Still Life

With four guide ropes attached to it, the east-side clock face is raised into position. While it didn't seem that windy on the ground on Saturday, Jan. 28, winds higher up were strong, requiring extra guidance to bring the clock face safely to the Old Main bell tower.

Old Main clock faces installed

Ben White of New Vibrations Audio and Video works on a ledge of the Old Main bell tower, to remove the speakers from the old chime system. The company installed a new carillon system today (Jan. 27) that will play a digital recording made of the original Old Main bell that now sits adjacent to Old Main and other bells of comparable sizes.

New carillon, restored clocks being installed

The funeral procession for Joe Paterno made its way past Beaver Stadium and down Porter Road as crowds applauded on Jan. 25. Thousands lined the procession route through the University Park campus and downtown State College to bid a last farewell to Joe Paterno.

Joe Paterno's funeral procession

Coach Joe Paterno was on the field for the first half of the Nittany Lions' football game. Penn State beat the Iowa Hawkeyes 13-3 on Oct. 8, 2011, in front of an enthusiastic crowd at Beaver Stadium.

Joe Paterno through the years

Katie Knobloch and Andrew Adamietz, members of the a capella group Blue in the Face, shared a candle at the vigil held Sunday, Jan. 22, to mourn the death of Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, who passed away earlier in the day. Several thousand members of the Penn State and State College community came out to the Old Main lawn on Penn State's University Park campus for the vigil.

Thousands mourn Paterno's passing

Featured Video

We ... are Penn State (December 19, 2011)

We ... are Penn State (December 19, 2011)

Penn State's creamery, from the cow to the cone

Penn State's creamery, from the cow to the cone

Researchers use balloons to unlock mysteries posed by dying stars

Researchers use balloons to unlock mysteries posed by dying stars

Everyday virus proves potent against cancer cells.

Everyday virus proves potent against cancer cells.

Families warned of student-aid scam

Friday, May 25, 2007

A financial aid scam is making its way to Penn State students and their parents. An organization has mailed solicitations to students or their parents asking them to provide social security numbers and personal information on a "Student Aid Profile Form." The company also indicates students should return a fee with the form in order to be considered for additional aid. This solicitation did not come from Penn State, and should not be filled out.

Penn State's Office of Student Aid would like to remind families that they should always be wary of any individual or organization that offers grants or scholarships for a fee. Students and their parents should never provide bank account, credit card or other sensitive information to any individual soliciting personal information over the telephone, via the mail, or e-mail unless they have initiated the contact and trust the company.

If students and their parents fall victim to scammers, the U.S. Department of Education recommends the following steps:

-- Contact their bank immediately to explain the situation and request that the bank monitor or close the compromised account.

-- Report the fraud to the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Inspector General hotline at (800) MIS-USED (800-647-8733) or http://www.ed.gov/index.jhtml online. Special agents in the Office of Inspector General investigate fraud involving federal education dollars.

-- Report the fraud to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC has an online complaint form at https://rn.ftc.gov/pls/dod/wsolcq$.startup?Z_ORG_CODE=PU01 online, a hotline at (877) FTC-HELP (877-382-4357), and a teletype for the hearing impaired at (866) 653-4261. The FTC will investigate if the fraud is deemed widespread; therefore, it is important that every individual contacted by the person or people in question register a complaint so the FTC has an accurate idea of how many incidents have occurred.

-- Notify the police about the incident. Impersonating a federal officer is a crime, as is identity theft.

Families should visit the Department of Education's Web site at http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oig/misused/idtheft.html online for additional information about identity theft prevention and student aid scams. They also should visit the Federal Student Aid Web site at www.studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/lsa.jsp online for information about searching for financial aid and avoiding scams.

Contact