Jeff Kline, sales coordinator for Hospitality Services, read the newspaper
while giving blood at
The Nittany Lion Inn recently. The American Red Cross Centre Communities
Chapter is holding
two blood drives on the University Park campus during October. For information,
see the
Faculty/Staff Alert on this page.
Photo: Greg Grieco
The pros and cons of plastic surgery are the subject of tonight's edition of "To the Best of My Knowledge," University President Graham B. Spanier's monthly radio call-in show. The show will air at 7 p.m. on public radio station WPSU-FM (90.1, 91.5, 100.9, and 106.7).
Plastic surgery is the fastest-growing surgical specialty in the United States, where 80 percent of all women and a growing number of men report disliking or being repulsed by some part of their body. A prominent skeptic of this unprecedented growth, Elizabeth Haiken, will be Spanier's guest for the broadcast. Haiken is a professor of history at the University of Tennessee and the author of Venus Envy: A History of Cosmetic Surgery (1997). Balancing Haiken's views will be those of a practicing plastic surgeon.
Listeners are encouraged to join the discussion by calling 1-800-543-8242 during the one-hour broadcast. Internet users worldwide will be able to link to sound and pictures from the program at http://www.psu.edu/ur/tech/tech.html and can contact Spanier during the program by sending e-mail queries to response@psu.edu.
The American Red Cross Centre Communities Chapter is holding two blood drives on the University Park campus during October. They include:
* Monday, Oct. 19, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Kunkle Lounge, Hammond Building. Appointments are recommended, call Donna at (814) 865-1831; and
* Friday, Oct. 23, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Agricultural Administration Building. By appointment only, call Ellen at (814) 865-3077.
The Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching and USG Academic Assembly are again sponsoring "Take Your Professor to Lunch," a popular mid-semester program designed to break down the barriers of anonymity in large-class sections. The event, offered Oct. 19 through Nov. 6, gives students in sections with enrollments of more than 100 a chance to talk with their professor in an informal setting. Lunch will be provided at any University Park Housing and Food Services eatery to eligible parties of six to 10 people, including the instructor and a subset of students currently enrolled in the course. Teaching assistants may also join the group. Groups must be registered online by a student who takes up the challenge and organizes a luncheon party. No student can participate more than once during this three-week offer.
Details and complete registration information can be found on the Web at http://www.psu.edu/celt/largeclass/take-a-prof.html.
Residence Life will be holding several professional development workshops this fall on the University Park campus, free to all interested faculty and staff. The sessions follow:
-- Resume and Job Search: Oct. 12, from 2-4 p.m., Gold Room, Pollock Commons; Resume critique, preparing for the job search and future careers. Presented by staff from Career Services.
-- Creating and Evaluating Your Programs and Services: Nov. 18, 2-4 p.m., Gold Room, Pollock Commons.
Anyone with questions about the sessions, should call Julie at (814) 863-1710.
The annual Children's Halloween Trail and Festival at Shaver's Creek Environmental Center will be held Saturday, Oct. 24, and Sunday, Oct. 25, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Come enjoy games, singing, crafts, scarecrow making, pumpkin carving, food and more. Geared toward children ages 4 to 10. Tickets are $5; children three years and under get in free. Tickets can be purchased at Shaver's Creek, Barnes & Noble Booksellers on Benner Pike or BiLo in Huntingdon on Route 22.
For information on trail times, call the center at (814) 863-2000 or (814) 667-3424.
The University will host a teleconference titled "Reaching Your Financial Goals: Tips from America's Experts," from 2-3:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 28, in 101 Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building on the University Park campus. Sponsored by TIAA-CREF, the teleconference will feature some of America's most noted investment experts including Jane Bryant Quinn, columnist and author of Making the Most of Your Money; Martin Leibowitz, vice chairman and chief investment officer of TIAA-CREF; and Peter L. Bernstein, economist and author of Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk.
The session will focus on setting financial goals, creating an investment strategy and choosing the right financial products. No advance registration is required. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Anyone with questions can call Tiffany Nachman at (814) 865-3410.
Do you know the laws that impact post secondary settings about disability issues? Do you know what to do if a student with a disability asks for accommodation? Test your knowledge with the "Faculty and Staff Survey of Disability Knowledge" at http://www.ed.psu.edu/poa/letter.htm . This survey was developed as part of a U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Programs grant. The results of the survey will help determine the content of faculty and staff information and discussion sessions about disabilities in post secondary settings.
Anyone interested in more information about Project Opportunity and Access, contact Sharon Salter, project coordinator at (814) 863-2421 or e-mail: sfs8@psu.edu.
University Photo/Graphics has announced a change that will take customers into the digital age. Services such as traditional photography, film processing, computer graphics and illustration, and matting and framing will continue to be offered at Mitchell Building, but will now be enhanced with the addition of cutting-edge digital imaging tools. Technologies such as digital photography, hyper-resolution scanning and digital image enhancing are now being offered. For more information, please contact Fredric Weber at (814) 865-6507 or visit the Web at http://www.cde.psu.edu/PhotoGraphics.
The FASTSTART program at Penn State is seeking members of the faculty and staff to serve as mentors to first-year students. FASTSTART is a collaboration between Student Affairs and the Alumni Association which brings together a first-year student, a faculty or staff member and an alumnus of Penn State to help the student transition to college.
Formerly known as "The Buddy Program," FASTSTART asks each participant to set aside some time to spend together exploring the ins and outs of the Penn State experience and serving as a resource to the student in a variety of areas. No special expertise is needed, only a willingness to share knowledge and friendship.
Anyone interested should call Pamela Williams at (814) 863-6386 or go to room 103-E in the Paul Robeson Cultural Center on the University Park campus.