About an hour ago, the PSU TXT service sent out the following text:
UPark alert MSG: Suspicious package found on Old Main patio. Police on scene. Avoid area. Details soon: http://live.psu.edu/
The Collegian reported that police are on the scene and that the building has not been evacuated. Minutes ago, Penn State’s Facebook page announced that “Police determined package is safe. Area re-opened.” More details as they become available.
It’s starting to look like the dream of a single Spring music festival may be coming to fruition. Recently, leaders of the University Park Undergraduate Association, Association of Residence Hall Students, the Student Programming Association, and The LION 90.7fm have been talking about the feasibility of combining Last Stop, Movin’ On, and Celebrate State.
Find out what this could mean (and what challenges are ahead) after the jump.
Recently, some Penn State professors in the Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering and the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences wrote an updated report on the economic impact of Marcellus Shale, a sedimentary rock formation on the east coast with lots of natural gas reserves, and how it could affect Pennsylvania’s economy. You may be wondering, “What does Marcellus Shale look like?” According to the study, it looks like $20 billion and 200,000 new jobs by 2020.
You can check out the full report after the jump.
On Friday, Penn State police found a naked man outside of Beaver Stadium, StateCollege.com reports. The man had been seen by staff earlier on the field, and after the police arrived, he was taken to Mount Nittany Medical Center for evaluation.
This is the latest finding in a “streak” of recent indecent exposure incidents. While this most recent incident seems less malicious than the others, it’s still interesting that there have been this many cases in the last few months.
In the meantime, that’s all we know about the case so far. The police are currently investigating, and more details will be released as they come.
Last night was the annual Mifflin Streak, where students (traditionally seniors, but really anyone with a good self image) streak down Mifflin Road. There have been controversies in years past regarding police involvement, injuries, etc., but this year was relatively tame in that regard, with no known arrests or incidents.
Regardless, it was an eventful streak, featuring men and women alike, slow walkers, skateboarders, crazy masks, and even a dog walker. Check out some censored pictures after the jump. It should go without saying that these pictures, despite being censored, are not safe for work.
Tonight’s the night you’ve been waiting for. The Last Stop Music Festival, sponsored by the University Park Undergraduate Association, The LION 90.7 FM, and the University Park Allocation Committee will commence tonight at the HUB, which will conclude Endless Music Festival April.
More details on the event after the jump.
It should be clear now (if it wasn’t already) that Students Organizing the Multiple Arts is one of the most clutch organizations on campus.
After finding out earlier this week that Los Campesinos! would be canceling their show at Penn State due to issues with the Icelandic volcano (and, subsequently, that Cymbals Eat Guitars would not be coming either), SOMA President Danny Michelson hustled like no other and booked two new groups for their end of the year show: Man Man and The Apples in stereo (“Capitalization intentional,” Michelson said in an email).
SOMA and Danny Michelson deserve some major praise for not only getting replacement acts together in just a day, but for getting acts that are on par with (or better than) the original musicians. Excellent work!
Just like the previous show, the new event will be free, at Heritage Hall in the HUB, will start at 7 (doors open at 6:45), and will feature local openers Kalob Griffin Band and Zak Sobel Band. You can find more details on the event page.
Just a short while ago, the headliners for the Last Stop Music Festival (which will be on Friday, April 30 at 6:30 p.m. at the HUB lawn) were announced. After the jump, we have a quick breakdown of the headliners to prepare you for the event.
The results from an exhaustive CNN study have shown that State College’s own College Avenue was deemed “Most Beautiful Street in America”.
“It was a tough decision,” said Steven Kroznyk, the CNN analyst who conducted the study, “But we’ve determined that no street in the United States can match State College’s pristine beauty.”
College Ave., which narrowly beat out several streets in both Detroit and Cleveland, is bringing great pride to the Penn State community. Martha Williamson, a sophomore in civil engineering, said, “It’s really a wonderful looking street. I’ve heard that it’s currently undergoing construction, but honestly, I can’t even tell!”
More on these accolades after the jump.
It appears that the University Park Undergraduate Association presidential campaigns of both David Adewumi and Christian Ragland have been accused of violating the UPUA’s elections code. While both candidates are pleading not guilty, they will find out their fate at the board meeting later tonight.
If found guilty, Adewumi faces his second violation of the campaign and could incur a 10% decrease in campaign financing because of a student wearing an unstamped “Adewumi For President” flag. This would be in addition to his previous 4% decrease. Ragland, however, faces a possible 16% decrease in campaign funding, due to two incidents involving Ragland campaigners ripping down Adewumi posters.
We’ll have the full details later tonight after the hearings.
Last night, local group British Phil won the Movin’ On Battle of the Bands, winning the top prize of a 55 minute set right before the headliner at Movin’ On on Saturday, April 17.
In addition, their single will be put in the rotation of local radio station B94.5, which sponsored the event. The three runners up, So Long, Pluto; The Hope Fallacy; and West Gate will all play 45 minute sets at Movin’ On.
Read on for the full scoop.
Penn State’s spring just got a bit louder and a lot more awesome.
Kickin’ rad noise rock duo No Age will be the headlining act at this year’s Arts Crawl, sponsored by SOMA. In an email, Devan Kochersperger, SOMA’s Arts Crawl Chair, shed some more light on the event.
The event (our biggest of the year, also organized with the Visual Arts Student Alliance) is April 9th 2010. It will take place in the Arts buildings on campus (Visual Arts, Patterson, Borland, etc.). The local/regional band lineup has not been finalized yet, but there should be around 12 other bands in addition to the headliner No Age [...] This is one of the bigger bands SOMA has booked. Local bands will play staggered sets around the ‘crawl’ from 6 until 10PM, which is when doors to the headliner’s room will open. At 10:30 No Age will take the stage in 315 Visual Arts Building. There will also be student minstrals who will improv music to guide visitors from building to building.
Although I’m curious as to what being a “student minstrel” entails, I’m more excited about No Age coming. SOMA seems to know what they’re doing when it comes to booking acts. Maybe they should have a say with the music selection for Movin’ On and UPUApaloozathonsaraswatifestfinale.
While a good deal of the concert-going student body was moshing to Flogging Molly last night, a very different kind of show was going on “across the pond” (or across Shortlidge at the Eisenhower Auditorium). Bela Fleck, banjo wizard supreme, presented “The Africa Project”, a musical collaboration between him and musicians he found when traveling to Africa to learn about the history of the banjo.
Read on for a more detailed account of the evening.
State College Music Spotlight is a new feature at Onward State where we find local artists in the State College area and share them with the community.
These guys have something special.
Johnny Action Figure is a quartet based in Philadelphia, PA. The band is made up of guitarists/vocalists Brendan Fullam and Chris Sheehan (the latter of which is a Penn State album from 07!), bassist/vocalist CF Fullam, and drummer Brad Rittle. On their latest release, Good Eye, Johnny Action Figure shows a future for pop rock as it could be. You’ll find no auto-tune gimmicks or flashy egos here, just four guys who have great ears for melodies, harmonies, rhythms, and how they can all go together.
Good Eye is a very confident, sincere album, where everything seems to be done for the purposes of producing a solid sound. For instance, the second track on the album, “Young Rider“, incorporates 3-part harmonies, doo-wop backing vocals, horns, transitions from 4/4 to 3/4, a walking bassline, and two guitar solos in just over three and a half minutes – yet none of it comes off as gimmicky, show-offy, or unnecessary. It’s clear that these four chaps have excellent technical prowess on their respective instruments, but they show enough restraint to not come off as obnoxious.
Read the full post for more.
It’s a canning weekend. That means that a good amount of your friends are out getting some last minute THON money (or simply going home to escape a zombie campus). For those of us who decided to stay in town tonight, though, there was a treat – Dr. Dog performing live at the State Theatre!
Read on to find out what you missed.
