Abby Zwillinger

After about two hours of elections, the Interfraternity Council voted on four open positions for the 2010/2011 year.

It's no surprise that when you stamp something with "Penn State" you will get an automatic following: Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Penn State THON, Penn State Honey Mustard Dip, etc. However, some have come out expressing their dismay in Penn State Law School not always using the "Dickinson."

Melissa Heydenreich was a Penn State graduate, who, after being diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia, passed away on New Years Day '97. This Sunday, November 14t Moxie-THON is hosting the 13th Annual Melissa Heydenreich 10k/5K A Race Against Leukemia.

The National Research Corporation recently announced that for the 12th consecutive year in a row, the Penn State Hershey Medical Center was awarded a Consumer Choice Award based on the company's annual consumer-focused Ticker Study. Assessment is based on which hospitals in the country present the best overall quality and image.

Entrepreneurship used to be  something you could only learn about in a classroom in Smeal. But this Saturday, November 13, Penn State is hosting the Invention to Venture. Like TedxPSU, I2V is encouraging students to think out of the box and take initiative with their ideas.

All eyes will be on Beaver Stadium this weekend as the Nittany Lions attempt to defeat Northwestern and give JoePa his 400th career win. If you’ve paid attention to your newsfeed lately, you’ve seen a few events popping up in an attempt to make this weekend more special. Here are some of the ones we found that you may or may not be attending.

Tonight, United Students Against Sweatshops is hosting Gina Cano and Maritza Vargas, two South American apparel workers, who will share their unique stories about their fight for fair labor practices.

If you’re still mourning the decision to close Simmons Dining Commons, maybe it’s time to let go. On Sunday, Schreyer Honors College Dean Christian Brady, tweeted “True…good times. The dining will be replaced by our new “Global” special living option. Very excited about that.”

The office of President Spanier is calling for the nominations of Penn State faculty for Faculty Scholar Medals.

The Faculty Scholar Medal is awarded in five categories: arts and humanities, engineering, life and health sciences, physical sciences, and social and behavioral sciences. Nominations are not for teaching but for research and work done in the field.

This Sunday is the 10th Annual THON 5K. It will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the Bryce Jordan Center, the home of THON.

Sign up, cause Gumby says you should!

Registration costs $15 for a “fun run,” aka the no pressure, walk/ run. But if you’re interested in the competitive race, registration is $18, where you’ll be given a “professional timing chip.”

What do Penn Staters love more than football? Penn State merchandise. I've bought a lot of useless crap in my life, but even I can't help but roll my eyes at the excessive amounts of Penn State stuff there out there. Click through the slideshow of some of the silly things I found being pawned off as Penn State gear.

Despite the yucky weather, students came out to the Old Main lawn for Homecoming's Best of Penn State Carnival on Wednesday evening. As per the press release, “The carnival tie[d] together themes around the Penn State campus and downtown State College to highlight what Penn Staters take pride in the most.”

On Thursday, The Daily Collegian published an article announcing the now defunct Phi Delta Theta fraternity has "no plans to recolonize.” When interviewed, Phi Delta Theta's alumni Board of Directors expressed their disagreement with the national associations alcohol policy as the reason why they're not jumping at the bit to recolonize.

This Friday, October 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Penn State Homecoming is hosting a blood drive at Alumni Hall in the the HUB. If you're interested, donors are encouraged to schedule appointments ahead of time. You can do this online or in person at the HUB, where tables will be set up today from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

PSU has a lot of policies, but one would think “breasts” and “lactation” are cited in few.

We all have our reasons why we love Penn State. For many of you it's probably football, or maybe the Creamery. But for me, it's the farmer's market downtown. On Tuesdays and Fridays from 11:30 to 5:30, Locust Lane (right across from the HUB Lawn) is transformed into the local farmer's market. The colors of the produce and the buzzing of the people walking through illuminate the usually quiet street.

