B—The8 —The Daily Collegian Friday, May 13,1977 Ruthie's Beloved North notable to retire By KATIIY O’TOOLE Collegian Staff Writer Students returning to North Halls in September— prepare yourselves! A familiar figure who has been around almost as long as North Halls itself will be noticeably absent. On June 30, Ruthie Weaver, Warnock Snack Bar' attendant for the past 17 years, will serve her last cheeseburger and soda before retiring. Since 1960, Ruthie has been to North Halls what Joe Paterno is to Penn State football. Outwardly, she is a combination of the stereotyped concerned parent, busybody mother-in-law and nagging girlfriend. Beneath her stern, sometimes grouchy surface she’s one of the most popular, highly ad mired persons in North Halls. “One of the very first thigs I heard about when I first came here was ‘Ruthie’s Grill,’ ” said Carol Kelly, North Halls area coordinator. “She’s part of D.A. hopefuls By TIM KONSKI Collegian Staff Writer Republican candidates for district attorney disagreed last night on the decriminalization of marijuana and the use of plea bargaining in the D.A.’s of fice. Speaking at a candidates night sponsored by the Undergraduate Student Government. and the Organization for Town Independent Students, James Bryant said, “The drug laws, in regard to marijuana, should be modified much Pedestrian pinned to pillar by auto A 23-year-old State College woman was listed in fair condition last night after being pinned to a brick pillar by a car Wednesday night. Marilyn Wenzig, 600 W. College Ave., was struck and pinned to* the pillar about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, by a car driven by Grame Mood, 25, of 425 Waupelani Drive. According to police, Mood failed to stop for a red light at the corner of Burrowes Street and West College Avenue MAY MAY MAY 'all bark and no bite' further. You can’t enforce laws that people don’t want enforced.” “When you enforce vic timless crimes you breed police corruption,” he said. “To say you’re going to decriminalize marijuana is a cop out. If it’s bad for you, let’s do everything to discourage it,” his opponent, Robert Mitinger, said. Referring to the D.A.’s use of plea bargaining, Mitinger said, “There is an absolute necessity for plea bargaining. It is sometimes in the best interest of society to uncover while traveling west on College. The Mood auto was then struck in the left rear fender by a car north-bound on Burrowes Street driven by Timothy A. Alexander, 22, of 801 West Aaron Drive. Police said the impact forced the Mood auto south across College Avenue to strike Wenzig and pin her to a brick pillar behind the sidewalk. Several persons who wit- 18-20 the heart of North Halls.” “Ruthie’s Grill,” as Warnock Snack Bar has been dubbed by many customers, has become the hub of North Halls nightlife. Sunday through Friday, students wander into the snack bar area for a nightly snack, a study break or sometimes just to stir Ruthie up a bit. “People like to tease her and give her a hard time,” said Kathy Nuss, Ruthie’s co-worker for the past three years. “But she just gives them a hard time right back,” she added. “She doesn't take anything from anyone.” Over the years, Ruthie has become notorious for her high-pitched voice, used to notify customers when their orders are ready. One steady customer claims that he sometimes sits on the Wall on College Avenue and hears a shrill, “Your burger is ready” drifting to his ears from the direction of North Halls. Bryant, Mitinger disagree accomplices.” “The worst possible thing you can do with multiple offender cases is plea bargain,” Bryant said. The D.A. candidates also disagreed on the use of lie detector tests. “The lie detector is to be viewed with suspicion,” Bryant said. “It breeds lazy policemen and sometimes, because of the psychological pressures, forces the con fessions of innocent people.” “Lie detectors are not used to measure guilt or innocence, that is the job of the judge and nessed the accident pushed the car away and Wenzig collapsed to the ground. Wenzig was treated at the Mountainview Unit of Centre Community Hospital for a, broken right thighbone, fractured left wrist, abrasions of abdomen and possible internal injuries. A passenger in the Alexander auto, John Haroski, of 801 West Aaron Drive was injured but did not require treatment, according to police. The Oasis The Penn State Bookstore 8:30-4:30 9:00-4:00 8:30-4:30 At other times, Ruthie turns her voice on students and admonishes them about everything from drinking too much to ordering sodas after she makes a trip to the refrigerators, but everyone knows that Ruthie is all bark and no bite. “She really makes you feel at home,” another customer said. “She’s always interested in