Penn State Intercom ..... November 19, 1998

Faculty/Staff Alerts

Time to choose

Bob Corman, who works in the Office of Telecommunications, talks with Mildred Monaco
of National Vision Administrators about the vision benefits available to University employees.
Monaco and representatives from the other benefit providers have been available to answer questions
at a number of benefits open houses on the University Park campus. The last open house is scheduled
for 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, in 101 Kern Building. Faculty and staff at other locations
will have an opportunity to attend benefits sessions at their locations. Times and dates for
these sessions will be announced locally.
Photo: Greg Grieco

Hillel celebrations

Penn State Hillel, The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, will hold two days of events on the University Park campus in honor of Rabbi Benjamin M. Kahn, director of Hillel from 1940-1959.

At 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, Kahn will participate in services in the Frizzell Room of Eisenhower Chapel. On Saturday, Nov. 21, Hillel will honor Kahn with a reception and dinner at The Nittany Lion Inn. For reservations or information, call Holly Mollo at (814) 863-3816.

Kahn's career with B'nai Brith began in 1940 when he became the director of Penn State Hillel. While in this position, he co-authored a book and participated in the making of a television series called "Exploring Religious Ideas: The Great Western Faiths." In 1959, Kahn left Penn State to become the B'nai Brith International Hillel director in Washington, D.C., a post he held until 1971.

A special fund has been established as part of the Hillel Endowment at Penn State in Kahn's honor. Direct gifts or inquiries to Mollo, development associate, Penn State Hillel, 216 Eisenhower Chapel, University Park, Pa. 16802.

Call Center holiday hours

The Penn State Call Center Services Office will be closed Thanksgiving Day. The office will resume normal hours of operation, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., on Friday, Nov. 27.

The office also will operate on holiday hours through the winter break. The schedule follows:

* Wednesday, Dec. 23: 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

* Thursday, Dec. 24: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

* Friday, Dec. 25: CLOSED

* Saturday, Dec. 26, through Thursday, Dec. 31: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

* Friday, Jan. 1, 1999 : CLOSED

* Saturday, Jan. 2, 1999: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

* Sunday, Jan. 3, 1999: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The office will resume normal hours of 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Monday Jan. 4, 1999.

Holiday sale and workshop

The Hetzel Union Center for Arts and Crafts on the University Park campus will hold its annual holiday sale from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 3-5 in the HUB Reading Room on the first floor. The sale will include pottery, hand-made books, stationery, wreaths, tiles, jewelry, ornaments and more.

The center also will hold a series of ornament decorating workshops from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Dec. 1, 3 and 4 in 312 HUB. Cost is $10 per person, which includes ornaments of your choice and decoration supplies. Stop by 312 HUB to register or call (814) 863-0611 for more information.

Toys for Tots drive

What began a few years ago with an engineering professor donating $250 to buy toys for needy children has ballooned into an effort that saw more than 700 toys given to area kids for Christmas in 1997. This year, volunteers from the College of Engineering hope to top that mark as they kick off the 1998 Engineering Toys for Tots campaign. The college's effort is part of the national Toys for Tots project run through the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.

In addition to accepting any kind of toy ranging from stuffed animals to dolls to board games for children, the group also is accepting monetary donations that will be used to buy toys from a local store. Toys should not be wrapped.

Donations and toys can be dropped off or sent to 137 Reber Building, University Park. Checks can be made payable to "Engineering Toys for Tots" and receipts will be given. The deadline for donations is Dec. 15.

Volunteers also are needed to help wrap these gifts at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel. Wrapping sessions are scheduled for:

Saturday, Dec. 12, from 4-6 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 13, from 6-8 p.m.; Tuesday, Dec. 15, from 4-8 p.m.; Wednesday, Dec. 16, from 4-8 p.m.; Friday, Dec. 18, from 4 to 8 p.m.; and Saturday, Dec. 19, from 1 p.m. until all gifts are wrapped.

Anyone interested in volunteering or donating, or anyone with questions can call Gene Weller at (814) 234-9831.

Holiday mail service

Mail service to the University community will be suspended from 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 23, until 8 a.m. Monday, Jan. 4, 1999 due to the holiday season.

Only buildings that currently receive direct delivery from the U.S. Postal Service will be eligible to receive mail during this time. To find out if your building is eligible to receive incoming U.S. mail, please call Paul Fetzer at (814) 865-9171 or Gregg J. Asciutto at (814) 863-8153 before Dec. 11, or check with the facilities coordinator for your academic or administrative area.

Arrangements will be made with the U.S. Postal Service for eligible buildings to receive mail if desired. Buildings that do not receive direct delivery will receive mail after the University resumes operation on Jan. 4, 1999.

Last issue of the semester

The last Intercom of the fall semester will be published on Dec. 3. Items to be included in that issue must be submitted by noon on Tuesday, Nov. 24. Please send any information for publication to lmr8@psu.edu.

Standard 'A' bulk mail

Because of the increase of standard 'A' mailings presented to Addressing Services during the month of December, it may not be possible to process standard 'A' bulk mailings that come in after Dec. 11, until the new year.

UPS and brown-paper wrapping

Please refrain from using brown-paper wrapping when sending packages through United Parcel Service. Because of the use of automation equipment, brown-paper wrapping with addresses on it easily tears away from the boxes.

Martin Luther King Jr. banquet

The Forum on Black Affairs will hold the 24th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Banquet at 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 15, 1999, in the Presidents Hall of The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel. The theme is "Justice Now, Justice Still: Reflections on the Letter from Birmingham City Jail."

Tickets can be purchased by contacting Michael Phillips at (814) 863-1411 or by e-mail at map5@psu.edu. The cost is $20 for adults, $10 for children (12 and under), and $225 for tables.

Lunch with an international colleague

The International Hospitality Council of Centre County is seeking individuals who are interested in meeting new people by reaching out to an international scholar or graduate student. The council runs a Conversation Partners Program that connects non-native English speakers with native English speakers for the purposes of practicing language skills, establishing connections to the local community and facilitating cross-cultural exchange and friendship.

The Conversation Partners Program asks its volunteers to set aside an hour or two each week to enjoy the company of an international newcomer and share ideas and friendship. No special language skills are needed, only the willingness to reach out to others. The program is a flexible one, allowing partners to schedule their own meetings. A meeting over lunch is just one of many possibilities.

Volunteers are needed for both the remaining weeks of the fall semester and for the upcoming spring semester. Anyone interested should stop by the council office at 201 Boucke or call (814) 863-3927.

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