2020 LYCOMING COLLEGE SPRING MAGAZINE

RTHY SEN. GENE YAW ’70 HONORED FOR HELLBENDER LEGISLATION Lycoming College and the Pennsylvania Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Student Leadership Council (SLC) formally recognized Sen. Gene Yaw ’70 (R-23) for helping to name the Eastern Hellbender the official amphibian of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on Nov. 1, 2019. Thanks to Yaw’s collaborative efforts with the SLC and Lycoming College’s Clean Water Institute (CWI), the Eastern Hellbender now stands as a symbol of Pennsylvania’s commitment to clean water. Since 2006, CWI student interns have engaged in the study of the hellbender, catching more than 3,000 of the creatures while they conduct research on where the local populations live and collect data on their health. The focus of their work has expanded to include conservation and restoration, which requires the creation of habitats, as well as the collection of eggs to hatch, and hellbenders to raise and release back into the wild. Public attention to the hellbender began in 2016 when the CWI’s research drew the interest of the SLC. Curious about how they could assist in the amphibian’s cause, the group of high school students proposed and drafted a bill requesting the creature be named the state amphibian. Yaw championed the student-drafted bill, presenting it to the Senate State Government Committee, noting that the bill was about more than just naming a new symbol for our state, but about fostering youth involvement in the legislative process, advocating for clean water in Pennsylvania, and promoting conservation programs. “It’s a pleasure for me and something that I’ll remember, too. We started this from scratch, and that’s a really special accomplishment,” said Yaw. FIRST YEAR SEMINAR STUDENTS LEARN INVALUABLE FINANCIAL LESSONS FOR THE REAL WORLD This past fall, incoming freshmen had the opportunity to enroll in a seminar, “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.” Created and taught by Georg Grassmueck, Ph.D., associate professor and department chair of business administration, the course provides students with important financial information for life after Lycoming. “I always thought it would be really fun to emphasize the impact finance has on your life,” Grassmueck said. The seminar aims to improve math skills by learning about the time value of money and basic statistics applied to financial decisions and to strengthen understanding of the financial decisions faced on a daily basis, such as how much should be saved, should minimum payments be made on a credit card, how to pay off student loans, or whether to buy a stock or a bond. The seminar included a wide range of guest speakers, from finance-informed community members to Lycoming alumni, and field trips to local businesses including car dealerships and banks. Students learned how to deal with mortgages, purchase cars and insurance, and save for retirement. “A lot of people say, ‘I wish somebody would have told me this when I was in college, and I would have saved immediately, or set up a budget,’” explained Grassmueck. “For the final project, students have to come up with a personal budget for their time after Lycoming.” This project urges students to think about their major, their possible career, and how they’ll handle their money — all skills that will place them ahead of their peers in terms of financial preparedness. 7 www.lycoming.edu