NIXON E2m
THE CAPITOLIST
Vol. VIII, No. 8
Dr. McDermott installed as Provost
The first provost of Capitol
Campus was installed in formal
ceremonies on October 29 in the
Auditorium.
Dr. Robert E. McDermott, an
experienced educator and
administrator, was invested into
office by President of the
University, Dr. John W. Oswald.
More than 500 guests witnessed
the installation and attended the
reception held following the
ceremonies. Prior to investiture
of office, Dr. McDermott was
lauded in comments by
University officials and other
academic dignitaries.
Included among those were
A. Wayne Readinger, member of
the Board of Trustee; Warren
E. Ringler, Assistant
Commissioner for Higher
Education; and Dr. Russell E.
Larson, University Provost. Dr.
Clyde E. Blocker, President of
the Harrisburg Area Community
College, offered greetings on
behalf of the collegiate
community; and Dr. Thomas J.
Knight, Chairman of the Faculty
Council, and Michael Dini,
Student Government
Association President, extended
congratulations from their
respective organizations.
Dr. Oswald, before offering
the oath of office, commented,
"In American Education we
have probably experienced
already the explosion of
expansion influenced by
increased population and
widened interest and desire for
higher education. The rate of
growth in enrollment and in
facilities is levelling off. But
there is another type of growth
which must not diminish. This is
growth toward excellence,
growth toward stability of
service and mission."
"For this dimension of
growth we look to the
administrator of a program. It
for this dimension of growth
in excellence, in profundity that
the position of provost of the
Capitol Campus was devised."
In commenting of the
provost's position, Trustee
Readinger remarked, "The
functions of this position will
include the responsibility and
commensurate authority for the
total operation and management
of the Capitol Campus within
University policies and
procedures."
Dr. McDermott's
achievements in both teaching
and administration have
prepared him well for his new
responsibilities. Formerly the
Dean of the Graduate School
and Director of University
Research at the University of
Arkansas, he also held top
administrative posts in
Continuing Education and the
Graduate School of Pennsylvania
State University at University
Park.
He holds an Associate of Arts
Degree from Wright Junior
College, a Bachelor of Science in
Forestry and a Master of Science
in Botany from lowa State
University. In 1952, he was
awarded a Ph.D. with a major in
botany and a minor in forestry
from Duke University.
Concluding his comments on
the University's selection of Dr.
McDermott as provost, the
University President stated, " . .
. the new position came to focus
on a specific person and we were
fortunate indeed in luring -- and
I use the word carefully -- in
luring Dr. Robert McDermott
back to the Pennsylvania State
University. Here was a man
known to the University,
respected by colleagues and
associates, familiar with the
nuances and complexities of our
University, experienced,
well-trained and -- it should be
mentioned -- amiable. A dour
administrator is a blight to be
avoided. Robert McDermott
agreed to come as the first
provost of the Capitol Campus
and thus we now arrive at this
happy moment."
"All The News That Fits . . . . We Print"
CAPITOL CAMPUS - MIDDLETOWN, PA
No more
legal Pa.
Abortions?
UNIVERSITY PARK (APS)
The Association of Women
Students, (AWS), at University
Park is issuing a plea to all
students of voting age at the
Commonwealth Campuses. The
AWS is encouraging students to
write to their respective State
Senators, and inquire how they
regard abortion legislation,
particularly Senator Martin
Mullen's Bill No. 800.
Mullen's Bill, passed 257-34
by the Pennsylvania House of
Representatives, has been in
committee since July. It is to
come up for final approval on
Nov. 13.
If passed, this bill would deny
a woman a legal abortion, unless
she has been declared on her
deathbed by a trio of doctors
from the hospital she is in. It
also denies victims of rape or
incest to have an abortion unless
on this deathbed. A married
woman would be required to
have her husband's consent, and
a girl under 18 would need her
THIS WEEK IN THE SGA
by R. W. Bonaker
This week's Student
Government Association report
is a continuation of the regular
senate meeting of October 30th.
In the November 2 issue of the
CAPITOLIST, the circumstances
involving the selection of John
Sheridan as the new SGA
vice-pi Ptident dominated the
regular column.
Before the business portion
of the meeting began, Michael
Pierce took the oath from
Student Court Chief Justice
Harry• Franzreb, and assumed
the duties of the Senate. Also,
SGA rules and voting and time
limitation on issues to be
debated were discussed.
Treasurer Tom Dixon
reported thg, Finance Committee
allocated $25 to the recently
formed Do-Nothing Club. The
organization had earlier
submitted a request for $440.
Don Snyder, new elected
co-chairman of the Social
Committee, reported on
re-organization of the committee
into a policy-making board
composed of the seven
sub-committee chairmen and the
co-chairmen. The committee
spent $2OO on the Halloween
dance as well as $2O for trophies
for the bike race which had been
postponed until yesterday due
to unfavorable weather
conditions.
Senator Elyse Paul (Sr.,
at-large), Chairman of the
Camp us ;Community Affairs
Committee, stated that an
****** * * * * * *
parents' permission for an
abortion.
The Pennsylvania Abortion
Coalition, which AWS is
sponsoring at University Park, to
express the individual woman's
right to decide whether or not
she will have an abortion.
Commonwealth Campus SGA
Presidents will receive copies of
this petition at the next Council
of Presidents Meeting.
In addition to the petition,
AWS is providing postcards for
students at University Park to
write to their Senators to
support liberal abortion
legislation. The association
would like the campus SGAs to
do the same.
AWS is supporting Senator
Henry Messinger's Bill No. 928,
and is hoping that it will pass.
This bill would remove abortion
as a crime in the state penal
code, and will allow a woman to
decide for herself is she is to
have an abortion.
November 9, 1972
invitation to Shirley Maclaine to
be the featured speaker at the
June 1973 Commencement had
been written and submitted to
Mrs. Betty Duke, Public
Information Officer and Provost
Robert E. McDermott. She also
announced the establishment of
an open forum for all students
to voice sentiment concerning
Commencement, the wearing of
caps and gowns and any other
topic which may come up. The
forum will be staged on
Tuesday, November 14,
beginning at 12 Noon in the
Auditorium. Plans for the spring
dinner dance and a Christmas
party for area children (with
Sam Randazzo portraying Santa
Claus) are being finalized by the
committee.
Robert (Bipper) Lipton, a
student representative on the
faculty organization Committee
on the Library reported a new
change in the over-due book fee
policy. A student, according to
the report, may have up to
$7.50 in delinquent fees and still
be able to register for an
up-coming academic term. He
also announced a committee
decision to allow ungraduates to
take out periodicals overnight.
The program will begin during
the winter term, on a trial basis.
Don Snyder reported the
faculty organization Committee
on Academic Affairs is now
working on the 1974-75
academic calendar. Snyder asked
for student input, as the final
plans must be readied by March
1, 1973. He related that the
status of the 1973-74 calendar is
currently being reviewed in
University Park and its current
status was unknown at the time.
President Mike Dini
appointed an ad-hoc committee
to investigate the possibility of
Capitol SGA becoming a
member of the National Student
Association. Presently, Capitol
does not belong to any
organization of that kind. A one
year introductory membership
would cost $5. Senator Bill
Mathews (Jr., at-large), was
appointed chairman of the
committee which also includes
senators Joe Kubiak (Sr.,
at-large), Bonnie McSweeny (Sr.,
Humanities) and John Murphy
(Jr., at-large).
Dixon announced that he had
received the August telephone
bill that week. The charge
totaled $2B. The SGA office has
a WATS line, consequently, it
would signify that during
August, when there are a limited
number of students on campus,
there were $2B worth of
out-of-state toll calls.