SEPTEMBER 25, 1986 Collegian PAGE 4 Local activists speak against voter registration policy joined in on the suit and we hope that other people will also. Client's Council is a welfare rights group representing low in come people. --Today we found out that of all the elected officials in Erie that supposedly stand for all these good things like mom and apple pie and the U.S. Constitu tion and represent the people and their best interests, 100% of them refuse to make a statement (concerning the arrest). --Basically, the thing is that they (members of the state government) don't want poor people and unemployed people to vote. They would like to keep the rolls of voter registration ex actly the way they were when they were elected because that "They don't want poor people and unemployed people to vote." was the formula that got them elected. They have no idea about voting patterns of unemployed and poor people because 70% of people who make under $25,000 a year are not registered to vote. About 3 / 4 of people who make over $25,000 a year do participate in elections all the time. Heynes: Voter registration did take place in these public waiting areas of these public buildings in 1984 and 1985. It just so happens that people are getting nervous. They want their control. Biggie: It shows the power of all those votes of all those peo tile in the unemployment office who are fed up with the way that things are going on. It just shows their potential power. And the people who think they have the power and want to keep it--this just shows how scared they are. --Seven out of ten people who use these (public) offices are not registered to vote. 44,000 addi tional votes could have reversed the outcome of 30 congressional seats. In the past two weeks opinion Behrend needs more residence halls The article that never was by Lynn Popovich C=•!!egian Staff Writer We at The Collegian don't make a habit of publishing articles that didn't quite work out, but I thought this one had a valid point to make—ed. The title of this article was sup posed to be "D.U.S.: Advising and Undergraduate Instruction," but I don't know if you could really call it that now. This would have been no pro blem to write if I could Lrack down some people. Every number I call, it seems, gives me the run-a-round things have gone down by one vote. There was a bill out in Congress that intended to cut funding, .for.:.Star Wars by 70 million dollars. It was defeated by one vote. The ending of a 17 year moratorium on chemical weapons, there was a tie vote, and George Bush broke the tie. --The United States is the world's experiment in democracy and 70 0 70 of the peo ple who are eligible citizens are not registered to• vote. The U.S. has the lowest voter turnout out of any industrialized democracy in the world. Heynes: Too often, people look at nice red ties, good hair do's, and a good-looking guy who sits there and votes against issues that they may be concern ed with. They don't understand the issue, but they like the smile. Name recognition is a big fac tor. But it doesn't have to be that way if folks understood and participated and there was an encouragement, an educa tion, situation going on honestly by the government concerning voter registration. --The difference between this democracy and others is that the government has done nothing positive to encourage voter registration. However, there are states such as Arizona, Col orado, Delaware, and Wiscon sin which are voter-registration reformed. Their's is not a heavy, lofty sort of thing; it is a caring, sharing attitude towards their people because they deal with people first and politics second. --Pa. is not a very progressive state in voter registration. Voter registration is not a partisan issue, it is a people's issue. Everyone has the right to vote and everyone that votes must be registered first. They deliberate ly establish hurdles and hoops...to make this process in- peing an off-cari - ipus - freshmen myself last year, I easily„relate to the wide-eyed anticipation - `felt by this fall's slew of first year students. When I was accepted to Behrend in the Spring of 'B5, I silently re joiced when on-campus housing was not available. A mental picture of my first apartment came into view: A three-story, white, vic torian building with an elderly cou ple as landlords. My hazed view consisted of a brass door knocker with my engraved initials and two goldfish named Venus and Milo bubbling to greet me after a long day of classes. Even as my mother was on the phone grasping at strings to pull, I was shopping for the apartment that I thought I would be living in that Fall. Guided by a list supplied by the school, my mother and I traipsed up and down Buffalo Road looking at some of the scariest apartments ever lived in. I and tells me to call another. I think I called at least twelve different numbers in the course of writing this article, and with each phone call it got worse. If they're trying to give me an ulcer, it's working. I know this article was planned to be objective and fact oriented, but how do I find out the facts if can't even get a hold of anyone to tell me them or to answer my questions? I'm sorry if I offended anyone in any way, but this was not how I planned this article to be and cer tainly not how I felt Penn State handled their zoi,:mittees. When I called the D.U.S. offic.:- they knew convenient. Unemployed peo ple, poor peOple, disadvantaged people also have to go to the courthouse to register. It is our purpose to possibly reform some of that legislation so that people don't have to go through 22-questions, 3 signatures, and write their name twice, because I don't know what your sex or skin color has to do with your vote. There are basically three things that they have to know: whether you are over 18, "Too often people look at nice red ties, good hairdos and a good-looking guy who sits there and votes against (issues that) they may be concerned with." whether you are a U.S. citizen, and whether you have resided in your electoral district for at least 30 days. Some states, such as Arizona, have a voter-motive registration. What that means is that when you get a driver's license you are automatically ready to vote. Wisconsin has on-site registration, where when you go in to vote you register right there. All you have to do is establish the fact that you are who you are. As a result, 89% of their citizenry turns out to vote. --It wouldn't take much at all to change things in this city or the county. 10,000 votes could cause a lot of different can didates to be put in. Behrend campus, frankly, could control this community if it participated 100%. That's one of the fears that our "founding fathers" have with college communities. However, 18-22 year olds have the worst voting records. In had never before seen a toilet on cinder blocks, nor had I ever seen cigarettes extinguished on a liv ingroom carpet. The apartment I finally rented was not much better than those (How many people do you know that can get a shower standing in front of the refrigerator?), yet the price was the same as a livable place might have been. Utilities, of course, were not included. I recently met with some ar chitects that have been hired by the university to develop a "master plan" for Behrend. These ar chitects are interested in an overall design for the Behrend cam -pus and even more interested in designing a layout that is beneficial to both commuters and residents alike. Of course, my biggest beef was residence halls—more of them and soon. I don't think any freshmen should have to go through their first year the way I went through nothing about any committee. When I called SGA looking for people to talk to, they told me they didn't have the number I was look ing for. They weren't able to find what I needed. I wasn't expecting such a hassle, but I got one. The main person I was supposed to talk to was always out of reach. I guess if anyone ever needed to talk to someone about their major of D.U.S. it would be quite impossi ble. Personally, I'm in D.U.S. and hopefully I won't have a problem in the near future about my major because by the time I find someone to talk to, I'll have graduated already. 1984... we were on college cam puses in Erie County. One of the sad commentaries is that on ly 3 0 10 of all women on college campuses in Erie County voted; 96.89 0 70 did not participate. Conversely, 96 0 70 of all conser vative males on Erie campuses voted. I'm sure that it had a profound impact on the 5,000 or so votes that Ronald Reagan won this county by. Since the time of this inter view, reactions to voter registra tion policies have been felt on the local and national levels. A demonstration was held in front of the Office of Employment Security in Erie on Thursday, Sept. 18, protesting Thorn burgh's directive and voter registration policies. At the demonstration were Ann Grunewald, committee person of the Republican Party in Erie, lan Murray, committee person of the Democratic Party in Erie, and Sally Coleman of the "Pennsylvania is not a very progressive state in voter registration." League of Women Voters. Thelma Grady of the Client's Council, activist Erma Linsay, mine--waiting for buses in snow drifts to my nostrils. Where should the architects plan the new library? Where should they build the Life/Fitness Center? What Donald Regan's appearance a poor representation of Penn State by Kim Krynock Collegian Contributing Writer Donald Regan's recent ap pearance at University Park spur red protest from Penn State students, faculty and staff. Univer sity Park's Weekly Collegian devoted its editorial pages to the controversy surrounding this one man. For Behrend students not familiar with the controversy, I'll sum up the major arguments for and against the Regan visit, and in clude my own views. Those in support of the Regan visit agree with the University ad ministration, which chose White House Chief of Staff Donald Regan to be the - keynote speaker at the Campaign for Penn State's in auguaral dinner. As one of the most powerful people in America, and as an experienced fundraiser (he chaired a similar campaign for - the University of Pennsylvania, which raised over $250 million), Regan brings prestige and publicity to the university, and can only help the Campaign. Also, Regan has the freedom of speech, and he deserves - to be treated like any other guest speaker, including his more liberal colleagues. Those against Regan's visit see him as a poor choice, in part and Bertha Robinson and Fred Owen of the Erie Unemployed Council were also involved. Jim Young of the Pa. Social Service Union, also attended. Two representatives from every Erie "One of the sad commentaries is that only 3% of all women on college campuses in Erie county voted." labor union attended, along with representatives from the Erie Committee for Nuclear Freeze and the Peace Coalition of Northwest Pa. Various non elected city and county officials, senior citizen representatives and other concerned citizens also participated. Reaction to Thornburgh's directive has also been felt out side the Erie area. On Friday, Sept. 19, 2 activists were ar rested on similar grounds and detained. A few hours later the charges were dropped and the activists were released. In the Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg, activists conducted voter registration and picketed the governor's office in protest of his directive. There were no ar- do you think? I think it's up to all of us so let's hear Fume feedback! Address all Letters to the Editor to The Behrend Collegian Station Road, Erie, PA 16563, or just drop because of his widely quoted sexist remarks. At the Regan/Gorbachev Summit last November, Regan remarked "Women, are not going to understand (missile) throw weights Or...what's happening in human rights. Most women would rather .read the human interest stuff." (Regan later admitted to The Wall Street Journal that he didn't know what throw weights were.) With another oft -repeated blunder Regan managed to insult women and trivialize the entire divestment issue in one fell swoop. Questioning the feasibility of sanc tions against South Africa, he queried, "Are the women of America prepared to give up all their jewelry?" Campus organizations concern ed with racial and sexual equality are' vocal in their opposition to Regan's visit. In their views, Reagan is openly sexist and his reaction to apartheid has been flip. His is the wrong voice to represent our university. It is important to clarify the pur pose Regan served in coming to Penn State. He was - the guest Speaker, Snot the chairperson of the campaign. Therefore he was im portant to Pena State as a political opinion rests made Biggie and Heynes' trial was moved from Friday to Monday, Sept. 22, where they will face charges of defiant trespassing. They are seeking an injunction in Federal court. They are hop ing for an immediate reaction, so that they can re-enter public buildings and resume voter registration. Mr. Heynes will train students in registration procedures at noon on Friday, Sept. 26, in the "Chuck and I were arrested, but we were not arrested for breaking any law." library conference room at Behrend. Student volunteers will be registering voters during the last week in September in the Reed Building. The voter registration drive is being spon sored and staffed by members of Roundtable, SGA, Women Today, and ABC. Anyone in terested in participating in the drive can contact Kim Krynock at 455-2161. your letter in the Collegian mailbox in the Student Government Offices. Jack Homer Collegian Editor figure, not in an administrative position. It is his name and image which will be linked with Penn State's in the Campaign for Penn State literature andlundraising ef- , forts. For a university which ap pears to be very aware of the power of a positive image, Penn State seems blind to the influence of Regan's image as narrow-minded and misogynist. There appears to be a contradic tion between the Penn State which invites Regan to represent us and the Penn State which proports to , be, on letterhead and official publicity, "an equal opportuni ty/affirmative action university." ' I respect Mr. Regan's right to ex- r press his opinions. I also realize the importance of the Campaign for Penn State to the university. However, I do not believe that . Donald Regan is the best choice to - represent us, unless we believe that power and prestige are the only - qualifications we require of a spokesperson. Mr. Regan's views ••• are an apparent contradiction of a university which has promised to treat its students, faculty and staff " with fairness, respect, and integri ty. With the choice of Regan as our • representative, it appears that this promise has been compromised._ (cont. from page 3) f liVI
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