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-Fall 2006-
By Justin Zickar
News Editor
Over the summer of 2006, the
was engulfed in a minor disaster.
On June 27th, after a period of
torrential rainfall the Multipurpose
Activities Center endured major
flooding on to the gymnasium’s
main floor.
Usually in the Mont Alto area
of Pennsylvania rainfall is steady
~ over a long period of time, in this
case the summer months. Normal
totals include an average of 3.49
inches of precipitation.
On this particular week of June
in which the flooding occurred the
precipitation total nearly doubled.
Within a 3 day span the total
rainfall reached 7.56 inches.
The main source to the gym
flooding can be attributed to a
clogged drain near the rear exiting
gym doors. Most debris that fell
during the time easily maneuvered
around this drain area, allowing
water to slowly back up. Because
of the back up, water gradually
made its way underneath the gym
door, flooding the floor. Damage
from this disaster has totaled the
college about $66,000. Funding
from University Park is helping aid
the campus’s expense in the
reconstruction phase.
Rain flood damage was not
limited to only the MAC Center.
Another building that flooded was
the Emmanuel Chapel. The
flooding within the Chapel
consisted of damage to the floor.
After another expense of nearly
By Jordan Martin
Staff Writer
Tuition costs rise annually.
According to Kenneth Gill,
Director of Finance at Penn State
Mont Alto, there are two major
reasons for ballooning tuition.
First, the cost of living for
employees of Penn State goes up
about 3% each year. Employee
salaries must also rise to cover the
deficit. If salaries are not adjusted,
employees will have little incentive
to continue working for Penn
State. “If the salaries don’t keep
up [employees] will find another
place to go,” Mr. Gill said.
~ A second reason for the rampant
escalation in tuition costs is the
rising cost of fringe benefits for,
employees. Fringe benefits include
such benefits as medical, dental,
and vision coverage. These
benefits come from a central fund
$7,800, the Chapel’s underneath
floor ducts had to be cleaned out,
relieving the issue.
The flood also caused havoc on
the stream at the bottom of campus.
Water levels rose a foot due to the
storm’s surge of rain. Because of
the high level the stream would be
susceptible to easier flooding in the
future. The campus is taking
precautionary advances and
already in the beginning stages of
trying to lower the stream’s water
level.
= The repercussions from the
storm, other than damages, have
already left their mark. Some
disruptions over the fall 2006
semester include those of sports,
organizational events, and even
Alumni programs. During the Lady
Lions’ fall volleyball season at
Mont Alto, the team was forced to
relocate. Upon already having
moved practices, they also had to
move their games and other events
to Waynesboro, where they played
at the local YMCA.
Photo by J. Michael Ray
This year’s fall basketball season
is not expected to be hindered from
this complication; all repairs to the
Multipurpose Activities Center are
set to be completed throughout the
month of November.
at University Park. “The cost of
medical coverage has gone out of
sight,” Mr. Gill said. Employees pay
a part of their own medical costs
still gone up 20% per year.
There are other reasons for rising
cost of tuition, although they are
not as significant. “Probably one
Mr. Gill said. The cost for
employees traveling to and from
University Park for meetings and
other purposes has also risen
dramatically. This cost has gone
from thirty cents per mile to forty-
four cents per mile. >
The tuition cost for an in-state
student at Penn State Mont Alto is
$5004 per semester, not including
housing and food costs. For an
out-of-state student, costs run
much higher. Out-of-state students
find themselves paying $7642 per
semester, not including housing
and food. For some, this may be a
heavy burden to bear. Sadae
Williams is a Political Science major,
and a freshman at Penn State Mont
Alto. She is from Manhattan, New
York, and as such, finds herself
paying the hefty out-of-state
tuition rates. “I pay about seventeen
thousand dollars a year,” she said.
“I think it’s outrageous, and I don’t
really agree with it. I think we
should be provided with more aid.”
For Eric Edler, tuition is a prime
concern. “It’s one of my main
worries,” he said. For Edler, a
freshman, and biochemistry major,
the prospect of over $50,000 in
college debt is very overwhelming.
“I’m going to need a job next
semester,” Edler said.
There are resources available to
students to aid them financially.
One of these is the Federal Work-
Study Program. According to Mr.
Gill, Work-Study is a federal
program that hires students to work
for the university. 75% of the
student worker’s hourly wage is
paid for by the federal government.
15% of the student wage is
covered by a budget at University
Park. The remaining 10% of the
student’s wage is paid by a budget
at Penn State Mont Alto. The
program is based on need, and
helps students cover extraneous
expenses. Mr. Gill said, “The idea
is to give students some spending
money while they’re in college.”
However, Work-Study may not be
enough for some students.
Sophomore Garrett Shourds holds
give you thirteen-hundred dollars,”
he said. “It seems like a drop in the
bucket.”
Scholarships are also available
to some students. However,
students should not be under the
impression that scholarships are
only available to those elite
students with ‘ncredible talent and
superstar grades. Mr. Gill listed
see Tuition page 3