Editorial opinion
If you don't like 'em, join 'em
and try to change things.
Grant Ackerman, Undergradu
ate Student Government presi
dent-elect, has launched a cam
paign to involve as many students
as possible in USG operations.
Here's the chance for students
to do something about the student
government which so often comes
under fire for its role (or non-role)
in student life.
Getting into USG at the organi
zational level gives the opportunity,
for students to discover exactly
what can be done about issues
they feel are important.
But USG does not need people
willing only to work when they can
spare a few minutes. The future of
USG rests with the people who
Letters to the Editor
Farr side
TO THE EDITOR: For the past several days we have been
inundated with letters to the editor, editorials and news items
concerning the release of Jo Ann Farr. These publications have
ranged from emotional outbursts by students to rational
appraisals by professors.
However, one person's point of view has been totally
disregarded, i.e., Jo Ann Farr's. We feel that before anymore is
said (if indeed, anything more needs to be said) on the issue,
Jo Ann should step forward and give her account of the
situation.
the C
da ly ollegian
JEFFREY HAWKES
Editor
BOARD OF EDITORS: EDITORIAL EDITOR, Marty Smith;
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT, Sally Heffentreyer; OP-ED EDITOR,
Joanne McLaughlin; NEWS EDITOR, Mike Mentrek;
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR, Dave Skidmore; CAMPUS
EDITOR, John Martellaro; COMMUNITY EDITOR, Jay Book
man; COPY EDITORS, Carl Brown Jr., Tom Erdner, Ivy
Goldberg; WIRE EDITOR, Karen Egolf; FEATURES EDITOR,
Patty Rhule; SPORTS EDITOR, Pete•DOugherty; ASSISTANT
SPORTS EDITORS, Tom McNichol, Jerry Lucci; PHOTO
EDITOR, Randy Woodbury; ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITORS,
Ken Kasper, Tim Woodbury; GRAPHICS EDITOR, Lynne
Maimed; OFFICE MANAGER, Anita McKelvey
State College life fosters
Nestled in the mountains of central
Pennsylvania is the tiny sleepy com
munity of State College. Located directly
in the center of the state about halfway
between . Philadelphia and Pittsburgh,
State College seems more like an oasis
than a real-life community struggling to
survive the turmoil of the 1970'5. .
Sociologists usually talk about the
'6o's as being the turbulent period in our
history, what with the racial violence
which tore our cities apart and the
assassinations of so many vital and
dynamic public figures.
Yet, the 1970's have not really seen an
end to that turbulence. It has just
become less noisy. Today the assassin
is called the terrorist and the violence
among the disenchanted has been
replaced by a passive acceptance of the
status quo.
However, the problems which led to
the turmoil in our cities and the tragedy
following the untimely deaths of our
national leaders have not disappeared at
all. The problems of American life are
real, and they are visible if you look hard
enough to find them.
RaclA,m still chacterlzes American
qr,r,iptv all the screeches and bloodshed
Join 'em
join and give as much time as it
takes to make life at the University
better.
Sitting around complaining a- .
bout the make-believe politicians
who make up USG won't solve
anything. Get up, go out and fill out
an application to become part of
changing it. USG is a student or
ganization and it needs students
from all different areas of interest.
This is the only good way for USG
to learn about student interests.
Ackerman and his senators
went to reorganize USG commit
tees to assure that all committee
members know the activities of
groups they are not working on
directly. This will keep the chan
nels of communication open within
the organization.
William S. Hickey
12th-psychology
David Zehr
12th-psychology
SCOTT SESLER
Business Manager
of the '6o's failed to end racism, because
we learned it was something that could
not be erased with the stroke of a
presidential pen or a legislative package.
By now, we know racism is a matter of
the heart and it can disappear only with
society's psychological growth a slow
evolutionary process which may never
run its course.
During the 1960'5, Americans saw
their families split up so men could die
to maintain peace in the world. It was the
communist philosophy which we
considered the enemy.
Still today the communist philosophy
is the enemy. The basic ideological
conflicts between the free world and
communism are becoming more and
Final say
TO THE EDITOR: I am pleased to see that certain people have
such deep insight into the mind of God that they are able to
unequivocally announce His judgment. I think, however, they
may have been a little hasty in their proclamation. To say that
Black Sabbath, a commercial rock band, is demonic and their
music is satanic —that's amazing to see how much these men
know about musicians whom they have never met, whose
intentions they know so intimately.
