As pretty much everyone knows, this weekend is the second canning weekend for THON. We at Onward State encourage everyone to practice safe canning techniques, ensuring a safe and enjoyable weekend for everyone. With the help of the THON Overall Committee, we’ve compiled  list of things to keep in mind:

Make sure you have your PSU ID on you at all times
Don’t run into the streets and stay off of medians
Don’t stop traffic to receive donations
Wear bright and visible clothing (it’s supposed to snow this weekend, so this one is especially important)
Be sure to ask permission from property owners and comply …

We first wrote about this last week when a series of emails obtained from a University of East Anglia researcher’s computer mentioned how world renowned climate change researchers had, allegedly, doctored their results to make the case for manmade global-warming more plausible. One of the researchers caught up in this scandal is Penn State Professor of Meteorology, Michael Mann.
Mann is involved in a series of emails which discuss deleting emails that would offer insight into how the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report was written. Mann was emailed by the now former director of the Climate Research …

This morning, The Penn State Dance Marathon released their 2009 fundraising summary, detailing the specifics of their finances for the 2009 fiscal year (which we highlighted yesterday). The charity raised $7,596,744.90, $106,000 more than announced at the conclusion of THON weekend.
A breakdown of the fundraising and allocations can be found in the charts at right (click here or on the picture to view larger). Highlights include $6,579,332.83 from individual contributions, and $7,093,777.66 allocated to the Four Diamonds Fund. The remaining $408,826.74 was allocated for Event Management ($151,681.94), Development ($51,231.17), THON Store inventory ($171,355.56), and Operations and Administration ($34,559.07). The fact …

A new report from the Congressional Quarterly ranks the State College Metropolitan Area as the safest in the country. The annual report uses FBI crime statistics collected from local law enforcement agencies. The study takes murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft numbers and compiles a score and compares it to the national averages.
Last year, State College was ranked 2nd.
Following State College in the top 5 are Sheboygan, WI; Appleton, WI; Bangor, ME; and last year’s number 1: Logan, UT.
I looked through the rankings for other Big Ten Areas and discovered that the second safest is Bloomington, …

The climate change debate has been going on for a long time now, and public opinion on the matter has fluctuated with each new scientific revelation.
Penn State has had a prominent voice in the debate, with one professor in particular having a larger voice than most.
Professor of Meteorology Michael Mann has been a proponent of the idea that humans are the primary cause for the increase in global temperatures over the past century.
He is most known for his work with “the Hockey Stick Graph,” which claims to illustrate the average temperature of the earth over the past millennium, and how …

Those who know me know that I’m not the protesting kind of guy, but even I’d be inclined to take up the picket signs if Penn State tried to raise tuition 32%. Thankfully, Penn State’s Board of Trustees isn’t that crazy, but unfortunately for students at the various University of California schools, their Board of Regents is.
The UC Board of Regents met yesterday and approved a two-step plan that will result in a student fee increase of $2,500 or 32%, says the L.A. Times. Understandably, the students are pissed. So pissed, in fact, that they stormed and occupied a campus …

As of a few days ago, Penn State was losing to Michigan State in the PSU – MSU Blood Donor Challenge. Well, as of a few hours ago, we are now officially winning the blood collection race! BUT… not by much!
The Current Scores (as of Tuesday evening):
PSU – 1548
MSU – 1523
That’s only a difference of 25 units!
To both a) BEAT Michigan State [very important] and b) meet the collection goal [even more important], the Student Red Cross Club (SRCC) is aiming to bring in at least 500 donors before the end of Thursday.
If you’re interested in donating, you can visit …

Do you love THON? Do you love the new THON 2010 logo? Do you want to show your love for THON by wearing the logo on your articles of clothing? Well if you answered yes to those questions, then it’s your lucky day (Well, actually tomorrow is, but go with me on this)!
Your friendly THON Merchandise captains will be hocking their wares tomorrow on the first floor of the HUB from 10-3. There will be t-shirts, sweatshirts, key-chains, mugs, and magnets available for purchase and you will be able to pay with LionCash, Credit, or cash. My personal recommendation would …

Friday afternoon at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center, a group of  dignitaries including Penn State President Graham Spanier and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell were on hand for the groundbreaking ceremony of the new Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital. The $207 million facility will be LEED certified and will be funded in part by the state of Pennsylvania, which allocated $14 million of public improvement funds to the hospital, says Penn State Live. The Hershey Corporation chipped in another $1 million (bringing the total amount of their  financial support of the hospital to $62 million), and the Penn State IFC/PHC Dance Marathon …

Yes, you read that right. The countdown to THON 2010 is now in double digits. To celebrate the last day of triple digit days, 100 Days ’til THON was held in the HUB yesterday. The fun-filled event included appearances by the Penn State Cheerleaders and the Nittany Lion, in addition to a rendition of the THON 2009 Line Dance by the Morale Captains.
Merchandise Committee members sold THON gear, including pre-sales for THON 2010 logo gear (the logo will be unveiled at the Family Carnival on Sunday, an invitation only event). People passing through the HUB were asked to send letters …

The phrase “We are Penn State” is a central tenant in Penn Staters’ hearts. But how many of you out there know the story behind the phrase we’ve come to love so much? This story takes us back to the year 1946 and involves one of the greatest teams to ever don the Blue and White and take the field in Beaver Stadium.
Following the end of the second World War, thousands of veterans headed back to college to get an education and start their adult lives. They brought with them new views on the segregation of blacks and whites that …

The Centre Daily Times is reporting that the Democratic candidates for Mayor and District Attorney won easily over their Republican opponents. Elizabeth Goreham, current State College Borough Council President, defeated Joe Wakeley by a margin of almost 2-1. With 86 of 89 precincts reporting, Goreham had 2,195 votes to Wakeley’s 1,050.
In the District Attorney race challenger Stacy Parks Miller overwhelmingly defeated incumbent Michael Madeira, grabbing 64% of the vote. Parks Miller cited dozens of mismanaged cases by Madeira as the primary reason for her deciding to run. Penn State students can remember Mr. Madeira mainly for his aggressive prosecution of …

So in case you haven’t heard, dear Old State plays Ohio State this weekend in a huge rivalry matchup. As is customary, the diehards of the student section are participating in Paternoville this week. The Ohio State game marks the last week-long Paternoville, as the university doesn’t deem Indiana to be important enough to warrant dealing with the Paternoville crowds for a whole week. To ensure that the final week-long Paternoville is a success, several groups camped out for the camp-out. Paternoville officially starts on Tuesday morning at midnight, but there were 42 groups who were out at the Beav …

This past Sunday more than 5000 people participated in the 9th annual THON 5K. The THON 5K is the first major event of the 2009/2010 THON season. The 5K route took runners through campus, starting in front of the IM building and going down University then across Pollock and up Fraser street, and then onto Curtin to finish back at the IM building.
Registration for the 5K was $15.00 a person, which means that with over 5000 runners, over $45,000 was raised for THON just through this event. This years registration of 5000 eclipses last year’s total of 3,500 by 30%, …