Fall 2001

"It's a very accessible country - a hybrid country," says the Susquehanna University associate professor of biology and point man on the Focus: Australia program that took 10 students abroad this summer.

"It's a very unique country biologically. It has flora and fauna found nowhere else," says Richard, who, along with Mary Lou Klotz, associate professor of psychology, led the second Focus: Australia tour. "It's been isolated from the rest of the world by continental drift on the order of 20 to 30 million years. It acts as a biological laboratory."

With relatively recent European colonization, Australia can be a "model for what can go wrong" when new species are suddenly introduced, he says. Rabbits, for example, have damaged vast tracts of land; housecats have devastated populations of small marsupials.

Access to environmental diversity - desert, rain forest and the Great Barrier Reef - and an indigenous aborigine population unlike anything in Western culture yields exceptional opportunity for study. Students prepare with classes in environmental psychology and biology.

Part of the two-and-a-half week mission is to give students "an appreciation of the inherent aspect of what it is to be in Australia and to begin to understand Australia," says Richard. "One thing the focus programs do quite effectively is place the foreign country in context of life in the U.S. We encourage students to draw parallels."

It, too, can be an awakening for students. "Suddenly, they realize the world is quite small. On the other side of the world, they are exposed to some things that are similar, but some things that are absolutely different," says Richard. "If it works, students come back different. That's the key."

Richard tells of touring Uluru (Ayers Rock) with an aboriginal guide. The area, both historically sacred and very personal to him, was where his father had hidden to escape the police. They ultimately killed him there. "He told these stories - the students were very, very moved. They had never experienced first-hand stories of personal, cultural cruelty associated with a colonial power. Many of them took those experiences and applied them back to what happened in the U.S."

During the two-credit tour, Richard noticed a change in his students. One aboriginal area couldn't ban climbing a sacred rock, but frowned upon the practice. "They have this fairly clear request to not climb the rock. But every day, hundreds of people would stream up and down. One of things I was most pleased with was the disgust the students felt for the people who climbed. They were furious. I felt, 'Well, good for you.' That was a great moment."

"They learn a lot about themselves. They learn what it is to be respectful of others," he says. "Going on a trip like this and experiencing other countries will make them better citizens of the world, and better Americans."

"The Focus Australia trip was an awesome learning experience and a great time all around," says Kristin Einsel '03. "Each place we went to was completely different from the last and we got to see the array of cities and territories that Australia has to offer. It was a beautiful country and I'll never forget my memories in the 'land down undah'."

Susquehanna President L. Jay Lemons joined members of the Orientation Planning Committee's "O-Team" to assist members of the class of 2005 moving into the residence hall rooms on August 23.

This fall, Susquehanna University welcomes to campus a record-breaking first-year class of 574 students, as well as 30 transfer and four exchange students. The Class of '05 was chosen from the largest applicant pool in the history of Susquehanna, and their arrival heralds a record-breaking enrollment for the University.

The new students hail from 20 states and six countries - Bolivia, Canada, Japan, Mongolia, Russia, and Ukraine. Forty-one are students of color, and 57 percent are women. More than 60 students have family members who have attended the University, 21 of which have a parent or grandparent who is a graduate of SU.

Of the first-year students, more than half ranked in the top fifth of their high school classes, and almost 90 percent were ranked in the top two-fifths. The average of their SAT scores sits more than 130 points above the national average. Fifty-three students were accepted into the University's Honors Program.

Nearly 20 percent of the Class of '05 enter SU without having chosen a major, while another 27 percent have declared majors within the School of Natural and Social Sciences. Almost a third of the class have chosen disciplines within the School of Arts, Humanities and Communications where elementary education, English, writing, and history proved the most popular majors. And more than 23 percent have entered the Sigmund Weis School of Business.

This year's incoming class pushes the total enrollment number more than 1,800, a figure the University did not expect to reach until the year 2003.

U.S. News & World Report's 2002 "America's Best Colleges" guide lists Susquehanna among the Best National Liberal Arts Colleges, which include the best 218 institutions for undergraduate learning in the country.

Susquehanna has been included in the national list for the first time following the recent reclassification of American colleges and universities by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Prior to 2001, for seven straight years Susquehanna had been ranked by U.S. News as number one in a top ten list of best regional liberal arts colleges in the northeast.

A Susquehanna student makes a quick withdrawal from the ATM

The transition to college is tough. You will probably worry about making friends, getting along with your "roomie" and passing exams. What most students forget to worry about is their bank accounts. College, for most of you, will be your first taste of independence. In some cases, developing your own lifestyle outside of your parents can run your finances into the ground.

So how do you avoid the pitfalls and stay ahead in the world of college spending? Here are a few helpful hints to make it easier to stay on track:

1. The beginning of a semester is a great time to develop a budget. Determine how much money you have coming in (from parents, work, loans, etc.) and then decide what you need to buy and how much you can spend. Use common sense! If your parents contribute $100 for costs, they don't want you to go buy a new wardrobe for fall semester!
2. Unless you're Bill Gates, you have a limited amount of money to work with. That means that you have to take a good look at the things you want to buy and see what you can live without. Be rational - you don't really need that hot new CD when you still haven't bought all the books you need for class.
3. The Susquehanna University Student Government Association and many other colleges and universities have already prohibited credit card vendors from soliciting on campus, but you're still going to face the credit card lure. If you do decide to use a credit card, educate yourself about annual percentage rates, paying on time and the consequences of not paying the bills. However, for most students, a debit card or a checking account is more than enough.
4. As first-year students, you will also face the temptation to frequently call parents and old friends, which often leads to very large phone bills. Some alternatives to this are writing letters or e-mails but if you must get your fix of phone-time, phone cards are a cheaper way of staying in touch.

There are several places on the web that students can visit for further information. Collegeclub.com offers more advice on keeping your finances in order while sites such as Mastercard.com and Visa.com provide online worksheets and budgets directed specifically at college students.

By James Varghese '03 with additional information provided by Rebecca Grant, coordinator of first-year programs at Susquehanna.

Susquehanna offers more than a dozen living options, from first-year residences like Smith and Hassinger halls to off-campus apartments. The six-building Sassafras complex is a residential option for mostly juniors and seniors who are chosen through a special lottery. Sassafras residents use key fobs to access their electronic building entry system.

Sassafras B and Shobert Hall each feature:

• accommodations for 54 students in four eight-person apartments four smaller suites with an array of doubles and singles,
• living rooms in each apartment,
• kitchenettes with microwaves and small refrigerators,
• built-in window mini-blinds,
• large first-floor common areas, plus other quiet study areas, and
• basement laundry rooms.

Sassafras A and C, Roberts House and Isaacs House each feature: accommodations for 16 students in two complete two-floor townhouses large living rooms, plus dining areas, a kitchenette, and storage rooms.

The new Sassafras B housing complex

This is a great opportunity for you and your family to explore the beautiful Susquehanna campus. Attend a student activities fair and academic open houses, speak with faculty, students, admissions staff, and more.

Bring a completed admissions application, and we'll waive the application fee!