November 2003

Happy Thanksgiving!

In this Issue:

This past weekend I hosted a recruit for the track team, and after introducing myself to his family I was under a quick and steady barrage of the usual questions: What made me choose SU? Are there enough things to do on the weekend? Is it a big adjustment moving from high school to college? What do I like best about SU? These are the same questions I face every time I speak with a prospective student and his or her family, and I have developed quick answers that sell the school and will stick in the minds of the student and family. I realize that all of you, from working at college fairs or talking with students on the phone or through e-mail, have probably developed a similar system. I also realize, as I am sure that you do, that while quick answers may be efficient and do the job, they are not always the best answers and it is easy to lose purpose or motivation in such a setting.

With this in mind I began thinking about what I love about SU and what makes it special, and many answers floated to mind. To avoid another quick and easy answer, allow me to describe just one such reason, so you could perhaps use it in your communications as well.

This past Thursday was the annual Thanksgiving dinner. I honestly cannot imagine any other university has a celebration of school and community that brings everyone together in such a special way. The entire campus shuts down for the festivities: teachers cancel night classes, coaches reschedule practices, students put-off homework and meetings.

Friends, in groups of eight or nine, pick their own table and reserve their places at the same table for dinner. Evert Dining Hall is laid out with its finest tablecloths and napkins, candles illuminate the room, and it suddenly appears as the great magical dining hall from Harry Potter. President Lemons attends with his family and Chaplain Radecke leads the hall in a prayer of thanksgiving. Each table gets their own servings: their own turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, carrots, cranberries, pumpkin pie, and sparkling cider. Perhaps most important of all, the faculty and staff contribute as well, volunteering their time to serve the tables and carve the turkey.

I can safely say that the Thanksgiving dinner is the most widely popular and appreciated event on campus all year. I doubt that an even remotely similar and special campus-wide event could take place at a large school, and I know the kindness and caring of all of members of the SU community cannot be replicated anywhere else.

Have a happy and loving Thanksgiving!

-Sean

P. S. - If you have any stories or anecdotes of what you love about SU I would love to read them and publish them in the December edition of The Pipeline! Please e-mail them to me at APAN@susqu.edu with Subject Line: Love for SU.

The APAN Member of the Month section highlights individual APAN members who have contributed significantly to the expansion and success of APAN over the past year.

The November APAN Member of the Month is Dave Ogg, father of Matt, Class of 2005. Dave, his wife Ginny, and Matt were initially attracted to SU because they were looking for a smaller college with a good communications program, and they knew of the school through Matt's uncle who is an alumnus. Upon visiting the campus for the first time, the family fell in love with the school. Matt particularly enjoyed (and still enjoys) the friendly, caring atmosphere of the campus. What really impressed Dave was the beauty of the buildings themselves. As he says, "In just the past few years SU has added the new communications building, the sports complex, the music building and the Sassafras complex and now they are planning new sports fields and facilities. Everything they do is first class and the new structures are examples of that."

Matt, a Public Relations major with a minor in Film, is manager of the SU Box Office and is a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. He especially appreciates the personal nature of professors at SU and how well students can get to know them. He feels he has established close relationships with several of his professors that will last throughout his life.

Dave first joined APAN because he "loves to talk about SU," and his enthusiasm and love for SU are infectious. He hosted a gathering for prospective students at his home over the summer and he really enjoyed meeting with students on a personal level. Of all of the programs APAN offers, however, Dave's favorite is covering college fairs, as he feels that he brings a special perspective to the students and their parents. "Being a parent of two current college students is probably a little different from what most people expect. I can really relate to what they are going through because I recently went through the same thing."

The SU Outstanding Performer for the Month of November is Mark Bartosic, a senior split-end on the Crusader football team. Bartosic’s collegiate career ended with SU’s loss to Lycoming on November 15th, but many consider him the greatest player in the history of SU football. A four-time 1st Team All-MAC selection, Bartosic became the first player in NCAA history at any level, Division I, II, or III, to surpass 1,000 receiving yards and catch at least 13 touchdowns in four consecutive seasons. He has 13 school records, 3 MAC records for most career receptions, yards, and touchdowns, and is fourth on the NCAA All-Divisions career yards list.

Bartosic, an Information Systems major, has received interest from over 22 NFL scouts and is optimistically looking ahead to the NFL Draft in April. He says that he will continue playing football next year, and even if he does not make the NFL he hopes to play in NFL Europe or in the Arena League.

After becoming the first player to reach 1,000 yards receiving in four consecutive games, Bartosic was interviewed by ESPN. Click here to go to the SU Sports Main Page, and scroll down the left margin to listen to the interview.

Calendars, Schedules and Events (Click the link to see all of the latest happenings on campus!)

The Office of Admissions Wins 2003 Telly Award

The Office of Admissions is pleased to announce that it has won a 2003 Telly Award for its "Admissions 2002" video. The short film, produced by Patterson-Brandt Inc., provides prospective students with an overview of the campus and the SU experience through interviews with students and faculty members and beautiful footage of activities on campus. The bronze statuette, pictured below, is on display in the Office of Admissions.

The Telly Awards were founded in 1980 to showcase and give recognition to outstanding non-network and cable commercials, and the competition was expanded several years ago to include film and video productions. The Telly Awards are judged on a high standard of excellence, and it has become one of the most sought-after awards in the television, commercial, and video industry.

Hot Off the Presses!

-Susquehanna University has been profiled as one of the 351 best colleges in the nation by The Princeton Review, which released the ratings in mid-August. The Princeton Review ranks Susquehanna as #10 in a top-20 list for the "Best Quality of Life," joining such other institutions as the University of Richmond, Dartmouth College, Williams College and Amherst College. In addition to the quality of life category, SU was ranked #8 for "Students Happy with their Financial Aid."

-Susquehanna University's School of Arts, Humanities and Communications has added graphic design to the list of majors available to students.

-The Arlin M. Adams Center for Law and Society brought National Public Radio's award-winning program, "Justice Talking" to campus this month. The program explored the issue of academic freedom during a fast-paced hour of debate, interspersed with questions from the live studio audience.

It is played on a hardwood floor—but it is not basketball. It is played with rackets—but it is not tennis. It is none other than racquetball, and the three courts on the second level of the James W. Garret Athletic Complex are this month’s Crusader Campus Hot Spot. Most freshmen entering SU don’t know much about racquetball and scoff at the game, but after several weeks on campus many find themselves there night after night! The game has become such a favorite at SU that if students want to play on an evening during the week they arrive plenty early and save their court space. The fast-paced game is popular among both the faculty and students, whether as cross-training for another sport, a fun diversion, or the competitive way to settle a roommate dispute.

Celebrating Our Cultures Weekend: A Big Success!

This fall’s Celebrating our Cultures Weekend, November 6th-8th, was a huge success! The weekend, for which many prospective minority students were on campus, included a day-long Diversity Symposium on the 7th and the Dewali Festival on the evening of the 8th. The Diversity Symposium, which featured workshops and sessions that ran continuously throughout the day, was attended by over 600 participants. Perhaps the highlight of the weekend came on the night of the 7th with the Black Student Union sponsored step-show, which featured step groups from a variety of universities throughout the region. The crowd filled the seats and packed the aisles and back of Isaacs Auditorium as groups stomped, slapped, and clapped their way all over the stage and into the audience’s hearts.

APAN WEB SITE UPDATE

We would like to inform you that starting in December, all of the materials you receive via mail will also be available through links on our Web site, http://www.susqu.edu/apan/. We will be mailing, (and therefore posting) a final PDF version of the 2003-2005 edition of the APAN Handbook within the first two weeks of December.

Please continue to check the APAN Web site as we are continually making updates and improvements, and many of the key aspects of the program are now run on the Web site. Members can update their personal information, refer a prospective student, submit their College Night Evaluation form, order an APAN Polo Shirt, and read their favorite monthly newsletter, The Pipeline!

END OF FALL COLLEGE FAIR SEASON

The fall college fair season has come to a close and we would like to thank everyone who volunteered and helped cover fairs this fall. It was an extremely successful season and we are very pleased with the results. All of your hard work and dedication are greatly appreciated, and we owe much of our success over the past year and a half to all of you! Thanks again, and keep up the great work!

EARLY DECISION DEADLINES

November 15th was the deadline for Early Decision I applications. In meeting with students, please remind them that the Early Decision II deadline, January 1st, is fast approaching and encourage them to take advantage of the program if Susquehanna is definitely their first choice.

REPLYING TO E-MAILS

We here at APAN are continually sending out mass e-mails, as it is the fastest and most efficient way to contact all members. If you are going to contact us in response to a specific e-mail, it is fine to leave the same subject line. However, if you are responding to us with an urgent or important request, please CHANGE THE SUBJECT LINE to reflect your request. E-mails with the changed subject line will be read and replied to as soon as possible. If you need to reach us right away, please contact Pam at 1-800-326-9672. Thank you!

NEW VIRTUAL CAMPUS TOUR

The Office of Admissions is always working to improve different aspects of attracting students, and one new feature on the Admissions Web site is the virtual tour of campus. To check out the new tour, visit http://www.susqu.edu/tour. Please let us know what you think of the tour, and encourage any prospective students to check it out!

APAN POLO SHIRTS

If you have not already ordered an APAN polo shirt, we still have a limited number available. The shirts cost $20 and are available in M, L, XL and XXL (add $2 for XXL). To order your APAN polo shirt, please click here.