Ska band Wondershop Showdown consists of a pair of current roommates, a pair of former roommates, a set of twins, one couple and two guys named Tim.

All in all, nine members.

“You had so many people to hug!” jokes Tim Gould (junior- geobiology), the band’s bassist, about their Battle of the Bands victory. The win scored Wondershop Showdown an opening slot at this Friday’s Movin’ On music festival, just after their fellow winner DJ Keegan Tawa.

“It’s like a dream come true,” says Kyle Ennis (junior- chemical engineering), who plays both trombone and guitar for the band.

For the band, Movin’ On isn’t just another cool gig. Less Than Jake’s Movin’ On performance in 2010 originally inspired its founding members to launch a ska band. Two years later, Wondershop Showdown can finally scratch the Penn State music festival off its bucket list.

As a band, says Ennis, “There’s three things we want to do: play at Movin’ On, play at THON, play at bars.” With bars already done and Movin’ On almost here, THON’s the only thing left. Entertainment captains, take note.

Saxophone player Alex Hesse (junior- mechanical engineering) calls Wondershop’s musical style “really upbeat rock,” and Ennis adds that it’s “more than just ska.” For newcomers to the genre, band members describe ska as peppy, upbeat rock with a lot of horns. In short, it’ll make you dance.

If you want a taste of their musical influences, Hesse, Ennis and Gould pieced together a playlist of their favorites:

St. Walker by Young the Giant

Somewhere In The Between by Streetlight Manifesto

Beer by Reel Big Phish (Hesse jokes you can’t not play this for college audiences.)

Movin’ Out, a Billy Joel cover by The Supervillains

Can’t Stop by Red Hot Chili Peppers

Movin’ On starts this Friday, April 27 at 3 p.m. with DJ Keegan Tawa, and Wondershop Showdown is slated for 3:30. Stick around for Ludacris, the Avett Brothers, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Young the Giant and the David Mayfield Parade.

Before your first year at Penn State, you probably worried about not being able to watch your favorite TV shows, dealing with the far-away Nittany Mall and not seeing high school friends. For those who come from outside the country, they is more to be anxious about on top of the items on your list: adjusting to the American lifestyle. Valley asked, and international students share their moments of culture shock.

Dan Mena, a sophomore nuclear engineering major from Ecuador, was pleasantly surprised by how nice people are in Happy Valley. “In my country, few people pay attention to you but here, people are friendly. If you say hi, people will say hi,” Mena said. “Race here is less important than my country.”

Kazuhiko Yokosawa, a first-year master’s degree student studying robotics, hails from—you guessed it—Japan where a typical college student has only one major. It was only natural that American students majoring in more than one thing weirded him out at first. “[I] wasn’t familiar with the system,” Yokosawa said.

Hashim Al Nemer is an Intensive English (IECP) student from Saudi Arabia. Although he has been at Penn State since the beginning of 2011, he can still vividly recall his first day in the United States: “On my first day, I was with my American friend. In my culture, you greet people and shake their hands even if you don’t know them. But he looked surprised. I learned not [to shake hands] unless I know them well.”

Ehsan Espah, originally from Iran, is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in chemical engineering.  “It may be because of my personality, I didn’t feel any ‘culture shock’,” said Espah who is set to graduate this year.

Elizabeth Owczarkowska, a first-year Ph.D. student in molecular biology from Poland, says she “didn’t have a big culture shock … but language was a problem. I felt uncomfortable speaking English.” She also found that people are “more open, easygoing … American students ask more questions than Polish students.”

Also from Saudi Arabia is Motheeb Al Khashram, a junior computer and electronic engineering major. “When [Saudi Arabians] greet people we kiss on their cheeks, but it’s different here.” But even without friendly smooches on the cheek, Al Khashram enjoys Penn Staters’ company. “The open-mindedness of people here … is not the same as [what we see in] movies,” he said. Spending time at Penn State inspired him to become “more open-minded, try new things, with carefulness” and taught him a lesson: “America is not one culture, it’s multicultural.”

Photo by Rhiannon Hendrick

State College’s appeal doesn’t stop at the borough’s borders. One of the best things about Happy Valley is its geographic location; a 4-hour drive from some of greatest cities of America. If you’re from somewhere not as central, make the most of this while you’re here with weekend getaways.

Washington, D.C.

