Editorial opinion Members of the University Park community are privileged to study and work at one of the•most beautiful cam puses in the nation. The variety and abundance of natural beauty flowers, ornamental shrubbery, green lawns, trees from all over the world create surroundings which are remarkably beautiful. The indoor facilities of the. University should be an equally important aspect of this generally attractive appearance. Classrooms, hallways, lounges, _offices and dorm space are all part of the University environment. Unfortunately, those who use these grounds and facilities often treat them with little respect. The result is usually physical damage. This abuse costs the University money and detracts from its appearance. emales underrepresented in University community Fact. Male students at Penn State University, as of fall 1979, account for 57 percent of the total enrollment, and female students for 43 percent. Yet male tenured and tenure-eligible professors, according to March 1980 figures, account for 90 percent of the faculty Fact. Even in colleges where female students are in the majority, female professors are still in the minority. Women students in the College of Liberal Arts total 57 percent of enrollment; women professoks total seven percent of the faculty. Fact. The College of Engineering experienced a relative increase in women students of 97 percent since a decade ago, but.women professors in this college still account for only one percent. Fact. Of the 10 colleges, none have a majority of women professors, while four colleges have a majority of women students. In fact, in seven of the colleges, female pfofessors account for under 10 percent of the tenured faculty. The list goes on. But the point is made. Female professors, tenured or tenure-eligible, comprise a severe minority of educators at Penn State which is not reflective of the number of female students being educated. Just what do these figues really mean? Any college or university on a federal contract must have an affirmative action program requiring employers to advertise all open positions. What this means, according to William Asbury, Affirmative Action Officer at Penn State, is that "we are no longer interested in giving preferential treatment to men." Richard P. ,Chait, 'assistant . provost, agrees. •He holds that ;affirmative'action "k Very much orie'of thelactors taken into ' account in hiring and firing (of faculty.)" The plan sounds grand so far. But why then did the 1978 statistics from the American Association of University Women show that nationwide, only eight percent of full professors were women? Not only is this figure still relevant two years later, but the percentage hasn't improved much in the last six years. According to Rosemary Furman ("The View from the Ivy Tower," Working Woman, Aug. 1979) all affirmative action No catering In response to the recent criticism of WDFM, many ideas have been suggested to improve the programming. In• the Thursday, May 1, letter column of The Daily Collegian Jill Jacoby stated that WDFM "is hesitant to really put forth all of its effort to create a truly great alternative radio station." Her recommended remedy is a one hour program of "women's music" which she defines as "music produced, distributed, written and performed by women." However, her argument, though well-intentioned, is flawed by a failure to 'respond to opposing arguments, incorrect assumption and faulty categorization. She expressed her awareness of the opposing arguments when she wrote "I've heard every possible excuse from the staff of WDFM from not enough time to produce such a show to the fear of other 'minorities' wanting equal air time," but she did not reply to these two valid arguments. When questioned about the idea of a women's show, Dan Mushalko, program director of WDFM, reiterated these arguments, saying, "First, there is no time in the schedule for a specialty show. We're trying not to subdivide too much. Second, women's music is not another genre of music. Women perform in folk, rock and jazz. If we gave an hour show to women's music, we would have to give an hour show to blond haired people's music or left-handers' music." After brushing aside these arguments, she Extra effort needed by all to keep campus beautiful declared that since the recent Holly Near con cert attracted 700 "fans of so-called women's music." So-called? Jill, you're the one who at tached the label. The size of the attendance "should prove to the staff at WDFM that there is a substantial portion of the community" who would enjoy the women's music show. This would be true if the reason the 700 attended the concert was to her women's music, which is not necessarily true. According to an April 28 Collegian interview (P.J. Platz, "Near: My art form gives me a platform"), Holly Near is "outspoken on many important social matters from personal sexual preference to anti-draft, anti-nuclear power and pro-ERA." With such a diversity of music, isn't it possible that some of the concert goers wanted to hear the category of women's music. When I attended the Renaissance concert at Rec Hall, I went to hear sophisticated, well-executed music, not to hear singer Annie Halsam because she's a woman. All these confusions in thinking arise from her incorrect categorization of women's music as a style of music separate from other styles. Although a subjective task, the style of a musical selection is usually established by considering criteria such as instrumentation, melodic form, chordal structure and progression not the sex of the producer, writer and performer. Women artists have featured in widely dif ferent styles of music, from the folk songs of Joni Mitchell to the disco of Sister Sledge. Obviously, • , • , : :' '',7'-',. '•' ~ 6.