the
daily
collegian
editorial opinion
USG senate apparently fears controversy
If recent action by the Undergrad
uate Student Government Senate is
any indication, students shouldn't be
concerned about anything more cone
troversial than what to wear to a job
interview.
They' shouldn't be exposed to any
thing that may be educational.
Or, perish the thought, political.
In the past, the senate has seen fit
to spend money on events like fasb
ion shows and a "Dress fqr Success"
program.
But at the USG Senate meeting
last week, senators voted • not to
allocate $280.32 to the Caravan for
Human Survival for speakers, films
and publicity because some senators
believed it was "too political."
Surprisingly, this was a reversal
of a position taken at a September
senate meeting. Then, the senators
had agreed to ideologically support
the Caravan, which is supported by
Eco-Action and seeks "an end to the
nuclear arms buildup.
But, one senator argued last week,
"When we voted to endorse the Cara
van for Human Survival, we did not
endorse this program. If everyone is
against nuclear war; why scare
them?"
Why indeed?
Why provide an exchange of ideas
at a university?
Why discuss a controversial sub
ject? Why promote anything that
might give students more informa
tion on an important issue?
The senate, at least in this action,
=reader opinion
Erotic show
To Tom Verducci:
I appreciated your column on our "Blue Blood
Fans," and I agree that something needs to be
done to awaken them.
The movement of a team of cheerleaders
throughout the stands is a • start in the right
direction. However, these fans need more than
that to come alive.
I suggest we need something in the field to
capture the spirit of the crowd. Why not a well
built feline "Pussy Cat" in skimpy garb to play
off against the good old Nittany Lion?
Penn State's Blue band is tops in the nation as
far as I am concerned, but it tends toward
dignity and precision. The cheerleaders and
majorettes or flag wavers seem to reflect this
wholesome, staid and conservative behavior. In
other words, I think they are too "straight."
These are fine attributes, but they are not
conducive to wld enthusiasm on th part of the
fans. I think we should concentrate less on the
Disillusioned
Editor's Note: The lime of the author has
been withheld by request.
Saturday night one of my roommates and I
were in a very good mood. This mood was
partly caused by our experience at the Bright
Morning Star, Betsy Rose and Cathy Winter
concert. Friday night we listened to seven
people sing their hearts out for 3 1 2 hours
about friendship and love. So my roommate
and I took ourselves downtown with happy
hearts and friendly smiles.
At this part of the story I must tell you that
we are female. You may think that that is not
important: neither did we, until last night.
Our first stop was to a local bar. We paid $2 to
enter a bar that was wall-to-wall sweaty
drunk people who wore dangerous smiles.
After being patted on the ass and touched by
people we didn't even know, my roommate
and I left and kindly asked for our money
back, which was politely returned. (Thank
you.)
We decided to try a bar that would be less
crowded. We stopped into one of the local
basements and listened to the Rolling Stones
and laughed. It is a shame that we left there
because we had a good friend there and we did
have a little niche to occupy.
We walked along Beaver Avenue and
shuffled through the litter left by all the
partying people. I had to go to the bathroom
and since all the bars were crowded we
decided to stop into a friendly looking frater
nity.
Spineless
Can't men be civil to women on a Saturday night?
forum
anions
apparently has decided that being a
bland, formless bunch afraid to be
associated with anything potentially
controversial is preferable to taking
an active role in promoting debate
and providing information.
Some senators seem to think they
will be branded peaceniks if they
provide funding for a forum on nu
clear disarmament. That's like say
ing Colloquy agrees wholeheartedly
with the reactionary ravings of Sen.
Strom Thurmond and the radical
testimonies of Dick Gregory, both of
whom have earned hefty speakers'
fees from Colloquy;
A senator who objected to funding
the Caravan said, "I don't know if
we're here to decide political is-
sues."
Refusing to support a forum be
cause it is "too political" is an un
usual position to be taken by a senate
that at the same meeting voted to
support Title IX Week, sponsored by
the National Women's Students Co
alition.
It's hard to see how the issue of
equal rights is any less "political"
than the issue of nuclear weapons.
As representatives of students,
senators should be promoting educa
tional programs. At a University
that advocates the exchange of
ideas, they instead are taking a
narrow-minded approach that is
frightening.
The Daily Collegian's editorial opinion is
determined by its Board of Opinion, with the
editor-in-chief holding final responsibility.
