Editorial opinion USG must solve current financial problems before tackling a business co-op USG is thrashing about in dangerous waters. But instead of learning how to swim, they're merely treading water. At the last senate meeting the members deliberated the formation of a business Co-op to establish a steady source of funding. They intend to model the proposed operation after the Harvard University Co-op, a professionally run business separate from the Harvard student government. The Harvard Co-op owns five department stores in the Boston area, and accrues $3O million in gross income each year The Harvard Co-op was established 98 years ago to benefit members who presently have to pay one dollar to join. Every member receives a rebate on any Co-op profit. Last year the Harvard Co-op distributed an 8.8 percent rebate to members, Harvard Co-op General ManagerJarnes Argeros said. USG Senator Chris Calkins said Har vard's student government receives a percentage of the profits in return for directing students to the Co-op's businesses. This is wrong the Harvard Co-op only benefits members, Argeros said. Calkins also said, "Harvard makes upwards of $5OO million in gross income each year." That's an absurd figure. Argeros said the Harvard Co-op:makes $3O million at Interpreting law This is in response to the March 17 article by Lieber and Amchin of Yachad, the Zionist student organization. The constraints of time and space do not permit a detailed response to the questionable statements abundantly contained in the above mentioned article. Nevertheless, my major concern is, the confidence with which these gentlerden have seemingly set out to reinterpret indml, to rewrite international law. According to these writers, the Israeli set tlements in the occupied Arab territories "are legal under international law." They, in fact, .levy sharp criticism against the Carter ad ministration's position of illegality and --- 111)1) GE T Pt. • N • I • PLAN b . 12+41WrET r PLAN 4 No'.'Kotter' or commercial breaks in this class ro o Mediocrity and incrementalism have become standard conditions within and throughout our nation's fabric. No more blatant or tragic can the result of these policies be seen than in the high schools in our urban settings I was fortunate enough to teach in such a high school during Winter Term. The discoveries and realizations I en countered during this 12-week period have both enlightened and disturbed myself aria my collegues. Many of the tragedies about declining Swimming lessons r 31)1)CiEl r PLAN 8 1 fs ‘ PL. stratlon by Jeff Thomas best. USG is considering the tough task of forming a Co-op, yet can't even get its facts straight. Vice President Vicki Sandoe said USG executives and senate members have lost much of their control over approving expenditures due to profit growth.A business Co-op is far beyond USG's scope.A house cleaning is in order before USG lets its ambitions take precedence. Ernie Hicks, former acting director of USG's money-making operations, resigned Monday following numerous run-ins with the USG Senate concerning his business methods. Hicks is a shrewd businessman, but he apparently used his position solely to further his power within USG and to monopolize JEM profits at the expense of other campus organizations. Hicks' power moves weren't so effective anyway; • JEM Productions garnered a smaller profit from their movies than the Association of Residence Hall Students , despite that ARHS does not show X-rated films, ac cording to an ARHS member. Hicks departure and subsequent walk out of a number of his workers marks a changeover of the basic USG profit structure. JEM has been merged into USG in an attempt to avoid the unilateral actions sometimes taken by Hicks (we can't forget the wall safe Hicks ordered Letters to the Editor characterize administration statements as "untrue and unsubstantiated." However, in contrast to the claims of the "Yachad jurist," there is wide international consensus that the Israeli settlement policy is illegal and in breach of specific international agreements. Apart from the fact that the Zionist policy of colonization constitutes a defiance of U.N. resolutions and of the spirit of the U.N. Charter, there are also the specific obligations imposed on any occupying power by the Geneva* Conventiont or the Protection of Civilian Persons of 1949, of which the Israeli government is a signatory. - - Of particular relevance is the requirement specified in Article 49(6) of the Convention that, "The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies." Not only has the U.S. SAT scores and comprehension levels of the entering freshmen at Penn State are magnified when dealing with the "average" high school senior. Their vocabulary is weak, spelling poor, comprehension limited and writing almost nonexistent. Dealing with 17-year-olds in the last six months of their high school career, I had expected to find inquisitive, opinionated individuals eager to express their thoughts to the world. What I found were mezmorized, beaten animals with little imaginative thought or interest. Mondays were devoted to orals on topics which the students had months to decide and research. Most of the topics were related to the old standbys of abortion and corporal punishment, however