Editorial opinion
The times they are a-changin’.
Within the past few years, local
women have struggled for Univer
sity support financial or other
wise —to establish.a women’s
resource center. Female students
fought Penn State's sexist alma
mater so that they would no longer
be forced to stand at "boyhood’s
gate.” And, on a more universal
level, female graduates battled
male-dominated job markets.
With each attempt, be it fighting
over songs or salaries, the in
dividuals met stubborn, reactionary
minds who condescendingly
reviewed their proposal then
said: NO.
This week, the tables were
turned a little. The request to the
University was made by men, not
women. But the outcome was the
same: a firm denial.
Last February, after receiving
*6L£&£P AES VE WHO HAMS tiOT£EEU BUT DO SELIM/* Unionization: the issue is jobs
If the U S. wants a religion,
i
they've got Jimmy-on-the-spot
Brethren, I was once as you; crippled
by cynicism, paralyzed by mistrust,
crushed by guilt. But I have seen the
righteousness of the savior. I have seen
the light of the word. Yes brethren,
Jimmy Carter has touched me and I have
been healed.
I have thrown down my crutches and I
have learned not merely to stand or to
walk, for those are simple cures. Jimmy
Carter has taught me how to dance, and I
thank him for it. And brethren he can
teach you too; he wants to teach each
and everyone of you. Let us stand up my
brethren and receive the teaching of
Jimmy Carter. The time is right now for
each and everyone of you to stand up
and dance. Let us not hesitate my
brethren as the Apocalypse nears, for
they are playing our song: “Happy Days
Are Here Agin”. With a Hustle beat...
Jimmy Carter almost had me snowed.
This close. After all the rhetoric of last
week that media circus they call the
Democratic National Convention I
would have thought myself Impervious
to Carter’s finale. But I nearly fell for it.
All the cliches and platitudes that had -
been so nauseating throughout the
Weep over Mars
Indeed. Life goes on, in places, it seems, where there isn’t
even supposed to be life. If we had to latch 'pon any
significantly pompous phrase with which to celebrate Viking
I’s landing on Mars, I suppose that would be it. That, I think,
about 'says it all. Life. Marvelous phrase. Mysterious cir
cumstance. Complex evaluation. Yet, not only does life
continue as we know it here on Earth, so, too, does that
elusive mixture of hope and wanderlust which characterizes
the eternal best that is man. Aye, we struggle and we scrape,
we bumble about and blatther any number of redundant
irrelevancies. Still, through it all, we get up in the morning and
continue to trod ever onward. Romantically minded but reality
tinted. Never knowing where we’re going exactly, not even
realizing what roots we may be sowing, and unmindful of the
future seeds we’re in the process of planting. Not that any of
this matters, you understand. Revitalization takes care of
itself.
■ If our space program has proven anything,.it’s the reaf
firmation of the unknown, and.the Integral part it plays in our
destinies. And the unspoken treasure which therein resides.
Although I think of the human race as a pretty stupid animal on
my darker days, I’ve gotta admit he’s a sufficiently smart one,
too. Intelligent, they euphemistically call it. Just when all the
horizons of his making become unbearably haunted by his
presence, he.sets his sights far above his scope and says,
“You’re next, amigo”. Don’t worry when, don’t bother us with
how, and who gives a damn why: we'll get there. Imagination
is the key to innovation; you can’t have one without enlisting
the aid and assistance of the other. And once you've ’got ’em
Men's lib?
encouragement from the College
of Human Development and ad
ministrators in the Individual and
Family Studies Department,
representatives of the Second
National Conference on Men and
Masculinity (M&M) approached
Continuing Education with plans
for a series of workshops.
The conference, which was to
attract 300 persons from the U.S.
and Canada, was to give men an
opportunity to discuss their
specific problems, to explore
assumptions about their traditional
roles, and to examine attitudes of
society.
Sbunds like a constructive idea,
you say?
Apparently not. Apparently at
least to University officials the
M&M conference was a little too
radical.
Seven weeks after they ap-
proceedings rang true from Carter’s lips.
Not any more believable mind you. Just
more believed.
There’s no doubt in my mind that
when it comes to the issues Carter talks
out of both sides of his smile. His
promises shouldn’t be taken as anything
but the usual, campaign hyperbole. It’s
the novelty of his presentation that
makes it effective.
Richard Heidorn
The medium is the message in this
campaign and the message is mind over
matter. The country wants a new religion /
and Carter Jimmy on the spot just
happens to be a preacher.
What’s wrong with that? There is
nothing dishonest about a placebo as
long as it works. Considering the
alternative (or lack of one) this
November, I’m willing to chance his
vacuity for the hope that he could pull
the country out of its psychological rut.
And I wouldn’t feel betrayed if he'did
nothing else.
Unfortunately however, I am troubled
by the feeling that Carter is as deceived
both, you can’t ignore the smoke.
Although some would want to. If a man’s vistas are deter
mined by his dexterity of vision, then too many of us are blind
as bats (and bats ain’t even blind; they do have radar, of sorts;
we don’t even have THAT excuse!). Set your sights lower, they
say, get rid of the slums and all the sicknesses that abound
and afflict us down here on Terra. And, of course, there are
those who couldn’t care less. Man on the moon? Big deal,
how’re the Pirates doin’? Landed on Mars? I’ll bet. Communist
trick. Nothin’ but red-skinned savages up there, anyway; that’s
why they call it The Red Planet, right? Didn’t we take care of
those suckers when we took over this country? These are the
same idiots who will say living in a Shangri-la environment is
the best of all possible artistic worlds. The rhetoric is as
ridiculous as the reasoning. By their abject stupidity shall ye
know them.
See, now, I admit I’ve a bias of sorts. I’m immediately
suspicious of people who wanna adjust your sights to fit their
own narrow scanners. Especially when 85 Rer cent of the
population can’t even distinguish ’tween quality and quantity
and think bigness buys ’em both. But what wouldja expect
from a culture that endorses mass-produced comfort and then
mass-markets it as luxury? With those kind of warped values,
the visionaries ’mongst us are at a distinct premium. If the
proached Continuing Education,
M&M coordinators were told they
could not use University facilities
without a University sponsor. The
Free University agreed. But. in
June, Free U discovered
they could not get University
facilities either.
Some claim that the University
feared issues discussed at the
conference would upset the bal
ance between the University'and
the legislature. Issues like libera
tion, men’s hang-ups, and (God
- forbid) homosexuality.
Rumors, heresay, speculation.
Nobody seems to know exactly
why the M&M request was denied.
All we’re asking for is a reason
something more than a bureau
cratic run-around.
The times they are a-changin’.
But some things never change.»
Like narrowmindedness and
blind fear. And discrimination.
By ALEXANDER W.’ HOLT
Grad Comparative Literature & History
The current events regarding the Campus Loop bus
drivers and the attempts by the Teamsters Union to, in
effect, sharply reduce the number of hours which the
students can drive is, so to speak, the tip of a much
larger iceberg. The central issue throughout this
controversy is the number and availability of jobs for
students. This is tied in with the recent studies which
indicate that the enrollment patterns for Penn State will
begin decreasing this coming year and continue a
steady drop for at least the next ten years. In addition to
this the costs of Instruction and services will un
doubtedly continue to rise throughout Pennsylvania.
This is not a good omen for Penn State. An even more
serious pattern is developing In the decline of the
number of lowe.r and middle Income students while the
number of upper income class students is dramatically
increasing. Indeed, the question may rightfully be
asked whether Penn State is pricing itself out of the
education market.
The University maintains a substantial number of
part-time positions for students including j6bs in the
dining halls, departmental and administrative positions
for students who receive Work-Study grants, and other
temporary jobs which do not strain either departmental
or University budgets. Nevertheless, these are not a
sufficient number of positions for all students who
desire work and cannot find jobs in the job market of the
State College area. Even the Work-Study grants are not <
available to some students,who need them for survival. I
know'of'several cases "where’ stu'denfs'are still con-'
sidered dependents of their parents without having any
support from them. The present regulations for the
Work-Study grants attempts to limit abuses, but at the
same time disqualifies a number of students who
cannot receive money from their parents. These
by his image as the rest of us want to be,
and that the good Carter can do may
have already been done.
Consider the scene Thursday night
when a newsman confronted Carter with
precisely this fact, shattering for a
moment the euphoria that had been
orchestrated so paintakfngly
“You’ve promised a lot of things
tonight Mr. Carter,”.he asked, "how long
do you think it will take for you to ac
complish them?”
Carter’s smile evaporated. If it was
such an obvious question in my mind, it
was. clearly one that had not occured
before to the candidate; reality was a
dimension not considered in the plat
form.
Carter pondered the meaning of the
question. Then with all the sobriety he
could muster: “I’ll do it my first term.” It
sounded good he decided. "It’ll take a
full four years.”
Lest supporters consider that
prediction overly modest of the can
didate it should’ be remembered that the
Lord Himself took a week to create the
universe. It took Carter that long to pick
his running mate.
landing,
Earl Davis
students must also attempt to support' themselves
without grants or other financial support.
