Our local Congressional representative, Scott Conklin, has begun circulating nomination petitions for a Lt. Governor run later this year.
Conklin, a Democrat, has been the representative of Pennsylvania's 77th district, which includes State College, since 2006. During his term, Conklin has been a strong supporter of PHEAA, a Pennsylvania organization that helps students with their pursuit of higher education. He has also helped Penn State secure grants and supported our basketball team when they were doing better than they are now.
With the primary election coming up May 18, he only has a few months to prepare. Even if he runs for Lt. Governor, he will still be allowed to run for re-election in his house seat, so he's not taking a big risk. Conklin's main motivation for running is to help reform PA's constitution. Considering how abysmal the state's budget process has been in the past few years, this might not be a bad idea.
Do you like tub time, hot machines? If so, Hot Tub Time Machine may be the movie for you. The College 9 Theater is hosting an advance screening of the new film tomorrow at 7:30.
The movie tells the classic tale about four friends who get into a hot tub time machine and are transported back to the 80s. If that isn't enough, the movie stars John Cusack (the Say Anything guy), Rob Corddry (the Daily Show correspondent who looks like Champ from Anchorman), Craig Robinson (Darryl from The Office) and Clark Duke (the non-greek star of Greek). I can't really say anything else about the movie except it will either be awesome or awesomely terrible.
To get tickets, email [email protected], though there's a two per person limit.
Whatever your opinions on the freshman handbook, a timeline was confirmed last night with a printing date of May 1st. UPUA's Handbook Committee met to discuss their plans for the book, which will most likely be called "The S Book". At the meeting was Ben Bronstein '61, who edited the 1960 and 1961 editions of the book. He will be serving in an advising capacity, helping guide the handbook's revival.
According to Bronstein, the book was an integral part of a students freshman experience in previous years. There were several examples of past handbooks at the meeting, all of which fit the description of "a keepsake to last beyond your years at Penn State". While they may not be able to have the books leather bound as they were in 1937, with the proper design,the book may be more than a toss-able handout.
There has been much argument about whether the book should be print or digital, but there has been little discussion of its content. More on what sections may be in the handbook after the jump.
Though April may seem like the distant future right now, it's closer than you think. Movin' On, Penn State's longest running Spring Music Festival now has an official Facebook event for the April 17 concert, only two months away.
As usual, the event will last all day and feature a mix of local and national acts. The lineup won't be announced for several weeks, but I'm hoping for some bigger bands than last year. Groups such as Run DMC, Fall Out Boy and Reel Big Fish have performed in the past, bands that are still popular years later.
Last year's show was great, with some impressive performances, but it would be nice to have a headliner people can get excited about.
Though some have said having two spring festivals is cutting down on Movin' On's budget, I'm sure they're going to put on another great show. I'm hoping it's amazing. What headliner do you think Movin' On should bring? (And please don't say Lady Gaga!)
Perhaps taking a cue from a recent episode of The Office, a school in Texas is using Penn State to motivate its kindergartners to one day go to college.
The school is part of a program called No Excuses University. According to the organization, a lot of children growing up in lower income areas don't really consider going to college an option, and, as a result, don't work as hard to do well in school. Classrooms adopt a school which is then featured in classroom activities.
Meredith McCraw of Bluebonnet Elementary School in Round Rock, Texas chose her fiance's alma mater, Penn State, for her kindergarten class. Penn State memorabilia is displayed around the classroom, even decorating their door.
While the choice of Penn State may seem odd for a school in Texas, recent developments may explain what's going on.
The Collegian is reporting that CATA's fare may go from $1.25 to $1.50 in the near future. While this won't affect students who only ride the loop, those who take a trip to Walmart and Wegmans on occasion will have to pay a bit extra.
As one insightful student said:
I don't think anyone riding the bus will be supportive of it.
I ride the bus maybe once a month, so I know that even if the fare goes up, I'm probably not going to care.
A decision won't be made on the issue until March, and there will be a chance for community members to speak out on the issue. While the rate increase won't have much effect on students, I think those who are actual residents of State College and rely on the bus to get to work may have stronger opinions.