Centre Region seeks to aid elderly By JAN MASCIOLI Collegian Staff Writer The needs of the elderly can be many and complex and the municipality of State College is “making a maximum effort to provide for these needs,” according to Ronald N. Short, Centre Regional plan ning director. The borough and the townships direct their attention to the problems of a minority of 200 to 300 State College senior citizens, Short said. Eloise Melson, a state welfare policy specialist in Harrisburg, said there were 1,437,000 persons over 65 years old living in Pennsylvania in 1975. The Centre Region’s elderly (over 60) constituted 7.81 per cent of the region’s 43,059 residents (this figure does not include Penn State University dormitory and fraternity house residents). Short said the vast majority of the 8,800 senior citizens in the Centre Region have few problems.. The majority of those who responded to a 1975 Centre Region survey by the planning commission were “not prone to > feeling lonely,” but 8.2 per cent “felt lonely a lot of the time,” the survey said. According to statistical tabulations of a 1972 state senior citizens study, 95 per cent were either very happy or fairly happy. County Commissioners approve By BILL REBER been told they would receive Collegian Staff Writer 80 per cent of the costs for The Centre County Board of establishing a full-time public Commissioners yesterday defender’s office.' voted to approve the receipt of Jeffrey A. Bastuscheck, reduced state and federal administrator for the central funds for the public defen- region of the GJC, said the cut der’s office, but agreed to in the county funding continue efforts to secure the reflected a nationwide amount originally requested. reduction. The Governor’s Justice He said the central region Commission (GJC) has in- responded to the funding cut formed the county that it will with a proportional reduction receive only $12,000 instead of of appropriations to all the $14,788 they had requested participating counties and for fiscal year 1976. with specific cuts based on Originally, the county had need. r "FREE!" “j H Buy any Medium H Hr^coupon' l —i Yizza i one or more loppings m expires Bj _| .4/14/77 —* At the regular price n . ( Get Identical Medium PIZZA H i FRFE ■ ft ONE COUPON PER CUSTOMEH |H Little Caesars Pizza I "ACROSS FROM OLD MAIN'* H ABOVE MY 0 MY BAB' H Entnnei Front & R»r (Boro Patkiit|Gwap} BH « 237-1481 0 '•'>•^•^•^•o • ice cream desserts, © Easter style. • A Top off your Easter Sunday dinner with £ one of our delicious Easter ice cream sgs desserts. They’re all custom-made right in our store in any of our 31 fla- 9 vors. Just order in advance, hop in and 9 we’ll have it ready to take out. . BASHff-ROBBUTS (%\! ICE CBEAM STORE. 9 m »■ Baskm-Robbins 1975 mcyer jevwelets ONE HUNDRED EAST COLLEGE AVENUE Only 5 per cent said they were unhappy. Most ’of the 104 senior citizens who - completed the survey saw themselves as middle-aged and 92 per cent were satisfied with life today. The planning commission, after examining various problem areas, decided that housing was the “primary need of the elderly.” It concluded that a need existed for approximately 30 public assisted elderly housing units primarily for widowed women living by themselves. After many delays, the State College Borough Council approved on March 25 an 18-apartment unit on Bellaire Avenue for senior citizens. The planning commission’s survey indicated the need for the housing based on the following results: 4 per cent (or 98) of the elderly housing units are deteriorating. ' 71 senior citizens are dissatisfied with their present dwelling unit and half of these are low-income occupants. Nationally, about one-third of the elderly, over 65 years of age lived alone in 1972. But in the region, less than 25 per cent of the survey respondents lived alone. Melson said 85 per cent of Pennsylvania residents over 65 live in a house and 14 per cent live in apartments, according to the 1972 senior citizen study. : OFFICIAL PENN STATE ASS RING by Josten’s Compare quality, detail, workmanship, price and guarantee. You’ll choose ours. statE Notified of the county’s Other federal funds were intention to try and secure the the issue when the corn remainder of the requested missioners approved the funds, Bastuscheck said there closeout of the Com was no more money prehensive Employment and available. Training Act Title VI grant A reduction' in services at for last year, the public defender’s office in Closeout of the grant means response to the reduced the return of $4O remaining allocation could jeopardize from $487,646 provided last the remaining funds, year, Doug Ford, county Bastuscheck said. grants coordinator, told No response to the funding council, cut beyond requesting the Funding in the amount of GJC to give the com- $488,050 has been provided for missioners the full amount this year under Title VI, but was discussed. provisions of the grant call for Of these 85 per cent in homes, 74 per cent own them, the study said. Of the 1,437,000 elderly in Pennsylvania, 25 per cent live in rural areas and 5 per cent live in either group quarters or in stitutions, according to Melson. In 1973, the estimated median income of those families over 65 years old was $7,221, Melson said. For individuals living alone or with non-relatives, the estimated median was $2,610, she said. The state’s 1972 senior citizens study also showed that 81 per cent indicated that convenient places to shop were available; Centre Region residents who responded to the survey also agreed with this statement. The availability' of the convenience of doctors and clinics was also indicated in both surveys. Although the region’s libraries and parks were easily accessible to its