Kaur discussed her “Revolutionary Love Project,” of which she is the founder, as well as her book “See No Stranger,” where she asked Penn State students to consider justice from the angle of love.

Kaur detailed what the Revolutionary Love Project is about and how “people like those in the audience tonight” need to practice it for the sake of the communities people live in.

“Revolutionary love is when we are brave enough to see a stranger, to be able to look at any person and say, ‘You are a part of me I do not know yet.’ We all have the power to see other people through those eyes, and that it is a powerful anti-racist revolutionary practice,” Kaur said. “With this practice, we can start to change the world around us.”

Kaur introduced the “Revolutionary Love Compass,” which displayed different ways to handle and apply that love “to ourselves, others and our opponents.” According to Kaur, each side of the compass had three steps, that with joy, achieves “Revolutionary Love.”

She said these key concepts are portrayed in her book, which she began writing after she graduated from her undergraduate at Stanford University.

Becca Geiger Wallen, the associate director of the Gender Equity Center, said this event helped get an important message across to students.

“The reason why we wanted to bring Valarie to Penn State is really to equip students, who may be frustrated with different situations or issues, with the tools to be able to address controversial topics, or even just conflicts, with others in a way that is productive and meaningful,” Wallen said.

Wallen also talked about why Kaur was specifically chosen to be one of the first speakers for this month’s events.

“The goal first and foremost was to kick off Women’s History Month. The theme for this year is ‘Celebrating Women Who Tell [Our] Stories,’ and so that perfectly aligns with value and the words of Valarie,” Wallen said.

These goals weren’t the only goals that the Gender Equity Center had, according to Yvette Wilson, the director of the Gender Equity Center. Wilson spoke on how Kaur inspires a new hope to Penn State students through her life stories and experiences.

“The Gender Equity Center is always looking for really people to come and talk about subjects that are relevant to our community and to our students,” Wilson said. “With Valarie Kaur coming tonight — she’s just an incredibly unique woman who’s just doing some really amazing work, and her background Sikh faith, her activism, her law degree— there’s so many different layers of her and her identity that come together, and it’s just amazing to see it.”

Kaur used her many backgrounds, such as being a Sikh, to demonstrate how she lives her messages. She called herself a “Sage Warrior” because a “warrior fights” and a “sage loves.”

Within these layers, Kaur also found “magic and mystery” in her life and asked the audience to apply the same view to themselves.

“Our ability to experience the magic and mystery — to live in the present — is what makes us a part of the world. It gives us wonder, and wonder is wellspring for love,” Kaur said.

Kaur also asked Penn State students to consider how they show their solidarity, as it should contains elements of love to make the solidarity “deep.”

Rachel Galloway, the assistant director at the Center for Spiritual and Ethical Development, said she sees solidarity as a place for us to grow as a community, sharing similar sentiments of Kaur.

“I really just hope that people take away the fact that we’re bigger than ourselves, that other voices matter… that that we need to be confident in our in our own skin and also in finding out about others.” Galloway said. “I think the message she shared really sums it up beautifully. That it really is about others. It’s about engaging with your ‘opponents,’ and it’s about loving yourself.” 

Galloway said she initially sat and listened to Kaur in 2018 at the Parliament of World Religions. She related to Kaur as a mother, community member and “justice seeker.”

“Her message really spoke to me. Just the concept of revolutionary love — I find it really powerful,” Galloway said. “As someone who works with the religious and spiritual communities on campus, it was really important to elevate her voice in this time.”

From the discussion, Wallen said she hopes those who listened can take away at least the one message — how to fight for each other.

“It’s the notion of what Valarie was saying. It is that really, this work is all about love,” Wallen said. “Oftentimes, when we’re in the field of diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice, we talk a lot about fighting for those sorts of things, which certainly is true — but envisioning that fight differently, in the sense to not only should we heal ourselves, but also heal others.”

Kaur ended her discussion with a book signing.

“Our revolutionary love is the call of our times, and longevity and resilience are only possible in a community where we love,” Kaur said. “Who we see, what shapes us, what we do, oftentimes it can feel overwhelming to figure how to change the world when we need to consider all of this, but the answer is right here where we all are in the space between us. The frontlines for justice work is right in front and with us.”

At the event, Eastman, who received her master’s of fine arts in creative writing from Penn State, read essays from her nonfiction book “The Painted Forest,” gave insight on how to improve as a writer and spoke to the community about her writing process.

Eastman said when writing, she doesn’t like it when she “[knows] the answers.”

“I know that for me it’s excruciatingly boring if I have the answer in my pot, and I’m just not interested,” she said. “I do [writing] because I don’t know what my answer is. The upside is that that’s exciting.”

Eastman shared two essays: “My Youth” and “Pioneer.”

The former was a reflection of Eastman’s life during the end of her undergraduate years and her time in France, where she taught English. For Eastman, these experiences led to formative discoveries in both her life and writing process.

Eastman discussed her process in writing “My Youth,” including how her memories from her youth spawned from a “T-shirt for a toddler” with a Hummer “that says ‘bummer’ on it instead of ‘Hummer,'” due to the vehicle’s political significance.

“Actually, what’s interesting to me about this [T-shirt] is that it provided a way for me to give form to this passage of time without having to talk about everything,” Eastman said. “Other people write really big, long books, but for me, it’s very helpful to have that constraint because it was this moment in time that became… this cultural flashpoint, which symbolized a lot more than just being a really big vehicle.”

Alison Jaenicke, assistant director of Penn State’s creative writing program, said the reading series creates a space for student writers to be “in the same space as a writer” and learn in new ways.

“I think it’s really eye opening for students to realize that writers are real people that have kids, have to fix dinner and worry about cleaning their house and have to balance the checkbook — and to see that they live lives. And they also write,” Jaenicke said.”It can help open the door of possibility for student writers to go down that path themselves.”

Julia Kasdorf, the director of the creative writing program, said attending readings can show students the work of authors who “were sitting in the same classrooms” and “have gone on to do these amazing things.”

“For them, just to see it’s a demonstration of possibility can be amazing,” Kasdorf said. “It’s a space where people can come. The community people, our colleagues can come, people can come from other departments and just have the pleasure of literature, which is unusual for a lot of people.”

Kasdorf said bringing Eastman to Penn State for this reading came as a “surprise.”

“Last year, I organized the series for this academic year, and I noticed a book had won an award — I remembered [Eastman] being a student in the program years ago,” Kasdorf said. “I read some of the work from the book and I… saw that it was by Krista, which was really exciting.”

Jaenicke also reflected on the past, mentioning how the reading series was in “great tumult” during the coronavirus pandemic, so it was “difficult to figure out how to present stuff virtually.” She said being in person for readings allows her and attendees to “feel the energy.”

“I think there’s no substitute for being in the presence of a writer and to hear her share her words and… answer questions,” Jaenicke said.

Eastman said her essays tell stories of her life and how she discovers life through reflecting upon her past experiences. She said she has written about “spectacular” things in the past, but she is more interested in writing about “the mundane.”

“Just regular life and the process of just in a sort of mundane way, trying to make sense of your average life is interesting to me,” she said. “I can’t promise it will be interesting to other people, but at the end of the day, I don’t really go to the page because I’m trying to please a large group of people. I’m there because I’m trying to figure something out.”

GPSA, in collaboration with the Bank of America Career Services Center and singer and reality television personality Alana Morrison, ran the event for two hours.

GPSA Jada Quinland said the show aimed to celebrate more than Black history, but also Black people as a whole.

“With everything happening at Penn State, I think being able to celebrate different cultures… is really important to Penn State and GPSA,” Quinland (graduate-international affairs) said. “We were kinda testing the waters and seeing how many Black History Month events were happening and wanted to add our two cents.”

Quinland explained that GPSA worked with the Bank of America Career Services Center and its Professional Attire Closet to bring awareness to resources and to educate on upcycling “old fashion” to “reinvent pieces.”

“Not every model had on everything from [the Professional Attire Closet], but the majority of pieces the models were wearing were from [there],” Quinland said. “We are just trying to show, specifically [to] the Black community, that the [Professional Attire] closet and thrifting can be really reinventive.”

Frankie Urrutia-Smith, the GPSA speaker of assembly, shared a similar sentiment and said the fashion show was “great.”

“I think access to resources that a lot of students — especially graduate students who don’t often know they have access to on campus — is something to make people aware of,” Urrutia-Smith (graduate-history and women’s, gender and sexuality studies) said. “Making people cognizant with something very celebratory and upbeat is something I love. It was a success.”

The Black Friday Fashion Show began with Morrison welcoming the audience and introducing the show’s theme of “Black Resistance.”

The first segment of the three-part show featured nine models, each of whom showed off one outfit.

In the next part, Morrison performed three songs, including “I Want You” and two unreleased tracks. Following a small session of the audience singing to the songs the DJ was playing, the fashion resumed with the same nine models returning in new outfits.

GPSA delegate Sunshine said the event made her day.

“It was amazing. I was feeling low coming into this, but energy is completely changed,” Sunshine (graduate-human development and family studies and demography) said. “The models were getting me hype. It was really lit, and I really enjoyed it.”

Urrutia-Smith noted that the Black Friday Fashion Show could not have happened without Quinland’s efforts.

“This is really Jada’s baby. She puts in so much work for the grad student body, and the overall student body in general,” Urrutia-Smith said. “I love that she’s wanting to pull student organizations into celebrating Black History Month, Black excellence [and] Black culture.”

Sunshine said “a lot” of effort had been put into the creation of the show, and that Quinland has “done so much as president.”

“We’ve been planning this for a couple of months now, and it’s been really great that Alana Morrison was able to come and help out with this,” Sunshine said. “Getting models was difficult, but we were able to do that in a very diverse way. I’m happy that everything came together at the end.”

Quinland said she felt the show connected with the crowd on an “intimate” level, and that the event was everything she had envisioned.

“Honestly, I just feel blessed,” she said. “I’m grateful for the models and our host, who charged us less than she would usually do. Although the whole auditorium wasn’t filled, it was cute and intimate, and it made me very content.”

Taking place in an apartment, the two-act dark comedy, written by Chris Herron, features a group of four unnamed characters who decide to gather and take their own lives together.

Artistically, Zeibari said he found his vision when he discovered “Quick Exit.”

“Finding this play was very difficult. I was told to find a play that [I] knew was ‘the one.’ Reading what it was about, I realized it was [a] very dark comedy,” Zeibari (senior-astrophysics) said.

Zeibari said he has acted in dark comedies before, and that the “character-heavy” nature of “Quick Exit” was “exactly what [he] wanted out of a production.”

“It covers the topics I wanted to cover and still retains comedy, so it really resonated with me,” he said.

Zeibari wasn’t the only one who felt this way. Mariam Fostok, who played “Three,” said acting in her role made her feel “more herself.”

“It feels very important to have the role I had,” Fostok (senior-general science) said. “When I saw that I got [the role of] Three specifically, it felt big and made me very happy.”

Fostok also commented how the show developed for her and her acting experience.

“This whole process has been amazing,” she said. “Figuring out how to be moody and balance it with adding humor and joy to the show was tricky, but at the same time, it all felt very natural.”

Jason Scansaroli played “One,” who he said “works in finance.”

Like Fostok, Scansaroli said he “found himself in his character,” and that he was proud of Zeibari’s efforts.

“Getting to see [Zeibari] go from auditioning to full-on directing was something I thought was really cool,” Scansaroli (senior-music) said.

Scansaroli said “Quick Exit” is his third show with NRT. He noted that the show “stuck out” to him at the time of auditions more so than other plays.

“It had that dark comedy, but also very genuine sincereness that I enjoy in a lot of media,” he said. “It fit exactly as I thought it would.”

Alongside all of the actors, Zeibari said he wanted people to better understand how others “go through a lot and experience a lot in their lives.”

“I think the biggest takeaway that I want people to understand is that everyone is different, has their reasons to live and lives different lives.” Zeibari said. “Throughout the whole show, you realize that these are full-fledged people with different backgrounds. I wanted to bring awareness to such a horrible topic of suicide. We all live differently, and I feel we need to consider it more.”

From housing that’s directly off campus to the apartments that require a bus to reach campus, students get to live in places where they start to live with friends, or even alone, without Penn State’s oversight.

However, these new experiences also come with many surprises, according to Penn State students.

Vishal Janapati noted that his relationships with his friends changed in unexpected ways.

“You also learn that when you live with other roommates, though, you might be friendly on campus, it’s a lot different there,” Janapati (junior-biomedical engineering) said.

Despite this, Janapati also shared positive aspects of life that came with living off campus.

“You realize that you have a lot more responsibility, but also more freedom,” Janapati said.

This increase in both freedom and responsibility was a feeling shared by many students, like Jake Paul and Jianwu Tan, who both talked about how they handle their situations of managing personal and financial obligations.

“With more freedom came a higher amount of responsibilities you have to take on by yourself. It’s a big wakeup call, especially when it comes to making your own food,” Paul (junior-civil engineering) said. “If you’re hungry, you can’t always just take a one-minute walk to the dining hall.”

Tan (junior-electrical engineering) said what was most unexpected for him was “managing all the costs and living expenses.”

“I didn’t realize how all these different bills like electrical fees and water bills really add up and can change how much you can actually spend on other things,” Tan said.

Ashley Person noted how easy the transition was when it came to managing time and getting around.

“I was really surprised how easy it is to get back and forth on the buses that run,” Person (sophomore-English) said.

Despite Person’s comments about the convenience of the CATA system, some students, like Chloe Sobel, noted that there are also inconveniences to living off campus.

“I was surprised that there [were] not really any study spaces provided or funded by the school,” Sobel (senior-psychology) said. “So many people live downtown that I think it would be helpful to have a community space for students to do work — like the [HUB-Robeson Center] — but off campus.”

Michael Vazquez said he used to be a resident assistant in East Halls, and he felt “relaxed” once he moved off campus.

“One thing that surprised me when I moved off campus is how different it feels being able to leave campus [to go] home,” Vazquez (junior-biochemistry) said. “It’s so peaceful.”

The “Community Jam Session” took place at 7 p.m. Friday at 3 Dots Downtown.

Michael Mwenso, the band’s leader and vocalist, led the Shakes and audience members on a journey he called “for the soul” and “full of energy,” with the goal of creating connections between people.

“[Connection] is everything you want, it is everything you need,” Mwenso said. “To get to know people on a deeper level is everything.”

To kick off the session, Mwenso invited the audience to join him in a “shake,” asking everyone to stand up and shake their bodies.

This immediately transitioned into musical performance, with jazz and funk songs featuring two vocalists, a dancer, a bass cellist, a guitarist, a pianist, a saxophonist, a trombonist, a trumpeter and two drummers.

After each song, Mwenso performed poetry, with the poem’s main message then being one of the key phrases in the next song.

After an hour of performance and a five-minute break, members of the community played alongside the band with Mwenso leading it all.

Taylor Roig, the director of production, audio and touring for Mwenso and the Shakes, spoke on Mwenso’s leadership at the event.

“He’s leading everyone, from a musical standpoint, from a soulful standpoint. He’s trying to find our community members’ strengths and weaknesses and seeing how they can fit on stage and play with the band,” Roig said. “He’s spending time on stage trying to ignite the crowd. He’s off stage helping out there, too. He is everywhere.”

The presence of Mwenso and the Shakes was felt by everyone, according to CPA Audience and Program Development Director Amy Dupain Vashaw.

“Right now, my heart is racing very fast and full of excitement because this is not something we do regularly,” Vashaw said. “In fact, we’ve never done this because of so many different things like, ‘How do we organize this?’ [and] ‘Will there be enough people attending?’ and things like that.”

Vashaw said she found the message that Mwenso and the Shakes portray to be true to who she is and how she wants to affect the community. She spoke on the group’s ability to perform and engage inside and outside the classroom.

“They will continue to advance anti-racist work through their music, exploring Black music and history and helping people get close to their roots. Moving forward, all of this will have a new structure,” Vashaw said. “Tonight is casual. If you want to bring your instrument to jam, bring your instrument to jam. If you just want to hang out, come and have a hang. That’s how this event came about: Trying to think about the different ways to engage with the community.”

The jam ended around 9 p.m., but many people stuck around the venue, which shone with pink, purple and blue lighting for the event.

Mwenso concluded the night with thanks and shoutouts to all the community performers, many of whom were from local high schools and Penn State University. He also left one more message to everyone in attendance.

“It’s been amazing to connect with the community and get to know everybody. You feel like it’s a home,” he said. “It’s been really special. Keep connecting with anyone and everyone you can, it is one of the keys to life.”

Kern Graduate Building

The Kern Graduate Building features tables for all of your studying needs — there are tables big enough for large-scale projects, booths for medium-sized groups and small tables for solo study sessions.

Plus, this building has a Panera Bread perfect for breakfast, lunch, quick snacks or a caffeine break.

If you’re looking for a place to study during the day that isn’t the library but is in close proximity to most of campus and downtown, give the Kern Graduate Building a try.

Penn State School of Music: Music Building I and II

Located adjacent to the Forum Building, the Penn State School of Music consists of two buildings loaded with studying spots.

Upon entering either, you may be greeted with empty tables overlooking different parts of the music building, such as the recital hall or even outside views.

You can also sit outside of Recital Hall, as there’s seating and steps you can work on — though this may not be as ideal in the current season.

Overall, the Music Buildings offer a great location but are secluded from the public, so you can grind in peace. Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to hear some music in the background of your studies.

Chambers Building

Outside of the first floor’s lecture hall is a lobby with a stairwell in the middle. On the sides of the lobby’s intersecting stairs are areas to lounge or study.

If you’re looking to get work done in a spot with almost no one around (with the exception of passersby going to class) head over here. This can be helpful, especially if you have a class in Chambers.

Get there early or stay after class and start studying.

Pattee Stacks 2

For a more quiet, traditional library study session, the Stacks in Pattee are the perfect place for you.

Specifically, Pattee Stacks 2, located on the second floor, offers a quiet space, Macs and a wide variety of books.

There are also desks aligned against the windows that offer even more privacy.

A big plus is that if you ever need a break from studying, you can head downstairs and get a caffeine boost at the Starbucks in the Paterno Library. There are also plenty of books to explore, offering the complete library experience.

A reserved room in the library

One of the best perks of the Pattee and Paterno Libraries is that you can reserve a private room for personal use or for study groups.

There are many different types of rooms as well — some are a little more old-fashioned and feature nothing more than a table and a whiteboard.

Others, like the rooms in the Collaboration Commons, feature a more modern look that includes a TV you can connect your laptop to via screen sharing in addition to a whiteboard and table.

As a bonus, these rooms are soundproof and will let you study with friends easily.

Hintz Family Alumni Center

If you’re looking to escape the cold State College winter, you can find a cozy study spot at the Hintz Family Alumni Center.

The lobby has a homey feel to it and is often quiet. It features a fireplace, couches and a few tables that elicit feelings of being in a Hallmark movie.

It’s a perfect place if you’re searching for a festive feeling.

Life Sciences Bridge

Overlooking the Shortlidge Mall, the bridge connecting the Chemistry and Life Sciences Buildings is an especially secret study spot. Though its architecture makes it stand out, not many students choose to study here.

What you’ll find here is a stunning view where you can see every student who passes by as you work. One side faces the Eisenhower Auditorium and Penn State’s greenhouses, while the other looks toward the Shortlidge Mall and all of the academic buildings in the area.

You’re also close to the HUB-Robeson Center, so after you finish studying, you can get a meal before you head back to your apartment or dorm.

Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub

Although this building is located off campus, the Innovation Hub provides a unique studying experience in the heart of downtown State College.

Located near Target and Five Guys, the lobby has space designed for work with other people, helping you work in group settings.

The study spaces get even more interesting as you head up a few floors. The sixth floor has the Dr. Keiko Miwa Ross Green Roof & Gathering Space, an area aimed at reducing Penn State’s carbon footprint with a 360-degree view of Stage College.

The exhibitions demonstrate the museum’s mission of providing teaching and research to students, faculty and residents.

Brandi Breslin, the Palmer’s director of education, said her job is to focus on how to best deliver learning experiences within the exhibitions.

She said the artwork is chosen by more than a curator, but also by educators, staff and experts on issues that impact communities and ideas the most.

“We have to think about specific ideas around the artwork,” Breslin said. “How the collection becomes a collection of artwork, what ideas are inherent in it, what ideas are relevant to the community and the time period, what artwork speaks to all of that — those are the things we think about when we select the art.”

According to Breslin, exhibitions at the Palmer are more than just the art itself, and the teams behind exhibitions often work on long lists that help expand upon the art itself.

“Other staff members are working on what we call a checklist to see if the art is in our collection and to assess the objects to make sure they’re in good condition. In order to be exhibited, if there’s photography that’s needed, for example, our prep team starts to work on the installation of the artwork themselves,” Breslin said. “This then goes into thinking about what kind of special machinery might be needed and things such as exhibition design, paint colors [or] layouts of the room.”

Some of this work is handed to Will Bergmann, who is the Palmer’s chief preparator. He focuses directly on several key aspects of the building of an exhibition.

“As the chief preparator, the exhibition begins for me when it is announced by the curator. Once the exhibition has been announced, checklists have been distributed that list the works of art the curator has selected for the show,” Bergmann said. “I then lay them out in a 3D rendering program. These layouts go back and forth amongst the staff until all are satisfied.”

Bergmann acknowledged the teamwork and collaboration that goes into one exhibition.

“It really is a team effort, and everyone here at the Palmer does a great job of supporting one another,” Bergmann said. “Everyone has a unique role to each exhibit, but we all must work in conjunction to put together the strongest exhibitions possible.”

With this in mind, both Bergmann and Breslin said this preparation takes a lot of work and time. The Palmer schedules exhibitions far in advance in hopes of balancing different ideas and having smooth transitions between exhibitions.

“Our exhibition planning process really is looking three, four or five years out in advance where we’re kind of thinking about balancing out our exhibition schedule,” Breslin said. “Different parts of the permanent collection are being focused on, while also incorporating works that aren’t in the collection.”

All of this helps the team achieve “an impetus of discovery and reflection through the visual arts,” according to Breslin.

Bergmann and Breslin are not the only Palmer employees with these ambitions. Joyce Robinson, the Palmer’s assistant director, expressed a similar idea.

“We try to keep in mind curricular needs across campus when planning our lineup of exhibitions, always with a goal of fulfilling our mission to present ‘thought-provoking exhibitions and cross-disciplinary programs,’” Robinson said. “Foremost in our thinking, too, is presenting exhibitions that foster inclusion, diversity, equity and access.”

For Robinson, the organization and planning of events is “key” and helps bring the museum together as a whole.

“Creating our exhibition schedule, [which is] typically nine special temporary exhibitions each year, is a collaborative process involving the curatorial team, education department, art handling team and the director,” Robinson said.

Robinson said the Palmer presents two different kinds of exhibitions: shows curated and toured by other institutions, and exhibitions the museum organizes itself.

For shows designed by the Palmer, Robinson said the “themes are often suggested by individual curators” or occasionally “by interested faculty across the campus.”

As the exhibitions reach completion and opening, Breslin said people should take away the connection they form with the idea an art piece displays.

“When I’m celebrating a birthday, or an anniversary, I reflect on what I have done with my life, what have I done in the past year, who have I spent time with, what are those important things I’ve done, where I want to go from here also and who I am and what makes me who I am,” Breslin said. “Those questions are things I also hope people may ask themselves when they connect to an idea that we are displaying.

“This art is the particular lens for looking at who we are and connecting it with the idea of its identity.”

Beginning at 6 p.m., students gathered in the HUB-Robeson Center for the free event. Multicultural and LGBTQ equity clubs set tables up as students performed, and free food was served to attendees.

On Monday night, Uncensored America was scheduled to host an event in the Thomas Building while the Student Committee for Defense and Solidarity hosted a protest outside. University leaders responded to the Uncensored America event on Oct. 11, saying “responding to hate with hate is never the answer.”

The Southern Poverty Law Center identifies the Proud Boys, which is exclusively male, as an “extremist” hate group known for its white nationalist and alt-right ties, as well as misogynistic rhetoric.

The Proud Boys also “instigated critical breaches” of the Capitol during the Jan. 6 attack last year, according to the New York Times, and now the group is “at the center of criminal and congressional investigations” surrounding the attack. It has even been recognized as a terrorist group in Canada and New Zealand.

Instead, the release said the university scheduled two coinciding events — one to celebrate diversity and the other to help the community “distinguish truth from propaganda.”

Hunter Smith, SPA’s executive director, said he felt the “Together We Are” event was one that needed to happen. He noted that Monday was a night of celebration for Penn State’s students and alumni.

“This is the way in which SPA can contribute. This was the way that we could best help the Penn State community heal from what it’s going through at the moment,” Smith (senior-international politics and journalism) said. “[We want] to make sure that they have a platform where they can be heard, where their concerns can be addressed and they can come together.”

Outside of Alumni Hall, University Park police did not allow bags into the event, and multiple metal detectors were in front of the entrance. Security personnel were found in other areas of the HUB.

Smith said “Together We Are” was created by SPA to become a safe place for students who may feel unwelcome or unheard.

“Ultimately, this event is not a counter-protest,” Smith said, referring to the Uncensored America event. “It is an alternative for students who wish to come together and celebrate their multicultural identities in a place that is safe, welcoming and diverse. We’re trying to create a safe place for these multicultural students.”

Smith said this event correlates with Penn State values — focusing on the idea of “belonging.” Smith said SPA’s goal is to create a space for those who could not participate in activities, like protesting.

“Making sure that students who come from backgrounds where protesting isn’t necessarily an option, or it’s not safe for them, and giving them a platform to come and educate one another and educate like the Penn State community at large about the struggles that they’re going through, and what their communities experience every day, especially in the face of the white supremacy that we see here on campus – that’s what’s most important,” Smith said.

SPA’s Director of Events Jessica Markovich said “Together We Are’” was an opportunity to help Penn State grow.

“It is important that the Penn State community comes together in the face of hate, and we acknowledge who we are together and that together we are stronger. We’re made up of so many different people, so it’s important that we are all there for every single person at Penn State,” Markovich (junior-telecommunications) said. “Everyone deserves to feel safe, respected and comfortable. If we don’t treat each other with respect, what do we have?”

Attendees of the event, like Genavive Januszewski, said they thought this happened at the right time.

“Although I believe it should not be needed, the event is a good idea. We want a space that is safe, comfortable and has people we know will accept us,” Januszewski (freshman-biology) said.

Attendees were seen throughout the night enjoying food, watching performers on stage and interacting with students and alumni to learn more about what Penn State offers to their multicultural students.

Owen Kennedy, SPA’s public relations director, said the Penn State community has voices that need to be amplified.

“We have a great campus,” Kennedy (sophomore-marketing) said. “We have so many different communities. This is a great opportunity to bring them all together with the showcase.”

Kennedy left the night hoping that this event would leave a ripple on Penn State’s students and alumni.

“I don’t just want this to be a one-off event,” Kennedy said. “I hope people are proud of who they are, I hope people embrace who they are and I hope they are accepting of others and accepting of everyone around them. That’s just what makes this campus great.”

Taking place from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, the event featured live performances, food and games.

Bella Carlo, a Homecoming captain, worked for alumni relations at Allen Street Jam.

“The purpose of [Allen Street Jam] is to showcase the talent we have in the area,” Carlo (senior-human development and family studies) said.

Many of the performances throughout the day were chosen to accomplish this goal, including the local band Caledonia.

“Our good friend called us up and asked us if we wanted to be a part of the show,” Bill Ryan, a Penn State 2020 graduate and Caledonia lead singer said. “We’re Penn State alumni and local to the area, so it seemed like a great event to be a part of.”

Caledonia performed from 3:30 p.m to 4:15 p.m.

Other musical acts featured throughout the day included Corner Brothers, Chris Bell Band and Donny Burns & the Third Degree.

Among other live performances was a dance competition featuring nine different Penn State dance groups.

Penn State Homecoming also announced the homecoming courts at Allen Street Jam and noted that voting for the student court ends on Oct. 19.

Penn State Homecoming staff expressed their goal of displaying the community’s talents, explaining that it is a way to help bring students and residents together for the week.

Hunter Dorfner, who worked with court nominations for the three homecoming courts and helped begin the voting stage, shared the sentiment of bringing the community together using the community itself.

“It’s a connection between the university and the community,” Dorfner (junior-supply chain and information systems) said. “Coming downtown, getting local businesses involved and involving the community… helps build the bridge between State College and the university and brings us all together.”