Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA) spoke in the HUB yesterday to a small crowd of seated students. He addressed numerous state and national issues, ranging from student loans to sanctions in Iran.
Specter is hoping to retain his senate seat in this year's midterm elections and has been campaigning throughout the state. During his stop at Penn State, Specter spoke about the battle he would face come November,
Incumbents are an endangered species.
Find out why he thinks he will prevail after the jump.
On Wednesday the student body will vote in members for the fifth assembly of the University Park Undergraduate Association. Today we will be publishing guides about each of the positions and the candidates running for them.
There are seven 'Off-Campus Representative' positions open to full-time undergraduate students who attend University Park and live off-campus. This year, only seven students are running.
There were a few major announcements and votes last night as the fourth assembly of the University Park Undergradute Assembly met for the ultimate time in HUB 302.
First, someone has been found to head the Student Legal Clinic. The name should be released today. The clinic will start offering services this semester, but the executive branch hopes to have it running in maturity by fall semester.
'Last Stop' got the majority of the votes in the online poll UPUA did to help rename its spring music festival. However, the assembly has not passed legislation confirming this name yet, so it is still unofficial for the moment.
The UPUA passed its medical amnesty legislation, which will create a system for students to make emergency and medical personnel aware of alcohol-related circumstances that might otherwise put them in a compromising position. Students will be given the option of either taking the judicial sanctions or participating in the Medial Amnesty Program, which entails students to participate in a BASICS (Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention of College Students) program. If this program is completed it results in no judicial/legal consequences for the involved student. Repeat offenses will be penalized with further terms and task completion, and will ultimately result in expulsion from the program.
This fall, the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) created an internship program to get freshman students familiar with the politics and Robert's Rules of student government. It looks like the program was a success, as many freshman interns are currently looking to extend their involvement with UPUA by getting elected to a representative position.
UPUA Chief of Staff Matt Smith lead the interns in their weekly meetings and tried to teach them about the university in various ways, including exploring archives, studying how the faculty senate functions, and working with UPUA officials in various capacities.
You know something historic is happening when C-SPAN is enough to keep college students from the outdoors on a beautiful spring Sunday. Last night, the House... well, I'm just going to let the Times explain:
House Democrats approved a far-reaching overhaul of the nation’s health system on Sunday, voting over unanimous Republican opposition to provide medical coverage to tens of millions of uninsured Americans after an epic political battle that could define the differences between the parties for years.
But you all already knew that. What I want to know is...
Are you worried about it? Excited for it? Simply glad the media can fixate on something else for a while?
Spill your guts in the comments below!
The recent state problems with funding have led to an increasing number of people who are alarmed at where the university's future is going, including Penn State. But if there's one thing that has come out of it, ironically, is that some students are getting more experience than they would if the state did know how to properly manage its funds.
If there's only one thing that college students hate besides a shoddy Wi-Fi connection, it's messing with their money. We don't have much, and what we do have must go towards books and bar tabs. But when it happens, we tend to act, sometimes by rallying, sometimes by holding our buildings hostage. The following is the former.
Read on to learn more about Capital Day.