residents, these places were never visited by the majority of respondents, the study said. The survey also stated, “public trans portation is considered convenient and can take respondents where they want to go in Centre Region, but only 2 per cent of the respondents would take a bus and only 8 per cent have used the bus." Most elderly persons own a car, but for A ss.oo'deposit is all it takes. LIONS PRIDE 105 SOUTH ALLEN STREET those who don’t, Centre County’s Area Agency on Aging in Bellefonte provides a “sunshine van” Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for transportation to doctor’s offices, shopping centers or the bank, said Jim Yonai, the agency’s operations coordinator. The elderly can also ride the county’s buses for free during the times other than peak afternoon and evening hours. The survey revealed that most senior citizens in the region have activities beyond their homes, but most respondents don’t go to the movies, club meetings or use public transit. The state survey revealed that 88 per cent of the elderly get outside as often as they would like to. Fifty-six per cent never get out to meetings or clubs, while 27 per cent get out two or more times. Most respondents (93.9 per cent), to the regional survey had no trouble shopping for food. Of those who had trouble getting to a supermarket, 89.8 per cent had help available, the survey <• The majority of respondents spent $2O to $25 per week for food. ,The study indicates that the general food, housing and transportation needs of senior citizens in the region are satisfied and that less than 3 per cent have pressing problems in these areas. reduced funds the return of all funds not in the county between the spent in the year for which primary and general elections they are allocated. last year. Centre County’s receipt of Pau) stevenSoni director of ‘ h ® J' rat nn “i Vo ‘ er Undergraduate Student S ' 0 " Award makes Govern * ent Department of .sis y p ” micai A,rairs saw »> e In other business com award was won largdy on th e m Lsi« cLSnihnT Sra h ,l Pe ™ S, ” den, Saylor said Secretary of the ® Commonwealth C. Delores The award consists of a Tucker presented him with Pennsylvania-shaped plaque the first annual Voter which will pass from one Registration Award in winning county to another and recognition of the 29 per cent a citation from Gov. Milton J. increase in voter registration Shapp. ROUND TWO NOW APPEARING NO WHERE ELSE BUT t '*'"P Victoria’s B| 1450 S. Atherton ,lS|llW 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Weds, thru Sat. NO COVER CHARGE We have a few openings in the vineyard. Come labor with us. The hours are long. The pay is low. All we promise is the opportunity to help others and a quiet pride in your work. A few people will even thank you. One will be eternally grateful. His name is God. If interested in studying for the Catholic Priesthood, contact: Father O’Toole, Pittsburgh Diocese, 111 Blvd. of the Allies, 15222 or call 412-456-3070. fjjfcr the adventurou heart stop at Appalachian Outdo House for all your backpacking, climbing, canoeing equipment, and warm weather gear appalac 324 w The Daily Collegian Wednesday, April G, 1977—1 i Parley focuses on future format of liberal arts - By JUDY BEVAN and KAREN JEPPSEN Collegian Staff Writers Many questions were raised at the Liberal Arts Faculty Conference concerning the future of the liberal arts curriculum in the next decade. But answers were scarce. “It is inconceivable that anyone could come away from this conference without being fully aware of the problems we face,” according to Ronald L. Filippelli, a Pattee librarian. His com ments were part of the closing session of the conference yesterdayr A major problem cited by Filippelli was that “students and dollars are in a mad race to see which can disappear, first.” “What we (liberal arts) have to offer is indispensible and of personal value,” Filippelli said. “Vocational ism is not the answer. ” Although changes in curriculum were proposed, Philip A. Klein, -professor of economics, said the faculty, not the students, should determine what these changes will be. Klein said the faculty can draw on its own perspective and expertise to know what courses will stand students in good stead. It is not so that students know best, he said. Evelyn A. . Hovanec, associate professor of English at the Fayette campus, called the .conference a “con sciousness-raising ex ■ JEANS JE^ perience. If nothing else has been accomplished,” she said, “we finally got to gripe out loud.” Hovanec stressed the need for liberal arts faculty to keep talking, communicating and studying the information collected during the con ference. Proceedings of the con ference will be published and made available to the liberal arts faculty and the ad ministration, according to Stanley F. Paulson, dean of the College of Liberal Arts. The publication will identify the questions raised and the recommendations made. These will be considered by the College Policy Committee and the Council of Liberal* Arts Senators, who will report their findings to the dean and) his staff. * Issues and recom-* mendations then may be referred to a committee under either of these bodies, or dealt; with by a special task force set up by Paulson. , During the morning session,- research papers were ( presented by Carroll C. Ar-, nold, professor of speech communication and Roland J.. Pellegrin, sociology depart ment head. While Arnold stresses the need to attract new students through innovations in; curriculum, Pellegrin advised against hastily abandoning present programs. “Real access is rare when dealing with new innovations, in higher education,”- Pellegrin said.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers