In an effort to appease the recent debates about the internal decision making process that is taken by the 15 members of the Penn State Dance Marathon’s Overall Committee, Interfraternity Council President Max Wendkos invited student leaders within THON to meet for a discussion forum last night.
The meeting lasted over two hours and brought together THON leadership and organization presidents to discuss recent decisions made by the overall committee and how they will affect organizations participating in the event.
Read on for a full recap…
First, thanks to everyone who entered The LionFM and Onward State Bonnaroo Ticket Giveaway. The winner is Jake Futerfas (@futerfas). Jake will be getting two tickets to this year’s Bonnaroo Music Festival, which will run June 10-13.
Also, be sure to check out The Lion FM’s website for coverage of the festival. There will be updates throughout the weekend, so check back often.
Yesterday was Sportsmanship Day in the HUB. The Blue and White Society, the WE ARE Campaign, Penn State Homecoming, and the PRIDE. Sportsmanship Initiative teamed up to promote good sportsmanship among students at all Penn State athletic events.
Athletes from various athletic teams were there to encourage students to sign the Sportsmanship Pledge, developed by PRIDE. The day also included appearances by Blue Sapphire PJ Maierhofer and newly-named Blue Band Drum Major Ian Kenney. An excellent day overall.
On Tuesday, the Daily Collegian Board of Opinion published an editorial that read “UPUA numbers disappointing“. In it, the Board blamed general apathy for the voter turnout numbers in last week’s University Park Undergraduate Association election.
It went on to say, “…perhaps more discouraging is the complacency that is apparent in some UPUA members. Commissioner for Administration and Enforcement Samantha Miller called the turnout ‘phenomenal’ and indicative of the ‘progress UPUA has made’ …If this year is truly indicative of UPUA’s progress, then there is a lot of room for improvement.”
Onward State reached out to Samantha Miller and Matthew Smith, UPUA 4th Assembly Chief of Staff, to give them the opportunity to respond to the Collegian’s “complacency” comment, as well as discuss the future of UPUA. Ms. Miller’s column ran on Friday.
Read Matthew Smith’s response after the jump!
Ian Kenney was named the Penn State Blue Band Drum Major for the 2010-2011 School Year on Saturday. Onward State caught up with him over the weekend to learn about how he prepared for his new role and what he is most looking forward to.
Check out the interview after the jump.
Since its emergence from the shadow of Jay Bundy, the Univeristy Park Undergraduate Association has worked hard to establish itself as the legitimate student government of Penn State University Park. While his administration has not been without error, Gavin Keirans– the face of the UPUA for the past two years– has done much to increase his organization’s involvement in student life at Penn State.
However, Keirans has been unable to effect meaningful progress in the issue that is far and away the most pressing for our university– the ever increasing cost of a Penn State education.
To find out why we support and endorse Christian Ragland for President of the UPUA, read the full post.
Students, having emerged from a winter that saw many a cutely-named snowstorms, are enjoying one of the best times in Happy Valley by studying on the HUB lawn.
The Staff Profile series is a new feature at Onward State. As the semester progresses, we will provide a window into the life of each Onward Stater. Readers: meet our writers.
Steve Sharer joined the Onward State team back in January 2009 when it was but a young lion cub of a blog. Steve writes on all sorts of Penn State topics, including the Penn State Marching Blue Band, The College of IST, and Penn State-related technology (among other things). He’s also responsible for bringing the Stately Inquisitor (a buddy from High School) to Onward State to tantalize you with the most intriguing questions you’ve ever seen.
By day, he majors in Security & Risk Analysis with minors in Information Sciences & Technology and Geography. And by night, he heads up the Security & Risk Analysis Club as the President. Steve also performs in the Penn State Marching Blue Band as a trumpet player with 310 of the most outstanding people you’ll meet at Penn State (hint: you can find him in the “P” in the “PSU” formation during pregame).
Read more about the illustrious Steve Sharer after the jump.