For history buffs, wannabe politicians or simply enthusiasts of money and power, a three-and-a-half hour drive is all it takes to reach the nation’s capitol. Its monuments are stately and serene, and it’s impossible to leave unpatriotic.

Pittsburgh, Pa.

If Mac Miller and Wiz Khalifa haven’t made you aware of it already, the Steel City is cool again (seriously: http://tinyurl.com/7xz8zt8). Catch a Pirates game at PNC Park and grab a Primanti Brothers sandwich.

Philadelphia, Pa.

Hail to liberty and cheesesteaks. Pittsburgh’s counterpart and rival may be bigger and more confusing, but it’s worth the trip to see America’s birthplace (and to eat).

New York, N.Y.

Do I really need to explain this one to you? This is THE city to beat all cities, and you can do just about anything. As for me, I’d recommend comedy clubs, shopping and art museums. But New York’s what you make of it—if you haven’t been, just go.

Photo by Samantha Florio

During a recent practice session at the Bryce Jordan Center, the squeaks of shoes and the harsh voices of coaches and players collide in the practice room. The ball travels swiftly among the hands of the Lady Lions, barely touching the floor until it is swallowed by the bottomless basket hanging in the air.

Led by Head Coach Coquese Washington, who recently brought home the title of the Big Ten Coach of the Year, the Lady Lions made it to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen and grabbed the Big Ten title. Junior guard Alex Bentley and sophomore guard Maggie Lucas were also awarded with their First Team All-Big Ten Honors.

Throughout the year, the Lady Lions’ schedules are packed with training, traveling and talking to the media.

“During the basketball season, your social life” comes second, says Talia East, a sophomore forward majoring in broadcast journalism. But, she adds, “I knew I was going to have a busy lifestyle. You have to make sacrifice to get it.”

Being on the team is “time-consuming,” agrees teammate Gizelle Studevent, a crime, law and justice major. “We miss classes and travel,” the junior guard says. She says she feels “like we owe it to the school to bring [Penn State] pride back,” especially after the Sandusky scandal. The coach emphasizes that the players “carry [themselves] well” at all times, Studevent says.

Despite all the odds against Penn State, East is “definitely happy about this season. We achieved our goals.”

East also says the team works to “hold up a legacy not only for ourselves but for future Lady Lions.”

There are not many secrets to the Lady Lions’ success, Studevent says.

“Work hard and it will be paid off.” It means practice, practice, practice.

“I love basketball,” she says. “It pays for my education and you get a lot: friendship, working with a team [and] leadership,” she says.

Whether you are an in-state or out-of-state Penn Stater, most of us are away from home for an extended period of time. This means we are away from home-cooked meals, normal weather patterns and friends and family — including our pets! If you are in some serious need of puppy love, and if you’re looking for a way to get involved in the State College community while you’re at it, get involved with Centre County PAWS.

“Centre County PAWS is committed finding forever homes for cats and dogs, educating citizens on responsible pet ownership, providing spay/neuter assistance and ending pet overpopulation,” says Linette Courtney, the president of PAWS. To help PAWS achieve its goals, Courtney says there two main ways that students can become involved: adopting and volunteering.

If you wish to adopt a dog or cat, there is an application process to make sure “the pet’s needs are met by the owner and the owner’s needs are met by the pet,” she says. If you’re not quite ready to take on the responsibility of caring for a pet during college, volunteering with PAWS is another option. Interested volunteers can fill out an application for the designated area they wish to work in, and then they will be trained before working.

“We would like to go out of business,” Courtney says, “but until all our pets have a home, we continue with what we do!”

“Since beginning my internship and volunteering at PAWS, I have felt humbled by the amount of people who truly care about animals,” says Lauren Burrell, an intern for the organization and a sophomore advertising major. “There are so many volunteers at PAWS who give a large amount of their time to the animals when they already have a very busy schedule.”

Burrell says the best part of working at PAWS is all of the “success stories you hear about every day. The dogs and cats who never thought they would get a second chance now have a loving home.

“No dog or cat deserves to go through suffering and, by volunteering, I know I am helping the animals get that much closer to the family they deserve,” she says.

Interested in volunteering or adopting? Go to the PAWS website to get more information!

