I—The Daily Collegian Friday, Oct. 24, 1986 Job outlook attractive for paralegals By LAURA PRAH Collegian Staff Writer Pre-law majors aren’t the only students showing potential to work within the legal system. Any student in the College of Liberal Arts learns the necessary skills to become a paralegal, or legal assistant, said an admissions counselor at the Institute For Par alegal Training in Philadelphia. Legal assistants perform tasks usually handled by a lawyer, such as real estate closings and bank ruptcies, researching investiga tions, managing estates and setting up trusts. Paralegals do everything except give legal advice or represent cli ents in court, said Suzanne Brady, the institute’s admissions counsel or. Students majoring in history, En glish, and political science may want to keep this in mind because paralegal training is the fastest growing profession in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupation Out look Quarterly for Spring, 1986. In 1984, the quarterly report stated, paralegals numbered 53,000. By the end of the next decade, that figure is expected to double, said Philip Bucher, assistant director for information systems at the Ca reer Development and Placement Service. Birth-control aids aborted pending sex education V THE NEW CENTRE HARDWARE 19 221 S. Allen Street M Don’t forget to come in and register for the Grand Opening Prize Giveaway! Drawing held Saturday at 1 p.m. “Liberal Arts student graduates have strong communication skills, especially in reading and writing and researching,” Brady said, add ing that these tools are invaluable when working in law. They can effectively talk to peo ple and deal with them on a person to-person level, she said. - careers When someone walks away with a degree in liberal arts, Brady said, they are well-trained in composing and compiling information from statistics. With post-graduate train ing, students can refine and direct their skills towards a study in law, she said. The institute was the first to adopt guidelines for a paralegal training program in 1970 with the guidance of the American Bar Asso ciation. The most recent figures indicate that 85 to 90 percent of the Insti tute’s certified students are placed in jobs within six months of com pleting the paralegal training pro gram. By becoming paralegals, stu dents are not just bringing benefits to a law firm, but also increasing their own marketability, Brady said. Skills acquired in post-grad- lOWA CITY, lowa (AP) Plans by University of lowa students to dispense birth-control devices free of charge in a dormitory have been postponed in order to work first on improving sex education. Randal Koppes, president of the Burge Asso ciated Student House, said condoms were to be distributed to residents of the third floor of Burge in a “pilot program” because of sexual activity among college students. A box of 100 condoms was purchased with student activity fees. However, because of fears about being sued and concerns of other students involved in running residence hall programs about dispensing the condoms without sex education information, the Burge plan has been delayed. uate training in law-related areas are also desired in other businesses, she said. Legal assistants are now em ployed by banks, corporations, stock brokerage houses, accounting firms, insurance companies, gov ernment agencies, hospitals, and labor unions, said Cynthia Christo pher, the Institute’s Director of Admissions. The increase in the demand for paralegals is partly due to the de sire among lawyers or law firms to increase their caseloads, Brady said. Using paralegals also allows the lawyer to charge reasonable fees because the paralegal has a lower salary than the lawyers, she added. More and more, specially trained legal assistants are able to assume job responsibilities beyond tradi tional law firm environments. For example, Brady said paralegals may specialize in Administrative and Public law or International Trade Law and Business. Employee Benefit Plans are an area where paralegal specialization is currently in high demand, Brady said. Every corporation offers a benefit plan to employees. Parale gals learn to write, modify and manage pension plans and benefit packages, apply government rules to plans, and help design packages for employers that work well in the company, she said. Lynn Distler has an associate degree in paralegal training from the Central Pennsylvania Business School in Summerdale, and is cur rently working as a secretary at James L. Jubelirer and Associates, 205 E. Beaver Ave. Distler worked for three years as a paralegal in El Paso, Texas and Denver, Colo, after receiving her degree. Of the 12 students in her graduating class only two found jobs in Pennsylvania. Distler said it is difficult to find paralegal work in small towns be cause firms tend to