—The Daily Collegian Thursday, July 26, 1984
Walden to lead American studies
Prolific professor to take reins of interdiscipl
By CINDY L. DAVIS
Collegian Staff Writer
A University professor has recently been
named the director of the American Studies
program.
Daniel Walden, professor of American studies,
on July 1 took over the duties of Harrison T.
Meserole, professor of English. Walden had been
the acting director of the program since Jan. 1
while Meserole was on leave.
Walden, a faculty member since 1966, teaches
courses in American studies, comparative litera
ture and humanities. He is also active in ethnic
and minority studies and is known for his work on
many 20th century writers.
Walden said he is especially concerned with
Black and Jewish writers. He said this stems
from living in Philadelphia as a child and then
living in New York City between the 1940 s and
19605.
"I was alwayt conscious of discrimination and
sensitive to minority concerns as a Jewish boy
growing up in that society," Walden said.
Some of his books in the ethnic area include:
"Studies in American-Jewish Literature," "Jew
ish Women Writers and Women in Jewish Litera
ture," "Twentieth Century American-Jewish
Fiction Writers," "On Being Jewish: American
Jewish Writers from Cahan to Bellow," and "On
Being Black" with Charles Till Davis.
To date, Walden said he has written 44 articles
and given speeches on such writers as Saul
Bellow, Nathanael West, Chaim Potok, Richard
Wright, Ben Hecht and W.E.B. Dußois.
Other Walden books are entitled: "American
Reform: The Ambiguous Legacy," "Readings in
American Nationalism" and "The Contempo
rary New Communities Movement in the United
States."
Walden said he will travel to Australia in
August to speak for the U.S. Information Agency
and will discuss American studies and American
literature at many Australian universities.
At the end of September, Walden will be in St.
Louis to address the Utopian Studies Confei•ence,
for which he speaks anually, and will talk to
Jewish women writers in Washington, D.C. dur
ing October.
New wing for medical center approved
By BRUCE L. CARY
Collegian Staff Writer
The University Board of Trustees
recently approved a plan for adding a
new wing to the University's. Hershey
Medical Center said Carl Andrews, a
medical center official.
- The wing should be in operation by
1990, he said.
Construction of a seven story unit
connected to the back of the center is
projected to begin by 1987 said Tom
Hemming, administrator of the Eliz-
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He has also given talks 'at the Modern Lan
guage Association Convention and the American
Culture Association meetings.
In addition, Walden said he spends a great deal
of time working on the "American Hero." He
said he traces the evolution of the American hero
image from our first hero George Washington
to the recent confusion and blurring of the
concept.
The last decade that the United States really
had a national hero was in the 19205, maybe as
late as the 19305, Walden said.
Babe Ruth's 60 home runs and Charles Lind
bergh's first flight across the Atlantic made
them heroes of the 19205. He said Franklin D.
Roosevelt came close to being a hero in the 19305,
but since then, establishing an absolute hero has
become more and more difficult.
"Every society needs a hero," Walden said
Reasons for the lack of, heroes in our present
society, he said, stem from changes in the media,
the advance of science and technology and socie
ty's altered needs.
his busy life, Walden said, "I like commit
ments and I like to accept them, they give me
energy."
The American studies program has been a part
of the University for about 20 years, he said,
adding that a better term for American studies
would be "American culture."
"Instead of concentrating on one discipline, the
program tries to understand American culture
through a combination of different disciplines,"
he said.
Four basic areas make up the program: Amer
ican literature; American history; social sci
ences; and .art, philosophy, and religion.
However, the program is not limited to those
topics.
Many majors are compatible to the program
including labor studies, journalism, history, En
glish, women's studies, religious studies and
geography.
Phillip Stebbins, associate professor of history,
said, "American studies and history compliment
each other naturally and take essentially the
same skill."
Pierce Lewis, professor of geography, said he
agrees that American studies can be easily
abethtown Hospital and Rehabilita
tion Center, said.
The plan for the wing was drawn up
as a result of the state legislature's
decision in 1982 to transfer facilities
of the Elizabethtown Hospital to the
medical center said the Director of
University Hospital Howard Peterson
said.
Andrews said the Commonwealth
will pick up the projected $3O million
tab for construction, adding that the
appropriation represents the first
time state funds have gone toward
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construction at the medical center.
The transfer was recommended by
the legislature because of conditions
at the aged Elizabethtown facility,
Andrews said.
Hemming said he knew the hospital
would need to gain support from a
larger facility like Hershey.
"For the most part, we are very
excited about the move," Hemming
added.
The new wing will integrate all
services of the Elizabethtown hospi
tal with the medical center, Ralph
nary program
Daniel Walden
incorporated into many majors. Lewis teaches a
course entitled "The American Scene" which
draws from geography and American studies..
The course takes a look at the American
landscape the towns, cities, houses and farms
that reveal the differences in the American
people.
