B—The Daily Collegian Thursday, Sept. 10, 1981 Taking care of business Downtown Business Association provides help By JACQUELYN GOSS Daily Collegian Staff Writer Downtown State College is a melting pot of restaurants, clothing stores, record shops and grocery stores, with different merchandise, clientele and advertising cam paigns. However, all are businesses, with similar econom ic problems that some merchants try to solve together through the Downtown Business Association. The DBA is a committee under the State College Area Chamber of Commerce that looks after business's best interests in government and the media, and helps busi nesses compete against increasingly popular shopping malls, said Ted Connolly, chairman of the association and general manager of the Student Book Store. The Chamber of Commerce sends out the DBA's meeting notices and takes care of its dues which is used for 'an advertising and promotional fund for the downtown busi ness area, said Pat Cahalen, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce. Connolly said the association encourages,local business men to treat students with respect. "They are our reason for being here, Connolly said. "We owe it to them to do what we can for them. They're consumers like everyone else. If they have a problem, they should seek out the manager. You don't hear downtown business people saying derogatory things about students. "It doesn't behoove them to alienate a large section of their customers. Their lives are invested in this town," he said. State College businesses don't have the advantage of price competition as in large cities, Connolly said. Style and size selection is not large, and most of the clothing stores are more expensive specialty shops, although they cater to a wide'interest. The nature of the town is that the businesses have a captive audience most of the year, he said. "Our main goal is to keep things happy downtown, make it a place people want to come to shop," Connolly said. The association would like to have representation in State College government, so businesses are sure that someone will listen to DBA members' complaints, Connol ly said. State College Municipal Council members Daniel Chaf fee and Joseph Wakeley come to the association's meet ings, he said. "(Chaffee and Wakeley) listen to us. That doesn't mean they do what we say," Connolly said. "It behooves us to get a businessman on council." Activities of the association include working to promote Thursday night openings of downtown stores with free parking. "Parking is a future problem that needs to be resolved," Connolly said. The businesses also hope to get more involved with student activities, he said. Each year, the association donates a Christmas tree to be put at the base of the Mall. Connolly said the association would like students to put the tree up, if possible. Not all downtown .merchants particiapte in the DBA, however. Ethel Meserve, owner of the Ethel Meserve gift shop, 112 E. College Ave., said she does not belong to the association because she does not approve of many of the things the association does. "I don't approve of staying open at night or sidewalk sales," Meserve said. "I think if anyone wants anything in the store, they'll come when it's open," Meserve said. All of Meserve's employees are full time, and Meserve does not employ any students. Employing student workers would mean that there would be no continuity in service, as each would know and do a different job in the store, Meserve said. Since she would have to hire students to remain open at night, she does not want to experiment with Thursday night open ings, she said. "I'm doing what I think is best for my business my particular business," Meserve said. "It isn't that I'm ornery, I just think if you belong to something, you ought to support the things they do." Anotier downtown businessman, Nguyen Binh, owner of Kaye's Korner, 200 S. Allen Street, said he does not belong to the association because he has not been asked to join, and he does not have the time or the money for the monthly dues. However, if any professional problem comes up, he can go to the DBA, Binh said. Government can be a problem for businesses, since the government is big, he said. "I'm a small guy. You expect to have 'a problem sometimes, but as a group you have a stronger voice," Binh said. The main purpose of the association should be improving the downtown area, although he doesn't know what it can do, he said.. - "Even the Chamber of Commerce can't do much for me," Binh said. "My merchandise is mostly for students. I try to keep my prices down, but I can't compete with bigger stores," he said. Association member Lassie Martsolf, owner of The Racquet Shop, 129 W. Beaver Ave., said that the associa tion is a way for all the downtown business people to get together, instead of going off in different directions. Some of the things the association plans for the down town businesses include Dollar Days when all downtown merchants reduce their prices and give away hot chocolate during the Christmas season, Martsolf said. "We got together and decided downtown as a unit to make it a cohesive effort and get the whole community involved, Martsof said. "Free hot chgcolate and other things make it real nice." New stripes A two-week-old zebra in Bristol, England, tries to stand on its own feet as its mother looks on Tropical Gert is regrouping MIAMI (AP) Tropical Storm Gert broke up in the mountains of the Dominican Republic yesterday, but it was expected to reorganize over open water and was still consid ered a potential hurricane, forecast ers said. The Bahamian government issued storm warnings for the islands, and small craft in the eastern Bahamas were advised to stay in port. "Gert tangled with the mountains of Hispaniola during the night and has become very disorganized," Na tional Hurricane Center director Neil Frank said. "Conditions favor strengthening as the circulation moves away from the influence of the mountains and winds could in crease very rapidly." Heavy rains fell on the island, which is divided into the Dominican Republic and Haiti, yesterday as Gert moved north. At 3 p.m. EDT, the National Hurri cane Center said Gert's center was at latitude 21.5 north, 72.0 west, TMI test takers may have cheated By JOHN DANISZEWSKI Associated Press Writer HARRISBURG (AP) Some employees hired to operate the Three Mile Island nuclear plant may have cheated on training examinations, the plant owner said yesterday. General Public Utilities Corp. said it reviewed its own tests following the discovery of a cheating incident by two TMI employees who took a Nuclear Regulatory Commission licens ing examination in April. Reporting to an NRC hearing board, GPU said it had "discovered sufficient looseness in the administration of the examinations that the possibility of cheating could not be ruled out." Company spokesman John Fidler said the report to the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board was voluntary and stemmed from the company's concern over an earlier NRC cheating incident. The incident prompted the company to check results of past training examinations administered by plant personnel, he said. GPU rechecked two sets of tests, with the aid of evaluators i In a partial ruling, the ASLB said Aug. 27 that Unit l's management met NRC standards necessary to reopen the from Pennsylvania State University's nearby Capitol Campus, plant and found one possible case of cheating, Fidler said. Additional rulings on the plant's design safety and the The incident involved one of the same persons earlier cited by adequacy of its emergency pr9cedures are expected around the NRC who has already quit, said Fidler. Oct. 1, before any final recommendation to ( the NRC on whether The questionable GPU exam concerned the lessons learned the plant should reopen. UNIVERSITY CALENDAR SPECIAL EVENTS Thursday, September 10 Thursday, September 10 Board of Trustees meeting, Faculty Bldg. Cermanic Science 500 Seminar Series, 11 a.m.-noon, Room 301 Steidle Bldg. Dr. George Simkovich, professor of metallurgy, on "The Diffusion Coefficient of Carbon in Fe,C via the Kinetics of Formation." Meteorology Seminar, 3:55 p.m., Room 112 Walker Bldg. Dr. Sam C. Colbeck, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, Hanover, N.H., on "Snow, Ice and Glaciers." Fuel Science Seminar, 4 p.m., Room 301 Steidle Bldg. R. M. Khan, Penn State, on "Thermoplastic Properties of Coal at Elevated Pressures." Refreshments at 3:45 p.m. Homecoming Committee (IFC/Panhel) meeting and film, 6:30-12 p.m., Rooms 305-306 HUB Lounge. Commons film Series, Bonnie and Clyde, 7 and 9 p.m., Room 112 Ke, /:. Penn State Entomology Assoc., 7-10 p.m., Room 201 Patterson. Student Dietetic Assoc., 7-9 p.m., Room 5209 Human Dev. Penn State Internationale Dancers meeting, 7-9 p.m., Room 132 White Bldg. Alpha Phi Omega, 7-9 p.m., Rooms 323-324 HUB. Penn State Water Ski Club, 7 p.m., Room 209 Willard. Frontlash meeting, 7-9 p.m., Room 307 Boucke. Penn State Dames meeting, 7:30 p.m., Room 101 Kern. Eco-Action organizational meeting, 7:30 p.m., Room 225 HUB. National Assoc. of Home