The Daily Collegian Teach For America PSU applications rise By Vera Greene COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER Since education has become a hot topic in Washington, Teach Fbr America has seen more Penn State students applying and being accepted than ever before. Founded to recruit college graduates to teach in low-income school districts, the nonprofit organization is suddenly seeing an influx of Penn State students, with a 35.9 percent increase of appli cants from last year and an 8.6 percent jump in the acceptance rate. This year. 49 Penn State stu dents have already been accepted or placed on the waitlist. With the application deadline approaching at 2:59 a.m. on Friday. Feb. 19, there is still a chance to get involved in the "Peace Corps of America." said .Andrea Schwartz, Teach For America recruitment director. Schwartz, a Teach for America alumna herself, said teaching in inner city schools is an eye-open ing experience. "Awareness translates a lot to Penn State everyone is really service-oriented." she said. Accepted for 2010. Jessie Welch (senior-hotel restaurant and insti tutional management) said Teach Fbr America is about changing the national mindset. “I think there are a lot of people who either don't acknowledge the achievement gap or aren't aware of it.” she said. "I grew up living a fortunate life it was never on my radar because it didn't need to be." Welch will be teaching at a school in Richmond. Calif. con sidered one of the most dangerous cities in the country. Schwartz said there are many challenges that come with teach ing in an inner city' community, because many students are drastically far behind in academ ics. An average fourth grader in the lower-income school districts is reading at a first grade level, which causes large achievement Euphoria at Le Safon SGUDenB HBBLOH Tline-UP 112 south Fraser Street. 814-238-6440.814-237*3117 IN TIME FOR SPRING BREAK... Impress the rest with our hair and body services! “Awareness translates a lot to Penn State everyone is really service-oriented. ” Andrea Schwartz Teach For America recruitment gaps that cost the country about $4OO billion to $670 billion per year, she said. 'ln lower-income communities, 50 percent of high school kids drop out and less than 10 percent go to college." Schwartz said. "There are 13 million children growing up in poverty that need a little extra support in the class room." And many of the students don’t have sufficient food, clothes or shelter, she said. so encouragement within school is paramount. When Schwartz was in the pro gram, she taught a student in her Advanced Placement English class named Luwam Debru, the daughter of immi grants who spoke very little English. Debru's dream was to go to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and become a doctor so she could one day open a free health clinic for struggling fami lies. Schwartz worked with Debru and pushed her to new levels of academic proficiency. In the end. the student scored a passing grade of 3 on the AP exam. In August, Debru asked Schwartz to write her college rec ommendation, even adding in her application essay that she hoped to join Teach For America some day and be a role model like Schwartz. Last Thursday, Schwartz got a call: Debru had been accepted to UNC-Chapel Hill and received a partial scholarship to top it off. To e-mail reporter: vhgsoo3@psu.edu director Christine Reckner,'Collegian Students receive ashes at the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center on Ash Wednesday, which marks the begin ning of Lent. Along with Ash Wednesday. Catholics abstain from eating meat on Fridays during Lent. Rep. Conklin considers new position Rep. Scott Conklin is consider ing running for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, a posi tion he would use to campaign for legislative downsizing and reform. Because Pennsylvania allows for representatives to run for both a seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and lieutenant governor. Conklin. D- Centre, has begun to circulate petitions for both races. Conklin's chief of staff Tor Michaels said. Tuesday was the first day candi dates could circulate petitions. While Conklin is running for lieutenant governor, his main focus is on campaigning for re election as state representative. Michaels said. Michaels said Conklin began to consider running for lieutenant governor after he received posi tive feedback about his Jan. 25 constitutional convention forum in State College where Conklin was encouraged to take his reform message to a higher plat form. His campaign for House repre sentative in 2006 focused on leg islative reform. Michaels said. THURSDAY @ 5 • 102 STUDENT HEALTH CENTER February 18 Ready, Stretch, Go! Avoid injuries by Wpfc*' stretching right. All programs FREE and are held 5-6 p.m in the Student Health Center. Sv'- PtNNSIAi (FREE car charger J Call Us Today! «with new activation 1 (814)231-2600 'or phoneupgrade! | I Promotional may apply itore for details Offer By Megan Rogers COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER Bring a friend and tune up this spring! For more information call (814) 863-0461 ore-mail promotinghealth@sa.psu.edu IJi’iversiryHealthServices www.sa.psu.edu/uhs which is the message he wants to push in both of his campaigns for this election. Jon Eich. Centre County Board of Commissioners chairman and Senate hopeful. attended Conk lin's forum on a constitutional Conklin convention well as his earlier forum on the state's budget process. He thinks Conklin's election to lieutenant, governor would be great for the area. "We don't often get candidates for state legislative offices here in Central Pennsylvania." he said. "It might have some benefit for Centre County to have someone high in the government to talk about the needs of the county." Eieh said he would like to dis cuss the current freeze on coun ty-owned nursing homes and transportation issues in the county with Conklin if he were to be voted into office. If he decides to run for lieutenant governor and is elected. Conklin would assume the role of leading Pennsylvania Senate sessions and advising the governor on leg- Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010 I 3 islative initiatives. He would also continue to advocate for downsiz ing the legislature, Michaels said. And Conklin believes the reform message needs to be taken to another level, Michaels said. Though the House passed 31 reform measures in the past year, there's still a long way to go which could include a constitu tional convention, he said. Limiting government spend ing or making the legislature part-time would be among the issues discussed at a constitu tional convention, Michaels said. Penn State College Democrats President Jessica Pelliciotta said with the delay of the budget and a state government some call dys functional. a constitutional con vention may be necessary. "A constitutional convention even if it is just to think about it would be a good step,” Pelliciotta (junior-political science) said. “It would show that politicians don’t just care about their careers, but care about the functionality of the government." Conklin will not make a formal decision on whether he is run ning for lieutenant governor until March, Michaels said. To e-mail reporter: mers2oo@psu.edu
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