Letters to the Editor
We didn't do it
Editor's note: the following letter was sent to The Daily
Collegian as an open letter to the University department of
housing and food services.
GENTLEMEN: In the past we have had few complaints
about the service we had received from you. Other than
numerous holes and widespread stains in your sheets,
everything was fine. An incident has occurred, though, which
we feel merits your attention.
On April 23, we deposited two sets of used bed linen in our
appropriate linen slot. On May, however, we discovered that
we were notlo have any sheets returned to us.
When confronted with our plight, you informed us that we
had 30 days to return the sheets we had obviously removed.
When we questioned the reliability of your employes in filling
slots, you graciously admitted that there was a slight chance
that someone had erred, but that we would still be held
responsible for the "theft."
We then asked whether we would be charged for the
missing sheets. After 10 minutes of doubletalk, we received
no answer.
This incident is not just an isolated one. Last term, two
other girls on our floor were convicted of sheet stealing.
Have your employes erred? Could this be a plot to deplete
our general deposits? We hope that now that this has been
brought to your attention again, you will investigate and give
us a fair trial before we are again pronounced guilty.
Too bad, Depner
TO THE EDITOR: This is an open letter in reply to William
Depner's diatribe entitled, "ERA: 'ldeological Craze of Our
Time,' " which appeared in The Daily Collegian May 4. It
surprised me to see such an aggregation of brash, un
substantiated claims written by one of that "superb com
bination of mind and force which white men are."
"Women cannot now legally be discriminated against in
employment or education," says Depner. "They can hold
office and vote. What else is there?" Did you know, Mr.
Depner, that in many parts of the U.S. a married woman
cannot make purchases on her own credit? As a housewife, a
woman can work a 75 hour week without a guaranteed
minimum wage. In the states which still have "coverture," the
husband legally controls a couple's joint possessions,
simply by virtue, of his being male. And in some states, if a
woman moves to another city and her husband refuses to
accompany her, she is deserting him, but if he moves
elsewhere and she refuses to go along, she can still be
prosecuted for deserting him! Now what, sir, is the basis for
your statement, "There are no real inequities to correct"?
You praise America's traditional one-at-a-time approach to
problems. Wasn't it this approach which brought us to our
present environmental and economic crises? Do you really
believe that since the world's most powerful and "suc
cessful" nations have "capitalized on male aggressiveness,"
male supremacy as we now have it is good, and should be
SEE 7 THE GRASS 15 EXTRA
GREEN ALL AROUND THIS SPOT
WHERE I STAND AND WATER
IT WITH MY TEARS...
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=Collegian
PATRICIA J. STEWART
Editor
Successor to the Free Lance, est. 1887
Member of the Associated Press
Editorial policy is determined by the Editor.
Opinions expressed by the editors and staff of The Daily Collegian are not
necessarily those of the University administration, faculty or students.
Mail Subscription price: $17.50 a year.
Mailing Address: Box 467, State College, Pa. 16801
Office: 126 Carnegie
Editorial Staff : 865-1828
Business Staff : 865-2531
Sports Staff : 865-1820
Collegian Editors: Managing Editor, Rick Nelson; Editorial Editor, Rich Grant;
Assistant City Editor, Jeff Deßray; Layout Editors, Betty Holman, Steve Ivey;
Copy Editors, Maureen Keely, Diane Nottle, Kathy Suhorsky; Sports Editor,
Ray McAllister; Assistant Sports Editors, Mark Simenson, Rick Starr; Photo
Editor, Randy Woodbury; Assistant Photo Editor, Joe Rudick; Graphic Artist,
Jennie Atty; Cartoonist, Peter McElhinney; Weather Reporter, Barry
Richewien.
Janice Davin
[3rd-liberal arts]
Rita Schmitt
[3rd-division of counseling]
WELL, I'LL HAVE yak) KNOW THAT
I SPEND A LOT OF TIME OUT
HERE IN CENTER FIELD, AND
MOST OF IT 15 SPENT CRYING.„
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perpetuated? This sounds like a rephrasing of the old "might
makes right" doctrine. Can't you see that the "constructive
male aggressiveness" you praise is what makes rapes and
wars possible?
I do not feel the need for a superior being (i.e. a man) to
protect and provide for me for the rest of my life. In fact, I
would welcome the right and the opportunity to protect and
provide for myself. It is too bad, Mr. Depner, that it would
lower your morale to acknowledge me as your equal.
"The egalitarian ideology is false. We all know this em
pirically from personal experience and intimate relation
ships," you declare. I can tell you that if you have never
shared an intimate, personal relationship with someone
whom you recognize as your equal, you. i have missed an
experience of infinite value.
The term "chauvinist" meaning one who has excessive
pride in his or her particular group or country certainly
applies to you. I must disagree, however, with your
exaltation of the white male. I simply don't see white men, as
a group, endowed with extraordinary strength and wisdom.
What they do have is power and power isn't necessarily
earned by honest means.
I only wish I could turn you black and female, and leave
you for six months in a society run primarily by palefaced
men. You would lose patience with the white male ego.