As for wizardry I don't really think It was meant in a literal
sense in the advertisement. i believe that, taken in context, it
was meant that the effects In the multi-media show were very
well manipulated. As for cleverness being an abomination
before God has He not given us a sound mind with which to
think and invent? Or are cameras, speakers, lights, etc., an
abomination?
Admittedly, "If I Should Die . " may produce an un
desirable emotional reaction to accept Christ, rather than a
calm decision of the will. If those presenting the Paragon.
Experience had let things go at that, then certainly the
presentation would have been ridiculous at best, corrupt in the
least. A follow-up, however, Is being carried out, to make sure
those who said they had accepted Christ understood what they
had done. It- is not a Campus Crusade recruiting service.
Consider the fact that people from other fellowships are taking
part in the follow-up.'
Fear of death and Satan are not the best reasons for ac
cepting Christ. The life He offers here on earth outweighs
those things. Yet, if a testimony was presented, would 3,000
people have attended? And if they had, would they have
thought about what was said?
Finally, if God really is against what Campus Crusade did,
why don't we all wait a few weeks and see what fruit has been
produced? Let those who accepted Jesus during the
presentation be the final say.
c7e...4.:> 4 1ie
Channels of communications
between USG and the outside
world the student body only
will be opened if students are will
ing to give it a try. USG could be so
much and could do so many things
it's ridiculous to waste the oppor
tunity to make it work.
When Ackerman takes office, '
he's going to need a lot of help. So
students can either laugh off
another year for USG or lend him
a hand. Whatever USG does or
does not do is for the students. •
If students are not willing to help
themselves by helping USG by de
voting time and ideas to it, then
when things go wrong or issues
never get resolved, who will be to
blame?
From the edito
Newspaper work a 24-hour job
Drawn curtains block out only part of
the morning sunlight glowing over the
cluttered dorm room. A groggy assistant
news editor rolls out of bed to grab the
Collegian left by his roommate before
leaving for first period.
He glances through 15 pages and
Intently examines page one. Proud of the
front page layout he designed eight
hours earlier, he rewards himself by
falling back in bed, thus cutting his
second period class for the third time
that term.
Meanwhile at the Collegian office, a
reporter politely answers the first of the
day's countless phone calls "You say
you want a .correction run? . . . No, the
editor hasn't been in yet . . . You want
his phone number? . . . Okay, hold on a
minute."
At 10:20 a.m., another reporter exits
class early and hurries to the municipal
building to report the regional trans
portation committee's discussion on
expanded University airport usage.
Back at the office, the office manager
bustles in, sets down her books and
asks why the wire machines are off.
"Oops," a day desk reporter responds,
running to the silent AP and_ UPI
machines, plugging them in, , 'and
throwing the switches. The black boxes
more apparent as Carter ' presses
the case for human rights throughout the
world . and as this nation tries to
negotiate settlements aimed at reducing
the number of armaments.
The war may not be taking place on a
battlefield right now, but it is a war
which will never end until the one
system has dissolved the other, or until
the two dissolve themselves.
EconoPc conditions which
deteriorated in the late '6o's have really
never recovered. It has been a 10-year
period of inflation, stagnation and
recession. Major unemployment still
plagues the nation, and prices continue
to rise beyond what could ever have been
imagined 10 years ago.
Though these problems seem per
plexing on paper, they appear senseless
in reality. For example, it has never
made sense that the most prosperous
and most powerful nation on earth could
allow people to starve and children to die
because of neglect. But, that is what Is
happening every day In this nation.
The school systems of our urban
centers are in disarray. If the school
systems are not suffering. from a tack of
funds, then they are the centers for the
jump Into their Incessant chatter.
At half past noon a line forms at the
Classified Add desk. A harried business
manager slams the receiver on the phone
and trudges downstairs to the
production shop to find a missing
grocery ad.
Ten or 15 reporters mill around the
copy desk leafing through newspapers,
trading the latest off-the-record gossip,
tying up the phone. Some even are
working on stories.
A bearded campus editor discusses a
story Idea with a rookie reporter. A
senior reporter pins an assignment sheet
on the bulletin board to be read by his
team of reporters. The red light -bulb
glows above the darkroom indicating
that a photographer Is developing
pictures.
Students enter the office asking where
Name Withheld
false sense of security
manifestations of 200 years of racial
prejudice.
Though we are not stuck any longer by
the violence in Vietnam, Watts, Detroit
and Newark, none of these places have
disappeared from the•rnap.
