Month: August 2013

Community Service Team collecting items for soldiers

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By Heather Cass

Publications and Design Coordinator, Penn State Behrend

Rhonda Reynolds a food service worker in Dobbins Dining Hall and founder of the Housing and Food Services’ Community Service Team, is always looking for opportunities to give back. (There’s a reason Rhonda was chosen to receive the 2013 Achieving Women Award!). So when she recently met Tina Lindsey, who told her about her son, R.J., a Lance Corporal in the 2nd Tank Bn., 2nd Marine Division currently serving in Afghanistan, Rhonda wanted to help (of course).

“Tina told me how much her son and the other guys look forward to getting care packages and I thought maybe that would be a good thing for the Community Service Team to get involved with,” Rhonda said.

“It’s like Christmas every time they get a box,” said Tina Lindsey, who said her son would be serving in Afghanistan until at least February.

The H&FS Community Service Committee, which includes, Shelly Sonney, Char Snyder, Dan Hutchins, Bill Underhill, Renee’ Pure, Sally Newcomer,Bonnie Stearns, Annie Rogala & Brenda Horvath, agreed it would be a great project as did Mike Lindner, director of Housing and Food Services, who gave the team permission to put donation boxes in campus dining facilities.

The team will collect nonperishable items (list below) until Nov. 22. Shortly after, items will be boxed up and shipped off to 2nd Tank Bn., 2nd Marine Division in Afghanistan.

Donations can be dropped off in the “Operation Care Package” boxes located in Bruno’s Cafe, Dobbins Dining, Clark Cafe, Elements, and The Galley.

What should you buy?  Here’s a printable list you can take shopping with you:

operation care package

~ Heather

Ice cream, ziplines, and balloon animals. (Oh, my!) Welcome Week wrap-up and photos.

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By Heather Cass
Publications & Design Coordinator, Penn State Behrend

Our newest students began arriving early last week, and we were so happy to see them that we could not stop taking photos.

Our International students were the first to arrive. We have dozens of students who traveled from all over the globe to study at Penn State Behrend. Here are a few students we found in the gaming lounge as they arrived on Monday:

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On Thursday, our first-year students who will live on campus began arriving with lots and lots and lots of boxes and bins and food and clothes and bulletin boards and computers and printers…. You get the picture.  Move-in Day story here.

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Friday morning was convocation at Junker Center where students heard from various speakers, including a moving and hilarious presentation by Dr. Pelin Bicen, asssistant professor of Marketing, whose life path was altered by a flyer nailed to a tree in Turkey  (if you missed it…don’t worry, that is a story we’re definitely going to have to tell in a future Behrend Magazine!).  We asked new students to wear their “Class of 2017” T-shirts so we could get a group photo. Look at how wonderful they all looked:

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Also at convocation, Maria Madigan Palmieri ’98, president of the Penn State Behrend Alumni Society, taught our Class of 2017 a very important Penn State lesson:

After convocation and academic meetings, the fun began. The Office of Student Activities planned a whole weekend of ice breakers, get-togethers, and meet-and-greets over ice cream, fruit smoothies and….gulp…even over Reed parking lot via zipline. Check it out:

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See…I told you we couldn’t stop taking photos! Though, we have to credit our student photographer Sarah Jelinek with the photos in the slideshow above. She’ll be out and about all semester, so …when you see her, give her a smile, then look for your photos on our Facebook page and Twitter feed.

So while summer offers a refreshing change of pace, the pin-drop-quiet campus (save for the hundreds of little ones taking part in College For Kids — see a slideshow of images here) gets a little too quiet sometimes. It’s nice to have lots of students filling up the parking lots, residence halls, classrooms, and chairs in the gaming lounge once again. (Heck, I don’t even mind that I have to park in the back row of the Erie lot if I leave for lunch. Yes, I’m that happy to see the students again ;-)).

I think I speak for all the faculty members and staff when I say that we’re looking forward to another great fall semester. Beautiful things are coming.  Exhibit A:

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~ Heather