By James Varghese ’03

Chris Bobek '05 leads a weekly meeting of Susquehanna's volunteer Computer Consultants group. As participants in the university's Project House System, memebers contribute two-to-four hours of service each week.

Had a breakdown on the information superhighway or are you stuck on the off ramp and don’t know who to call for help?

Never fear, the Computer Consultants are here! As one of the most active organizations on the Susquehanna campus, CompCons has assisted students, faculty, and members of the surrounding community with computer problems and needs for more than a decade. “We like to be among the first to understand and use new technologies and then bring that to the rest of the community,” says Adam Rivera ’05, the assistant project manager.

CompCons is part of Susquehanna’s Project House volunteer system, which offers students the opportunity to live together in small residences based on common interest in an approved volunteer project.

Professor of Mathematical Sciences Kenneth Brakke serves as advisor to the group, which also works closely with the university’s Office of Information Technology. In association with the IT office, members of CompCons return to campus early each fall to help incoming students get connected to the campus computer network. With sponsorship from IT and CompCons alumni, the group also maintains a telnet-based Bulletin Board System (BBS) offering an online forum on computer-related and other issues.

Another CompCons ongoing project is sponsoring and staffing the BYTE Hotline, a phone and online resource to answer questions and provide information on hardware and software to the University community.

Project manager Chris Bobek '05 emphasizes that CompCons is organized not only to provide help but also “to teach and educate the community.” Members routinely offer tutoring on an individual basis to any student or outside community member. Sessions can range from one-time events to meeting several times per week depending on the complexity of the problem.

Other activities include workshops for the public on topics ranging from basic Windows operation to navigating the Internet. CompCons also participates in New Choices , a state program designed to assist and educate the disadvantaged from the surrounding community. The group also tries to build knowledge within the organization by holding periodic internal workshops to allow members to share their expertise with each other.

If you think Computer Consultants sounds interesting, don't hesitate to join when you arrive on campus. “I think we're so active because we accept members from everywhere,” says Rivera. “You just have to want to help. Most of our members aren't computer science majors.” You can find more information at their Web site www.susqu.edu/compcons/.

Dean of the Sigmund Weis School of Business James Brock spent the 2003 spring semester as on-site faculty coordinator of the school’s London program. Twenty junior business majors participated in the program, which combines classroom work with numerous field trips to experience international business practice in action.

A tour of Warwick Castle is among the traditional stops for business majors participating in the Sigmund Weis School of Business semester-long London program.

Thursday, March 13, 2003
“Today was very long, but full. The coach picked us all up at the student flats at 9 a.m., and we headed directly for Oxford, mother of all college towns. There are 39 colleges that make up Oxford University, and some were founded 800 years ago.

Several of the students joined my wife, Elaine, and me at the Ashmolean Museum – the United Kingdom’s oldest – for an hour, where we saw works by many of the masters, including Gainsborough, Sergeant, Turner, and Picasso. Then we headed to see the chapel at Christ Church College, which dates from the year 1200.

We met back at the bus at 1 p.m. Everyone had been shopping: Oxford sweatshirts, mostly, but one student found an old cricket bat at an open-air market.

Then it was an hour ride to Warwick Castle where we scrambled on the parapets, cringed at the dungeon, marveled in the Great Hall and saw sections that date from 1068, just two years after the Battle of Hastings!

We were back on the bus at 4 p.m. for a short ride to Stratford-Upon-Avon. We walked around, saw Shakespeare’s birthplace, grabbed a bite to eat, and attended the Royal Shakespeare Company’s opening night of As You Like It. The bus ride back to London took two hours, and we all had work yet to do for Friday, so I don’t think anybody got to bed before 2 a.m.”

Friday, March 14, 2003
“Today’s class met at the headquarters of ARAMARK UK, on the 28th floor of Millbank Tower, right on the Thames River. Everybody was dressed up and it was a rare sunny day, so we got some group pictures before heading up. We enjoyed a 90-minute presentation/discussion with the chief executive officer, Bill Toner, a 40-minute talk from their chief financial officer, David Gerrard, and then had lunch with Bill, David, and several others from the senior management team.

As is the case with many of our field trips and other opportunities here, it was a Susquehanna graduate, Jim Summers ’63, recently retired chief financial officer of ARAMARK’s worldwide operations, who made the connection and, indeed, who made the experience possible. Ordinarily, 20 business students from central Pennsylvania just don’t get to spend half a day with the top management of a multi-billion dollar company.”

Saturday, March 15, 2003
“We started this day as we do all Saturdays when we’re in town, with a quick Tube ride to Portobello Market, where 2,000 antique dealers display everything imaginable. It’s a ‘gentle throng’ of thousands of people, and a place where twice we’ve literally bumped into friends from the States. We were home by noon and had appointments through the afternoon with students scheduling their classes for next year.”

