EDITORIAL
WE CAN’T TURN AWAY!
It has been noted by the
media and by radical campus
organizers that there is a
national trend of apathy among
college students this year.
Frustrated by the failure of
vocal non-violent dissent, afraid
of or opposed to civil
disobedience, the great mass has
turned from the political
mainstream and buried
themselves in an intellectual
haven of self-centeredness. The
dangers of this trend are
obvious, for issues haven’t
changed simply because the
focal point of active dissent is
ignoring them. The moral
obligations of Americans cannot
permit apathy, for it can only
result in the development of
tyranny in a government whose
actions go unchallenged. In the
end the people will suffer, not
just the poor, but all of the
people. Otto Rene Castillo, a
Latin American poet, brings
forth the threat of apathy in a
poem entitled “Apolitical
Intellectuals”. Read it and
consider your destiny, and that
of the nation you’ve turned your
back on:
One day
the apolitical
intellectuals
of my country
will be interrogated
by the simplest
of our people.
They will be asked
what they did
when their nation died out
slowly
like a sweet fire
small and alone.
No one will ask them
about their dress,
their long siestas
after lunch
no one will want to know
about their sterile combats
with the “idea
of the nothing”.
JUNIORS! COME SPRING ?
by Missy Rotondaro
Talk about ego trips!
Everybody wants to be
president for Pete’s sake. SGA is
in bad enough condition now
without “playing games,” and as
an ex-senator called it, “playing
games with the people.”
And that’s what seems to be
happening. Everyone you talk to
is running for president,
vice-president or anything else
they could get in SGA. It’s really
sad. There’s so much
competition among these
people. And for what? People
trying to beat one another for
glory? These are real ego trips.
People like Terry Wimmer,
Neal Madonick, and Steve
Wesley are good talkers. They
know how to get to and around
the people. There are others.
And I’m sure if these people run
for office come Spring, an awful
lot of bull will flow freely. This
staff of cimousT:
EDITOR: Rosemary Scanlon
ASSOCIATE EDITORS:
Lee Nell
Tom Hagan
BUSINESS MANAGERS:
Richard Marx
Roger Hawkins
PHOTOGRAPHERS:
John Fannely
Don Davis
Eric Murray
EDITORIAL CONSULTANT:
Jim Benn
No one will care about
their higher financial learning
They won’t be questioned
on Greek Mythology
or regarding their self-disgust
when someone within them
begins to die
the coward’s death.
They’ll be asked nothing
about their absurd
justifications
burn in the shadow
of the total lie.
On that day
those simple folk will come,
those who had no place
in the books and poems
of the apolitical intellectuals
but daily delivered
their bread and milk
their tortillas and eggs,
those who drove their cars,
those who mended their clothes,
who cared for their dogs
and gardens
and worked for them.
And they’ll ask:
“What did you do when the poor
suffered, when tenderness
and life
burned out of them?”
Business Club Visits IRS
The Capitol Campus Business
Club, under the leadership of
President Rick Barger and
advisors Mr. Castle and Mr. Frey,
visited the Internal Revenue
Service Center in Philadelphia on
the 25th of January.
Twenty-five members of the
club enjoyed a personal tour of
the Internal Revenue Service
Operations, and discussed future
job opportunities with the
Regional Director and his
personnel staff. Activities of the
tour included a step-by-step
description of the complete
processing operations from the
receiving of the returns, their
filing, sorting, and final
computerization.
happens in every election. It’s
expected. Everyone wants to
win.
But do these people care? Are
they concerned with building a
better SGA, a working
organization, or does the
concern lie with whom will get
the most glory?
JUNlORS—think about it.
Know who you are voting for.
Don’t vote for someone because
he’s an XGI, or because he lives
in the room across from you.
But do this! Listen to the B.S.
You are going to hear it. You
can be sure of that, if nothing
else. And you have a pretty good
crop of juniors who can do just
that.
So listen, but don’t be “taken
in.” It’s up to you to elect a
good SGA. So now until Spring
elections, keep your eyes and
ears open. For once, GIVE A
DAMN.
CONTRIBUTORS:
Lu Ann Berulis
Missy Rotundaro
Ann Ostroski
Bill Winkler
Michael Rix
Terry Wimmer
Dan Durante
Chandler Wolf
Tony McGovern
Skip Lewis
Charlie Bussison
Paul Snyder
THE CAPITOLFST
THE COLUMN
THE FINANCIAL CRISIS
AND COLEMAN HERPEL
by Terry K. Wimmer
Last Friday, January 29, I
had the opportunity to spend an
hour with the Director of
Capitol Campus, Coleman
Herpel. Our discussion was
centered on the current status of
the financial crisis facing the
Penn State University system
and Capitol Campus. As Mr.
Herpel was quick to point out,
the situation is grim and the
worst is yet to come.
The crisis was caused when
the General Assembly refused to
appropriate the full amount of
money requested by the
University. Instead, a partial
appropriation in the sum of $72
million was approved. A major
portion of that appropriation
went to fill the needs of the
twenty major operating budgets
of the University. But as we are
all frightfully aware, that money
has been exhausted and the
University has entered what
Herpel describes as a “borrowing
phase” which is necessary to pay
for the major expense that the
University is burdened with
every two weeks, the paying of
salaries.
In an attempt to alleviate the
pressures that near-bankruptcy
places on an institution, last
November 25, University
President John W. Oswald
announced that the Allocation
and Re-allocation funds
contained in the University
budget would be frozen until
further notice. Herpel described ‘
the Allocation fund as “a loose
fund” which contained money
which would supplement the
regular operating budgets and
provide the necessary funds to
meet any current problem that
the University might be faced
with. The Re-allocation fund is
the fund where all unused
money is filtered to after each
financial quarter. The money is
then re-allocated to those needy
areas of the University.
How has this crisis affected
Capitol? With these two major
funds frozen, Capitol has been
forced to cut back in bulk
services (Xerox machines, etc.)
and various other expenditures
such as travel expenses for the
faculty to education
conferences. As previously
mentioned, the problems could
get worse in the near future. If
the General Assembly would fail
to appropriate the necessary
funds needed to stabilize the
University’s Financial status, not
only would a tuition hike take
place, but a curtailment in
various University services could
also become a reality. Although
the fees received from the Spring
Term tuition payments will help
ease the situation, Herpel stated
that a tuition increase is “a
distinct possibility” for the Fall
Term of ‘7l. It is expected
though that the General
Assembly will appropriate the
necessary funds to the
University before this fiscal year
closes on June 30, 1971. As for
the future plans of Capitol such
as building programs, Herpel
commented that “we’re planning
as if we had it (money).”
Although Herpel stated that
financial problems were
“nothing new”, Penn State
University and Capitol Campus
is faced with its most severe
crises ever. All the students of
this University can do is hope
that the General Assembly
wakes up and recognizes it’s
responsibility not only to the
students of this University, but
the citizens of this state as well.
P.S. SAVE YOUR MONEY!
Letters To The EdHfcr: s :
# Sf
Dear Editor
I wish to congratulate Barry
Kimmel, the new chairman of
the Capitol Campus Social
Committee, on the fine job he
has done with his first
endeavors.
Although I was unable to
attend the dance of January
19th, I did attend the Kegger
and had a most enjoyable time.
Being chairman of our Social
Committee will certainly involve
a great deal of work. I’m certain
we have the right man for the
job.
I wish again to congratulate
Barry on his work so far, and
wish him the best of luck in the
future.
Charles G. Cooper
Dear Editor
There have been many
comments during the past year
concerning the problem of
apathy in its many forms. Many
of these comments are certainly
well founded; the importance of
spekaing out on the situation
cannot be underestimated. It is
commendable that publications
recognize their duty to criticize
what they deem wrong.
However, there are times
when a problem is attacked
conveniently, by generalizing the
motives of the “guilty”
participants. I am referring to
the article by Mark Alan Levin
in the CIRCLE FREE PRESS
entitled, “The Silent Majority.”
Certainly, I concur that there are
many who are “...ordinarily
quiet, withdrawn, uninterested”
students. But I also believe that
to be quiet and withdrawn does
not necessarily imply that one is
uninterested. There are those
who say little in class, but at the
same time are weighing every bit
of dialogue around them.
Perhaps it might be a better
idea in some circumstances to sit
back and view the proceedings
from a different perspective.
Perhaps it might help some
people to listen to and to
understand what someone with
another opinion is saying.
Sure, ask questions and state
your beliefs. Just make sure that
the questions are relevant, and
be prepared to defend your
beliefs intelligently. Don’t just
blab in class in order to get
brownie points for participation.
Signed,
An Often Quiet Student
NEW SOCIAL
COMMITTEE
by Lu Ann Berulis
By now it should be apparent
to all, that Capitol Campus has a
new Social Committee. This
organization is headed by Barry
Kimmel who I think should be
given credit just for undertaking
this job. It is a position which is
open to criticism from everyone.
It is a position where you can’t
hide behind the saying, “you
can’t please all the people all the
time,” because these people are
always complaining. These are
the same people who won’t
attend the meetings where their
opinions and ideas can be heard
and possibly utilized. It seems
they would rather be part of the
problem than the solution.
For the short time that Barry
has been chairman, I think he
has done a good job considering
what he had to deal with-a mass
of students who were waiting to
see what the new Social
Committee chairman would do
for them. I heard a lot of
criticism of the old committee
but I never once heard anyone
say they would care to help the
new one. I don’t know what it
takes to get the people here
interested—a miracle I guess.
Would it take that much for
you?!
Dear Editor: J
The Student Court
respectfully submits the
following decision in reference
to the senate’s request to resolve
a constitutional issue pertaining
to constitutional intention. It is
the student court’s hope that
both the executive branch and
the senate will show good faith
by abiding by the decision.
Case point:
Whether the senate had the
constitutional right of
confirmation over Presidential
appointments.
Decision:
1 . The senate by the
intention of the constitution has
the right of confirmation on any
and all Executive appointments.
Article IV, Section IA, Section
2A, Article VII, Section 2,
Section 3.
2. The senate by the
intention of the constitution
shall have all powers not
specifically given to any member
of the Executive Branch.
3. President Lee Levan is to
be exonerated. The student
court praises the President for
acting decisively in a time of
crisis which made his action
understandable.
The court found that one of
the strongest currents running
through the existing constitution
was that of Executive
appointment with senate
confirmation.
James Lewis, Chief Justice
Capitol Campus Student Court
SUCNSCHtt
by Skip Lewis
Where are we? Where are we
heading? Can it be that at a time
so crucial to Capitol Campus our
student Government leaders
cannot be expected to act boldly
because they lack the discipline
to govern themselves? I know
better than most the mistakes
that youth can make; but let us
not forget what is at stake...a
student government in need of
firm direction in order to service
effectively the student body it
represents.
Let’s ask ourselves another
question. How can a student
government effectively get down
to issues if it is suffering from an
internal cancerous growth? The
answer is simple...it can’t. A
house suspicious of itself can
only bury its members in a
mountain of disrespect and ugly
rumors. And so it is at Capitol.
And so it is that Capitol must
have a student government with
the backbone to make its
members tow the line or have
certain individuals recalled.
Capitol Campus and the student
body, now and in the future,
cannot afford those who seek
public office for prestige or
something to write in the
yearbook. Power demands
responsibility from a public
representative and that duty
must be met. There can be no
deals in the face of fear, false or
otherwise, or in the sparing of
someone’s feelings. Not when
the progress of the student
government is what suffers.
These are pressing times
especially for a child of student
government; and so more than
ever does this child need the
guidance of its parents.
In summary, I believe that
the student government must
develop a strong conscience. A
conscience which has a
well-developed set of rights and
wrongs, and when a wrong is
committed by one of its
members, it will act efficiently
so that the student government
association does not suffer ll the
grave indignities of Rome.
Page 2
Sincerely,