Penn State University - La Vie Yearbook (University Park, PA)

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I N PA RA DE FORMA TION, Uch the Navy ROTC Band practices during :1 Thursday lab session. R A NGER COMPANY COMMA NDER. wclmu VJ. TcdescoJIl, gives .1 spccch in his field gear to mcmbcrs ol' Ihc Army ROTC. Scan Hudwll THE BA rm LION COMPA NY COMMA NDERS mbovw receive directions from Gunnery Sergeant Dclong during drill pruclicc. Dcmm 011mm A LION'S GUARD INSPECTION mbovd is demonstrated by Fran Flynn. C hris Case, Ann Jublinski. chcc Hunt and Jim Truguklls'. TOTING HIS GEA R. UclU Paul Sum! heads toward Wagner Buildingx- thc ROTC campus Scan mm headquarters.

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28 STANDING TA LL, tbclow; this NROTC student salutes his superior while his fellow squad members stand :1! ullcnliont Sean llirdscll Dennis O't unnor WITH A PRECISE EYE. tubovel Larry Grcga and a fellow Rillc Team member mkc aim during .1 dcmonslrulimr. P RAI TIP E MAKES PERFEC'IZUI'ghU These Nu Iy ROTC students practice their drills in preparation for fulurc reviews. ROTC Quality Officers IN TRAININ itls helped me to appreciate the learning here at Penn State and to appreciate being an American. This is how Ens. Vance Brahosky, a new graduate of Penn States Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps felt about his experiences in the NROTC. Along with the Navy, the Army and the Air Force also offered programs at the University. In fact, Penn State was considered one of the top three ROTC schools in the country. Air Force Col. David Allen's explanation for Penn State's excellent program was simple. All the elements are here. This is an outstanding university; we have strong support from the administration and faculty; and we have a superior student body. The student body of all three ROTC programs consistently performed well in both field training and academics. At the Army summer training camp in Fort Bragg. Penn Statels cadets finished 16th out of the 111 schools that attended. The top performing Penn State cadet, Kathleen Quigley, finished 9th out of a total of 3500 cadets. The other services performed well at summer training camps also. In Marine Gunnery Sergeant K.N. Delongls opinion. llWe produce the best NROTC Marines in the nation from here. They're physically better, mentally better, and we really show our stuff down there tat the summer camp in Virginia. At last years camp, the unit had 9 men place in the top 15. The ROTC students were not only successful at camp, they also excelled in academics. The academic side of ROTC was strongly stressed and quite demanding. Besides the classes required by their majors, students were required to take special ROTC courses and to participate in a weekly lab period. The students were also 6 a 111.5 given me a chance to see the world; encouraged to participate in the many extracurricular activities offered. All the requirements and activities made for a rigorous schedule for most ROTC members. However. the busy schedules of classes. training, and activities contributed to the high calibre of the ROTC students at PSU. The outstanding quality of ROTC graduates from Penn State was widely recognized. The University had a reputation throughout the three branches of the military for turning out high quality officers. This quality could be attributed in part to the program and to the military staff at Penn State. The staff of each ROTC branch offered very close academic as well as personal counseling and advising to their students. They were also very innovative in special projects. The NROTC and the AFROTC jointly initiated a new math study skills class to help freshmen ROTC students adjust to their first college-level calculus courses. The Navy was also actively involved in minority recruitment in conjunction with the University. Complemented by an involved military staff, the ROTC program itself fostered leadership, discipline. management skills. communication skills, physical fitness, and other valuable skills which will be useful to the students both in and out of the military service. Most students graduate not only with these practical skills and experiences, but also with a certain pride and maturity. Whether they decide to go on with a military career or not. Doug Dale, a junior in - the Army ROTC said, ultls a good place to start. Article bwaan Cromo Layout byajan Cromo Stun lwdI

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Cindy Carlson SEEING THE Slams of Europe is just one of the great advantages of studying abroad. Study Abroad Adventurous Students STUDY ABROA 2-1'-....;:;w : r 4- i135 .;.- run umu-nz-iw A- 3 A wave .,. :,m..-. P-ttr-I; 5. Jeusuv. 5'14 r1 wars: h. :52; A : easy .rtv v r As-w 424 on. were transported to the magic and mysteries of foreign continents and their peoples only through daydreams, the uother cultures requirement, Collegian headlines. and textbook photos. To many adventurous students, the temptations of these images and their realities were too strong. For them, learning went beyond Penn Statels idyllic campuses to other countries, far from familiar customs. languages and landmarks. Through the Education Abroad Program, students traveled to Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East or South America. A total of twenty-eight programs were offered through the Office of Education Abroad Programs. liltls a matter of cutting that umbilical cord with Penn State, said Kathyrn Jones, a marketing major. uPenn State can get a little monotonous the second half of your junior year,w she added. So Kathyrn, in search of a challenge, went to Nice. France. While fulfilling educational requirements, Kathyrn met the challenges of adapting to and understanding a different culture and learned more about her own in the process. She discovered that the diet and physical fitness craze had not yet hit France. Running in sneakers through the streets of Nice, as she did, was unusual, especially for a woman. uAnd I missed Diet Coke, she said. Kathyrn learned to live without diet products in France. but upon return to America. she missed baguettes tFrench bready ill learned culturally and educationallyfl Kathyrn said. While at the Universite de Nice, Kathyrn studied European economies in a very intense course. In a class of only 18 students, tests were essay or oral reports and there were no textbooks, only lectures. Jody Smith, a speech communication major, also found a difference in her education when she ventured abroad. Through the Mass Communications Program at the University of Manchester in England, Jody found new opportunities. llWe had a lot of hands-on experience? she said. As students absorbed academics and learned about the culture in which they lived for a semester. they also taught others about their own. uI got an increased perspective of life over there Iin Englandl, but also perceptions of what people think of America? said Adam Bronstein, a foreign serviceiinternational politics major who went to Exeter, England. Jody Smith agreed. llWe had to deal with stereotypes of Americans. I had to laugh because they wanted to know what ranch we came from, she said in I solated here in Happy Valley. our minds reference to tlDallasfl which airs in England. llThey lthe Frenchl were as interested to learn about us as we were about them, Kathyrn said. Some students fell in love with the cuisine and customs of the cultures they adopted temporarily. Like Kathyrn, who missed the baguettes and the open markets of France. Adam missed many aspects of England. ul probably experienced more culture shock coming back. he said. Adam became adjusted to the easier pace of the English. liThe day-to-day pressures of life donlt exist over there the way they do here, he said. Though he missed American food and his friends here, he had good memories of England. I miss the beautiful countryside. the friendly people and the pubs. Their beer is warm and flat and its absolutely deliciousf Adam said. Studying abroad also taught students lessons in coping with circumstances and people. ul basically had the attitude that I would tackle anything that came my way, Jody said. A characteristic of the Manchester program is that students do not live in university dorms but in apartments or with families. ult was very cold, Jody said about her residence. llSometimes I wished for the security and warmth of my dorm. Adam wished for the social life he had at Penn State. The pubs in England that Adam loved, with their wood beam ceilings and rustic atmosphere, were good places for conversation. uThey lBritish studentsl focus themselves on talking about politics and current events,H Adam said. uBut they closed at 11 pm. After that. students retired to their dorms and apartments for coffee. Coffee? At 11 p.m.'? Things usually donlt get rolling in State College until at least 11:30? The concensus of most students who have spent a semester abroad tabout 400 are selected to go annuallyi is that the experience is well worth it. Sandy, a German Business major, elaborated, lll'd like to go back to Europe and visit family and friends. I studied in Kiel, West Germany for four months last Spring, and it was a great learning experience. I learned about different people, I traveled. and. in general. it was a blast! I recommend studying abroad to everyone; you donlt have to be a language major to do it. Whether the intent was to study art in Italy, business in Lima, Peru, or simply to make a change of scenery, studying abroad was an opportunity to be grabbed. Article byeLisa Hubbard Layout by-Jan Cromo