EDIToRIAL
Up All Night
This is the ' Capitol Campus Reader" you are
reading. It is the school newspaper of the Capitol
Campus. It is put together by some of the students
who attend this school. The term "some" is used
loosely here. What would seem a more appropriate
description of numbers, is more like an overworked
few.
We overworked few have some notions as to the
sale-ability of ourselves after graduation. When
trying to accurately represent the voice of the
students, and keep them informed as to current
events and relevant issues (as is stated directly
below this editorial in the masthead) the
question,"Why do we do this?" arises.
There are those, who have no intention,
whatsoever, to even casually glance at our weekly
paper. That is unfortunate. Unfortunate to whom, we
or they, is a moot point. To be so naive as to think
that we work under some grand beneficent scheme,
and are doing this work as a service to students,
staff and faculty is utterly incongruous.
No, sale-ability is at work here.
"Yes I've graduated from the Capitol Campus and
I've taken such and such a course. I've completed my
academic requirements and ended up with a such
and such grade point average. What else? Oh well,
prospective employer, take a look at this. Here's my
portfolio, I've worked with the people involved in
putting a newspaper together. This is what I've done.
Here are the stories I've written, here are the pictureS
I've taken. I've spent many a long hours' work helping
to crank out this either four or eight page tabloid.
How about a job? "
The above-mentioned incident will actually take
place. The applicant has not only the theoretical
compilation of how it should be, he also has
pratical "nuts and bolts" experience from
working with a newspaper. Theories are all well and
good, but they have their place.
The world is real. Experience helps. Practicality
is a desired trait. Apparently this is the primary
objective of the multi-media program. But, as it
turns out, you can not always be sure that you'll be
among the chosen few who will get the opportunity
to go on an internship. (But this is a story in itself,
not to be delved into right now.)
Recently I was in attendance at one of the
innumerable parties held in Meade Heights. Being for
the most part a stranger to these bashes, because
my off campus residence makes it difficult to be
present, I was introduced as the editor of the
Reader, to a certain inebriate wench.
She said,"Big deal, you get to see your name in
the paper every week." I was totatly abashed and at a
loss for words. I felt as though my bubble had burst.
Reflection, later, concerning this incident,
brought me to the conclusion that maybe it is a big
deal, for each of these papers adds to my pratical,
sale-ability.
You too can increase your sale-ability. Why
not, we could use some help. Write for the Reader.,
Capitol Campus Reader
of the Pennsylvania State University
The Capitol Campus
RTE. 230, Middletown, Pa., 17057
Office W-129-131
Phone (717) 944-4970
Editor-in-Chief
Assistant Editor
Associate Editor
Copy Editor
Advertising Manager
Business Manager...
Ann Clark, Greg Hall, Young Inyang,
Brian McDonough, Karen Pickens.
Typesetters
Perspectives Logo
Hot Lion Sketch...
The Capitol Campus Reader Is the school newspaper of
Penn State's Capitol Campus. It is published by the
students who attend this school. We of the Reader Staff try
to accurately represent the voice of the students, and keep
them informed as to current events and relevant Issues. We
are published on a weekly basis.
William M. Kane!
Tim Adama
Ed Perrone
.Robert L. Fisher Jr.
Wayne Stottmeister
Carol Andress'
Ray Martin,
John Kollar, Ed McKeown
Janine M. Rannels
Beth Kopas
dives Page
Up With
By Tim Adams
"This is something up with
which I will not put." Someone
probably, and in fact did, say
this long before I wrote it
down. He was describing a
misused preposition and I will
describe a misused proposition.
The proposition in question
is the petition currently being
circulated throughout Meade
Heights pertaining to security
officers carrying guns. It is one
thing to propose a project of
this sort, and use reasoning and
facts as a method of seeing the
Happiness
By Ed Perrone
The SGA's "petition-poll" of
resident students on the
question of whether or not the
Security Police should be
armed with guns is not quite
finished. According to Vice-
President Ray Martin, unoffi
cial results show approximately
75% of the students polled thus
far are in favor of this move.
In a survey conducted last
week by C.C. Reader Staff
Writer Young Inyang, 74% of
the students, 77% of the
staff, and 83% of the faculty
polled oppose giving guns to
Security. That's an average of
78%. Against.
Something is wrong some
where.
The Reader survey, at the
very beginning, stated simply,
"The last issue of the C.C.
Reader, dated February 10,
1977, carried a report of a
proposal by the S.G.A. to
recommend that the Campus
Leers: Concerning BSU
I have been of the
impression that the Black
Students' Union is supposed to
be an organization that
promotes unity and solidarity
among the blacks on campus
and in the community. The
organization's main objective is
to spread a better under
standing among the majority,
in hopes to allieviate barriers
and pressures for a peaceful
co-existance on campus.
My question is, "Is the
B.S.U. all it professes to be?" If
it is, you could not prove it by
me. On February 5, 1977, the
B.S.U. sponsored a Dinner-
Theater Production of "Purlie
Victorious", in the Student
Center. I couldn't help but
notice as I walked in, that there
was a reserved section of
tables, at which a group of
students had mistakenly sat. I
overheard one of the members
of the B.S.U. state that these
tables were reserved and that
the kids should move. Rather
than cause any dissention, the
sister reserved another set of
tables.
My lady friend and I
socialized for a while before
Which I Will
project through, it is quite
another thing to use distortion
of facts to get the job done.
The distortion lies in the
wording of the petition. Such
ambiguities as "pare-profes
sional, probably armed" are
being used to promote this
project. Now I ask you, "What
the hell is an armed para-pro
fessional?" Perhaps this is a
dissident group of junior
social-science students who
can't be classified as profes
sional because they're only had
two years of schooling prior to
Is A Wifll7 0110 Pad II
Police Force be armed with
guns. This survey is designed
to seek your opinion." Then
there followed blocks to check
off: student, staff, or faculty;
resident or non-resident; day or
night student; for or against
guns.
The SGA poll, on the other
hand, started out by informing
the reader that there had been
burglaries of over ;2500
recently in Meade Heights; that
they were carried out by
"pare-professionals"; that these
para-professionals were "most
probably armed"; and that the
only way to achieve safety and
stability in our endangered
campus was obviously to arm
our Security Police with guns.
Public opinion surveys are
supposed to be written in such
a way that they are objective;
that the wording of the
question doesn't influence the
answer.
Which of these two surveys
sitting down to eat. When we
went to be seated, the
president, who was -already
seated, objected because his
name was printed in the seat.
So we politely moved. As we
*skis. Pails 4
I was appalled to read in the
C.C. Reader of 10 February
that serious consideration is
being given to equipping
campus security officers with
Firearms.
Two points. The only crime
specified in the article was
burglary, which is not in itself a
violent crime. One wonders
why weapons would be
necessary to deter a non-violent
crime.
Second, there is some
evidence that the presence of
firearms increases the like
lihood of aggresion by angry
people. - Since even the best
trained officer is not immune to
anger, there is the possibility
that arming the security force
will increase violence on
campus.
This scares me
Robert W. Colman
Assistant Professor
No► Put
coming to Capitol Campus.
Well, whatever or whoever
this nefarious and undoubtably
fictitious group is, they are
scaring people into signing a
petition about which those
people have given very little
thought.
If security officers need to
be armed, let them present
their program in clear language
and with factual information
and let's drop the dramatics.
Otherwise, they should only be
armed with their book of
parking tickets.
do you think is objective? Which
one's results would you put
more credence in?
Ray Martin told me last
night that "every word in that
petition can be proven."
Prove it, Ray. In print. In
public.
I'm not the only one who's
questioning your techniques.
People who have signed your
petition supporting you claim
that they've been misled, or
object to your using scare
tactics.
I believe in the right of the
people - all the people - to
decide their fate. If an
important issue arises - and this
is an important issue - it should
be decided by everyone, in the
open, in public, logically and
unemotionally.
But nu be damned if I'm
going to let a small group of
crazed para-militarists shove
something down my throat.
Not without a fight.
Just A Thought
Most of the time
I cannot find the time
to do nothing,
without feeling guilty.
Most of the time
I spend daydreaming,
about what I would be doing
when I have the time.
Then I realize, it is time
to get back to work
'cause dreaming absorbs the
that may be spent doin
yesterday's daydream.
But it is now too late,
and I haven't even the time
to complete that, to which I am
obligated.
So, once again I feel
that guilt of wasting time,
smothering my thoughts.
I think Tomorrow, maybe,
I won't dream so much.
By Steve Wieser