with a conservative stance which was surprisingly homogeneous throughout the school. Their speech was primitive, logic inane and presentation awkward. Shocking? Yes, it should be. Many students walk though the schools without ever learning to read a sentence or write an essay. Many graduate totally un prepared to face the world. But this doesn't happen everywhere; some schools are worse. My students were respectful, quiet individuals who would yield to the teacher's position in the classroom. In many schools, the teachers are threatened and the classes are disruptive. The teachers and ad- State Department formally observed the Israeli settlements to be in contravention of Article 49(6) but their illegality has been state by the International Commission of Jurists in lengthy legal analyses. The position held by the U.S. government on this question has been consistent since the June 1967 hostilities, i.e., maintained by the Johnson, Nixon, Ford and Carter administrations. The Israeli government has, however, con tested thc, conclusions of international jurist positing at various times either the nonap plicability of the Geneva Convention to the territories conquered in-the June War, or- the nature of the settlements as security outposts vital to Israel's defenses. Israeli arguments, as observed by one legal analyst, employ an ob scure method of treaty interpretation not known in international law or in any civilized legal system. That Lieber and Amchin may have embraced as their premise the "scholarly" statements of Menachem Begin, who has described Israeli settlements as "legal, legitimate and essential," is rather disconcerting. Perhaps they may be encouraged to consider the conclusions of another Israeli, Nathan Feinberg, professor of international law emeritus of the Hebrew , University of Jerusalem. Writing in "Haaretz," Feinberg argues that the Convention is indeed applicable and that Article 49(6) does prohibit the Israeli set tlements in occupied territories. Furthermore, he decisively rejects the legal arguments of the Israeli government as fundmentally inconsistent With both Israeli national interests and in ternational law. Naheel Dejany, graduate-human development March 18 A serious flaw The writing of this letter is prompted by the ludicrous process in which students were compelled to participate in order to secure a ministration were quick to point out this fact to me, seemed quite pleased that the classes were controllable and felt that this was enough to expect from the students. As a teacher I should be happy with this and not worry about the fact that many of the students cannot and would not learn to read even the most basic material or write even a simple sen tence. My exams should also reflect this philosophy just give multiple choice on simple facts that the students could memorize and understand easily. Don't try to tax the students' brains, they are seniors and if they have not learned already, they would never learn. Education is the cornerstone of our society. Without proper education, talent may never be revealed or promise realized. Television has given society an easy way to entertain itself. However, there are many not-so-pleasant side effects. The classes I taught expected a "Phil Donohue" talk show in a "Welcome Back, Kotter" setting. They without USG and University consent) which exacerbated the internal strife hindering USG effectiveness. Time will only tell if the new staff will be more or less effective in working with USG as part of the whole, rather than a separate unit. USG would have to include all campus organizations if it decides to pursue in vestment in any downtown business. Relations between campus organizations have been inconsistent in the past; USG's attempts to convince other organizations to commit themselves to a difficult task may be insurmountable. ARHS President Steve Osborn said there is no cohesion among campus organizations. USG President Hal Shaffer said nothing definite was decided about the Co-op idea, rather USG is just "brainstorming," but considering the present financial problems plaguing USG, it seems ludicrous the student government would even spend a large segment of an im portant meeting mulling over the Co-op idea. Especially since the senate still hasn't decided its pay structure. The Harvard , Co-op is a large organization employing more than 600 students and faculty members.USG does not possess the resources to pursue a business Co-op The business Co-op idea is akin to USG trying to stand dry on the dock when it can barely keep its head above water. wanted a 15-minute commercial break and felt uncomfortable about sitting for more than 27 minutes engaged in the same plot or subject Education must be taught in an en joyable setting, with teachers behaving like entertainers, otherwise students are bored and unattentive. My cooperating teacher explained to me that I should present the information is such a way that the students would not realize they are learning. Also it must be en tertaining enough so the students would not switch their mental channels and daydream instead of listen. Television is not the only factor that has contributed to the decline in scholastic achievement. The most up setting discovery which I encountered was the attitude of the teachers them-, selves. Many saw their position not as a professional endeavor, but only as a job, period. Unfortunately, most handled their position with a mechanized style and approach that was neither updated nor humanized. Education and the teacher's subject area were not to be worried about or even talked about amongst themselves. Their concerns were their pay and the union's contract. Obviously this is not all the teachers, however, it is much more prevelant in this society than people would like to believe. As students at Penn State we have all survived the high schools and graduated POS dorm contract for next year. This problem was caused by the fact that there is simply in sufficient campus housing space. My source for this letter is "A Perspective on the 80s: Agenda for Action for Penn State University," which states: At University Park, housing both on- and off campus has experienced an extremely high occupancy rate throughout the '7os. This crowded situation has permitted little flexibility to experiment with alternative on-campus configurations and has provided little op portunity to monitor the quality of off-campus facilities. The need to replace the obsolete Nittany Halls and to house a greater number of freshmen as the mix of students at University Park changes in the decade ahead , suggests that the availability of on-campus housing be reassessed at University Park. If need is demonstrated, planning for construction should begin soon. Allow me to demonstrate a need. I see residence as being the student's foundation during his or her college life. A comfortable `home' enhances the security of a student. An uncomfortable atmosphere can make college a miserable experience for even a seemingly well adjusted student. Cramped conditions, inadequate facilities and study areas increase the probability of roommate problems and a generally chaotic environment. Many choose to live on-campus because it is conducive to participating in student activities. Others just prefer the convenient lifestyle. Statistics gathered from a study on freshmen have indicated that dorm residents achieve higher grades. In addition, more dorm rather than off-campus residents continue their academic career to the attainment of a degree. This University is located in an isolated, rural area of Pennsylvania thereby enabling only a minute percentage of students to commute. This creates a housing need. Housing space is reserved for sorority and interest house mem bers, athletes and freshmen. Upperclassmen who choose to live on-campus need to be given the same consideration. with a better experience then the students that I have just described. But, as members of this society and perhaps future parents of the students of the schools that exist today, all of us are going to have to someday be aware and concerned of the problems that are already rampant in the schools. With declining funds and little at tention given to this institution, the situation and the problems could potentially become worse, and the results fatal. None of us are immune to the effects the school has on the student. Even though we may not be directly affected by the problems, the results will not escape us. All the solutions have tried to change only a small part of the problem. Only if we all realize the tremendous PRE • Kit Noi S l e #6 or / 6 ANDERSON 414 The present inertia on dorm construcgibn is due to a fear that student enrollment will decline'; during the 'Bos based on the following data: • The age 18-22 group, from which over 70 percent of undergraduate enrollments are drawn, is expected to fall by 27 percent between 1978-1990, paralleling a 31 percent decline in bigh school graduates. However, further research reveals that at Penn State only a 10 percent decline is expected from an enrollment of 41,900 in 1978 to 37,700 in 1990 assuming college participation fates • remain stable. The university is currently attracting more qualified applicants than can be admitted,' The recent implementation of an active rectuiting program both in Pennsylvania and other states should 'enhance this position particularly since Penn State offers 70 programs not available elsewhere in the state. Of particular note is the fact that over one-half of the University's more than 200,000 living alumni are reaching theages at which their children will be attending allege. I have tried to illustrate a housing problem. This is the flaw in a system in which students must wait up to three days in queue to compete, for a contract only to get a room in an over crowded dorm. That's not the way it has to he Mary Beth O'Brien, 6th-classics March 18 the lly Col • . „ Thursday, March 20, 1980— Page 2 (',) 1980 dollegia, Betsy Long Editor BUSINESS COORDINATORS: Layout, Cath Norris, Michelle Forner, Cindy BondAlico-o Advertising, Mary Jane Carson; Marketin Mark Friedberg; Special Projects, Larr Kerner. importance of the situation and refine t put up with the mediocrity can we',liop• to see any positive future to this:iita institution. There are no easy sottVonc but the country's apathy and ignorOnc(l of this problem surely is not the,:r]ight approach. My practicum only lasted a short time, but the memories will last a lifetinie. I hope the future will turn my • dismal outlook into a bright light of hopre f .This cannot be done without help and- un derstanding that must not be left to only the education majors or the teachers; it must come from the mass populace. If we don't have an educated society, what hope can we have? Bonnie Northrop is a 12th-termeccon dary education major and a columnist for The Daily Collegian. • ANMIGA Kathy Mathen Business Manage NiSlot 2 Y '9 ' ' ' ' ' . " ' ' i ' ' ' ' ' ;; ; ' ' ' ' .... 