PUNC

At the beginning of the semester I joined a club known as the Penn State International Affairs and Debate Association, or PSIADA. A few representatives of the club had given my dorm floor a short promotion to join and, seeing others write down their names and thinking the club sounded interesting and applicable to my intended major (International Politics), I signed myself up.

Walking to my first PSIADA meeting I wondered who from my floor would be there or whom else I would know. I also wondered what being in the club meant doing.

I didn’t recognize a single face at the club meeting, and I wasn’t sure what to do or to whom I could direct my numerous questions. “Oh, Claire! What have you gotten yourself into?” I asked myself.

The Secretary General of the club, Ellisse walked over to welcome me and then introduced me to a former secretary general who explained the club and what it does.

PSIADA is a student-run organization comprised of students with a variety of majors and participates in Model United Nations style competitions in the U.S. and Canada. In addition, each spring the club hosts its own competition, the Pennsylvania United Nations Conference, also known as PUNC. Quickly approaching, this competition was the focus of PSIADA. It meant preparing separate committees in which delegates from visiting schools could debate issues.

I ended up joining the World at Crossroads: UN SC 2060 committee as a crisis member. Essentially in this committee delegates were to debate presented futuristic situations based upon perceptions of the 2060 world. I, as a crisis member, was stationed in another room with my committee members, responding to delegates’ requests and creating updates for the futuristic situations while the chair of our committee, Dan, mediated the delegates’ discussion in the other room.

The conference began on Thursday, February 23. Over 120 students came form a variety of universities, including Queen’s University in Montréal, Cornell, University of Pittsburg, and the University of Maryland. Our conference began with opening remarks from PUNC’s board followed by the keynote speaker and former United States Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs P.J. Crowley.

Following the opening ceremony, we started our first crisis session. Working alongside crisis teams from other committees, my 2060 crisis team and I worked together to respond to delegates’ notes and come up with new crises for them to debate and solve. It was fun being creative and, as mean as it sounds, working with others to make it difficult for the delegates to reach a solution.

We continued to do this at different sessions throughout the weekend. I loved the fast, creative pace of the crisis room while being able to laugh mischievously and tell a country that 30,000 of its citizens have been infected with a futuristic and deadly virus. Over the course of the weekend I got to know my committee members, other members of PSIADA and students from visiting schools.

My committee members, (above, from left to right) Anmol, Jack, Dan, Mrithul, and Sanjana and I worked to come up with crises for student delegates to solve. 

Overall the weekend was a really fun experience. I loved the creative and fast-paced crisis room and getting to know others. I’d never been to a conference or anything like PUNC, and, although at the beginning it was intimidating and confusing, joining the club and participating in the conference has thus far been a good experience. I look forward to continue participating in PSIADA in the future! 

THON

This past weekend was the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, also known as THON. Months of planning and fundraising to benefit The Four Diamonds Fund at the Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital culminated to this event. With over 15,000 students participating, this was the focus of the University Park campus this past weekend.

Being from Hershey, home of the Penn State Medical Center, I’d heard about THON and had friends who participated in it, whether through Penn state or through affiliations with the medical center. Each year my friends, whose parents were involved in THON through the hospital, thus giving my peers a chance to go, would come back from the THON weekend inspired by the students’ efforts and stories of pediatric cancer patients who’d benefitted from the Four Diamonds Fund. Having only heard about THON weekend, I was excited to finally experience it for myself!

THON is a 46-hour dance marathon where selected students from different fundraising organizations stand or dance continuously. Taking place at the campus’ multipurpose arena, the Bryce Jordan Center (BJC), thousands of involved students and Four Diamonds families congregate in support of the dancers and to be inspired. Walking into the BJC the first night of THON, I thought I knew what to expect, but I was wrong.

The stands were bursting with color and held-up signs to indicate the different fundraising organizations. The stands were packed with students dancing to the booming music. Excitement ran through my bones—the students’ enthusiasm for THON was incredible! It was amazing to see so many students come together for a philanthropic cause. Moving as a crowd to the line dance, done every hour by the thousands inside the BJC to revive the dancers and spectators was phenomenal as well.

In between hourly line dances, the d.j. played upbeat music, bands performed, and Four Diamond families were introduced. As a spectator, I didn’t want to leave the stands, but sleep and homework beckoned.

Life on campus outside of the BJC/THON bubble was dead. It seemed as if everyone in one shape or form was involved in the marathon.

Our THON organization's dancers Ashley (green) and Sean (yellow) kept positive attitudes the whole marathon, despite how long they had been standing and tired they were.  

Going back to the BJC, I had the opportunity to go on the floor with some friends in my THON organization. We signed in to get our passes and met up with our organization’s dancers, Sean and Ashley. 

The excitement on the floor echoed that in the stand, but now my friends and I were able to interact with the Four Diamond kids, who animatedly ran around with squirt guns and smiles. Sunday, the final hours of THON weekend, the Four Diamond Fund families were introduced and some shared their stories, bringing many tears to the stands packed with tired spectators and dances.

Eventually it became time to countdown the end of the 46 hours, after which the dancers happily collapsed to the ground. Afterwards we all waited with anticipation for the final total fundraised to be revealed.  Finally, the time had come. Up went the numbers.

$10, 686, 924.83

The crowd erupted in cheers! Never before had THON raised so much money! It was the perfect ending to such an inspiring weekend.

I’m glad I became involved in THON as a student at Penn State, and I am proud of what my peers have helped accomplish. The weekend was tiring, but more than anything it was inspiring. Well done Penn State!

Donating Blood

This week, in honor of Valentine’s Day, I decided to try donating blood. I’ve attempted to donate twice before, once at my high school where I was rejected for having had a vaccine within the prior two weeks, and once at my church, where I was rejected for having been our of the country within the year. I hoped that this time I would be accepted!

The American Red Cross is often on the Penn State University campus holding blood drives, and reasonably so. With 40,000 young and healthy people walking around campus, it’s an ideal location to recruit donors. I signed up online for one these drives to give a whole blood donation, or a one-pint donation.

Having made the appointment, I walked over to the blood drive being held on campus in Kunkle Lounge where I signed in, read over material describing the donation process and sat down to wait for my name to be called.

Despite everyone’s calm and matter-of-fact demeanor, I was still nervous about the needle they would stick into my arm, and whether or not I’d faint. I’d been trying to stay hydrated, so I thought that would help. But before the needle or side effects, I first had to get through the screening process.

After about 15 minutes, my name was called and a nurse took me back to a secluded area for a screening. My palms began to feel clammy. This was the part I’d failed in the past.

I answered questions about myself and then she proceeded to take my information, temperature and blood pressure. It felt like being at a regular check-up! But then she took out a needle I was not expecting to see.

In the past I’d always failed the screening process before reaching this stage of it. The nurse was about to use the small needle to prick my finger to check my iron level. Suddenly my hands went from clammy to hot and sweaty.

I am not a fan of needles and, although I knew they would be using one to draw blood, the unexpected one about to puncture my finger was discouraging.

I scrunched my face, looked away and held out my hand to the nurse who sat behind a plastic panel in case blood squirted from me finger toward her. In an instant there was a sharp pinch followed by a small red dot. She collected the blood and replaced it with a band-aid. After verifying the level of iron, I was cleared to give blood. I had passed!

The nurse seemed pleased that I was excited to give blood. I suppose most first-timers are scared about a needle being prodded in to their arm or the possible side effects of donating. At the moment I was just really excited that I’d passed the screening process.

She guided me over to a padded bench and examined the veins in my arms. After having me lay down she cleaned the area in between my right forearm and bicep and got the needle ready.

Again, with a deep breath, I turned away and felt a sharp pinch, followed by a slight burn (from the iodine the nurse had applied) and then relatively nothing. Looking down toward my arm I saw the tubes become red. I was pumping blood!

After about 10 minutes, my whole blood donation was complete. I proudly looked down at my bag of blood. I’d never seen so much of my own blood before. Sure, I’d seen other blood before, but that was my blood and, for whatever reason, I was immensely proud of it.

The nurse helped me sit up and walk over to a table for refreshments. I felt neither dizzy nor faint. I simply felt happy. With little pain I’d given blood knowing it was for a good cause. It strikes me as odd that, although as people we are all so complex and different, we are all made up of the same basic parts.

I’m extremely happy that I donated a pint of my blood and, after 56 days and given I can pass the screening process, I’d like to do it again. I like thinking how what once pumped through my arteries will have the chance to save someone else and pump through theirs.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

For more information about the donation process or how you can donate blood, please visit http://www.redcrossblood.org/. 

13 Strangers

I’m not usually one to strike up a conversation with a stranger, let alone open up my home to them. But when it came to canning for THON, that’s what I did.

           

For those of you unfamiliar with THON, it is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world, raising money for the Four Diamonds Fund to benefit pediatric cancer patients and culminating in a 46-hour dance marathon. Since Penn State students founded it in 1973, THON has raised more than $78 million towards The Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital. Last year alone over $9.5 million was raised through generous donations through mail, the Internet and canning weekends¹.

So when it came time for another canning weekend, I thought to myself, “Why not offer to house fellow members of my THON organization, Apollo, for a few days? Sure, I may not know them that well, but I’d be helping our effort to raise money for a great cause.” I’d certainly never housed 13 virtual strangers before, so if my THON group decided to go to my hometown Hershey it would definitely be a new experience!

Low and behold, the chairs of our THON group decided to go to my hometown, Hershey, which meant Apollo members would be staying at my house. At first I was excited—I’d get to go home and know the members of my THON group. But then I became more anxious. Essentially 13 strangers were coming to my house. I’d only been canning once before so I wasn’t totally sure as to what the routine was for a canning weekend.

Here we canners are, about to embark on a December canning weekend in Philadelphia. The sign we are making is the symbol for the Four Diamonds Fund. 

A friend of mine from home was also going canning with Apollo, so she volunteered her house for dinner. After we had eaten a feast of Italian food her mom had prepared, we decided to go to Chocolate World, the typical Hershey-tourist thing to do. Unbeknown to us, Chocolate World had closed 5 hours before we got there. Oops! Here I was, in my own town and I didn’t even know the details about the most obvious of things to do! I hoped this wasn’t an omen of the canning weekend.

My parents greeted us as we walked into my house, and then we set up camp in the basement. Here was my home, full of memories and embarrassing baby pictures, and there were kids from college whom I barely knew. It felt strange to me; opening my home to people I didn’t know. But, before I knew it, we were all playing ping-pong and playstation. My fat baby pictures faded into the background. I didn’t know these people, but they seemed nice!

Being the locals, my friend and I mapped out where we’d be canning the next day. The next morning we woke ourselves up and set out to try and raise money.

And raised we did! We raised a fair amount of money considering our location and conditions. Exhausted from the long day, the canners decided to go back to State College and I stayed home with my family.

Although I’d certainly never housed 13 unfamiliar people before, in the end I think it was a good experience. At first I may have been nervous about hosting others, but by the end of the canning trip I felt like I’d gotten to know them better. In the end knew each other better, shared some laughs and raised money to help kids with cancer. I'd say it was a success. 

If you would like to find out more about what THON is, please visit http://www.thon.org.

¹http://www.thon.org/

Salsa

My older brother and I share a lot of things—memories, jokes, music and parents, to name a few. There are also many things we do not share. Prior to this week, for instance, I had never had a chance to share Peter’s interest in ballroom dancing.           

Peter, my older brother, is involved with Penn State’s ballroom dancing club. He has his own pair of spiffy dancing shoes, takes a class and is a chairman for the tango division of the club. I was excited at the prospect of trying something that really interested him!

After meeting up with my brother in the White Building we walked over to salsa. The music I heard from the outside was my first clue—booming from the inside was lively Latin music inviting all to enter the gymnasium and begin dancing. Hearing the music made me excited. Perhaps the dancing would be as fun as the music!

After walking into the room and signing in our names we all lined up in rows. It was time for a salsa warm-up!

I’ve never participated in a more discombobulated warm-up. We all followed the lead of the salsa expert in the front of the room. The music’s tempo suddenly seemed too fast and I felt like my limbs were flailing in every direction as I tried to spin and change directions while keeping up with the others. But I wasn’t the only one who was having trouble keeping up; looking around, others were just as flustered as I was by the pace. Even my brother looked like he was having trouble keeping up!

After the warm-up the group, about 100 of us, divided ourselves into beginners and veterans. I joined others in the beginner’s group, many of them apparently new to the sport like me. In front of us an older member of the club introduced herself and proceeded to show us the 8 counts and steps used in salsa.

After repeating these steps a few times we increased our pace, added music and, before I knew it, we were adding a partner! I was nervous about getting a dancing partner. I was still having trouble counting my steps (“1,2,3…5,6,7!”), and I was afraid I would mess up another. What’s more, unlike at Power Remix classes, where I usually make up my own dance moves when I can’t keep up with the instructor, salsa’s moves I knew I couldn’t just make up as I pleased! I was already feeling sorry for my future salsa partner.

Alternating gender, we organized in a circle and turned to the person beside us and tried to emulate the example our teachers had showed us. Adding a partner was actually easier than I had anticipated and I felt like an official salsa dancer dancing with another!

Periodically we switched partners and learned new moves and proper salsa form. We learned how to turn and how to step in time with the music. Like me, those in the beginner group seemed to be having fun learning something new.

At the very end the groups merged for a “free dance” period. Switching partners, I got the chance to dance a few more advanced club members, including my brother. He’s a much better dancer than me but, now knowing the principles of salsa dancing, I was able to keep up with him.

I now understand why my brother enjoys ballroom dancing—the dance and people involved are fun. By the end of the session I had had a good time and felt that my salsa skills had drastically improved. I would love to go back again to salsa or try another style of ballroom dance. Overall it was a really great experience! The only thing I’d change for next time: if I ever get the change to go salsa dancing again, I’m bringing chips.