Sometime in the future a lion will find a home at Beaver Stadium. Its purpose? To prowl the sidelines every home game in hopes that its mere presence will lead the football team to a victory, and once the game is over the lion will be turned off and packed away until it’s called upon again.

The creation of this robotic creature is the dream of the boys and girls at Project Nittany, a club put together last year by Anthony Trezza and Greg Kurtz, who serve as President and Vice-President respectively.

For Trezza, 19, building this robotic Nittany Lion isn’t about making themselves look good and tooting their own horns, but instead it can serve as  a symbol for the capabilities of Penn State students.

“I think it’s a great project and I think it’ll definitely be a big contribution to the academic side of Penn State Hazleton showing what this campus can do and what the students can do if given the opportunity,” said Trezza.

Getting an opportunity to build the robot will come at a cost, but public relations representative Peter Poneros, 19, is certain that once the club perfects the design getting funds won’t be an issue.

“We actually haven’t brought the issue up to [SGA] because the first time we ask for funding we want to make sure that we are set. First impression is the most important. So we want to finalize the design before we bring this up to them. We don’t want to waste their time by telling them we have an idea, we want to actually give them the CAD version of the Nittany Lion design,” said Poneros.

While the designs are being perfected, fundraising is still an option and Trezza has some ideas on how Project Nittany can raise some money in the meantime.

“We’re doing the Gertrude Hawk fundraiser around Thanksgiving time and we’ll try it again towards Christmas. We are currently selling Sheetz coupons and there are plenty of people around who have extra ones who are willing to sell them for $10,” said Trezza.

 Selling the idea of building a robotic Nittany Lion wasn’t hard at all. It beat out 18 other potential projects one of them, according to Poneros, was an idea that people would have loved to see come to fruition.

 “Another idea was to build an escalator that would lead you from the bottom of the hill to the top of the hill. That was far too grand, you need building permits for that so that idea got scratched out really fast,” said Poneros.

The original model for the structure of the robot could be potentially scratched out as well after Chris Russo, 18, brought up a model that could be more cost and time efficient to build during a recent club meeting.

Russo was drawn to the club after spotting a sign in a hallway and after attending a meeting to satiate his interest and curiosity he found himself impressed with what the club was doing and wanted to be a part of their next step.

 “I think that if we get this project up and running it could be a great donation to the university while showing what students can do,” said Russo.

 Among those engineers trying to get this project up and running is Greg Oboril, 18, whose welding experience will come in handy when Project Nittany gets to building in some of the member’s personal workshops.

“I went to a Vo-Tech school for welding in High-School and then half-way through my junior year I was employed at Hydra-Tech Pumps in Nesquehoning as a welder for about two years. So I got school training and on-the-job training,” said Oboril.

Oboril’s training, along with the experience and knowledge of the other members of Project Nittany, certainly inch the dream of building this life-sized robotic nittany lion more to the side of reality.

Many would consider this a tall task claiming that these students are in over their heads, but Poneros feels that they have the ability to get this finished by the end of the spring semester, with taking it up to University Park to complete it being a backup plan, and that’s a sentiment that Russo shares wholeheartedly.

“We have a wonderful group of engineering here who are determined to get this done so I think it’s definitely possible,” said Russo.

It’ll take work and it’ll take time, but it’s work and time that Project Nittany members are more than willing to devote and it’s that passion to make their idea, and the robot, come to life that may just get them the results they’re hoping for.

Food Advisory Board
The Food Advisory Board wants to hear from students regarding  the salad bar in the Cafeteria. The FAB is considering taking out the salad bar and replacing it with more to go salads. This would allow for the cafeteria to stay open later on certain days.

More information on this matter to follow.

CCSG
Commonwealth Council of Student Governments met this last weekend in University Park.

Senators, both new and returning, were able to go and share what SGA is doing on this campus. In the process, they learned a lot about government.

They look forward to putting these lessons into practice on campus. CCSG happens several times a year and is a great way to promote inter-campus cooperation on legislation  that affects everyone.

It also allows our SGA to keep up to date on the very best student government practices.

Eastern State Penitentiary Trip
Tuesday Oct 23, the campus is hosting a trip to the Eastern State Penitentiary. Students are reminded the cost is $10.

The bus leaves at 5 p.m. in front of South Hall.

Academic Awards Ceremony
The annual Academic Awards Ceremony will take place on Sunday, Nov 4. The event will begin at 2 p.m.

Those who were notified by postal mail are reminded that they must RSVP by Oct. 29.

Those who plan to attend are also required to arrive by 1:15 p.m in the gym for the ceremony to begin promptly.

College is the home of acceptance for all people from different backgrounds, cultures, and talents. It is a new home to any who come with the hopes of meeting new people and making friends, especially if they have been teased in the past.

Whether someone is physically, mentally, or emotionally disabled, none should be a factor. With these motives, Marquis Lee Bennett, the associate director of Student Affairs and Engagement, has brought forth the Allies' Abilities Exhibit.

The exhibit will consist of interactive games, quizzes, and conversations about the various disabilities people endure on a daily basis. It is designed to open up the audience's eyes and understand the insensitive issues around them.

Allowing others to discuss amongst each other how they can help "differently abled" individuals feel at ease is the primary goal of the event.

Thanks to the laws of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, people with disorders and deficiencies have the ability to work seek employment and schooling without discrimination. They are still welcomed as part of the general population.

People with disabilities (mental, emotional, or physical) are not always the easiest to speak with due to the illness that may hold them back from activities. It is difficult deciding whether certain questions are appropriate or if one's actions could trigger an unexpected reaction.

However, Bennett encourages many to attend an experience that he had through a similar project that solved his questions.

He was inspired by a traveling exhibit from Saint Louis University and hopes his hosting skills will help educate others to converse freely without hesitation.

The exhibit served as an outreach to those that know what disabled people are as opposed to those that know who they are. This should promote more awareness while decreasing ignorance.

The Allies' Ability Exhibit will premiere for the first time at Penn State Hazleton this week. The program will be held Tuesday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the seminar room of the Butler building.

All students, faculty and staff are welcome to attend the exhibit.

It will educate, inspire, and allow anyone who wishes to interact with others do so in a comfortable environment.

Age:
19

From:
Linden, New Jersey

Major:
Psychology. I want to become a child psychologist because I’ve always been interested in helping children with mental disabilities.

What do you like to do here in Hazleton?
Go out to the movies and go bowling with my friends.

What do you do for fun outside the PSU Hazleton campus?
Shopping and just spending time with my family.

Favorite show:
Three’s Company

Anticipated Movie:
Sinister. There’s nothing like getting scared to death right before Halloween.

Motto:
You’re the happiest when you’re honest.

Favorite quote:
“All battles are won and lost in the mind.”

Favorite YouTube video:
Gangnam Style. That guy is seriously funny!

Carl Frankel was born in 1948 in Montreal, Canada. Even as a kid growing up, he was always interested in the science world. At the age of 6, he loved collecting rocks and shells to classify them. He loved the outdoors so much that the first thing he wanted to do when he was older was to become a farmer.

As he grew older, he began to read science books from the local library.

In school he said, he was the "classic nerd", but was very well respected by all of his classmates.

In high school despite his shyness and "nerdiness," Frankel ran for student council president, and as to his surprise, he won the election.

As a high school student, Frankel began taking science courses that really interested him.

"I was completely fascinated by astronomy; I thought I would become an astronomer."

Science was always Frankel's true passion, so when he graduated high school he was accepted to McGill University in Montreal. He majored in genetics and focused on fungal infections.

Frankel needed to find a way to earn money so he decided to start teaching classes in a Jewish Religion School.

That was when he first realized his love for teaching. From that point on, he knew that he wanted to teach college students, so when he graduated from McGill University, he decided to leave Montreal for the United States.