be more conser vative and hesitant to take a risk with them. She said McQuaide, Blasko, Schwartz, Fleming and Faulkner Inc., 811 University Drive, is the only firm in State College that employs legal assis tants. Sarah Arosell, a paralegal at the State College firm, received a dual degree in English and history at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee before attending the Institute for Paralegal Training in Philadelphia It is a good way to get into a professional position and advance within a corporation without be coming a mail person or secretary first, she said. Arosell said she became a parale gal because she was interested in law but did not want to make the committment of attending law school. Koppes, a sophomore from Cascade, said to prevent any discrimination, there are plans to purchase non-prescription birth-control devices for women, too. He said a sex education informa tional meeting will be scheduled before the end of the year, at which time the birth control items will be dispensed free of charge. George Droll, the university’s director of resi dence services, said student dormitory govern ments “have that kind of freedom” on use of student activity fees, which come from a $4 assess ment on each resident student. Droll said university officials would not step in to prohibit use of student funds to purchase con doms. SUB offers more than food for thought By CHRISTINE NICHOLAS Collegian Staff Writer While some students enjoy the Cof feehouse, the Asylum, or on-campus concerts, many do not realize that these free activities are made possi ble by the Student Union Board. Founded in 1968, SUB “runs free activities for students in the HUB,” Vice' President Cheryl Woodward said. A SUB committee organizes the Asylum, the University’s non-alcohol ic nightclub, open in the HUB Cellar from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Wednesdays. SUB President Leonard Farber said the board also handles the Cof feehouse a showcase for student and local performers in the HUB Cellar. Performers, chosen through auditions, sing or play musical instru ments at the Coffeehouse on Wednes day nights from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Woodward said that the purpose of the Coffeehouse is for sheer enjoy ment. In addition to these activities, Farber said SUB hopes to organize teams for this year’s College Bowl competition a trivia contest be tween teams of college students which has existed for about 20 years. College Bowl, a national contest that began as a television game show, consists of two rounds of competition, said J. David Grebos, assistant direc tor of activities. Teams gain points by answering trivia questions on a vari ety of subjects. A college holds an elimination con test to produce its best team. Then, Grebos said, the teams compete in one of 16 regional College Bowl com petitions. , “Winners of these regional events go on to either another regional con test or national intercollegiate fi nals,” Grebos explained. The University will sponsor this year’s regional College Bowl compe tition for the region including Penn sylvania, Maryland, W’est Virginia and the District of Columbia, Grebos added. Colleges such as the University of Maryland, Temple University, Kings College, and Bloomsburg University will attend the regional competition, Farber added. SUB is funded by the University since it is a registered student organi zation, Farber explained. He said SUB’s activities, except movies, are free to students because they are paid for with money allotted from the Student Organization Budget Com mittee. The charge to students for movies is $2, Farber said, but the money is used to supplement SUB’s budget and to sponsor additional activities. SUB tries to sponsor “top-run movies,” he said. SUB also organizes on-campus movie premiers. The free premiers, which are held in Eisenhower audito rium, Farber said, allow students to see movies that have not yet been released in town. In addition to movies, SUB spon sors free concerts in the HUB Ball room. Farber explained that SUB con certs occur “on a sporadic basis because of funding.” SUB tries to have one or two concerts a month and to feature performers with different styles, he added. SUB has not decided on future concert dates, Farber said, but they will most likely be held this semester or the beginning of next semester. He said the concerts will feature bands such as Friction, from Lewistown, and Asylum Blue, the band that has opened for the popular rock group Berlin. He said 50 to 60 students, including four officers and numerous commit tee heads, are members of SUB. Interested students can join SUB, 222 HUB, any time of the year since the organization is always looking for new members with fresh ideas, Farb; er said. Foreign language: By LORI LINCOLN Collegian Staff Writer Foreign