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Collegian
Elizabeth Murphy
Editor in Chief
Kelsey Thompson
Business Manager
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4, 2010
Healthier options improve halls
Though Simmons Din
ing Commons will be
missed by many, its clos
ing this upcoming spring
may motivate a positive
change for the rest of the
dining commons.
If a healthy dining hall
exists, that means the uni
versity is admitting that
unhealthy halls exist, as
well. However, if all eating
places consciously provide
healthy eating options,
students could benefit
tremendously.
Instead of counting on a
dining hall to make the
decisions for them, stu
dents should learn to have
some self-control when
piling food on their plates.
It’s unrealistic to blame
the “freshman 15” on hav
ing a meal plan or
unhealthy food selections
in the dining halls. Stu-
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State College becoming new home
By Undsay Cryer
My dad really loves
cheesesteaks from
The Corner Room.
Sometimes I
think it’s the
only reason he
volunteers to
come visit me,
help me move in
or in last
weekend’s case
attend my
brother’s
lacrosse tourna
ment, which
was conveniently held in State
College.
As we sat in those booths for
our first meal in town, my dad
turned to me and asked a rather
perplexing question before tak
ing another bite of his cheeses
teak, extra onions.
“So between State College
and home, what feels more like
home?”
Way to throw out the big ques
tions, Dad.
As hard as it should be to
decide where my “home” is, I’m
fairly certain I responded quick
ly with just a smile.
“State College?” he asked.
I nodded, rejecting my home
town of Erie.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I
sure do like Erie. I actually love
it. I was raised well, went to
great schools and have made
some of the best friends in the
entire world ones that can
forgive even the worst haircuts
dents need to take respon
sibility for themselves and
their eating habits.
Additionally, Director of
Residence Dining Lisa
Wandel’s observation of
the way students eat
small amounts of many
different foods is accurate.
So the plan to shrink por
tions is a good one. For
students who eat dinner
with their eyes and not
their stomachs, this might
save the university money
and reduce food waste.
If Residence Life wants
to successfully pull this
off, two things must hap
pen. First, the Pollock ren
ovation has to include
some sort of expansion to
accommodate the
increased number of stu
dents using it as their
main dining hall. Distract
ing students by introduc
and most embarrassing
moments in my grade-school
life. I’ve got a great family, too.
While my father persists that I
was “raised by wolves,” I know
that my “home” is often times
where my parents and siblings
all humans are.
However, I’ve also got to take
into consideration what is
scribed on picture frames and
doormats everywhere: Home is
where the heart is.
Sony, Mom and Dad, but my
heart bleeds blue and white.
I think Penn State’s transition
from house to home, for lack of a
better phrase, occurred this
past year. Long gone are the
days when Penn State felt like
an extended summer camp.
Now, it’s a small town full of big
time love. Home becomes the
place where we feel that extra
special love.
MY OPINION
By now, we’ve grown into the
people that we want to be,
whether that person is defined
by a career goal, a personality
trait or even a fashion taste.
What I’ve found is that the
friends I’ve made at school are
the people that love this version
of Lindsay that has taken 20
years to develop.
Home, and the people within,
could just be the place where
that version of yourself is loved
and the most comfortable. Not
just a cold-side-of-the-pillow
kind of comfortable or the inde
scribable comfort you feel while
laying on the HUB lawn, but the
kind of comfortable you feel
ing new “food concepts”
such as an Asian food
grille, barbeque and other
vague ideas will not solve
the almost definite over
crowding Pollock will see
when Simmons closes.
Second, it has to be
completely finished and
on time. Construction into
the semester will cause
significant issues, espe
cially considering it’s nor
mal now for food lines to
run out the doors. This
\
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also doesn’t include the
increased number incom
ing freshman will bring.
The efforts of Wandel
and other authorities to
integrate what Simmons
had to offer across cam
pus and make the transi
tion as smooth as possible
are appreciated, but there
are still some issues that
need to be resolved.
when your realize that who you
are is just OK
While I was in State College, I
took some time away from my
family to enjoy The Diner’s infa
mous gooey macaroni and
cheese with my friend, Paul. I
think it’s something that he said
that really made me think twice
about what made the Happy
Valley into my own valley of hap
piness.
“Doesn’t it feel like we’re back
in school and have class tomor
row?” he said. “Even being here
for one weekend me feel like I’m
here for good.”
That was it.
