I found out yesterday that my little sister has decided to accept Penn State's offer of admission. While she is keen to strike her own path (in other words, an Onward State writer she probably won't be), I want to give her as much wisdom as possible before she gets here.
So, today, for all the little brothers and little sisters and future Penn Staters of the world, I want to know,
The Staff Profile series is a new feature at Onward State. As the semester progresses, we will provide a window into the life of each Onward Stater. Readers: meet our writers.
Steve Sharer joined the Onward State team back in January 2009 when it was but a young lion cub of a blog. Steve writes on all sorts of Penn State topics, including the Penn State Marching Blue Band, The College of IST, and Penn State-related technology (among other things). He's also responsible for bringing the Stately Inquisitor (a buddy from High School) to Onward State to tantalize you with the most intriguing questions you've ever seen.
By day, he majors in Security & Risk Analysis with minors in Information Sciences & Technology and Geography. And by night, he heads up the Security & Risk Analysis Club as the President. Steve also performs in the Penn State Marching Blue Band as a trumpet player with 310 of the most outstanding people you'll meet at Penn State (hint: you can find him in the "P" in the "PSU" formation during pregame).
Read more about the illustrious Steve Sharer after the jump.
Saturday was, of course, State Patty's Day. I didn't expect to see someone worthy of Natty Nittany status, but then I ran into John outside of Sharkies Bar and Thrifty Bottle Shop on Hetzel Street. The fashion photography gods had given me a State Patty's Day blessing.
Though I did not have my good camera with me, you shouldn't need too sharp of an image to see why I had to snap Jon's picture. John did State Patty's in a big way and I respect him for that.
It's not only that he's got the green going on, and that he did it in a way much more fashionable than the typical t-shirt, but that his jacket was actually a decent fit! Too often I see people with blazers two sizes too big for them and poorly tailored suit jackets (or worse-- not tailored at all!).
Oh, and a little side note courtesy of John's female accompaniment. When I told them who I was and asked to take John's picture, the girl enthusiastically informed that John's clothes were indeed, "all high end stuff!"
The now infamous State Patty's day is upon us, and people are flooding the stores downtown that did not agree to pull all State Patty's merchandise. This has nothing to do with fashion, but in my opinion, long live State Patty's Day and let college kids have their fun!
</br?
To the administrators opposing it: think back to when you were in college. Did you want people raining on your parade? Of course not. No one gave you trouble about sneaking into Beaver Stadium after the National Championship and carrying a goal post across College Ave.!
But I'm really here to talk about State Patty's Day fashion. The holiday has a lot to do with what people are wearing. Shops downtown have a bunch of different types of clothing with a few standard phrases, like the classic "Kiss Me I'm Drunk."
My advice is to go all out! Wear the best of the best printed tees from People's Nation and get to McLanahan's before it's too late to get your green shotglass necklace. The more green this Saturday, the better. Rock your green to show your passion for our famous Saturday in late February/early March. From socks to hats, wear that green.
Last year I wore the traditional green PSU shirt, but I'm hoping people to get more creative this year. My choice this year was a shirt from the Phyrst that's on display at Ernie's Steaks (If you have green slacks, please wear them. The goal is to stand out. But not too much because of the increased police enforcement).
Long live State Patty's and going overboard with green.
Whether it’s on the wrestling mat, the volleyball court, or behind an épée (Brush up on your fencing lingo, we’re defending national champs), Penn State is no stranger to “Top Ten” rankings. Not to be left in the dark, Penn State’s neighbor to the south, State College, cared to join in on the fun.
Recently, State College placed eighth in Kiplinger’s “Ten Cities With Rising Home Values.” State College landed itself on the list by boasting some impressive numbers. Over the course of one year, the average $200,000 house in Happy Valley would gain 4.7% in home value - remarkable compared to the average of 18% drop everywhere else in the country.
So why are houses in State College of all places gaining value? Read on to find out!
Collegian Opens Floodgates, Allows Comments
Sunday was an auspicious day for the Daily Collegian. It marked the first time that readers were able to comment on articles (as distinct from blog posts). The system works by utilizing a comment system called Disqus and requires users to authenticate with either a Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo!, OpenID, or Disqus account.
Editor-in-Chief Rossilynne Skena stated on her official blog that the authentication system is in place "to avoid the spam and hostility so often associated with anonymous comments."
We want to congratulate the Daily Collegian on taking its next big step in the scary world of online media. I am surprised that it took them this long, though I suspect it had something to do with credibility worries. Good luck with keeping the commenters civil!