Last year, the popular game publisher EA Games started a "Gaming Chair" program here at Penn State. The program required the Penn State EA Representative to find fraternities that would be interested in receiving free EA games, gear, and swag items....must've been pretty hard, I know.
Here's how the program worked - at the beginning of each month, EA would send the campus representative a "Frat Pack" for a specific EA Game. This "Frat Pack" would include two copies of the game (1 for the Gaming Chair and 1 to give away at the tournament), posters for advertising the event, an EA Banner, and small swag items.
The Gaming Chair is responsible for receiving each pack from the campus representative at the beginning of each month and then setting up an event in their organization for people to come and play. They then would get feedback from participants and submit it, along with photos of the event, to the campus representative who would then submit it to EA. The best part? It's all FREE!!!
If you want to get involved in EA Games, check out the Facebook Fan Page for EA @ Penn State.
Rick Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator and all-around pleasant man, announced that he is considering running on the Republican ballot in the 2012 presidential election.
So to reiterate, a man has publicly announced that he's thinking about doing something but isn't sure.
The speculation also came with a letter, which pretty much spells out his manifesto for his presidential campaign.
"I have no great burning desire to be president, but I have a burning desire to have a different president of the United States," Santorum said. And a different candidate he would make. He's been mentioned on several prestigious websites such as urbandictionary.com and even has his own "urban" defintion:
1. santorum: The sometimes frothy, usually slimy, amalgam of lubricant, stray fecal matter and ejaculate that leaks out of the receiving partner's anus after a session of anal intercourse.
It doesn't take a genius to realize that that definition probably had something to do with his hardliner conservative stance against homosexuality. But regardless of his views and last name definitions, he still boasts a significant amount of political experience, and as "frothy" as he may be, he may very well could be the best choice for our country's leader in the next election. Or he could be the bringer of the next apocalypse. In any case, invest in lots of canned foods.
In an effort to better connect with the students it represents, UPUA's Academic Affairs Committee (AAC) has started a new blog to keep those interested up to date on their latest activities.
The blog is the brainchild of Sam Loewner, chair of the AAC. His goal is to get more feedback from students who may not be able to attend the committee's weekly meetings.
I think this is a good move on the AAC's part to create more transparency. This body represents every undergraduate student at University Park, and it makes decisions that affect everyone. Just last Thursday it was confirmed that all of those annoying SRTEs will be online by 2011. The committee is even working to possibly extend the semester Drop/Add period. Without this resource, I know I would have had no idea that was even being considered.
UPUA has fought for many years to be recognized as the official student government on campus, and this new site seems to be part of their larger effort to fulfill that role.
UPUA is holding a town hall meeting tomorrow January 27th at 7:30PM in 101 Thomas to kick off the spring semester.
This special opportunity to voice your concerns, opinions, comments, and questions is brought to you by the UPUA Student Life and Diversity Committee and the Department of Encampment.
If helping out PSU and having your ideas heard isn’t enough, maybe you can be cajoled by saving some meal point. That's right: free food will be provided.
In the tournament's first year of selling students tickets at a discounted rate, the Daily Collegian reports that not one of the 75 set aside for Penn State students has been sold.
What, you mean people don't want to spend their spring break being disappointed in Indianapolis?
However, considering that next year's schedule has fewer games, the price per game will stay the same.
Tuition, on the other hand, will almost definitely be increased. In a meeting with the Board of Trustees last week, Graham Spanier announced students should expect to see a tuition hike of between 2.9 to 4.9 percent.
Spanier also noted that the difficulty Penn State had attaining its appropriations this fall should have been a hint that tuition might have to be adjusted to compensate. If you haven't been paying attention, well, surprise!
As is it the media's job to play the blame game, let's start first with the Pennsylvania legislature. They wouldn't give Penn State the entirety of its appropriations request and now students have to make up the difference. Also, we can throw some blame on the university's representatives. Sure, they probably did their best, but why let facts get in the way of a good blaming? While we're at it, Graham Spanier probably had something to do with this monetary meltdown... and you thought he and Fast Eddy were friends!
But the main culprit, the real son-of-a-bitch responsible for the tuition hike, is NBC. They ruined late night TV and ultimately spurred the final decision to raise tuition.
It could be worse. Even a five percent increase isn't the end of the world (which is still in two years, btw). And at least Penn State isn't the University of California. They call that a riot? Raise our tuition 32 percent and we'll show UC how college rioting is done!