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!
Following yesterday's taste of spring, waking up this morning to a snowy campus was as good a reminder as any of how mercurial weather in State College can be.
The forecast says that there may be snowfall throughout the day, with a high of 36° and a low of 23°.
Last night, each of THON's fourteen committees sent forth a pair of Captains to compete in the first ever Mr. and Mrs. THON pageant, held in HUB Alumni Hall. The event, true to the spirit of THON, raised money FTK-- $613.42 to be precise-- but more than that, it showcased the contagious enthusiasm that will permeate the BJC in just three short weeks.
Based on the opening dance and their talent performances, three Captain pairs were chosen as finalists. The Captains from the Hospitality, OPPerations and Family Relations committees were named as the final three pairs. Steve Dodge and Jeannine Bradbury (OPPerations) were chosen as runners-up, and Jony Rommel and Dave Belliveau (Family Relations) were crowned Mr. and Mrs. THON 2010.
The contestants were judged by a panel consisting of Evan Royster, starting running back for the Nittany Lions; Lou "the mic guy" Defazio from the cheerleading squad; Justin Ross, Blue Band President; and Homecoming King and Queen, Greg Tallman and Cri Cri Henry. Overall Chair Caitlin Zankowski and THON Advisor Barry Bram hosted the event. The pageant also featured performances by the Overall Committee and a speech by a former Four Diamonds child turned Penn State nursing student and Morale committee member.
http://www.onwardstate.com/staff/chase/mrmrsthon/soundslider.swf?size=2&format=xml
If you didn't get a chance to head over to Copenhagen last month for the International Climate Change summit, a panel being held tomorrow may give you a chance to get up to date.
The event, titled "Climate Change, Climate Justice: Lessons from Copenhagen," will take place tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. in Pasquerilla Center's Memorial Lounge. Panelists will include Donald A. Brown, Associate Professor of Environmental Ethics, Science, and Law; Nancy Tuana, founding director of the Rock Ethics Institute; and Petra Tschakert, Assistant Professor of Geography and the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute. The discussion will be moderated by Erik Foley, OPP's new director of their Campus Sustainability Office.
The entire event will be webcast here, but you'll have to go here first to make sure your system is compatible.
No matter what NPR says, many employers tap into the Penn State talent pool. The difficult part is matching yourself with companies looking for your type of skill set.
Career Services has set up the Nittany Lion Career Network, a new Access Account based portal that allows you to create a profile listing information valuable for potential employers: your major, coursework, résumé, etc. It's basically Monster but for Penn State. It is also helpful even if you're not looking for a full-time job; there are listings for internships around the country and part-time jobs near State College.
NLCN will send you announcements about career fairs, workshops or other job-related events that it may behoove you to attend. Keeping with the theme, it's all personalized. It isn't for everyone though. The site suggests that students in Smeal, EMS, IST, or Eberly register with their college, not with NLCN.
In December 2005, alumni and friends of Penn State donated $44.4 million. Sounds like a lot, right? This past December, those alumni and friends donated over $58 million, setting a new fundraising record (in a single month) for Penn State.
President Spanier had the following comment, according to Penn State Live: "Our donors continue their loyalty to Penn State, and we are most grateful to each of them for their exceedingly generous support, which is essential to the University's future."
Of the December total, 31,000 donors gave over 37,000 gifts. Eleven of these gifts surpassed $1 million.
Penn State hopes that this new record will fit into an upcoming crescendo of gift-giving, culminating in the "For the Future" campaign, a fundraising initiative beginning on April 23, 2010. The campaign emphasizes education affordability for students of modest means.
Will the recession impact this year's donations? Slim personal budgets may cause donors to purchase necessities rather than partake in philanthropy. However, let's hope our wonderful alumni choose to give back to dear old State.