Try smiling
TO THE EDITOR: In reference to "Cardboard Cool," the letter
by "Name Withheld" in The Daily Collegian May 9. The idea
that many students at Penn State lack "personality" is indeed
a problem. It is a problem with you, my friend.
Perhaps the reason that everyone was so unemotional in
your presence was directly related to your presence itself.
Perhaps your disgruntled face and cynical outlook were
contagious. Maybe people didn't want to talk to you because
you found very little good in anyone or anything. Possibly
they were turned off by your profuse hang-up with the word
"fuck"...l really don't know. The answer really lies in yourself
and those who are around you.
Let me make a few suggestions that might give you a
better idea of what I am talking about. A smile here and there
would make somebody's day...like your own, for instance.
It's great for the facial figure, and they come cheap. In most
cases, they're even free.
You'll find that by striking up a conversation with
somebody that they will usually light up and be quite cordial
in reply. The word "fuck" has its place along with other
similar words of the "four-letter" variety, but you'll find the
word so overused that it doesn't have any meaning anymore
anyway. Besides there are quite a few people that would
prefer not to have the word used in their presence for their
own particular reasons.
Look at it this way. What you are displaying is some kind
of cynical facade that is not really yourself. You're jumping
on the "I hate Penn State bandwagon" because right now it
seems like the thing to do. Is it really the thing 'to do or are
you just bitter because you didn't have the guts to leave this
place four years ago'? Remember, it was your decision to stay
on, and if you got nothing good from the people of this
community, then we've wasted your time.
JOHN J. TODD
Business Manager
Business Office Hours:
Monday through Friday
9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Alison Moll
[4th-liberal arts]
Henry Sosinski
[loth-law enforcement and corrections]
5.1400 .
. a serious threat to the free press
By PAUL SCHAFER
Former Collegian Editor
President Nixon surprisingly gave credit recently
to a "vigorous free press" for revealing the truth
about Watergate. But with all politicians and
particularly Nixon we must watch their actions,
not their words. Nixon's recent actions are truly
shocking and frightening.
The latest is his proposed "Criminal Code Reform
Act" of 1973, which was sent to Congress March 22
and introduced March 28 as S. 1400. Hidden deep in
this 336-page document are several provisions
which, if passed into law, will pose the most
serious threat to the free press since the Alien and
Sedition Acts of 1798.
Sen. Edmund Muskie, D-Me., has spoken out
sharply against the bill, saying it "would establish
in peacetime a system of government censorship
that a democracy could hardly tolerate in a time - Of
war." As proposed, the bill would:
—punish government officials who disclose
almost any kind of defense and foreign policy in
formation, regardless of whether its disclosure
would endanger national security;
—punish newsmen who- received such in
formation, unless they reported the disclosure and
returned the information to the government;
—punish all responsible officials of the
publication, as well as the reporter, who had a role
in making the information public;
—punish government employes who knew a
colleague had made an unauthorized disclosure and
failed to report the colleague.
The penalties for these violations range from
three to seven years imprisonment and $25,000 to
$50,000 in fines. Muskie says these penalties would
be imposed "on actions which are not now con
sidered crimes; which are, instead, the applauded
work of investigative journalists."
It is difficult to think of any recent journalistic
coup d'etat, such as the Watergate or Pentagon
Papers cases, that would have been possible
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A chance for change
Editor's note: The following column is
the opinion of the author and does not
necessarily represent the views of any
organization.
By JOHN MARTONICK
13th-community development
On May 15 students who have
registered to vote in State College have
the chance to change the priorities of the
town government. For some time now,
editorials have called for student . in
volvement in town politics, students
complain about the treatment they
receive from certain town merchants,
and requests made of local government
officials have generally fallen upon deaf
ears.
What is involved here is not student
control over the Borough of State
College. What is involved here is not the
liberal plea for equal representation
under a quota system. As a matter of
substance, this particular viewpoint is
written by a conservative man. The
Communit forum
conservative man fears the type of
government which has existed in the
Borough of State College for quite some
time. When one particular group
monopolizes power for such a con
siderable length of time, a degree of
stagnation develops. The past record of
the government of the Borough of State
College typifies this stagnation.
But, perhaps more importantly, voters
in the Democratic primary should ad
dress themselves to two factors.
The first of these is that the same
people who have developed the negative,
do-nothing, non-progressive approach
to State College problems are running
for the same offices, backed by the same
people, year in and year out. In essence
the bureaucratic structure tends to be
legally if S. 1400 had been on the books. The
Nixon Administration obviously wants to send
investigative reporters back to collecting unem
ployment checks or, at least, doing obituaries and
retyping public relations bulletins.
S. 1400 does do a reasonably good job of defining
"classified information." The problem is that
disclosure of such information is automatically
punishable, regardless of whether those involved
can prove that publication did not damage security.
This is crucial when you consider the way in which
documents are classified.
In spite of recent attempts to lower the number,
there remains about 20,000 persons qualified to
stamp something top secret, secret or confidential.