We danced, cried, and suffered from sleep deprivation, but we did it all For The Kids. Our dancers, committee members, canning specialists, and everyone in between amassed $7,838,054 to fight pediatric cancer. Amazing work, folks.
Onward State THONward State documented the tidal waves of emotion for over 46 hours. Coincidentally, we wrote over 46 posts during that time. Read on for some posts that may have gotten lost in the commotion.
One of the fortuitous things about being on Press Row is the fact that we can sit down. Another is that we are in close proximity to the club boxes. On a quick jaunt to the concession stand, we had the opportunity to talk to President Graham Spanier about THON.
Watch our streaming LIVE THON coverage throughout the weekend!
Welcome to our THON coverage. Please visit THON.org if you are interested in donating.
4:20… THON raises $7,838,054!!!
The top Commonwealth fundraisers were… 1st: Fayette 2nd: Altoona 3rd: Hazelton.
The top independent organization fundraisers were… 1st: Atlas THON 2nd: Springfield THON 3rd: OHANA THON.
The top Greek fundraisers were… 1st: Alpha Tau Omega and Zeta Tau Alpha 2nd: Alpha Sigma Alpha and their partner 3rd: Alpha Chi Omega and Pi Kappa Phi
4:01… THE LAST LINE DANCE… FOR REAL!
3:56… “Somewhere over the Rainbow” plays in the BJC for Sir Christopher Millard.
The Staff Profile series is a new feature at Onward State. Each Friday, we will provide a window into the life of one Onward Stater. Readers: meet our writers.
Though a relatively new addition to the Onward State writing staff, Noah Simmons has brought sarcasm, snark, and snide to his posts. A straight-shooting maverick who calls it as he sees it, Noah isn’t afraid to ask the tough questions.
Noah graduated from high school at the prestigious Upper St. Clair High School, 20 minutes south of Pittsburgh. A sophomore, he’s currently between majors, though is contemplating Forest Science, and he hopes to one day be a certified lumberjack. Until then, he plans to attend law school after graduating.
Noah passes his time at University Park being involved in Mock Trial, Penn State’s sailing team, and being the founder of Penn State’s Odyssey of the Mind team. Noah is a member of Schreyer Honors College. In his free time, he enjoys reading, HUB naps, contemplating world domination, and putting off school work.
Noah is currently a programmer for the NC2IF project in the College of IST. During the summer, he teaches sailing in Canada and works on his tan.
The Staff Profile series is a new feature at Onward State. Each Friday, we will provide a window into the life of one Onward Stater. Readers: meet our writers.
Our senior writer, Andy Goga, has shared his skills with Onward State since January 2009. He radiates brilliant ideas like fireworks and has written about nearly every topic imaginable.
Andy hails from New Kensington, a small city north of Pittsburgh, and he graduated from Burrell High School in 2008. A sophomore, he majors in Community, Environment, and Development, with a focus in environmental economics. In addition, he minors in English and geography.
On campus, Andy participates in Eco-Action, the Vegetarian Club, Fresh START, and is a member of the Schreyer Honors College. He enjoys reading books, riding bikes, growing beards, and talking to strangers. On a daily basis, he contemplates society, nature, and the universe, as well as his position within these aggregates.
Andy is completing a service learning project in India this summer and hopes to study abroad in South Africa next spring. He may attend graduate school, and he strives to gain knowledge and improve the world.
Some words of wisdom: “Hello, this is a message from the past to the future.”
Allow ourselves to toot our own horn for just a moment. Last week, we posted about our nomination for US News & World Report’s Alternative Media Outlet of the Year contest. In a shockingly short voting run, we edged out Ohio State’s (or, rather, Mark Titus’) Club Trillion and won the contest for the second consecutive year!
This is a great honor, and we here at Onward State are very grateful to you, our readers, for voting for us, for reading us, and for just being all around awesome. Seriously, you guys rule.
Can Onward State three-peat? We’ll see at around this time next year!
