ook at the presidential election....page 6
Thursday,
Nov. 1, 1984
A "soldier" and a "human eye" were among the many costumed students at Capitol's annual Halloween dance. More phot
on page 5.
Suicide 'immoral' says SGA
By Tony Perry
Capitol Campus' elected stu
dent leaders are thinking today
about adopting a resolution
that condemns the stockpiling
of cyanide pills by college cam
puses for use during a nuclear
war.
The first draft of a "state
ment concerning Capitol Cam
pus response to cyanide
stockpiling referenda" was
issued to the members of the
Student Government Associa
tion earlier this week just after
the students of Harrisburg Area
Community College joined the
Referenda may hurt
nuclear freeze fans
PROVIDENCE, RI (CPS)
Attempts by students at Brown
University, the University of
Colorado, and more recently at
Harrisburg Area Community
College to stock cyanide pills
for use after a nuclear war may
be doing the campus freeze
movement more harm than
good, some activists warn.
Last week -- in the largest
student vote turnout in six years
-- Brown students voted 1044 to
687 in favor of a measure ask
ing college officials "to
stockpile suicide pills for op
tional student use exclusively in
the event of a nuclear war."
Capitol Times
growing' list Orobllegians at
tempting to have cyanide pills
available for "optional student
use in the event of nuclear
war."
"We dont necessarily sup
port the idea of suicide, nor do
we support the idea of nuclear
war," Peter Mekosh, SGA
president, said during the
organization's Oct. 30 meeting.
Mekosh said the campuses
that have proposed the use of
the pills as an optional solution
for nuclear war are promoting
a cowardly image of college
students and have no real affect
At the same time, Colorado
student leaders voted to hold a
similar referendum on that
campus in late October.
Officials at both schools
point out that the student
referenda are not binding and
steadfastly refuse to consider
stocking the lethal pills.
One Brown administrator
declared the referendum would
be enforced "over my dead
body."
The students, of course, ad
mit they're after headlines as
much as they are an easy way
out from doomsday.
on the nuclear weapons policies
of the world.
SGA seeks to inform stud
ents on the dangers and
possibilities of nuclear war in
stead of offering an "easy way
out," according to Mekosh.
"We want to be seen as pro
ceeding in a positive manner
and avoiding this suicide
nonsense," he said.
Photo by Neil Myers
The Student Government Association discusses plans for a class gift to the school during their weekly meeting. Story on
page 3.
"Our motivation is purely
educational," says CU student
Kyra Grossman, co-director of
Students for a Sane Nuclear
Policy, the group which drafted
the student referendum.
"Even if people say, 'This
must be a joke,' then at least
Mondale leads poll
By Mark Edquid
Walter Mondale is the
presidential favorite of Capitol
Campus students according to
a straw poll conducted by the
Captiol Times here this week.
The poll shows Mondale with
44% of the vote, Reagan with
32%, and undecided/other with
24%.
Mondale's primary sup
porters in the sample were
black, female, and students liv
ing off campus.
Reagan Support came from
the white, male, students living
on campus.
Students in the Behavioral
Science and Education,
Business administration,
Humanities, and Public Policy
prefer Walter Mondale, while
those in the Science, Engineer-
The resolution says the issue
of stockpiling cyanide pills is
"moot," and rejects suicide as
"irrelevant and immoral."
The document was drafted
by a committee of five SGA
senators and, if accepted in its
final form by the entire
organization, will represent the
student body, according to
Mekosh.
they're talking about (nuclear
war), and that's what we're try
ing to accomplish," she adds.
Brown students, too, were
trying to convey "the feeling of
fear" of nuclear war, says
Jason Salzman, a junior who
originally got 700 students to
Vol. 19 No. 5
ing, and Technology programs
support Ronald Reagan, accor
ding to the straw poll.
Polling was done at the
Olmsted building last Friday
afternoon and Monday morn
ing. The poll asked the students
if they were registered voters, if
they plan to vote, for whom
they will vote, and other
demographic questions.
50 students were polled, ap
proximately 2% of the student
population. Although the poll
was not a scientific survey, it
covered a good cross section of
the student body. Of the
students polled: 40% were
students in the Science,
Engineering, and Technology
programs; 24% were Behavioral
Science and Education majors;
and 8% were in the Humanities.
(continued on pg. 7)
"We are elected represen
tatives of the student body,"
Mekosh said. "If SGA votes to
accept our proposal, it will
stand for the entire student
body."
Mekosh requested the stu
dent senators to submit com
ments and reactions at the next
SGA meeting on Nov. 6, after
which the ideas will be incor
,rated into a final resolution.
sign a petition calling for the
suicide pills.
"There's been a tremendous
increase in discussions on disar
mament," Salzman says. "Peo
ple have been able to per
(continued on pg. 3)