"What American studies does is make sense
out of American culture and the American way of
life what makes us different from others,"
Lewis said.
Walden said the American studies program
can also prepare students for careers in govern
ment service, law, industry and museology.
Even the business world could use knowledge in
American studies,'he said.
"More and more executives like Liberal Arts
majors because they're more imaginative, not
limited," Walden said.
The American studies program will introduce
a new course for Spring Semester 1985 entitled
"The 19305: The Reality and the Myth,"
Zilly, University vice president for
business, said.
Andrews said , the wing will facili
tate in-patient beds, rehabilitation
clinics and support facilities for phys
ical and occupational therapy, An
drews said.
In addition, the wing will contain
new in-patient and out-patient child
psychiatric units, he said.
The wing will also accommodate
the expanded curriculum in the Col
lege of Medicine, Andrews said.
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Rentals and Sales and Lessons
Take advantage of great rental
rates for a fun day at the many
lakes in the Centre Region as
close as 10 minutes away from
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HIFLY. KEEP
Pattee's periodicals room
undergoes major facelift
By VICTORIA JAFFE
Collegian Staff Writer
The periodicals room at Pattee instituted, and all materials leaving
library has been reorganized, struc- must be signed out, Neal said. He
turally , improved and will be corn- added that this cuts down significant
pletely renovated by Fall Semester, ly on the search for unshelved peri
the head of the Periodicals section odicals the one to two day wait for
said this week. materials to get back to the stacks
"This represents such a change for will be eliminated because every
students and faculty in locating infor- thing is in one room.
oration," Jack Pontius said. Three new copying machines in the
James Neal , assistant dean and periodicals room and a duplication
head of reference and . instructional center relocated from the East
service division, said the reorganize- basement provide convenient rep
tion will allow people go to one iota- lication services.
lion to find periodical materials. Not only are materials more read-
About 4,500 titles in the general ily available, but the periodicals
humanities and social sciences peri- room also has been aesthetically im
odicals have been transferred from proved, Neal said. New carpeting in
the stacks and into the periodicals the entire room provides a better
room on the second floor of West appearance and also cuts down on
Pattee. All, materials from 1977 noise, he added.
through the present are available in The room has been repainted and
the periodicals room, Neal said. new, rearranged furniture provides
Rosanna Allen , chief of humanities several distinct reading and gather
and social sciences department, said ing areas with a mixture of open
under the reorganization, access will tables, reading carrels and casual
'also be improved byl an increased furniture, Neal said.
number of indices. In addition to the If this renovation proves success-
Readers' Index, there will be sepa- ful, particularly moving material
rete_business, humanities education from the overcrowded stacks into one
and social sciences indices, she said. room, Neal said it may inspire other
Reorganization also includes a areas of Pattee to reorganize in a
stricter control of materials leaving similar manner.
police log
The State College Police Depart
ment reported an accident involving
a bicyclist and a truck on Tuesday. A
truck operated by Carl L. Dougherty,
P.O. Box 92 Hyde, Pa. was traveling
south on the 100 block of South Ather=
ton Street, when a bicycle operated
by Eric P. Rasmussen, 660 Berkshire
Dr., State College, went out of con
trol, jumped the curb and hit the
truck. Rasmussen, who had been
going north on the west sidewalk,
made contact with the truck three
times before being thrown back onto
the sidewalk. Rasmussen was trans
ported to Centre Community Hospital
by Alpha Ambulance where he re
mains in "8 erious condition.
collegian notes
• The Arthritis Support Group • The Centre County Campaign
ASK will be held at 7:30 tonight and for a Nuclear Weapons Freeze will
Dr. Peter Pepe will speak on "Sys sponsor the Hipsters performing at 8
temic Lupus Erythematosus" in Con
tonight at the VFW Hall on North
ference Room C of Centre
Community Hospital. Atherton Street.
the periodical room, Neal said. .
A mechanical "checker" and coun
ter at the doorway have already been
• University Police Services re
ported that a female University stu
dent was found in Willard on Tuesday
afternoon with two active Pipe
Bombs. The bombs were confiscated
by Police Services who reported
charges of Prohibited Offensive
Weapons were pending against the
student whose name has not been
released. An investigation is continu
ing.
• Donald Stover, 203 Keller, re
ported the theft of a Film Projector
from 203 Keller to University Police
Services Tuesday. The projector sto
len sometime after July 6 was valued
at $200.00. by Paul ChHand
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Frisbee:
Penn State team members
consider it the Ultimate game
By GRACE LoMONACO
Collegian Staff Writer
people of all types know how to play Frisbee and
the sport is very popular on beaches, at resorts
and on Old Main Lawn.
The people who play the game usually do so for
recreation and just plain fun, but a group of people at the
University takes the game very seriously.