'i : D ~;=''',i':...:.: Ad of, Illustration by Jett The las firestone to close Pottstown plant From our wire services POTTSTOWN, Pa. (AP) Firestone TNe & Rubber Co. yesterday announced the closing of a tire plant in Lower Pottsgrove Township, one of six Firestone shutdowns in three states that will idle a total of 8,500 employees. Firestone Chairman Richard A. Riley rride the surprise announcement, which jolted the ailing rubber industry, in a prepared statement, saying the shut downs, slated for completion by Nov. 1, are part of a restructuring of the com pany's North American operations. Besides the local plant, Firestone, which reported a $13.8 million first qfrarter loss, said it will phase out tire plants in Los Angeles and Salinas, Calif.; Dayton and Barberton, Ohio, and a synthetic, latex plant in Akron, Ohio Firestone is based in Akron The closing of the tire plant near here will idle 1,500 hourly workers and 450 sAaried employees, plant' manager Harold Powell said. The plant is the largest local employer. Borough Manager Eugene Moody predicted "a massive impact" on Pottstown, where unemployment has Pledges wanted from By CINDY COX Daily Collegian Staff Writer Members of the class of 1980 are being eked to pledge the remainder of their general deposit to a Class of 1980 Fund, sponsored by the University Office of Gifts and Endowments and Lion's Paw. The purpbse of this fund will be decided in 25 years by class members. "How the money will be used will depend on how much we have after 25 years and what the needs of the University are at the time," Jim Adisey, president of Lion's Paw, said. Lion's Paw is a group of seniors who are leaders of student organizations. T4ey meet to discuss problems of the _ University and are dedicated to preserving University traditions. Contributions to the fund will be placed in a bank account where the money will gather interest for 25 years, said Assistant Director of Annual Giving C.Tifft. Additional gifts will be added to the account after graduation if MCAT (DAT) PREP COURSE 16 Hour Intensive Course, Sat. March 22, 1980 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and' Sunday • March 23, 1980 9 a.m. to 6 p.M. .!Holiday Inn, 1450 S. Atherton St., State • College. Tuition is $ll5, which includes all books and materials. No. extra charge for repeating course. • • Register by calling collect • • ) (301) 963-0322 • • ! C AT. I) AT I: pi deo n N'Vt. March 14 thru 30 AT PONDEROSA... Formerly Patriot Steak House All•You-Ca n-Eat Fish,Balsda:itirar There's a new Ponderosa in town . . . and it's having a fabulous fish fry. For just $2.99, you can enjoy all the fish filets, baked potatoes, or french fries you can eat . . . plus our All-You-Can Eat salad bar and warm roll with butter. Catch this outstanding value at the new Ponderosa! At this former PATRIOT STEAK HOUSE c 1980 Pmclefosa Syclem Inc * Eatter Seal Appeal been running at 7 to 9 percent Operations of a local Firestone plastics plant, which employs 580 people, will not be affected, Powell said. The plant is operated by Firestone Plastics Co., a wholly owned subsidiary headquartered here. No dates for the closings were given, but Powell said all production at the local tire plant "is expected to be discontinued later this year." Top United Rubber Workers Union executives, including URW In ternational President Peter Bommarito, and leaders of the affected local unions, gathered in Akron for an emergency closed-door meeting on the situation. "Once again, the worker is the victim of a situation beyond his control," Bommarito said, adding that he was shocked that the company would take such drastic action without first asking the union for help. He blamed increased imports of autos and tires as well as rising energy costs for the closings. A union spokesman said the latest closings would boost the total of tire plant jobs lost since 1975 to 19,200 members designate their contributions for the account, Taft said. Class members pledged about $lO,OOO at spring registration she said. Letters will be sent this term to seniors who have EUROPE by CAR RENT or BUY LOWEST PRICES - FOR. STUDENTS, TEACHERS EUROPE BY CAR ,--••,45 Rockefeller Plaza • • . New Y0rk,.N.Y. , 10020.; Phone (212) 581-3040 . Mail this ad for Special . Student/Teacher Tariff. ❑ RENTAL ❑ LEASE 0 PURCHASE 0 EURAILPASS & YOUTH PASS POI4DLS° 013 s sly,Pd( No carry-out orders. At participating steakhouses. VISA l ~' master :charge tttttt GIVE TO THE MARCH 1-APRIL 6 adding that some 6,000 jobs evaporated in the past 15 months alone. The URW estimated Firestone's daily tire production will be reduced by 34.4 percent when the plants are closed. • The plants to be closed employ a total of about 5,000 hourly and 2,000 salaried people. Another 1,500 workers at the plants are on indefinite layoff. At Lower Pottsgrove Township, about 480 workers have been furloughed since August, Powell said. About four years ago, Pottstown lost a Bethlehem Steel Corp. fabricating plant, which employed 1,000 workers. It since has been divided into smaller manufacturing plants. "That plant is slowly filling up and now to have this happen is a bad thing," Moody said. Another Montgomery County tire plant, Lee Tire & Rubber Co. of Con shohocken, shut its doors Jan. 31, eliminating 800 jobs. Firestone chairman Richard Riley said the reason for some of the closing and layoffs •is that the company is restructuring its North American tire operations. 