Photo by Jill Podhor

Because at some point in every Penn State student’s career, there comes a time to embrace the magic that is Lion Tutors. For anyone who’s ever taken ACCTG 211, CHEM 110 or MATH 140, I’m sure that you also share in my absolute love of the bright green packets.

There’s a reason why, come exam day, half of everyone in the room is anxiously flipping through Lion Tutors’ signature packets of notes — because they’re awesome.

It’s college, we’ve all been there. No matter your major, eventually you will have to take a class that might as well be taught in Swahili. It doesn’t matter how often you attend class, how many practice problems you do or how many hours you spend at the library. Getting an A seems almost as attainable as world peace. Enter, Lion Tutors.

For various prices depending on the class and frequency of the review sessions (i.e. Exam Review vs. Weekly Reviews), you can rest assured knowing that someone is about to explain EVERYTHING you need to know for the exam in plain English and give you notes outlining everything they just went over with two practice exams. What more could a student ask for?

Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to sit down and learn something than my during my ACCTG 211 weekly review sessions at Lion Tutors. I never would have made it through MATH 110 without them either.

Sure, spending anywhere from three to five hours doing nothing but practice problems and intense studying isn’t anyone’s idea of a fun Wednesday evening. But in the end, it’s always worth it.

Needless to say, I love Lion Tutors. If only it existed for my 400-level courses too…

Photo by Jill Podhor

Maybe you’re a freshman and have yet to explore State College. Or maybe you’re a graduating senior and think you know all things Happy Valley. But have you stopped by these downtown spots?

The Cheese Shoppe
234 E. Calder Way 

Choose from a variety of coffees, which the Shoppe’s fans claim to be the best in town. Look closely or you’ll miss it — it’s below street level on the same block as Rotelli.

Webster’s
133 E. Beaver Ave.

OK, technically it’s not open yet. But the old Webster’s (where Jersey Mike’s is now) was a townie favorite, not to mention a paradise of gently used books. Go for the coffee, stay for the unbeatable study spot. Let’s just hope the new one is as cozy as the last.

Kettle Corn Stalls

You’re not a State College expert if you haven’t had kettle corn. Kettle corn stalls pop up at all of State College’s main events — Arts Fest, First Night and Fourth Fest included. It’s cheap and delicious, so go ahead and get a four-foot-long bag. We won’t judge you.

Fresh Harvest Kafé
421 E. Beaver Ave.

Next time you’re headed to Panera, think about trying Fresh Harvest Kafé instead. Fresh Harvest’s fans are hooked on its delicious salads and sandwiches. Try the Waikiki Salad or Asian Chop Chop and even order online at http://www.fhkorders.com.

Contrary to popular belief, Penn State runs on trimesters.

Football.
THON.
Daylong.

“Daylong” – origin: State College, Pa. [noun.] – Any party taking place during the hours of 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. at which Penn State students rage.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a Wednesday, a Friday or a Sunday. As long as the weather reaches 60 degrees and a few rays of sun peek through the State College cloud cover, it’s game on, all ‘day long.’

“I think that when spring hits, everyone goes outside to drink because we’ve been cooped up all winter,” says junior Nicole Martin.

It’s a custom that has even come to the attention of the faculty. As Professor Ford Risley of the College of Communications passed out a media history exam to students on a particularly sunny Friday, he warned the students not to rush through the test.

“Take your time reading through the questions. You should have plenty of time to finish the exam,” Risley said. “I promise you that Cafe will still be there when you’re done.”

The class giggled because everyone knew how relevant that caution was — Cafe 210 on West College Avenue is the premier spot for State College day drinking and usually gets crowded by early afternoon.

Beyond Cafe, there are still other outdoor venues for students to go. Fraternity houses host daylongs, surrounding the yard in fences and black tarp so that the revelry can’t be seen from the street. It’s kind of like a 100-person barbecue, but hold the barbecue, double the beer. Students heading to fraternity daylongs can be identified walking down the street by some type of outrageous clothing — usually neon colors, sideways hats, cutoffs or a themed outfit (USA, for example).

“I’ve seen a lot of girls wearing fanny packs and snapbacks, and I didn’t know it was back in fashion, but I know that means they’re going to drink,” Martin says. “Pinnies too. Nobody wears a snapback, a pinny and a fanny pack to class. You know where they’re headed.”

