CAPITOL CAMPUS READER Vol. 7 No. 6 Capitol Campus Penn State University November 10, 1977 State Rally Committee Meets at Capitol By Rick Haytkornthwaite Staff Writer The State Committee to organize the Budget Rally on November 15 met at the Meade Heights Coffeehouse on Sunday, November 6 at 9:30 A.M. Major topics for discussion were who to ask to speak at the rally; what the individual schools could do to inform their students and the surrounding population of the serious ness of the problem; how the parents and the media might be alerted to the situation; and how therally itself should be planned. There was a general consensus among members that the speakers at the rally should represent several levels of administration. It was stressed that at least one of the speakers should be fairly well known and respected by others than these in his/her immediate area. The rally should not be a battle in the political sense, i.e. to bully Republican or Democrat legislators, but a plea for cooperation among the state legislators to appropriate the needed funds for the state-funded universities. Dr. Ralph Towne, chairperson of the Faculty Senate, Temple University, will definitely speak at the rally. Other names mentioned were Dr. William Nathan, Temple University, and Peter Flaherty, former mayor of Pittsburgh. The members of the committee were urged to return to their respective institutions and carry out a problem-awareness campaign in and around their schools. In the past week, articles describing the various aspects of the rally have been published in the school newspapers; they were accompanied by a plea for support, financial or moral, from the students, faculty and administrators. Letters have been written to the editors of local newspapers from the institutions Capitol Campus Representatives at the State Meeting:foreground (1 to r): Linda Weaver, Gary reneker, Carol Andress, Ed Perrone - State Coordinators; background (1 to r): Larry Ranieri, Dave Nikoloff - Campus Coordinators. affected, along with a general news release, drawn up by Ed Perrone, C.C. Reader Editor, that is being mailed to newspapers around the state. Students are being urged to inform their parents about the rally and its purpose. It is hoped that when parents discover how serious the situation is, then they will write letters to their legislators. And the more letters the better. The committee decided that the day before the Budget Rally, four members from each affected school will go to Harrisburg to lobby. By doing this, it is hoped that the legislators will at least recognize that the motive behind the rally is to alert the public to the problem facing the state-funded institutions of high learning, and not to force the legislators to capitulate. On November 15, all buses will meet in the area used as the MTA parking lot, behind the Olmstead Plaza. Next they will enter Harrisburg together with the aid of a police escort. People driving up in cars will park in the State Farm Show lot and will be "shuttled" a bus-load at a time to the Capitol building. To boost the spirits of those involved in the rally, the Universities are organizing a twenty-to-thirty piece band, from members of their own marching bands. Members of the press attending the rally will receive print-outs on information concerning the budget issue. Those attending the meeting were: Gary Reneker, Ed _ Perrone, Carol Andress and Linda (Rhodes) Weaver, State Coordinators of the rally, Capitol Campus; Cliff Goldstein, Rich Crisaffulli, Russell Vallee and Sheryl Gordon, Temple University; Grant Ackerman, University Park; Dave Nikoloff and Larry Ranieri, Capitol Campus; and Bernie Payne, University of Pittsburgh. 4-gir The State Rally Committee (counterclockwise): Rich Crisafulli (Temple), Bernie Payne (Pitt), Russell Vallee, Sheryl Gordon (Temple) Grant Ackerman (University Park), Rick Haythornthwaite (Reader Staff Writer), Linda Weaver, Gary Reneker, Carol Andress, Ed Perrone (Capitol). Facts: By Gary Reneker Staff Writer Penn State faces the worst financial crisis in its history as an institution of higher education. The state legislature, to date, has not given Penn State any funds for the fiscal year 1977-78. The money the university should have received from the state represents 30% of its total budget. Penn State is currently borrowing $300,000. every day, and it's paying $4,000 daily in interest on these loans. As of October 31,1977, P.S.U. has paid $200,000 in interest alone, just to stay open. Within the next month, due to the compounding of interest upon interest, the interest expense will mount to $5,000 per day. Unless the state legislature gives Penn State the funds it was originally appropriated, plus additional funds to pay the interest on loans, the students will have to pay for the interest with increased tuition, increased housing costs, and cut backs in educational services, housing maintenance, and so on. The Pa. General Assembly had passed an appropriations bill of ;108.8 million for Penn State-4900,000 less than the budget approved by the Board of Trustees last spring. Increases in tuition and fees and decreases in university services can therefore be expected even if the full appropriation were granted immedi atelly, along with sufficient monies to defray interest expenses. Such a desireable windfall of capital is unlikely Volunteers needed for rally work; sign up in SGA office. CANCELLATION The Beta Chi meeting originally scheduled for Tues., Nov. 15, 1977 will be held on the steps of the Capitol Building instead of Room 330. The time has been changed from 3 p.m. to 12 noon. For those of you who can't make the meeting, Happy Holidays. 110M4Va4011 The Budget Crisis to occur, however, as the Senate recently accepted a motion to reconsider the previously accepted appropriations legislation. This, in effect, means that P.S.U. no longer has any funds whatsoever appropriated to it. The longer the legislature's delay in this matter, the more it will cost the students, their families, and the taxpayers, MIDDLETOWN* Pa.-It was learned on Monday by The State Rally Coordinating Committee that appro priations previously approved for serveral of the state-related univer sities have been recalled by the Pennsylvania State Senate. The recall was accomplished under a legislative rule which permits either chamber of the legislature to approve a motion to "reconsider" any bill which it has previously approved. The chamber has five days after passage of the legislation in which to adopt a reconsideration motion. The effect of this action is to retain House approval of the various allocations (subject to the enactment of legislation to raise the revenue necessary for funding them), but to put the process back in the Senate to the point where each of the allocation must be voted on again. Since the legislature was in recess for election week, no Senators were immediately available for comment. MIDDLETOWN,Pa. An additional speaker has been confirmed for the student rally being held at the State Capitol in Harrisburg on November 15, 1977. She is Marilyn Skolnick, a member of the State Board of the League of Woman Voters. Ms. Skolnick is also a member of the Education Committee of the League. see page 3 RALLY UPDATE 1 1911
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers