Vol. X, No.8 April 19,1979 Pennsylvania State University, Delaware County Campus Puppet Magic Nuke Fluke Affects University by Sue Beck David Syrotiak is not a magician; Yet what other than magic could temporarily change a roomful of college students back into children for an hour? The answer is puppetry. On Friday, April 6th, the National Marionette Theatre entertained an enchanted crowd of Penn- Staters in Room 101. Four modular stage units, precise timing and appropriate music compiled this one-man show — not to mention the excellent costuming by Carol White and stage sets by Tom Creallo. There were nine scenes show- ing the basic concepts of puppet movements, staging, and applica- tions of both. Of the nine, the most popular skits included a funky, dancing bear, a flower-picking gentleman in the park and a roller skater who is extremely dependant on his puppteer. ~The audience seemed espec- ially touched by “a tiny enchant- ment”. It featured an adorable white-haired old woman with a balloon fetish which literally grows by leaps and bounds as Belgium, France, she is catipulted through the air by her once-innocent balloons. This entire production was geared towards an adult au- dience although the company also specializes in children’s shows. The Marionette theatre was founded in 1964 by David Syrotiak who designs, constructs and munipulates the puppets. His entourage has performed in numerous countries including Switzerland, and the Soviet Union. My. Syrotiaks’ interest in puppets began in second grade yet he has studied human anatomy and the theater exten- cively in order to aquirre his fine touch for depicting human reac- tions through puppets. He af- firms that many long hours of practice are requirred each day in order to become “Me with the puppet”. He also admitted that in doing so, he sometimes feels physically tired after the puppet has done something strenuous! Whatever the case may be, it is obvious that it is something other than perfect co-ordination’ and dexterity that makes one of David Syrotiaks’ shows so de- tightful —It's sheer magic. Plans made to Accept evacuees The University Common- wealth campuses, as well as the counties in which they lie, had planned to accept evacuees from the Three Mile Island area in the event of a nuclear emergency there. University officials draft- ed proposals on how the Univer- sity could best use its facilties in the event of a large scale evacuation. The Penn State main campus at University Park, with 13,000 rooms, is the largest housing facility in central Pennsylvania. State officials remained ready to implement a massive emer- gency evacuation the overall plan was for a systematic evacuation of up to nearly a million people from a 1,200 - square mile region around the stricken nuclear facility. Pennsylvania's 17,000- member National Guard was on standby alert throughout the ordeal to assist police with security and traffic control. Capitol Campus Closed University officials closed the Capitol Campus in Middletown on Friday, March 30 after Governor Richard Thornburgh ordered the evacuation of public buildings within a five-mile radius of the Three Mile Island plant. The campus, which is located one mile northeast of the plant was closed at 12:45 p.m. and students left for home. Thurnburgh ordered the closings to be in effect until Monday, April 2, but the campus remained closed until Monday, April 9. Officials were also concerned about the Penn State York Campus, just 20 miles from the " nuclear power facility. All York schools and York College were closed, but the York Campus remained open. Crisis Under Control Now The worst accident ever to occur in a commercial nuclear reactor is now under control. The damaged reactor at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant continues to cool, and for the first time since last week federal officials said the crisis appeared to be under control. However, the containment building housing the reactor re- mains full of highly radioactive gases and water. Officials say it will take as long as two years after the reactor is shut down to decontaminate the plant. Most of the radioactive debris which will remain lethal for thousands of years will remain stored indefinitely at the plant, 10 miles southeast of Harris- burgh. There are no facilities in the the United States to dispose of high level wastes from commercial nuclear plants. The odds — economic, political and enviromental! - against the plants’ reopening appear to be growing. Some industry experts estimate it would cost $1 billion to repair it, some $300 million more than it cost to build. Official reports of The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), indicate that since the potentially explosive hydrogen bubble has dissappeared, officials are in a better position to assess the extent of damage at the facility “and determine whether it can eventually be reopened. The optimistic mood of NRC officials at the site prompted many people who fled the area at the height of the crisis to return to their abandoned homes and jobs. : j Many schools, including Penn State's Capitol Campus, closed since the accident, were sched- uled to reopen last Thursday. Absenteeism in business and offices dropped, and activity picked up on nearly deserted streets. As many as 80,000 people had evacuated the area: since the plant began leaking radiation nearly two weeks ago. Govenor Dick Thornburgh announced that pregnant women and pre-school-aged children re- main outside of a five-mile radius of the plant. He also established a 24-hour telephone service to “supress rumors” about the accident. The danger point is consider- ably down from what it was a week ago. The hydrogen bubble, which had been trapped in the ‘reactor, making shutdown im- possible, had “almost” been competely eliminated. Elimination of the bubble means that the reactor can be cooled down at a much faster rate. The bubble had blocked the cooling water from circulating around the rods inside the reactor. 4 Average temperature inside the reactor remained about 280 degrees fahrenheit. However, damaged fuel rods, which had been much hotter began to cool. Spring Week May 7 - 12 US.A. - AJ ~ Undergraduate Student Association In This Issue . . : Winter Term Dean’s List, page 2 Spring Week Activities, page 4 Lion’s Eye Classifieds, page 7 News Briefs, page 8
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