Neither has State College.
' Living in State College can tend to
make those, problems seem to disap
pear. War or the threat of war is as much
a reality in these hills as an outbreak of
the swine flu.
State College has no serious problems
with racism. No riots. have occurred
here.
Though shoppers here have not had
any relief from the economic decline, as
the prices in the local supermarkets
Indicate, the town has not been
seriously affected by the layoffs which
have occurred In the auto Industry and
other labor markets.
State College Is a fairly stable and
prosperous area. History books indicate
that this was one of the few areas not
affected seriously by the Great
Depression of the '3O a. The Depression
made Its way around the world, but It hid
its face whtm It headed for State College.
Living In State Collene is an unreal
Jeff
hawker
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letters to the editor go and requesting
Collegian note forms.
The news editor sifts through the Junk
on his desk to locate his log book to
note what stories will be coming in
during the day. He fills out a couple of
photo assignment forms.
Phones and typewriters ring amidst
the dull roar of voices and wire
machines.
The afternoon chaos finally slackens
after 5 p.m., the dinner hour, but more
importantly, the deadline for early
stories. The news desk's tray is stacked
with stories that met deadline.
By 5:45 p.m., the news editor is again
in the office meeting with the campus,
community and photo editors to decide
on which pages to play which stories.
At 6, the copy editors arrive, clear off
the horseshoe shaped ' copy desk,
sharpen their pencils and settle down to
a long evening of proofreading copy, re . -
writing stories, creating headlines and
gnashing their teeth.
By 7, Collegian reporters and
photographers are showihg up at local
government and student organization
meetings, Colloquy lectures, basketball
games and the numerous other events
where news is happening on and off
campus.
existence. The problems so evident
every evening on the national news
broadcasts just cannot be taken
seriously if you live in State College.
And how can they be?
The governing body of this com
munity, the municipal council, rarely
proposes anything of consequence or
anything more controversial than
remodeling the State College Municipal
Building. •
Where else but In State College would
a member of the Community Appearance
and Design Review Board walk through
torn with a tape rule measuring
business establishments' signs to
determine if they comply with local
ordinances?
And where else but in State College
would government officials sit around a
table for two hours pondering such an
Important question as whether the
parking places In a shopping center are
lined properly?
Obviously, these are not earth-shaking
events, yet apparently necessary to
maintain a peaceful and somewhat
perfect existence in State College away
from the congestion, Complexity and
roakitv al whop life,
Unfortunately, all thls is reflected in ,
the people who inhabit this peaceful and
tranquil community, especially;
students. Students participated in mild:
protests during the late '6O s and early,
'7O s, but not as strongly as in other',
areas of the country. •
The major concerns of students here,
are their weekend dates and their;
weekend drunks. There is very little:
concern among students on this campus:
for educational issues beyond getting,
good grades.
Not even elected student represen-i
tatives seem all that concerned about the;
rising costs of their education. No one:
seems concerned about knowing where!
and how the University spends its, .
money. There seems to be very little;
concern for the quality of education:
students receive at Penn State and the,
effects, if any, of faculty tenure on that:
education. ' 1
Yes, it is a very quiet and un- ,
controversial life here. It seems one: ..*
designed to create very quiet and on
controversial adults, who will be very
satisfied to continue and perpetrate the
same policies and attitudes which In the
pant have almost ruined our Rackety
HELLO.,,
DAVID
FROST,.
h
%IP! 1
PW7/#4tAiii
Aroundlo, someone volunteers to run 1
to Waring snack bar, the nearest place ,
for mid-evening fortification. By 11, the
reporters and photographers are back In
the office with deadline pressing upon
them.
Downstairs in the production shop
computers are spewing out tapes. These :
are fed into other computers which in
turn produce stories in the desired
column width which are finally waxed'
onto make-up pages. .
By 12:45, most of the copy and,
headlines and photos are downstairs 4
the hands of the shop. At 1 o'clock 4'
deadline the news editor runs hiN
completed lay out of page one dow - n i
stairs and he and the copy editors go
home to sleep, or more often than not, t4:• 1 ,
study. ti It
The only persons remaining are the:
layout workers and the night editor who
proofreads stories as they are being
pasted onto the pages. It
it
By 2:45 the last page is driven tc/
Himes' printing press on the Bennei
Pike, the night editor turns the wirii
machines off, and silence reigns in the
Collegian office until, in just a couple
hours, sunrise announces the start t;:if,
it
another day and another paper.
11