• •• • • 'j• ' '•• : • ••'% A ;;;!'' : :'•••' )/..'/•'J ,4 Z4l'.Aje. , • ; 5 • ~.„ ~,,,, ',;,,,,./%, ; ',,.., 4 1 ',A ;.-.,,, N ~,,,,,,,, ~ - , 'ace. :1:::;.;-:35;e;::::::: ~,,,'•;,,,ic;1.7,(,,,,,,,(,,,,5,:„.); : - , , i,: r ~ '7'/:'l`ft•'''':", 4,(;4;i4,Z(''''',:i';'(:;;oo: :;.f.,',, • , , t• -o, 4, '4 0 .;...6., 4 „,,...',X.4, r , fi,'4'",4';•!'s! ',?'; ,-, ~.'' ,'' 4.ea' , ',,,, ! :,, ', Iv f.';'''.''''',.,,, 1' ' ,':',4( %. /y % ' t , ', V# i W.f4l ( ;: ''',.? ' 'd0,1.7,gct,,,i41',',"4,; ';'',f`,,f,•:/,?, 4 :, ' %,:li ' V ' ' V ;4P.jfi,41'0,:; ~. ',“ ';'' '1 lA Wake Up To their credit, those responsible for the University's maintenance are largely successful in their efforts to preserve the beauty of the grounds. Also, the day-to day upkeep of the buildings continues with unappreciated regularity and dependability. How unfortunate it is, then, that those who benefit most from a pretty campus and pleasant indoor facilities sometimes do less than their share to keep the University beautiful. The students, faculty and staff who constitute the campus , community often abuse the beauty of the University through small acts of carelessness or thoughtlessness. These abuses may be as minor as walking on an off-limits patch of grass just once, in the middle of a deluge when late for a class or as obviously destructive as uprooting new vegetation. Plain laziness in the form of litter strewn requires a university to do is interview women; there is no obligation to hire. As Asbury pointed out, while affirmative action has "forced a more careful look at the people who are hired," this does not deny the fact that the person getting the position is the best qualified. In addition, Furman says that while women are often hired at the same rate as men, they are not hired at the same rank or as readily promoted At Penn State, tenured women professors in all colleges total seven percent, while tenure-eligible women total 19 percent. But this is no guarantee that the latter group will move up into tenured positions. The reasons for this are many. Asbury said he believes one reason is that in dual-career couples, "women still follow their husbands." This means that a married female professor, in his view, is more likely to leave a university position if her husband's job demands it. Furman offered another opinion. She said that for a female professor, "the message is clear: Go into into male-dominated fields and keep your mouth shut " It seems that there is a good chance that a woman who has struggled through college, especially in a non-traditional field, and persevered long enough to get a teaching degree, will have acquired at least a few feminist notions along the way. But as Furman says, "the few feminist women with tenure are so endangered a species as to interest a zoo." One female professor at Penn State said she believes that this is because outspoken feminists can be eliminated by review boards which can grant or deny tenure. Letters to the Editor ~-~ a program of songs with the sex of the performer as the only common denominator would lack coherentness, the primary goal in program consideration. WDFM does feature women artists within the folk, rock and jazz shows, as well as highlighting the certain talents such as last Friday's 4 p.m. show devoted entirely to the music of Grace Slick. To further illustrate the error in establishing women's music as a distinct style, consider that Chopin and his lover, the Baroness Dudevant (pen name George Sand), wrote stylistically similar piano compositions which I would both classify as classical, not as man's classical and woman's classical. WDFM's classical disc jockey, Dave Hake, expressed his dislike of a women's music category, saying, "I don't like adjectives before my music." With the use of four participial phrases acting as adjectives, she - confined her definition of women's music as "music produced, distributed, written and performed by women." Yet a program based on so narrow a definition would fail due to a material shortage. Albums of the Olivia record label, a company completely owned and managed by women, would satisfy these strict requirements, but, according to Program Director Mushalko, "One show devoted to one record company doesn't go over well with the FCC." The FCC would also balk at such a show because the tight definition is almost political in nature. Remember, this is radio station WDFM not WD-FM. It is