Sunday, March 16, 2003
“Church this morning was in honor of St. Patrick, and the Irish ambassador to the United Kingdom was in attendance. A lot of people wore green. Tomorrow night is a St. Patrick’s Day cruise on the Thames River with all the students. We met with more students this afternoon to schedule their courses for next year. Since my apartment is only two blocks from the students, we just turned the dining room table into an office and they trot over for their appointments. I just realized, to my horror, that we return to the U.S. in just seven weeks! There is so much to see and do yet, and so little time remaining.”

Comedian Dave Chappelle brought his razor-sharp humor to the stage of Susquehanna University's Weber Chapel Auditorium in an April 1 performance sponsored by the Student Activities Committee and featuring special guest Jim Breuer, who combines rock-n-roll music and comedy.

The university’s board of directors has approved an increase in tuition and fees for the 2003-04 academic year.

Comprehensive fees for next year – which include tuition and fees, room and board – will total $29,990. The $1,490 increase is 5.2 percent of current fees.

“Susquehanna's board and administration worked hard to balance the resources needed to provide a high quality education with the pressure that fees can place on students and their families,” said university president L. Jay Lemons . “In the coming year we will invest significantly more in information technology enhancements, including additional smart classrooms and network improvements. We will continue our efforts to offer competitive wages to attract and retain the most qualified faculty and staff, and to cover the university's share of increasing health insurance costs. We will also continue our commitment to a financial aid program that is sensitive to the needs of students and families.”

Susquehanna's increase in fees for the 2003-04 academic year is comparable to that of many other colleges and universities.

By Emily Anderson ’02

A band called “Faculty Lounge” features Associate Professor of English Larry Roth, right, and fellow SU faculty members Dean of the School of Natural and Social Sciences Terry Winegar, Assistant Professor of History David Imhoof, and Assistant Professor of Music Patrick Long. Roth describes the group’s repertoire as “your favorite uncle’s garage rock.”

Associate Professor of English and Jewish Studies Program Coordinator Laurence Roth apparently enjoys having several projects in the works at the same time. Whether it is teaching, publishing, editing, event organizing, or playing guitar in a faculty band called “Faculty Lounge,” he is one SU professor with a lot on his plate.

Roth is currently in the process of publishing a book, Inspecting Jews: American Jewish Detective Stories, forthcoming later this year from Rutgers University Press. Roth first became interested in Jewish detective fiction when he discovered several of these books as a child in his father’s bookstore. He has returned to these stories several times throughout his academic career to examine such issues as cultural hybridity and the ability of an author to shape and affirm the identity of their readers.

He was also recently appointed editor of Modern Languages Studies, a national journal published by the Northeast Modern Language Association. Scholars of literature, film, and modern language publish their writing in the peer-reviewed publication.

Some of the classes that Roth teaches at Susquehanna are: Twentieth Century American Literature, The Beats, and Jewish Women Writers. He also teaches The History and Culture of Jewish Cuisine, a popular course that includes field trips to New York Lower East side ethnic restaurants and encourages students to examine the role that food has played in their own culture and identity.

In the coming academic year, Roth plans to teach courses dealing with American contemporary and popular literature. He sees his teaching as a way to encourage students to become “active, thinking citizens” and his main goal in the classroom is to enable students to “keep two contradictory ideas in their minds at the same time.”

His teaching philosophy seems to be an effective one, as his classes have consistently filled since his arrival at SU in 1997, after completing doctoral work at University of California, Los Angeles. When asked “why Susquehanna?” Roth responded that he supports the liberal arts ideal of educating the whole student as opposed to simply preparing students to enter the job market upon graduation.

Emily Anderson graduated from Susquehanna University in December of 2002 with a degree in English. She will be attending graduate school and studying contemporary women’s fiction in the fall of 2003.

Jordan Bolduc '04

Cross country and track student-athlete Jordan Bolduc ’04, has put her speed to good use off the track and course as a lifeguard at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. During the summer of 2002, she saved the lives of seven people. An elementary education major, she balances her time between academics, athletics and other activities including serving as a student representative on the Susquehanna board of directors; vice president of service for Alpha Phi Omega, a co-ed service fraternity; public relations chair for the Student Association of Cultural Awareness; and head resident of Aikens Hall.

The Susquehanna University men’s golf team won its unprecedented ninth consecutive Middle Atlantic Conference team championship on April 27, at the Shawnee Country Club, capturing the top three individual places in winning the title by 33 strokes over Delaware Valley College.

The Crusaders finished with a team total of 924, which is believed to be the lowest-ever 54-hole score at the MAC Championships and placed Susquehanna well ahead of the runner-up Aggies (957) and Moravian College (961) in the 14-team field.

Susquehanna has won or shared the team title every year since finishing third in 1995, and advanced to the NCAA Division III Championships for the sixth time in eight seasons.

Courtney Capaldo '03 and Joshua Funk '05 joined undergraduates from across North America and around the world to consider “America’s Challenges in an Unstable World: Balancing Security with Liberty,” at the 45th Air Force Academy Assembly in Colorado in February. The Department of Political Science and the Arlin M. Adams Center for Law and Society at Susquehanna University jointly sponsored their participation at the conference.

Tips from Meghan Cadwallader, assistant director of admissions

Smith Hall is only one of the residence options for freshmen.

When you’re searching for a college, the ivy and brick buildings and classrooms of one campus can blend right into the next. Beyond bringing a camera or a camcorder to record every minute of your visit to a college, the best thing you can do is dig deep into some of the things that really set one school apart from the next.

• Faculty and academic facilities: Access to your professors and to specific learning and research spaces is crucial to the time and effort you’ll spend learning at any college or university. What’s the average class size? The faculty to student ratio? Will full-fledged professors or graduate-level teaching assistants teach you? Are the facilities, equipment and research space accessible to you as a first-year student, or are upperclassmen given first priority? How easy is it to get the classes you will need to graduate in four years.
• The library: The library can quickly become the place where you spend a good portion of your waking hours. Is there adequate study space? Are carrels assigned to students? What about database searching capabilities and inter-library loan programs? Is computer networking available? Is the library card catalog available to you online? Is there a 24-hour study area? Does the college or university have a media library, or a music library? Is research assistance available?
• Computer labs: ESSENTIAL. Is this a Mac- or an IBM-compatible campus? How many labs are there and where are they located? What are the lab hours? Are they all staffed in case there is a need for troubleshooting? About how many students bring a computer with them? Do you need to purchase your own computer? Are there fees to use any of the services? (Also, be sure to check out the school’s Web site – is it easy to navigate? As a student, you may be expected to access a good portion of information for scheduling, room assignments, grades, and classes through the campus network. Are you comfortable with the set-up of the site and the way in which information is provided?)
• A typical residence hall/room: This is going to be your home away from home, so give it a thorough inspection. Is housing guaranteed all four years? Do all first-year students live together? Who has access to the dorms and how? Are all residence halls co-ed? Do students live in doubles or triples? Are there a variety of different living options (singles, suites, lofts, etc.)? Are there any rules about visitation? Can you connect to the Internet and the campus computer network from your room? Does the residence hall (including its bathroom facilities) appear to be clean and in good condition? How many students live on campus?
• Sports and recreation facilities: These are key, even if you’re not the MVP of your high school’s varsity sports teams four years in a row. Depending upon what’s available at the college or university you attend, you may discover a new sport or an athletic talent you never knew you had! Is there a variety of modern, safe equipment for ALL students to use (not just varsity athletes)? What are the daily hours? Is there a pool? What options are available if you want to stay in shape, but don’t want to join a varsity sport? What sorts of fitness classes are offered? Are there club sports and intramurals?
• The dining hall: This is VERY IMPORTANT as it will be your major source of nourishment and mealtime hilarity with friends for the next four years. Try to eat on campus during your visit so you can get an idea of what cuisine is typically dished up. What are the hours for each meal? Can you choose from different meal plan options? What are some typical menu choices offered at each meal? Are there any other places to eat on campus and are they covered by the meal plan(s)?
• Career development: Yes, even before you settle on a college, you might want to give some thought to your eventual career. What special career development services does the school offer? What is the placement rate for recent graduates? How many go to graduate school and how many enter the workforce? What percentage of students complete internships and how do they find these opportunities?

These are the very basics of all there is to observe at each institution. You may also wish to inquire about specific campus activities and organizations, the health center, tutorial services and campus security. As you walk around and get answers to your questions, look beyond the manicured lawns and white columns, and pay attention to your gut reaction. Chances are you’ll know what college is right for you after spending a short time on campus.

We invite you and your family to visit the Susquehanna campus this summer. Interviews are highly recommended and should be viewed as an informal way to exchange information with a member of the admissions staff. Dress comfortably, and relax -- remember this is an interview, not an interrogation!

Interviews and tours are scheduled (on the hour) Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Please call the admissions office at 1-800-326-9672 or 570-372-4260 to set up your appointment. You can also schedule an appointment on-line at www.susqu.edu/admissions/schedulevisit.htm.

Free, hands-on workshops for high school seniors and their parents:

Science-in-action Friday, October 10 Conduct experiments with faculty and students in chemistry, biochemistry, ecology, environmental science and geology, physics, genetics, animal behavior, mathematics and computer science, developmental biology, environmental chemistry or physiology.

Liberal Arts-in-action Monday, October 13 Workshops with faculty and students on elementary education, economics, modern languages, history, philosophy, public relations, music, pre-law, TV/radio broadcasting, theatre production, international diplomacy, psychology, and sociology/women’s studies.

Business-in-action Friday, October 24 A look at how students interested in accounting, business, economics, finance, information systems, marketing or management can prepare for the rapidly changing business environment.

Writing-in-action Monday, October 27 Workshops with published writers on fiction, poetry, journalism, children’s literature, ethics and writing, creative non-fiction, memoirs, college writing and women and writing.

Workshop schedules will be finalized later on this summer. Sessions run from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and include campus tours, lunch, and career information. For more information, please contact:

Wendy Mull, program coordinator
570-372-4260
1-800-326-9672
mullw@susqu.edu