Both Anne Orchard and Dan Weil returned from winter break and found a surprise. Someone had charged long-distance telephone calls to each of their phone numbers. Penn State's tuition increase will probably celebrate its silver anniversary this year, according to a presentation about the University's budget process held Friday at the University Board of Trustees' meeting. With the economy's downward spiral, many political watchdogs agree that President Bush needs to come up with a plausible plan for economic recovery if he intends to win the November election. He would have been 63. O'Dwyer's place. It's kind of like Cheers but the beer is free and the bar is in a pit. Not every dorm room needs a 24-pack of Charmin and a stack of 20 paper towels. But they're necessary in a room for four men with their own bathroom. Saturday afternoon: The campus is relatively quiet as everyone recovers from Friday night antics and gears up for the coming evening. Some students are sleeping, others are comatose in front of TVs and a select few are studying. Although today the University will celebrate the accomplishments of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., it took Penn State until 1983 to take his teachings to heart, and some say the University still has a way to go. Four suspects wanted for a double homicide in Texas were arrested last night in State College. On this dorm floor, all the doors are open and students wander in and out of various rooms freely. Students live in a cohesive environment with people of common interests. From a spiked-haired free spirit on the skateboard ramp to a solid, politically aware individual in the courtroom, 18-year-old Fred Weaver became Clearfield County's youngest constable.
For the first meet of the season, the men's track team didn't really have high expectations. Jim Whitler played Penn State volleyball in the mid-1970s. He and his large physique (what appears to be at least 6-feet-4-inches) returned this weekend to stalk the court once again -- this time for the alumni game. There weren't supposed to be any surprises for the men's swimming and diving team this weekend. But they came anyway, some of them in very big packages. In football, a 14-point loss is embarrassing. In basketball, it's a blowout. But in a swim meet, 14 points is a heartbreakingly close margin of defeat. Tracy Kerner had been sick all week. Teri Jordan had her hands full. Early last week, ice hockey coach Joe Battista voiced concern about the team's defense, saying that its shortcomings were masked by the team's proven offensive firepower. There's no place like home. Home sweet home. Home is where the heart is. It's good to be home. The rims may have been screwed in a little too tight at Rec Hall this weekend judging by the shooting performance of the women's basketball team. Helen Holloway doesn't venture beyond the 3-point stripe very often. But when she does, the 6-foot sophomore has the same orders as the sharpshooting guards -- if the shot is there, fire at will. With freshman John Hughes leading the way, No. 3 Penn State showed no rust as it stomped Navy, 34-3 and slaughtered Maryland 45-0. Guard Monroe Brown can no longer be considered a one-dimensional player. Somebody ought to give center Dave Degitz a lunch pail to bring to work -- or maybe a flannel shirt and a time card.

"Who's Hughes?" a wrestling fan asked Saturday night as he looked up at the name stenciled in for the Lions' 142-pound weight class.
Collegian Editorial: During King holiday celebration, remember his unrealized dream

My Opinion: Adrienne Payne My Opinion: Andy Hunn