Month: August 2014

A club for everyone (and 12 you probably didn’t know existed at Behrend)

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By Heather Cass
Publications & Design Coordinator, Penn State Behrend

There are a lot of good reasons to get involved in clubs on campus:

  • Make friends.
  • Have fun!
  • Enhance your resume.
  • Develop time management skills.
  • Gain some leadership experience.
  • Eat for free.

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I attended the Club Showcase on Wednesday in McGarvey Commons and there were so many clubs and organizations that the showcase spilled out of the commons and filled the entire Wintergarden area, too.

Clearly, whatever your background, interests, or activity level there is a club, organization, or group for you.

Here are a dozen clubs that caught my eye. Some are new, some are unique, and some are clubs you might not have known even existed at Behrend:

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Nanashi: The Anime Club 

Before you go, brush up on 100 most essential words in Anime.

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The Behrend Fencing Group

Touché!

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Renaissance Martial Arts Club

Doesn’t that sign (lower right) “Fight with Swords!” just about say it all?

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Asian Student Organization

In the past, this group has put on some really entertaining, interesting, fun, and well attended events — including a festive Spring Festival celebration.

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Human Relations Programming Council (HRPC)

Who doesn’t want to make the world a better place?

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Women Today

’cause, ladies, we need to support one another.

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Commuter Council

The commuters want a lounge to hang out in between classes. Join the club to help make it happen.

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Tone-Acious – the Behrend A Cappella Group

Music to my ears.

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Agriculture Club

This group’s twice-a-year Behrend County Fair is your chance to ride a mechanical bull — right in McGarvey Commons! Don’t miss it.

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Fresh Face Forward

Because beauty doesn’t have to be toxic (to animals, you, or the environment).

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RAK: Random Acts of Kindness

A group who goes around campus doing nice things anonymously. How awesome is that? It was an unstaffed booth…of course. Shhhh…..we’ll never tell who is involved.

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Crossfit Club

Leave college 15 pounds heavier — not from late-night pizza or free cookies, but from working out like a boss. Sounds like the perfect after-class stress relief!

For More Info

You can find information about any of these clubs…and check out any of the more than 100 clubs on campus here.

 

 

 

Behrend Reacts: What club are you thinking of joining this year?

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By Nicole Krahe
Marketing Communication Student Assistant, Penn State Behrend

When Penn State President Eric Barron was introduced in May, he presented the following analogy.

“When students decided to come to Penn State and pay their tuition, they purchased a sports car, but too many of them will only drive it 20 miles per hour.”

Translation? Take advantage of all the opportunities available to you at college and GET INVOLVED!

New students had an opportunity to see everything Penn State Behrend has to offer Wednesday at the Club Showcase in McGarvey Commons.

We asked students what clubs piqued their interest.

Courtney Bolton

Courtney Bolton, first-year student, Nursing: “The dance team because I have been dancing since I was 3-years-old. I’m not ready to give it up yet.”

Taylor Sterrett

Taylor Sterrett, first-year student, Nursing: “I liked the club volleyball team because I played volleyball in high school.”

Shayne Watson
Shayne Watson, first-year student, Speech Pathology: “I signed up for the Republican club because I don’t like our current president.”

Nick Angelo

Nick Angelo, senior, Computer Engineering: “Well, I’m the president of Triangle Fraternity, so I’m recruiting. It’s still early, but we’ve got a couple of names, so that’s good.”

Tom Prinzi

Tom Prinzi, senior, Plastics Engineering: “The International Student Organization. It is not only for international students, it’s also for anyone looking to break barriers and make friends. They have really nice dinners, too.”

Justin Leonard

Justin Leonard, junior, International Business: “Behrend Club Hockey. It gives you the opportunity to play at a competitive level while still having fun and being part of a family.”

Josh Kolarac

Josh Kolarac, first-year student, Communication: “I’m interested in joining BVZ and The Behrend Beacon because it will help out with my major.”

Rayni Modecki

Rayni Modecki, first-year student, IBE: “I signed up for THON because it sounds like a lot of fun and it’s a good cause.”

Andrea Gaez

Andrea Gaez, first-year student, Industrial Engineering: “I came here from Panama, so I joined Theta Phi Alpha and The Multicultural Council to make new friends!”

Behrend Reacts is a regular Thursday feature at the Behrend Blog that tries to get the campus pulse on a current topic, whether it’s serious or trivial. If you have a question to suggest for Behrend Reacts, please email Steve Orbanek at sco10@psu.edu.

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10 signs life has returned to normal

Published on by Behrend Blog1 Comment

By Heather Cass
Publications & Design Coordinator, Penn State Behrend

As a staff member who works at the college year round, I can tell you that the summer months are peaceful and serene.

At first.

But after a few weeks, the novelty of a great parking space wears off and you realize that no Bruno’s or Elements café (both close in summer) means no morning Starbucks and the empty pathways become a little too peaceful and campus starts to feel kind of lonely.

Summer is a nice reprieve, but it’s truly wonderful and exciting when students and faculty members return. Suffice to say we missed you.

We went out today in search of 10 signs that life has returned to normal on campus:

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1. Foot traffic.The pathways around campus are full at class change (and 65% of students are looking at their digital devices while they walk. No judgment here — I’m the one you see walking around with my nose buried in my Kindle, but sometimes it’s nice to look around, too. We have a beautiful campus).

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2. Nearly filled parking lots. (So much for always finding a spot in Reed. It’s OK, though. I don’t mind walking a little farther. It’s does a body good. Now, come February….)

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3. A full house outside of Bruno’s and at nearly every student work station around campus.

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4. Customers (and three registers open) at the book store.

BTW — that’s me up there in that photo. See that smile? It’s genuine. We’re all quite happy to have you back. See that notebook? I’m almost always carrying one because I never know when I’ll find a story. If you’ve got one to tell, stop me and chat me up.

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5. Paws’ STARBUCKS is open again. STARBUCKS is open again. STARBUCKS is open again. STARBUCKS IS OPEN AGAIN.  (What? Me? Overcaffeinated? Maybe…because STARBUCKS IS OPEN AGAIN! Cue the angels singing).

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6. Paws is scooping Berkey’s again. I scream…you scream…we all scream for ice cream, but you know what? They don’t sell it in the summer. (Doesn’t that just seem cruel?)

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7. Student organizations are handing out free food (and other stuff). Fact: If you leave college without 4 Frisbees, 12 reusable shopping bags, 25 free T-shirts and 15 extra pounds, you didn’t do it right.

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8. Bruno’s is open again, which means we can get our chicken wrap fix.

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9. There are people in the library again….lots of them. (I guess this means I’ll have to start whispering in the library again).

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10. Elements Café is open. You know they sell STARBUCKS coffee, right?

Welcome home, everyone! Looking forward to another great year!