necessary to avoid such a political overtones since, as Mushalko points out, "a noncommericial station is not allowed to editorialize." As Jill mentioned in her letter, the purpose of an alternative radio station is "to provide the community with information and culture that is not heard on commercial radio," but the purpose is not to cater to factional political groups who wish to manipulate the media for their own purposes. Pete Calder, 6th-microbiology May 5 Motion, please Tenure is defined by Webster to mean "a status granted after a trial period to a teacher protecting him from summary dismissal." For a teacher, tenure is desirable, but for a student, it can be a nightmare if the professor forgets that his real purpose is to share his knowledge with others. about the lawns represents another form of disrespect for the campus. Buildings show more visible signs of abuse, but in addition to outright van dalism they are also the victims of a more subtle form of neglect. Bulletin boards become useless messes, ad vertisements for this event or that party cover windows and doors, trash piles up near garbage cans and the appearance of the whole building is ever so slightly unsightly. It would take only a small amount of effort on the part of each member of the campus community to keep off the new grass, smell the flowers but not pick them, or remove outdated information from bulletin boards. These small efforts are the least contribution we can make to show our appreciation of the beauty which surrounds us. ( All female professors quoted here will remain anonymous in order to present their views while protecting their jobs.) About her department, she said, "I don't think this school is committed to affirmative action." She added that she feels no remorse about leaving if the need arises. "Who wants to stay in a university where they don't like you?" She said that she has more constructive plans than "beating (her) head against a brick wall." Ignoring subtle discrimination is not a concept foreign to other female professors either. As one woman put it, "You have to be able to overlook things. You can't create a climate where it is difficult to work." Or another, "There are times when it is better not to express an opinion." There are other problems these token women face. Of all the problems, the one the interviewed professors reacted to most strongly was what Rosabeth Moss Kanter, in her book "Men and Women of the Corporation," described as becoming the representative woman. What this means is•that as a minority, the female professor is held up to the faculty and students as an example of what all women can do. One professor said,"lt's annoying being judged all the time. I resent being an example. You can't make the mistakes other people make. She added that she sometimes feels that the message she is getting is: "You better do everything and you'd better do it well." Despite these pressures, most of the women interviewed displayed an unfailing will to overcome the obstacles. This seemed to operate on both an indiOdual and group level. One women professor explained her success this way: "I was ' very aggressive. I asked" every time I wanted something . . . No one treads on me " But there has also been a growth of what Furman refers to as the "new-girl network." This means creating support groups for professional women. Audrey Rodgers, an advisor for the new Women's Studies Option, described the program as a way to bring faculty women together in order to create a "strengthening effect on My complaint lies in the area of teacher evaluations. Why aren't professors with tenure obligated to hand out - evaluations? Is it because they know their material so well (from repetition if nothing else) that they automatically assume they're good teachers? Simply because you understand a subject doesn't qualify you to teach it. The key to being a good teacher is knowing how to share your knowledge with others. When professors refrain from handing out teacher evaluations, they deprive themselves of knowing their strengths and weaknesses. This is shying away from a responsibility to continue to better themselves in their chosen profession a responsibility which they accepted the day they received their teaching certificate. Professors are assets to a university. However, assets depreciate over their useful life. A professor may find it difficult to remember what it's like to be sitting on the other side of the microphone. I make a motion that all professors be required to hand out teacher evaluations, regardless of tenure. Does anyone second the motion? Sofia Kalyvas, sth-business administration Supergroup A letter to the editor in Monday's Daily Collegian complained about the fact that the Grateful Dead have appeared here too often. If these people looked at this from a different perspective, then maybe they would reconsider their opinion. Out of the hundreds of bands that are presently composing and performing good music, there are perhaps 10 that can be classified as true supergroups. Based on the individual skills of the musicians, record sales, concert