University - Believing in Freedom and Independence

22
July / August 2012
Believing in freedom and independence
by Jamie Campbell
It must be election season, can’t you tell?
In the last three weeks, there have been
more political ads than there have been for
any of the reality shows trying to increase
ratings for their summer season. The problem is a majority of these ads are “not condoned” or not endorsed by the candidate
that they are claiming to support.
You know what I’m talking about, right?
The candidate’s voice plays in the background over the Rockwellesque picture of
his/her family life or some popular activity
(think Putin on his horse, no shirt on in
January, in the Russian wilderness) for that
region. Every Political Action Committee
seems to feel that playing hard and loose
with the facts is the way to show that their
candidate is the lesser of two evils.
Bringing up actions from high school
days or college experiments is uncalled for.
Just think for a moment. Think about all of
things you did in high school and college,
the things you tell your children not to do if
they want to be responsible and deserve
your trust. Now, imagine some stranger
comes along and revisits all your past mistakes as if you committed them yesterday.
By no means is this a fair assessment of
how you live now, so why tolerate that kind
of action from those seeking our trust?
What is important to remember about all
of this is that candidates quickly run out to
condemn these ads when the public raises
an outcry. The problem is that the candidate’s team should be making it clear that
he/she is above the playing to the lowest
view to gain a few votes. We, as the electorate, should be making it plain that we
will not stand for such foolishness, but we
don’t and it continues to persist.
I would like to see ads where our elected
officials say, “I was wrong here, but here is
how we fixed it...” Wouldn’t that be the
best? Wouldn’t it be great if a governor said
something like, “I didn’t act on this when I
was Attorney General, but I take responsibly for my actions, and I will l do my best
not have this happen again”?
Ah well, such a fantasy truly only happens in movies.
Putting the money spent on these negative, and often false (or edited to be taken
way out of context), into something good
could reduce the national debt. If given to
cities and states, this money could save
teachers and hire more police and firemen.
Right now, all this money does is tear
down another human being that is going to
live on after the votes are cast. These ads
might as well say “candidate X steals
candy from babies and will do the same to
your money if you do not elect our person.”
Then, right after the election, are we to
believe that these opponents are going to
support each other without pay? There is
no way you could pay me to speak well of
someone who has attempted every form of
character assassination known to man.
When I disagree with you, I am going to
disagree with your points and respect your
right to have a different view. It doesn’t
mean you are out of touch, un-American,
or elitist—it just means you see things from
a different point of view (although that
would be unfortunate, as I am always
right). It doesn’t mean I have to hate who
you are as a human being. Somewhere in
our Constitution it tells me that you can say
whatever you want, and that’s ok.
Independence Day is rapidly approaching, and is this the type of freedom that we
want our children to believe in? We have
to do better. Our votes count for something.
Let us make our dollars and voices count
for that something as well. Be safe and
enjoy the Fourth!
Dorms enforce policies for summer guests
by Jessica Beard
As students at Penn State University
Park pack up and head home for the summer, new residents of all ages are preparing
to move in. Freshmen leaving their East
residence halls in May may not realize that
their old dorms will see thousands of visitors pass through their doors before Fall
semester rolls around again.
Summer in Happy Valley houses the
youth camps and professional conferences
which keep University Park a busy town
with unlikely neighbors.
“It’s like a revolving door up here,”
Jennifer Garvin, Director of Ancillary
Services in the Penn State Assignment
Office said.
Every summer, Penn State runs nearly
one hundred sport camps and academic
youth programs. Each camp lasts between
one and four days, makes use of facilities
all over campus.
According to Dick Bartolomea, the
director of Penn State sports camps, about
90 percent of overnight sports campers stay
in the East residence halls. He said that the
East halls are used exclusively for the
sports camp guests and that no other program guests stay in any building where
campers are housed.
All conferences and associated events
are sponsored by Penn State. Conference
planners sign a contract with the conference entities, the Penn State Housing
Office and Outreach. Then, they work with
the conference planner to set up the housing for the event.
Garvin said that most Penn State students
taking summer classes are housed in
Pollock. Adult groups are more focused on
North and West campus as well as
Eastview Terrace and Nittany Apartments.
According to the Penn State Sports
Camps Staff Manual, males and females
are housed in different buildings.
Overnight guests are prohibited and quiet
hours are enforced between 11 p.m. and 7
a.m. One coach or counselor is assigned as
a duty counselor each night from the end of
the camp’s evening session until 7 a.m. the
next morning.
This University policy requires a minimum of one staff member for every eight
residential campers ages 9 to 14 and one
staff member for every ten residential
campers ages 15 to 17. Conference assistants are there to answer campers’ questions, help them when needed and enforce
policies.
According to Garvin, adult-only groups
are usually housed at opposite times than
youth-related programs in Eastview
Terrace. These groups include adult students associated with a variety of departments but not registered for summer classes, such as those doing research or internship work.
Garvin said that the disciplinary and regulatory policies are the same for youth and
professional Penn State summer programs
alike.
“We hold everybody to the same standards,” Garvin said. “It’s just across the
board.”
The dry campus standard of the regular
school year extends to the summer months
as well. Conference guests are subject to
the same residence hall regulations as students concerning behavior, substance possession and use. Possession or use of alco-
see
Conference, pg. 23
23
July / August 2012
from
Conference, pg. 22
hol, tobacco and other drugs are prohibited.
There are some differences in how policies are enforced for camp and conference
guests compared to students. According to
the Office of Student Conduct website, all
students under 24 found guilty of “prohibited underage possession or use of alcoholic beverages, excessive consumption of
alcohol, or driving under the influence”
must complete BASICS (the Brief Alcohol
Screening and Intervention for College
Students). Parents or guardians are notified
if the student is discovered or admits to onor-off-campus drug or alcohol possession.
Students are exempt from parental notifications if they are 24 years or older,
enrolled in a graduate or professional program or married, as well as veterans of the
U.S. Armed Forces and students with children or dependents receiving more than
half of their support from the student.
There is a three-strike disciplinary policy
for camp residents. The resident receives a
warning and a brief meeting with a counselor for a first offense. If there is a second
offense, the resident’s parent or guardian is
called and a third offense results in immediate withdrawal from the program. No
refunds are issued in the event of a
camper’s dismissal.
According to Garvin, individual 2012
summer conference enrollment numbers
have been steady, if not higher, than they
were compared to last year’s. Garvin said
he took this to be a sign that recent events
surrounding the Jerry Sandusky trial
haven’t affected peoples’ desire to come to
Penn State.
“Folks still see us as a viable place to go
to enhance your education,” Garvin said.
Fran Ganter, the summer camp football
director, recalled an incident from earlier in
the week when he saw a camper whose parent dropped him off on campus each day
wandering near Johnson Hall where the
sports camp office is headquartered.
“I’d say he was 10, 11 years old,” Ganter
said. “[I thought], didn’t he have to have
somebody with him? We always have two
people with every camper: a 2-up policy.”
Garvin said that since the Sandusky controversy broke last fall, the existing policy
regarding minors on campus had been
“revamped.”
“No adult can have one-to-one contact
with a minor,” Garvin said. “It’s working
very well now that people here have adapted to that regulation.”
Bartolomea has his own philosophy on
summer logistics at Penn State.
“If you follow the seven P’s, you’ll be in
good shape: Proper Planning Prevents PissPoor Performance,” he said.
Ganter admits that he shares
Bartolomea’s seven P’s with his campers.
“We’re very good at seeing potential
challenges,” Ganter said. “I don’t say
‘problems.’ That’s not what we’re about.
There’s no such thing as a problem. It’s a
challenge, and a challenge is just an opportunity to excel.”
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Photo by Kevin Reilly
Fireworks light up the sky at the 2010 Central PA 4th Fest in State College, PA. This is one of the biggest all-volunteer firework displays in the nation.
Painted Photographs by Mary Vollero
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