The Daily Collegian elion checklist to help students By Christine Cooke FOR THE COLLEGIAN Recent additions to the student aid summary option on eLion offer students a unique financial checklist and can reduce the amount of congestion in the Office of Student Aid. The financial checklist helps students answer some of the basic questions they may have about financial aid, instead of waiting for long periods of time to speak with a financial aid repre sentative over the phone, said Brooke Repine, a Student Aid adviser. “Sometimes we receive up to 300 e-mails per day and we can only answer so fast." Repine said. “This application will help stu dents get an answer quicker." She said the office is crowded with up to 20 people at on*.. '^d Trick or Treat: Chocolate always a hit By Jennifer C. Yates ASSOCIATED PRESS McKEESPORT - In a block long warehouse at the McKeesport Candy Co., wooden pallets are piled high with boxes of candy fangs, wax mustaches, peanut butter and chocolate pumpkins, even a bag ot "blood" that resembles a hospital IV “The grosser the candy the bet ter it's going to sell," s owner Jon H. Prince. While kids love gore and gim micks when it conics to Halloween how can you not love a pair of wax fangs’ experts say children still are drawn to the classics their par ents favor when filling the family treat bowl every year. First on the list? Chocolate. “The truth is that there are many tried and true candy favorites. especially at Halloween." says Susan Smith, a spokeswoman for the National Confectioners Association. “Holidays represent tradition and small traditional favorites are the true kid pleasers on Halloween night." Sixty-eight percent ot kids say they like to get treats made with chocolate, while h percent go for lollipops, 7 percent go for gummy candy and another 7 percent pre fer gum. the association said. And last year sales ot gummy bE A PAMJ m THE PMBE ©F THE LIONS Penn state's Basketball Pep Band 1) IjO to l.'K J>: "«• |>Otl l) link on Ho- How to loin tat> t) follow tin* link to Dp? the representatives do the best they can to ensure students have their questions answered without a long wait in line. The financial aid checklist also reminds students when it’s time to reapply for financial aid. Executive Director of Student Aid Anna Griswold said the tool will remind students of what else they need to do to complete their financial aid applications. “Students can look at the finan cial aid checklist periodically and see what else they have to do, and what they need to pay special attention to," Griswold said. Some students said the new financial aid application will help them. Julie Ressalam plans on using it when she applies for financial aid next year. “FAFSA is sometimes hard to deal with This wav I have other A recent poll showed 68 percent of kids prefer treats made out of chocolate, while 9 percent prefer lollipops,7 percent go for gummy can dies and another 7 percent prefer gum. candies were on the rise. But it's not just the little colorful bears you might be used to. Think gory gummy eyeballs, tongues, fin gers. brains, even rats are all pop ular for Halloween. In all. Halloween candy accounts for about $2.2 billion in sales a year, the biggest holiday for confections after Easter. New variations of traditional treats help drive some of those sales, Smith says. Bethlehem based Just Born Inc., for exam- Make your appointments online at b ttp://st udentaffairs.psu.edu/health CO3D is $2O ana may De Dined do your sduaeno accounD. Covered by the Penn State student health insurance plan. Umvei s ivHealthServices: O \ t/}© LOD pie, is known primarily for its marshmallow Peeps candies at Easter. This year, the company has added Peeps Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Pumpkins. According to Yahoo, the top searched Halloween candy online are Hershey’s chocolate and Kisses, followed by Snickers, gummy bears and gum. Candy corn, that icon of Halloween treats that dates back to the 1800 s, is No. 10 on the list. penn sbace scuoenGS: sfiay healbhy dfiis uiinden-ged immunized! JIHB i-r !•••-' ;.-'rivt-fs.-?* Pork of Penn Sfore L & STATE options than speaking with a rep resentative. The office is always busy and can only do so much,” Ressalam (junior-biology) said. But some students said they’re not sure the checklist will make the financial aid process any easi er. Jocelyn Helgerman- (junior integrative arts) said she might use the application once or twice per semester. “The Office of Student Aid is sometimes backed up, but I’ve never had trouble contacting them,” Helgerman said. “If I need to use the checklist, I’ll use it.” Student Aid officials said the application was tested among stu dents before it was launched to make sure it was easy for stu dents to use. The new application will contin ue to be tested among students to ensure it maintains user-friendly functions. Stern Witt 'Collegiar Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Diana K. Sugg read excerpts of her stories on Wednesday at the Foster Conference. Award-winning author shares journey, advice The heartbreak of a mother losing her child to cancer is an experience with which most col lege students are unfamiliar. But the writing of Pulitzer Prize winner Diana K. Sugg made that emotional experience incredibly real for Penn State stu dents on Wednesday morning. Sugg read excerpts from her articles about 12-year-old R.J. Voight’s battle with pediatric can cer and the emotional toll it took on R.J. and his mother Michele. Sugg, a former medical reporter from The Baltimore Sun.spoke as the second speaker at the Foster Conference . Students said they were impressed by Sugg s emotional connection to her story and the tactful manner in which she tack led such sensitive subject matter as R.J.s story. “The audience was definitely able to connect with what she was saying and I think that’s what makes her such an amazing writer,” Alyse Horn ijunior-jour nalism) said. Katie Dziki said she didn't expect Sugg to go so deeply into one particular story. “The thing that spoke to me was R.J.s story," Dziki said. “I wasn’t expecting it to be as emo tional as it was." Accompanying her readings, Sugg presented a slide show of various photographs, ranging from some of R.J. receiving treat- ML, MW* P F ? \ [ndfk ... PA Announce,?'? Audition on Saturday,October 23rd : 3pm in the Bryce Jordan Center i PA announcer must be available to work all home games. ; (PA announcer and Emcee are both paid positions} i ... mtionaiAxtfv&m Sixtier-? By Alaina Gallagher COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER Auditions will begin around 3:3opm following the PA/emcee auditions. Please email Bonnie Clarke with Penn State Sports Marketing at bnd@psu.edu if you plan on auditioning. Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010 I 5 ment, some with his mother and others of his final days in the hos pital to illustrate everything R.J went through. After her readings. Sugg briefly spoke with journalism professor Tony Barbieri and students had the opportunity to ask Sugg questions about her story and experiences as a jour nalist. Sugg gave advice to the aspiring journalists in the room as well. "I was so amazed by her emo tional appeal and her stories h really brings the issues of tiiese children to light," Emily Pas: (junior-public relations) said, i was holding onto every word she was saving." Sugg recalled when P .i> mom Michele revealed to hoi why Michelle decided to let Sugg into their lives and write her son’s story: "It was because I looked into your eyes and 1 decided 1 could trust vou." she said. Sugg encouraged students u remember that as journalists "you will be sized up in seconds.' and that it’s important to kcci your integrity while waiting sto ties. "If you have heart and soul ar.e really want to go for it. you cat get great stories." Sugg said. Pasi said she especially valued one piece of Sugg's adv ice. “Every stoiy is a stoiy and ym: just have to dive into it.' Pus said. "I’m always going to keep that with me.” To e-,,,aii reporter: aqgsoB7@piu.edt Free parking available in Founders Lot