Archive for April, 2012

Hundreds of students stopped by the Student Book Store on College Avenue today in support of Emily Whitehead, THON child for the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) who is currently fighting leukemia.

I'm probably the only person who has spent my entire college career almost evenly divided between working for The Daily Collegian and Onward State. I feel like this has given me a unique perspective on Penn State's media scene. And I've learned a great deal from both media outlets.

Throughout the semester, our staff has put together a short playlist of relevant music each Monday for your listening pleasure during the week. For the last Monday of spring 2012, Onward State has compiled a Spotify playlist with all the Music Monday tunes from the semester. Enjoy!

As a college student, one of the questions I've gotten used to is, "What's your major?" For me, this has always been a conversation-starter.

With the first pick, and the last pick, coming and going, another NFL Draft comes to a close. There will be 12 former Nittany Lions that will be part of football teams over the summer, however, as they joined pro teams this weekend. Four were drafted, and the other eight were signed as free agents after the draft was completed.

The next time Devon Still suits up for a football game, he'll be wearing orange and black instead of white and blue. The former Penn State All-American defensive tackle was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals with the 53rd overall pick in the NFL Draft last night

I joined Onward State in the Fall with the hope that I would be part of the group that was going to sustain this blog after the founders, Davis, Eli and Evan, graduated. It didn't turn out that way. So it's time for my good bye post. It's not a senior column, since I'm not graduating and I'm not in undergrad anymore. Anyway, this is my good bye post.

we’ve compiled a list of the songs that are bound to remind you of the 2011-2012 school year here at State. Whether they mark your first taste of freedom as a freshman or they represent a bittersweet goodbye for all you seniors, these tracks are certain to take up a special place in your heart from this point forward (even the overplayed ones—especially them).

This is weird that this is my last Onward State post, right? Like, I co-created this site with my buddy Eli and my randomly-assigned roommate (and buddy) Davis during the fall of freshman year. And now, almost four years later, I'm writing a goodbye post? And there are people who aren't my parents who will read it? That's bizarre to me (and probably even more bizarre to my 18-year-old self).

Senior columns, with all their melodrama and platitudes, usually leave me eye-rolling and shaking my head with a vigor usually reserved for study abroad blog posts. But, as I graduate a week from today, I figured I should give it a go myself. Rather than discuss the origins of Onward State like Evan,  I'd just like to briefly thank a few individuals who have defined my Penn State experience.

Find out after the jump.

"Oh you just point and click right? Don't you just upload them and that's it?" I wish.

When I first heard that hip-hop star Ludacris would be performing at Movin' On this year, I jumped at the chance to interview him. After many emails, a lot of patience, and just a little bit of luck, Luda finally agreed to let me as him a few questions. Check out the video after the jump to find out more about his salary, his driving habits, and his past experience as a Blockbuster Video employee.

With the alumni Board of Trustees campaigns in full swing, Onward State has now released short profiles of each candidate. Each profile includes a very brief bio with links to their mission statement, website, Facebook page, and Twitter if available. A record 27,000 votes have been cast as of Thursday. Penn State graduates have until 9 a.m. on May 3rd to cast their vote.

Coming off two come-from-behind victories in non-conference games this week, the Penn State baseball team will try to keep the momentum going in an important three game series at home against Ohio State.

The top-seeded Penn State Men's Volleyball team is serving as the host for the EIVA Championship this weekend at Rec Hall.

Head coach Bill O'Brien is not sure who his starting quarterback is right now and may not know for a few months; however, if the decision was up to the fans, Paul Jones would already have a stranglehold on the job.

Remember when all your friends left to study abroad and it was so melodramatic, like "Ugh, what am I gonna do without you?! I'm gonna miss you so much, don't worry you're gonna have the time of your life!!" Vom. The truth is life went on just fine without all of them but you can't just say that. Because they're going to gush all about how "fabulous" and "cultural" life abroad was (tell me about hostels again, please!?) and you have to come up with some bullshit to reciprocate when they ask, "So what did I miss out on??"

Last month, Will Martin was named Overall Chairperson of THON 2013. This seemed like a pretty solid decision, as he was THON 2012's OPP Overall and seemed very enthusiastic about THON. After he was announced as the THON 2013 Overall, I went back and read Ryan Kristobak's profile on him. One part stuck out like a sore thumb. Find out which part after the jump.

Let's face it, unless you're a closet nerd like myself, the only time you're concerned with where to study is during finals week. I cannot study unless there are comfortable chairs and pleasant surroundings; I am thoroughly convinced that the quality of study is directly proportional to the quality of the cushion in your chair. So since I'm done with my finals on Sunday, I figured I'd release a few gems -- the best study spots around campus. Some places you'd never think of and some buildings you've probably never been in, but they're all excellent places to study (most have comfy chairs).

The University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) held their final general assembly meeting of the semester last night, which also just might have been their longest. The meeting featured a packed agenda, with four pieces of legislation, three presentations, and a slew of executive board confirmations.

College is a monumental step in anyone's life. You go from living under the watchful eyes of your parents into the world of cooking and cleaning (sometimes) for yourself and living with others. Some get lucky and end up with great roommates who become lifelong friends. Others aren't so lucky.

Though Michael Jackson wasn't at the show last night at the Bryce Jordan Center, his spirit definitely was. "Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour," Cirque du Soleil's tribute to the famous singer featured his music, his choreography, and themes from his life, from childhood to saving the world from environmental harm and dictatorships. A live band accompanied Jackson's voice, while a cast of 60 dancers and acrobats displayed his style and interpreted his songs.

With the alumni Board of Trustees campaigns in full swing, Onward State will be releasing short profiles of each candidate. Today, during the third installment of our four-part series, we look at candidates 41-60.

Miles Chamley-Watson is a world-renowned fencer who scored the third and final spot on the U.S. Men's Foil Olympic Team for the 2012 Olympics. He also took a year off from Penn State to prepare himself for the games. Read more to find out more about him, like what he listens to before a tournament, to what dinosaur he would be!

When I wrote my first post for Onward State, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I thought it would be a fun little distraction, working with some friends from orientation week to stick up a certain finger to the status quo, but I could never have guessed what a profound impact Onward State would have on me.

Tonight marks one step closer to the end of the school year, as the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) holds their last general assembly meeting of the semester. But they're not finished with quite yet, as four pieces of legislation are up for vote at tonight's meeting.

If someone would have told me that I would make the most new friends and have some of my most unique experiences during my very last semester of college, I probably would have laughed. That isn’t how it’s supposed to work, right? Wrong.

When I heard that John Mulaney was coming to Penn State, I called dibs on dibs on dibs on writing the review. As a self-entitled comedy groupie, I was ecstatic. I had seen the debut of his Comedy Central special, New In Town, and I was sold on what is definitely going to be a huge mainstream success. More on Mulaney's set, Joe Mande's opener and my really high expectations, after the jump.

Though the rest of the state of Pennsylvania chose Mitt Romney, the results of yesterday's primary election show that Penn State and State College voters don't have enough faith in the Republican front-runner to beat Barack Obama in November. This college town is still occupied by the Obama zombies that have failed to die out after the craze of 2008 fizzled into the reality we face today of stagnant job growth, a congress rife with conflict, and an ever increasing deficit.