Bill revision cuts
*student benefits
By JUSTIN CATANOSO
Daily Collegian Staff Writer
An amendment added to Gov. Dick
Thornburgh's welfare reform legislation
would make all employable college stu
dents ineligible for general assistance
benefits and eliminate 34 University stu
dents from the rolls.
The reform legislation, however,
would not affect the 21 University stu
dents receiving Aid to Families with
Dependent Children grants, nor the 171
students receiving food stamps, said
Waska Polek, director of the Centre
County Bureau of Assistance.
State Rep. Gregg L. Cunningham, R-
Centre County, who supported the
amendment, said college students should
not be eligible for general assistance
because their need is voluntary.
"If a college student finds himself
unable to carry a full academic load and
, still provide for himself financially with
all the other (student loan) programs
available, then the student should reduce
his academic load and increase the num
, ber of hours he's working at his part-time
job," he said.
The original intention of the reform
legislation is to eliminate 68,000 general
assistance recipients between the ages of
:18 and 45, whom the state deems employ
: able, within a two-year span.
The savings from this phasing out
estimated at $93.9 million by the end of
fiscal year 1983 would 'be used to
increase benefits to those deemed truly
needy and fund job-training programs
for those eliminated, said bill sponsor
Rep. Terry Punt, R-Franklin County.
On Tuesday, however, House Demo
• crats managed to pass a workfare
amendment by a 101-100 vote that effecti
vely took the bite out of the Republican
advocated legislation. The bill was ta
bled and will be reconsidered when the
House reconvenes April 21.
The amendment, sponsored by Rep.
* William Wachob, D-Elk County, stip
ulates that the state employment agency
find community jobs for employable re
cipients. In turn, the recipient would
have to work a set number of hours each
4 Water Authority may
:•I''impos.e . conservation
UPI wirephoto
The space shuttle Columbia waits at the Kennedy Space Center's Pad 39-A for its
maiden launch,*scheduled for 6:50 this morning.
•
inside
A China analyst for the CIA said
relations between the United
States and China may encounter
some problems especially after
the election of President Reagan
Page 3
University cows work overtime to
produce more than 1,163 gallons of
milk each day Page 6
Opening Day in Pittsburgh, and
the Pirates fall 6.5 to the Montreal
Expos Page 8
weather
After a chilly start, brilliant sun
shine will help push temperatures
to an afternoon high of 68. Consid
erable cloudiness tonight and to
morrow morning with a period of
showers and thundershowers late
tonight and early tomorrow and a
low in the mid 50s. Intervals of
sunshine during Saturday af
ternoon and on Sunday, along with
warm and rather humid conditions
and highs both days in the mid to
upper 70s.
BINDERY
Vi 22.2 PATTEE
week to earn his or her monthly $172
check.
Under Wachob's amendment, a recipi
ent could only be eliminated from wel
fare if he or she refused to take a
workfare position or found work on their
own.
"Workfare in theory is excellent,"
Cunningham last night at his weekly
news conference. "But it is very difficult
in practice. You simply can't force these
people to work."
Cunningham said Wachob's concept
proposes management and supervising
problems and would end up costing the
state's taxpayers more because of the
additional workers needed to implement
the program.
"I reject the notion that government
has the obligation to make up a job for
everybody who is simply not willing to
take the jobs that are available," he said.
There is a pervasive feeling throughout
the state, Cunningham said, that certain
jobs, like cleaning restrooms or sweep
ing streets, are below the dignity of many
unemployed people.
"Somehow we have fallen into the
notion that there are some types of work
that are dishonorable and that it is more
honorable to accept welfare," he said.
"This to me is very anti-social, disfunc
tional and offensive to the many Pennsyl
vanians who work hard at difficult jobs
and are being taxed heavily to provide
welfare payments to these people who
have the capacity to work, but do not."
When Wachob's amendment came up
for a vote Tuesday, 100 Republicans
voted against it, 100 DemoCrats voted for
it and Rep. Arthur Earley, R-Delaware,
a black legislator from a heavily unem
ployed district, broke party lines and
sided with the Democrats to give them
the edge.
If the two Republicans absent Tuesday
are present when the House reconvenes,
Cunningham said the amendment will be
stripped from the legislation.
"After that's done, I predict the bill
will pass the House and Senate," he said,
"and I'm confident the governor will sign
it into law."
• '
•
.41* ,
„Ay.
