This week's top stories from across Penn State:
IFC SOCIAL FUNCTIONS HALTED: Recent events, including a tragic student death associated with activities in a fraternity house, as well as growing allegations of misconduct in these organizations, have resulted in joint action by both Penn State and the Infterfraternity Council, the governing body for University fraternities, to halt all social activities for IFC chapters until further notice.
IMMIGRATION LETTER: President Eric Barron joined university presidents from across the U.S. in signing a letter to the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. The letter, organized by the American Council on Education, the American Association on Universities and the Association of Public Land Grant Universities, expresses concerns about the recent executive order on immigration.
REDESIGNING ANTI-BULLYING PROGRAMS: A new study that suggests differences in substance abuse between male and female bullying victims should lead to redesigning anti-bullying efforts.
NEW MICROBIOME CENTER: A University-wide effort to promote the study of microbiomes at Penn State has led to the creation of a center for microbiome research, a fast-growing area of scientific inquiry. Microbiomes are the communities of microorganisms that live on or in people, plants, soil, oceans and the atmosphere.
GROUNDWATER AQUIFERS: Changes in climate can rapidly impact even the deepest freshwater aquifers, according to Penn State and Columbia University hydrologists.
SUPPORT HOMELESS VETERANS: After earning her bachelor's degree in human development and family studies from the Brandywine campus, Penn State alumna Cara Colantuono went on to start Support Homeless Veterans — a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending homelessness among U.S. veterans in the Philadelphia region.
ADOPT AN APARTMENT: Penn State Lehigh Valley students had another opportunity to change lives by participating in the Adopt an Apartment program for the third year in a row. Students painted, cleaned and made some major renovations to an apartment provided by the Sixth Street Shelter in Allentown.
PARKS AND HEALTH: Penn State researchers have long understood the important connection between parks and health. A research article published in Preventing Chronic Disease, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s peer-reviewed journal, clarified this connection across a national sample of Americans.