There’s nothing more tempting than a warm spring day to lure students away from their books and into the sun, and Risley says that class attendance “absolutely” drops as the temperature rises.

“It happens in everyone’s class, we [faculty] all talk about it,” Risley says. “It’s a rite of spring. Everyone wants to be somewhere else. The nice weather is just one more distraction. Unfortunately, grades do suffer.”

Potentially detrimental to grades, and also potentially detrimental to your criminal record.

“I noticed this past Friday there must have been a party going on, I saw some people coming back from it at 4 or 5 o’clock in the afternoon,” says University Police Chief Tyrone Parham. “That Friday at 5:30 p.m. we had a guy going to the hospital for public drunkenness, but that is very rare during the day. I hate to sound like a father, but students having common sense and knowing their limits is so important.”

Chief Parham says the advice he’d give to students going to such parties would be to travel in groups, keep your limits in mind, arrange transportation home and keep control of yourself.

With those rules in mind, you can be safer while having fun in the sun.

“I’d say daylongs are a big part of the social scene here,” junior Maxine Parker says. “They’re definitely more fun than parties at night. Being outside in the nice weather, everybody seems more happy-go-lucky. They’re what make spring in State College so fun.”

Regardless of the risk, there’s not yet a cure that’s been discovered for spring fever (though most students might say it’s Natural Light), and as long as that big ball of gas visibly burns in the sky 93 million miles away from us, there will be daylongs.

Photo by Nina Abbott

Movies. Crafts. French toast sticks. What do these three (awesome) things have in common (besides their awesomeness, of course)? You can find all of them (and more) at Penn State’s Late Night festivities.

During the week, Late Night (also known as Fourth Meal) is available at Redifer dining commons in South Halls. And when the weekend rolls around, Late Night turns into a far more elaborate affair on Friday and Saturday nights in the HUB.

There’s really nothing that college students enjoy more than completely bad-for-you-yet-delicious food at all hours of the night, and that’s exactly what Late Night at Redifer has to offer. Sure, turkey and stuffing, pancakes, ice cream and ribs don’t usually go anywhere near the same meal, but I’m not complaining. Kudos to Penn State for innovation.

While anyone who enjoys Late Night food on a regular basis will easily weigh 500 pounds by the time they graduate from Penn State (or by the end of the semester), it serves as the perfect study break or post-exam therapy session. Trust me, after you’ve taken a killer exam and all you want is a hug and all-you-can-eat ice cream, Late Night will be your new best friend.

And for anyone who’s never been to Late Night in the HUB, I highly recommend enjoying the free array of recent movies, paint-your-own-ceramic-[insert animal of your choice here] and discounted food and beverages. Seriously, how can you pass that up? It’s the perfect excuse to throw on some sweatpants and spend a chill night with your best friends in the HUB (and save some money, too).

Whether you’re looking for something to do after hours in Happy Valley or you just feel like gorging on favorite foods with friends, Late Night is a Penn State student’s dream come true.

Late Night: Just one more reason we adore PSU.

State College is nowhere near Asia, but somehow, every other restaurant downtown seems to sell Asian food. We’re not complaining — here’s four of the best ones that you may not have tried.

Big Bowl Noodle House
428 E. College Ave.

It’s exactly what it sounds like, except they probably could have called it Humongous Bowl Noodle House. Get major bang for your buck with huge portion sizes (seriously — either come hungry or split with a friend). Choose a bowl of rice or noodles and then pick from a large variety of sauces and meats to go with it.

Fuji & Jade Garden
418 Westerly Parkway

You know a place has good Chinese food when actual Chinese people go there. According to my Chinese friends, this place has the most authentic (and tasty) Chinese food in town. It also serves great sushi.

Galanga
454 E. College Ave.

Galanga is Cozy Thai’s little sister, owned by the same people and serving, for the most part, the same food. The main advantage to Galanga is that it’s still relatively unknown, so it’s a great place to go if you’re looking for delicious Thai food without the crowds.

Green Bowl
131 W. Beaver Ave.

The customer is always in charge at this create-your-own stir-fry restaurant. Throw all your favorite salad ingredients into a bowl, choose a dressing and a meat (or tofu), and then wait as it gets stir-fried to perfection. Money-saving tip: Go for lunch. It’s always all-you-can-eat, but the price is cheaper at lunchtime.

Photo by Noelle Mateer