You know how trippy it is when you GoogleEarth your house and you can see your car in the driveway? Or how your GPS knows exactly where and when to turn? Well, you have geospatial technology to thank for these wonders. Penn State Public Broadcasting’s recently debuted Geospatial Revolution Project gives you the opportunity to learn more about this field of science than you probably already do.

This past Friday, September 17, Penn State’s Board of Trustees convened at the Nittany Lion Inn for its first meeting of the 2010-2011 school year.

According to a recent Wall Street Journal study, businesses are hiring more graduates from public universities than the Ivies and other small liberal arts school. At the number one spot for hires was ours truly, Penn State. Rounding out the top of the list was Texas A&M followed by the University of Illinois.

Selections for THON 2011 committee captains were announced Sunday. This year 315 students out of 576 applicants were chosen to lead OPP, Morale, Public Relations and the rest of the 11 main committees.

When you hear a knock on your door, and through your blinds you see the Po Po, your first reaction might be, “Hide everything and run!” But if you got a knock on the door on Tuesday evening and the police were standing there, you most likely were getting a visit from participating members of the Third Annual LION (Living In One Neighborhood) Walk.

The people behind Fall Career Days organized a surprise performance in the HUB on Tuesday to attract attention to the upcoming career fair.

When you walk into a frat house on a Saturday night, you expect a beer-covered floor and Solo cups strewn about. However, if you walked into the Beta Theta Pi house this past Saturday, the business casual atmosphere and food may have thrown you off. At the innoblue.think Kickoff Event thirty or so members, prospective applicants, and community dignitaries were in attendance to learn about innoblue (formerly Project Blue Pill). Founded by Jon Tornetta and David Adewumi, it is an entrepreneurial think tank, where ideas are made and people work together to create them. Find out more about the event and innoblue after the jump.

“THON is a philanthropic event, not a competition, and all money raised is for the aid of the children and their families.” This is a line from the recently released THON 2011 Rulebook, which, with its new rules, clearly makes sure you know that THON is not about the points or winning. Everything should be [...]

What’s an Eco-Rep you ask? Penn State has established a new program to further the university’s green initiative. Twenty-eight freshman living in East Halls will be deemed “Eco-Reps.” Theses selected students will attend training and learning sessions throughout the semester on how to live Eco-friendlier lifestyles. For example, to kick off this Fall, the program will focus on electrical energy consumption in residence halls. With their new knowledge base, the Eco-Reps will be expected to pass their incite onto their peers through events, activities, and discussions.

More on the program after the jump.

You know the nights you're downtown and you have really got to go, but it's too late that you can't make a b-line to the bathroom in Chili's, what are you to do? Hold it in? Risk a semester of teasing and go in your pants? Find a nice dark place behind a parked car or healthy foliage? It's a tough decision to have to make, but fret no more! The Borough Council of State College has decided to open up public bathrooms 24/7 downtown. Read through to find out where the new bathrooms will be located...

For Penn State faculty, skies may seem a bit more blue. Last year, in an attempt to keep student tuition down, faculty were denied salary raises. With the 2010-2011 proposed budget, the university plans to end the freeze. This year, the university is hoping to get a 3.9% increase, or around $360.9 million, in state funding. StateCollege.com cites the fact that this is one of the lowest increase requests in 50 years. While nothing is official until the board convenes in July, President Spanier believes the raises are likely. Proposed raises are not all encompassing, rather they are based on individual merit. Assistant Director of Public Information Annemarie Mountz explains, “There is no set amount given to all employees. Some people may get a very small raise -- or even no raise at all -- while others may get a larger than average raise."

Who is Valerie Plame? A wife. A mother. An undercover CIA agent who had her cover blown by the Bush Administration. But most importantly – a Penn State alumnae who's fascinating story is the basis for a new movie starring Naomi Watts and Sean Penn, due to open Fall 2010. The movie, directed by Doug Liman, debuted this past week as the only American entry “in competition” at the Cannes Film Festival. Read on to find out more about the film's critical reception.