Last night, the UPUA voted on a selection of three different advertisements for State Patty's Day, put together by the UPUA Student Life and Diversity Committee headed up by chairman, Christian Ragland.
Controversy had erupted earlier when the ad was first proposed because many members were concerned that it took a condescending tone and condemned fellow students for their actions during last year's State Patty's Day. The ad chosen by the UPUA will run the Wednesday before State Patty's Day weekend. Some highlights of the ad, which is still subject to change before it goes to print, are crime statistics from last year's celebrations and a humble message urging students to practice safety and responsibility.
"We want them to have fun without bringing about the negative aspects of our social lives," said Ragland in an email to Onward State.
The ad will include a number of student organizations that have agreed to pledge to this safety initiative. Some of the groups signed on for the advertisement so far include the International Student Council, Center for Women, CCSG, Latino Caucus, IFC, Rainbow Roundtable, LGBTQA Student Alliance, NAACP, Blue and White society, and others. According to Ragland, the ad "is a starting point for more collaboration with these groups."
Penn State graduate Michael Pipe will be officially announcing on Sunday his intent to run for Pennsylvania's 5th Congressional District, which is currently held by Rep. Glenn Thompson, a Republican.
Pipe has a steep hill ahead of him, however, as he is running as a Democrat in a district that has been notoriously known for its conservative tendencies. Thompson has yet to officially announce his run for re-election, but it is assumed that he will do so soon.
Read on to see his campaign video and to learn Pipe's story.
Wednesday night's UPUA meeting tackled a few lingering issues within the assembly, including last week's amendment proposals for the Elections Code, which were vetoed by President Gavin Keirans, and this year's State Paddy's Day.
Last week, Keirans vetoed the 2010 Elections Code, stating that there was a significant, even unconstitutional (the UPUA's constitution, that is) issue with the proportion of representatives proposed in the new amendments. The amendment would have changed the number of On-Campus Reps from six to eight, and the number of Off-Campus Representatives from 10 to 12.
Another issue that Keirans cited was a part of his decision for the veto, were the new changes to the timeline of the election, including the date of the election this year and the period in which candidates would be eligible to campaign.
Learn more about the election issues (and State Patty's Day) after the jump.
Dr. Fariborz Ghadar, a Distinguished Scholar and Senior Adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a Professor of Global Business at the Smeal College of Business here at Penn State testified before the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee's Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia last Wednesday, Feb. 3.
Ghadar, an Iranian-born citizen, spoke to Congress regarding U.S. policies on Iran. In his testimony, "America and the Iranian Political Reform Movement: First Do No Harm," which is available in full on Smeal's website, ushered in some sobering truths regarding the U.S. current policies towards Iran and offered up some now strategies in how to best deal with this nation that is now in turmoil.
What were some of these sobering truths? Read on to find out.
As planned, Governor Ed Rendell announced his budget proposals today for the 2010-2011 fiscal year in the Commonwealth and proposed $333.9 million in appropriations for Penn State.
This is the first of a million steps in the appropriations process for Penn State that must be taken before the university receives its funding. Over the next few months, university officials must meet with state legislators in order to come up with a final spending plan by weighing the university's costs and needs.
President Graham Spanier plans to go before the House Appropriations Committee on Feb. 23 and the Senate Appropriations Committee on March 3.
After last year's near-explosive financial dilemma, lets hope that everything gets worked out in an ordered and timely fashion, like a good fire drill.
Today, at approximately 10:30 am, Governor Ed Rendell will announce the state’s budget for the 2010-2011 fiscal year. After finally getting its appropriations from the state two months ago, Penn State will be looking forward to today’s announcement with a little fear. The process for obtaining next year’s appropriations is underway and Rendell’s announcement today […]