Vicky Triponey, vice president of student affairs, spoke about the need for a strong sense of community within Penn State at a Q-and-A session with students last night.

Though she enjoys working here now, Triponey said she ruled out Penn State for her undergraduate degree because she thought it was too big.

"I had this image of a huge, impersonal, bureaucratic place," she said.

When Triponey came to Penn State, she was surprised by the outcome.

"My initial reaction was those ideas I had as a kid," she said. "When I visited here I was so impressed and stunned that this university of 80,000 students, with 40,000 on this campus, could have such a sense of community."

She said more than 70 percent of students participate in activities outside of the classroom and that is "a phenomenal number," especially when compared to other large universities.

Triponey said she is concerned about ways to link student affairs and academics for those who don't feel a sense of community at Penn State. "You're education is not segmented," she told a group of about 50 students who attended the session. "You are learning in and out of the classroom and we need to bridge the gap between the two."

Triponey conversed with students to come up with areas of student affairs that could be improved. Better orientation programs for freshman and transfer students and better advising and mentoring services were two suggestions.

She said students often don't realize that change takes time, and that she cannot do everything on her own.

"We need to create a culture where we all feel responsible to make it a better place," Triponey said.

One thing she can do is become the connection between different segments of the community. For example, if students wanted to meet with State College Borough Council members to discuss certain issues, she could help set that up.

"I don't have all the answers," she said. "I can't wave a magic wand around to fix things, but I can bring the right people to the table."

In answering student questions, Triponey briefly discussed recent sexual assaults on campus, saying the administration is constantly having meetings on what Penn State is doing to help the situation.

She said student government leaders have met with leaders of different fraternities, apartment complexes and local government to set up lighting in dark areas. However, she said lighting alone will not solve the problem.

"You can do all the lights in the world but most assaults are from acquaintances," she said. "You can't put a bubble over campus to protect because the problem is within us. We need a community response to solve the problem and put out the idea that this behavior isn't acceptable."

Nick Smith (graduate-higher education and student affairs) said Triponey seemed to really care about her job and the students.

"She is administration but seemed genuine," he said. "It seems you can trust her and she will get the job done."

The event was sponsored by Lion Support to let students voice their opinions about school issues, said Hollis Mason, graduate assistant for Lion Support.