The Daily Collegian Family, friends honor owner By Casey McDermott COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER Some afternoons, Charles Petnicks routine was simple. He’d stroll into his clothing store a slice of pizza and a Coke in hand find a comfort able seat on the leopard-print couch in the back of the boutique and listen as customers browsing through racks of sweaters and dresses told stories about the clothing they’d bought there. Petnick, the co-founder and longtime owner of Mr. Charles, 228 E. College Ave., died Thursday morning at age 98 but his amicable nature and seven-decade legacy on the State College fashion scene still live on in the eyes of those who were close to him. “He loved to live." Charlene Rosen, the current owner of Mr. Charles, said of her father. “And through all of the different things IFC warns of suspicious man By Casey McDermott COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER Leaders from both the Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Council sent e-mails Thursday warning members to be on the lookout for a man who arrived in State College on Wednesday after having sent “inappropriate and creepy" mes sages to a female student on Eacebook. IFC President Max Wendkos sent an e-mail to all fraternity chapter presidents Thursday warning them to be on the lookout for a suspicious man who has COLLEGE STUDENT SEASON PASS CHRISTMAS TREES One for Here or one to take Home Choose and Cut or Fresh Cut k ff i- WSf T ide ?c Free hayrides to trees Beautiful Firs, Pines & Spruce -weekends Wreaths and Roping ■> Shake :le?' "and*' State College Borough Residents Snow Removal on Sidewalks Reminder Sidewalks must be cleared of all snow and ice within 24 hours after a snowfall has keeping the sidewalks clear is critical for both public safety and accessibility. It is especially important to clear ramps at comers so that full access is maintained. Failure to clear sidewalks will result in violations and costs to the property owner when the Borough has to contract for the sidewalks to be cleared (Please remember that residents are required to make arrangements for keeping their sidewalks clear when they are out of town.) The full ordinance can be found online by going to the Borough's website which is www.statecollegepa.us clicking on Borough Codes and then on Chapter XVI. Part G. Questions may be directed to the State College Department of Ordinance Enforcement & Public Health at 81 -4-234-"’ 1 PI or healthdept@statecollegepa.us Shoppers look at items inside Mr. Charles, 228 E. College Ave that evolved over the last century, he evolved, too.” But along the way, Rosen said, Mr. Charles evolved, too. Petnick and his wife, Mary Louise, first brought Mr. Charles to State College in 1940, Rosen said. The couple, newlyweds at the time, came from Altoona, Pa., to open a men’s clothing store on Allen Street, Rosen said. In a matter of years, though, World War II began the Petnicks were left with few poten tial men’s apparel customers, Rosen said so the store changed directions and began catering to women’s fashion instead. The boutique’s owners, selection and storefront have changed a few times since then, Rosen said, but her parents’ mis sion remained simple: it was all about providing one-of-a-kind pieces and a shopping experience that meant something to its cus tomers. “It’s really full of tradition, been harassing a sorority mem ber at Penn State, and PHC mem bers confirmed that a similar message was sent to Penn State sororities. According to the e-mail from Wendkos (senior-marketing and psychology), which was forward ed to all IFC fraternity members, the man arrived in State College Wednesday after harassing the student online and telling her that now is the time for them to be together. When he arrived, Wendkos said the man was greet ed at the bus stop by police who “cautioned him to stay away from the girl that he had been harass- .ONLY $ 299 Eligibility: Full time college students 18 • 22 with a minimum of 12 credit hours. ceased Li>C ’ 4 I Rosen said. "Everyone who comes back to the store has a memory from it whether it was one year ago or 40 years ago.” Rosen said she's heard count less stories through the years of women who still hold onto the graduation outfits, prom dresses or other heirloom pieces that they bought from Mr. Charles, which celebrates its 71st anniversary this year. Veronica Burk, Mr. Charles' manager, as manager, Burk said Mr. Charles and the Petnicks have become like family to her. Today, a framed picture of Petnick. smiling and surrounded by Mr. Charles employees at a company party last winter, sits on the front counter of the store. To both Burk and Rosen, that positive spirit is what made "Mr. Charles" the man and the bou tique a State College institu tion. "I think his name will live on forever." Burk said. To e-mail reporter: cmms773@psu.edu ing." to which he responded that he would respect their wishes. Penn State Police said they are investigating the man involved but would not confirm whether criminal charges had been filed against him or if he had been arrested as of press time. In a separate interview, Wendkos said that to his knowl edge. the man was previously involved in an incident at the University of Maryland where he posed as a fraternity brother from a separate college and trespassed onto several properties. To e-mail reporter: cmms773@psu.edu : I Vi t 5 ‘ ! i ijc 'tr It might look funny. But it can save you up to $3O over its lifetime. Those twisty, curvy CFL bulbs use 75% less electricity than incandescents and last up to 10 times longer. So switching to energy-efficient CFL bulbs is an easy way to help you control the size of your electric bill And Allegheny Power has more rebates and tips to help everyone conserve energy. To learn more ways alleghenypower.com or call 1-877-928-8928. Collegian file photo ! Hf^ to save, visit the Watt Watchers section of Media helps student adjust to U.S. culture Series Note: This is the third in a five-part series profiling international students. By Danae Blasso and Cassandra Wiggins FOR THE COLLEGIAN Fahad Taimur has chosen to expand his education in the United States, but his true roots lie over 7,000 miles away from Happy Valley. In July of 2008, Taimur (junior chemical engi- neering) trekked to the U.S. as an incoming fresh man at Penn Taimur State's Lehigh Valley campus, where he was an officer of the Honors Club. Taimur was raised in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, which is near the nation's capital, Islamabad. Taimur said most of his family resides in Lehigh Valley, but some loved ones still live in Pakistan, Urdu, the language of Pakistan, is not the only language he is fluent in. Taimur said. “I used to watch some American shows and movies in Pakistan from a young age. so I learned [English] from that," he said. "The language was kind of a barrier because at first making friends and stuff is hard." Taimur said sometimes he has difficulty with reading English, but in regard to his major, he has not experienced much trouble. He said he did not experience complete culture shock when he moved to the U.S.. since the Internet and the news showed him what to expect. The national dress of Pakistan is "salwar kameez. 'a long dress, but this is not the only difference between the U.S. and Pakistan, he said. “For food, we usually eat like curry or rice or something like that, but I pretty much enjoy food from any country." he said. "Usually I eat fast food, most the time its some Italian food like A Allegheny Power .in Mlt'i’lit’in Kiu'nn iomp.mv Friday, Dec. 3, 2010 I 3 World pizza or macaroni cheese." Though he has been exposed to different ideas and cultures, Taimur said he is still deeply involved with his Muslim religion. “Over here, life is slightly dif ferent as being a Muslim is con cerned, because you are not sur rounded by as many Muslims as you would be [in Pakistan]," he said. "But I do like interacting with people from different cul tures and different religions.” Taimur said people generally accept his religion, but there have been instances where peo ple were "racist, judgmental or maybe just ignorant" Being in America gives him more opportunities to explore dif ferent languages, cultures, and ideas. Taimur said. "Something which may be shocking to you before coming here, might become acceptable to you after." he said. Taimur lives with three room mates one Pakistani student and two Svrian students. Majd Daher (junior-chemical engineering), one of Taimur's Svrian roomates. said he met Taimur at the Lehigh Valley cam pus and the two became friends. "Fahad is very open and friend ly with everyone." Daher said. "He just loves to interact with people and learn everything he's just ambitious about life." Taimur said he hopes to work for a pharmaceutical company in a major city, plans on becoming a U.S. citizen and wants to live here for the next 20 to 20 vears. After traveling the world and retiring, he said he intends to return to Pakistan. He's not unhappy being away from home, though. "Getting good grades every semester, learning more stuff just makes me happy," Taimur said. "Most of my family is here, so meeting them also makes me happy." \ %r ' sii{ f , S', * f ' W in 4 4 1 i ( . 'ft WATT Rate caps are set to expire on December 31,2010, and your electric bill will likely increase. Take steps now to conserve electricity before rates go up. mac and