Page 8 Friday, September 13, 1985 The Ca|
Editorial
Priceless...
The battle between liberals and conservatives rages on. The
liberals favor a cooperative policy, one that gives aid to those in
need. The consevatives argue that to give support to the poor and
needy encourages failure and mediocrity. They favor a strict free
market approach that rewards enterprise and success. The con
servatives argue that true competition encourages quality and
achievement.
The African problems shatter the idea that need is always caused
by laziness or lack of motivation.
There are times when the strong should help the weak.
American history is a story of cooperation as will as competition.
A blend of these approaches is necessary.
A minor skirmish in this continuing debate was fought on cam
pus Wednesday. Provost Ruth Levanthal met with members of
the Humanities Department to discuss the needs and fate of the
humanities at Capitol Campus.
The faculty presented the provost with a partial list of im
provements they thought were necessary to their department and
the campus. The provost in turn presented the faculty with a list
of reasons why their requests could not attract funding.
The humanities do not have bottom line benefits. The arts are
not a growth industry. Economic development is the focus of the
people and agencies who fund University programs. Humanities
may get left behind because its economic ben fits can’t be
demonstrated in the same way that business or engineering train
ing can. These are some of the points Leventhal used to explain
her position.
The implication is the humanities are not competing successfully
and should be abandoned. But, there are considerations beyond
econmics.
Some things are priceless. This is \yhat a thing beyond value
is called. Priceless. The word creates thoughts of wealth that can
not be measured.
The Hope Diamond, the largest in the world, is priceless. There
are a few other gems that have worth because they are unique.
Some are the largest. Others have a richness of color. They are
a\\ pricless.
But, the treasures we most prize are not accidents of nature.
They are the result of human effort: A rare piece of ancient
sculpture; the recorded history of mankind; An original
manuscrupt by Shakspeare. All are priceless.
These are pieces of a puzzle that tell us who we are and what
we have done. They are essential in helping us discover where we
are going. They are priceless.
There are things that have value that can’t be measured by
money. Human activity at its best is not dictated by econmics.
It is moved by a need to know and understand.
We need our scientists and technicians to know the human past
and present of their efforts.
We need the humanities. They are priceless
Capitol Times
Friday, August 30, 1985 V 01.20, No.l
Published by the 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 organization 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.
Dave Donlin Editor-In-Chief
Stacy Krnjaic Production Manager
Maria Kent ...News Editor
Joseph Michalsky ..................Managing Editor
Jennette De11’A1ba..................... Advertising Manager
Beverly Halbrook ..................Public Relations Manager
Michael 8ri11.....................„ Business Manager
John Drexler ; Photo Editer
Ken Stiggers Staff Writer
Jane A. McQuain Staff Writer
Alan Pincus Staff Writer
_ . , , . ... Printed at the Press and Journal,
Advising and consulting
° 9 Middletown. Text dislts processed
Mark S. Guralnick
>itol Times
iotgry. Mltfltlwrn,
V r ~ J _ College Press Service
-4 \WL STREET
4 lli'nlirSE
fill i i l||l
: | allEglSSr
fflkMjm i i I § if
ib^^^Kl1 8 1 s Ub^mP
“TV is my guide”
Television has really helped
me to become a better person.
I had been going through life
convinced my parents had
shown me the proper way to
act, but a closer inspection of
television’s more popular shows
has shown me a better way. I
have learned varied things
covering the whole spectrum
from how to treat women to
how to drive my car properly.
The old me thought that
women actually meant what
they said. If they gave “no”
signals it meant no, “yes”
signals meant yes. From
“Three’s Company” and “Too
Close for Comfort” I learned
that yes means no and I have
been able to save myself from
some potentially embarrassing
situations. The Suzanne Somers
character on “Three’s Com
pany” and the blond daughter
on “Too Close for Comfort”
shattered my original idea of
women. Although they wear
clothes so tight it would be im
possible for a wrinkle to ever
form, this in no way means they
are trying to attract men. Every
time either of these characters
has invited a man to be alone
with them, the poor sucker falls
for the same trap I would have
fallen for and actually tries to
make sexual advances. The au
dience cheers as our heroines
slap tne faces of these sexual
perverts. Armed with this
knowledge, I have been able tb
turn down the last five invita
tions from women who asked
me to go back to their apart
ments. Although I have been
taking many cold showers late
ly, at least I have been saved
GOLL.EGE READING LIST
from making several social faux
pas.
I thought the proper way to
deal with people in a business
setting was to treat them fairly
and establish a good reputa
tion. From J.R. Ewing in
“Dallas” I learned that you
should try to give the shaft to
your friends at every oppor
tunity and try to ruin their lives
as well as their businesses. In
my experience however, I have
found it hard to bring a person
to his knees when the largest
purchase I made was $2OO for
Cynicism £
H
auto repairs. Maybe I’ll have to 1
wait until I have a larger in
come before I try to ruin peo
ple’s lives. But, at least now I’m
ready.
In the old days I thought if
I ever struck it rich, I’d settle
down to a life of leisure and
comfort. Now, through wat
ching “Hart to Hart” and
“Matt Houston,” I have learn
ed that if one becomes a
millionaire the proper ambition
should be to get people to shoot
guns at your head at least once
a week. I’m so stupid that I
would never have figured this
one out on my own. I had an
inate fear of guns, but it’s ob
vious that all these gangsters
and hit men can’t hit even h sta
tionary target, so my fears were
unjustified.
I was taught to be a defensive
driver and never learned the joy
of putting the accelerator to the
floor. By watching “The Dukes
of Hazard” I have learned that
when you are put into a dif
ficult situation in an
automobile, the best way to get
out of trouble is to gun the
engine and try to get the car air
borne if possible. Just recently
I was approaching a large
pothole in the highway. My
misguided instincts told me to
slow down and avoid contact at
all costs. However, having just
watched the Duke boys in a
similar situation, I put the petal
to the metal and tried to jump
it. For some reason my 1970
Volkswagen did not go air
borne like the “General Lee”
and I suffered extensive
damage underneath. Maybe
this is a blessing in disguise as
it may give me an opportunity
to screw my auto mechanic in
a business deal.
I’m sure there are many
other lessons I can learn from
TV. Just the other day I saw a
great soap opera. It showed
what you do to your neighbor’s
wife when he goes away on a
business trip. I’ll have to try it
out as soon as possible. I’ve
learned that my instinctive reac
tions are probably the result of
an improper upbringing and I
have been able to turn my per
sonality around. I think that
television can be a great learn
ing tool and everybody can
change their lives for the better
as 1 have done.