attendance, fan devotion and general popularity, the Bee Gees, Doobie Brothers, Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, The Who and Yes can be put into this supergroup category. Penn State has been fortunate enough to have had the Doobie Brothers and the Grateful Dead appear here on campus. Any of these 10 supergroups are popular enough to sell out Rec Hall any time they choose, regardless of ticket cost. So how can some people complain about the reappearance of the Dead when over 10,000 people (mostly students) have spent their own money to see them? "THROUGH A GLASS PARKLY the stature of women at Penn State." The program will also make it more accessible for faculty women to publish their own research, thus raising their professional integrity. But Asbury said he feels that this clanning keeps women from breaking into the "old-boy network" ( the traditional older male group) where most of the hiring is done. Furman is concerned also. She said she believes that Women's Studies can be "a trap that higher education seems to set for women. Once inside the hallowed halls, too many women go nowhere." But Women's Studies at Penn State seems a long overdue blessing. It may pick up where affirmative action leaves off. As Asbury pointed out, "We are not designed to change in dividual attitudes." Yet Women's Studies is. As one female professor phrased it, "It's a matter of education .. . in an evolutionary sense." She said she thinks that changing people's attitudes, however, must start well before college Another professor was also skeptical that one could eliminate the prejudices of a 50-year-old. But she said she thinks that "as we (women faculty) demonstrate that we are professional, a lot of fears will dissipate." Another professor agreed that creating a positive ex perience of the professional woman is the key. She too was optimistic. -11 "Fifty percent of the population is women. I expect them to have 50 percent of the brains." She added that "the vision of who a woman is keeps changing." But , these determined women still:face many realities, that continue to threaten extinction. As Chait pointed out, we are "producing a supply (of educators) exactly at a time when the demand is decreasing." And there is always the economic reality of last-hired,;;first fired. But women will not go away. Only their hardships will. In the words of one woman professor, "The battle isn't over yet " Diane Salvatore is a 7th-term journalism major and columnist for The Daily Collegian. tibnif-iosao6kAVnmal.. 'eft> I think the students here should be proud that Penn State has arranged the showing of any supergroup more than once. By successfully bringing the Grateful Dead here agaiW the University Concert Committee is showing the music industry that Penn State students are special fans who recognize and want a great concert, and who are willing to pay inflationary ticket prices to see it. As far as I'm concerned, bringing the Dead back to Penn State can only work in favor oi, all the concert goers in our area because the result will be a chance to have better concerts by better musicians and isn't that what we all want? Paul F. Matthews, 6th-general arts and sciences May 5 Success story? At one time or another during their Collegiate careers, almost all college students consider joining a campus organization. Many groups at Penn State have been ,suc cessful for years, but some don't even last a single term. Have you ever considered joining an organization at Penn State? What do you look for from an organization? How influential are organizations on this campus? Do you think that students join groups just for ego massage or do they really provide a service to the community? On Tuesday, May 13, The Daily Collegian will focus its final oped page of the term on student organizations: the successes and the failures. If you have a comment on student groups, please submit them to the Editoria Editor, 126 Carnegie. All letters must be typed, double-spaced and no longer than 30 lines. Deadline is 5 p.m. Friday. =Collegian Thursday, May 8,1980 Page 2 Betsy Long Editor BUSINESS COORDINATORS: Layout, Cathy Norris, Michelle Forner, Ruth Myers; Co-op Advertising, Mary Jane Carson; Special Projects, Larry Kerner. Q.l 1980 Collegian Inc. Kathy Matheny Business Manger Carter should race to White Last week while reading The Washington Post, I came across yet another commentary on the Iranian situation and the current ad ministration's handling of the crisis. The 6ftlosing paragraph disturbed me, for it stated that the best way the president could help the situation would be to withdraw from the presidential race and concentrate his energies on solving the probletn. I am sure that some of what President carter is doing is based on political . nvibtives. I doubt whether his actions are totally controlled by political ambition. The rewards of the office are'great, but the demands are equally so. To commit that much time to serving the country as president, and to expose oneself to the .:riticism and the constant eye of the itedia and the public, cannot be entirely