Page 4 Thursday, February 28, 1985 The Capitol Times
Campus Forum
A message to the campus
community from Neil
Myers, Associate Editor
Lots of folks stop me in the
halls and ask why the Capitol
Times doesn't print more
sports, or more club news, or
more literary news, or more
people features, or more in
vestigative stories, or more
whatever.
Actually, I'd like to know
myself.
The fact is, we don't have
enough experienced people.
Now, why that is, I'm not sure.
I suspect it has something to do
with the two-year nature of the
campus, the fact that lots of
people commute, and the fluc
tuating strength of the jour
nalism program here.
But whatever the reason, we
are somewhat understaffed,
under-equipped and
under-experienced.
Actually, that's not quite
true. It would be more accurate
to say we are moderately under
equipped, disturbingly under
staffed in a few key areas, and
grossly under-experienced.
Some of us are trying hard to
swim against the current. We
spend most of our waking
hours at the newspaper (and
some of our sleeping ones, too).
We exist on pizza and nachos,
and our friends call us
strangers.
We are the remnants of the
old guard, left over from bet
ter times.
And then there are the new
recruits, many of whom are ex
periencing journalism or adver
tising work for the first time.
They are working hard, putting
in long hours, and learning.
Capitol Times
Thursday, February 28, 1985
Vol. 19, No. 10
Published by students of Penn State's Capitol
Campus, Middletown, PA 17057
The Capitol Times welcomes letters from readers. Letters
intended 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 newspaper or its staff.
We're proud of their efforts,
which are definitely improving.
If things seem tough, guys (and
gals), hang in there; you're cat
ching on.
There is one cold hard fact
that we all need to face: You
don't acquire experience over
night. It's going to take time to
learn how to write, to interview,
to sell ads, to compose and lay
out a newspaper. Those of us
on the editorial board are keen
ly aware of our shortcomings,
but the reality of the situation
is that things will get better with
time.
This semester, through
nobody's fault, all of us on the
editorial board have obligations
that mean we can affford to
devote much less time to the
Capitol Times. Some of us have
done the realistic thing and ac
cepted the situation; others con
tinue to defy logic and hang
around more than we should.
This semester, the Capitol
Times will serve as a learning
experience for the up-and
coming staff that will take over
the reins next fall.
With this issue, we have in
itiated another one of our fre
quent upper-echelon shuffles in
an effort to make things a little
easier on ourselves. 1 have
assumed the title of Associate
Editor, and am currently enter
taining wild fantasies of actual
ly doing homework and making
up my two deferred grades
from last semester. Don
Strausburger will remain as
Managing Editor, but will do
more managing. Jan Shatzer
has come aboard as Assistant
Business Manager, with hopes
of controlling Our vast cash em
pire on her own next fall.
As the semester progresses,
VIOAR I .
VD LIKE To
HUG litAT
Urfa TWO!
*********
we'll be making additional
changes to make sure the Times
has a solid core of leaders in the
fall of 'B5.
I'm confident that by using
this semester as a learning ex
perience rather than an exercise
in perfection, we can make the
Capitol Times a newspaper that
will be both fun to work for
and interesting to read.
So if this semester's Times
isn't quite what you would like,
be patient. The experience our
staff gets now will make for a
better product in the long run.
And to all of my professors,
especially Dr. Graham, I thank
you for your patience. I hope
we'll be seeing more of each
other the rest of this semester.
Of course, I'll still be glad to
hear all of your views on our ef
forts. I just thought you ought
to hear mine.
Letters to the Editor:
Dear Dr. Leventhal
I have learned that I will not
be able to graduate in May
because I must earn an addi
tional THREE credits during
the summer. Because of
THREE credits, I will not be
able to walk with my classmates
in the May ceremony. This
means that if I wish to par
ticipate in any ceremony, I
must do so NEXT January. I
am terribly dismayed at this
policy. It is both intolerant and
inflexible. By next January, I
hope to have completed one
term of graduate school. I will
not feel like celebrating my
"graduation" with a ceremony
that should have occurred over
eight months before. Certainly,
non-participation is my choice.
However, I now know that
there is a FEE which I must pay
if I wish to have my diploma
CI WY!
SET YOU
COULD HUG
Oete
OPE A MAK!
?AM , M
*\*
WNDR is ready to grow
By Don Strausburger
Capitol Campus has approx
imately 35 organizations work
ing under the wings of Student
Government. For most clubs,
groundwork for the entire year
is laid early in the Fall
Semester. Student leaders
roughly design ideas for the
year's projects and coast
through the year following the
master plans.
For many clubs, a change in
leadership results in no change
in the scheduling of club events
or, occasionally, the downfall
of the organization.
Right now, though, one
organization is making a
serious effort to take last
semester's groundwork and
build on it.
I'm talking about WNDR!
mailed to me. A FEE? Haven't
I ( and countless other students)
paid this institution enough
without these endless auxilliary
fees?
The purpose of this letter is
more or less the equivalent of
a primal scream room. Ater
two years I've had it with the
inane bureaucracy which
shrouds Penn State. I realize
policies are not changed on the
whims of students. However, I
do hope that the newness of
your post will provide you with
somewhat of a different
perspective.
Yours truly,
Catherine Madigan
Editor's note: Ms. Madigan
reports that the administration
has made an effort tovolve her
problem since she sliprnitied
this letter, but:that tlUissue re
mains unresolved."'
College Press ServK
That's right! The school
radio station experienced a
change in management in Oc
tober, 1984 and because of
member interest refused to roll
over and die.
Through the efforts of
several people, the excessive
number of contacts barely kept
by the one person who ran the
station for the previous 18
months are being easily handl
ed. Important contacts with
faculty and administration have
been renewed and the station's
management and staff are
working hard to give the station
the vitality for which it has long
strived.
As the former program direc
tor and now creative consultant
of the station, I only hope the
administration will look toward
the station with respect and at
tempt to reopen the necessary
channels for the continued im
provement of the station.
WNDR has a long way to go
both technically and musically.
However with Jerry Slezak, the
new station manager, Steve
Roberts, the music director and
Program Director Brian Con
roy, the mountain can be climb
ed, rather quickly.
From a musical standpoint,
every student at Capitol can
help. Select members of the
WNDR on-air staff will be con
ducting a person►-to-person
survey to find out exactly what
you want to hear.
If one of the school disc
jockeys approaches you with
some questions, take a few
minutes and let him/her know
your feelings about the station.
Don't let yourself be another
of
,the reasons that • WNDR
joins a growing list of clubs
understaffed due to campus
Apathy.