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LOCAL; Page 4.
W The Daily
Collegian
Published independently by students at Penn State
Later
loop
draws
riders
By Paige Minemyer
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
As the first month of the White
Loop extension comes to a close,
ridership data shows consistent
use of the buses in the early
morning hours.
Extended weekend White
Loop hours running until
4:30 a.m. on Thursday. Friday
and Saturday nights were
approved by the University Park
Undergraduate Association on
Jan.l3 and went into effect two
days later.
The Centre • Area
Transportation Authority
(CATA) has been monitoring the
number of riders during the past
month, and officials are pleased
with the results.
"It's too early to say if this
should be permanent." service
development manager Eric
Bernier said. "But we think the
early results are encouraging."
The number of students using
the extended hours has
remained consistent during the
first four weeks, averaging 1.281
riders per weekend, according to
a CATA report. In fact, the only
time the number of riders
dropped below 1.000 was the sec
ond week a canning weekend.
UPUA President Gavin
Keirans thinks warmer weather
will bring even more riders. "I
think we're going to see a major
uptake in numbers in the second
half of the semester." he said.
UPUA continues to employ
ambassadors to monitor these
extended hours including
some non-UPUA ambassadors
and members from greek and
other student organizations.
"I hate to be cheesy, but I
would call it a success." UPUA
Student Life and Diversity-
Chairman Christian Ragland
said.
Ragland (junior-political sci
ence) said he initially thought
being an ambassador would be
boring, but the ambassadors
found ways to keep up morale
including meeting a diverse cast
of students and bus drivers.
To e-mail reporter:
pemso6B@psu.edu.
Another one rides
the White Loop
The first month of the CATA
extension maintained a consistent
number of riders.
Source: Gavin Keirans-CATA
Ashlev Rickard/Collegian
Professor still positive
in face of hardships
By Pete Dombrosky
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
On any given day, Penn State tested again. His doctor found a
kinesiology instructor Mike spot on his spine two weeks ago
Morse can usually be found deep could be cancerous, could be
in a story in front of a class of nothing.
wide-eyed students who can’t Regardless, Mike underwent
believe what they're hearing. the eighth major surgery of his
Mike has been struck by light- life Monday forcing him to take a
ning, hit by a drunk driver and three-month medical leave,
survived cancer. While these Leaving his students behind
events nearly killed him, they also will be the hardest part, he said,
left the 56-year-old with a mental See PROFESSOR. Page 12.
THON LOVE AND B-BALL
Beth Carey is a family relations captain, basketball player
and Four Diamonds Fund child | WE ARE, Page 14.
State Patty's Day T-shirts are on
j sale in People's Nation. The
holiday will be on Feb. 27,
Steve Migliore (sophomore-veterinary and biomedical sciences), Jim Smith (junior-kinesiology) and Mark Rubin (junior-psychology)
i shuffle through the snow at the Pattee Mall on Monday night. After last week’s snow storms, a new layer added to the previous accumulation ;
i but did not keep students indoors. According to accuweather.com, State College will see more snow in the coming days.
Alumni to return,
dance at THON
By Sarah Peters
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
i Getting married, having chil
dren and dancing in THON
: these are the experiences of a
| lifetime, said Stacey Bingler
Forbes, president of the Dance
Marathon Alumni Interest Group
(DMAIG).
Forbes, Class of 1995, served
as the overall THON chair
woman in 1995 and has been
involved with the Inlerfraternity
Council/Panhell-enic Dance
Marathon in almost every way
imaginable, including as an
alumna dancer.
When she danced as an alum
toughness and an optimism he
passes down to his students.
That toughness is about to be
Prof, demands end
Dennis Shea asks peers to stop State Patty’s
By Laurie Stern
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
Professor Dennis Shea is call
ing upon the Penn State faculty to
demand an end to State Patty's
Day. saying it is the only responsi
ble thing to do.
A health policy and administra
tion professor. Shea has frequent
ly posted on the wall of the "End
The State Patty's Day' Tradition"
Facebook group, engaging other
group members about the harm
the day can cause. The group had
na in 2000, Forbes said many of
the student dancers asked her
how dancing in Rec Hah was dif
ferent from organizing THON in
the White Building as an overall
five years earlier.
The biggest difference?
Moralers are even more impor
tant, she said.
'lt s a different kind of experi
ence, because when you dance as
a student, you know everybody,”
See THON. Page 2.
Mike Morse watches as students in his KINES 0908 (Introduction to
Team Sports/Indoor - Basketball) class do drills Thursday morning.
PARTY TIME
State College prepares for
subdued Mardi Gras
LOCAL, Page 3.
more than 1,100 members at press
time and aims to stop at nothing
less than ending the event before
it "brings a bad name to the area
again."
"We absolutely have to talk
about this,” Shea said. “The
impact of this type of stuff goes
way beyond the students. It
impacts alumni, faculty and the
university community in every
way. I think part of the problem is
faculty- don't talk out about this."
Shea, who lives just outside of
State College, recalled one con
THON dancers participate in the
2009 line dance in the Bryce
Jordan Center at last year's THON.
psucollegian.com
versation he had with a member of
a local church who was consider
ing changing the date of a major
fundraiser because many mem
bers won't venture downtown on
State Pattv's Dav.
"It's really important to talk
about appropriate behaviors."
Shea said. "If we re not really will
ing to talk about those sort of
things, we're stepping away from
our ability as faculty to be respon
sible."
Though some students may feel
See STATE PATTY'S. Page 2.
UPUA
closer to
finishing
manual
By Paige Minemyer
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
As the University Park
Undergraduate Association
(UPUA) moves toward its
planned deadline for the fresh
man handbook, members looked
to the past for inspiration.
The handbook committee
invited alumnus Ben Bronstein,
Class of 1961. to its Monday
night meeting. Bronstein
worked on the handbook when
he was at Penn State and came
to advise the committee.
He said he was glad to see the
handbook coming to fruition
after several years of stalled
plans.
“I congratulate you guys on
finally making it happen."
Bronstein said.
Bronstein addressed several
issues with the potential hand
book. including the fact that it is
to be printed instead of put
online.
He said the committee just
has to try out the different alter
natives.
“I think it's a good idea and
you have to test it and see how it
works," he said.
Samantha Miller, UPUA
See UPUA. Page 2.