Welcome back to campus, Penn State.

Whether you were catching some rays in Cancún or making a dent in your parents’ living room couch, you might’ve missed a few things back in Happy Valley over spring break.

Before you sink back into your daily routine, catch up on some notable headlines from the past two weeks:

News

• Penn State officially announced revisions to its indoor masking policies. Here’s what you need to know:
  • Masks are still required in classrooms, labs, and other academic spaces (like advising offices, studios, etc.).
  • Masks are not required for other indoor locations on campus, including dining halls, dorms, on-campus gyms, athletic venues, markets, and even the HUB.
  • Masks will still be required where mandated by law, including particular workplaces, public transportation services, or health care settings.
  • Penn State will continue requiring weekly COVID-19 testing for unvaccinated students and employees. The university will also continue offering on-campus COVID-19 quarantine and isolation spaces.

• Five Fullington Trailways bus routes to and from State College will be discontinued on April 1.

• A Port Matilda man pleaded guilty to the serial rapes of four Penn State students between 2010 and 2017 in State College.

• A Penn State assistant vice provost died following a crash in Boalsburg. According to police, he “ran into the side of” a privately owned pickup truck with a snowplow attached while he was jogging and crossing the street. The official’s death was ruled accidental, though an investigation is ongoing.

• Penn State’s Student Programming Association (SPA) announced it will host “Saturday Night Live” comedian Mikey Day for a comedy show on Monday, March 14.

Sports

• Penn State wrestling finished the Big Ten Championships with four individual title-winners. Roman Bravo-Young, Nick Lee, Carter Starocci, and Max Dean all managed to secure crowns in their respective brackets.

• Eight Nittany Lions showed off at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine. Tariq Castro-Fields’ blazing 4.38-second 40-yard dash stood out from a handful of strong performances.

• Penn State rolled out yet another survey to gauge feedback on the future of Beaver Stadium. One particularly interesting question circulated the possibility of constructing an entirely new stadium.

• Penn State wrestling received seedings for its nine stars heading to the NCAA Wrestling Championships next weekend. Four Nittany Lions lead their respective brackets as No. 1 seeds.
• The NFL is abuzz with news, and that certainly applies for Penn State’s former stars across the league. Here’s a quick recap of the notable headlines:
  • Mike Gesicki and Chris Godwin received franchise tags from the Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, respectively. The tags let teams retain players for another season and hold exclusive negotiating rights.
  • Allen Robinson is expected to hit free agency following a quiet season with the Chicago Bears.
  • The Denver Broncos released DaeSean Hamilton, who recently recovered from a season-ending ACL tear. He’s expected to find a new team once free agency begins.

• Penn State men’s basketball’s season came to an official end following a loss to Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. The Nittany Lions beat Minnesota and Ohio State to wind up facing the Boilermakers.
  • Notably, senior guard Jalen Pickett announced he’s returning to Penn State next season. Pickett, who transferred to Penn State from Siena last offseason, led the Nittany Lions with 413 points and 135 assists this year.

• Penn State men’s hockey spent its break competing in a Big Ten Tournament of its own, too. Guy Gadowsky’s program downed No. 12 Ohio State in a best-of-three series to later face Minnesota. The Nittany Lions gave up a last-minute goal in the semifinal matchup and wound up losing to the Golden Gophers 3-2.

• Former Penn State men’s basketball coach Pat Chambers reportedly finalized a deal to become Florida Gulf Coast’s next coach. Dunk City!