Editorial Opinion Proposed advisory board may weaken student voice in CATA The student seat on the Centre Area Transportation Authority Board is in jeopardy. CATA Chairman E. Emory Enscore, in his resignation letter to the board, suggested eliminating four at-large board positions in cluding the student seat and replacing them with an advisory board. Under the proposed change, students will lose the benefit of direct input into CATA decisions. The face-to-face, head-on confrontations bet ween the student representative and the board would be nothing but a memory if students are pushed into an advisory board with other "special groups" like the aged and the handicapped. But students are not a special minority group, hut a mainstay of CATA ridership. Students comprise more than 60 percent of CATA's rider ship. As such, they deserve and should demand proper representation on this board. If, in the inevitable chaotic shuffle of moving positions around and redesignating authority, the student's voice is .lost, students will suffer. • I taio.Rreleftgonve...it =Letters to the Editor Inflated egos On Dec. 5, a review on a recent Backseat Van Gogh concert by Michael Kulp was printed in The Daily Collegian. As a musician, I can appreciate Backseat Van Gogh's vocal tightness and understand why a band must be "calculated" at times to achieve success. However, Kulp's use of the words smug, pompous and con descending have never been used more correctly when he referred to the group's nose-up approach to their music and audience. Who do they think they are? They are not great. They are average musicians at best. Their original songs consist of three-chord patterns so rehashed that it is a crime they call them original. Their egos would be quite understandable if they were play ing Madison Square Garden this week. However, they are not. They are playing the Phyrst for Happy Hours. Greatness? Hardly. John D. Dittmar, I lth-advertising Dee. 8 Music mindreader I am writing in reference to Micheal Kulp's review of Backseat Van Gogh's HUB performance last Wednesday night. Empty seat Award winning cartoonist Jeff Mac Nelly is a new addition to the editorial page Under this proposal, present student representative Linda Roosa would not be replaced after her term expires in September 1981. While the student representative has input in to crucial CATA decisions, he or she does not have a vote. Major decisions are made by representatives oU the five member municipalities, but a group that makes up more than half of the ridership should have at least one vote. Adding an advisory board could be an effec tive move on CATA's part if students are given an equal or increased role in decisions that af fect the large number of students who ride CATA buses each day.. Will this advisory board have a vote? We feel it must, if it is to benefit CATA at all. An ad visory board member could express an opinion until he's blue in the face, but without a vote, what is the use? Will the addition of an advisory board jeopar dize the right to representation students have LET'S TALK !NMEM= / • ‘.; My intention is not to criticize Kulp's opinion. I am no more qualified to do that than he is qualified to review rock bands. However, I feel it is necessary to correct the inaccuracies in his review First, Kulp said the choice of music is the band's major pro blem. I do not know which concert he attended, since of the groups he listed, Backseat Van Gogh does not perform half of them. So much for his knowledge of New Wave, not to mention his credibility. Secondly, Kulp uses words such as smug, pompous and con descending to describe Backseat Van Gogh. However, he chose to omit the fact that a portion of the proceeds from their upcoming perforomance at The Main Point in Philadelphia is being donated back to The Main Point to help the club stay in business. That does not impress me as being very smug, pom pous and condescending. Lastly, I would like to request all reviews in the future, good or bad, are done on the performances, not the performers' at titudes. In analyzing Backseat Van Gogh's attitudes, Kulp has put himself into the position of mindreader rather than critic. Unfortunately he fails at both. Chris Peters, 10th-general arts and science Dec. 9 Master plan to heist no. 6 card. Gym hoax: foils upper classmen lock out ...i/ ,•• , ~•' u e ,9" 0 .41iiii 15 1 i :„,„.„ ii.„„a, ~E..„,,, . „ :.i::::: iliAli'll'ill''' ::, ;, 41.05i5- <c 4 fi!1:1;1 \ •'' " I T;i:E I F9.::!4 ‘J' : '' 0 19-' - 4.(;:ik,;.1.':....,,V`C• I didn't want just any gym class. Ballroom - I.'.':!:c:i' - „\ . r,. . , ,- i i‘ ...\ r _ dancing and medicine ball crab soccer are :. • '..:i , ;;:..:*; : .:':'.: 1 •q!: .o',. alright for some people but not for me. I wanted i'..:1i:..r: . :, : , 4Co. A r- , .v..;r3: 4 . 1 ,,_. ::,:r e; racquetball or tennis or some other extremely , .4 . .:.:' : !!'•:,.;qtr'5 , ,..;; 4.• i tt popul4r: spgrt, 1, , . , ,,.:, ' s• ;-' .7- -,` IT:17-, 4.;i. i 4 -i . - .1 . t'' ;Ft 1' , .31 t rtirrrrittrenfrttr,m' :T.17 , 31 . ...,-,-„:,' '7 7 t•, r:. , ~ ~,, , ,-..d ~; - , , ;,. ~ A I M 1 sg 4 ideas•started‘to enter my .brain:'lcould‘r.raWl , 4° , l' ktiar ';'1.41C 11 4 3 4. 1 0 4 1Liii;i 4 .4g....1Lii;.=4 , i 6 : , i-i-Nimi , 00. , .g49-^wvtirdti.We t -drove"tot.Shiehis In-bsilenqp.- wel:h* on my hands and knees froM Shields to Rec Hall, So,' with.some;simple bribery; my -roommate rehearsed the plan too . many times. "D,0tq1.. 1. ' 3i lots of publicity and they would'haVe tegive - --o,lted ariitthelreltglifettd - fOr . Of% 6redit'of" 'Worry; Eeese, 'everything will' be fine," - Strege - ., , me a class. I'd be a campus martyr, a comtem- physical education for me and I had to make her and got out of the car. porary Joan of Arc. No, that wouldn't work, I bed for the whole term. A small price to pay for I couldn't smoke to calm my nerves, I donit -; have sensitive knees. graduation. smoke..lt was too early for a beer and I'm afra4.: I could cry and have a mental breakdown at Then, I began to sweat. What if she doesn't get •to take drugs. So all I could do is sit and wait.::: the department head's desk. Most men hate to the class or what if she registers. after me or Two hourslater, Sue came running to the car :- see women cry. But I hate to see me cry. I get the what if she flunks out this term? What if I blow with a big grin. "I got the card," she said, "pa:' hiccups and gasp for air for at least two hours. It my cover and get caught? What then? When I sweat. Now let's go home so you can make nig , sounds hideous. And I hate weepy women was a kid, I was never any good at games where bed." anyway. you had to be quiet and sneaky, like hide and Needless to say, I registered without a hitch, I couldwait until I'm 12th term and then crawl seek. Everytime I would go into hiding, I'd get smuggling the card into registration in a seen and cry at the same time. That would be a sure terrific stomach pains and have to dash for the ingly harmless baccalaureate handbook. success. People always have pity for students bathroom. I got caught every time. Now, I have my last gym class and I can get who are at graduation's door. Eight weeks of paranoia and skepticism the heck out of here in the spring. It just goes to I kept leafing through my class schedule, hop- followed until pink slips came out. But this plan show you, you can beat the system if you've got a ing by some divine miracle a good idea would was meant to be. My roomy registered before good plan, a cool head and a 7th-term roomate. come to me. And it did. me, she could bring the card home with her. Con- Well, that's all there is to this story. My roommate was 7th term. According to the fidence returned, I was sure the plan would Aren't happy endings great? Well, excuse nip, rules, she could register for any gym she wanted work. I have to go make a bed. and get it, just like that. She could preregister for The day of reckoning arrived registration. I Lisa Morano is an 11th-term journalism major me and bring me the number six card and then I warmed up the car as my roommate put on her and the assistant editorial editor for The Daily could pick up the class at registration. Simple, coat and picked the book that would conceal the Collegian. The story I am about to tell you is true and no names have been changed to protect the innocent The Great Number Six Card Heist idea was hatched one humid night over a sixpack of Roll ing Rock and a cold Brothers pizza. There I was, 10th term and one gym class short. Images of cap and gown and diploma danced through my head. No matter what, I had to get a gym class. And I had this feeling I wasn't alone. There were others like me out there and they needed a sure fire plan that could work for them, too. • • ~. k, • •'4.i - , ~,.