what we say; she’s a sympathetic listener and she yells at me more than my mother.” “She always manages to keep in touch,” said Scot Guenter, a North Halls resident. “She never fails to ask about family and friends. ’ ’ Ruthie, who will visit with a daughter and two sons in California after retiring, may stay in closer touch with some students than she .ever dreamed. Several residents of fourth floor Leete Hall, all snack bar regulars, have recently decided that they want to accompany Ruthie into retirement. Now that’s devotion. jury. They ,are used only to support a verifiable fact,” Mitinger said. Candidates for Centre County’s common pleas judge agreed that the possession of small amounts of marijuana should be decriminalized. Republican Thomas E. Sterling said, “The evidence accumulated on marijuana has proven the penalties to be too severe. The penalties should be reduced.” “Since the legislature has determin- that it is not a crime to use marijuana,” Republican Charles 'Brown said, “it is most hypocritical to call the possession of marijuana illegal.” Democrat Richard Sharp said, “I would certainly urge the legislature to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.” Discussing the death penalty, the judge candidates agreed that it is necessary. “Capital punishment, to a certain degree, is a deterrent but it pan also be used to abuse,” Sharp said. “It should be used only to punish severe crimes like murdering police officers.” Sterling said, “The people 2 Convenient, On-Campus McAllister Building , Bringing buy-back to East Halls of Pennsylvania want it in some degree. I think it is appropriate for heinous crimes such as rape and murder.” “Capital punishment is a deterrent and I am in favor of it,” Brown said. Commenting on a judge’s decision concerning the severity of punishment in flicted, the candiates agreed that a judge should be familiar with the defendant’s background and the state’s correctional institutions. “A judge should rely on an offender’s background before deciding the severity of sen tencing,” Sharp said. “Also, he must know the correctional institutions,” he said. “A judge should know about the institutions and proba tion.” Sharp said. “He should then adapt the individual’s needs to this.” ■ “The individual should be evaluated by experts who would then submit their opinions to the judges,” Ster ling said. The candidates also agreed that a judge should rely on professional help before de ciding to commit a defendant to a mental institution. in Johnston Hall and ON CAMPUS Hager predicts GOP win for governorship By PETE BARNES Collegian Staff Writer State Senator Henry Hager of Williamsport, a possible candidate for the Republican nomination for governor said the GOP could win the governor’s seat next year if the candidate were Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo because Rizzo has almost no support outside of Philadelphia. . He said, though, that the party would have a tougher time defeating state Auditor General Robert P. Casey because Casey has built a good image for himself in the media. “I think the next governor is going to be a Republican,” Hager also said, indicating alleged corruption in the administration would lead voters to rout Shapp. He said he would probably run for governor and his campaign would center around making government a coor dinating force. He indicated his ad ministration would work on a problem by problem basis and said it was ridiculous to think that every problem could be solved. To solve problems, he said, it’s necessary to gather the people involved to work with an organizing force rather than a polarizing force. TEXTBOOK BUY-BACK Begins WEDNESDAY Locations MAY 18 in 1978 He accused Governor Shapp of at tempting to solve problems by charging private interests with responsibility for a problem.. He called this a vote-getting technique. “It’s great politics, but it’s poor government,” Hager said. Once Shapp placed the blame on someone, he said, he had created ah enemy for the public, which would then make pre-judgments and lose count of the facts. Hager said he has been trying to' have a five member independent crime com mission established to investigate organized crime and government corruption. The members of the commission would be appointed for 6-year terms by the Commonwealth court and-would receive adequate funding from the state. On the state budget proposed in the senate, Hager said the five per cent across the board cut in taxes is a phony. He said he expects the spending figure will go up and new taxes will be levied. • Hager is in Centre County campaigning ' for GOP candidate for the 34th District State Senate seat, J. Doyle Corman.
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