Homecoming week is fast approaching, and already our hearts are all aflutter. The best part of going to Penn State, what all of State College is waiting for, the very essence of our pride and school spirit: FREE SHAKESPEARE AT THE DUCK POND!!!
Our very own infamous School of Theater is gracing us with a performance of Billy Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet next Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 6:30 on the Hintz Family Alumni Center lawn. The cast and crew has been so kind as to post their production notes online, so we plucked a few jewels out for your consideration. …

Shockingly, a college other than Penn State has come up with an interesting concept for helping out its own students. All the cool kids at Dickinson College are renting a couple Toyota Priuses (Prii?) for a few hours or even the whole day, says Pennlive.
The idea is that students without cars, particularly the freshman who aren’t allowed to bring their own cars, can have the same freedom and mobility as those who have their own sweet rides. There is a $35 start-up cost added to the hourly/daily rate (depending on the day of the week) and fees for gas and …

At last, after years of scheming, the Schreyer Honors College has made its way into the hearts, minds, and stomachs of the Penn State population. I’m speaking, of course, of the new creamery flavor named in honor of the good old SHC: Scholars Chip.
Setting aside for the moment that there should probably be an apostrophe in that name somewhere, the honors college celebrated Founder’s Day by finally getting the culinary recognition they so desperately crave.
Some students are less than enthusiastic about the new addition to the list, however. Overheard in Simmons: “It perpetuates the elitist image that a lot of …

We’ve all got plenty of Lion Pride for our university, but what about the town we live in? Good old 16801 got some well-deserved credit this week when the American Institute for Economic Research named State College, PA the 2nd best college town in America (other lists rated larger cities surrounding colleges). The rankings were based on Quality of Life, Professional Opportunities, and Academic Environment. It’s probably safe to assume that that last one put us over the edge; Academic Environment is largely based on research capacity and number of college students per 100,000 residents.
Considering that lab science students are …

Murad Hanif, a 25 year old Penn State student facing multiple charges for rape and assault committed over the past six months, is either on the run or facing a major family crisis, according to the Collegian and Centre Daily Times. On August 11th, the day he was officially charged with rape, Hanif took off to Egypt to deal with, as he told his attorney, Karen Muir, “family problems”. Hanif is a man of many ports. A Penn Stater with addresses in State College and Philadelphia, he is neither an American citizen nor Egyptian. Muir claims that she is optimistic …

As some of you may know, this year is the 100th anniversary of Penn State’s humor magazine, Phroth. The magazine also produces the Phollegian, which we all enjoyed on March 31st for some reason instead of April Fool’s Day. Ah, well.
We were lucky enough to score an interview with the lady behind the laughs, Phroth’s editor in chief Laura DeSantis. Because she was so nice about it, we even put a colon in the title.
1. What is your most cherished childhood moment?
It’s not really a “moment” per se, but I really cherish all the time I spent at my grandparents’ …

We all know about the Willard Preacher, and you may have even encountered other religious demonstrators beyond the stoop of that beloved building. Whether you are enraged, annoyed, indifferent, or …I suppose there could be a few people around who support these sermonizers… The Collegian’s Monday columnist, Margaret Miceli, thinks that the fact that you do have an opinion about them is the problem. She drew attention recently with her call for students, faculty, and others on campus to ignore the proselytizing preachers and thus drive them away from our campus forever.
Clarence “Bro” Cope, the self-proclaimed “Original Willard Preacher,” wrote …

You’d have to be in a steel bunker today not to have heard tunes echoing across campus from the HUB lawn. I stopped by Movin’ On to check it out and withstood the wind and cold for two fantastic sets, Some Downtown Avenue and Atlas Soundtrack.
I had heard a lot about Atlas Soundtrack from friends and was not disappointed—they had excellent stage presence and got the spread-out, shivering crowd to shuffle up close to the stage to make like a real concert and dance; though whether it was for the sake of audience involvement or warmth is up for debate.
Some …

Alright people, enough is enough. April Fool’s Day is a ridiculous holiday to begin with, what with the pranking and the joking and the general tom foolery that goes on. This problem is especially prevalent in the youth population, and even more concentrated amongst young people with access to popular media outlets.
I’m not going to name names here, but I think we all know which newspapers, magazines, blogs and the like are trying to toy with those of us trying to go about our daily business, distracting us from our studies and generally spreading delight.
I make this call to …

10 Questions is a recurring Onward State feature in which we ask people about their Penn State experience. Onward State was thrilled to have the opportunity to talk to Cory, age 4, as he swaggered down Shortlidge Rd. The picture at right is a self portrait titled “Me”.

Who do you think will emerge victorious in the UPUA elections?
U… p… hahahahahahahaha
What are the Lions’ chances against the Bears in the NIT finals?
If you had like… 6 tigers. They would win.
What is your favorite building on campus?
Um… my mom says I’m not allowed to go camping.
Where do you stand on the ethics …

Last night Matt Dillahunty, host of the TV show “The Atheist Experience,” spoke about his role in the New Atheism movement. Born and raised a fundamentalist Christian of the Southern Baptist variety, Dillahunty is now president of the Atheist Community of Austin (ACA).
While studying to become a minister, his extensive study of the Bible had him asking himself one question over and over: do I know why I believe what I believe? The answer was no, and the more questions he asked of himself, the more clear it became: the religion he had been raised with was “a crock of …

In fact, he’s not a creationist at all, at least not in the literal sense. Dr. Michael Behe, biochemistry professor at Lehigh University, was invited by the Science and Bible Club to speak last night, reviewing the arguments of his two controversial books Darwin’s Black Box and The Edge of Evolution, directly challenging Darwin’s theory of evolution. Keep in mind, Behe is no charlatan—he received his PhD in biochemistry at the University of Pennsylvania and did his post doc work at the National Institutes of Health. The professor even accepts that evolution occurs and that the earth is not, in …

Are you one of the many children who shed a tear or two when your eleventh birthday rolled around… and you didn’t get a letter inviting you to Hogwarts? Well you’re in luck!
As it turns out, once Harry Potter fans reach a certain level, athletic activity shoots up; here’s why: The Harry Potter Club has formed Quidditch teams that play Muggle Quidditch around campus.
You don’t have to be a member of the club to watch or play. The next game hasn’t been announced yet, but look out for Slytherpuff and Team Sparkles! The fun wizard sport has a Facebook …

Everybody wants to be a Nittany Lion! Well, okay, maybe not everybody, but applications are on the rise according to our fearless leader President Graham Spanier.
Applications for admission have gone up by 5.5%, but don’t get too excited about a huge shiny new pile of freshmen—Spanier has previously stated that the university will have a smaller freshman class next year.
Warn your high school buddies, because admission to the great Penn State is more competitive than ever. Meanwhile, let’s all sit around and reminisce about our own hellish application processes and be glad that’s all done with… wait, did someone say …

The revolutionary musical “The Wiz” premiered on Broadway in 1975 as the first adaptation of The Wizard of Oz where all of the characters were portrayed as African Americans.  The Penn State School of Theater put on a dazzling production of it this week, and will continue to do so through the weekend.
We were lucky enough to snag a few tickets this week, and it was easy to see how the Playhouse Theater had sold out already. The play is great on its own, but it was the energy coming from the actors that made the experience so much better; …