The Penn State Frisbee Club has been together since
before 1976, Bruce Lord, team member for five years
said, and they take their Ultimate Frisbee game
seriously.
"Penn State was one of the first places people played
Ultimate competitively," Lord said.
The University team is among 600 collegiate teams in
the nation "and that doesn't count the area teams which
are at least that number," team captain Kevin Dagit said.
The seriousness varies from person to person, Lord
(graduate-forestry) said, but the team has managed to be
one of the better teams in Pennsylvania. The team
usually makes it to regional competition and was second
in the nation one year, he said.
In the 1983 spring season, the team placed second in the
mid-atlantic region, one of five regions in the nation, Lord
said.
scott Keerans, an associate member of the team, said
Ultimate practices vary with the season but the team
practices all year.
`You've got to be able to run around
like you've never run around
before. The throwing's just the
icing on the cake.'
-Jeff Schantzenbach, Penn State
Ultimate Frisbee Team member
• ;;Summer is more relaxing than competitive," Keerans
said. "We play in bare feet."
The main competitive seasons are fall and spring, he
said, but in the winter the team practices indoors
primarily to keep in shape. A few tournaments are held
but are not as competitive.
Dagit, who has been on the team for three years, said
the team plays at least 15 to 20 games in the fall season.
That's about how many they should play to get enough
experience for sectional and regional competitions, he
said.
The. University team hosted the regionals this past
May.
During the fall season, collegiate and area teams
compete, Dagit (senior-science) said. In the past two
years, during the spring season, only college teams
compete, he said
"The college teams broke into their own league because
it was hard to play against (area) teams who had been
established for 15 years," Dagit said.
Four ; year team member Dave Yunkunis said last year
was a transition time for the team because four or five
starters left the team.
"It's hard to have a team here because no one stays
around very long," Yunkunis said. •
Dagit said the team is also deprived being in the center
of the state because other college teams are far away and
they run into money problems for traveling.
He said Carnegie-Mellon's team is their favorite
"rival" because they have established a friendship, "but
Ken Bedell (in front) leaps past Mike Foley and spins the Frisbee,downflekl as he attempts a pass
Bucknell (University) is probably our biggest rival."
"Bucknell is a true rival. We love to play against them
and beat them," Dagit said.
Team member Craig Scott said women and men play in
tournaments.
"Usually if anyone wants to play they can," Scott said
Lindley Jenner (senior-industrial engineering) said she
has been on the team since fall of her freshman year and
'the people on the Ultimate team were the first people she
met at the University.
"The guys are great," Jenner said. "And they are not
difficult to play against."
She said there are superstars on the field but women
can "hold their own" against them.
"You got to be tough and you can't be afraid to get
hurt," Jenner said. "(Ultimate) is excellent to get you in
shape."
Although Jenner has never played in a tournament
because she plays on and off, she said her roommate,
Karen Warcholak, has played competitively for three
Lord said, "It's unfortunate we never had enough
(women interested) to have a women's team."
Scott (graduate-biological engineering) said the game
is played on a square or rectangular field. Between . four
and seven players are on a team; usually seven play in a
tournament, he said.
Dagit said the field is 120 yards long (including two 25
yard end zones) and 45 yards wide.
The object of the game is to pass the disk to the goal
line. A member can run as long as he or she does not hold
the disk. When a player has the disk, he or she must plant
one foot to pivot on as in basketball, said Scott, who has
played on the team for 10 months. •
The first throw is a "pull" or kickoff with both teams at
their defending goals. The defense tosses the disk
downfield and rushes the offense.
The person possessing the disk has 12 seconds to throw
it to a teammate or a "stall" is called and the disk is
turned over to the defense, he said.
The game also involves "picks" where a player uses
other teammates to lose his or her defensive cover also'
similar to basketball, Scott said.
Different throws are also used in the game depending
on what the possesser needs to get the disk to a teammate,
Scott said.
The backhand is the regular throw most people are
familiar with, and the overhand or two-finger throw is
tossed from the side of the body. The knife is thrown on an
arch and does not float on a plane, and the over-head
throw sends the disk upside-down through the air.
Dagit said the team does not hold tournaments in the
summer because getting enough people together to play is
difficult. He said the captains of the teams will meet in
Washington on Sept. 1 and 2.
Lord said the captains meet to discuss rule changes and
playoff schedules, and figure out schedules for individual
tournaments.
About 12 members will return in the fall, Lord said.
"There's room for more," Dagit said:
The team is recruiting in the summer because without
the fall registration in the Intramural Building the
opportunity for people to learn about the team is lost "in
one particular area," Dagit said.
Jeff Schantzenbach said Ultimate is a fun way to
exercise.
"You've got to be able to run around like you've never
run around before," he said. "The throwing's just the
icing on the cake."
"That's exercise," he remarked as he walked off the
practice field covered in sweat.