PSU BRANDYWINE
&& The Lion’s Eyes
Vol. I, Issue 2.
Penn State Brandywine
Media, Pennsylvania
September 23, 2011
““Dy3 Pjrk°’
Volleyball Matches To
Raise Money for Breast
Cancer Research
Special to The Lion's Eye
In support of the fight against breast
cancer, the Penn State Brandywine women’s
volleyball team will host a “Dig Pink”
fundraiser on campus, Saturday, Oct. 1, with
matches against Pennsylvania College of
Technology, Penn State Hazleton and Penn
State Schuylkill.
The team is encouraging all guests
to help them achieve a “pink out”--think
“white out” at Beaver Stadium--by wearing
pink. T-shirts will be sold at the event. All
donations will benefit the Side-Out Founda-
tion, which awards grants to medical research
organizations and entities dedicated to provid-
ing compassionate support to breast cancer
patients and
their families,
according to its
website. The
team hopes to
raise $500 in
donations.
“This is a
great oppor-
tunity for our
four schools to come together to support an
important cause,” said Brandywine’s Sports
Information Coordinator and Head Volleyball
Coach Melissa Algeo.
The games will be played in the Penn
State Brandywine gymnasium, at 25 Yearsley
Mill Road in Media, and will begin at 12 and
2pm.
Support our
Initiative
For more information or to donate,
visit http://www.side-out.org/application/ous/
fundraising _page/45952 or contact Melissa
Algeo at 610-892-1470.
Remembering
Dr. Markley
The campus community is invited
to attend a memorial service held
for Dr. Arnold Markley on Friday,
September 30 at 3:00PM in the
Tomezko Lounge. Markley passed
away in June after a valiant
battle with leukemia.
Loss of SGA monies for
CCSG strike a heavy blow
to Brandywine THON
By Judy Bowker- Lions Eye Editor-In-Chief
jIb5706@psu.edu
As part of the new structuring of the Penn State Bran-
dywine Student Govenment Association plan, President Steve
Iatesta and his administrative board have brought to the table
a proposal which would cut all SGA funding to the campus
chapter of THON, thereby making it nearly impossible for
THON to attend mandatory Council of Commonwealth Stu-
dent Governments (CCSG) meetings held at University Park.
Iatesta says that his board is looking to be fair and
equitable to all clubs and organizations on campus, and that by
continuing to pay THON’s way to CCSG meetings, of which
there are 6 per academic year, he is offering a privilege to
THON that he cannot offer other clubs and organizations on
campus. The average cost to SGA for THON to come along to
the University Park meetings runs around $100 per trip.
While other Penn State clubs and organizations do
not have to attend CCSG weekends, the meetings are manda-
tory for satellite campus SGAs and for satellite campus THON
organizations. If members of branch campus THON organza-
tions do not attend CCSG, the chapter loses valuable points
that influence the number of dancers they receive each year as
well as other participation privileges.
Traditionally, SGA has always built THON into their
budget and overall CCSG travel plan, but Iatesta says that this
1s something he no longer feels is fair to do. Instead, he has
proposed several possible
options, which he will go
over when his board votes
on this issue on Wednes-
day October 5.
Dr. Matthew Shupp, Di-
rector of Student Affairs
and adviser to the campus
SGA, understands the
gravity of this situation,
but says that ultimately, it
is up the SGA to vote on
the final decision.
“As an advisor I cannot
dictate what they do.
I can advise them and
help them but if I dictate
it takes away from the
learning process.”
SGA’s Director of
Public Relations, Aimee
Ralph, says that this situ-
ation is still undecided.
“SGA will take
a vote on October 5th, if the majority votes ‘yes’ to continue
funding THON, then it is full speed ahead and THON can
begin fundraising for the kids.”
Shupp says that if SGA votes to end funding to
THON, there are options that SGA has to assist THON in what
to do next as an organization.
These options are:
L THON can pay for CCSG weekends on their own.
2. THON chairs can do community service through
SGA and get $25 for compensation for every 4
hours of community service earned.
3. Have the overall(s) of THON become a
senator on the SGA board.
4. THON can apply to the Student Activities
Fund for monies.
Brandywine SGA
To Vote
on THON Funding
&
B.
oe;
Each of these choices may seem feasible, says THON
co-overall Alexis Cicala, however, none of them are really
viable selections. “THON’s primary purpose is to raise money
for The Four Diamonds Fund at Hershey Medical Center, and
so, according to the THON Rule Book, all fundraisers must be
approved by the THON organization at University Park, and
approved fundraiser monies must go to The Four Diamonds
Fund. The same goes for money that is donated to THON.
So THON really has no budget and has always relied on SGA
support,” says Cicala.
THON members also spend countless hours doing
community service by way of canning weekends, but accord-
ing to the SGA Community Service option, the service must
not be Penn State related, and membership is already over-
whelmed with their service to THON. It is also a conflict of
interest for THON overalls to become entrenched within SGA,
plus it may not be something that THON administrators can
fit into their already busy schedules. Finally, SAF funding is
generally only granted for activities to serve a large group of
students.
“As arule, SAF gives money to programs for the
whole student body, not just the travel expenses for one
student needing to go to University Park for a meeting, so
THON cannot bank on SAF approval of such a request,”
Cicala says.
The Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon
is a yearlong effort to raise funds and awareness for the fight
against pediatric cancer. Since 1977, THON has raised more
than $78 million for The Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State
Hershey Children’s Hospital. THON 2012 will take place from
February 17th - 19th, in Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center.
Penn State Brandywine’s THON chapter raised over $13,000
for the Four Diamonds Fund last year in their fundraising
efforts. Fundraising for THON across the Commonwealth of-
ficially starts Friday, September 30.