The best way to identify your
home is to pay attention to how
you feel. Fbr me, it’s a little fuzzy
feeling in my heart. It’s that itch
ing I get when I know that
where I’m at is where I’m sup
posed to be. It’s the feeling that
makes my hometown now feel
like a temporary destination. It’s
how I feel when I realize that
just because all my stuff is in
Erie doesn’t mean that I’ve
unpacked my heart here too.
So, for my dad, the cheeses
teaks draw him to State College.
For my brother, it was his
lacrosse tournament. But, in a
couple weeks, I’ll be going to
State College because every
vacation or summer break
has to end with a drive home.
Undsay Cryer is a junior majoring in
journalism and is the Collegian's
Wednesday columnist. Her e-mail
address is Ibct46@psu.edu.
The Daily Collegian
Avoid paying increased cost
by simply paying in advance
In response to Kelly Swift’s letter,
“Continued football increases pushing loyal
PSU fans away” and to anyone who has
a problem with the new parking pass situa
tion for home football games I disagree.
Kelly maintains that in this tough economy,
it’s unfair for Penn State to prey on its loyal
fans. Not that it’s unfair to prey on the loy
alty of our amazing fan base, but that Penn
State is even committing this supposed act.
The only people Penn State is praying on
are stupid and impulsive people.
Coincidentally, those two groups, like fools,
are soon to part ways with their money
anyway. So why not let PSU have it?
If you plan ahead for a game (even as lit
tle as a week before) you will pay no more
for parking than in previous years. People
need to stop whining about things they can
easily control and stop blaming others for
their own laziness. Plan ahead; save
money.
SNAP, CRACKLE, POP
Hangover 101: Intellishots
I don’t usually pop little green pills or
knock back shots-worth of green fluid,
especially when it’s from Las Vegas.
But this one time, I made an exception.
Why? Because it promised to take
care of one of the biggest banes to the
college experience: hangovers.
At first glance, they’re not much to
look at just a little capsule filled with
green tablets or a mini-bar-sized bottle
of liquid. And after you crack open the
liquid shots, they’re definitely not much
to smell.
[...]
But even though Intellishots aren’t
the most appetizing things in the world,
it's difficult to argue with results.
After heading out to a few bars with
some friends, I decided to give the
hangover remedies a shot (no pun
intended). The taste was somewhat
unsettling, and the tablet itself actually
made my stomach upset for about five
minutes after taking it.
But after walking it off, the nausea
went away, and my adventure with
Intellishots began.
Since it was a weekend and I didn’t
have work the next morning, I decided
to put my little green friends to the test
and see if they would actually stave off
the sickening day-after effects.
Aside from waking up with a small
headache nowhere near as bad as a
full-fledged hangover Cheerz
Intellishots did their job quite we 11....
FOOTBLQG
D. Lynn eager to start camp
D’Anton Lynn’s eyes lit up when
asked about the start of fall practice,
but not quite as much as they will when
he wakes up for the Sept. 4 season
opener against Youngstown State.
“We’ve been working all offseason to
get here,” Lynn said enthusiastically
about starting camp Thursday. “Then
we’ll be working hard all camp, so I
can’t wait for the first game to start.”
Lynn described the first few days of
camp, saying the coaches will probably
ease the younger players into the
defensive scheme by putting in three
new defenses each day....
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Magazine en route to frosh
Please, excuse us.
You may have seen the strange mail
ing label on today’s issue of The Daily
Collegian. Never fear, it's a good thing.
It’s the marker of our freshman-only
issue of “Fresh Start” a magazine
insert that is mailed to all incoming
freshman for the fall.
Thousands of freshmen will be get
ting a taste of their Daily Collegian a
couple weeks early. Fresh Start is
meant to help freshman acclimate to
the university and its surrounding com
munity. Read an excerpt of my Fresh
Start column for a better explanation:
“Truth be told, freshman year is cru
cial. Almost every day you are trying
something you never had before. You
are figuring out the Blue Loop for the
first time. You are buying your first pair
of Nittany Lion football tickets. You are
buying textbooks downtown. You are
calling your mom, asking for her to
come pick you up this college thing
isn’t for you.
“Everyone here has probably gone
through all of these situations and
more. That’s the great thing about the
Collegian we get it. We’ve been
through it, and we are going through it
with you. We are here to be your
roadmap these four years.”
Read more of The Daily Collegian’s blogs at psu
collegian.com/blogs.
Erik Higbie
Class of 2007
Chris Zook
Arts chief
Andrew J. Cassavell
Football reporter
Elizabeth Murphy
Editor in Chief