Posts filed under ‘Penn State traditions’
Yes, That was a Mule on the HUB Lawn
A constant flow of visitors peering from the Bell Tower, tug-of-war outside Old Main, and a mule grazing the grass of the HUB lawn.
It was a unique day at Penn State, indeed.
Wednesday was the annual Old Main Open House, a day to celebrate Penn State’s history. The event — which also featured free food, arts and crafts and guided tours of Old Main — was hosted by the Lion Ambassadors. When I stopped by at 3 p.m., there were about 75 visitors mulling around the area, taking in the partly sunny April afternoon.
As visitors waited for their guided tours — highlighted by a trip up to the Bell Tower for a scenic view of campus and downtown — they munched on free popcorn and frozen ices.
At 4, President Rodney Erickson opened his doors for a one-hour office hour session. Students could stop by to talk about anything — or just get to know the president.
Visitors also participated in tug-of-war, cider scrap, and push ball scrap — better known as scrap games. It’s OK if you don’t know what scrap game are. I needed a brush up on the term, as well. Between 1885-1916, freshmen and sophomores would duke it out for bragging rights in a series of competitive games. Among the visitors who seemed to enjoy the revival of the competitions was the Nittany Lion, who apparently participated in a few games of tug-of-war before I arrived.
This year’s Open House featured some new surprises — notably Boomer, the soon-to-be 6-year-old mini mule who hung out by the HUB and was impersonating Old Coaly, Penn State’s first mascot. She and her handler made the 3-hour, 45-minute drive from Butler County the morning of the event.
After I said hello to “Old Coaly,” a tour group walked by. What appeared to be the younger sibling of a prospective student turned to his father and asked, “Do they always have a mule hanging around here?”
Emily Kaplan, intern
A Singing Valentine’s Day Tradition
Jen Espinosa arrived at 102 Thomas on Tuesday afternoon expecting to take a Bio 411 exam.
She sat in her seat, a couple rows from the back, and took out a No. 2 pencil. Her professor, James A. Strauss, began handing out scantrons.Then five male students wearing suits walked into the lecture hall. And the exam was delayed.
The well-dressed quintet has a name: They are The Dreamers, the official a capella group of Phi Mu Alpha, Penn State’s singing fraternity. And for the 23rd straight year, The Dreamers spread love on Feb. 14 by delivering singing Valentines throughout the day.
The routine is simple: The youngest member of The Dreamers—this time it was Brian Bender, a freshman who is also in the Blue Band—must walk in the classroom and ask the professor for permission to interrupt class. Once Bender got the OK, the rest of the group joined him and called the Valentine to the “stage.”
Most recipients, like Espinosa, have no idea it’s coming. Embarrassed by the attention, Espinosa refused to walk to the front of the room to be serenaded by The Dreamers — until Dr. Strauss made a (more…)
Some Almost Alumni Look Back
Photo by Sarah Bond/The Daily Collegian
Though the free food at Thursday’s Senior Sendoff was enough to please any college student (days before finals week, no less), the warm, sunny weather certainly didn’t hurt. At the annual event sponsored by the Alumni Association, hundreds of seniors gathered on the Hintz Alumni Center lawn, and I spent some time mingling with the soon-to-be alumni, who—in between mouthfuls of Creamery ice cream—answered one simple question:
What are you going to miss most about Penn State?
“The sense of community. Being around a bunch of people my age who I can relate to.” —Katelyn Kendall
“Mike the Mailman.” —Kaitlin Vassoler
“All the free food and free T-shirts.” —Rachel Reed, who’s been collecting free T-shirts since freshman year (she’s up to nine or 10).
“The bonds you create with the people you live with and see everyday.” —Matthew Van Vuskirk
“Spring afternoons on the HUB lawn.” —Sarah Broomall
“Walking around campus when the weather is nice.”—Jennifer Reitz
“The East Beach. It’s the beach volleyball pit behind East Halls. Hanging out there is awesome—when it’s not overrun with freshmen.” —Katie Lyons
“The proximity to my best friends. I can just walk across the hall and see them, and I know I’ll really miss that.” —Amanda Karl
“The creative atmosphere. People here push you to think outside the box.” —Peter Ginzburg
Mary Murphy, associate editor
Thoughts on My First THON
Photo by Annemarie Mountz '84
If an alien from another planet visited Penn State this weekend, earthlings sure would’ve had a hard time explaining THON.
Yesterday, I was that alien.
As the Penn Stater’s newest staff member and a State College resident for about two months, I had only a vague idea what this THON thing was all about. My co-workers cautioned that I’d have to see it to believe it, and my questions about what to expect were often answered with a pause, then a “You just have to go.” So I did.
I arrived at the Jordan Center at about 10 a.m. Sunday. With press pass in hand, I was ready to experience THON for the first time. As a friendly student escort led me through the labyrinth of hallways to the dance floor, I was given one precaution: (more…)
Follow Along During THON
This photo from Penn State Public Information shows students preparing the floor for THON. They started at 5 a.m. Friday.
Earlier today, a couple of us were trying to figure out what percentage of the student body is participating in THON, which officially gets underway at 6 p.m. Friday—in a little less than two hours. We’re not sure, but we’re guessing between a third and a half of the students at the University Park campus are involved somehow—dancers, volunteers, cheering on from the stands—and there are plenty of students from other campuses here for the big event.
And of course the THON families—children and their parents who are being helped by the Four Diamonds Fund, the reason 700 students will be dancing for 46 hours this weekend at the Bryce Jordan Center—are in town, too.
If you can’t be there, there are still plenty of ways to follow along. Here are some of the best:
The Daily Collegian’s reporters are blogging here, and the staff at StateCollege.com is doing the same thing here.
