[I wrote this for an English course in the fall of 2009. The assignment was to recommend a magazine or journal to incoming freshmen that would help them get settled in their new major/career path. Naturally, I chose Phroth. Comedy is important.]

To those who worry that they won’t fit in at a large university,

First of all, I want to congratulate you on getting into Penn State. Second of all, had someone said that to me before I first arrived on campus as a freshman, I probably would have rolled my eyes. I know on the surface it might not seem like Penn State has much to offer outside of Greek life and sports fanaticism, but having spent a rather enjoyable three and a half years in State College, I’m here to assure you otherwise. Penn State has hundreds of interest-specific clubs available for you to join, and I can’t emphasize enough the importance of joining a club. When you join a frat or sorority, sure, you get dozens of new BFFs instantly, but what do you have in common with these people other than that you like to party together? Did you know that some sororities have rules regarding the kind of footwear you can and cannot wear when you go out on the weekends? Did you know that membership in frats is sometimes dictated by the amount of money your parents make? Do either of those options sound attractive? To a lot of people who are just starting college, afraid that they won’t make friends or fit it, they do. I have a better suggestion for you. It’s called Phroth.

Phroth is Penn State’s humor magazine and it has been around for 100 years. Originally called Froth, the magazine was shut down a few times in the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s, but was revived in 1999 and has been going strong ever since. “But I’m not funny,” you might tell me. To that I’d say, well, do you like to laugh? Do you like making other people laugh? Do you like Photoshopping? Drawing? Do you want to get experience in ad sales? Business? Publicity? Do you want to participate in THON? Do you want to go into filmmaking? Do you want to work in theater? Phroth offers positions in all of the above and more. Phroth has branched out in recent years – into Phroth Philms (a YouTube channel), Phroth Phest (a live sketch comedy show written by Phroth members and performed by members of No Refund Theater), as well as a Podcast/Radio show.

Before I continue, I should let you know that I am Phroth’s current Editor-in-Chief. You might think this gives me a certain bias in writing this, but again, I would have to disagree. I mentioned before that I wasn’t exactly thrilled to be heading off to Penn State as a freshman. In fact, I was pretty much dead set on transferring for the spring semester of my freshman year. Then I joined Phroth. When I came up to Penn State for my FTCAP day I was walking through the HUB (in a mood that can only be described as sullen) when someone handed me a newspaper. It wasn’t the Collegian, no, it was The Phroth Phollegian; a very accurate and well-done parody of The Daily Collegian. The front page featured an article titled “Dorito makes it official; sponsors local church,” with a photo of the church on the corner of Garner and Fairmount that looks like a giant Dorito chip, with the Dorito logo Photoshopped on its side. My mom turned to me and said, “Wow, that looks like those weird Photoshop things you do!” She was right. I immediately returned to the booth where I had gotten the newspaper and picked up a few issues of Phroth magazine. I read all of them cover-to-cover that summer. I visited the Phroth website frequently, memorizing the meeting times and names of the editors so that on the first day of classes I would be sure to go to their meeting. From there, the rest is history. This is my fourth year in Phroth and I’ve climbed the ranks since day one. I’ve been lead designer, production editor, and now, finally, Editor-in-Chief. Phroth has done wonders for my leadership abilities, my business and people skills, my understanding of the publishing industry, and my self-confidence.

The people who join Phroth come from all corners of campus. We have business students, journalism students, a surprisingly large number of engineering students, education students, art students, you name it, we probably have someone who majors in it. Unlike a frat or sorority, Phroth brings together people with similar interests. Everyone in Phroth likes to make others laugh, which in turn makes our weekly meetings incredibly entertaining. When you get 40 funny people in a room, all trying to one up each others jokes…hilarity is sure to ensue. That’s what it comes down to, really. The common bond amongst Phrothies is our love of making other people laugh. There is no better sight or feeling in the world than when, on the morning of a magazine or newspaper release, I walk into class to see dozens and dozens of people holding the latest issue and laughing with their friends.

Even if you don’t join Phroth, I implore you to at least pick up the new issues when they come out. One of the best things about Phroth is that we have NO AGENDA. We don’t have any goal or purpose other than to make you, the students of Penn State, laugh. I hesitate to say that reading Phroth will help you fit in on campus – but we do offer such features as “Top 10 Things for Freshmen to do on Rainy Days,” and “Freshman goes to ER after taking bath in dorm,” both of which, while funny, also offer some genuine advice for you to follow. If you think you’re the only one struggling with a certain problem (*cough* ”Freshman struggles to masterbate in new environment” *cough*) reading Phroth can often assure you that you’re not alone.

I never really understand why people refuse to take magazines or newspapers from us. People walk by us as we hand them out and say, “I’m good,” or “No thanks, I’m set.” How can you be “set” on humor? That’s the point of Phroth. We put out material that no one else does. We don’t report on the news or local events. We make everything up from scratch for the enjoyment of others. In the hectic and often overwhelming environment of a college campus, the importance of humor cannot be stressed enough. Humor offers a respite from the hardships of everyday life. Just like scary movies have moments of dark comedy or humor to break up tension, life needs moments of comedy to interrupt the pressures of school, work, and friendships.

So whether or not you join Phroth or read Phroth, I cannot emphasize enough: please, let mirth prevail.

Sincerely,

Rebecca