4 COPT
. ,' .....,
n•rl: , , - 11 4i ;
''' ' . l • r •44‘
• '"4 , •• - •• 1 •• 1
46::. ': Z
,44,,
*k , S
r~k
daily
Fill f ar up Mrs. Fillmore of the Fillmore General Store fills a customer's gas tank. The store, near Toftrees, has been in business for 28 years
By JON HOOVER
Daily Collegian Staff Writer
The State College Municipal Water Authority last
night instructed its solicitor to see if the authority could
impose limited, mandatory water conservation mea
sures.
Authority manager Samuel H. Lucas said that the
voluntary conservation measures have been working
well but because of dry weather other steps may have to
be taken.'
"We lost our spring run-off and there's been very
little rain. The only good thing is that consumption has
been very low, I attribute that to water saving devices Authority.chairman David A. Long said new wells
and conservation," Lucas said. are important in maintaining the water supply.
He said controls that have been established in water "Right now, without our new wells, we are in worse
systems along the Delaware River restrict water use shape than we were last year," he said." People have to
All systems go for today's launch
By HARRY F. ROSENTHAL
Associated Press Writer
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) The
test shuttle Columbia stood poised for
flight yesterday on moon-launch pad 39A,
an untried ship of the future ready to
return Americans to space for the first
time since 1975.
"You go in the hand of God," President
Reagan told the shuttle's pilots.
John Young and Robert Crippen, the
astronauts who will stake their lives
today on Columbia's success, said "skies
are clear" for their historic mission.
Their message from Reagan was waiting
for them at 2:05 a.m. today when their
summons to space came.
"Through you, today, we all feel as
giants once again," Reagan said. "Once
again we feel the surge of pride that
comes from knowing we are the first and
we are the best and we are so because
'~~:
t ;~u3*:
}yx ;,<
w~ ~k:
.If ‘
I
t '
•
.• • .
Friday April 10, 1981
Vol. 81, No. 148 24 pages
• University Park, Pa. 18802
the
you are free."
Reagan, still hospitalized from his bul
let wounds, called the flight "a feat of
American technology and American
will."
Young and Crippen ate "Texas-size
steaks," and bid a final telephone fare
well to their , families late yesterday
afternoon. Relaxed and primed to fly,
they took a call from Vice President
George Bush and told him the "skies are
clear."
At the same time, the countdown went
without a hitch into its climactic hours.
Before midnight, the launch pad was
cleared so Columbia's fuel tanks could be
loaded with volatile gases by remote
control.
"I think we're go," said launch direc
tor George Page. "I think we're going to
make it." Lift-off was set for 43 minutes
past dawn 6:50 EST this morning.
"almost to the gallon."
Lucas said rainfall here has been inadequate this
year.
"The only month we've had normal precipitation
was February. As far as we're concerned, we didn't
have normal precipitation in February. All that did was
cause us to lose our spring runoff," Lucas said.
He said consumption is up slightly to 3.4 million
gallons g day. During term break it was down to 3.1
million gallons. Before the conservation measures were
recommended, consumption was 4 million gallons a
day.
After all the frantic activity of the past
months, building steadily for the "fire in
the tail," the astronauts entry into the
ship would be a lonely exercise. Besides
Young and Crippen only six people were
allowed on the pad; the others cleared
from the explosive mixture in the ship's
tank.
Young and Crippen, who say they are
"140 percent trained" for their -day, 6'/2-
Astronauts John W. Young and Robert L. Crippen, left, finised their trairg: - .g for
their pioneer launch yesterday aboard the space shuttle Columbia. Above, the sun
sinks below the horizon behind the launch pad of the Columbia, marking the eve of
Published by Students of The Pennsylvania State University
continue to conserve
"It is important that we get the Nixon well field into
production so that we don't have the same situation we
did last year," Long said.
He said the restrictions to be considered will be only
on "unreasonable" water use.
"I "don't think it is, necessary for, people to
,be
watering establisned lawns, but there should be enough
water for a newly planted lawn. I hope people will be
reasonable about washing cars, I know it is important to
protect the finish on a car but shiny cars might not be
the best thing now," Long said.
"I've never been able to dig my garden so early. It's
so dry that there isn't even any worms. I heard a few
worms down there gasping for water," Long said.
the space shuttle
hour flight, visited their revolutionary
spacecraft at first light yesterday, were
told it was in good shape, and went off for
some final landing practice in airplanes.
NASA accredited 3,500 journalists and
technicians for the launching and their
presence created a sizable village of
trailers 3'/2 miles from the launch. tower.
See related stories on Page 16.
Photo by Stellos Varies