Category Archives: Campus Culture

Put on your dancing shoes and tap into your inner ballerina this weekend, because Penn State’s ballet club, Volé is taking you on a Broadway-inspired ride with their spring showcase.

The showcase, taking place at two different times on Sunday, April 27^th in Schwab Auditorium at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., will feature an array of exciting numbers from popular Broadway musicals like The Lion King, Mamma Mia and Cats, performed by a talented group of over 100 dancers.

“It’s a great show for all ages. It’s very engaging,” says vice president and artistic director Mariel Harden. “I think we’re really going to connect with the audience. They’re going to be drawn in the entire time, and hopefully singing along.” Continue reading →

Fact: According to the U.S. Department of Justice, one in five women will be sexually assaulted in college.

Fact: Since August 23, 2013, 24 reports of sexual assault have been filed with local (State College or University Park) police.

Fact: According to the Center for Public Integrity, 90 to 95 percent of all college cases go unreported.

Fact: Every year, Penn State students take a stand against sexual violence.

“The purpose of Sexual Violence Prevention and Awareness Month is to convey that the Penn State community as a whole has taken a stand against sexual violence,” says Taylor Olson, coordinator of this year’s events. Continue reading →

Bright blue and neon orange powder falls through the sky, Bollywood music is blasting and people are running wild with buckets of water on the HUB lawn. This is Penn State’s very own version of Indian Holi, and ultimately the most fun I have had in a very long time.

This event was planned by the Hindi Student’s Council (HSC) with help from the South Asian Student Association, Sigma Sigma Rho and the Indian Graduate Student Association. Niraja Suresh, President of HSC, says that Holi is an Indian Holiday to embrace the coming of spring. It certainly showed with the amount of spring colors that were scattered all over the HUB lawn on Saturday, April 19. Continue reading →

Looming on the west end of campus like an impenetrable fortress of knowledge, the library is an alternate universe that leaves even super seniors scratching their heads.

If you’re trying to finish a paper due tomorrow night or already planning your finals week stratagem, don’t avoid the library like you would an overly-handsy frat guy on a Friday night. Valley wants you to befriend your campus library this semester with this helpful guide.

The Commons

You stumble through the central entrance having just duked it out with the revolving doors and… now what? According to the library’s Coordinator of Outreach, Megan Giplin, the Commons are your one-stop-shop.

Consider your technology ineptitudes obsolete, because while you might be familiar with the Knowledge Commons as a go-to group study location with its glass study nooks, lounge areas and computers, “not everybody knows that we have an IT service here as well,” says Giplin. Continue reading →

It’s that time of year again – the semester is winding down, and so are our meal-points. This struggle to survive the remainder of the semester is better known as the literal “hunger games.”

So how do we join the winner’s circle? It’s no easy feat. Each day we will battle temptation from Starbucks, Au Bon Pain and Chick-Fil-A, each begging us to swipe for a $10 meal. But, we must resist temptation, perfect our swiping skills and make those meal points last.

Cut down on the coffee

Starbucks is a beautiful thing. It’s also the biggest meal-point-sucker ever. Instead of relying on your points to cover that $5 latte, use a Starbucks gift card.  Or, if you have confidence in your bank account, head to an off-campus S-Bucks and pay with cash. You’ll likely be more mindful of how much you’re spending when you’re paying with “real” money. Continue reading →

More than 200 people gathered for the screening of “Hafu”, a documentary film on mixed race people in Japan. On-cho Ng, director of Asian Studies Program, calls the film, which gives its audience a rare glimpse into race relations in Japan, “eye-opening and educational.”

Who is a Hafu?

Hafu, the Japanese word for multiracial children of a Japanese parent and a foreign one, comes from half, meaning half-Japanese or half-breed. According to the film, which was released in 2013, one in 49 babies born in Japan are of mixed racial heritages.

The film follows four adult Hafus and one Mexican-Japanese couple raising two biracial children. In the film, Hafus talked about their hardships, identity crises and their personal journeys of self-discovery. Continue reading →

The sun is finally starting to show its rays, and Penn State students will be here to soak up every last one of them. The time between the freezing winter and sweltering summer doesn’t last nearly as long as a normal springtime. Soon enough, we’ll be looking for places to take a dip. Luckily, there are various paces to go swimming in the State College area.

Spring Creek

Try cooling off at Spring Creek, located at 800 E. Park Ave. in State College.

“You can get in the water, but it’s pretty shallow. But if you go out further, it’s deeper and you can swim,” says Marisa McGuire, sophomore supply chain major.

McGuire grew up and attended high school in State College, so she’s been around for many summers. McGuire also says that there is a park, baseball field, volleyball court, basketball court and grills available at Spring Creek. Grab a couple of your friends and make a relaxing day out of Spring Creek.

Whipple Dam State Park

Another destination to take a dip is at Whipple Dam State Park. McGuire says the drive is a little farther, but if you have access to a car, it’s an easy ride. Whipple Dam is more like a beach than Spring Creek. It has sand and deep water to swim in. You can also rent pavilions for picnics or canoes and paddleboats to use for the day. Whipple Dam is perfect for going swimming and throwing a little outdoor get-together with your peers. Continue reading →