Builder's, 7:30-9 p.m., Room 127 Sackett. Lecture to open Josef Svoboda exhibit, 8 p.m., Room 105 Forum. Dr. Jarka Burian, professor of dramatic arts, SUNY/Albany, on Svoboda's work. i1ii1 ..,4 1 raki i ! ro t . , T i After the Game! After every home football game the feast is on at Gatsby's . . . until 9:00 p.m. The Gala Buffet includes Carved Tenderloin of Beef, Seafood Newburg, Fresh Vegetables, Garden Salads and Homemade dessert. At your favorite speakeasy. LARGE PARTIES ARE WELCOME 120 West College Avenue/237-4350 • IQUE •A• * • ESTAURANT • about 625 miles southeast of Miami. The storm's winds, which had fallen from 50 to 40 mph, had picked up to 45 mph. It was expected to continue its northwesterly course at 20 mph through the night. Forecasters said Gert could reach the southeastern U.S. coast, but was at least three days away. Gert faces "a stretch of open wa ter for quite a long distance," said forecaster Miles Lawrence. "It's a confusing storm," he said. "The storm center that moved across Puerto Rico has gotten pretty weak. Its health is failing now. But it has the potential to strengthen over the water." Gert, the seventh storm of the season, lashed Puerto Rico with heavy rains Tuesday, briefly knock ing out power in a dozen towns and flooding some highways. No casual ties or evacuations were reported. from the Three Mile Island accident on March 28, 1979. All operators who took that test will be required to take another exam, Fidler said. The company "does not believe its investigations to date provide a basis for taking additional disciplinary action, but clearly action to correct programmatic deficiencies is re quired," GPU told the ASLB. "Modification of . . . procedures for the administering of exams, quizzes and exercises is called for." Fidler said GPU intends to tighten proctoring and supervi sion of the tests. The individuals accused of cheating have since resigned and their identities ty•we been withheld by the compa ny and the NRC. The ASLB completed hearings in July on whether TMl's Unit 1 reactor should be allowed to restart, and its final recommen dation is pending. Unit I has was shut down by order of the NRC when the nation's worst commercial nuclear accident occurred at its twin, TMl's Unit 2. Family planning center to seek aid By RON WATERS Daily Collegian Staff Writer A Bellefonte family planning service that aids about 30 University students a month plans to seek alternative funding rather than reduce its program because of the elimination of state funding, its executive director said. Walter Klausmeier, Family Health Services Inc., said if additional government funding does not arrive the agency plans to seek aid through other methods includ ing soliciting the Interfraternity Council, initiating a letter-writing campaign for private contributions and soliciting foundation support, although he said such plans are not final. "We may have to increase our fees, but I hope it doesn't come to that," he said. "Alternative funding is going to be difficult, but I think it's possible." Fees are based on a graduated scale according to income, he said. The service receives 2 percent of its annual funding through donations, but Klausmeier said that amount must increase by 20 percent, or $20,000, if the family planning program is to remain as it was before the funding cut. • a • The service's funding reduction is similar to that faced by the University's Ritenour Health Center, which lost $20,000 when the state General Assembly voted in early July to eliminate family planning's $350,000 subsi dy. That statewide reduction amounts to $3.1 million overall because the federal government provided matching funds of $9 for every $1 the state spent on family planning services, said Jeffery L. Zonis, assis tant to the director of the Family Planning Council. The council funds Bellefonte's farriily planning pro gram and, until recently, funded Ritenour's prograth. The executive director of Ritenour, Dr. John A. Hargleroad, said Ritenour will not reduce its family planning service. Ritenour will continue to refer pa tients that choose to use the intrauterine device to the Bellefonte service, he said. The main reason students are referred to Bellefonte is that lUDs are not offered at Ritenour, Hargleroad said. Klausmeier said Bellefonte's large family planning program, which not only provides contraceptive meth ods, education and counseling, but also includes pre ventative health care for women, such as cancer screening and physical examinations, is the only pro gram the center provides that is now in