—The Daily Collegian Wednesday, Feb. 28, 1996
Funding
to benefit
local park
By TIMOTHY McLAUGHLIN
Collegian Staff Writer
A local community park will soon
be undergoing some major
improvements, thanks to govern
ment funding.
Orchard Park, located approxi
mately 1 1 / 2 miles from campus off
Bayberry Drive, will soon be
receiving some renovations.
The park now has a baseball
field, picnic area, game field, play
equipment, amphitheater and a fit
ness trail.
Robert Ayer, director of the Cen
tre Region Parks and Recreation
Department, said the final payment
on a $lOO,OOO grant was received
Dec. 20, 1995. The State College
Borough Council applied for the
grant in January 1995.
Council President Tom Daubert
said the grant, along with $250,000
from the borough, was used to pur
chase 4.4 acres of empty field next
to the park.
Although the future use of the
land is unclear, Daubert said some
of the money will be used to
improve the facilities for Little
League play.
"We need a few more fields.
They are over-scheduled in the fall
and spring," he said.
Ayer said that recently a further,
fully-funded grant has been
applied for. The grant will be used
to hire a consultant for the parks
department. The consultant will
assist in the development of ideas
to use the land in the most effec
tive manner and conduct the site
planning for construction.
Students face pressures of training at
By VALERIE MANNS
Collegian Science Writer
Early mornings and long hours at the
University's Hershey Medical Center can
often stress nursing students.
From day to day, University nursing stu
dents must deal with sicknesses and
deaths. They are required to spend two to
three semesters at the medical center,
beginning the spring of their junior year
or the summer after their sophomore year,
said Nadine Linendoll (senior-nursing).
Some students said they experience
stress with clinical work when they first
go to the medical center.
But this may be due to the fact that
many of them have had no previous hospi-
Orchard Park, off Bayberry Drive about 1 1/2 miles from campus, received a $lOO,OOO grant from the
Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation (Key 93) Fund. The community park will undergo
improvements to accommodate Little League play.
The park is used for baseball
games, picnics, community func
tions, and as a recreational area for
children of the community.
Residents who live by the park
said they appreciate its value.
Donna Baum of 1107 Bayberry
Drive said everybody in the area
uses the park. Many of the children
from the area take advantage of
the park's open ground and play
equipment, and older residents use
the park and the adjacent empty
field for barbecues and walks with
their dogs, she said.
But Floyd Trunzo of 1028 Amelia
Ave. said he would like to see some
more things added to the park.
"A Roller Blading or skate
boarding park would be a good idea
. . . some more playing fields, soc
cer and the like," he said.
tal experience, said Bonnie Sally (senior
nursing).
Before going to the medical center, stu
dents start out by practicing on man
nequins at University Park. Sally said that
at the center, they move right to patients
who often ask difficult questions some
thing which makes students nervous.
"A mannequin doesn't talk and a man
nequin doesn't ask you if you've ever done
this before," Sally said. "I think Hershey is
a very hard place to start out with."
Some University nursing students said
that while undergoing family problems,
their instructors do not give them the ten
der loving care they learn to give patients.
"I told my instructor that my grandfa
ther was sick and I kind of expected (he
✓ out the Collegial)
Ayer said the park is already a
model of land usage and that the
grant and the future facilities are
"a real, real big plus." The depart
ment expects to hear word on the
grant by April, he said.
Gretchen Leslie, press secretary
for the Department of Conserva
tion and Natural Resources, said
the money for the grants came
from the Keystone Recreation,
Park and Conservation (Key 93)
Fund. The fund came into exis
tence approximately four years
ago.
At that time, it was nothing more
than a referendum ori a statewide
ballot. The referendum was
approved by the voters, establish
ing the Key 93 Fund. The fund was
established with a $5O-million bond
issue and is supported in part with
may not live)," Sally said. "When I came
back (after the funeral), none of them even
asked me how I was. There really wasn't
anybody for me to turn to."
Although the medical center offers no
formal counseling services for the stu
dents, Sally Wangsness, associate profes
sor and director of the School of Nursing,
said she believes the size of the nursing
program lends itself to close communica
tion among students and faculty. A student
going through problems can go to other
students or faculty members to talk, she
added.
"It is a small program," Wangsness said.
"Whenever students go into a clinical
experience, there are no more than 10 stu
dents per faculty member."
