Liberal Arts Voices

Read the perspectives of our current students

Considering State Patty’s Day

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After seeing the headlines from the Collegian about PSU Deans “warning” students about Saturday’s State Patty’s Day, I thought that it might be a good idea to tweet Sam Loewner, President of the Liberal Arts Undergraduate Council and an officer from University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA), so we might engage in a discussion about the celebration.  Below is the beginning of our discussion, which we hope will continue in the comments here and elsewhere in the Penn State online and in-person community.

Dean Long: How are students responding to the comments reported in the Collegian and on Onward State in which Deans and other officials are attempting to address the issues around State Patty’s Day?

Sam: I think the students are responding in a defensive manner.  The messages from the University range from “Don’t drink” to “if you do drink, there will be serious consequences.”

Dean Long: How could we enter into a discussion about the important concerns regarding responsible drinking in a productive way?  Specifically, I am interested in the possibility of a deeper dialogue about undergraduate drinking without falling into a paternalistic mode that often provokes the sort of defensiveness you mention.

Sam: Students are already taking a proactive and responsible approach. The UPUA sponsored a full page ad reminding students to make responsible decisions. The Greek governing bodies took actions that limit the roles that sororities and fraternities will play over the weekend. But let’s not forget that State Patty’s Day was established as a way to bring the Penn State community together.

Dean Long: I think that is an important reminder.  In talking to Meghan White, a 2006 CLA graduate working now at Allegheny College, I was struck by her suggestion that “the event attracts alums as well and it should be noted that it is up to alums to set a positive example to undergraduates about how to celebrate the spirit of Penn State in a responsible way.” I think it is important to emphasize the role alums play in this and the fact that it is in some degree a celebration of the Penn State community.

The issue is, can the community respond in a thoughtful and mature way to the real problems that the event can generate?

Sam: The kind of discussion we are having here might serve as a way to begin such a response. Since this is an event based around the Penn State community, I think we can mitigate some of the problems by making sure we are looking out for one another, as I think many of the concerns center around the question of safety.

Dean Long and Sam: How will you look out for your fellow community members this weekend?  What should the University response to State Patty’s Day be? How can faculty, students, administrators, and alums work together to address the complex set of issues that stem from the State Patty’s Day phenomenon?

This seems to us to be a good opportunity to open a deeper dialogue about these issues and we hope that you will join in the discussion here. 

For those Twitterers, let’s use the #StatePatty hash tag.

LAUS Radio: Episode 2

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LAUS Radio Episode 2
Originally uploaded by LAUSatPSU

Episode 2 Recap:

Geoff Halberstadt, LAUC Faculty Senator and AAC Delegate, joins LAUS Radio and discusses the latest UPUA news, including the recent resignation of the representative for the commonwealth campuses. Geoff also gives an update on LAUC’s preparation for THON.

Also, Ashley Tarbet, CLA Undergraduate Enrichment Coordinator, discusses CLA’s recent successful internship information session: The Internship Search. Ashley talks about internship opportunities and resources for Liberal Arts undergraduates.

Associate Dean Long and Heather Summerlin highlight LAUS social media news and updates and encourage undergraduates to start participating.

Jillian Balay announces several LAUS staff awards and achievements.

LAUS Radio Episode 2

To subscribe to LAUS Radio through iTunes, click here.

Questions of A Senior Spring: To Print or Not to Print

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IMG_0303.JPGBefore I launch into my very first post, I believe introductions are in order. My name is Samantha Miller (though most everyone calls me Sam) and I am a senior liberal arts student here at Penn State. I am currently finishing up a double major in political science and minor in Spanish. I say finishing up because I have, as of the first week of January, officially filed my intent to graduate (it was a very bittersweet moment). 

