'Centre County Can't Wait' Slate Looks for Reform
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Vol. 121, No. 22 Thursday, April 1, 2021 COWS DURING COVID Penn State Dairy Farms continue operations normally amid coronavirus pandemic By Max Guo Calvert (senior-animal science) FOR THE COLLEGIAN has worked at the farms since January 2020. When the corona- The dairy farms at Penn State’s virus hit Penn State and mitiga- Dairy Complex are a cornerstone tion restrictions began, Penn in the Penn State community and State Dairy Farms stood vigilant, have been for years. Through the according to Calvert, because pandemic, the farms have seen she saw very little change in her minimal impacts. work aside from some employees With a herd size of around 500 leaving. cows, the dairy farms supply Travis Edwards, co-manager of Penn State’s Berkey Creamery Penn State Dairy Farms, said the with milk for its ice cream. Penn employees have kept doing their State students can get a taste — normal activities the “same as literally — of what the farms have always from lockdown on.” to offer since its milk also sup- “There has to be somebody plies the many dining halls across here 365 days a year, twice a day campus. to milk the cows,” Edwards said. The farms employ up to nine “We stayed open and we stayed full-time work- operational as we nor- ers and around mally do, thanks 20 students ev- “We stayed open in a large part Ernesto Estremera JR/For the Collegian ery semester, to our employ- Young calves rest in the Penn State Dairy Complex on Tuesday, March 30, in University Park, Pa. according to and we stayed ees and also Nadine Houck, operational as we our students co-manager who stayed workers],” Houck said. “Enough them or their families.” “What we were worried about of Penn State normally do, thanks on and stayed of them stayed so that we could Edwards and Houck said work in the beginning was most of our Dairy Farms. in a large part to here through get done what we needed to get at the dairy farms has been crew being taken out all at once,” Employees are the shut down.” done.” largely unaffected because the Edwards said. “Fortunately, that responsible for our employees and However, the Calvert said she believes the workplace is outdoors and natu- didn’t seem to happen.” milking, cleaning also our students farms faced student workers stepped up in rally distanced. A few employ- Edwards said many of the stalls and taking some minor a time of need when full-time ees contracted the virus, but it dairy’s workers are now being care of young who stayed on.” setbacks but employees weren’t able to be there. didn’t spread among the staff, vaccinated, and he expects the according to Edwards. farms to continue working well calves. Student Travis Edwards were able to “When the pandemic hit, there employees en- continue op- were a couple full-time guys who Edwards said the farms devel- into the future. joy hands-on PSU Dairy Farms co-manager erations, ac- had to take time off for family oped emergency planning in case The dairy farms are still hiring experience and cording to concerns,” Calvert said. “We were a large amount of the workforce students for the summer semes- access to living Houck. worried about being most care- would be hit simultaneously by ter, and Houck said she isn’t wor- quarters, which attracts many “We saw a ful because of them. We didn’t the coronavirus. However, they ried about further impact from — like Johnna Calvert. decrease [in want to spread [coronavirus] to never had to utilize it. the coronavirus. ‘Centre County Can’t Wait’ slate looks for reform By Anjelica Rubin Centre County slate are small out about the slate have been lim- FOR THE COLLEGIAN business owner and long-term ited to virtual meetups and the resident Richard Biever, current impact of social media platforms. Gopal Balachandran’s bid for Penn State student and organi- Balachandran noted that social State College Borough Coun- zational leader Divine Lipscomb media can “only do so much” and cil began with a Twitter direct and 3/20 Coalition co-leader is looking forward to a day when message. Tierra Williams, all of whom have that aspect of normalcy becomes “It was the last thing I could been backed by PA United. day-to-day life once again. have expected,” Balachandran, “Each one of us isn’t running to “A lot of our meetings have be- assistant professor of clinical law be individual saviors,” Balachan- come virtual, so it is challenging,” at Penn State, said. “I had never dran said. “We are a part of a Balachandran said. “The great considered a political run of any broader movement representing thing about CPAU is this group kind before, but after this orga- local interests by stressing the recognizes that contact with vot- nizer reached out, it immediately importance of having dialogues ers is important and that those put a bug in my ear.” within the specific communities conversations are what influence The organizer, 17-year-old se- we represent.” our work.” nior at State College Area High For Williams, being a part Like Balachandran, Williams School Maddie King is part of of the slate represents new said there have been addi- Central Pennsylvania’s chapter beginnings as well. tional problems running a local of PA United, an organization “Policy change starts at the campaign virtually. working to mobilize a new type of community level,” Williams said. “It’s already hard work to get government statewide. “[Running] was not something yourself elected in a district, “There are so many people in I had initially thought of, but the township or county no matter this town who feel disengaged Lily LaRegina/Collegian priority with the slate and CPAU what size it is,” Williams said. or disconnected from local poli- Tierra Williams, a co-leader of the 3/20 Coalition, is running for local of- is about making our area a bet- “But with the difficulties the pan- tics, because they have never ter place. If I can have even the demic has brought to what would had someone represent their pri- fice as a part of the “Our Communities Can’t Wait” campaign slate. smallest impact through this have been a regular campaign orities,” King said. “What we’re campaign, it will be worth it.” cycle, makes it 10 times harder.” trying to do is take back that nar- platform while still running an reach out and encourage him to While Balachandran, Biever As the weather gets warmer, rative and put in its place candi- “individual campaign.” take that jump,” King said. “For and Lipscomb are campaigning CPAU has been able to offer more dates who will serve as commu- “Our ultimate goal is to build too long, certain politicians have for the three open borough coun- events outside, including a can- nity members first and politicians a broad coalition that represents dictated the political scene. Our cil seats in State College, Williams vassing event in the State Col- second.” everyone,” Balachandran said. community members deserve is running in the neighboring mu- lege area on March 27 about the CPAU is one of seven chapters “By having a diverse set of view- more — not from people trying nicipality Ferguson Township to primary election. across western Pennsylvania points as part of our slate, it en- to make career moves but from be the next township supervisor. La Porta volunteered at the re- that are part of PA United’s 2021 ables for more creative solutions those in our community who will “Of course everyone is invested cent event in support of the bor- “Our Communities Can’t Wait” during this campaign period.” do their job as an act of service in seeing each other win because ough candidates alongside King, campaign slate to elect and sup- While the slate was finalized at and love for the space we live in.” we’ve got an amazing team that’s who created handmade zines for port a government “where the the beginning of March with the State College native and local working together,” Williams said. volunteers to distribute to nearby people who work the hardest and addition of Balachandran, the activist Abbie La Porta said the “However, at the end of the day, neighborhoods. bear the greatest burdens are La Porta said spending four roots of CPAU go all the way back impact a candidate slate brings to we all come from different parts of also the ones who write the laws,” this community, so we think about hours in the borough is not where to spring 2020 when Daniel Suss- local elections can have the abil- according to its website. complex issues very differently. If most college students might find er, CPAU team leader, and other ity to change the direction of a There are 25 candidates run- political party. I say police reform, it’s not going themselves on a Saturday, but local progressive activists came ning as part of the broader “Our “Looking at the Democratic to mean the same thing to other she credited the importance of together to support Joe Biden in Communities Can’t Wait” slate party in Centre County, we know candidates due to how our life ex- targeting those in the community the 2020 presidential election. — with four candidates located there have been periences differ. — including students who might in Centre County, where the cam- What started as an idea from a Democrats elect- “CPAU formed this Our positions are not even be aware that a local small group of activists working paign is called “Centre County ed in local elec- slate to help bring still independent election is coming up.