"mom and apple pie" image and more on the
erratic and erotic.
Jack MacMillan, assistant to the dean
College of Agriculture
Oct. 8
Football pizzazz
This letter is in response to Tom Verducci's
column regarding fan enthusiasm; it is certainly
not a criticism of Joe Paterno and his coaching
staff. The coaching staff is paid to give us a
winner, and they do that year after year. If there
are criticisms in this letter, they are meant to be
constructive and not aimed at the coaches.
First of all, whenever you play Cincinnati and
Temple, you immediately have a no-win situa
tion. Everyone expects Penn State to win convin
cingly and enthusiasm decreases. Should these
lower-level teams produce an upset, you then
have super-critical fans.
Secondly, it is unfair to call Penn State fans
We entered the Prat and asked to use the
bathroom. As I waited in line I wasn't very
surprised to see 15 pledges run through the
house nude. Oh well, that is the greek life.
After going to the bathroom we went down
stairs for a beer. The "boys" at the bar were
nice at first but their tone became more
offensive even though I could not hear what
they were saying. I am a nice person and so is
my roommate. We never intentionally hurt
anyone and believe that most people are the
same. So, when we see a boy not treating us
properly we leave. We don't want to cause
trouble.
On the way up the stairs another boy was
behind us and heard our conversation, "It is
funny how friendly conversations can sudden
ly turn boring!" He agreed that "guys" from
(rats were rude and the usual garbage. (He
probably lived in the frat. ) Well, once upstairs
`f' „,.
PERSONALLY,„IIHOU6NT IT WAS A LOT CUTER DIE WAY THEY
BEG6ED BEFORE WATT 1001(
horrible. Remember, each season ticket holder the fans to stand and cheer the entire game after to make that material available. The woman
paid $144 for a pair of tickets plus their "contri- such outstanding and championship tailgating? may choose whether she wants to see it.
billion" to the Levi Lamb Fund. These fans are
begging to be entertained or excited. Therefore,
rather than solving the problem by dressing in
the style of Nebraska fans, I would recommend
one double reverse, one flea flicker, perhaps
even an option pass. Let's face it, the two-yards
and-a-cloud-of-dust football does not generate
fan enthusiasm. It often becomes reminiscent of
the Bobby Lane days in Pittsburgh. How about
three plays without a huddle? A little pizzazz
combined with a decent opponent will solve the
problem.
Richard J. Barbrow, 1970 graduate in business
administration
Oct. 9
Fans defended
To Tom Verducci
In regards to your column in Thursday's
Collegian, we are appalled with your vicious snip
at Penn State fans. Unenthusiastic? Where do
you sit during the game? Behind your typewrit
er, locked in your room? It sounds pretty good
from where we sit. An informal survey in Shunk
Hall resulted in an overwhelming number of
guys thinking Beaver Stadium is definitely sono
rous. Sure, we don't yell and scream for all 60
minutes. We fans would rather place our atten
tion on the game rather than some cheerleading
clown telling us to yell.
How do you get off calling Penn State fans
horrible? Tell us, Tom, can you remember the
last time Penn State football did not sell out? We
can't.
Maybe we're no Nebraska, but we're no
morgue either. By the way, do you really expect
he said loudly, "Hey, these girls are looking
for a good time 50 bucks!"
At that moment all that I had ever believed
rushed through my mind. I thought of Friday
night's concert and all those positive feelings,
I thought of how badly we had been treated
that evening because we were women and the
boys in this town can not respect a lady.
(Sorry, men not all are like that.) Well, I
threw my beer onto this boy and he chased me
down the stairs with his two beers and
drenched my whole right side.
I was cold and 'wet and sad. I was disap
pointed and angry. I was sorry too, not sorry
that I had ventured out on a homecoming
weekend but sorry that no matter how hard I
will try I will not be able to have too much
respect for the boys in that frat and sorry that
I will carry those feelings around in my heart
for a really long time.
t o
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Matt Eastburn, 13th-management
Steve Botsklan, Ist-African studies
Oct. 9
Correction
In a column in Friday's Daily Collegian,
concerning state Rep. Gregg L. Cunning
ham's abortion control legislation, it was
incorrectly reported that doctors are instruct
ed to show to a woman wanting an abortion
color photographs of the fetus in various
stages of development during pregnancy, and
also color photographs of aborted fetuses
after seven different abortion procedures.
