While most Penn State students have seen the thousands of little, white headphones dotting campus, Apple Campus Representative Carolyn Denomme feels many are unfamiliar with the computer company beyond its MP3 player, the iPod.

That is one of the reasons why she and several other users of Apple's Macintosh computers created the Penn State Mac User Group last semester.

"I do think a lot of people don't really know about the Mac, so I think the group is a great way for them to learn about another alternative," said Denomme (sophomore-engineering science), who is also the group's secretary. "A lot of college students have iPods and that's a great way for Apple to show there's more behind their computers than people might think."

Carlo Pitocco (sophomore-advertising), the group's president, said officers are trying to break the stereotypical image of a computer club.

"We had to make it interesting and not just a computer club where geeky people get together and talk about computers," he said. "The Mac isn't really a computer. As an Apple user, I see myself more as an art collector."

Although there is a local Macintosh user group for Central Pennsylvania, Denomme said that group consists mainly of older, employed users.

"That was one of my responsibilities as an Apple rep. We wanted to start one that was more specific to students," she said, adding that the group can receive funding from Apple for activities if needed.

Club member David Cairns (junior-computer science), who found out about the club from a flier, said the emphasis on students is what makes the group fun.

"I've been to other Mac user group meetings near Philadelphia and it's all, like, older people in their 30s and

40s," he said. "So I'm really glad this one's, like, actually interesting to attend. The group will be a lot more effective for people our age."

The club, which began with five people, gained official status on Nov. 1 and now has about 70 people on its mailing list.

"We didn't want to make it a strict club where you have to attend so many meetings and pay dues," Denomme said. "If you come to the meetings, you're an active member."

Pitocco said the group held two official meetings last semester, each attended by about 30 people, with new faces at the second.

The meetings usually consist of updating the club on Apple's latest news and demonstrating different computer applications, he said.

Apple Campus Representative Patrick DiEugenio (senior-information sciences and technology and French) said that by showing students how to use different programs, students will be able to use their technology for more than just e-mail and word-processing.

"You can do so much more with these computers than that," he said. "[The club] is helping people get the most of their technology."

Apple offers many creative programs beneficial to students for class projects or just for fun, such as storing and editing pictures and creating DVDs, Pitocco said.

To capture that creativity, the group is planning to hold several seminars and activities, including a film festival.

Pitocco said a seminar is planned during February on advanced video editing, during which students will go out, make movies and then compete for the best film.

"That's one of the best things about the club--it's entertaining," Vice President Tim Martin said. "People seem to be really enthusiastic and have a lot of great ideas."

He said the activities and meetings are open to anyone interested, not just Mac users.

"We want to get as many people involved as we can," Pitocco said. "We don't want just Mac users here."

The club will hold its next meeting at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 18 in 169 Willard. For more information visit http://www.applegroup.gocarlo.com.