Future Of Energy Discussed By Karen Pickens Poverty ol Power, by Barry Commoner, was the topic for the first in a series of discussions to be led by the Faculty Council of Capitol Campus. The discussion was held last Friday in the Gallery Lounge. Participating faculty members were John Patterson, Profes sor of American Studies, Robert Posatko, Professor of Economics, and William Aungst, Professor of Engineer ing. The purpose of these gatherings, according to Patterson, is to enable people to talk with one another in a meaningful way. Since not everyone has the same vocabulary, Capitol Campus has an obligation to provide connections between academic ideas and the public. A summary of Commoner’s views was presented by William Aungst: In the United States, both the resources and the consumption of energy are ACCC Students Vi By Young Inyang Minority students, 16 in number, from Allegheny County Community College visited the Capitol Campus Wednesday of last week to “check it out” - All the students are either presently benefiting or had sometime benefited from the United States Steel Corpora tion’s Minority Scholarship Program. During a meeting late last year of the Admissions Counselor for Capitol, Mary Gundel, the students, and U.S. Steel representatives, the students became interested in Capitol Campus. They were received on arrival by some staff and faculty members who Robert Posatko, Econ., as they discuss Barry Commoner’s book, Poverty of Power, last FrL, in the Gallery Lounge. controlled by private companies interested in profit. Instead of developing sources of energy here, Americans use foreign oil because it turns over maximum profit Nuclear power, Commoner says, has an economic advantage today, but in ten or fifteen years the investment will prove to be a waste. Solar energy’s big drawback is that it is free: otherwise it is non-polluting and requires less capital than nuclear power, Aungst said. Posatko said that costs are measured primarily in the universal terms of dollars and cents. Non-monetary considerations are called externalities; physical relationships are secondary to economics. Increasing recognition of enviromental hazards places a higher value on this externality, Posatko said. Economists look at energy in terms of costs versus benefits and make estimates from the information they receive, according to Posatko. Econo- showed them around. Later in the evening, the Black Student Union at Capitol Campus threw a “dynamite” impromptu party for the visiting students. When it was all over, most of the students interviewed agreed that they were impressed with the school’s academic program but only a few indicated the probability of enrolling here. Mary Ricketts, a senior graduate of ACCC, who is now working as an engineering technician for West Penn Power Company, said she would like to enroll here if she decided to go back to school. “Right now," she says, “I am mists don’t tinker with the system, he said, they only make recommendations which try to promote efficiency. Aungst agrees that private profit dictates energy consumption. Indivi duals are stuck with the decisions made by big companies. A man on his way to work cannot choose between gasoline powered buses and electric trolley cars, if buses are the only available means of transportation, Aungst said. At this point the discussion was opened to questions from the audience. They ranged from socialization, unem ployment and the selling out of researchers. Although not exactly focused upon the subject of energy, Patterson said that the arguments presented made a good deal of sense. One observer did ask a very good question when he muttered, “What are they talking about?” Unfortunately he did not step up to the microphone, perhaps for fear of an answer. t Capitol undecided.” “The faculty are very helpful. All the people I have met are very friendly, and this party is just great. I would like to come here, but I am not so sure yet,” said Dolores Dixon, a freshman accounting major. Most of the students interviewed felt the number of minority students at Capitol was very small; however, they recognized that they did not see all the minority students in the school. Distances between the residence halls and the main building was another reason most of the students had “to think about that before deciding to come here.” ffofe Of BSU Explained By Tim Adams At this point in a student’s college career, he should realize that an education means more than bringing his body to a classroom and through osmosis, getting an education. It is time for expanding ones values and social awareness by experimenting with new ideas and different lifestyles. The Black Student Union at Capitol Campus is an organization that is actively pursuing this goal. Sheldon Munchus, president of BSU, said that BSU is “a means to preserve cultural awareness for black students in a white community; but beyond this, it is a way for white students to become aware of the black culture.” He regrets that white students have not taken advantage of the BSU. pointing out that the Black Cultural Arts Center, W-132, is open to all students, and yet most white students do not use the facilities. Munchus feels that some of the reasons for this is of course the ever-present non-caring attitude of students, but also because of ignorance and fear on the part of white students. He said that there is white opposition to BSU that is shown through such organizations as S.G.A. The group has diverse interests, ranging from school oriented activities, such as the skating and bowling parties, to more community minded programs like the canned food drive and the Black Arts and Science Festival, which will be held during the entire month of February, coinciding with Black History Month. For this entire program BSU has been allotted 2,000 dollars. An idea for future consideration is a program to aid the mentally and physically handicapped. Munchus said that the concept of self that BSU projects is not only for blacks, but for the entire student body to take advantage of. He expressed the hope that everyone will take advantage of the upcoming Black Arts and Science Festival and use it to expand their cultural awareness. Weekend Weather The extended weather outlook for Friday through Sunday for the Eastern Pennsylvania area: Partly cloudly skies on Friday with some chance of snow Saturday. There will be considerable cloudiness with the possibility of snow flurries in the North on Sunday. Lows, through the period, will be zero to ten above in the North and the lows in the South will be in the teens.
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