None needs to explain why he chose to "classify"
anything. As Muskie points out, very often that
power has been used to hide incompetence, conceal
waste, camouflage corrupt behavior and cover up
facts.
Jack Anderson's staff has revealed how
ridiculously far this system has gone. For. instance,
the FBI has classified a Turkish newspaper article
on the writing habits of James Baldw,in. A
"classified" newspaper article! Yet with S. 14q0 as
law, Anderson's entire staff could be sent to jafl for
up to seven years for revealing that document.
These practices combined with the quite
reasonable feeling employes might have of "when in
doubt, classify" have resulted in files of 20
million documents in the Defense Department alone
and a 26-year backup in release of information from
the State Department.
S. 1400 also trieglo define "information related to
the national defense," since under the law it would
be a felony to communicate such information to
someone not authorized to receive it. But the
definition is so broad, it could include just about
anything. It reads:
"Information relating to the national defense is
defined as information, regardless of its origin, that
relates to U.S. military capabilities, planning,
more concerned and content with
perpetuating its own existence than with
providing the services which all the
citizens of the community expect from
their government. The government on
any level, but especially on the local
level, is, then, viewed as service oriented
rather than primarily a governing body.
Indeed, should the government not
provide the desired and expected ser
vices, its legitimacy with the residents
would be severely challenged in regard
to law-making and code enforcement.
Secondly, the Borough of State
College is a rapidly growing community.
No person can stop this growth and no
one should try. However, there is an
inherent danger here. If the proper
planning procedures are not applied, the
rapid growth will bury us. If they are
applied, the Borough of State College
will become the hub of Central Penn
sylvania.
What this means is, of course, in
creased economic growth, job op
portunities, the possibilities of modern
efficient transportation systems, etc.,
everything associated with an important
residential area.
If the proper planning does not take
place, all of the problems that are
associated with an important residential
area will also develop.
In the end, therefore, it is essential
that progressive minds be at the helm of
the local government; people who are
more obsessed with guiding the
Borough through this important phase
than they are with perpetuating their own
growth as a clique intent on maintaining
the status quo, granting political favors
to their friends, and battling those who
would attempt to change the existing
conditions.
Who are the candidates? Why are they
any better than those who hold office at
the present time?
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They are Lew Hirsch for mayor, Dean
Phillips and James McClure for borough
council, Marie Garner for tax collector,
and Dan Chaffee and Terri Novak for
school board.
They are different for several reasons.
All have a stake in the future of State
College and know that so do students.
Mr. Hirsch is a graduate student in
mathematics, Mr. McClure is an in
cumbent borough councilman who has
always had an open ear for the concerns
of everyone, Mr. Phillips is a student
who has been a resident of State College
for a number of years, Ms. Garner was
instrumental in securing student voting
rights in Centre County and has resided
here for 26 years, Ms. Novak is a
community development professor and
Mr. Chaffee, an engineering student.
It is essential that every student who is
registered to vote in the Democratic
primary give these candidates careful
consideration. It is equally essential that
all the candidates for local office on the
Democratic ticket be given con
sideration. Only if the ideas of all the
candidates are taken into consideratiOn
will your vote for the aforementioned
candidates be justified.
None of the candidates mentioned
here are oriented toward a particular,
group. If they were, they would be
defeating their own purpose of fair and
equal representation for all State College
residents regardless of their occupation
or political affiliation.
Those of us who are registered
Democratic have the responsibility of
supporting the best candidates that our
party has to offer in the primary. No
matter what reason you vote for, do vote.
After so many years of unresponsive
government you owe it to the community
to vote for the most capable candidates
and, more importantly, you owe it to
yourself.
communication, installation, weaponry, weapon
development or weapons research, to any in
telligence activities of the United States, and to the
conduct of foreign relations affecting the national
defense."
A further indication of S. 1400's power is that
mere possession of such information is enough to
put someone in jail for seven years. It would be a
felony for a reporter to fail to report that he received
such information; it also would be a felony for him
not to give it promptly to "a federal public service
servant entitled to receive it."
As Muskie says, "Thus all reporters not only
commit a felony when they use the information, but
they commit a felony if they don't turn themselves
in when they receive it." In addition, editors,
publishers, distributors and anyone who repeated
the original publication would be liable to punish
ment.
"When these ... provisions are taken together,"
Muskie concludes, "they can only be described as a
"national secrecy act."
The defeat of S. 1400 is of vital interest to every
citizen not only to the small minority who are
reporters, editors and publishers. The system of
government we have now is far from• perfect: take
away the people's right to know the journalist's
right to act and the people have nothing. Without
a free press, the people know only what the
government wants them to know: and that is one of
the characteristics of a dictatorship.
Those in government must remember that if they
have little to hide from the people, then they also
have little to fear. Journalists don't take fiendish
glee in fabricating corruption or in tearing down
governments by themselves; they can't do it. All
they can do is seek the truth. What happens next is
up to the people.
1400 will insure your right to
the truth, not "public in
ists will appreciate your sup
ir
fight is your fight as well.
The defeat of S
continue hearing
formation." Journal
port; remember, the