6/EDITORIAL S CAPITAL TIMES eptember 21, 1992 Penn Pepsi Last summer PepsiCo made a $l4 million dollar deal with Penn State University. Initially, it seems as though the money came in the nick-of-time since the Pennsylvania State Leglistature cut some of the university's funds. But when you examine the numbers, the branch campuses end up gaining little economically. It's common opinion that University Park gets top priority when it comes to doling out the funds. I guess that allocation of the Pepsi funds shouldn't surprise us, but the flagrant breach of promise from the administrators at University Park is becoming obvious. Just last week during the Strategic Planning Committee Meetings, Associate Provost Ernest K. Dishner called our new library here at PSI-I "the number-one priority at University Park." Maybe he should clarify the library as the "number one academic priority." That's because there are two types of priorities in the Penn State University system---athletic and academic. And in the infinite wisdom of the financial geniuses at main campus, they chose to put $6 million toward a new convocation/events center at University Park. The purpose of this building is to host athletic and theatre events. Another $6 million goes to the athletic department in exchange for advertising and vending rights. The Pattee Library gets $1 million and the Hetzell Union Building/Paul Robeson Cultural Center gets a half-million-dollars. That leaves a half-a-million dollars for the 20 branch campuses to share. Not only do the branch campuses receive crumbs, but the money will trickle in over the next ten years. The allotment to the branch campuses amounts to $2500 a year for ten years for each campus. The PSH campus gets a whopping 0.2 percent from the Pepsi deal. This slap-in-the-face comes at the same time as Joab Thomas's mandate to cut our operating budget by 10 percent over the next three years. So in the spirit of Provost Leventhal's plea for suggestions to alleviate this budget crisis, I would like to offer my suggestion: Why not cut a private deal with Coca-Cola-- similar to the one at University Park, only on a smaller scale. It's true we don't host football events, but if Coke had exclusive rights here, I'm sure we would realize more than $2500 a year. We need a benefactor to get our new library started--why not Coca-Cola? Yes, it sounds like a desperate proposal, but I've lost faith in the decision makers at Univeristy Park to honor our needs. The only thing University Park has given us so far is lip service and that does not help to erect a new building. Lessons in cultural diversity Dear Editor: I just came from the "All Campus Picnic/Concert" that was held today [Sept. 91 in the sculpture garden. This picnic was a wonderful idea and a nice thing to do for the faculty, staff and students here at Penn State Harrisburg. I had a nice time listening to the music and eating my brownie with some lemonade. Unfortunately, there was nothing else there for me to eat but a lettuce salad! All the other foods offered at the picnic contained some kind of meat, namely pork! Yes, it is my decision not to eat State fails challenge Ann Feeney -ricUovern Editor -Ln-ChLef pork, and that decision might be based on religion or vegetarian preferences, but I am not the only one! If this is an "All Campus Picnic," in a bogstingly diverse university, why /doesn't it cater to the diverse populations here on campus? Maybe someone should educate Penn State Harrisburg as to what diverse means before it labels itself as "Diverse Penn State." Jennifer Bresse Tazerouti, Junior, Secondary Ed./English Other grounds explored in Dear Editor: This letter is in response to an article that appeared in the Sept. 4 issue of the Capital Times titled, "No Middle Ground in Reproductive Choice." This was a very liberal article stating the benefits of abortion. For those of you who are not liberals and would like to hear the other side read on. First, let me state that I am not a fanatic pm-lifer, and yes Lisa, I am a man. And second, I think that abortion should remain as a legal medical practice for certain circumstances, such as you mentioned in your article--severe deformity, when the life of the mother is in danger, rape, incest or when the mother is very young. However, these account for Times EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ann Feeney-ricaovern COPY EDITOR rtiCrilla Stone NEWS EDITOR Stacey Simmers PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR niChelef, Starkey ART DIRECTOR ?rev Stair SPORTS EDITOR Tim Ilrown ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR aeon Sanctkaus FEATURES EDITOR Lisa PiaLask. ADVERTISING MANAGER Natalie E.-11. Zechman ADVISOR tlr. Peter Parisi STAFF Bannte EtzwetEer, Candy Franks, Lori. artng, matt Hunt, Susan Jones-ljurklewizz, tlawn iCapeckl, Pam Meyers, 1144 m lietenefter, Ortiz StussetE, Frank. Wei.ngart, A.ngera West, Kittery ZeLders Capital Times Is published by students of Penn State Harrisburg. Concerns regarding the con tent of any issue should be directed to the editor in room W-341 of the Olmsted Building or by call ing 944-4970. Opinions expressed are those of the author and are not representative of the college administration, faculty or student body. Capital Times welcomes signed letters from readers. No unsigned submissions will be printed; however, a writer's name may be withheld upon request. The Capital Times does not endorse its advertisers. "Gotta have it?" abortion issue only about 2 percent of the abortions which occur in the United States each year. The other 98 percent of abortions are on adult women who became pregnant by mistake. Perhaps if RU4B6 [abortion pill] were legal, these abortions would be tolerable, but how can our society consider itself progressive when it condones high suction hose and saline abortion techniques that literally bum the baby inside and out? (Remember, Lisa, the baby feels pain at eight weeks.) I would also like to answer many of your statements. First, the morbid films that women see are films of the actual operations, which occur thousands of See Letter, page 12