The U.S. was a completely new place to Frankel, but he knew that to do what he had worked so hard for he had to move.

He moved to the state of Michigan and attended Michigan State University. He focused on genetics for his graduate degree as well. As a graduate student, he was required to become a student teacher. Frankel loved the feeling of being able to teach students all about his passion.

When he graduated from Michigan State, he applied for his first job at Penn State University Hazleton in

1974. He was hired right away for his outstanding research.

"I wanted to win a Nobel Prize for my research," he said.

Being at this campus for more than 35 years has ensured him tenure.

He is very proud to say he has taught the kids of some of his first students and he can't wait until a student tells him that he taught biology to their "Pap."

For a man that has worked in one place his entire life, you would think he was tired of it, but that's not the case with Frankel.

Frankel says that despite his 38 years of teaching at Penn State, each semester is different.

"To have the chance to educate students is my passion and hopefully I  will know when it is the right time to leave." Although Frankel can retire, he said this is all he knows and all he wants to do.

Frankel says the right time to retire is when "they pry the chalk out of my hand."

So until then, many more students will have the chance to experience Frankel's biology courses.

In the 1930's Adolf Hitler used his power to convince the German people that the Jews were at fault for many of Germany's problems, including their defeat in World War I. After Hitler realized he had most of Germany in the palm of his hand he used that power and control to exterminate the Jewish race.

We all hear the heart wrenching stories from the brave victims that have somehow managed to survive this terrible ordeal. But, how often do we hear from the innocent children of Germany that were forced to hate? 

Australian author, Markus Zusak, does a great job of express­ ing the feelings and emotions of a young girl named Liese) Meminger, in his Historical Fiction Novel, The Book Thief.

The most brilliant part of The Book Thief is the narrator, Death. Death tells the story of a little girl named Liesel, who grew up in Germany during the Holocaust. Liese) was only ten years old when her little brother mysteriously died during a train ride to Molching, in Nazi Germany.

Despite Liesel's inability to read, she steals her first book, The Gravedigger's Handbook, from the cemetery where her brother was laid to rest. After the burial, Liesel is placed in a foster home with Hans and Rosa Hubbermann.

Although Liesel was reluctant to enter the home and trust her foster parents, it wasn 't long before she warmed up to Hans Hubbermann. Hans began to teach Liesel how to read after finding The Gravedigger's Handbook under her mattress.

Later in the story Liesel is forced to attend a book burning ceremony, which was organized to celebrate Adolph Hitler's birth- day. She finds this ceremony very disturbing. During the book burning Liesel hears som'e anti-communist comments, which then leads her to believe that Adolf Hitler had something to do with her father's disappearance, whom was also accused of being a communist. This is when Liesel begins to express her hate for Adolph Hitler.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The book was published in March 2006; 552 book pages; 844 paper­ back pages, May be purchased as an eBook for $9.99.

Esther Bauer was born in 1924 in Hamburg, Germany. At a young age she and her family were shipped off to a concentration camp where she remained for two years. By the time she left, her father, mother and her husband were all deceased.

Since then, Bauer has been speaking at many colleges talking about the hardships she endured during her time at a ghetto in Czechoslovakia. While what she encountered during her time there is almost beyond belief, she stayed positive the whole time. She never gave up hope and kept fighting even with the deaths of her family and friends all around her.

She brought such joy to every­ thing she does and now she spends her time trying to convince others to keep pushing on and when you feel down you will make it through as long as you keep your head up and don't give up.

During her lectures, she goes into great detail about everyday life at the ghetto, what happened there and her feelings when she was free. The opportunity to listen to such an amazing and inspirational person is special and should not be missed.

The campus welcomes Bauer tomorrow at 7 p.m. in the gymnasium. The event is free and open to the public.

Additional information  on Bauer is available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2Gsifkzbt8 and, http://esther-bauer.blogspot.com/ .