I Friday, Dec. 3, 2010
Couple donates
By Mike Hricik
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
Fbr Tom Flad, donating to Penn
State was a simple choice
because of the opportunities his
alma mater offered him as a grad
uate.
“I wanted to put my money to a
place that I support. In hindsight,
it was a simple decision,” Flad,
Class of 1974, said.
Tom and his wife Karen Flad, of
Bethlehem, Pa., have donated $4
million to the Penn State College
Fraternity
fundraises
for AIDS
awareness
By Matt Scorzafave
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
Members of Delta Lambda Phi
are holding two fundraisers this
holiday season, both raising
awareness for issues involving
the LGBTA community, students
and local community.
The fraternity is heading an
ornament sale to benefit The
AIDS Project of Centre County, as
well as a wristband sale to benefit
the TVevor Project.
Jeremy LaMaster, the fraterni
ty’s philanthropy chairman, said
this year’s ornament sale is a sec
ond annual event.
“All of the money goes to the
AIDS Project of Centre County,
which provides free HIV testing,
as well as risk reduction counsel
ing,” LaMaster (senior-biology)
said.
LaMaster said last year the
effort raised about $9OO, and the
fraternity is hoping to surpass
last year’s total.
Members of the fraternity are
asking for a $3 minimum donation
for the ornaments.
“We’re definitely hoping to get
more than $1,000,” he said.
LaMaster said it’s important
Downtown stores may face less business with early finals week
By Nathan Pipenberg
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
Holiday shopping in State
College used to be something of a
tradition, according to Rapid
Transit owner Terry Losch. After
classes ended for the fall semes
ter, students would sell their text
books and with cash in hand,
spend it all in downtown stores.
That annual practice often
depends on Penn State’s finals
week, which ends Dec. 17 this
year, eight days before Christmas,
leaving downtown storeowners
wondering how that will affect
their sales.
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Eligible individuals are Penn State employees whose
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Inc. is to provide a
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educational
experience for
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staff members.
of the Liberal Arts and athletic
department.
And $2 million of the couple’s
donation will go to the Italian lan
guage and literature program.
The Paterno Liberal Arts
Undergraduate Fellows Program
will receive $1 million. The other
$1 million will be divided equally
between the Penn State football
and rugby programs, said Vicki
Fong, manager of communica
tions for the College of the Liberal
Arts. Fbng said liberal arts stu
dents and faculty members are
Chloe Elmer/Collegian
Jeremy LaMaster (senior-biology) takes an ornament and donates
money in the LGBTA Resource Center in the Boucke building.
for students to be educated on
HIV/AIDS.
“I feel like things have become
a little lax. AIDS is still around,
it’s still an issue and we need to
work to eliminate it,” he said.
Brendon Wall, the fraternity’s
president, agreed, emphasizing
the importance of awareness.
“It’s important to decrease the
AIDS stigma. This makes people
think about making a difference,
even if it’s something they don't
see every day,” Wall (senior-ener
gy, business and finance) said.
Fraternity member Adam Del
Rosso said benefits from the wrist
band sale the fraternity is spon
soring will partially benefit the
Trevor Project, a 24-hour anony
mous hotline for gay or question
ing youth who may be struggling
with thoughts of suicide.
Del Rosso (senior-meteorolo-
For Rapid Transit, 115 S. Allen
St., classes ending early means
students will only be in town for a
few of what Losch considers to be
the most profitable days of the
season, the period from Dec. 15 to
24. These are the final days of
shopping when online stores can
no longer guarantee that items
will reach their customers in time
for the holidays, he said.
Additionally, students tend to be
preoccupied studying for exams,
and find more reason to shop from
the comfort of their dorm rooms
and apartments before the Dec. 15
to 24 time span.
But Steve Artz, the owner of Gift
LOCAL
million to Penn State
thrilled with the gift one of the
college’s largest.
“This means big opportunities
for our students. That they were
able to make such a gift is a won
derful story,” she said.
Tom Flad graduated from Penn
State as a pre law major but decid
ed not to pursue a career in law
after finding his calling teach
ing, he said.
He received a B.S. from
Kutztown State University in ele
mentary education and married
his wife Karen, a fellow teacher, in
gy) said this semester's pledge
class decided to sell purple wrist
bands to raise awareness about
suicide rates within the LGBTA
community.
“Even at the college level, there
are gay people who aren't out.
Something like this will show peo
ple that they have a community
backing them up,” he said.
Del Rosso said the fraternity
wanted to donate to something
worthwhile and not time sensi
tive. With the help of other mem
bers of the fraternity Del Rosso
said the group began with 400
wristbands, and has nearly sold
out.
Ornaments and wristbands can
both be found at the LGBTA
Resource Center in 101 Boucke
Building up until winter break.
To e-mail reporter: mrss429@psu.edu
Adventures, 137 E. Beaver Ave.,
sees the early departure of Penn
State students as an advantage.
