May, 1991 — LION’SEYE — Page 5 —— Reader Opinion es Dateline: Desert Storm I received this letter from a former Delco student, Dave Walton, who was serving in Operation Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia at the time. Dave was a student here from 1984 to 1986 and went on to graduate from University Park. He is now a second lieutenant with the 1st Cavalry Division out of Fort Hood, Texas. He asked me to share some of his thoughts with the people here: “I received a letter today and in it was a newspaper article talking about teach-ins. The article said that the Vietnam-era ones were mostly anti-war gatherings and the ones now are mostly informative. If you want, you could read this at the next one held at Delco. It may help some of the students if they hear from someone like themselves who has a bit of a handle on what things are like over here. I almost laugh at the people who insist that we are here fighting for oil. I'm sure that is a consideration, but only a very small one, when all things are considered. Why did we send troops (82nd Airborne and 7th Infantry Division) ‘to Honduras in 1985? Was it because Honduras had oil or some other natural resource that we couldn't live without? No, it was because the Honduran chosen way of life was threatened, as well as that of the people of Nicaragua. The same is true for the citizens of Kuwait. = When a country is overthrown and pillaged, as was done to Kuwait, one of our allies, we are bound morally, and on principal, to defend that country’s freedom of political, economic and social rights. One other example, in which the world was asked to support the continuity of such a country, is the Korean conflict. (There isn’t any oil in Korea, either.) : “I'd like to add that I don’t expect everyone to agree with me, but this may help to formulate, or Rite, new or existing opinions. Freedom of speech is one of our constitutional rights. It is for those protestors, even those protesting against what I'm doing, that I am over here. And even though I disagree with them, and sometimes am angered by them, I wouldn't trade my duty now if I had the choice. “You may or may not want to read this. Some of my spelling is rotten, as well as some of my grammar, but I'm writing at night, in a cramped armored vehicle, by flashlight, and not entirely safe from possible enemy attack. . . . You may want to proofread through the letter and paraphrase it, or you may want to trash it altogether. I just thought I'd write, just to get my thoughts on paper. If noting else, I feel better writing it.. So far as 1 know, Dave is still over in the Middle East. If you'd like to write to him, whatever your viewpoint, I think he'd like to hear from you. His address: 2LT David Walton, 3/E/2-5 CAV, 1 CD; APO, NY 09778. Marianne Rhodes Black Students Have to Struggle It appears that once again Mr. Forcey is attacking the Black Student League. (The Lion's Eye, March, 1991) He says we discriminate and we do not need a club that discriminates at Penn State. So should we get rid of Nittany Christian Fellowship, the Chess Club, and S.A.D.D.? Each of ~ the groups were developed with a special interest in mind. The BSL works to promote positive self images and role models for blacks. Neither the language nor the actions of the BSL change when we have visitors. Mr. McCarthy and Mr. Schaffer were asked to leave because of their attitude. Mr Forcey would have been aware of that if he had bothered to interview Mrs. SGA Looks Back On ’90-’91 by Jill Rhodes September 7, 1990: For those of you who already were missing the beach, the Student Government Association, with help from all the clubs, sponsored a Beach Party to unveil the new, improved Lion’s Den. Complete with barbecued everything, baby pools filled with sand, a DJ, limbo contests, and even a visit from Q102 people, it was a complete success. It was a great way to kick off the year and gave everyone something fun to do on a Friday afternoon. To quote a list made by Vice-President Rich Schaffer of reasons to go to the Beach Party, “ It’s free; There will be members of the opposite sex; You won’t be with your parents.” For whatever reason people came, it was a fun-filled festival of friends and frolicking. That's how the SGA started off the year. As the weather cooled off and the leaves turned yellow and orange, the clubs looked for autumn activities. Cultural Awareness Week, among other events, brought us the Ethnic Food Festival, where we got to sample everything from Cajun food, to Mexican food, to Kenyan food. The Campus Ambassadors sponsored a Hay Ride at Linvilla Orchards that included hay, tractors, apple cider, and roasted marshmallows. A few days later SAC had palm readers who told us about the tall dark handsome strangers we would meet and the tropical vacations we would be going on. Then came Halloween, and the Ambassadors struck again with their annual Halloween Costume Party in the Lion's Den. We danced and spooked and did the Time Warp. Costume included cat people, Sgt. Pepper, army guys, and Rich Schaffer dressed as me. November gave us Hispanic Heritage Week, which was closely followed by Thanksgiving Break. Before we knew it the holidays were upon us. After successful sales of candycanes by the Campus Ambassadors, the dreaded week of finals was staring us in the face. We survived and celebrated with the clubs at a Holiday Party to say thanks for all the hard work. At the beginning of the spring semester, we started fresh. We welcomed Rev. Washington to talk to us about Rev. Martin Luther King. The Morgan State Choir gave an impressive concert, which SGA Vice-President - Rich Schaffer attended with a few faculty and staff members. Ms. Zampogna and SAC presented several enormously funny comedians that have turned out to be the most attended programs on campus. Good work guys! (Continued on page 7) Lindsey or members of the BSL. Also, the use of “As-Salam Alaikum” is not slang. It is an Islamic religion greeting which is not to be used by anyone who does not believe in the Muslim faith. When used out of context, it is very disrespectful, similar to a white person walking around in black-face. Instead of being disrespectful, intentionally or not, Mr. Forcey should do his research! He also worries that Dr. King would not support the BSL; he is wrong. He would be proud of the BSL because it unifies young Black Americans. He wonders if Dr. King’s dream is dead. Ask someone who is a minority; ask me. Every moming I wake up to the same battle. Every day I fight hard to survive and to make something of myself, Because of my color I need to make sure my resume is impressive. It does not appear that Mr. Forcey would understand that nor would he understand the racial battle I incur. But if my struggle and that of other members of the BSL or other minority groups is not enough, I pick up a copy of the Lion's Eyee and have to read the hogwash Mr. Forcey has written. When I read it, I felt Dr. King’s dream was dead. Thinking such as his and ridicule such as his makes mine and all minorities’ battles harder. It saddens me that he feels the need to attack the BSL. Sincerely, Shelley Keys Thank You, Delco I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for the support and concern everyone has shown my family this year. As you may or may not know, my brother, Mike, was diagnosed with leukemia 'last November. It had been a long and hard few months, but the Penn State Delaware County Campus had veen there for us. Hardly a day has gone by that someone hasn't asked me, “How's Mike doing?” It helps to know that you care. I especially want to thank those who gave blood for him, and those who wanted to, but did not have the chance—you know who you are and I am grateful to you. Jill Rhodes Secretary of the Student Government Dear Robby, My boyfriend and I are on a tight budget, but when we do go out, we have fun and enjoy ourselves. I believe in treating too. question is when we are broke, what do we do? Renting movies gets expensive, playing games gets tiring, and watching television gets boring. I am a music major and he is a history major. Our interests are listening to music, drawing, making, crafts, reading, outdoor activities, playing on the computer, and talking. What can we do that's exciting but doesn’t cost a lot of money ? : Just Enjoy Being With Him Dear Just Enjoy Being With Him, This is a good question because I'm sure iit affects a lot of college students. When I look at your interests several ideas come to mind for the two of you. There are several outdoor activities. For instance, you could plan a hike through Valley Forge Park (That particular park has a bicycle trail also). The two of you could plan a softball game with all your friends. Some local volleyball leagues are playing games at nights during the week. There are community college and theater groups that put on plays year round. There are many inexpensive activities taking place around this arca; you just have to know where to look to find them. There are two places that I can think of immediately . First our very own’ “Lion’s Eye”, Check the front page; there is usually a list of upcoming events. Second our local papers have entertainment sections that just have pages of things to do. Last, but not least, there are several museums in Philadelphia that very few people know about that can be lots of fun. Most of these smaller museums don’t even charge admission; they simply ask for a small donation. One example of these museums is The Academy of Fine Arts on Cherry Street in Center City. The key to having fun is not what you do but who you're with. Robby Marianne Rhodes feeds some Mexican pizza to Jeff Wirth at the April 19th Ethnic Food Festival as Joan Robertson enjoys the shenanigans. “Photo by: Diana Miceri My
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers