Russell Frank

  • A State College Tradition: 50 Years of Indian Epics

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    Russell Frank

    As members of State College’s robust Indian community well know, yajna is a Hindi word which, according to one definition, can refer to “any selfless action performed with integrity, such as offering food, paying respects, or contributing to others’ well-being.” I heard the word for the first time at the home of Manisha and Nilesh…

  • Are We Really Just Going to Walk Away From WPSU?

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    Russell Frank

    For a little light reading over the weekend, I visited the web page that breaks down Penn State’s budget allocations for fiscal years 2026 and 2027. The list covers 41 units. The ones set to receive the most 2026-27 money are: 1. Commonwealth Campuses ($315 million)2. Physical Plant ($262 million)3. IT ($174 million)4. College of…

  • Frank: Let Subu Vedam Go

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    Russell Frank

    Let us boil down the state of things in the case of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Subramanyam Vedam:  No witnesses ever came forward and said they saw Subu Vedam shoot Tom Kinser.  No evidence was ever produced that Subu was with Tom when he died. The Commonwealth’s case against Subu hinged on one fact and…

  • The Grandkids Tour 2025: They’re Brilliant! They’re Bonkers!

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    Russell Frank

    Children are lunatics. I say this after spending much of the summer with my grandkids, whom I adore. The oldest of the four is about to turn 7; the youngest is almost 2.  Two things strike me about this crew. One is that they’re brilliant. I don’t say this in a prideful way. They’re not…

  • Wooden outhouse with metal roof

    Face It, Campers, Outhouses Are the Pits

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    Russell Frank

    Another thing I’m aging out of: camping. My parents were not outdoorsy. My first intensive nature experience wasn’t with them but with my grammar school gym teacher. Every summer, Anthony Noto took a dozen sixth-grade boys on a six-week camping trip to the American Southwest in two Volkswagen buses. I loved it, though I can’t…

  • Thinking of Moving to Canada? Not So Fast

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    Russell Frank

    HORNBY ISLAND, BRITISH COLUMBIA – Every small town has its kaffeeklatsch – a gathering of geezers who devote an hour of their morning to solving the world’s problems over a cuppa joe. In Jamestown, California, where I got my start in the news biz in the 1980s, the gents at the Jimtown Diner humbly called…

  • State College Man Leaves Bubble

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    Russell Frank

    “America this is quite serious.” – Allen Ginsberg SAN FRANCISCO – O what a sheltered life I lead. I’ve been in San Francisco for two days and, bumpkin that I am, have spent much of the time gawking: In a nice bit of symmetry, I am here to help my son move to California 30 years…

  • Frank: Forget Bucket Lists. Aging Is for Savoring

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    Russell Frank

    As I entered the murky zone between middle and old age, I came up with a slogan: “If not now, when?” Meaning, I should go-be-do while I’m still hale and hearty. Specifically, that meant more hiking and biking. Results have been mixed. Yes, I hike and bike. But I also still work – by choice.…

  • We’re Not Closing Campuses, We’re Optimizing Them

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    Russell Frank

    When the university’s wordsmiths hide the possibility of layoffs behind words like “responding to challenges in agile ways,” or when they frame closing campuses as “optimizing” or “reshaping them,” they’ve got to be reminded that we’re all supposed to be in the truth-telling business here, not the spin business.

  • State College - graduation gowns 24

    Hang in There, Class of 2025!

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    Russell Frank

    You’d never know from all the happy faces at commencement on Saturday how anxious the Class of 2025 is. I know because all 19 students in my Editorial, Opinion and Commentary class were graduating seniors and almost all of them wrote about the things that are freaking them out. Back in the days of newsrooms,…