Campus Dining officials have received requests from students moving off campus for a meal plan catered to them. They want to enjoy the convenience and wide variety of food choices at on-campus dining commons and restaurants. (more)
When more than 44,000 students arrive at Penn State's University Park campus in late August -- more than 7,500 of whom are calling campus home for the first time -- it's not only the beginning of a new academic year for faculty and students. It's also the culmination of months of staff collaboration to get all aspects of Penn State ready for a fresh start. "We start having regular meetings in March for August arrival," said Conal Carr, director of housing. "It's about allowing students and families to have the best possible experience moving on campus." For housing and other departments across campus, hundreds of tasks must be completed, often in a very short time, before students arrive and classes begin. (more)
With a new school year revving up at Penn State, Campus Dining is continuing to offer a wide selection of menu options in the dining commons. By making these diverse choices available, Campus Dining hopes it can encourage and teach Penn Staters to eat smart. (more)
Centre Region's transient population has made treating the growing bed bug issue difficult. This month, the Centre Region Bed Bug Coalition has recruited national bed bug expert, Richard Cooper, to provide pest control operators, property owners and managers with comprehensive bed bug management information. (more)
Over 100 Housing and Food Services employees from seven eastern commonwealth campuses met at Penn State Schuylkill for technical service training. The regional daylong event was an effort to provide training for employees while exercising cost saving initiatives. Event speakers included Schuylkill chancellor Keith Hillkirk, Auxiliary and Business Services (A&BS) safety/workers' compensation manager Ed Dobo, A&BS human resources director Jennifer Wilkes, Food Services executive chef Mark Kowalski and several more. (more)
To cover increases in operating and maintenance costs, the Board of Trustees on Friday (Nov. 6) approved a modest increase in room and board rates for the 2010-11 academic year. The average room and board rate -- including a standard double-occupancy room and the most common meal plan -- will be $4,185 per semester, an increase of $100, or 2.45 percent, over last year. This is the smallest percentage increase in the room and board rates in 20 years. (more)
Healthy eating is as popular as ever at Penn State. These days, students are always searching for the healthiest options for their daily diets, and Penn State's University Park campus is planning to not only heighten awareness of existing options but enhance them. (more)
With hundreds of nominees, it's a rare occasion when two people from the same campus department take home an award two years in a row. However, this year, Sandra Wagner took the Penn State Commission for Women, Achieving Women Award home to Hazleton just as Mary Anne Enama did a year ago. (more)
The instances of bed bug infestations during the past several years have increased at an alarming rate at motels and hotels around the world. Instances of bed bug infestations have been reported at major hotels in areas such as Chicago and New York. "There really isn't much you can do to prevent them except for be on the look out and try to avoid them," assistant director of Penn State Housing and bed bug guru Dave Manos said. (more)
Penn State's Board of Trustees Friday (Nov. 21) received an update on planned and completed improvements for Housing and Food Services. As a result of increased operating costs, the board approved an increase of 5.87 percent, or $225 per semester, to the University's average room and board rates for the 2009-10 academic year at all nine of the University's residential campuses. The average room and board rate -- including a standard double-occupancy room and most common meal plan -- will be $4,060 per semester. (more)
