From the Fallout Shelter is the annual print literary and arts publication of the Penn State Harrisburg campus, as well as the online version of the magazine, and it is also the name of the student club that helps run the magazine and affiliated events on campus. The magazine and club were known for many years as Tarnhelm (a magical Viking helmet). In 2008, club members updated the name to reflect
a unique feature of campus, which is the fact that the basement of the Olmsted Building is designated as a fallout shelter, complete with a few metal fallout shelter signs from decades long gone. The building may have been built to withstand radioactive fallout because it used to be part of the Olmsted Air Force Base, and it is also near the nuclear reactors of Three Mile Island. The Air Force sold some land and buildings to the university in 1966. The entire base closed in 1969, (Harrisburg International Airport now operates the old runways) and Penn State Harrisburg has been expanding ever since, with annual creative achievements showcased in this magazine. All selections, including the winning pieces, are chosen anonymously (through blind judging) by the reading boards and the editorial board, comprised entirely of students. Students who submitted work and served on the editorial staff at the same time did not evaluate their own work at any time. The print edition of the magazine is distributed for free on campus during the spring semester. Funding is provided by the Student Activity Fund, the School of Humanities, the Commission for Women, fundraisers run by club members, and private donors. The contributors, editors, and the adviser are responsible for the content of this magazine.