According to the bill, doctors are instructed
'Life of the mind' is
by fear, intolerance,
- "The Life of the Mind at Penn State: Does It
Exist?" this was the question raised by a
discussion session I participated in during En
campment 1981. The answer, of course, is "Of
course." Case closed. •
Or is it? Is the life of the mind here all it could
be, or all it should be? Does it play as large a part
in everyone's life as it ought to? Is it healthy and
energetic? I would answer "No, no, no, and no."
I don't believe these problems are inescapable,
though. On the contrary, I suspect that they're all
unnecessary.
The life of the mind isn't some rarefied, "high
brow" thing. It's solving problems and making
decisions, fighting for what's right and against
what's wrong as you judge what's right and
wrong and being honestly curious and appre
ciative. All a person has to have to contribute to it
is something interesting to say.
In many of its forms, the life of the mind is
based on conflict conflict between explana
tions, options or strategies; conflict between
political choices, moral choices, or values; con
flict among desires, or between desires and fears.
Paradoxically, though, the life of the mind,
when shared, is also based on trust. People
engaged in an honest argument allow that argu
ment to affect their decisions, their beliefs and
their opinions of themselves; they have to trust
each other.
An honest argument about:an issue that's at all
personal, and most issues are; frequently be
comes a subtle thing that requires sensitivity,
kindness and self-awareness. If it's carried out
with humor and a determined attempt to avoid all
that's dull and predictable, it can be joyous.
It's no accident that romantic comedies often
begin with a man and woman who disagree; they
fall in love because of their arguments, not in
spite of them.
The life of the mind is richest where there's
curiosity, diversity and conflict, yet where there's
also a strong foundation of trust, respect and
tolerance. It is that foundation which is weak at
Penn State.
Fear, conformity, intolerance and a feeling of
powerlessness, along with the apathy and cyn
icism they inspire, are deadly to the life of the
mind. They're all too common here:
• A professor accuses the administration of
using students, through student evaluations, sim
ply to have power over the faculty. A student
54/t
At%%
Collegian
Tuesday Oct. 13, 1981—Page 2 1981 Collegian Inc.
Paula M. Froke Debra B. Vinokur
Editor Business Manager
BOARD OF MANAGERS: Sales Manager, Paul Rudoy;
Assistant Sales Manager, Monique Rura ; Office Man
ager, Michelle Forner; Assistant Office Manager, Mi
chael Conklin; Marketing Managers, Sue Largman,
Mark Pulos; National Ad Manager, Owen Landon; Co
op Managers, Donna Dauterich, Jodi Shubin; Creative
Director, Tracy Meyer; Layout Coordinators, Susan
Largman, Holly McAllister, Barry Reichenbaugh, Jodi
Shubin; Special Projects, Mary Beth Johnstone.
accuses several fraternities of abusing women.
Both refuse to make their accusations public,
claiming they fear retaliation.
o Few students express opinions critical of
large numbers of other students in the Collegian,
and those who do seldom receive support, even
when these opinions are common among students
who'Ve dropped out or graduated.
• Students are not only intolerant of critics
their responses are usually attacks on the critics
themselves, not on their claims but also intol
erant of exceptional students. As the Freshman
Year Experience Report put it: "The intellectual- 4
ly talented students find an atmosphere which has
little understanding or feeling for their interests.
The price for being different in almost any way is
discouragingly high at Penn State."
• Some faculty members don't take an interest
in the Faculty Senate because they don't think it
has enough power to make their efforts worth
while.
Penn State really can't improve its intellectual
climate significantly just by scheduling "cultural
enrichment" seminars. Here are several sugges
tions which I believe would have a larger effect.
For the faculty:
• Most importantly, get to know more of the
undergraduates. The emotional underpinnings of
a good intellectual life tolerance, flexibility,
honesty, self-confidence and self-awareness
can all be summarized by "maturity," and you're
the main ones here who can teach it to them.
Try to show your students the current issues,
the conflicts, in the subjects you teach, not just
their dead elementary cores.
Submit articles to the Collegian describing •
new developments in your fields.
For the administration:
• Give as much power as possible over promo
tion and tenure, and other academic matters, to
the faculty.
• Provide loans for the establishment of cheap,
independent, issue-oriented student newspapers. .1,
• Allow coed housing. This would allow stu
dents to learn more about each other, and them
selves, simply as people.
For students:
• Expect more from each other, and try to give
more to each other.
. Assert, and share, your differences and your
own backgrounds. Those dirty songs your football .
team sang in high school will be more interesting
to everyone than your opinions about Bruce
Springsteen.
• If you know of something wrong, say so, and
say .it in print.
• Don't discourage those people around you
who really care about what they're learning. They et,
have ideas they'd like to share with you.
As someone wrote on a men's room wall at
Zeno's, "The hell of it is, this could be heaven."
Steve Brackin is a graduate student in mathemat
ics. His column appears on Tuesdays.
stifled
apathy,
opinions
1
sN
At least she cared to ask about Sadat
By ANDY WEINTRAUB
9th-general arts and sciences
"Do you really think Sadat's death
will change anything?"
A fellow student I know asked me
that in the HUB. I smiled and said,
"Yes, when one of the most influential
world leaders of our time is brutally
murdered in possibly the most explo
sive area in the world, things will
change."
I can excuse this pathetic lack of
understanding and political knowl
, edge. She probably had many impor
tant things on her mind: how much
money should she ask dad for, will she
get asked to a Homecoming formal,
what time does happy hours start
\ tonight? But that wasn't the end of it.
She then asked, "Do you think it will
change for the better or the worse?"
Someone at Penn State, alive and
aware, in 1981, did not know if the
assassination of a brilliant man, keep
ing peace in a torn up part of the world,
is for the better or for the worse.
I should not pick on her. If she reads
this letter,' I will lose a friend. More
importantly, she actually stood out as
one of the better examples. Most stu
dents did not care to ask or to think
about it. I asked several others if they
had heard the news. Most answered,
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Presenting (in order of appearance)
Battle of the Bands
Help Decide Outcome!
($5OO prize)
while supporting:
PEPSI
You
Tickets:
$2.50 in advance
$3.00 at the door
Available Oct. 13-16, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. HUB Ground Floor
Oct. 13-16, 4-6:30 p.m. at the FUB
"What news?" When reminded, they
mumbled such phrases as, "Oh, yeah,
too bad. Who are you taking to Home
coming?" At least she cared enough to
ask about Sadat.
Earlier in the day, I sat watching the
news; Dan Rather fit the puzzle togeth
er. I watched, fearing the worst, both
for Anwar Sadat, and for the world.
Memories returned: I sat watching the
aftermath of the attempted assassina
tion of President Reagan. The tele
vision room in the HUB was packed
every seat filled, every windowsill
leaned on, every spot on the floor
taken, people (students and faculty)
standing to the back wall. A few had
tears in their eyes. How could they do
this to our president?
Tuesday I looked around the room
after Sadat's death. No one stood, sat
on the floor, or struggled to get into the
room. This time, at least half the seats
were empty. People had the attitude
exhibited in a Math 35 class. General
Hospital packs in more people showing
greater interest.
What I say now, I do not mean as an
attack upon Ronald Reagan or his
politics; how could people not see that
the assassination of President Sadat is
of far more consequence than the at
tempted assassination of President
Hat Trick
Clear Black
Partners in Crime
Kikkin Inn
Red Rose Cotillion
Sunday, October 18
7 - 12 p.rn.
HUB Ballroom
sponsored by: The Penn State Students for Life
in cooperation with: 97 MI
=M=
An outsider's journey into the press box
The two players joke with each other as the writers
toss questions at them. •
"Do you feel that the offense gets more news ink than
the defense?"
"Did you realize that you had gained more yards on
one run today than you had total in any of the previous
games?"
At first, it seems so odd that these writers jot down
every word of the answers on their yellow legal pads
and steno books. After all, the young men they're
interviewing are just college staudents who happen to
play football on Saturdays. Their words are not so
significant that they need appear in the newspapers.
But this initial impression does not last long. One
walks out of the interview area, down a short corridor
lined with shoulder pads, through a set of doors and into
the locker room. Here he gets the whole picture. The
realization that these young men are in many ways
different from other college students quickly sets in.
When they are out of their protective pads and all
together in the same room the players bear testament to
the specialization required of a winning football team. It
is as if their bodies were sculpted to the proportions that
allow them to play the game so well.