~ fought so hard for? Perhaps the alternative which would best serve the students' needs would be to leave the student on the CATA board with a meaningful vote, and also to be represented on the advisory board along with the handicapped and downtown residents. It will be the duty of the student represpn tatives on the advisory board to take an active Fine line This morning I read Michael Kulp's review of the free con cert given by Backseat Van'Gogh last Wednesday night in the HUB. I did not attend this concert, so my main reason for reading the review was to learn how it went. Instead of getting a clear picture of what was performed, I got the feeling the night was a disaster. • I have seen Backseat Van Gogh perform many times and have always found them to be an exciting, creative, top-quality rock and roll band. I would be surprised if they are capable of being the absolute dogs portrayed by Kuip's review. Although a critic has the responsibility of evaluating a per formance and commenting on it, he also has the responsibility of reporting an event. The review of Backseat Van Gogh was unnecessarily harshand downright nasty. Maybe in the future, Kulp should try to strike a balance between good reporting and bad opinionating. Lee Davinroy, 6th-Division of Undergraduate Studies Dec. 5 role by relaying student sentiment on transpor tation problems: Students have a right and a responsibility to protect their interests in transportation matters. Their input is too valuable to be ignored. CATA cannot seriously consider implementa tion of an advisory board until it is sure that students who make up over half of CATA's ridership will not, lose or weaken their voice. Back Seat Van Gogh Well deserved kick I would like to thank Micheal Kulp for his less than kindly review of Backseat Van Gogh's Wednesday night HUB con cert. It got the band so stirred up that they went out Friday night and performed on of their best shows ever, featuring all the spontaneous musical elements that Kulp claimed th€ were incapable of, and more. There is no doubt they are very talented musicians who can entertain exceptionally well when they put their minds to it. It does concern me that it took a bad review to get the energy flowing. I hope Backseat Van Gogh takes the criticism positively and realizes that everyone needs a kick in the butt now and then tfi force them to take an objective and perceptive look at themeslves. Blow them away in Philly, guys! Valeri Sprowl, graduate-public health nutrition Dec. 9 =collegian Wednesday, Dec.lo, 1980 Page 2 Betsy Long Editor 1980 Collegian Inc. Kathy Matheny Business Managrx Oak Tree to cost new owners almost $5 million By VICKI FONG !Daily Collegian Staff . Writer Oak Tree Apartments, former Phase I and II ti3Othe bankrupt Laurel Glen apartment complex, • cost their new owners almost $5 million in ;the purchase agreement and more than $1 Imillion in renovations, a local realtor said. Neil Donahue, president of Benchmark Realty ;Inc., said State College attorney Richard L. Campbell, former Centre County Judge R. Paul ;Campbell and he are general partners in Aritage Oak Associates, a group of about 15 .partners that bought the property last week. Most of the other investors, who are limited partners, are local residents, but he would not reveal their names. Heritage Oak Associates will pay $4.75 million fc n' the 410-unit apartment complex, which is Pined. by Rochester Savings Bank, mortgage holder of the bankrupt property. "We're very excited about the property and ''recognize its potential," Donahue said. !`Absentee ownership has caused some of the problems over the years. There's no reason why there shouldn't be good affordable housing in the tz,;ea by local owners." CA TA may back out of taxi management Icy SCHLANDER Council President Mary Ann Haas said Daily Collegian Staff Writer . the vote, in effect, was to remove the Centre Cab, the taxi system owned and , responsibility of Centre Cab from CATA. operated by the Centre Area Transporta-. When this could be done depends eon Authority, may be sold by State Col- largely upon interested buyers, she said. l'Qe to a private operator. But Joseph Biedenbach, • CATA's in- State College Municipal Council voted terim manager, said, "They (council .liits meeting Monday night to begin members) really haven't talked with us nekotiations with CATA to permit the about it. It can't be classified as municipality to consider alternatives for anything but preliminary." ti!e - ,'cab•system next year. Biedenbach said Centre Cab operated IWentre Cab is one of few, if any; taxi at a. loss during the first six months of sfstems in the Northeast that is owned this year, but he said the deficit was loCal government rather than a caused by the'expense of purchasing the pflirate firm. . State College is the cabs. riiplicipality with the largest interest in "We really got Centre Cab at the worst CATA. possible time," Biedenbach said. .