Campus Culture

Here we are, back in Happy Valley with a new school year upon us. Whether you are a returning Penn Stater or a bright-eyed freshman, a new semester brings with it the chance for a fresh start. Have no fear, because Valley has you covered with five ways to make the most out of the semester.

You see them on campus with that doe-eyed look and the sweet smell of eagerness wafting around them. They’re the incoming freshmen.

Everybody always talks about staying here over the summer – for some people it’s to work, some to play and for some to take classes. While staying here with your friends seems like a great idea and many people say summer classes are “easier,” they aren’t all fun and games. Here are things you should keep in mind before registering for the summer.

The 55 days of Café are almost into single digits, and reality is setting in—seniors are graduating. How are seniors supposed to cope with the loss of the four greatest years in the happiest of Valleys?

Dear Bad Professors,

It takes a lot of time and energy to be a teacher. Students understand. You take time out of your day to pass on your “words of wisdom” and “undeniable truths.” Semester after semester of syllabi, new textbooks, new classrooms – it gets exhausting.

You walk by The Palmer Museum of Art every day, but have you actually stepped inside?
Junior Shannon Agredo goes frequently.

During my time in the U.S. I’ve noticed that Americans love America. Patriotism here exists like nowhere else in the world. After talking to a few other international students, I realized that they appreciate different things about the U.S. than Americans do. Here are a few of the things I, as an Australian, appreciate about the U.S.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.”

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.