Neither the University nor the members of the local
unit of the Teamsters Union are anti-student. The
Teamsters want to ensure as many full-time jobs as
possible for the residents of the Centre County region,
and, as a matter of course, to increase the size of their
collective bargaining unit. The University, like any
employer, must negotiate with the union to settle
contract terms for the next three years; and both sides
must be willing to compromise on bargaining issues!
Where does this leave the students who have part
time positions? One can simpllstically say that they are
pawns in a much larger game. The efforts of the
Campus Loop drivers to save their jobs reflects a
desperate desire to hold a line someplace so that
students can work their way through college. If even
one full time driver were hired to drive a bus, forty hours
of driving time would be lost to students. Multiply this
by four and you have the total number of hours lost if
four union drivers take over. The increased wages and
benefits for such drivers would greatly increase the
costs of running the bus stystem while reducing the
number of jobs available for the students who drive now
and in the future.
With the decreasing enrollment and the loss of lower
and middle income students, this University threatens
to become economicaly |n much the same
manner as -the private'schools have' been for many
years. Any increase in Federal Work-Study grants and
other scholarship-grant programs will go far towards
reversing this trend, but such things cannot be taken for
granted these davs.
It should not be a surprise that the bus drivers would
but save a tear for Earth
most noble aspect of the human race is contained in its eternal
quest in conquering and defining the unknown, then its basest
attributes reside it in its continual emphasis on subjugating
independence and insisting on The Herd Concept. Be like the
rest of us, don’t rock the boat, forget the future, don’t revitalize
the system with young blood, go for “security”, not substance.
To which I gladly extend the third finger of ye olde right hand.
Truly, rank me right up front with the revolutionaries.
So I do rejoice in the lunar expeditions. They gladden the
cockles of my craggy heart, and make me realize, for all the
warts, this aged world does have its benefits, after all. We may
never do the correct things (hardly ever) nor make priorities
balance (never) and insist on the pleasureable well before the
practical (always). But,' for each regressive action, we counter
it with something else that sustains some small semblance of
our planetary self. I mean, when grown men can break out in
tears on the landing of a mechanical craft millions of solar
miles away, emotion, then, is not quite as extinct as we may
sometimes think. Now, if we ever devise a method of splitting
that tear in half saving one for space, and one for Earth
then we’ll really be on- our .way toward a renaissance that
would’ve stunned even Leonardo.
'Tis good to be alive. (Especially when you think of the
alternative).
Aye, and we will find other forms of life someday, as well.
Not in your time, maybe, perhaps not even in mine. But we'll
find them. Or they’ll find us. I don’t subscribe to this conceited
Earth-chauvinism that we are the only race worthy of
existence. Because that would mean that life is an accidental
Collegian forum
ultimately turn to collective bargaining in an effort to,
save student jobs. The University and the Teamsters i
Union must understand that the current effort to,'!
unionize on the part of the drivers is not anti-Unlversity/,
or anti-Teamsters, but rather directed towards
security. Having students work for the University saves •
money for the University, the students who pay theS
tuition, and the taxpayers of the state of Pennsylvania,
At the same time holding the line in the number of *
student jobs, or, preferably increasing the number of
jobs would perhaps help to reverse the dangerous trend
away from lower and middle income class students in 3
enrollment. After all, this University’s economic life
blood depends largely on the number of students at- .
tending Penn State. If in the next ten years we see a '[
measureable decline in enrollment, what will happen to '
the annual budget of the University? Where will cuts be u
made as costs continue to increase? *
I recall an incident several years when I was down at *
the State College Post Office delivering some bulk mail"
from the University. The employe looked at. the large
amount of mail and said that the University sent out too "
much junk and made too damn much work for thei!
employes of the Post Office. I asked him what he 1
thought State College would be like if Penn State was
not here. How many millionaires would be in State ■
College if the University and its student population did .
not contribute to the economic life of this region? He£
had no reply. Such a short-sighted approach, of.course,»
is not shared by everyone in State College, but there are "
many who are-so interested in short-term objectives’"
that they may fail to see the economic realities of the
next ten years. If this community is to survive this next
decade with some measure of stability, students must
be given a much higher priority for pursuing a viable •*
economic livelihood. "
mistake ahd the universe is finite and that energy has its limits <•
and that the mind's sensitivity to stimulation beyond its?
identification is all a mirage. And I refuse to believe that. I:
know our epic insecurity would wish that grand isolationism ;
'pon us, but, 'tisn’t so. We’re not alone, and we never have’
been. They may be societies behind us and, on the reversed
side, all things being equal, there are probably civilizations so
far advanced from us that it'd make our heads spin. ?
Which is, perhaps, the sobering and humblest thought ?
of all. •>
JANICE SELINGER
Summer Editor Business Manager
. tr
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NADINE KINSEY