Paul Lavra
Penn State’s new Liberal Arts publication, Agora, will be distributed around campus starting today.
Spearheaded by Junior Sean Healy, Agora seeks to promote diversity, free thought, and a marketplace of ideas for the Penn State community. By encouraging contributing writers to write about topics they’re passionate about, Sean believes readers are left with an eclectic assortment of “often muffled, sidelined, and under discussed,” topics. The result is a publication like none other at Penn State.
“I found it difficult to find a student organization that I was passionate about or thought would fit my personality. I was looking to get involved in some sort of publication or magazine because I enjoy writing,” Sean said when asked why he started Agora.
Interested in that same chance to get involved? Agora is looking for contributors – more information can be found on their Facebook page.
Whether it’s on the wrestling mat, the volleyball court, or behind an épée (Brush up on your fencing lingo, we’re defending national champs), Penn State is no stranger to “Top Ten” rankings. Not to be left in the dark, Penn State’s neighbor to the south, State College, cared to join in on the fun.
Recently, State College placed eighth in Kiplinger’s “Ten Cities With Rising Home Values.” State College landed itself on the list by boasting some impressive numbers. Over the course of one year, the average $200,000 house in Happy Valley would gain 4.7% in home value – remarkable compared to the average of 18% drop everywhere else in the country.
So why are houses in State College of all places gaining value? Read on to find out!
It’s official – hope you’ve been working on your blowouts and spray tans.
MTV’s Jersey Shore’s Pauly D will be spinning at a Penn State Altoona event on February 27. From 8:00 to 11:00 on Saturday night, get your GTL on with everybody’s favorite juice-head. Tickets will be sold for $20 on Thursday afternoon from 2:00 to 5:00 at the HUB. Leftover tickets can also be purchased at the door.
Will you make the trek out to Altoona now that State Patty’s could be a bust?
You might have caught wind of the Facebook group “Stop Penn State from KILLING CATS.” Sounds pretty hard to believe coming from a school that has a cat for a mascot, right?
A colony of feral cats has slowly begun to inhabit Innovation Park over the past year. These cats live in the wild with minimal human contact, meaning they can act unpredictably when encountered. What does this mean for the buildings and day care in Innovation Park? Danger.
And if there is one thing Penn State doesn’t like – it’s danger.
Does being buried in snow constantly bring you down? Tired of walking to and from class in a constant white out? Get used to it. Penn State is projecting White Outs all the way into at least next October – but they need your help. Our good friends at The Collegian are hosting a poll to pick the next year’s White Out t-shirt. Be sure to vote here starting now before February 19 at 4:00 PM.
Read on to see the rest of the designs. Let us know what you think!
Brace yourself. Time to raise your fists high and ‘beat up the beat.’ The Student Government, Campus Activities Board, and Student Activity Fee of Penn State Altoona (say that three times fast) have confirmed that they are trying to bring in Jersey Shore’s Pauly D to campus to spin at a party by the end of the month.
Yes, your favorite Guido and mine, Pauly D could potentially be fist-pumping his ‘fresh outfit, fresh haircut, fresh tan’ on over to Penn State Altoona February 27th. Further details will be posted as they come in. For now, stock up on your Joico Ice Hair Spiker, practice your blow-out, and throw up a fist pump!
With Spring Break just over a month away, I’m sure many of you are just beginning your base tans and stocking up on suntan lotion. Destination: anywhere warmer than Happy Valley. Haven’t found that “hot spot” yet? Check this out! A group of Penn State students is trying to spend their Spring Break in Haiti, serving as volunteers wherever needed. Very cool.
Now I know what you’re thinking; “How am I supposed to spit game or check out slam-pieces in Haiti?” Let’s be real, we can do that any day here at school. Besides, if that’s really your attitude, you probably have no shot with a real girl anyways. We’ve all seen news reports and pictures of the devastation in Haiti recently. You might’ve caught yourself asking, “How can I help?” I think it’s safe to say your “huge biceps” will be put to better use there than on an overcrowded beach. The trip will tentatively take place March 5/6-13/14. All you need is a passport, a little suitcase, and a big heart.
Interested? More details can be found on the link posted above. A meeting scheduled to discuss and finalize more details will take place next Sunday, February 7th at the Beta House at 220 N. Burrowes.
Any mention of the library probably stirs mixed emotions in you. Whether your memory is of the sixteen hours you spent there daily during finals week or an awesome dream you had when you fell asleep in the Hogwarts-eque study room, I think we can all agree the library has always been there for us. The advanced technology and vast collection of resources is often taken for granted by us students. Luckily for us, the oh so modest library doesn’t mind the neglect and continues to improve each yeah.
Ever use The CAT online? It’s essentially a record of every single book at every single Penn State library, including commonwealth campuses. As if returning 110 titles on a search for “red hair” (represent!) within three seconds wasn’t impressive enough, The CAT is now trained (see what I did there?) to translate results into all of the world’s languages, including non-Latin based languages. Using Unicode, The CAT is now able to search characters in languages such as Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Hebrew, and Korean; a feature sure to benefit thousands of non-English speaking students.
Ah, syllabus week. It comes around but once a semester. A time to pretend our classes or GPA don’t matter. A time when the library doesn’t even exist. Most importantly, a time where we try to cram in as much non-academic “stuff” as we possibly can.
On the hunt for something to do? Penn State’s Student Programming Association, that’s SPA for all of you acronym lovers, (idk, my bff Jill?) has reeled world famous mentalist and illusionist Wayne Hoffman into Happy Valley. Wayne has been rated one of the top ten entertainers in his field, not to mention his appearance on countless television shows (Ask your mom – she saw him on The Ellen DeGeneres Show).
Imagine yourself ten years from now. Pretty exciting, right? By then, I’d like to think I’ll be married to a super model with a southern accent, living in a gigantic house with my 2.5 children and white picket fence. Pretty bold claims for an English Education major. Now, picture yourself 10 years ago. I know I’d be fresh out of a bath of AXE body spray, hair gelled in frosted spikes, with my JNCO jeans and Pokémon cards in tow. Strugglin’. Given the opportunity, which would you rather jump to? Chances are, you’d be like me and choose former. You …
A mass gathering of skinny jeans, plaid shirts, and v-necks could only mean one thing: a free concert at the HUB. Last night, PacSun’s PacTour stopped halfway through their forty-five day jaunt to put on a free show in Alumni Hall. Eh, allow me to swap words – I’m not sure it could really be called a ‘show’. Let’s call it a “mini music marathon.” Yes, over a four-hour span, five, count ‘em, five bands took the makeshift, smoke laden stage.
An Early Ending kicked off the night, with a heaaaavy five song set. The crowd was stiffer than a morgue …
It’s that time of the year again, Happy Valley. Thanksgiving break! A time to head home with a full laundry basket and an empty wallet. A time to grub face with the people you love most. Yes, there are few things better heading home to a table full of stuffing, sweet potato casserole, and turkey (turducken if you’re feeling dirty). BUT before you dig in and embarrass yourself in front of your entire extended family, read up! I have some helpful hints to make sure your Thanksgiving is an absolute banger.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: Alright, this is a …
