(Cont From page 1) Gatski blame. Do you support the establishment of a separate Department of •Education? Do you think it will help the situation? Gatski: Do you mean what President Carter did on the national level? Collegian: Yes. Gatski:. I’m saying that because there is an amendment to the school code in Pennsylvania which I think is to. abolish the Department of Education in Pennsylvania. I see what, Carter has done as a benefit. It shows that the President and his administration know that there are deficiencies in our educational system, and obviously, he intends to put a lot of emphasis on trying to correct this. Collegian: Probably one of the most controversial issues in , Pennsylvania is the drinking age. I don’t have to tell you how important that is to us as college students. Do you support the lowering of the drinking age? Gatski: Let me say that 3 years ago I received a petition signed by about 2,000 people. I assume that they were college students from Highacres as well as from high schools in this area supporting the lowering of the drinking age. At that time, I felt that it was needed. I’m not that old that I can’t recall the age where there is just something missing. You were able to go to high school dgnces, and then you hit this age where you’re a little bit too old to go to the high school dance, and yet you’re too young to go to a nightclub. Three years ago I was strongly for lowering it. In fact, I’m off the Liquor Control Committee in which the bill hasn’t even been introduced. It’s not going to happen quickly. Now, I’m not so sure; The problem with drinking ages in many bills is that we hear from so many groups, and each group’s figures are different. We could hear from a study taken in the state of New Jersey which says that since they’ve changed their laws accident rates .have gone up 100 percent. Then we hear from this other group that says since New Jersey raised their drinking age accident rates have not gone up. It’s difficult tb find out who is really telling the truth with so many different lobbyist groups. I think that, right now, if the bill came up on the floor, I would vote to lower tM drinking age. Maybe not to 18. I’m sure most of our young people, I know my son was, are still in high school when they are 18. Nineteen or twenty, I think I would vote for it right now. Collegian: Some of the reasons given by young people to lower the drinking age are that they can vote, own a bar, serve liquor, and fight for their country, but they can’t drink. Are these valid reasons for lowering the drinjcjpg age, and will voicing them help get the bill passed? Gatsld: Yes. They are valid reasons. Again, going back to my feeling that it should be lowered, we had a bill two years ago which would have allowed 18 year olds or teenagers to play end perform in Interv night ciuds or barrooms. It surprised me when it was defeated. When I saw that, I wondered, ‘How are we going to pass the drinking age when they won’t even allow kids to perform in these places?’ I would say the vote in Congress would be very close. The inequities, that you can own a bar and vote but can’t drink, mil help. I think it’s going to be a tough fight. Collegian: Rumor has been circulating that the driving age will be raised to 18. Is that true? Gatski: No, no thought about it at all. Collegian: Do you think it could eventually happen in the future? Gatski: You have to understand when we’re talking about the Legislature, we’re talking about 200 and some House members and 50 some Senators, out of that there’s different beliefs for each of them. There has been a concerted effort by many state legislators—on the national level too—to conserve fuel. Now, I can see that being one of the reasons for someone saying, “Why should we have these kids driving around (for instance, down Broad St.) with no aim, no purpose. Let’s raise the driving age.” I can see the possibility of that arising. But I wouldn’t bet on anything like that passing. Collegian: Nuclear energy is probably the most controversial subject in the U.S. especially after the accident at Three Mile Island. Do you think nuclear energy is our best source of energy or are there other types of energy you would like to see developed? Gatski: I have only one problem with nuclear energy, and that is that we didn’t stop it sooner. A bill was just introduced on the state level that would stop the future building of any new nuclear plants; however, it doesn’t help us here, because Berwick is very close to our area. Any time we’re talking about nuclear waste ... we don’t even know where in the Nation to put it. We have, according to the President himself, enough coal in this area to last for who knows how long! I’m strictly against it (nuclear energy), and PP&L knows how I feel. I’m concerned. Berwick is so close. They assure us that it’s a whole different reactor and that Three Mile Island can’t happen here, but I’m sure the same things were said about Three Mile Island. Now, I’m against nuclear plants of any kind. I think our technology could have done more with coal, or solar energy or whatever. There are so many forms of energy that we could use. Collegian: Are there any evacuation plans for the Hazleton area if an accident would occur at Berwick? Gatski: There is a group that I was invited by to be on the committee which would formulate the evacuation, the whole safety plan. That group has been meeting for the last month or two months. There are definitely plans. Collegian: The Highacres Collegian conducted a poll recently which asked the students who they would vote for if the Democratic race for President came down to Senator Kennedy and President Carter. Who would you like to see as the Democratic nominee for President in 1980? Gatski: I’ll tell you who I would like to see and my reasons, and then you can tell me who won that poll, 0.K.? Collegian: O.K. Gatski: Right now it’s pretty hard to say. You have to understand that when you have to run there are a number of things involved. You can get swallowed up with a ticket. For example, if the top of my ticket last year was Shapp, I probably would have lost, tdany people still pull one lever instead of looking—which they should do, because there are good Democrats and good Republicans, or whatever. Right now Carter’s popularity is very low. He will be at the top of the ticket when I run. So maybe, selfishly, I think I would rather Kennedy. Right now Carter’s popularity is really poor, and I don’t see him picking it up in a year. Collegian: In other words, you see President Carter’s popularity hurting him in the up-coming election. Gatski: Yes, and it’s not necessarily his fault. We were looking for a President Carter after the Nixon thing, and we saw a guy who came up as a nice, clean-living, love and peace person. However, he seems to lack the leadership qualities we’re looking for. Maybe the things he’s saying are right, but he’s lacking that one quality I think a President has to have and that’s leadership. I think Kennedy has it. I don’t believe some of his stands on some issues are right, but he does have that leadership ... I think anyway. I hope he plans to run. I would rather have him on the ticket with me than Carter. Collegian: Senator Kennedy was the winner in our poll, too. Gatski: I think many of the younger people will vote for Kennedy. The Collegian would like to thank Mr. Gatski for giving his time for this interview and for speaking so candidly on the issues. Karate Club Reopens How would you like to have the opportunity to punch Mr. Campbell (and survive)? Karate club offers this challenge to interested students. The club practices every Monday and Thursday evenings from 7:00 ’til 9:00 in the remedial gym. Karate can be very self-satisfying, and offers many personal rewards to the individual. So if you think that this is the activity you’ve been searching for—stop by during practice, or talk to a member of the club. Mr. Campbell is the instructor-advisor. Officers for the 1979-80 year are: President- Grace “Tettsui” Pema; Vice President—Mike “Mikazuki’’ Sulkosky; Secretary-Treasurer— Diane Rood. Gerhard surveys “word meanings” Recently, Mark Gerhard, a foreign service major attending Pennsylvania State University, surveyed several sociology and English classes at Highacres campus and local high schools. 'Hie goal of Mark’s survey, which was taken out of sheer interest, was to compare the use of slang language on both the secondary and college levels, noting both similarities and differences between the two. As of this date, the results of Mark’s survey are inconclusive, but indications are that the universiality of the slang language seems to end at the eleventh grade level. From there on down, although there are a few slang words that remain constant throughout, such as “jock” and Students Elect SGA Senators Freshman senators for the Student Government Association of- the Hazleton Campus have been elected for the 1979-80 school year. According to the SGA Constitution, five first term students must be elected to the fifteen member council each year. These positions are then held until the members leave the campus. Concerns of the senators “cram”, there doesn’t seem to be similarity in the slang language in the higher level grades or the college level. The innovative freshmen and sophomores seem to be inventing new slang words. For example, in referring to an easy course, the majority of college level and twelfth grade seniors tended to use the term “cake,” whereas the lower level grades tended to use the term “fish.” When asked to complete the statement “Things to better with ?” high school pupils generally responded with the word beer, and most college students responded with the word coca-cola. Also, when asked to write a term for a studious student, University students used the word “brain,” whereas high school students (especially the commercial sections) referred to this type of student as a “browner.” One of the most interesting things found in the survey was college students used the word cram to refer to “studying diligently,” and high school seniors used this word to replace the phrase “to study for an exam.” Mark now intends to survey other branch campuses of Penn State to develop the geographic factor in his survey. include making suggestions and voting on all issues of nonacademic functions and activities of the student body such as the annual Awards Night, an important responsibility of the SGA. The newly elected senators are Mike Ford, John Kupcha, Sue McGee, Blake Morgan, and Mario Rosato.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers