SPRING 2010 COURSE SCHEDULE

• Undergraduate courses
  http://schedule.psu.edu/soc/spring/Allhn/a-c/index.html

FALL 2009 COURSE SCHEDULE

• Undergraduate courses
  http://schedule.psu.edu/soc/fall/Allhn/a-c/index.html

• Semester dates, registration dates and instructions can be found at the Registrar's Office.

• the University at: http://flu.psu.edu   

• the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/ 

• the Pennsylvania Department of Health at: http://www.dsf.health.state.pa.us/health/cwp/view.asp?q=252990

FAQs for:

Students: http://live.psu.edu/story/41754

Parents:  http://live.psu.edu/story/41759

Additional H1N1 FAQs

What is Novel H1N1 (Swine Flu) and what makes this different?
Novel H1N1 is a different strain of the common influenza; the difference is the rate of spread across the globe. There is almost no difference between the symptoms of H1N1 and the common flu.

Is it safe for me to be around someone who has H1N1? What are the risks?
Yes, it is safe. This risk is no greater at work than any other gathering of people such as football games, shopping, or community and religious gatherings. Novel H1N1 is spread the same way as other flu viruses, close personal contact (within 6 feet) and exposure to the bodily fluids (sneezing being the most prominent). The Center for Disease Control (CDC) suggests regular hand washing as the best preventative measure. If sanitizers are used they must be alcohol based but even if they are not, clean hands are still the best prevention against the spread of the virus.

Do I need to use special cleaning chemicals to reduce the spread of H1N1 or to disinfect surfaces?
Left undisturbed the virus will live less than 2-8 hours on a surface; any cleaning chemical that is “anti-viral,” such as Lysol, PineSol, Scrubbing Bubbles, will disinfect surfaces.

How does one become infected with H1N1?
Spread of Novel H1N1 virus is thought to be happening in the same way that seasonal flu spreads. Flu viruses are spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing by people with influenza. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their eyes, mouth or nose.

What can I do to reduce the spread of Novel H1N1 flu in the workplace?
Novel H1N1 is very similar to the seasonal flu. In order to reduce your risk of contracting H1N1, you should do the following:
1. Avoid close contact (within 6 feet) with people who are sick.
2. If you get influenza-like illness symptoms, stay home from work or school, except to seek medical care. Limit contact with others to keep from infecting them. Medical authorities are recommending that individuals remain in self-isolation for 24 hours after flu symptoms end.
3. Cover your mouth and nose when you cough and sneeze with a tissue and dispose of promptly in a waste can. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your sleeve.
4. Clean your hands frequently with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub.
5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
6. Practice other good health habits, such as a healthy diet, exercise, and adequate sleep.
7. Do not share eating utensils, drink containers, etc. that increase the risk of contact with germs through saliva.

Is it safe to use the restrooms?
As you know we diligently clean all of our community bathrooms on a daily basis. The chemicals that we use to clean have been rated to kill any Influenza A virus on contact. Novel H1N1 falls into the Influenza A virus category and therefore, the chemicals used in the bathroom will kill that virus on contact making the bathrooms safe and clean. We are following cleaning procedures recommended by Environmental Health and Safety and the State Department of Health.

I’m starting to feel sick. What are the symptoms of Novel H1N1?
The symptoms are similar to the seasonal flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. Many people also experience diarrhea and vomiting. Individuals are typically contagious from about one day before symptoms start until about 7 days later or 24 hours after a fever breaks, whichever is longer.

If you are concerned, seek medical attention with your primary care physician. The most important thing you can do is stay home and avoid contact with others. This may include not coming into work. You will need to do the regular things you do when you have the flu, rest, drink lots of liquids, and watch your temperature. If you are not feeling well, it is important for you to practice “social distancing” which means that you try to stay at least 6 feet from other individuals who are not sick.

I think I’ve been exposed to H1N1. What should I do?
If you have been exposed to an individual with flu-like symptoms, there is no need to immediately seek medical attention. There is an incubation period of 1-3 days and medical professionals will not be able to determine if you will get sick during this time. Continue to monitor how you are feeling, drink liquids, get plenty of rest, eat a healthy diet, and exercise during this time. If you begin to feel sick or exhibit symptoms call your primary care physician to seek medical advice.
If you have a chronic condition such as diabetes, asthma, an immune system disorder, or other chronic health condition, contact a health provider upon exposure to seek their advice and determine any necessary preventative or early-symptom treatment.

What is the University doing with students who are diagnosed with H1N1?
More than likely, the student will go home to recuperate in a quiet environment for a few days. If the student is not able to go home, the student will stay in their room to get rest and get well for a few days. Foods staff will provide meal service to the student during that time.

In celebration of the upcoming holidays, the Penn State Alumni Chapter of Greater Hazleton will host photos and refreshments for children with Santa and the Nittany Lion on Wed., Dec. 2, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Harlam Lounge of the Administration Building. This event is free and open to the public.

The Alumni Chapter requests that parents and children attending the event bring a new, unwrapped toy of any size in exchange for the photo. The toys will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House at Geisinger Medical Center.

Parents are welcomed to bring a camera to take advantage of this great opportunity for holiday keepsakes and greeting card photos.

For more information, call Carole Shearer, alumni and development specialist, at 570-450-3016.

The latter species, also known by the Latin scientific name of Numenius borealis, will be the subject of a “Great Books” discussion of “Last of the Curlews” by Fred Bodsworth at Penn State Hazleton. The event, free and open to the public, will start at 7 p.m., Mon., Nov. 16, the Harlam Lounge of the campus administration building.

In this conservation classic novel, first published in 1955, Bodsworth tells the story of a solitary Eskimo curlew’s perilous migration from the Arctic to South America its search for a mate. “The lone survivor comes to stand for the entirety of a species on the brink of extinction and for all in nature that is endangered,” according to a publisher’s note on the outside back page of the 175-page account.

A Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology paper, available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/conservation/extinctions/eskimo_curlew/document_view includes the following overview of this avian species’ life history and demise:

“Until the 1870s, immense flocks of Eskimo curlews migrating in fall through the Canadian Maritime provinces and New England fattened up on blueberries and fruits of other heathland shrubs before heading south over the Atlantic Ocean to South America. Similarly sized flocks en route north in the spring fed upon grasshoppers and other insects in the Great Plains.

“Despite its vast numbers, the Eskimo curlew population was devastated over just a 20-year period, and was rarely seen after 1890. Now it is almost certainly extinct. Such a swift disappearance can be explained by a lethal combination of three simultaneous events.

• “After Passenger Pigeons disappeared, the Eskimo curlew became the target of choice for market hunters in search of new foods to exploit.
• “During its migration northward in April and May, the Eskimo curlew depended almost exclusively on the abundant insect foods of native tallgrass and mixed grass prairies. In the late 1800s, these critical habitat patches were virtually eliminated by wholesale conversion of prairies to agricultural fields and by widespread suppression of wildfire.
• "Extinction of the Eskimo curlew's primary spring food item, the Rocky Mountain grasshopper.”

Copies of the book are available at a discounted price for "Great Books" participants are available through the campus bookstore.

For more information on the "Great Books" series or other events at Penn State Hazleton, call the University Relations Office at 570-450-3180.

Dr. Robinson and Dean Stubberud will discuss development of an exchange program between Penn State Hazleton and Buskerud to provide international study opportunities for students, which made Hazleton the first campus in Penn State to offer a study abroad session in Norway, other than student teaching experience. Two students from Penn State Hazleton successfully completed International Management and International Marketing during a summer 2008 session at Buskerud. This reciprocal program will bring Norwegian students to Penn State Hazleton for a semester of study.

In addition to speaking at Penn State Hazleton, Dean Stubberud will be a guest presenter at the Hazleton Rotary meeting on Wednesday.

From August 2008 to July 2009, Dr. Robinson tught business courses at graduate and undergraduate levels and performed joint management research projects with Buskerud faculty. She was one of approximately 800 U.S. faculty and professionals to travel abroad through the Fulbright Scholar Program which was established in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas to build mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the rest of the world.

Dr. Robinson first visited Norway in May and June 2004 with Rotary International’s Group Study Exchange, a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for businesspeople and professionals between the ages of 25 and 40 who are in the early stages of their careers. She began to study the language and returned several times to visit friends and improve her language skills at the University of Oslo, eventually passing the fluency certification in 2006.

At Penn State, Dr. Robinson has taught a variety of business administration, management, international business, marketing and economics courses. Her research topics include entrepreneurship, particularly rural women small business owners, as well as a project on business incubators. Her pedagogical research has focused on the use of interactive technologies, such as “clickers” (student response systems) and podcasting.

While at Buskerud University College, Dr. Robinson taught classes in organization and management, consumer behavior, travel and tourism marketing, and negotiating. Additionally, she assisted the Fulbright office in Oslo with podcasting.

For more information, please contact the Office of University Relations at 570-450-3180.

Dr. Sherry Robinson	Dean Hans Anton Stubberud

At the brunch, alumni and guests will be treated to a bountiful brunch featuring Jonathan’s specialty–crème brulee French toast, along with scrambled eggs with cheese sauce, home fries, bacon and sausage, fruit, assorted pastries, and an assortment of beverages.

Additionally, attendees will receive alumni and anniversary mementos, photos with the Nittany Lion, and special recognition of alumni. Campus tours with Lion Ambassadors will be available following the brunch. Registration with payment must be received by September 14. Prices are $25 for adults, and $15 for guests 14 and under. A special edition campus alumni polo shirt is available to order at an additional cost. All reunion attendees will also receive an coupon for a free scoop of University Creamery ice cream at Community Day.

The reunion will be held prior to the start of Community Day, the annual celebration of campus and community, which spans the entire campus with free activities, entertainment and education stations from 1 to 5 p.m.

Reservations may be made by completing the reservation form or by calling the alumni office at 570-450-3016.

Penn State Hazleton encourages students, faculty and staff to enroll in PSUTXT, an easy and accessible system that lets them know via cell phone when classes are canceled due to weather conditions or if the campus has an emergency situation. Sign up now for PSUTXT and, when necessary, Penn State Hazleton will send a text message alert directly to your cell phone and/or e-mail account.

To register, visit http://newswires.psu.edu/ and click on the PSUTXT REGISTER button at the bottom of the page to sign up. For information, contact Annemarie Mountz at amountz@psu.edu.