When Kevin Salwen's daughter was 14, confronted by the existence of tremendous wealth next to abject poverty, she convinced her family to sell their home, move into a smaller one, and donate the proceeds to charity. Now, three years later, Salwen is on campus today talking about the need to re-examine the "relationships you make in life -- with both people and your 'stuff'-- and on the power we each have within us to trigger positive change."
Niko Kovacevic, one of the students in the CAS 100H class responsible for the speech, said, "We're bringing him to Penn State because his philosophy concerning ethics, specifically the ethics of justice, wealth and charity, applies directly to the material our class is studying."
Read more about this talk after the jump.
The year is winding down and there's a month left of classes, which means it's that time of the semester when students have their last chance to late drop classes.
The deadline deadline typically affects certain demographics of students here on campus. Here are a few of those that should consider late-dropping before Friday:
Read on for more suggestions about who should consider dropping.
The Penn State Thespians' production of "Hair" this weekend WILL contain nudity! The actors had not received approval to appear on stage without clothing until Tuesday night-- just two days before opening night. The cast was not even allowed to rehearse nude. The lack of preparation time should not detract from the experience, though.
Cast member Andrew Baglini, a Senior, is very excited to fully embrace the essence of the sixties. He knows that some people may be wary of the nudity, but insists that it is "tasteful." When asked if one of his most conservative friends would be offended by the nude scenes, Baglini responded with "If she comes, I guarantee she will not be uncomfortable."
The audience member must come into the performance with an open mind, however. "The hit tribal rock musical" is publicized on promotional fliers as having an R-rating and is "strongly discouraged for persons under age 18" because of "sexual content, language & drug use."
Performances are today, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30pm with a matinee on Saturday at 2pm. All performances will be at Schwab Auditorium. Prices are $8 for students, $12 for adults.
Every year, Penn State awards students who have managed to achieve the highest levels of academic excellence, leadership, and service to the community at the undergraduate and graduate level. There are 27 outstanding students who have been awarded accolades this year.
More specifics about the awards can be found after the jump.
The public has a pretty short attention span for big news stories that don't have to do with Tiger Woods or health care. When the earthquake in Haiti struck almost three months ago, we were urged by Michelle Obama and others to donate and help out. For the most part, we did a lot to immediately respond, but there's still a lot left to be done. To that end, there will be a benefit concert tomorrow in the HUB to support further relief efforts in Haiti.
The show will take place in Alumni Hall, and last from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Five different bands will perform, and there will be a guest speaker. After the jump: the full lineup
Last month, the wonderful Maya Angelou delighted a packed house at the Eisenhower Auditorium as part of the 2009-2010 Distinguished Speaker Series. Continuing with literary greats, the Paterno Fellows Program is hosting renowned African American author Toni Morrison at the Eisenhower Auditorium TONIGHT at 8 p.m.
She will be receiving the Arts and Humanities Award tonight for her contributions to Penn State's Arts and Humanities. Expect another wonderful speech from another outstanding African American author.