Editorial opinion
Crossed wires
Nobody knows
The canvassing refereridum for
dorms is nearing and no one
knows how the referendum is
going to be run. We know that if a
majority of students in a dorm vote
against open canvassing then the
dorm will be closed; if a majority
votes for it then various student
organizations and individuals will
be free to roam dorm halls in at
tempts to get support for a cause
or buyers for a product.
But what about the many
student who decline to vote? Both
the University and the Un
dergraduate Student Government
agree that these no-shows should
be counted as voting for the
status quo—open canvassing.
USG, however, has been under
the impression that for the, past
few years the University actually
counted absent students as voters
against canvassing.
It. is not entirely clear who is
correct. .
Unions—some belabored facts
Thomas Jefferson would have been proud of today's press.
But, while the media continue their puritanical clean-up of
governmental harlotry, other tyrants continue to rape the
system. Luckily, in our democratic government, there are built
in ways to correct injustices. But unluckily, in our capitalistic
economy, there are few ways to correct similar injustices. And
many of the governing powers behind our economy are labor
leaders
In reality, labor unions - are distinctly undemocratic
(although, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, they
directly affect nearly half the American labor force). One
hundred and seventy-seven labor unions represent 38 million
workers, most of whom don't care what is done in Washington.
Their governments are. lodged in the great union halls; their
representatives are union leaders.
John Harvey
As Pennsylvanians, we're in the heart of labor country.
Unionization has reached over one-third of our non-agricultural
work force and our state ranka third nationally in union
membership. ' -
II is a fact that labor officials are elected, but the checks and
balances which typify our political government are either
absent or abused. Feeble labor newsletters are propaganda
instruments of existing powers, credible candidates are scared
off by threats, and freedom of expresSion is muzzled by labor
goons. Encumbent officials possess an arsenal of power
techniques to maintain control of what can only jokingly be
called elections. Sad as it may seem,
.sadder Is the public's
apathy towards it.
NBC TV News aired a week-long documentary entitled
"Teamster Power," in which numerous instances of union
corruption were exposed. The Teamsters Union, largest in
America representing two million workers, has been under
federal wraps since the arrests of Dave Beck and Jimmy Hoffa
in 1957. The abuses reported by NBC are so many that only a
few can be cited here:
The Teamsters use pensicin funds for loans to organized
crime.
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The 1975 student handbook
states that the University policy
shall be to count absent votes as
pro canvassing. M. Lee Uperaft,
director of Residential Life, says
that his office has been carrying
out this policy.
USG counters that the policy
has always discouraged can
vassers. They say the University
has devised this plan to "keep
students uninformed and
apathetic" so they "can't make
trouble or have a voice in
decisions affecting them."
These words were on thou
sands of USG flyers distributed
this' week in preparation for the
campus-wide referendum which
has already begun. At least one
Resident Assistant has instructed
her floor that if a vote is not cast it
will be the same as voting for can
vassing.
Despite the arguments, it ap
pears that this year the policy may
be what both sides agree it ideally
The Teamsters arrange easy hijacking, by organized
crime, Of Teamster-transported goods.
The Teamsters send their personnel to certain doctors,
who in turn supply the Mafia with kickbacks.
The Teamsters have been under close scrutiny since the
probable death of ex-leader Hoffa. Frank Fitzsimmons,
president of the IBT, has close connections with underworld
figures and all are suspectecrin this case.
The Teamsters, since 1957, have been suspected In
mysterious disappearances of key witnesses ready to testify
against that union. When Sen. John McClellan's Senate
Investigations Committee summoned a witness to testify
against Beck in 1958, he failed to show up. Thugs entered his
home the night before and poured acid in his eyes. (This
example of Teamster corruption was learned from a member of
that investigating committee). _
The corruption goes on and on. Your local library will have
documented instances of Teamster-related bribes; felonies
and frauds. But understanding the raw, gut, unbalanced, and
unchecked power held by so few men is even more frightening.
This is not to say the Teamster officials are alone. Tony
Boyle's ordered assassination of labor opponent Joseph
Yablonski and his family at Clarksville, Pennsylvania was
another'example of the gestapo techniques employed by labor
molls. That case involved labor officials, from the United Mine
Workers of America, who wanted to be re-elected more than
they wanted Yablonski, his wife and daughter, to live.
America is not easy to ascertain. Certainly, the media should
be encouraged to continue investigating. But, an even better
approach would be democratizing bur economic structure, like
our government, making unions conduct free elections with
established checks.
.Meanwhile, public opinion continues to assail the FBI, the
media, and especially the prostituted government. But the job
of cleansing this stench will surely have to be done by the FBI,
the media, and especially the prostituted government.
Won't it be ironic? After we strip the prostitutes and
dismember them in disgrace, they'll be the ones who destroy
the pimps.
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should be—with the advantage to
the canvassing proponents.
USG, however, is containing its
joy. They feel that if the University
has made the policy change for
good, it is merely an opportunistic
move. USG has a suit in Superior
Court which charges the Univer
sity with obstructing the students'
freedom of speech in its can
vassing policy. They feel that an
assumption that students who
don't vote are satisfied with open
access could undercut USG's
case.
The plot is confused and so are
the actors. The victims in the
whole melodrama, though, are the
students. They are probably being
manipulated by both sides and
neither side is telling the students
exactly what their votes will mean.
We suggest that the referen
dum be postponed until USG and
the University have come to an
agreement on voting regulations.
And then let everyone know.
Placebo
A major pharmaceuticals corporation,
once a well-respected dealer of potions
and pills designed to cure humans of
everything from colic to chronic hic
coughs, is in the federal doghouse.
And rightly so. The Food and Drug
Administration is in the process of
bringing charges against the corporation
after investigations showed that the
manufacturer had obscured the results
of laboratory tests of some of their
medicines, so that products of
questionable effectiveness could be
placed on the market.
What's worse, the FDA alleges that in
other cases, the- manufacturer in
question has deliberately altered test
results so that particular cure-alls would
pass the rigid federal muster imposed on
all medicines by the FDA.
Corporate avarice of this nature is at
best malicious and at worst fatal to the
consumer. Corporate ethics 'are at 'an
alltime low and policies like planned
obsolescence have become standard
practice. Americans have just about
gotten used to unscrupulous automobile
manufactueres and a banking system
whose interest rates force homeowners
to take out mortgages on mortgages.
But when the _lust for money results in
worthless and potentially dangerous
What all this means to the labor force and the rest of
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drugs that are often relied upon to save
lives and cure grave illnesses, it is
simply too much to take. Having your
money ripped off is one thing. Having
your health compromised is quite
another. Greedy and unfeeling drug
manufacturers appear to be doing both.
,
ji George
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Osgood
We all get ill. We all have to depend on
the integrity and competence of our
physicians and drug manufacturers. The
integrity of the latter has just been shot
to hell: the deliberate folly of one
company that has been unearthed by the
FDA's investigations casts an ominous
shadow over"•the breadth of ,the ,phar
maceuticals industry: All of the phar
maceuticals companies may not, and
probably are not guilty of shoddy and
dangerous production practices. But the
Letters to the Editor
No pet rock
TO THE EDITOR: As one of Beaver Hall's "pet rocks," I would
like to respond to Sheila McCauley's "RA's can speak no evil."
It is apparent • that Ms. McCauley's all-encompassing
generalization that RA's "turn into a pet rock" when asked "any
question," comes from the same source as the one that allows
the Collegian to maintain its posture as an outstanding
example of journalistic excellence. How many RA's of the pet
rock variety, were encountered to allow you to reach the
conclusion that ALL RAs turn mute on any question?
No Collegian reporter has approached this RA or any of - my
colleagues in South Halls for an opinion on any issue. If one
were to take that initiative, the reporter would be amazed at the
life that would be exhibited by the "pet rocks" in South. For
example:
1. I hate mock drumsticks.
. 2. The alcohol policy is merely one more example of the
-ignorance instituted by the "puzzle palace" otherwise
known as Residential Life.
3. If the inane alcohol policy is to be enforced, then. it
should be enforced consistently for ALL university areas and
organizations (i.e. fraternities and tail-gate parties).
4. This University desperately needs an "alternative
newspaper" so that its students do not have to endure the one
sided, biased, slanted garbage the Collegian manages to print
daily. • .
A Collegian reporter could also find some interesting
opinions from this pet rock about some of the many positive
aspects of the RA job specifically as illustrated on Beaver's
Phyrst (Ist floor Beaver). Beaver's Phyrst has made its own
compensation for the lack of study area (due to temporary
housing) by converting ! a workroom into a comfortable,
pleasing environment for study and social interaction. The
floor has adopted a constitution, awaiting USG approval, that
illustrates a dormitory floor can enjoy a sense of community
rather than merely serving as a source of shelter for 72 males
for nine months.
Finally, the Collegian should realize that RAs are not chosen
to receive the salary and benefits they do to be pet rocks. After
making it through a relatively rigorous screening in interviews,
RAs generally possess an above-average ability to com
municate. However, these RAs realize that any comment or
opinion they may make to -a Collegian reporter probably will
not be reported accurately and in its proper perspective. -
- ' Rob Clayton
10th-accounting
Ist floor Beaver RA
Challenge
TO THE EDITOR: Although most students on this Campus are
opposed to the Univergity's present policy of strictly enforcing
drinking regulations, several strategies recently proposed by
USG to alleviate this problem arenothing short of ridiculous.
First, USG proposes a challenge to campus police by
throwing a large booze blast in an East Halls quad. This would
be a blatant violation of University regulation and I would not
pity anyone who was arrested during this event.