1980 class members Zj!::,;.:',)c,.':l: not yet pledged, Tifft said. Pledges will automatically be tran sferred to the fund from students' general deposits after all other deduc tions are made, she said. ~., ~~\\ JERVEzt MHZ STATION &MID ROLL 815T7120 exlqualzmyks69 4.a9 RNA T r"AIN ntr HAPPY VALLEY BEAUTIYUL. DOW? LITTER. "The realignment is intended to meet changing market conditions by eliminating unneeded capacity that has been used mainly for producing bias-ply tiers," Riley said. "The planned actions will reduce Firestone's manufacturing costs and improve its ability to meet the needs of its original equipment customers, Firestone dealers and stores, and Dayton (Tire) dealers." Firestone's financial position has been hurt since last year by a government mandated recall of the company's "500" radial passenger tires, after government studies indicated the tire could be defective. The action was the largest tire recall in history. The realignment is expected to' be completed by the end of Firestone's current fiscal year in October. The company estimated costs of the actions, including employee termination and pensions, at $B2 million after taxes. These costs "will be somewhat offset by an estimated $33 million gain from liquidation of . .. inventory reserves," according to a company news release. "If they acquire a sizeable amount, they can do something quite significant," she said. "There are a lot of needsat the University now, but as time goes on, the needs will change. Class members will definitely be involved in deciding what to do with the money." Adisey said the money could perhaps be used for fixing walkways or elevators for handicapped students. "It will definitely go for something that will directly benefit students," he said. Another way students will be helping the University to raise funds is by manning telephones in the Lion Line Phonathon April 21 to May 8, Tifft said. Students will contact University alumni by telephone for three hours a night and ask them to donate funds, she said. Ni:": - .:0".....':ii'::;......;.! `Alumni support means the difference between a mediocre program and an excellent program," she said. "Alumni can designate their gifts to colleges, Commonwealth campuses, scholarship funds or wherever they like." 1.1 v. 7 ‘7:. k‘ l t., x ~,.. .::d iv,,, , \.::..;.;•:s::: ~ : 5. : ....- ': 1:-\ \ , .%.. \. l ' ~ k ~, ~-- \A ,‘" ( ' - Ai \\ \ I I . . \-.l‘ •"•:: 1.2' \ •:', '\.. ~\ \ \ \) '''' . . : N` • ,-. S \ •- ` \\ \ • I \) .\, ifr ‘ . ~•\•)\# '.\ 1: k ,!: \ . • - ' v ~..sk sv.-•-•-:,.' .'. k ,k,,.. \% , r ( . N' s. 0 v.... \ 1 ,a•gll you ©B6W SEA of OW gam, )cf G -7 • b graarro ) 5 3 1 J Oswald takes post with GPU company By KATHY HOKE Daily Collegian Staff Writer University President John W. Oswald has recently accepted a position on the board of directors of General Public Utilities, parent company of the owner of , the Three Mile Island power plant. Kenneth C. McKee, GPU's manager of public. affairs, said Oswald was elected to the nine member board for an indefinite period effective this month. "Dr. Oswald has significant strengths in both administration and education which we feel will be demonstrated to us and will lend significantly to the difficult problems we are facing," McKee said. Oswald said he looks forward to his service on the board and is glad to have been selected. "I can't imagine that any problem is more important than energy," he said. Oswald said he wants to attend his first board meeting April 3 before commenting further on his selection to GPU's board. GPU is the parent company of The Daily Collegian Thursday, March 20, 1980-3 *••. John W. several subsidiary companies, in cluding Metropolitan Edison, the power company that owns and operates the Three Mile Island nuclear plant. Although each sub sidiary company has its own board of directors, McKee said "the final responsibility for TMI would ultimately rest with GPU." McKee. said Oswald is the only member of the board who is involved in education. Other board members have backgrounds in business and government, he said. Oswald was nominated by a three member committee of the board and elected during the March 6 board meeting. The board meets at GPU headquarters in Parsippany, N.J., on the first Thursday of each month except August, McKee said. In a GPU press release issued this month, Oswald said, "Energy con= tinues to be one of our nation's most significant concerns. The develop ment of the various forms of energy, and the monitoring of them, continue to be a major responsibility of research efforts in both industry and the academic community."
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers