The Daily Collegian
Courtesy of Lisa Wandel
Renovations to Pollock Dining Commons will begin in January and is
scheduled for completion by fall 2011.
Renovation plans
near completion
By Julie Mastrine
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
The walk from Simmons
Dining Hall to Pollock Commons
isn’t a long one. Just ask James
Hopey he’s timed it twice.
“It’s a three minute and 30 sec
ond walk from the Pollock doors
to touching the doorknob of
Simmons,” said Hopey, assistant
director of residence dining. “It’s
a quick walk, but I never ran.”
Though it may be a challenge
to convince students to walk the
extra distance to Pollock when
Simmons Dining Hall closes at
the end of the year, the revamped
commons won’t disappoint, said
Lisa Wandel, director of resi
dence dining.
Plans for the renovation of
Pollock Dining Commons are
close to being finalized. Nearly
everything about the commons
will change including its lay
out, decor and hours of operation,
she said.
To alleviate long waits, stu
dents will enter the dining com
mons from what is currently the
exit. They’ll swipe their IDs and
then be free to roam about the
north and south sides, which will
feature all-you-can-eat dining at
various food stations, much like
Waring Commons.
From Jan. 3 to April 22, the
south dining area and the Nittany
Lion Training Table will close for
renovations, Wandel said.
Students who used the Training
Table will be moved to the Gold,
Silver and Bronze rooms located
in the north side of the commons,
and rigaTony’s will move down
stairs. The Training Table will
reopen during spring break, and
the north side will close on May 9.
All of Pollock will re-open next
fall.
Applications are being accepted for the
Eligibility:
- must be a full-time Penn State undergraduate or graduate
student at any campus
Position Description:
represent a student perspective at meetings held by the Board
of Trustees once every two months
work and interact with administrators, trustees, and students
Issues Covered:
academic programs
major construction and renovation projects
environment for all Penn Staters-students, faculty,
and staff
operating budget ($3.8 billion in 2010-11)
To apply:
- applications available at www.psu.edu/trustees and at the
HUB Information Desk
Deadline:
all applications are due Wednesday, December 1 by
5:00 p.m. at 205 Old Main and can be submitted via
e-mail to BOTstudent@psu.edu
Contact Information:
- direct all questions to Rodney Hughes by e-mail at
BOTstudent@psu.edu or leave message by phone at
Plans for the south side
include four dining stations an
Asian station, a grill, a hickory
smoker and a chef’s table, which
will feature popular dishes cur
rently served in Pollock and
Simmons, Hopey said.
The north side will include a
station for gluten-free options, a
pizza/pasta bar, a fresh fruit bar
and an extensive salad bar.
Restrooms will also be added.
Some students are concerned
Pollock will not be able to handle
the influx of students once
Simmons closes, but Wandel said
plans to eliminate the Gold,
Silver and Bronze rooms, which
are currently used for dining by
private groups, will alleviate
these concerns.
The rooms, located next to the
north dining area, will be open to
all students and will include a
bakery/cafe and a lounge with a
fireplace, soft seating and big
screen TVs.
Many students expressed the
desire for more intimate seating
in Pollock, Wandel said.
“Right now, Pollock is a sea of
tables and chairs,” she said. “By
breaking it up with different col
ors and textures, we’ll be able to
break up the bigness.”
The current serving line will be
converted into corridor seating
areas, and private dining rooms
will be constructed where
rigaTony’s is.
This spring, residence dining
officials will evaluate which
recipes were most popular in
Simmons and add them to
Pollock’s menu.
When Pollock reopens, some
students said they hope to see
more vegetables like those
offered at Simmons.
To e-mail reporter: ]amsB7s@psu.edu
Student Trustee Position
ARTS & ENTER'! U
Moscow
orchestra
performs
By Hannah Rishel
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
State College got a taste of cul
ture all the way from Russia on
Tuesday night.
The Moscow State Symphony
Orchestra performed in
Eisenhower auditorium with
guest Jennifer Koh, an American
violin soloist.