jeopardy. Klausmeier said it has yet to be determined which areas within the family planning program would be affected if additional funding is not obtained. Additional money may yet be appropriated for family Miss Zimbabwe finals postponed By JOHN EDLIN Associated Press Writer SALISBURY, Zimbabwe (AP) The finals for. the Miss Zimbabwe beauty contest will be postponed as a result of a racial row that broke out in Zimbabwe over whether a black or white beauty queen should represent this black-ruled country in the Miss World contest. The competition's white organizer announced a week's postponement of tomorrow's planned finals after some black Zimbabweans claimed the orga nizers were rigging the contest to guarantee a white would win. Some blacks claim only ugly or fat black women were picked by the organizers to compete against white contestants. The Miss World contest is to be held this November in London. National organizer Tim Horgan, an Irish-born restaurateur and business man, said in an interview with the pro-government Herald newspaper here yesterday that he had "come under pressure from certain non-gov ernmental quarters" to have another black Miss Zimbabwe. In a statement released to the press late . yesterday,When Horgan an nounced the postponement yesterday, he also said his company had pulled out of the contest and would hand it over to another unidentified "consor tium" today. Horgan, who organized the first Miss Zimbabwe contest last year, also said he would not be able to "conduct the new event owing to prior commit ments abroad," the statement said. Last year's Miss Zimbabwe, crowned a few months after the for mer white-ruled colony of Rhodesia became independent black-governed Zimbabwe, was Shirley •Nyanyiwa, a black woman who became a finalist in the Miss World contest. Before that, virtually all beauty queens were whites or "coloreds" Get clipped at The Daily Collegian. Employers are looking for the kind of experience you'll get writing for one of the nation's top•rated college papers. Tryouts for Collegian Candidates School will be held at 7:30 p.m., Sun., Sept. 13, 162 Willard. Bring a Blue Book. 130 Heister St. OPEN NIGHTLY FOR DINNER 4-10 P.M Never a better time, never a better place, never a better price for roast prime rib beef at its tender, juicy best. All prime rib dinners include the fabulous ARENA Salad Buffet Join Us For Lunch! The Fabulous Salad Buffet Served daily 11:30 - 3 p.m. FEATURING HAND CARVED TOP SIRLOIN OF BEEF The Daily Collegian Thursday, Sept. 10, 1981-19 planning, Zonis said, when the state decides the use of several block grants due in October or November if the council can convince the Legislature of the need for funding. However, Rep. Gregg L. Cunningham, R-Centre County, said he doubts the General Assembly will change its position. "I see absolutly no chance whatsoever," he said. "No one that I know is saying the poor should be denied these services. Every one (of the services) is available through Medicaid. "The question is, 'Do we want a second redundant system?' " Cunningham attributed opposition to the Legis lature's action to "family planning bureaucrats trying to save their jobs." In contrast, Zonis described the relationship between state and federal family planning programs as closely linked; but not identical, and Klausmeier said some recipients of state aid do not qualify for Medicaid. Also, some family planning centers do not accept Medicaid clients, he said. The Bellefonte service also provides prenatal educa tion classes, a child health screening program and a nutrition program for women, children and infants. as people of mixed race are called here. • Rejecting accusations of racial bias, Horgan's statement said the contest this year had been run "fairly and impartially along the lines of the successful event last year." The results of last Friday's Masho naland province semifinals for this year's competition sparked the row that became the talk of the town. Five whites and one mixed-race woman were chosen by a panel of three black and two white judges eliminating all five black contestants. 41/te,.ti:P4 RE4/4 . 'Fs / /Ou BEEF 4 Mk SE OF FINE "PRIME TIME" Yesterday's leading page 1 story in the Herald quoted an unnamed gov ernment official complaining that prettier white women were deliber ately chosen to ensure a black did not become Miss Zimbabwe. The report took precedence over the Angolan crisis and news of the appointment of the first black head of the 23-year-old University of Zimbabwe. 237-0361
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