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.”