daily
collegian
editorial opinion
Liberal Arts business option is practical, but what about the "good . old days?
Academic prostitution or just good
marketing sense?
The College of The Liberal Arts recent
ly decided to offer its students a business
option.
The new option seems to be aimed more
at getting students jobs when they grad
uate than at rounding out their liberal
education. Liberal arts majors now can
embark on a 27-credit journey through
such previously unfamiliar fields as busi
ness law, quantitative business analysis,
marketing and accounting.
As a result, the University now can
graduate liberal arts students with the
skills needed to find entry-level positions
in corporations or to become entrepre
neurs themselves.
Practical as it seems, does the addition
of the option mean the college is backing
down from its traditional commitment to
education for its own sake?
Barton Browning, chairman of the op-
-reader opinion
Mud mountains
The Daily Collegian's editorial opinion concer
ing the women's mudwrestiing contest spon
sored by Delta Sigma Phi fraternity seeks to
make a mountain out of a molehill.
The event cannot be classified as a totally
sexist one. Although I am sure many men were
there for the purpose of gawking, most seemed to
be there just to have a good time. Approximately
30 percent of the audience was female. These
women were cheering as much as the men. A
vast majority of this cheering concerned wres
tling moves. Calls of "Get more leverage," and,
"Go for a headlock," definitely outnumbered
those of, "Look at that nice ass."
I feel people have a fascination with mud.
Many dirt and mud-related sports, like dirt
biking, mud bogging and four-wheeling are very
popular today. Most guys would much rather
play games like football after a good rain than
when the ground is hard and dry. I suppose this
ILYP MIN NW. YESTERDAY YOU CUD HAVE HAD 14IS W lEN
CENTS !NSW OFTHEIMN CVIS 1r Lt. COST
Direct from Reagan and company: 'Growth Day'
By TIMOTHY BOWSER
Eco-Action member and resident of the
planet Earth.
Growth.
We all know what growth is. Growth is
beneficial. It's good for us. After all,
growth is natural. Right?
I wonder just how many of us have
taken the time to think about growth and
the infinite implications surrounding this
concept. Today might be a good day to
reflect upon the idea of growth, partic
ularly as it relates to our society and this
planet.
forum
You see, according to an April 9 adver
tisement placed by Mobil Oil in the
editoial page of The New York Times,
today is Growth Day. Apparently, a
"new coalition of . educators, business
men, foundations and labor leaders"
have founded Growth Day in an effort to
"re-establish growth as a foundation of
American Life.':
Complete with a proclamation from
none other than President Ronald Rea
gan, the ad calls for Americans to sup
port the concept "that an expanding
economy is the cornerstone to relieving
this nation's social, economic and securi
ty problems." Reagin, in his proclama
tion, states that "only with economic
growth can we insure the expansion of
economic and social opportunities that
will benefit all Americans."
Other times I wonder if those of us who
the
opinions
Theory of evolution
tion i , said the option was prompted by a
suggestion from the Liberal Arts Student
Council and is not an attempt to increase
the college's enrollment. Even so, it is
hard to believe that the students' recom
mendation did not stem from an increased
concern with finding jobs.
Since Socrates, the value of a liberal
arts degree has been its unspoken guar
antee that "this person has a well-rounded
education that should enable him/her to
take on just about any career challenge."
Those students looking for "pure knowl
edge," far removed from the vocational
bend of engineering and business curric
ulums, could count on the College of The
Liberal Arts for an appropriate environ
ment and courses to meet their needs.
However, the introduction of the busi
ness option may reinforce fears that jobs
for those with a truly classical education
are hard to find or, worse yet, non-existent
without specific training.
tendency may be a throwback to childhood, when
making mudpies and playing in the dirt was fun.
Much has been said about the hosing down of
the contestants after each round. It has been said
this turns the event into a "wet T-shirt contest."
The actual rinsing was only done to the legs and
arms, leaving the woman still basically mud
covered. I find it incredibly hard to become .
aroused over a muddy blob that is barely recog
nizable as a female.
Last year the student council of Clearfield
High School (a nearby school) sponsored a
female mudwrestling tournament. The students
found it very enjoyable. There were no calls of
sexism or exploitation. Parents of high school
girls get upset very easily where their daughters
are concerned. If they found little wrong with it, I
fail to see what the so-called 'feminists are
concerned about. They seek to make an issue of:
this ,just because it has the sound of sexism. ''.;
1 - The editorials and complaints started as soon' rs:•&.
as the tournament was announced. -They did not
even give the event a chance. Liberals complain
should be most concerned with growth
mainly our governmental leaders and
policymakers have ever taken the
time to ponder the question of growth.
The mentality behind Growth Day and
its backers certainly indicates that they
never wrestled with the assumption that
absolute growth is neither necessarily of
benefit nor inherently good. I find the
notion of economic growth "curing" our
social and economic ills to be juvenile
and short-sighted not to mention
vague. .
The idea of growth, economic or other
wise, tells us absolutely nothing about
how we will be relieved of the tragedy of
poverty, unemployment, rising energy
costs, or food and water shortages. Nei
ther does any of the current growth
rhetoric being spewed forth by the Rea
gan administration tell us in what ways
"all Americans" will benefit by this
mystical growth. Who is defining these
benefits and how do we measure them?
I suppose we could assume that in
creased growth would mean increased
national security, a chicken in every pot
and a tiger in every tank.
Should we assume also that this in
creased affluence has been attained sim
ply because we have more cars, TVs and
fast-food chains? Because we have more
luxury hotels, suburban developments
and shiny factory farms? Because we
can produce more MX missiles than the
Soviet Union? Or because we can pro
duce more waste than we did the year
before? Is growth the ability to build, buy
and consume as much of whatever there
is for the sake of increasing artificial
wealth?
' FOR ElGfittN
'GAY,'
when conservatives (the Moral Majority, for
example) try to censor television programs and
other events without screening them first. Npw
the "feminists" are basically doing the same
thing. Nothing should be criticized without ad
equate knowledge of it.
Besides, it was a fundraiser for a good cause,
and all the participants were volunteers.
Robert B. Oliver Jr., sth-business administration
Brian P . Mac Ewen, 12th-civil engineering
April 14
Maybe we should measure growth by
the number of trees we cut down; or the
miles of strip mines that we create; or
the acres of prime farmland on which we
build houses and parking lots. Maybe the
definition of growth lies in the amount of
air and water we pollute or the amount of
nuclear waste we generate. These condi
tions are to be taken, we are often told, as
indicators of progress,And progress, as
we all know, is inextricably related to
growth.
Reagan's proclamation further states
that only through growth can we continue
our American way of life and hope to
enjoy increased prosperity. The National
Coalition for Growth, sponsor of Growth
Day, claims that growth is "America's
essence." Nowhere do we find the ques
tion of whether it is physically feasible to
By the same token, many employers
say their prime requisite inchoosing train
ees for high-level management positions is
that they be able to speak, write and think
abstractly.
Bingo! A market for the liberal arts
major.
In such cases, the option is a boon for
students who are interested in manage
ment positions and who want a basic
knowledge of the business world.
It is heartening to see the administra
tion showing sensitivity to the changing
needs of its graduates.
But for those who had looked to the
College of The Liberal Arts for a broad
education offering a smorgasboard of in
tellectual ideals, it is a little sad to see the
ideal of a liberal education subordinated to
the jarring realities of the marketplace.
The Daily Collegian's editorial opinion is deter
mined by its Board of Opinion, with the editor-in-chief
holding final responsibility.
Scarcity is what it is all about
By CARL A. MOFFAT
11th-political science
It is time for a "New Beginning.", The
United States must awaken from the dream of
unlimited abundance and face the stark reali
ty of today. The future, if we continue to
persist in our ways on this planet, is bleak
indeed. For the first time in the history of our
nation, our tomorrow may not seem as bright
as today.
What underlies this common fear? Simply
stated, it is scarcity. You know what that is.