The huge linemen. Tall: more than six feet. Heavy:
the 250-pound range. And muscular: the agonizing hours
spent on the weight machines so obvious.
The quick running backs and linebackers. More
compact than the linemen who work in front of them.
Their bodies reflect the perfect balance between speed,
strength and durability.
Reagan, even if it had been success
ful? I am not saying that one is more or
less of a tragedy than another or that
either man has more of a right to live
than the other. Let's just look at the
facts.
Ronald Reagan governs one of the
strongest, internally and externally,
countries in the world. The country
and its constitutional system is time
tested. We have had four presidents
assassinated. We have survived mili
tary defeats, depressions, labor upris
ings, business monopolies, and
Watergate. We have adapted to crises
and change.
If nothing else, we are the largest,
and strongest bureaucracy in the
world. For good or for bad, we are a
huge, red, white and blue machine. No
one person, no matter how great, can
change that machine too much.
Looking at history, we see a variety of
individuals as president, but a similar
ity of results. Sure, we deviate. Sure
we run in cycles, a little up, a little
tR]
saDO3[l@
OCURPIII
forum
And the receivers and defensive backs. Conditioned
like middleweight boxers. Trim, muscular and, above
all, fast.
No, these are not just college students. Any•fool can
see that. But they are not yet the jaded businessmen
that many of today's professional athletes are. These
football players still possess a fresh, human quality.
Something one can't pick up from the bleachers or the
press box.
The press box provides the optimum view of the game
itself. The big glass windows seal out the wind and the
noise. By some standards it is a boring place; marsh
mallows are not thrown about, the hardest drink served
is coffee, and the majority of what little conversation
that takes place is about football.
But that is not to say that there is no activity in the
writers' level of the press box. Statistics and names
come squawking out of the public address system with
each play. "Meade carries, 47-yard gain. That's his
down, but we always plod on. No one
person's death, no matter how great
her or she is, could bring this country
to a shuddering, cold halt. No one
death, would start a war or bring tur
moil to the entire world. If John Hinck
ley Jr. had murdered President
Reagan, it would have been a sicken
ing tragedy. But we would have per
servered. Bush would now be
president, we would cry a little, but we
would suck in our collective gut and
march on. Not callously, but out of
need. Maybe that's the greatness
Americans like to believe they have.
Now let's look a the assassination of
President Sadat. He single-handedly
changed a war-torn area into a place to
live without fear, a place of hope. He
had no great machine to do it with. He
had only courage and a vision. Without
him, we can only pray that others will
carry on for him. Without him, the
Middle East could be ripped apart by
savage wars again. Who is to say that
the peace process will continue? Who
is to say that there won't be turmoil in
Cairo like there is in Tehran? Who is to
say that Americans won't be dying on
foreign shores again?
And I think about that young woman
in the HUB again. At least she cared
enough to ask.
University Concert Committee proudly presents :
• ."''l,-;' , 5 , 44t-,
Wx,
-•. .
Tickets available Tuesday, Oct. 13, 9
HUB desk and prior to concert at
Eisenhower box office.
INPIP k
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-
The Daily Collegian Tuesday, Oct. 13, 1981-3
longest run of the season." Mimeograph machines
churn out sheet after sheet of data. The papers that the
girls bring to the sportswriters outline every play of the
game.
From this vantage point high atop the field one
appreciates the beauty of Curt Warner turning the
corner, the precision of a Blackledge-to-Jackson pass.
But the human qualities of the young men are lost. The
players might as well be the little plastic soldiers kids
play war games with.
In the press box one cannot hear the grunts and pop
that come with the impact of the players slamming into
one another. One cannot see the blood and sweat that
flow, out of such a violent sport.
So the sportswriters take the elevator down fromihe
press box and squeeze into a campus loop bus that takeg
them to the locker room in the atheletic complex. In the
locker room they have a chance to meet the young men
behind the statistics; to ask some questions.
And the good writers ask the right questions. They
gain insight into the pain and the pressure. Their stories
cause us to identify with the players, who at the same:
time are so much different from and so much similar to
the fans. We somehow feel a part of what goes down
each Saturday in the fall.
It is the only known cure for the Plimptonian desire to
suit up and go into the game.
Joe Gotv is a 10th-term journalism major and a staff
writer for The Daily Collegian. His column usually:
appears on Fridays.
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