Page 4 Friday, September 7, 1984 The Capitol Times
Campus Forum
Anyone who thinks this campus hasn't come a long way
since its inception should take a long look at some of the
early yearbooks. And anyone who thinks the Capitol
Timeshasn't come a long way since 1969 should see our file
copies of a mimeographed publication that called itself simp
ly "Student Newspaper".
But that doesn't mean that either the campus or the
Capitol Times should be satisfied with mediocrity. Treading
water may be good exercise but it won't win you any medals
at the Olympics.
As Capitol Campus welcomes a new administration that
is obviously committed to improvements, we at the Capitol
Times think it's time to improve ourselves. That's why we're
changing our format from a monthly magazine to a bi
weekly tabloid . newspaper.
We believe our new format is much better suited to an ex
panding campus. It should allow better coverage of cam
pus news and events, while allowing journalism students to
gain experience in reporting under deadline conditions. We
also think it will make the Times more attractive to adver
tisers, who provide valuable information directed specifically
to a college-oriented audience.
But that's not all.
We're adding COLOR to selected issues, this one includ
ed. Plus, we're opening a new classified ad department to
allow you to communicate directly to the campus communi
ty. We'll also be adding professional editorial cartoons,
graphics, and news from the College Press Service.
And we're working on a special surprise for our Christmas
Edition.
Of course, we'll continue to print your letters. And we'll
continue to include coverage of sports, records, movies and
features that balance our regular news items.
Altogether, we think we're on the way to creating an ex
citing new newspaper for the campus. We hope you'll agree.
If you'd like to join us at the Times, as a reporter, artist,
photographer, advertising salesperson, or whatever, just
drop by W-129 in the Olmsted Building. We'd be glad to
talk to you.
And if , you're happy just reading the Timq, Ihat's OK,
too. Look for our next issue on September 20.
Capitol
Imes
Published by students of Penn State's Capitol
Campus, Middletown, Pa. 17057
Neil A. Myers
Tony Perry
Jeffrey G. Shatzer
Jeffrey L. Keck
James T. Ferguson
Beverly Ann Halbrook
Janice Waardenburg..
Lisa Mauss
Donald Strausburger
Kathleen Heraghty
Advising and consulting Mark S. Guralnick
Mark Edquid
Michele Lackey
Eric Morris
Ken Stiggers
Printed at the Press and Journal, Middletown
Copy disks queued at Jednota Printery, Middletown
The Capitol Times welcomes letters from readers. Letters in
tended for publication must be signed by the author and indicate
his/her club or organizational affiliation, if any. The Capitol Times
reserves the right to edit or reject letters at its discretion.
Letters published do not necessarily reflect the views of this
news •e'er or its staff.
Friday, Sept. 7, 1984
Vol. 19, No. 1
Managing Editor
Production Manager
....Business Manager
.Advertising Manager
..Sales Representative
....Composing Typist
Photographer
Reviews
Production Assistant
Staff Writers
Joe Michalsky
Bill Oshman
Angelo Vecchio
Editor-in-chief
Crime and
How safe are we?
By Neil Myers
There was a newspaper
reporter who once boasted
that he created a crime wave
single-handedly. He didn't
actually commit any crimes,
he just started writing more
frequently about crimes that
occured every week.
The focus of his news
coverage started officials
talking about the "pro
blem." Sociologists analyz
ed it and developed complex
explanations, and the public
worried about it. Then the
reporter decided he'd had
enough and he stopped em
phasizing crimes. The of
fenses continued as always,
but the crime wave
mysteriously ended.
This issue of the Capitol
Times contains several ar
ticles dealing with crime on
campus. The problems
reported definitely exist. We
make it our policy to verify
our ingormation as much as
possible. But we're not try
ing to create a crime wave,
and we hope you won't in
fer any. If the emphasis
seems unusual, it's probably
because serious problems are
infrequent here.
All of that said, there are
some real issues that need to
be addressed. One of them is
arming the campus police
force.
If ever there was a ques
tion that could pass for a
ping- pong ball, this is it. It
seems that every year or so,
there is an incident on cam
ing-pong balls
pus that places a campus
policeman in the awkward
position of confronting a
potentially armed criminal
with little more than his
hands. Then someone sug
igests,that the polioe be arm
ed. A committee is formed to
study the matter. Generally,
the administration,
sometimes aided by vocal
students, opposes the move
on the grounds that someone
could get hurt if an armed
officer misjudged a
situation.
That is true. It is also true
that armed criminals would
face little opposition should
they decide to harm an of
ficer, a faculty member, or
a student. Moreover, some
students themselves have
weapons, albeit in violation
of University rules.
On balance, it makes more
sense to arm a trained and
carefully selected police of
ficer than to let criminals
have a free reign, especially
in a semi-urban setting like
ours. Most likely, the of
ficers wouldn't need to use a
firearm 99 times out of 100.
But what do - we say to them
when the 100th time comes
and they're powerless?
It's time to stop playing
ping-pong.
It's also time to make
some other small but impor
tant changes. This campus is
spread out over a large area,
with considerable distances
between many buildings and
some remote stretches in bet
ween. Last summer, a
woman was accosted on a
campus road. She wasn't
harmed, but she could have
been. And in a case that is
apparently ongoing and
which campus police declin
ed to discuses,- part of the
campus is reportedly being
visited by a window peeper.
Campus officials have
already done a lot to reduce
the liklelihood of these situa
tions. New lights were in
stalled last year on the path
to the dorms. This year, the
student escort service was ex
panded to include free rides
to the residence areas on
weeknights, supplementing
the existing service to and
from the Olmsted parking
lot. A fifth police officer was
also hired.
Yet there are gaps. Would
it, for instance, be possible
to extend the escort service to
Sundays, when the library is
open? How about including
people walking to the Multi-
Purpose Building or
C.R.A.G.S. at night?
And then there are the
lights in front of the Olmsted
Building. How about leaving
one or two on for the
students working late in the
TV studio, the radio station,
the newspaper office? How
about better street lighting in
Meade Heights, as one resi
dent there suggested?
Nothing, of course, can
provide absolute safety, and,
as I said earlier, the problem
really isn't as bad as it may
seem. I'm not saying the sky
is falling. I just think it pays
to glance up now and then.