Most of us had a sampling of the effects
scarcity had on our society during the 1973
Middle East oil embargo. Do you recall the
long lines at the gas pumps? The short tem
pers of customers forced to wait hours for gas
only to discover that when it came time for
them to make a purchase there was no supply
left to buy?
The idea of scarcity has always been anath
ema to the American creed. We refuse to
recognize it even exists. At Penn State, only
the discipline of economics pays lip service to
the word and its ramifications for our nation.
Most other colleges within the University
prefer to ignore it.
As astounding as that may seem, I feel I
may know something of the reason to the
continue growing at the rate to which
Americans have been accustomed. Nor
do these growth advocates question our
right to continue such growth, given the
fact that we as Americans constitute 6
percent of the world's population and
already consume over 40 percent of the
world's resources.
What happens to "America's essence,"
extremely dependent as it is upon fossil
fuels, when the oil, coal and gas inevitab
ly run out? Contrary to popular belief we
are dealing with finite quantities of each.
It would seem that growth in the con
sumption of energy (on which Reagan's
Master Plan is predicted) would cause
fossil fuels to become depleted at an
increased (growing) rate. How will this
coalition deliver our "Divine Right
Growth" then? A national growth policy
TNAIt FUNNY, .% LOCKS BEEN CYANW,,,
cit,tryCollegian
Wednesday April 15, 1981—Page 2 01981 Collegian Inc.
Paula Froke Debby Vinokur
Editor Business Manager
BOARD OF EDITORS: Managing Editor, Maryann
Hakowski; Editorial Editor, Tom Boyer; Assistant
Editorial Editor, John Allison; News Editors, Cindy
Deskins, Dave Medzerian; Sports Editor, Mike Poor
man; Assistant Sports Editors, Sharon Fink, Ron Gard-
,question ofl'Ar hk this is so. Matkr,of, the Au ;
dents ,and faculty at Penn State Nere brought
up believing that ours is a land of unlimited
resources and potential wealth. So why should
we concern ourselves with tomorrow when
there is so much to be done today?
Scarcity does not have to mean that all of us
must suffer deprivation and shortages of
material things that we all agree enhance our
lives and raise our standard of living. Accord
ing to President Reagan, the dynamics of a
capitalist system will continually replenish
the horn of plenty, provided the shackles
imposed on industry are removed.
forum
We must be aware of the fact that the
dynamics of our system may induce, under
the programs the president has brought forth,
scarcity of another order. That is, less clean
air to breathe, less fresh water to drink and
less waste-free land. If the United States
both its people and its institutions -- refuses to
balance economic growth against the growing
scarcity arising from the effects of our pre
sent productive methods on the environment,
can do a lot of things, but it can't grow
more oil and it can't grow more coal. It
can grow more nuclear waste. But it
can't make it go away.
It is more than obvious that the only
significant growth that will occur with a
policy of uncontrolled, random growth is
in the rate of entropy experienced by this
society and the ecosystem that we are all
a part of. Even the immortal Reagan
cannot alter the second law of thermody
namics, which states: •
In any irreversible process the total
entropy of all bodies concerned is in
creased.
Every system left unto itself changes
in such a way as to approach a definite
state of rest. (G.N. Lewis)
It seems ludicrous that the reasons for
writing this article even exist. Have we
as a nation become so mindless that we
will blindly swallow the "consumption
equals growth equals wealth equals secu
rity equals happiness" propaganda,, only
to ask for more? Have we as a culture
surrendered so much of our dignity and
integrity that we actually believe that
things like quality, health, job satisfac
tion and social worth are quantifiable?
thereby making them subjectable to the
arbitrary cost-benefit analyses of growth
zealots who tell us that anything we may
strive for has cost ultimately related to
money, and benefits associated only to
economics.
There are sane patterns of growth:
Patterns that sustain, nourish and re
plenish rather than deplete, exploit and
destroy; patterns that encourage practi-
giTiPeomPeag :
/
• Cfr
ner; Arts Editor, Stuart Austin; Assistant Arts Editoi,
Elaine Wetmore; Photo Editor, Stel Varias; Assistant
Photo Editors; Janis Burger, Renee JacobS; Graphic);
Editor, Lynda Cloud; Copy Editors, Rosa Eberly, Diane
Kuklar, Denise Laffan, Andy Linker, Lisa Morani),
Paddy Patton, Wendy Trilling; Campus. Editor, Joyce
Venezia; Assistant Campus Editor, Chuck Hall; Town
Editor, Phil Gutis; Assistant Town Editor, Bee*
Jones; Features Editor, Pamela Macleod; Weekly
Collegian Editor, Christopher Lee; Assistant Wee*
Collegian Editor, Neil Axe; Contributing Editor, Dotig
Bell.
i •
BUSINESS COORDINATORS: Layout, Cathi, Norrid,
Mike Conklin, Teresa Dorr; Special Projects, Jay
Goldberg, Sam Sample.
we may enter a future in which Os children
. will be unable to exist as human beings ?in this
planet.
There is a middle ground our country may
find that is not quite the scarcity of goods
which occurs from restrictions, 'overregula
tions or "lack of incentives." Also, this middle
ground will not deprive us of those things most
of us cherish beyond our bedroom walls,
namely clean air, land and water.
Scarcity is a two-sided dilemma that must
be faced with give-and-take policies by our
people and our social, political and economic
institutions. We will never be able to return to
the vast wilderness that our continent once
embraced; but neither do we desire the com
plete desecration of the world we live in.
As ecologist William Ophuls puts it, "Civi
lized man must strike a balance between
production from his environment and protec
tion of his environment (in order) to optimize
his level of . . . well-being."
This is a goal we should strive for and
support as individuals, through our busi
ness affairs, and with the aid of our govern
mental and social institutions. Only in this
manner can we be sure that future genera
tions will benefit from the legacy which,they
shall some day inherit.
cality, resourcefulness and thrift rather
than extravagance and waste. There is
growth that perpetrates quality in our
.existence and does not try to sell it to us.
And what about horizontial growth
improving upon that which is already in
place in our society and creating a secu
rity found only in sustainability? This
idea of strength through exhaustion will
accomplish precisely that.
It appears, with all the glowing proJi
ises of prosperity, opportunity and "tne
good life" being espoused by the Growth
Day rhetoric, that Reagan and the N -
tional Coalition for Growth are cranking
up another American Dream. Only
sale
mentality
the growth-for-growth's sakle
mentality and realizing the cyclical or
der of our environment (and it is growth')
can we hope to pass on to the future
Americans what must surely be starting
to look like a dream namely good soil,
clean water, breathable air and the abill
ty to maintain an existence based op
something with more meaning and wort
than conspicuous consumption.
Think about it! Think about the sup
posed "choices" offered to us in the
system of growth we are currently living
in. Think about it in the context of being
only one of 4 billion people living on this ,
planet.
Today also, as you think about growth
and as you listen to the advocates of fire)
and unrestrained growth and expansion,
remember that in the biological word
there is a specific term reserved fqr
uncontrolled and unlimited growth. I,
Cancer.
Mideast instability caused by overcrowdin •
~
'; .Y
;`
Israel is not sole cause, vice consul says
By RONALD WATERS
D aily Collegian Staff Writer
The war between Iraq and Iran shows
not all of the strife in the Middle East is
caused by the presence of Israel, the vice
consul from the' Israeli Consulate in
Philadelphia said last night ,
Nimrod Barkan said other conflicts
between Libya and Egypt, and Syria and
Jordon, along with the civil war in Leb
anon further indicate that the area is
intrinsically unstable mainly due to the
large number of countries in the region.
;'The fall of the Shah of
'lran was one of the
most important events
in the '7os because it
,stook away from the
:United States one of
its most important
!allies.'
"After the fall of the Shah, there
deemed to be some form of superficial
Arab unity," he said. "The war showed
that there is a threat to the supply of oil
that has nothing to do with Israel."
Barkan said the revolution in Iran
drastically changed America's influence
in the Middle East.
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—Nimrod Barkan,
Israeli vice consul
Sunday, April 26
PRIZES; Over 150 prizes and trophies
awarded in all, including over
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6 age divisions. register all week in the HUB basement
The afternoon's entertainment and activities begin at 1:00,
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"The fall of the Shah of Iran was one of
the most important
. events in the '7os
because it took * away, from the United
States one of its most imytortpnt allies
and this underscores one of the major
weaknesses in American foreign policy
- since the Vietnam era namely, the
decline.of crediblity and the reliability of
America," he said.
The revolution also hurt America be
cause it canceled U.S. hopes of creating a
pro-American alliance in the Middle
East based on Israel, Egypt and Iran,
Barkan said.
The importance of the 1 977
. peace
agreement between Israel and Egypt
should be stressed, he said.
"We believe something very important
happened in 1977. It was the first time an
Arab country left the camp of hatred and
entered the camp of peace. They signed
the peace treaty because they realized
war is not worth the cost."
For these reasons, he said, America
should continue to support Israel.
"We believe the United States has a
strong interest in . Israel. It is the only
reliable ally in the Middle East. It is the
only ally the United States can count on.
We believe that if the United States says
that it wants to support democracy, then
it should support the only democracy in
the Middle East."
Barkan said speaking about the Middle
East is always tricky, because it is the
one place in the world where something
is always happening.
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are eligible for random drawings.)
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Photo by Rob Hammer
Nimrod Barkan, vice consul from the Israeli Consulate in Philadelphia,
explained various aspects of the political situation in the Middle East last night
while speaking to members of Yachad.
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The Original State Colle
Calkins takes
as ARHS president
In an emotional goodbye, Fran Kena
well, former president of the Association
of Residence Hall Students, handed the
gavel and his title to Chris Calkins,
ARHS's new president, last night.
"I hope Chris and Karen (new ARHS
Vice President Karen Gravlin) can get
the same support from the council
Maryann (former ARHS Vice President
Maryann Deno) and I got," Kenawell
said.
"We got to be a stronger organiza
tion," he said. "The time we spent here
is not all for naught."
year's ARHS council showed that the
group could become cohesive.
Calkins said he and Gravlin will try
their best to match, if not outdo, this
year's organization.
Gravlin said she hopes to work with
dorm contracts and coed housing and
interest house proposals.
Sports Bar
Hazing speech canceled
A speech on fraternity and sorority
hazing featuring Eileen Stevens,
founder of 'the Committee to Halt
Useless College Killings, was
canceled last night because of trans
portation problems.
"There was a plane malfunction
with her flight to Philadelphia," said
Melvyn S. Klein, director of student
activities. "She arrived there too late
to make her connecting flight to State
College."
In her farewell speech, Deno said this
Look for
The other
Side map
" „ in Thursday's Collegian
I g, CO7iWi
The Daily Collegian Wednesday, April 15, 1981-3
Stevens has appeared in over 60
cities across the country and at seve
ral national fraternity conventions to
speak about hazing.
Interfraternity Council President
Dave Dixon said the program will be
rescheduled for a later date.
"We follow her belief that fraterni
ties are great, and they don't need
useless indangerment of the lives of
pledges," he said.
"I'd like to stress the internal working
within ARHS," she said.
In other business, John Hook, director
of the Residence Hall Advisory Board,
said the price for use of residence hall
washing machines will increase from 35 ,
cents to 40 cents next year. •
Hook said the price is still cheap as'
compared to downtown, and that "stu-'
dents have got to do their wash. They've'
got no choice."
Also, residence halls will have a sand
wich bar during lunch on May 19, he
said.
North, West, Centre, and East halls':
area governments will hold area elec-:
tions tomorrow and Thursday, while:
South Halls will hold elections tomorrow:
only. The Pollock-Nittany Residence:
Hall Association elected new positions .
last week.
OAG
—by Dina DeFabo
over
—by Iris Naar