April 24, 2006 Not Just ey cla eed oes ‘THe Lion’s Eye ~~. Eve On Communit Al viinor Student Service New Civic and Community Engagement minor trains student leaders to graduate as civil leaders By JESSE ROWLAND jard22(@psu.edu "Involvement." To Dr. Laura Guertin, assistant professor of Earth Sciences at Penn State Delaware County, it's more than just a word. It's key to a meaning- ful life. "The idea of engagement is very important for the growth of students and the community,” said Guertin, who spearheaded the creation of Penn State Delaware County's Center for Civic and Community Engagement. The Center coor- dinates a variety of service and volunteer proj- ects throughout the year. "In college, we are always trying to encour- age students to become student leaders. But by participating in projects that help others, we are preparing students to become community lead- ers, to have the skills, knowledge, and confi- dence that they can make a difference in their community,” Guertin said. Guertin, recently honored as one of the 2006 recipients of the George W. Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching at Penn State University, became involved in the Center after learning about the new minor, which Penn State began offering last year at all its campuses as an intercollegiate minor called Civic and Community Engagement. Guertin said she wanted to "create a Center that serves as an umbrella to share information about not only the minor, but all campus volun- Both Day and Night Lions Eye Featured Winni tion 0 teering and service efforts.” Service projects are not only completed by students in the minor. Student clubs, faculty, and specific classes also help with the projects. In March, PSU held an alternative spring break where students participated in various service projects. Some of these projects includ- ed: taking a three day trip to the National Constitution Center, packing food kits for Philabundance and reading to children at the Aardvark Childcare Center. Another project that students became involved in was "The Philadelphia Committee to End Homelessness." An upcoming event that the Center supports is the "Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure." This is an annual walk, taking place on Mother's Day in Philadelphia, to raise breast cancer awareness and help fund cancer research. PSU- Delco Office of Student Life is also helping to organize a team. Announcements for how to sign up will be available on campus shortly. Guertin said another great opportunity to get involved is "MathOptions," a program run by Dr. Pat VanLeuvan. It gives seventh grade female students the chance to learn about the importance of math and science. The girls come to campus for one day to learn about the bene- fits of pursuing a career in the math and science fields. Students and faculty will be assisting with the program throughout the day. For information on how to join Penn State Delaware County's volunteer programs, or to find information about minor in Civic and Community Engagement, visit http://communi- ty.de.psu.edu ng photos: Stude Arnold Markley | usually end up taking a detour." other areas in that direction." Fan Route 352: A | Less Traveled By DAVID HARDISON dph5001@psu.edu Since the beginning of the semester, the entrance to our campus on Route 352/Middletown Road has been undergoing construction. The purpose is to resurface the road, and prepare the campus for a new stop- light. While these are nice additions, they are coming at the cost of inconven- ience for students. Furthermore, an additional entrance (which will enter the campus’ driveway in the middle of the parking lot) has been in the making for quite a few years Now. Unfortunately, over the course of this semester, the only thing the "new entrance” has done is make the campus less aesthetically appealing, with the presence of construction vehicles and dump trucks. Students have begun to make liberal use of Old Forge Road, which goes past Fair Acres Retirement Community and Darlington Road. This road leads to the other end of Yearsley Mill Road, which can then be taken to the campus’ driveway. Feelings towards the construction project among students and faculty have been mixed. Here is what some people had to say: "1 take the 117 bus. The bus. just goes around the con- struction, thus killing time by passing all the traffic. It gets me home faster." "It's not going to be any less congested. There's going to be just as many cars, and the traffic will only be dispersed [with the new entrance].' ~Amanda Hirsh (Junior/Liberal Arts) -Marc Jones (Sophomore/Sociology) "This construction has caused me a tad bit of grief." Carlo Luciani (Senior/HDFS) "t's about time they finished. I have to make a left turn [onto 352], and nobody ever stops. I -Ryan Stewart (Freshman/Accounting) "It doesn't bother me. I just go around it.’ ; : a. -Justin Koziol (Sophomore/IST) "I hope the new entrance makes things easier for students coming from West Chester and ‘onstruction signs, such as this in Lay Smythe front of Commons, have stood since (Professor American Studies) the begining of last semester.
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