On Twitter: follow the Collegian (@dailycollegian), Onward State (@thonwardstate), and anything with the hashtag #thon2011.
And the College of Communications is again dispatching more than 150 students to cover the event, including a live webstream. You can find all of that coverage here.
Last year, THON raised more than $7.8 million for the Four Diamonds Fund. Check back at the end of the weekend for more details from this year’s event.
Lori Shontz, senior editor
The Alma Mater Remains Unchanged
A few weeks ago, Alumni Association executive director Roger Williams ’73, ’75g, ’88g received a letter from Brian Canada ’99, a doctoral candidate in the University’s Integrative Biosciences Program. Canada’s letter proposed updating the Penn State alma mater—written in 1901 by Fred Lewis Pattee and tweaked in 1975 to reflect gender equality—to remove what he saw as a “passive” reference to Penn State’s impact on the future. It seemed a valid point, and Roger put it to our alumni to decide whether we should change the line “for the future that we wait” to the more proactive “for the future we create.”
The validity of Brian’s proposal couldn’t overcome popular sentiment, however. As the Daily Collegian reported last night, some 171 alumni replied to Roger’s query on AlumnInsider, and nearly all of them—151—voted against the lyrical adjustment. Roger told the Collegian that the vote “puts the matter to rest from where I stand,” but it sounds like we might be hearing from Brian again before this is over. He says he might start a Facebook group to build support for his idea—just as soon as he finishes his doctoral thesis.
Correction: My colleague Kate Delano informs me that the Collegian’s numbers are off a bit: 115 of 174 respondents voted not to change the lyrics to the alma mater. Not quite as lopsided as we thought, but the majority rules nonetheless.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
Nittany Lion Documentary Makes Debut
As if the super-cool ESPN Magazine feature on the Nittany Lion weren’t enough, here comes another in-depth look at the mascot, Heart of the Lion. The documentary, which will premiere at 8 tonight on WPSU (Channel 3 in State College), traces the mascot’s history back to 1939 and follows eight students as they try out for the role. Jerry Sawyer, who produced the documentary for Penn State Public Broadcasting, says in this media release, “It was such a great experience to work on putting this show together, and a real treat to meet 15 of the former mascots and see how very humble and Penn State proud they all still are.”
The Alumni Association was the lead sponsor for the production of Heart of the Lion. If you miss the show tonight, the documentary will air again throughout the winter. Check your local listings for more information.
Lori Shontz, senior editor
Penn State’s ‘Men of ’47,’ In Print and Online
If they haven’t already, Alumni Association members should be receiving their copies of our Nov./Dec. issue in the next few days, and I imagine most will notice the unusual (for us) cover design—that’s it on the right. The corresponding feature, written by Michael Weinreb ’94, tells the story of the post-World War II football teams that helped establish Penn State nationally as both a top program and unheralded force in the nation’s slow march to racial justice.
The response to the story—not just to our feature, but to the relatively unknown story of the men who made up these great teams, and who, legend has it, inspired the University’s iconic “We Are…” chant—has been overwhelming. After the surviving team members were guests of honor during the Association’s recent Homecoming festivities, we decided we wanted to share this story as widely as we could. You can now access a PDF version of our new cover story by clicking here.
We also hope to have a video feature up soon that provides even more historical context for the on- and off-field impact of those teams. Keep an eye out for that next week.
Ryan Jones, senior editor
2010 Senior Class Gift: Arboretum Boardwalk
Sketch of the proposed boardwalk
And the winner is … The Arboretum at Penn State.
Voting for the Class of 2010 senior gift ended Monday, and the overwhelming choice was the Marsh Meadow Boardwalk and Overlook at the Arboretum. The final totals, announced Tuesday: 1,965 for the boardwalk, 435 for a public sculpture and endowed sculpture, and 418 for an endowment to maintain the HUB Aquarium.
The seniors have pledged $19,000 so far, and they’re continuing to raise money. You can get the specifics at the PSUSeniors.com blog.
The bloggers at Onward State thought the options could have been spiced up; they suggested “a massive statue of Joe Pa in the mountains overlooking Happy Valley in the fashion of Rio De Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer,” which obviously would have significantly increased the buzz around the tradition. I can only imagine what the College GameDay crew would have done with that.
Lori Shontz, senior editor
A Tough Choice: Voting for the Senior Class Gift
The Allen Street Gates, when Allen Street continued through campus.
The Senior Class Gift has been a Penn State tradition since the Class of ’61—that’s 1861! — donated a portrait of Evan Pugh to hang in Old Main. Among the more notable gifts through the decades: the Allen Street Gates (thank you, Class of 1916), the Celebration Garden at Rec Hall (great call, Class of 2007), and the gift that’s impossible to top, the Nittany Lion Shrine (bravo, Class of 1940).
Voting is under way now for the Class of 2010 gift. Seniors can vote online or in the HUB-Robeson Center for one of three options, detailed on the blog PSUseniors.com. The choices:
1. A public sculpture and endowed scholarship. The staff at the Palmer Museum of Art has installed the sculpture, by Harry Gordon, between Armsby and North Freer so voters (and the rest of us) can check it out.
2. A maintenance endowment for the HUB Aquarium (which was a gift of the Class of 1999).
3. A marsh meadow boardwalk and overlook for the Arboretum at Penn State.
It’s been a big month for class gifts. Just two weeks ago, the Old Main Bell was removed from its perch, thanks to the Class of 2009. It will be restored and displayed a ground level, enabling all of us to enjoy it.
The Class of 2010 winner will be announced next week, so stay tuned.
Lori Shontz, senior editor
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