It might go against conventional
wisdom, but Artz said more time
between the end of classes and
the holidays means that parents
who arrive in town will be more
relaxed and willing to browse dur
ing some downtime.
When finals end a little bit early.
Artz said, he often sees students
shopping with their parents.
"They have breathing room and
time for casual shopping,” he said.
The casual atmosphere is one
reason why Artz thinks Gift
Adventures does so well during
1978. The couple taught at a school
district in Columbia, Pa., before
Tom began a successful career in
the housing industry, Pong said.
He currently serves as the area
director of Met Life Home Loans
in Lehigh Valley.
Tom and Karen’s son Stephen,
Class of 2006, played rugby at the
university and now teaches ele
mentary school children in Lehigh
Valley. Flad said his Italian mother
and grandmother raised him as
bilingual growing up in Easton,
Pa.. He said his Italian studies at
Students prepare for
cold canning weekend
By Megan Rogers
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
The THON spirit won’t be con
tained just within State College
this weekend hundreds of stu
dents are trekking across the
state and surrounding areas to
can for the Interfratern
ity/Panhellenic Council Dance
Marathon.
And though the winter weather
has arrived over the past few
days, some students said they are
hopeful the temperatures will
increase donations during the
second canning weekend of the
semester.
THON public relations captain
Colleen Hanrahan said there are
about 937 registered canning
locations, though she said some
organizations have groups going
to different sites. On average,
about 269 student organizations
can each weekend, Hanrahan
said.
People are much more gener
ous to canners when the weather
is unsavory, said Elise Rodgers,
executive chairwoman for special
interest organization Domani.
The tri-state area is always
filled with canners, Hanrahan
said. But other locations receiv
ing some canning attention this
weekend include New York, West
Virginia, Virginia, the D.C. area
and Delaware, among others, she
said.
the holiday season. Compared to
wholesale retailers, “things are
very quiet for us around here," he
said.
Judy Moyer, owner of the
Animal Kingdom, 103 S. Allen St.,
offered a different perspective on
the issue. While students are
great customers, she said, busi
ness is also solid over break
because town residents enjoy the
shopping experience more when
they don’t have to fight the crowds
of student shoppers.
"When the students leave peo
ple actually start shopping,” she
said.
On Black Friday, Artz said Gift
Interested people are invited to submit a letter
of application and a resume to Patricia Hartranft.
E-mail applications preferred: pah 12@psu.edu.
Applications by regular mail may be sent to:
The Daily Collegian
Penn State made a large impact
on him as a student, causing him
to realize the importance of his lib
eral arts education later in life.
Flad said he admires Joe
Paterno for the coach’s dedication
to athletes honoring “education
first.” Selzer said the donation
from the Flads will help liberal
arts undergraduates to study
abroad, accept leading internship
opportunities and take on differ
ence-making research projects.
To e-mail reporter: mjhsso7@psu.edu
One of the most sure-fire ways
to get a driver to donate is just to
smile and be polite, Pi Beta Phi
sorority member Dana Yurchak
said.
Yurchak, who said she is psy
ched to host a canning weekend
at her home in the Pittsburgh, Pa.
area for the first time, said her
sorority has almost 100 students
bundling up to brave the cold for
the kids.
“I hope the weather isn't too
bad so people roll down their win
dows," Yurchak (senior-biobehav
ioral health) said.
Even though the weekend falls
close to finals week, Rodgers
(senior-early childhood educa
tion) said students are always
willing to take the time to can.
“One of our strengths as an
organizations is that we always
have people willing to go out and
can," Hanrahan (senior-advertis
ing) said. "It's a great way to raise
THON's total for the Four
Diamonds fund."
To spice up the canning week
end, some Springfield organiza
tion canners are having themed
weekends.
One theme is Disney,
Springfield executive director
Meg Barnatt said the theme is
just one of the ample bonding
opportunities of a canning week
end.
To e-mail reporter: mers2oo@psu.edu
Adventures saw its fair share of
traffic, but not until the afternoon.
Customers told him they had been
to the early morning sales at Best
Buy and Target, but didn't come
downtown until after a midday
nap.
Geoff Brugler, owner of
Appalachian Outdoors, 123 S.
Allen St., expressed a similar sen
timent.
“Everyone has a mall in their
hometown with chain stores,” he
said. "There's an incentive to shop
downtown where there are unique
stores '
To e-mail reporter: ndpso4s@psu.edu
Collegian Inc. is responsible for:
Patricia Hartranft
Collegian Inc., James Building
123 S. Burrowes St.
State College, PA 16801-3882
Applications should include your:
1. Reasons for seeking a
directorship.
2. Local address,
telephone number
and email address.
3. Resume
The deadline for
applications is 5 p.m. Friday,
Dec. 10,2010.