* • ThE ERM Club is hAviNq ITS ORCIANIZA :: TIONAI MEETINg FOR ThE WINTER TERM TONIqhT DEC. 10, AT 7:30 p.M. IN 301 Aq. AdmiN. Bldg. PLEASE bßifyq YOUR IdEAS FOR club ACTIVITIES Rl5B Pepsi (all flavors) 8-16 oz. bottles 1.36 Coca-Cola 8-16 oz bottles $1.36 Sander's Soda 8-16 oz. bottles $ 1 .28 • Tetley Tea Bags 125 count .99 4G Potato Chips 99' bag for 59 0 Nabisco Premium Cracker& lb. box77° .Nabisco Snack Crackers 83° Sunshine Cheez-Its moz. box 99° Stroehmann's Bread King & Ranch 2/99° Viva Towels David Sadowsky, vice president of the Rochester Savings Bank, said the Heritage Oak Associates' offer was not the only one considered. "We had a number of offers to choose from, mainly from outside the State College area," he said. "But the overriding consideration was that we were dealing with local people who know the lotal idiosyncrasies people who will be able to make the project a success." Concerning renovations, Donahue said, "That should be another $1 million. We expect we'll be spending subgtantially more in the next few months. "We're starting work by going through each apartment and correcting violations," he said. Donahue said he and the two Campbells have experience with problem apartments because the three also own University Terrace, formerly Eastgate Apartments, which once had maintenance troubles. "We invested significant amounts similarly in University Terrace," he said. To finance the sale, the bank will approve a 10-year mortgage at 9.875 percent interest for the investors, Sadowsky said. The interest rate is (jumbo roll) considerably less than the current market rates of about 14 to 15 percent, he said. "We realize to charge the current rates that there would be no way the group can pay operating expenses and the mortgage at the same time," he said. The bank will lose money despite the deal, Sadowsky said. The original loan added up to about $5 million for former owner Stanley Melnick of Melnick Entreprises, Atlanta, Ga., he said. The bank will also lose four years of in terest at 9.5 percent, which adds up to about $l.B million. "In the interest tab alone, we literally received nothing from June 1976 to now," he said. The bank also had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in renovations this summer, he said. Benchmark Realty Inc. will take over the management from Property Management Inc. The complex will be renamed Heritage Oak Apartments. . Richard L. Campbell, one of the partners, said, "We've been interested for some time in the apartments, but the opportunity was not present until a couple of months ag(i." Sadowsky said the bank was satisfied with the State College telephones out for 2 hours A "major communication breakdown" left State College without phone service for about two hours yesterday afternoon, a phone company spokesman said. Starting at 1:30 p.m. State College residents; businesses and emergency services could neither make nor receive phone calls, said James C. Walck, manager of the State College Bell of Pennsylvania office. Bell restored phone service at 3:15 p.m., Walck said. A mechanical failure in the microwave system which handles calls between State College and Al toona caused a backlog in the State College office, 250 S. Allen St., meaning the local phone office could not process calls, Walck said. Bell is trying to update the microwave system in Altoona, Walck said, and during this conversion a mechanical failure occurred, causing the Altoona 4 1 ************************1 * All Science Majors! ** MICROBIOLOGY CLUB MEETING* 'X" To Discuss Career Opportunities • * * And Science Expo 'Bl •-• * ' Thursday Dec. 11, 1980 * 7:30 PM / * * - 250 N. Frear Bldg. PICK UP YOUR T-SHIRTS * 43. R 145 Come Join Now * 79° system to turn down all long distance calls. "After the microwave breakdown in Altoona, the State College system filled up," Walck said. Most at tempts to make phone calls "reverted back to dialtone," Walck said. .Walck said service in Altoona was affected by the system breakdown. Pittsburgh and Harrisburg also experienced minor problems, he said. Walck said that during the conversion in Altoona, the problem could happen again and at any time, especially when phones are being used extensively. Emergency services, including all regional police services, the Alpha Fire Co. and ambulance service, and hospitals, encountered few problems yesterday afternoon. However, each agency said it handled the situation differently. State College police said they handled the breakdown 'by saturating the town with visible patrols, especially in high-activity areas. A FROZEN FOODS Welchade Grape Drink 120 z 55° Tambellini's Pizza 220 z $ 2.09 Pepperidge Farm Turnoversuoz. 79° DAIRY PRODUCTS Philadelphia Cream Cheese Boz. 79° Kraft Swiss Cheese Chunks 12oz. 5 1.89 Kraft Shredded Mozzarella Cheese a0z.1. 19 Soft Parkay Margarine 2-Boz. tubs 79° PRODUCE Bananas 3lbs 89° California Lettuce 2 heads/s1 Florida Tangelos 89c/dz. "We're 250 miles away," he said. "We're not in the business of renting property. We feel much more comfortable with Donahue and the Camp bells. But there's a lot of work remaining to be done. I know it, the town knows it, and the pur chase group knows it.". Heritage Oak Associates had to deposit a substantial amount of money in an escrow ac count to assure that needed repairs for the apart ments would be completed," Sadowsky said. He would not disclose the amount, but said it was "in the excess of six figures." "This has been a problem loan for five years," he said. "We intend to monitor the progress until we know that the problems have been effectively repaired." Despite the heavy investment, Donahue said rents should not be increased above local market rates. "Rent might be below market rates," he said. "We hope to give the best of both worlds." About 330 to 340 of the 410 apartments are now occupied, Donahue said, and about 31 of the unoccupied units need substantial repairs. - The apartments, built between 1968 and 1972 by spokesman said if the breakdown had lasted longer, the department could have contacted local citizen's band radio clubs and utilized radios in municipal owned vehicles. The Centre County Emergency Communications System, dispatch&s for local ambulance, fire and police, said they monitored CB channel nine to replace phone service. A spokesman at Ritenour Health Center said radio contact with ambulance, police and the Centre Com munity Hospital keeps the center from being cut off in the event of phone failures. University Police Services was likewise unaffected by the cutoff in telephone service. A spokesman said the police office was able to receive incoming calls, but could not make outside calls. Information for this story was compiled by Daily Collegian staff writers Philip Gutis, Becky Jones, Betsy Long, David Medzerian and Paddy Patton. lolidav Gifts Created by • Pmfessional Central Pennsylvania Artists and Craftsmen at RENRSCE NOW IN THE LOFT AREA OF ETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW 135 EAST BEAVER AVENUE In. S•io EKDAYS, THURSDAY EVENINGS TH. 9:00 INDAYS 12.5:00 AND BY APPOINTMENT 2375409 The Daily Collegian Wednesday, Dec.lo, 1980-3 Bertram W. Rudy of Feasterville, Bucks County, have been plagued with a long history of finan cial troubles. In spring of 1975, the Rudy opera tion went into receivership. The mortgage holder, Equity Financial Corp. of Chicago, retained • Melnick Enterprises of Atlanta, Ga., as the managing agent. The Melnicks later bought the property from New York state lending institutions, but in June 1976 filed for bankruptcy. Despite its history, Donahue said he was op timistic about dispelling the property's negative reputation. "There's no question of it. We expect Heritage Oaks in September to be filled to capacity." he said. "I think it has more to offer'than any other apartment project." Correction In yesterday's edition of The Daily Collegian, Janet Mazzullo's election as chairwoman of the Undergraduate Student Government Senate's appropriations committee was inadvertantly omitted.
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