language skills are in a greater demand across the nation for individuals pursuing careers in teaching, translation and international business. “Business has discovered a bilingual or multilingual person is at more of an advan tage than a monolingual person with equal skills in the internationalized world,” said Richard L. Frautschi, professor and head of the French department. The business world is discovering that the growing world economy necessitates a knowledge of a foreign language and culture, Frautschi said. He said not ohly is the growing need in business, but also in education. Ten years ago it was difficult to place graduates in foreign language teaching positions, but now the number of available teaching positions is exceeding the applicants. “There is a demand for international skills because the American business environment Delivery in 30 minutes or FREE OPEN: Sun.-Thurs. 4pm-12am; Frl.-Sat. 4pm-3am CALL 834-4743 Sl“ FRESH INGREDIENTS PREPARED DAILY ON THE PREMISES WE ACCEPT DOMINO’S COUPONS 1 with 1 topping and 416 oz. sodas ONE COUPON PER PIZZA ,IW y l**—We reserve the right to limit our delivery area. Customer pays all PA Sales Tax. | { 1 Our drivers leave the store with less than S2O. Coupon Expires October 30,1986. j 1 "pi & \\ SAVE 10% ON ALL SEPARATES - OR BUY ONE AT FULL PRICE GET ANOTHER AT HALF PRICE 224 E. College Ave. Your tddrou Your phoao - ■ ■ 234-4 PhD Fdso!l'iiiTv3arn 0m | SALE ENDS NOV. 2nd >JcL tation Bilingual students have the upper hand is becoming more dependent on the foreign trade. Therefore, students who are able to deal with the foreign market will have better opportunities,” said Jacob De Rooy, asso ciate professor of managerial economics and statistics. No data exists to suggest that employers are specifically demanding foreign language proficiency. However, many employers want students who understand international busi ness, De Rooy said. “I assume foreign language skills would be attractive to employers. It would strengthen the the job applicant’s skill in dealing with international business relations,” De Rooy said. Ernest Schurer, head of the German de partment, credits part of the significant in crease in enrollment in the German department because “students are becoming aware that knowing a foreign language gives them an advantage in the job market later on.” Students are continuing foreign language studies from high school and have had the ... ahead of its class! $O5O * Includes tax 237-2655 opportunity to visit foreign countries before entering college, Schurer said. Besides cultural enjoyment, students inter ested in the foreign service and international government jobs in Washington, D.C. need foreign language skills, Schurer said. Jack Rayman, director of the University’s Career Development and Placement Center said, however, he has not observed any rise in job opportunities for University students who possess a language skill and seek employ ment in technical areas. Based on results from interviews arranged by the CDPC for students, Rayman said, “We have not noticed a new surge in demand for foreign language skills in our office based on interview activity.” Employers come to Penn State looking for people in technical areas, Rayman said, while graduates with foreign language skills usually have to leave the campus to find their jobs. “There could be a change but we haven’t seen it yet,” Rayman said. A minor in a foreign language would add rOMPLETFi 99 COMPLETE! “ V COMPLETE. THAT INCLUDES THAT INCLUDES THE THE EYE EXAM, HIGH FASHION CONTACT LENSES, FRAME, LENSES (S.V. CONTACT LENS UNTINTED GLASS), CASE AND EYE EXAM! CONTACT LENS SOLUTIONS [*, X M • AXE QAM . gPM HUB LAWN • AXE • AXE • AXE • AXE • AXE • AXE • AXE • A> m • AXE The Daily Collegian Friday, Oct. 24, 198 G—5 international job market T.G. I . F . 6<5 .*«■< • ‘ w ft* »<»*** \ ®« <*\* s <"*&** iti. manual for foreign language teaching at colleges and universities. Subsequently, enrollment in foreign lan : guage classes has increased. The Spanish department experienced an increase of about 1,000 students this semester, Lyday said. “Opportunities are much much better than they were five years ago, obviously there was a slump but obviously we are out of that slump,’’ Lyday said. More graduate assistants are needed also. As a general rule, a good student can teach anywhere they want and the stipends are getting better. Colleges are competing for students from other than just name colleges if the students have a good record, said Lyday. “Clearly the light is at the end of the tunnel. There are job opportunities out there for foreign language students when they grad uate," Lyday said. American businesses are more aware of ihe international market and the expansion of the market and want students with a foreign language skill, Schurer said. servm X M > X M > X M > X M