Secondly, USG calls for a coalition to seek out tailgate
parties at Beaver Stadium where booze is being, consumed,
and arrest those involved. Their theory is that outraging the
Penn State alumni will force the University to change its policy
concerning student drinking. Personally, I see no connection
between the two.
The real problem facing us is that the state law prohibits the
takes a
fact that one corporation was in
vestigated in depth and dangerous
practices were uncovered leads to the
conclusion that these practices could
very well be widespread.
About the only, thing that anyone
thinks about when sick is getting well;
about the 'only think worse than being
seriously ill is being dead. Taking drugs
that may be no better than placebos, and
in fact may be much worse, can speed
the transition between the two.
Dealers of illegal drugs often cut
"pure" heroin with strichnine in order to
increase their volume and hence their
profits. LSD is quite often laced with
methamphetamine to give a little more
kick to a batch that wasn't brewed right
and didn't I meet the dealer's
requirements. Marijuana is mixed with
horse manure and sawdust to stretch a
dealer's supply and give him a greater
quantity to sell.
Some callous businessmen who deal
in legal drugs are worse. Their products
are trusted every day by millions to
restore health and save lives.
The dealers of .illegal drugs have at
least two points in their favor: their
wares are not generally relied upon to
save lives or cure serious ailments, and
most of their clients are intelligent
consumption of alcoholic beverages by "minors," those of us
under the age of 21. With 36,000 students on this campus and
,another 14,000 on the branch campuses, we carry a large
potential voice in state politics. If we can properly influence
the state legislators, maybe we will see a lowering of the
drinking age sometime in the near future.
Until then, keep parties low key and don't try to attract at
tention. If we all act as responsible adults the University might
slacken its present policy of enforcement.
• Instead of challenging campus police - and angering the
alumni, I think W.T. Williams and his masterminds in USG
should type up a form letter which every student could address
to their representative and-or congressman. We should have
learned in the late 60's that a peaceful revolution achieves
much more than a violent one.
Realistic way
TO THE EDITOR: I was surprised to hear that the student'
government, supported by the Collegian, has begun attacking
the University's alcohol policy. The University will not change
its policy because doing so would be breaking the law by
permitting underage drinking. Why should someone be
exempt from the state drinking laws while they are on
University property? The realistic way to change things would
be to get the drinking age in Pennsylvania, changed. Then it
would be easy to change University policy (if it did not change
on its own). Why don't we get busy and make some real
progress. Let's concentrate on the state laws Instead of the
insignificant policies of the University. Write the state
legislature.
=Collegian
SHEILA McCAULEY
Editor
Editorial policy is determined by the Editor
Opinions expressed by the Daily Collegian are not
necessarily those of the University • administration,
faculty or students.
BOARD OF EDITORS: EDITORIAL EDITOR, Brenda Turner;
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT, Deanna Finley; NEWS EDITOR,
Pamela Reasner; ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR, Phil Storey;
STATE-NATIONAL EDITOR, Leah Rozen; CONTRIBUTING
EDITOR, Jerry Schwartz; COPY EDITORS, Mike Joseph, Jim
Lockhart, Charlene Sampedro; OFFICE MANAGER, Laura
Shemick; FEATURES EDITOR, Janie Musala; SPORTS
EDITOR, Brian Miller; ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITORS, Tom
McNichol, Barb Parmer; PHOTO EDITOR, Julie Cipolla;
ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITORS, Eric Felack, Barry Wyshinski;
GRAPHICS EDITOR, Lynne Maimed.
NEWS BEAT COORDINATORS: TOWN, Jeff Hawkes; USG,
Mike Mentrek; ADMINISTRATION, Marty Smith; CONSUMER,
Dave Skidmore; ARTS, Cathy Curnow; GENERAL ASSIGN
MENT, Chris Simeoni
.BCB 64/ 1976
.44, agyan
powder'
enough to realize from the dutset that
they may not be getting exactly what
they think they're getting. Also, these
'drugs are usually used by people who •
are not seriously ill at the time of '
consumption (although they may not
stay healthy for long).
Some big-business manufacturers of
unwonderful wonder drugs have com
mitted a grave transgression against the r i
American people. Their deliberate
negligence amounts to fraud of the most -'
despicable sort and may already have
prolonged and complicated ' easily --
curable diseases and even caused un
necessary deaths.. Well at least the
- profits of the corporation in question will
dwindle, even if its board of directorsP
only gets a slap on the wrist from the
big-business bureaucrats in Washington
government. . .
In the meantime, the rest of the
pharaceuticals industry has been
tainted, their sincerity and credibility
ruptured.
For us, it looks as though when we get
sick we have two choices: rely on old
home remedies or play Russian roulette
and partake of the corporate phar
macopoeia. Thanks to the FDA, we are at
least forewarned, even if we have
nowhere to turn.
Robert D. Brust
4th-electrical engineering
NADINE KINSEY
Business Manager
Roger Zanes
7th-earth sciences