page 7 RS ae | Dear Ms. Tiger... This is my first year, and my second semester has been a good one so far. But nobody told me college was this expensive! I spend so much when I go out to eat with friends, my meal plan, parties and snacks! My bank account is decreasing rapidly. Help! REE ass ; Dear Student, Breathe! This happens to all first year students; they come into college not aware of the financial toll it can take on them. It sounds like a majority of your money is going towards food. My suggestion is to cut back and remember that all of these things cost money. Regulate the amount of time you go out to eat with your friends. Going out can be fun but slowly and surely just like you have noticed, it can take a finan- cial toll on you. Maybe limit yourself to once every two weeks or only on special occasions. Doing this will really save your funds from total evaporation! Buy in bulk! Buying things like snacks, tissue paper, even water can help you save a lot of money at the checkout line. Stores like Giant sell things in bulk so the consumer can save a lot more. Try it out and let me know. If you still have doubts count up the cost of buying a particular brand of water or juice individually then go to the stores and see how many come in a pack for how much. You’d be amazed at the difference in price. Lower your standards! In other aspects of your life it is good to have high standards but in this case there could be some room for adjustments. You are a col- lege student. You have to use your money wisely be- cause, as you know, college is expensive. You have to understand that name brand foods may not always fit in your budget. Think wisely before you buy that $10 pack of chips when you can purchase the $5 pack that, although may not be “name brand,” taste the same. Sometimes ramen noodles will do the job because TV dinners or other packaged foods can be quite expen- sive. What about a job? Having a job in college is not a bad thing. It can help tie up some of those lose ends finan- cially. As long as you realize that, although you need the money, you are a student first and your academics are important. Try to find a job that can work as a work study so on your down time you can read a cou- ple chapters or do some problems. Just make sure you don’t get overwhelmed with work and remember that there is a balance to everything. Please write me back and let me know how it goes! With love and paws, Ms. Tiger MICHAELA CONDON According to the Penn State Mont Alto web- site, there are “approximately 1,200 full- and part-time students,” and of that approximate number, 40 of them are veterans. What exactly is a veteran? The title of “Veteran” is not limited to old people knocking back brewskies at the local VFW and talking about their ex- periences. They come in many shapes, sizes, ethnici- ties, genders, and ages. The veterans who attend the Mont Alto cam- pus are no different and may be hard to pick out of the crowd. Some of them like to have the ability to blend in with the rest of the student population by wear- ing college camouflage, while others stick out by wearing unit tee-shirts or looking like they could ruin anyone’s day with a glare ing who is a veteran can make other vets feel alone when they first start attend- ing the campus, and some vets may have a hard time transitioning from ‘the ri- gors of military life to a low key academic routine. The Mont Alto Veteran's Club (MAVC) is the an- swer to helping vets con- nect with other vets. The MAVC’s mis- sion, according to the club’s president Brian Hall, “is to give Veterans who served an opportunity to be part of a local family providing support, leader- ship, and giving back to the community... Every veter- an is a member of the Vet- eran's Club. We recognize every Veteran's service by being a member of the Penn State Mont Alto Vet- eran's Club family.” The club meets twice a month, and the dates and times vary according to the mem- bers’ schedules. “We try to accommodate for all of our members to allow them the opportunity to attend meet- ings. If they can't attend due to their schedules, that is fine,” says Hall. He continues, “We welcome them to be in- volved in any events no matter if they can contrib- ute only a small amount of time or a larger amount.” Currently, the club is raising funds for a Veter- an’s memorial on campus to acknowledge the “rich and extensive history here at Mont Alto [of] past Vet- erans attending [this cam- pus] and to recognize the service for all of those who attended our great universi- ty” maintains Hall. The memorial project was initi- ated during the fall 2011 semester, and the “latest projection for the comple- tion and dedication of the Veteran's Memorial is for the fall semester 2012,” he contends. So far, the MAVC has raised 75% of the goal amount needed to fund the initial phase of the plan. Hall asserts, “The initial phase of the memorial will include a 40 foot flag pole with a bronze plaque at the base recognizing all four major components of the armed forces, and it will be placed at Conklin Hall, on the side [facing] the tennis courts.” He maintains, “Future phases of the me- morial will feature a Conklin Veteran's Memori- al Plaza containing benches and brick pavers... the me- morial will be illuminated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.” In addition to the memorial, the club is dis- cussing the idea of opening itself up to all students on campus, regardless of mili- tary service experience. However, since it is a re- cent proposal, “a decision has not been reached on that matter at this time,” says Hall. He maintains that the reason for propos- ing the club being open to anyone is because “if we did open membership up to all students, it would allow them to learn more about military traditions, service, leadership, and the im- portance of community involvement.” Mon—Fri 9-5 Saturday 9—1 H7-352-2192 Fayetteville, PA Electric Guitars Acoustic Guitars Banjos & Mandolins Amplifiers Accessories tffects Repairs & More!
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