Oddo aims for state legislature
By Neil Myers
It's a long way from Har
risburg to McKeesport, but Stu
dent Government Association
President Joe Oddo makes the
trip home every other weekend.
He has to. He's running for elec
tion there as the Republican can
didate in Pennsylvania's 37th
Legislative District.
Oddo, a senior Public Policy
major, has had his sights set on
public office for a long time.
"It goes back to four years
ago," he says. "I was tired of
working as a laborer. I've been
training myself."
Capitol organizes
ambassador program
By Neil Myers
The Admissions and Public
Relations Offices have announced
he creation of a Capitol Campus
Lion Ambassador organization to
represent the campus to the
public.
Lion Ambassadors, first formed
at University Park in 1981, are
students who serve at receptions,
tours, and other events, according
to Sherry Janis, Assitant to the
Director of Campus Relations.
"We have some distinct
features here that need to be
recognized by the public at
large,"said Mary Gundel, Direc
tor of Admissions.
The Admissions Office spon
sored two meetings on February
29 to explain the organization to
prospective members. About 28
Capitol students attended in all.
Also at the meetings were
representatives of the University
Park Lion Ambassadors and the
Capitol Campus administration.
According to Pat Young, Assis
tant Director of Admissions, one
of the Ambasssador's major goals
will be to gather impressions of
how potential students and other
visitors view the campus. Janis
said the group might also serve at
the annual phonathon, at recep
tions and in visits to other
colleges.
The group will have a formal
constitution and will be somewhat
selective, according to Young. She
said she plans to start with 11 or
12 members and work toward 18
or 20. Mary Gundel anticipated
that the selections will be made
Oddo attended the McKeesport
Campus of Penn State, then
transferred to Capitol Campus
where he worked in an internship
in the state senate. At his job
there, he watched a computer
listing of candidates running for
office this year.
"The deadline was approaching
and nobody was signed up," Od
do grins. The Democratic incum
bent was running unopposed, so
he made a phone call to the
Republican party and...presto, in
stant candidacy.
Oddo, 26, says he thinks his
age will be an asset, not a liabili
ty. He plans to orient his cam
paign to youthful voters.
by mid-April.
The group will wear uniforms,
Young said, and will have train
ing sessions on how to relate to
the public.
The group's proposed constitu
tion provides for active members,
alumni members and honorary
members.
Kevin Murphy, President of the
University Park Lion Am
bassadors, said, "The primary
thrust of the organization is to
educate students. A lot of people
don't know what a provost
does."
One of the roles of Capitol's
Ambassadors might be to repre
sent Penn State's interests among
state legislators, he added.
Lee Gianone, the University
Park group's adviser, said the
program is "probably one of the
top three in the country" among
student-alumni publicity
programs.
Ann Westoff, a former Am
bassador now employed by
Quaker Oats, said the program
helped her in her job search by
allowing her to meet potential
employers.
Gundel said she hoped the pro
gram would instill a feeling of
unity with the rest of Penn State.
"In the early stages (of Capitol
Campus) it seemed as though we
wanted to separate ourselves from
University Park. We will never be
what University Park is, but we
are a part of Penn State."
Applications for membership in
the group must be submitted to
the Admissions Office by Mon
day, March 19.
Joe Oddo, S.G.A. President
"Younger voters have been
somewhat alienated by politicians.
They're never really taken serious
ly. I don't see why that should
be."
Involvement is a theme Oddo
stresses. He is supporting the cur
rent voter registration drive here
on campus.
Oddo is currently working on
his campaign strategy in conjunc
tion with a course on campaigns
and elections taught by Michael
Young, Instructor in Social
Science and Public Policy.
U. Park considers
local news bureau
By Neil Myers
WDFM, one of University
Park's student radio stations, has
announced tentative plans to open
a Harrisburg news bureau here.
The bureau, if formed, will use
the facilities of Capitol's WNDR
to telephone reports of legislative
and area news to State College,
according to Joe Krushinsky,
WDFM station manager.
"We just don't like what we're
doing now," said Krushinsky. He
said the station is looking for
some volunteers who want ex
perience in radio reporting to
replace or supplement WDFM's
current Harrisburg coverage. The
station now uses a syndicated
reporting service, according to
Krushinsky.
Much of his support will be
from volunteers, Oddo says,
because funding is tight. He
began the campaign with "several
hundred dollars" of his own
money and solicited the signatures
he needed to gain a spot on the
ballot with the help of only one
other person.
"I have the ambition," he says,
sounding like a candidate. "I'm
going to be working 10 or 12
hour days, which I've done
before. I can sense the communi
ty is in need of a change."
Asked if he would vote to in
crease Penn State's budgetary
allotment if he is elected, Oddo
pauses.
"I listened to Dr. Jordan speak
about that. I would say to keep it
strong, but I'd have to weigh that
against the needs of other state
agencies."
Oddo is somewhat of an
idealist. Though running as a
Republican, he gives party affilia
tion little emphasis. In 1980 he
coordinated the Pittsburgh Youth
for Anderson, and in 1982 he
worked for the Allen Ertel guber
natorial campaign.
He also has a touch of
pragmatism. Even if he doesn't
win in November, Oddo says he
will still have gained in experience
and name recognition. And, he
can always look forward to
graduate school.
"Of course," he adds, smiling,
"I'm going to win."
"We're putting forth the idea,"
he explained. The station will
make a definite decision in the
near future, based on response to
the proposal.
"It gives students a chance to
work hard-core news," said
WNDR program director Don
Strausburger. He said WNDR
would use some of the stories
here.
Interested students can apply at
WNDR, Strausburger said.
Reporters will be trained by the
WDFM staff. Krushinsky sug
gested a three-night program to
orient volunteers.
WDFM is a 1000 -watt, 24-hour
FM station run by University
Park students. Krushinsky said
the station has an annual budget
of $15,000 to $20,000.