Collegian Photo/Kim Garrahan
the 15 percent taken yearly from
realty transfer tax receipts, Leslie
said.
This has set a dedicated funding
source for historical lands, conser
vation, urban tree planting and
expanding community park
resources. A considerable portion
of the fund goes to community
parks, Leslie said.
"(Community residents) know
how important a park is," she said.
The Key 93 funds are handled
through the DCNR's Community
Conservation Partnership Initia
tive. The DCNR approves the appli
cations from communities and the
money is drawn from the Key 93
Fund. Gov. Tom Ridge's adminis
tration has already provided $75
million in grants through the bene
fit of the partnership.
University's
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Students
childrens' lives
By BRIDGETTE BLAIR
Collegian Staff Writer
T.J. Compagnone has found out
what life is like outside of Penn
State.
Compagnone volunteers with the
Big Brotherßig Sister Program of
Centre County and has the unique
opportunity to interact with chil
dren and families in the area.
"I think Penn State . .. college in
general . . . is a warped sense of
reality," said Compagnone (sopho
more-finance and international
business).
Volunteers in the program visit
local children ages 5 to 17 to pro
vide them with strong role models.
Students can experience the sat
isfaction of impacting a young
child's life by "hanging out" with
them and by being a good friend.
Lance Early, Compagnone's 12-
year-old "little brother," and Lisa
Solt, "little sister" of another vol
unteer, Roseanne Thornton, look at
the volunteers as their friends and
peers.
"(Thornton's) not like an adult at
all. She's like a kid," said Solt,
Thornton's 12-year-old little sister.
The volunteers encourage the
children to be their best in
school and out of school. Often, the
children are from low-income or
single-parent families, so their par
ents are busy working and raising
other children.
The volunteers help the parents
by taking the time to have fun or
address any difficulties the child
may be having in school or other
wise.
"A lot of times, Roseanne helps
me with problems. She has a lot of
cool ideas. She's fun to hang
Hershey Medical Center
Students who are experiencing exces
sive amounts of stress when working at
the medical center sometimes may feel
like they have no where to turn. But
instructors and faculty members are there
to help, Wangsness said.
"Their first point of reference is to go to
their clinical faculty member," Wangsness
said. "We work very closely with our stu
dents."
But Wangsness said she also believes the
nursing program is challenging.
"I think we have a difficult curriculum,"
Wangsness said. "Our students are respon
sible for the welfare of all the patients
they care for."
Many students believe that the high
responsibility level at the medical center
sit
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may make it more difficult to adjust.
"Hershey is more stressful just because
Hershey Medical Center is more acute
care," Linendoll said. "It's a better facility
and therefore the people there are sicker."
Linendoll said another reason nursing is
stressful is because students must work
early in the morning and deal with patients
who are dying, are very sick or are having
children. Those are all very emotional
things to cope with, she said.
Students are able to prepare for the fol
lowing day's patients the night before,
which helps to alleviate some stress,
Linendoll said. They are then required to
check in with their instructors before they
do any procedures and are able to ask last
minute questions.
RGH PA T
ONE WAYROUND TRIP
impact
around. She's just a neat person,"
Solt said.
However rewarding it is, work
ing with the children does require
a definite time commitment.
Nada Ottenstein, director of the
Big Brotherßig Sister Program of
Centre County Youth Service
Bureau, said that after students
complete a 45-minute orientation
session, they are interviewed to
match them up with a child. Then
they are required to make a com
mitment to be involved in the pro
gram for at least nine months,
although a longer commitment is
encouraged. Students must also
have their own transportation
source, because the children are
often not close enough to walk.
"Volunteers do have choices as
to the age group and how far
they're willing to drive," Otten
stein said.
Both students spend as much
time with the children as possible.
If they are having a busy week, the
hours are flexible so they can
change the time when they get
together with the children.
"I put (being a Big Brother)
almost as a priority," Compagnone
said about the difficulty of balanc
ing school, extra-curricular activi
ties and volunteering.
Thornton (senior-accounting)
also said she knows how to balance
her duties as a Big Sister with the
responsibilities of being a student
graduating this semester.
And volunteers not only get a lot
out of volunteering, but they also
give the children incentive to
strive to be their best.
"(Compagnone) teaches me right
and wrong and how to have fun,"
Early said.