repaid by a simple chance at glory. Some desire to serve a utopian goal or some need to play some part in the history of the nation must be present. To have that part be chastized in con temporary society and those of future generations is not a pleasant thought for anyone. Yet the public, both here and abroad, ,has branded Carter a politician and a candidate. With this title comes a lack of E credence to any act he may try and a motive behind his every move. This is 'I sad. The public in its ever-popular game of armchair quarterback has destroyed 1 . an image that America tries to display every time a foreign country intervenes in its :affairs the ol' "This is my country, do or die" attitude. The public screams because other countries have a poor opinion of ;r America and the image , our country is faltering. This of course comes not uecause the citizens are ignorant critics, but because of a political president. 11 ' Everyone states his opinion on what to " do and yells at the president for not seeing the simple realities of life. Just as the quarterback should know what all .• his fans see and misunderstand, so -!1 should the president. 'But just as the fans cannot understand •' the whole situation, 'neither can the bar . 1( stool critics. Carter, like any public official or decision-maker, has many -variEibles.'te , ' study and inany)sittiations to - handle - before' he can !come 'lO3 05 -y'reasoriable de&sion. )!,, .1, , Just like the quarterback, he is - not ' infrOlible and can make mistakes and misjudgments. Many people seem to forget this and expect the president to GOLD AND SILVER Leland Enterprises will be buying gold and silver at the Penn State Sheraton Inn on Thursday, May 8, between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. We are ei a local business located 15 miles from State College, but have noted the difficulty some students have had obtaining transportation, so we have decided for mutual convenience to buy "in town" this Thursday. We guarantee nothing but the fairness of our prices and cash settlement. Please compare. For information call Leland Enterprises 355-1642 any time. Concerned consumers read Collegian ads. Right? Vel ate j eac,4 /win ate cieuia exite44 THE OFFICIAL PENN STATE CLASS RING When you trade in your men's 10K gold high school ring on a Lustrium College ring. America's newest fine jeweler's alloy. See the complete selection of men's and women's LustriUm Class Rings at Moyer Jewelers. They are beautiful and all specially priced at 569" during the month of May. mcwr pv*k)m ONE HUNDRED EAST COLLEGE AVENUE OPPOSITE THE MAIN CAMPUS GATE stay in House not only solve every crisis, but also to create a utopian world for them to live I'm not suggesting that the public or the media'stop criticizing the govern ment. I am suggesting a little more understanding on the part of all with respect to their expectations and judgments concerning government. Along with this is the responsibility of the populace to not just sit and criticize from their living room easy chairs, but to become involved in the government in some capacity. Maybe then the ex pectations and the limitations of the people and their government can be better aligned. There is no way to solve the problem of a political president because politics is the heartbeat of the presidency. The current system of a four-year term with an option for four more could be changed to a one six-year term with no chance for reelectin. By making this constitutional change, a president-candidate would not lose his credibility after only two and one-half years in office. Also, the current president could be freed from un necessary criticism of the other can didates because he would not be a threat to their candidacy. The six-year term would also give the president time to try to accomplish some of the promises he made during his campaign. Now, the president is elected and when he finally gets used to his office and settled in, he has to go out and stump for reelection or gets kicked out and called worthless. There are many problems with this idea of a lame duck president. There is also the added fear of "being stuck" with an inept man for six years instead of just four. But it is an option that should be looked into. This will not solve all of the nation's problems overnight. No plan will, nor will any human being. However, many of the senseless critiques of current, policy by other candidates could be stopped or at least curtailed a bit. No govern Mental system is perfect. Neither are the people. As our society's problems continue to become more complex, the solutions are not going to become any easier. However, the people, with their never-ending com plaints to friends and neighbors, are not going to solve anything. Constructive discussion and action can, with time, work. Stating that the president should withdraw from the race in order to gain credibility seems inane. The change in thought does not have to start with the office;-IbUt , )with the i people:- It. , seems:. society is , beginning to playpolitics•mere than-the candidates. Maybe it's time me ' all stopped and looked at our motives. Bonnie. NOrthrop is a 12th-term secon dary education major and is a columnist for The Daily Collegian. We must save planet Conservation must check damaging economic growth In the movie, "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court," the 20th century hero dazzled his medieval audience with his knowledge of science and technology. Any man who could produce fire from the palm of his hand or cause the sun to go black in the sky was recognized as a wizard to be reckoned with. Back then, he who had the "knowledge of the gods" sat on the mountain of fear and ruled with the threat of the unknown. Centuries later, with the"knowledge of the gods" converted into print and available in the nearest library, the mystical power of science and technology was replaced by the monied power of the bottom line. Whether or not the latest technological breakthrough or scientific discovery was allowed to go public now depended upon its economic feasibility. Mystery was replaced by cost analysis as the basic criteria for scientific advancement. "Today," notes Science News Magazine, "with businesses requiringquick paybacks on their in vestments, with inflation hurting many regional economies and with multinational companies fearing nationalizationof foreign investments, the trend (in science and technology) is to optimize short-term profits often at the expense of the environment." Irregardless of how "trendy" this tradeoff bet ween short-term profits and environmental quality may be in today's inflation-pinched business cir- PPEoBrALEA6E.; a. ay eSp 'Gyro & Soup' A delicious blend of beef & lamb. Topped with tomato, onion, a special dip, all on a slice of grilled pita bread. Also includes your choice of one of our specially made soups. ~Y ", : ~;'f: :~~!. 'Tonight 930:- 12:30 Wiskers &Lace" Ads cover. No•one under 21 admitted: The Press Box is located on 129 S. Pugh Street in downtown State College across from the parking garage cies, this practice is considered dangerous in today's human circles. Alternative viewpoints regarding the coexistence of technology with the environment are thus being offered in an effort to prevent the ecological disasters that occur when profit-oriented push becomes recession-oriented shove. One such alternative viewpoint was expressed last week by visiting professor Hazel Henderson in a series of lectures and discussions sponsored by the University's chapter of the Science, Technology and Society program. In keeping with the program's stated purpose critical examination of the impact of science and technology on society's values, priorities and institutions professor Henderson questioned the logic behind using one-dimensional economic criteria for making three-dimensional environmental decisions. Describing the "non-scientific" field of economics . as a "300-year-old trashbasket of opinions," Hen derson criticized so-called environmental managers for reducing complex, ecological problems into simplistic, input/output propositions. By cutting corners and ignoring issues that could could arise long after they have departed, these decision makers have bent their preferred, "cost efficient" technologies until they "fit" the problem at hand. $1.59 /0,11 /i:!1: MEM BOX The Daily Collegian Thursday, May 8, 1980-3 Earth Such "ecological ignorance," said Henderson, can no longer be tolerated by a future-oriented society. Technology and the environment can no longer be allowed to crash heads, to ignore other's existence, to pretend that time is irrevelant unless we wish to"live" on an uninhabitable planet. Uncontrolled, wasteful and environmentallly damaging growth must be checked and replaced with planned, conservation-minded and socially acceptible alternatives. This does not necessarily mean a smaller economy, but a softer, less destructive one. Thus while small may be beautiful, soft is more bountiful. While a movement towards a softer, de-energized and environmentally sound economy was started several years ago, the pending collapse of capitalism as we know it cries out for faster action. In a plan for the 'Bos outlined by professor Hen derson, such action involves the use of non-technical communication in order that more people may understand the environmental, economic and energy-related problems that need to be dealt with immediately. Also, in order to build upon their common ground and to clarify their minor, but debilitating, disagreements, the numerous public-grass root organizations need to gather and agree upon a single agenda for the future. The result of this communication and unification of ideas would be the creation of a powerful, political coalition of informed citizens capable of writing , their own balance sheets for their own futures on the planet Earth. With a little common sense and a lot of public good, the current bottom line of economic growth at any cost could be replaced by the goal of human growth at no cost. Daniel Dillman is a graduate student in journalism and a columnist for The Daily Collegian.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers