I THURSDAY, Dec. 6, 2001 Giftscertificates can be used after they expire By Laura Rudlslll COILEGIAN STAFF WRITER I Imrl9o@psu.edu As the holiday season rolls around, •• • penny-pinching shoppers will be t old gift certificates to make • purdiases. These people might be happy to - • that not only are expired gift cer 4. at most stores in College, but that money from gift ruTtcates never redeemed might be le to be returned to the customer, linder the State of Pennsylvania's pndaimed property law. h, The law states stores must turn over the money from unused gift certificates . • the Pennsylvania Treasury Depart t if no one redeems the gift certifi - - within two years after the expira seven years after the cate's date of insurance if there is ..„• • expiration date. The Treasury gepartment will, ilrturn,.look for the ihnsumers and return the money to them. GET MIN INN NI Cancun $459 Bahamas...s626 Jamaica....s499 Europe $579 Pries idols aifan, @WM MEM MEM t', : ' l' .:. : ' ' , • When it comes to the historical facts about Christmas, some people feel Christianity rests its claims on straw, that it is merely wishful thinking. Some would even question whether Jesus actually ever existed. • ' Other than the Bible, did anyone else write about Jesus? Yes. The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, who , 1= lived soon after Jesus, mentions in his Jewish Antiquities that Jesus was a wise man who did surprising - . feats, taught many, won over followers from Jews and Greeks, was believed to be the Messiah, was crucified under Pontious Pilate, and was considered to be resurrected. Roman historians, such as Cornelius Tacitus (considered the greatest historian of ancient Rome), also wrote of Jesus. - - , Then there are the eyewitness accounts of the gospels. Even the broadest scholarly consensus finds the - L gospels to be historically reliable, describing the life and works of an actual person—Jesus. He taught, - ' healed, and lived such an extraordinary life that by the end of the first century nearly a million Jews had - ' ' - come to believe he was the Messiah. • , / • ,- • The question is not whether Jesus lived. The only real question is a personal one. As Jesus asked his ' 2 disciple Peter, "Who do you say that I am?" A good place to begin investigating is by asking God to reveal the truth to you—He will. God promises in the Bible, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with = all your heart." Then open to the section of the Bible called "John" and begin reading. If you have questions, s r' contact us at EveryStudentcom. yy Q ~ • , - • • • ' _ _ _ - - ,` ' • ' Most of the stores and restaurants in downtown State College are not aware of any obligation to turn the money into the State Treasury, though most are more than willing to honor an expired gift certificate. "We usually give a lot of leeway when it comes to (the expiration date on) gift certificates," said Nicole Houze, a man ager at Metro, 324 E. College Ave. "There has never been an instance in which we said absolutely not." Lew Kamin, financial officer of Dante's Restaurants Inc., which runs The Deli Restaurant, 113 Hiester St.; Mario and Luigi's Italian Restaurant, 114 S. Garner St.; Mio Zio, 132 W. Col lege Ave.; and Ili-Way Pizza, 340 E. Col lege Ave., 428 Westerly Parkway Plaza and Village Square on North Atherton Street, said it is the responsibility of the restaurant to provide the consumer with goods and services equal to the amount of money spent. If that means replacing an expired gift certificate, they will do that. He added that it is :m a gift BOOK NOW rr‘°7 , 7''''lr' l 7 ll "7'7•l ._ , , WWW.PENNSTATECRU.COM 11101.11.111 es, the gift said. such as Allen St.; 10 E. Col on, 100 W. rtes to be expiration =IOII=IIEINIMIINSMI -'' ' - 11111111111 LOCAL "We usually give a lot of leeway when it comes to gift certificates." Appalachian Ski and Outdoors, 123 S. Allen St., issue gift certificates in the form of an account from which cus tomers can withdraw the money given to them in the certificate, said manager George Schettler. However, the account is taken off the store's records after a year, so customers are encouraged to use up the account before that. Similarly, some national chain stores, such as The Gap, 206 W College Ave., and American Eagle Outfitters, Express Women's Apparel Retail, both at 2,900 E. College Ave., are now mak ing gift certificates available in the form of cards which work similarly to a debit card. These cards have no expiration date. Schell added that gift certificates issued by a business that did not record the name of the buyer or the name of the receiver can be tracked. "Most gift certificates have a serial number on them, so we can track it," he said. "If it can't be returned to anyone, the money becomes part of the state's gen eral fund." 111E11111111 / a -- - Nicole Noun manager of Metro Apartments preparation By Courtney Inßenne COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER I cml2l4@psu.edu As off-campus students finish class es, study for exams and get packed up to head home for winter break, they need to remember to take care of their apartments as well. Local apartment owners have been busy sending out newsletters over the past weeks, reminding residents of safety precautions they need to take to ensure their apartment stays secure while they're away. Nina Woskob, of GN & Associates Realty, 119 S. Burrowes St., said the company sends oub reminders to its residents containing a checklist of things they should take care of before leaving. "The most important thing is to make sure all doors and windows are shut, electrical appliances are turned off, and garbage is thrown out," she said. Another downtown realty company, A.W. and Sons, 309 E. Beaver Ave., sends out a holiday newsletter to its residents with instructions about what will change in the apartment complex es over break, such as which doors will be locked, and includes a list of holiday to-dos for residents. GET ME EDGE OM EXAMS Done By Mal Students in Class Ej Organized, Detailed, Typed Notes El EXAM PACKS & PRACTICE EXAMS NOW AVAILABLE FOR FINALS BE OM yoaß miff TO An "0" also require for vacation A few things A.W. and Sons said stu dents should make note to do before leaving town: Kris Shaw (senior-marketing and international business), a resident of Garner Court 228 S. Garner St, which is owned by A.W. and Sons, said he received the newsletter in the mail, but since he will be staying in his apart ment until later than most students, he isn't worrying about what needs to be done. "I'm going to maintain the apart ment the way it is now. I'll probably bring in the Christmas lights so they don't get stolen ... though," Shaw said. Shaw said he and his roommates hadn't talked much about unplugging appliances and electrical things. . "We're going to turn down the heat and feed the fish —that's about it," he said. Another student, Raquel Reiman (senior-biology), a tenant at The Pointe, 501 Vairo Blvd., said she hadn't received a letter from her real tor, but saw a sign posted near her door which might have had some infor mation on it "I don't really pay atten tion to it," she said. "I'm the first one to leave, so I'm going to leave it up to my roommates to take care of everything. I'm sure they'll turn down the heat and stuff." /Krea.r . # /0•&,.5. THE DAILY COLLEGIAN
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers