I Friday, Oct. 22, 2010 Twirler photo holds top By Megan Rogers COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER Penn State’s feature twirler Matt Freeman doesn’t just twirl with fire he can twirl with fire during a lightning storm, a feat that may land him on the cover of Twirl Magazine. Student photographer Andy Colwell’s photo of Freeman twirling with fiery batons has been selected as one of the top 15 final ists out of 100 submissions for the competition. By “liking” a photo on Twirl Magazine’s fan page, students can vote for their favorite photo, Freeman (freshman-business marketing and advertising) said. Right now, Freeman’s photo has the most “likes” but pictures of the West Virginia and lowa twirlers are gaining ground, he said. As soon as he snapped the shot, Colwell (senior-visual journalism and art photography) knew he had captured something special. “The combination of lightning and his expression and photo dynamics all come together." he said. Colwell took pictures in a field by the arboretum for about three Katie Stlvis 'Collegian Nehemia Mitchell (junior-labor employment relations), left, speaks with a panel member at Thursday night’s Out in the Workforce event. Openly gay alumni share success stories By Leah Gillen COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER Kellen Ball, Class of 2008, said he brings up domestic partner benefits in job interviews so he can gauge a company’s approach to gay employees. "I bring it up early,” said Ball, who is openly gay. “It's a good question that gets the conversa tion started and would elicit a response about the company's attitude toward the LGBTQ com munity." Student members of the LGBTQA community gathered in the Bank of America Career Services Building to consult a panel of six openly gay Penn State alumni about their experi ences and successes in the work force at Thursday night's Out in the Workforce event. “We've been doing this for sev eral years," said Brian Patchcoski. assistant director of the LGBTQA Student Resource Center. “We invite alumni in vari ous capacities and positions in the workforce to share experi ences with the students and show that it is possible to be out in the workforce.” Some students said they agree that the panel helps alleviate the stereotype that out individuals cannot hold positions or have high-powered jobs. The panel, however, addressed both the challenges and benefits of working as an openly gay indi vidual in the workforce. Students questioned the panel on issues from including or excluding LGBTQA positions on resumes to addressing sexual orientation in interviews. Most of the panel emphasized the importance of working as an openly gay individual, as well as finding a company that has a gay- Eco-Reps to carve pumpkins, teach energy-saving tips By Christina Gallagher FOR THE COLLEGIAN Students living in East Halls will be able to celebrate the Halloween spirit while conserving energy at the Eco-Reps’ pumpkin carving contest Saturday. Students who participate in the event are encouraged to power down all electricity in their dorms before attending the event to adhere to the Eco-Reps’ October goal of reducing lighting. The Eco-Reps aim to cut the amount of energy used for lighting in East Halls by 25 per- To vote: ■ “Like” Andy Colwell’s photo of Matt Freeman on Twirl Magazine’s Facebook fan page ■ Voting ends Oct. 23. hours as Freeman practiced twirling with fire, a feat he said he will perform at the Penn State- Michdgan football game on Oct. 30. The end result is striking, he said. “He shot it at the exact time that two lightning bolts struck,” Freeman said. “The great part is it’s 100 percent natural." The pair had been talking about getting a picture of Freeman twirling fire during a storm. When the storm rolled through during a Monday Blue Band practice, they decided to give it a go. There was an added element of danger from shooting during the stormy weather, Freeman said. The Penn State twirlers and Blue Band are lucky because of how much support they receive from the community. Freeman said evident in the number of votes. “It’s not the big politics that change society it’s the interconnections. ” Paul Meyers panel member friendly environment. “For the younger generations, negativity in the work force is less in your face,” said Deborah Minori of BNY Mellon. "The companies are trying to become a more inclusive commu nity. They want to have the best talent to work for the job so they take from all parts of the commu nity.” the panel also encouraged the students to research the atmos phere of the company prior to accepting an interview, not to dis regard different companies or fields of work before exploring the benefits, or lack thereof, they have for employees in the LGBTQA community. Panel members said the most beneficial way to conduct a career is to be “out”. "Get it out in the open.' said Leo Dunn of Dunn Law. "and move on." Many had experiences in which they were surprised by the responsiveness of their col leagues. "It has changed a lot in the last 20 years," said Paul Meyers, a panel member from PM Garden Design Inc. “But one of the best things you can do for LGBTQ rights is be out. It’s not the big politics that change society it's the inter connections.” To e-mail reporter: lags2s7@psu.edu cent for the month of October. “Pumpkin carving is something fun for people to do while not using energy,” Eco-Rep Karen Baier said. Baier (freshman-environmental resource management) said the event is being held because many of her friends did not know if they would be able to carve a Halloween pumpkin at college. Eco-Rep coordinator Milea Perry said 100 pumpkins have been purchased for freshmen to carve or decorate. While the deco rating is taking place, Eco-Reps will present tips about how to be LOCAL “I’ve gotten so much support on the website. It’s incredible,” he said. Voting for the competition ends Saturday at midnight and the win ning picture will appear on the cover of the next issue, he said. This would be the first time a Penn Stater has been on the cover of the magazine and presents the oppor tunity to publicize the Blue Band and twirlers, Freeman said After seeing a similar photo taken by a professional photogra pher, Colwell was inspired to test it out. He used the photograph for a class assignment, but was pleas antly surprised when he saw Freeman had entered it into the contest. And though some people are questioning whether the photo has been photoshopped or altered, Colwell said the final picture is exactly how it came out of the camera. Blue Band President Justin Ross said it’s awesome to see Freeman achieve so much suc cess in his first year. Not only can he take a photo, but his perform ance is stellar, he said. "Matt's been doing a great job Co-op to welcome recruits By Emily Riden FOR THE COLLEGIAN The House-a-saurus will open its doors to the community Saturday. Central PA Community Housing also known as House a-saurus or the Co-op will hold an open house to recruit new members and teach the public about sustainable living. The open house will kick off at noon Saturday, and tours of one of the organization’s two houses, 833 W. College Ave., will continue throughout the day. “We’re going to have instruc tions and demonstrations,” Co-op resident Benjamin Tutolo said. “We want to invite them into our place and teach them about how we live.” Some residents, like Jared Blumer, are looking forward to sharing the unique Co-op lifestyle, which includes growing their own food, with other stu dents. “One of my favorite things is when I'll be drumming and some one will come down the stairs with a didgeridoo and start play ing with me,” Blumer (senior-sec ondary education) said. “We have a lot of fun, a lot of spontaneity.” Resident Julianne Hagarty said activities like vegetable fer menting have been planned for the open house, among other eco friendly events. There will also be food, music, hula hooping and lessons on 5K race to ‘save second base’ By Emily Battaglia FOR THE COLLEGIAN When Taryn Noll’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer her freshman year of college, she wanted to find a way to support her even though she was hours from home. Noll (sophomore-communica tion arts and sciences) said she tried to find a breast cancer organization to join on campus, but finding none, decided to cre ate her own. More than a year after she cre ated Power of Pink, the organiza tion is hosting the First Annual Race to Save Second Base on Saturday in an effort to raise money for breast cancer research. Kelsey Itak (sophomore-mar keting) said since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it is the perfect time to host an event to get students involved. "Breast cancer effects a lot more people than people seem to realize,” Itak said. “A lot of people on campus know someone that died or is a survivor of breast can cer." When Ella Keffer’s mother was If you go What: Pumpkin carving and decorating When: 3-5 p.m. today Where: 133, 103 and 124 Findlay/Johnston Commons environmentally friendly while liv ing in the dorms, Perry said. “Our focus is on first-year stu dents. We want them to learn eco friendly behaviors at the start of their [four years at Penn State]. First-year students enter college spot in contest Andy Colwell’s photograph of Penn State’s feature twirler Matt Freeman was shot at the exact time two lightning bolts struck. as stepping up as the feature he’s been excellent at exceeding twirler this year,” Ross (senior- the requirements." mechanical engineering) said. “There's been big shoes to fill and To e-mail reporter: mersoo@psu.edu Collegian file photo Co-op will kick off tours at one of the organization's two houses on 833 W. College Ave to recruit new members for the organization. other topics like hummus-mak ing, bike maintenance, gardening and composting. The event will culminate in an open mic night at 8 p.m on Saturday. Anyone interested in participating is encouraged to bring instruments, music and poetry. Sign-ups start at 7 p.m. “We like to showcase some of the creative talents of the area," Hagarty (graduate-geosciences) said. Residents said the open house is an excellent opportunity for those who may be interested in living in one of the two houses to learn more about it and meet the current members. “The idea is that we have a group of people with a shared goal to live in a way as socially responsible as possible,” Hagarty said. If you go What: First Annual Race to Save Second Base 5K When: Saturday; runners begin at noon, walkers begin at 12:05 p.m Where: Outside the IM Building Details: $l5 if registered in advanced, $2O to register on Saturday. All money goes to the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia branches of Susan G. Komen For the Cure. diagnosed with breast cancer her senior year of high school, she didn't have an organization to turn to but when she came to Penn State, Power of Pink provid ed her with a strong support sys tem. “We want people to have some where that they are able to talk about what’s going on at home,” Keffer (sophomore-nursing) said. “Breast cancer affects one in every eight women, which is someone in nearly every family.” Keffer said she thinks one rea son so many people have been without any special habits,” Perry said. “It’s much harder to educate, inform and train students accus tomed to dorm life already.” Eco-rep Chelsea Miller said many freshmen ignore powering down televisions, laptops and lights because they do not receive electricity bills. “Most people do not know what happens behind the curtain. They only see the monetary aspect,” Miller (freshman-business) said. The carving will take place in Findlay/Johnston Commons from 3 to 5 p.m. and Eco-Reps will choose the best three pumpkins The Daily Collegian Tutolo (senior-environmental systems engineering) said the 19 residents of the two houses strive to be sustainable, eco-friendly and egalitarian. He said House-a-saurus is the only place of its kind in State College. In their quest to be socially and environmentally responsible, house residents purchase a large amount of food in bulk from organic farms, Hagarty said. They also shop at local farmers' markets, grow their own produce and compost any waste. Blumer said he likes having the option of choosing from a variety of fresh food that is only a few steps away. “One wonderful thing is being able to walk in the backyard and pick your own food," Blumer said. interested in the event is because of its catchy name. Noll said a club member threw the name out as a joke while they were brainstorming ideas, but everyone in the group thought it "had a ring to it." Sean Znachko (sophomore advertising and crime, law and justice) said she plans to run in the race, but not because of the name. “I wanted to run to show my support for victims and their fam ilies and to also show apprecia tion that I haven't had to deal with breast cancer," Znachko said. Znachko said she is excited for everyone to come together to support breast cancer in a posi tive way. Usually when people talk about breast cancer, they come together to talk about doctors' appointments, she said. Znachko said she hopes the event raises awareness about breast cancer to other students. “When so many are affected by it, it’s something people should care about," Znachko said. “You may never know if the person sit ting next to you in class has to deal with someone going through breast cancer." that have been carved with a mes sage about reducing electricity to be displayed in the dining com mons, Baier said. Once pumpkins are finished being judged, students can bring them back to their dorms, Baier said. “No one has to carve ‘reduce electricity’ or ‘use energy-efficient light bulbs.’ The whole point is to get people out of their rooms,” Baier said. “But if someone can think of a creative way to put a message about reducing electrici ty on a pumpkin, more power to you.”
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers