Page 10 - — LION'S EYE — Student Services Office Plans Variety of Programs by Jamie Wisner The Student Services office has many exciting activities planned for the school year. “What is Student Services?” you may ask. Student Services is office which organizes the activities, career counseling, financial aid, and academic programs on the Penn State Delaware County Campus. Pete Coleman, Director of Student Services, says there are many exciting things planned for the upcoming school year. In cooperation with S.A.C. ( Student Activities Council ), Student Services sponsors a career fair, a University Park housing program, blood mobile, and a spring picnic on the last day of Spring Week. In addition to that, there is a new 1991-92 Student Activities calender currently available on campus. Ms. Tammy Zampogna, Director of Student Activities, is also soon publishing. a new schedule of upcoming activities for the year. Dr. Paul Orlov listens attentively as Dr. Adam Sorkin enthusiastically discusses his summer trip to Romania. Photo by: DIANA MICERI September 20,1991 Soc. Instructor Enjoys Rare Visit to Cuba By Ed McFall John Kovach, a sociology teacher at the PSU Delco Campus, had this reaction after his recent trip to Cuba, a country that Americans have long been denied access to by the State Department. “I want to go back” Kovach, of Merion, was in Cuba for two weeks this summer as part of a contingent of 60 academics from major U.S. research colleges and universities who attended the Third Annual Conference of North American and Cuban Philosophers. The theme of the conference was “The Future of Socialism: - The View from Cuba.” : “I found the government, University of Havana officials and the people on the streets to be exceptionally gracious hosts,” Kovach said. “The Cubans are very anxious to end their isolation relative to the United States and 30 years of intellectual isolation which resulted from their dependence on _the Soviets. “The trip has made me want to increase my own solidarity work with the people of Cuba,” Kovach said. “I hope to do some writing and ~ work to fight our government's and the media’s attempt to isolate Cuba. He said he plans to visit Cuba again, possibly in December, “to continue my research on psychology and psychotherapy in Cuba.” : The United States’ 30-year-old trade embargo against Cuba bars most Americans from visiting the country which is struggling with severe economic problems as a result of the loss of support due to the collapse of communism in Eastern European, the political upheaval in the Soviet Union and the resultant loss of its friends aboard. : Kovach said the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries were major trading partners with Cuba but now the island nation “is being pulled into the larger world market where hard currency is needed. The result of these world changes, along with the effects of the U.S. trade embargo, is that the average Cuban now has to wait in long lines for almost everything. Kovach said that despite Cuba’s current economic problems which have resulted in hardships for .everyone in the country, “there certainly are surprises when one compares it to other Central American countries. “Unlike the rest of Central America—or the United States—one does not see any homeless, hungry people or beggars in the streets. And the children in Cuba, even those in the poorest sections of Old Havana, look healthy and very well ASK CORLOYD Continued from Page 8 ~N You must decide which note- taking method is most natural for you (short hand, full sentences, etc.), but always try to write quickly, so you can return to.listening and watching blackboards to keep up as class proceeds. i : All of this, clearly, takes true . concentration and effort. Don’t think of classes as places to relax, - daydream, whisper to your neighbors, or anything else. -Good students work hard during class meetings, as well as later, at home, in their studies. If you're a slow writer and/or worry about missing new: points while: you're still pondering: earlier parts of a class, ask the professor for permission to tape record class lectures on a small machine. - This way you're free to listen and participate while getting down all the notes you'll need later on, even if you must transcribe them at home. A final “tip”: be a student who truly wants to learn for the sake of learning and growing. Good grades will come to you as long as you pursue your studies with pride and purpose. Good luck! fed.” He said that in order to get the hard currency needed to buy goods on the world market, Cuba is trying to develop its tourist business. But most of the tourists are Canadians and Western Europeans. Citizens of the United States are not allowed to travel to Cuba unless attending an educational conference, such as the one Kovach was part of; doing research; or = bonafide journalists on a specific assignment. And once in Cuba, the U.S. Treasury Department limits the amount of currency that U.S. citizens are allowed to spend to $100. Kovach noted that the tourist situation in Cuba, while designed to stimulate the economy, also is creating social strain. The “dollar stores” at the many fine resorts are stocked with imported goods which can only be purchased with U.S. dollars. “The average Cuban is not allowed to possess U.S. dollars, nor enter these stores,” Kovach said. “Many of the youth in Cuba, who do not remember how life was prior to the revolution in 1959, simply want the consumer goods that they used to have five and ten years ago and they want the Nike sneakers and Sony Walkmans that they see on Miami TV and in the tourist shops. “The older people in the country seem to have adjusted to the current situation of scarcity and persevere well, but many of the young are especially impatient.” Kovach said there is much open political debate in Cuba today about the ‘sort of political changes which will be necessary in the future if the revolution is to be continued. “Significant numbers of individuals on the ruling Central committee are calling for pluralistic approaches rather than unity around the party line. On the streets and in the universities there also is much debate about Cuba’s future and the need for change.” “Unfortunately, from what I saw, it seems that the baggage of ‘fidelismo’ and the idea of a governing rather than a guiding party, will guarantee that the unity view, which identifies Fidel with the people and the people with the revolution, will probably win out over a more pluralist approach to politics and change in the near future.” “And if this happens, Cuba may be doomed as they try to survive as an island of socialism in a sea of capitalism,” he said. i RR x : aI R340 0 Recycle < - : + 4 No Be \ Sv \
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