quiet atmosphere and
study space. Head librarian
Lisa White says, “We try to
accommodate both individual
and group study.”
Many people aren’t aware
of the library’s popular DVD
collection and wireless
connection. There is also a
popular best-sellers book
section in the front of the
library. Recently purchased
books of all genres are
displayed near the
Encyclopedias.
There are instructional
sessions on how to use the
library available on the
internet, or personally with a
staff member. Visit
www.ma.psu.edu/%7Elibrary/
mahome for Mont Alto’s
library office hours, staff
contact information, etc. or, for
all of Penn State libraries, visit
www.libraries.psu.edu.