SEEN ON CAMPUS--ALCOHOL: CONTROLLING THE TOXIC SPILL
From the introduction to the National Issues Forums booklet provided at Wednesday’s (Oct. 17) campus/community meeting on dangerous drinking: (Some teenagers’) candid ambivalence about alcohol abuse is shared by adults--and goes a long way toward explaining why the nation has trouble facing its drinking problems. A second reason is the nature of the beast: it is hard to be clear about something that spans healthful drinking, social drinking, youthful binge drinking, irresponsible drinking, and alcoholism. Finally, the issue never seems to get the attention it deserves, perhaps because society tends to focus on the individual problem drinker and not the great forest of suffering. Last night’s session of the Public Issues Forums of Centre County was attended by more than 100 persons interested in addressing the possibilities for demanding citizen responsibility, treating the public health epidemic and educating for societal change where dangerous drinking is concerned. The event was presented in the HUB-Robeson Center on the University Park campus by State College Area School District Community Education in association with the Centre Daily Times.
PENN STATE BOOKLET EXPLAINS SCHOOL TAX OPTIONS
For residents facing a school tax referendum on November ballots, a free booklet from Penn State Cooperative Extension has answers to questions about Act 24 of 2001. “Understanding Act 24 of 2001: the Optional Occupation Tax Elimination Act” explains how Act 24 allows school districts to replace an occupation tax (which assesses citizens according to their job titles) with an earned income tax. According to the booklet, many people view the earned income tax as fairer than the occupation tax, but switching may not benefit all communities. The booklet includes a regional summary of the act’s potential impact, explains the break-even point for impact on taxpayers of selected earned income tax rates, and compares earned income and occupational taxes for a sample taxpayer. Single copies of the booklet are available free from individual counties’ Cooperative Extension offices, or by calling (814) 865-6713. Electronic versions and more information on local tax reform are at http://cax.aers.psu.edu/taxreform. For the full story, visit http://aginfo.psu.edu/News/october01/tax.html/
PALMER MUSEUM OF ART RECEIVES NATIONAL GRANT
Penn State’s Palmer Museum of Art has received a $112,500 General Operating Support grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), an independent federal agency that recognized the museum not only for the strength, diversity and caliber of its collections and exhibitions, but also for its commitment to education and outreach to the University and area communities. Reviewers were impressed by the number of area schoolchildren who visit the Palmer Museum--more than 2,100 last year alone--and specifically commended the museum for the connections it has forged with other Penn State departments. Jan Muhlert, director of the Palmer Museum, says the grant will be used to help the museum expand its outreach efforts in several areas, including equipping a new works on paper study room to make the museum’s collection of prints, drawings and photographs more readily accessible to visitors of all ages. For more information on the Palmer Museum of Art, visit http://www.psu.edu/dept/palmermuseum/. For more information on IMLS, visit http://www.imls.gov/.
ALUMNA AMONG “MOST POWERFUL WOMEN IN AMERICA”
Fortune magazine has selected a 1974 graduate in accounting from Penn State’s Smeal College of Business Administration as one of the “Most Powerful Women In America.” Pittsburgh native Patricia Woertz, president of Chevron Products Company and a vice president of Chevron Corporation, is ranked 8th on the list 50 women. She is in charge of the company’s United States refining and marketing operations, international lubricants and the trading of crude oil and refined products. The highest-ranking woman in the global energy industry, she has for the past three years been on the Fortune list. For the full story, visit http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/depth/october01/actggrad.html.
DRUG ENFORCEMENT IS TOPIC OF SPANIER CALL-IN SHOW
Pennsylvania’s war on illegal drugs will be the topic of the next edition of “To the Best of My Knowledge,” Penn State President Graham Spanier’s monthly call-in show airing at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23, on WPSU-FM (91.5, 106.7, 95.1, 90.1, 100.9 and 104.7) and simultaneously on WPSX-TV. Joining Spanier to discuss efforts to stop illegal drug use in Pennsylvania will be the state’s chief law enforcement officer, Attorney General Mike Fisher. Listeners and viewers with questions or comments are encouraged to join the discussion by calling (800) 543-8242 during the one-hour simulcast. Internet users worldwide will be able to link to sound and pictures from the program at http://wpsu.psu.edu/ttbomk/; and will be able to contact Spanier during the program via e-mail to mailto:response@psu.edu. “To the Best of My Knowledge” is a series designed to explore topics of national and local interest, and to allow listeners and viewers a chance to communicate directly with Penn State’s President.
TICKETMASTER NOW JORDAN CENTER’S ONLINE PROVIDER
The world’s leading ticketing and access business, Ticketmaster, has become the official online ticketing services company for Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center. Ticketmaster services more than 6,200 clients worldwide and acts as the exclusive ticketing service for hundreds of leading arenas, stadiums, performing arts venues and theatres. Ticketmaster benefits are now available at the Bryce Jordan Center Web site at http://www.bjc.psu.edu. In the near future, exclusive online opportunities, including Internet pre-sales, registration-to-win contests and special ticket discounts, will be available through the site and Ticketmaster. In addition to purchasing tickets online, tickets to the Bryce Jordan Center can also be purchased at 12 Uni-Mart convenience store locations and six campus locations throughout Central Pennsylvania.