The orchestra directed by
Pavel Kogan began the concert
with “Capriccio Italien" by Piotr
Illyich Tchaikovsky. Koh joined
the orchestra on stage for “Violin
Concerto No. 1 in G minor. Op.
26.”
Unlike the other violin players
in the orchestra, Koh stood beside
the conductor during her per
formance. While playing, she
swung her head and moved her
shoulders the way a guitarist at a
rock concert would.
After an intermission the
orchestra returned to the stage,
sans Koh, to play "Pictures at an
Author’s memoir highlights loss
By Courtney Warner
FOR THE COLLEGIAN
Robin Romm confronted an
audience of more than 60 people
Tuesday night with the harsh
realities of abandonment, starting
a family, dying relatives and
heartbreaks.
Robin Romm is the author of
the memoir “The Mercy Papers."
and an unpublished story.
“Adulthood.”
The memoir has been named a
Top Ten Nonfiction Book of the
Year by Entertainment Weekly, a
Notable Book of the Year by the
New York Times and Top 100
Nonfiction Book by the San
Francisco Chronicle.
Romn began the night by read
ing an excerpt from “Adulthood."
The story criticizes men from the
perspective of a woman who "has
a heart, it’s been broken, and now
[she] needs to start rebuilding it."
During this story, the audience
was given a glimpse of Romm's
personality through her expres
sions of humor, disagreement.
The Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Pavel Kogan
performs Tuesday night at Eisenhower Auditorium.
Exhibition" by Modest
Mussorgsky, a 10-piece composi
tion.
Kogan, Koh and the orchestra
received a standing ovation from
the crowd afterward.
Symphonies and other classical
music events are not typically
well attended by Penn State stu
dents, John Mark Rafacz.
Editorial Manager for the Center
for the Performing Arts, said prior
to the concert.
But the Moscow State
Symphony Orchestra's concert
reverence, and despair. Romm
also read from her memoir "The
Mercy Papers." w inch follows her
family's struggles with her moth
er's cancer. Romm said the mem
oir didn't "savage a hospice
nurse." like editors thought. She
said that it showed a woman who
dealt with the fact that her patient
was dying, not how the sickness
was affecting the patient and the
patient's family.
William Cobb, professor of
English, said he brought Romm
to Penn State because she'.- a
young and timeless writer
"Robin compassionate!’, yet
roughly writes about personal
issues that others are hesitant to
address," Cobb said.
A Q&A session followed the
readings where she talked about
her inspirations and the process
of becoming a writer. Romm .viid
her nonfiction is inspired by w hat
people tell her she shouldn't
write. She said her fiction is
inspired by miniscule details that
"glimmer" her mind, adding that
people should learn by how they
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* For each phrase below. re-arrange the letters to
-■ spell two new words that ate both types of food.
level p or example. TRAPEZI! becomes ZITI and PEAR
US ENGAGED
COBRA TRADER
PLAYPEN CAD
bleak stage
A? see
Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2010 i
had a large number of student.-
attending for classes.
Justin Conklin and his friend
Jason Becker attended the con
cert because of Conklin's integra
live arts class, which requires him.
to attend five concerts during >h<
semester.
Conklin isophomore-Engiis i
said that he liked the second h <
of the concert better becaiiM
was “more animated and mm*
to follow'"
io a mail reporter: hmrso27@psu.edu
see the world around them
Daniel Story (graduate portly
said he agrees with how Rome
approaches her creativity
Story said the event was a go. .n
opportunity for future wnrm ■
interact with someone who
going through what they wiii in.
to.
Luke Miller (senior Kim
stud his favorite part was hen
readings, especially the readm.
"Adulthood."
Her stories wen 1 engm.
and I liked her openness v.n
project that's still a work
process. Many people are air
to hear criticism. She's not
said.
During her storytelling. Rm
frequently took out a pencil lo r
red stories that didn't say •
siie wanted them to.
Sonja Cooper (senior biuii
said she appreciated watri
Romm correct her own work
"People aren't open to acknow
edging their mistakes, but
had no shame in making wh
was wrong better." she said
REGULAR SUTURE
O G L.E R
MORES