 I have been a member of the University Park Undergraduate Association (more commonly known as UPUA and YOUR student government) for three years. This year, I serve on the executive board as the Director of Assembly Services. An initiative that I have been advocating for since last March has been for the UPUA to bring back the publication of a freshman handbook. This handbook would be a comprehensive, student-friendly reference that presents new students with everything they need to know about having enriching and successful undergraduate careers and to take advantage of the rich Penn State culture and opportunities by which new students will soon be surrounded. In my opinion far too much time is wasted in an undergraduate’s career just staying afloat–as official advocates for the undergraduate population, it is UPUA’s responsibility to help connect our constituents with the opportunities they want to be involved with from before day one on campus. Though this idea did take some time to go through the process of being passed and to receive an allocation of funds, I am now fully equipped with a team and a budget to make this project a reality for the incoming class of 2014 (which makes me feel so old!)
Last week The Daily Collegian printed an editorial titled “Efficiency needed for handbook” on whether or not it is a waste of student money (UPUA budget = small portion of Student Activity Fee = student money) to actually provide a free copy of a printed book to each new student. (see here:
http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2010/01/25/efficiency_needed_for_handbook.aspx) They wrote “It’s safe to say that most students in the past years have gotten by just fine by looking up information on whatever relevant Web site that psu.edu offers. A housing question can be answered by simply googling “housing PSU” which will take you directly where you need to go.” They continue on arguing that, “Instead of using $21,000 to put out a physical handbook, why not create a Web site that would accumulate all the links and information that freshman students — and transfer students as well — would find very useful? It would certainly be a lot cheaper and more accessible than a handbook that, given the amount of information it plans to cover, could be quite large in capacity.”
Aside from the irony of print media arguing against funds being used for another form of print media, I think this raises an interesting question. Are the students getting along just fine? I would argue that they are not. We constantly hear complaints of student apathy, student drinking, and general disengagement of undergraduates from the opportunities and experiences that this Penn State Community offers to them. The easy solution is to blame the student…they just don’t care; you can’t fix student apathy, etc. etc. Well here’s my challenge: have we tried? I argue that we have not. We have done a poor job of connecting our new students with this community, never giving them the fighting chance to be good Penn State citizens. This book, a $21,000 physical and personal gift from the UPUA to their newest constituents, is an investment. It is an investment saying we want you to join our community and grow into something more wonderful and enriching than it has been before. We, the undergraduate students of the UPUA, believe in you and trust the future of this wonderful institution: shape it, grow it, appreciate it, and love it. It’s time to pay it forward, and this handbook will do just that. 

A Note on Academic Integrity

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exams
Originally uploaded by solja

We were pleased to see LAUC President and UPUA Academic Affairs Committee Chairman Sam Loewner’s recent informed and thoughtful post on academic integrity at Penn State. LAUS shares the AAC’s goal, after all: to give students “an equal chance at success based on their individual merits.” I thought I’d continue this important discussion by sharing a bit about the academic integrity process here in Liberal Arts.

Our academic integrity committee’s task is twofold: discussing ways to promote academic integrity (which involves educating both students and faculty), and dealing with specific cases of academic dishonesty in Liberal Arts courses that merit our attention.

The committee, which actually just met yesterday afternoon, performs paper reviews of two types of cases at meetings: those in which the student contests a charge of academic dishonesty made by a faculty member, and those in which a student accused of academic dishonesty has a prior academic integrity violation on file at Penn State. We are careful to follow our Policies and Procedures regarding committee membership and meetings. While I do not vote on the committee, I coordinate its efforts and serve as the point of contact for any faculty member or student who has a question about this process.

I would like to correct one statement in Sam’s post. He writes that receiving a grade of XF for an AI violation “indicates that there was a criminal element involved (a student who steals a copy of a test from a professor’s briefcase, for instance).” Receiving an XF does not necessarily indicate that the academic dishonesty was criminal in intent. Rather, an XF is reserved for either repeat AI offenses or for particularly egregious first offenses (that may or may not be criminal in nature). Before it is assigned, an XF – which we view as a very serious sanction – must be approved by three parties: the instructor, our AI committee, and the Office of Judicial Affairs.

We encourage anyone who is interested in our process, or in tips for maintaining academic honesty in the classroom, to check out the materials on our website. A recent addition – part of our efforts to ensure that students facing academic integrity charges in Liberal Arts courses receive due process – is the Student Instructions document. Here, we list UPUA Legal Affairs as a resource for students seeking additional counsel regarding the academic integrity process.

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