Discussion halted on semesters By ROSA EBERLY Collegian Staff Writer University President John W. Oswald said yesterday that the decision to convert to semesters, effective in the fall of 1983, is no longer before the University community for decision. "The calendar matter is not before the UniVersity for decision. That final decision has been made. The task before all of us is to make the new calendar as effective as possible. Let's get on with the job," Oswald said in a press release. Oswald's statement followed the release of a faculty report urging the University to stop the calendar conversion process yesterday by the Faculty Committee for Semester Review. Oswald also said he had authority to decide on the conversion under University Board of Trustees governing regulations. , In addition, Oswald said he asked the University community for input before making his official decision to convert. "The decision was preceded by a seven-month period of full discussion during which well over 100 communications were received from members or groups of the University community. This included a forensic session by the University Faculty Senate and a detailed study by the University Council. "An extra-ordinary effort was made to seek the views of academic leaders academic deans, members of the faculty advisory committee, and in addition each individual faculty senator was contacted. Many student organizations and an ad hoc group . known as Committee for Credible Student Input were active in the dialogue," Oswald said. In response to Oswald's statement, Barry Myers, a member of the Faculty Committee for Semester Review and an associate professor in the College of Business Administration, said Oswald's statement was an - acknowledgement of the report, even though Oswald didn't directly mention the report. In a statement to The Daily Collegian, Myers said: "Any decision of a public institution is reviewable. To suggest that public discussion is undesirable and unwanted runs counter to the basic concepts underlying a great academic institution. "Rarely does a group of mostly senior faculty involve themselves in the professionally non-rewarding task of questioning administrative action. dlii'l;.H. - .• .- 1: - _'• . .i..... - .: . ..i.::'.......''. 1 _ . ,:,:, - .:oll.e.•..._i_• • •••,•...: . ••••:ian 'The calendar matter is not before the University for decision. That final decision has been made . . University President John W. Oswald When this event occurs, the situation calls out for attention. "The Semester Review Report, based on current knowledge and current problems, raises issues of substance that will affect the well- being of Penn State in the years ahead. "I do not believe anyone wants an ongoing exchange of press releases with the president, but the community will be discussing this matter in the weeks ahead and I would hope that Dr. Oswald and the Board of Trustees will listen and participate in that discussion with an open mind and an open heart. "Nothing less than the future quality of Penn State is at stake," Myers said. Chris Hopwood, president of the Undergraduate Student Government's Academic Assembly and a member of both the Calendar Conversion Council and the council's communications • ..,...•. -4. ..,„ ~ ...,. „;,....:, i ..,,:,.:17..„:, , , ~., .l t r - - .i : ~,.:1„,,.;,..., ~...., 1 ',:ki,,,., : , : .:. 2: t..„.4 t,., •,,,,-,. -.,, ~-,-..:,,,., ,:,. -.;., ..ix.' .. ,• : .= • -••• y,~i! University President John W. Oswald committee, said he thinks the report would have a greater effect if it had been put together sooner. "It's a little bit too late to do anything about it," Hopwood said. He said the report compiles arguments into one package so the University community "knows what the other side is thinking" and that releasing the report is fair because now the University community "will know both sides." Hopwood said he agrees with the report in that the University's current calendar conversion goes beyond physical calendar change. Rather, he said, it will affect members of the University community academically, personally and with their careers. "Nothing will stay the same," Hopwood said. He said that if the report has any effect, it will be with the trustees. ;;; USG may sponsor national student rally By MARCY MERMEL Collegian Staff Writer In a further attempt to prevent reductions in financial 'aid for students, the Undergraduate Student Government may sponsor a national student rally in April, USG President Bill Cluck said last night. The rally will be "one option being discussed" during the March 31 to April 4 conference of the American Association of University Students, Cluck said. "The possibility is real" that representatives from the other member schools of the association will accept the University's proposal to hold the rally, he said. Last night the USG Senate passed a bill allocating $1,066 to send 10 USG representatives to the conference to be held at the University of Pennsylvania. Reagan despite By JAY PERKINS Associated Press Writer NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) President Reagan revealed yesterday he has his own second thoughts about the three year tax cut for which he applauded Congress last year. But while his critics claim it was too much, too soon, Reagan declared it was too little and too late. With that, the president again denied any responsibility for economic decline and the massive red ink, approaching $lOO billion or more, in his 1983 budget. Instead, he said, Congress is to blame for a tax bill that "aggravated the recession, causing more unemployment spending and a bigger deficit." The president thus made it clear that he continues to cling to the "supply-side" economic theory which holds that reduced tax rates eventually will produce a boom to benefit the private and government sectors alike. Others, including some Republican leaders, argue that the higher priority is to find revenues to more closely balance the books. Though Reagan previously has vowed "no retreat" from t y~ "If anybody would stop the conversion now, it would be the (University) Board of Trustees," Hopwood said. USG President Bill Cluck said he is pleased with the release of the report because it shows that faculty members are "in fact finally taking an interest in the calendar conversion." Cluck said he thinks the report will raise student and faculty awareness of the conversion and possible problems with it. The report surfaces some fears that some student leaders have had about the conversion, he said. For example, the proposed 14-week semesters may place an added. burden on students, Cluck said. He also said he is not sure if the University can handle the cost factor involved with semesters In general, Cluck said he thinks the report "will have very little effect." The report brought certain concerns to the surface that, Cluck said, he is concerned about as USG president. Certain details about the calendar conversion are starting to come forth now details that weren't available when the Committee for Credible Student Input was working on input to the semester decision, Cluck said. stands behind cuts, his second thoughts Cluck said he and John Lord, head of the USG department of political affairs, will participate with members of the association to reorganize the group and to draft a new constitution. At the conference the association, presently an organization of the 25 largest private universities in the nation, will be expanding to include the 25 largest public universities, he said Also, workshops will be held concerning financial aid cuts and tuition increases, student/faculty interaction and relations among races, sexes and other groups. USG will help conduct the financial aid program and may conduct workshops in student/faculty interaction, Cluck said. Although no University graduate student representatives are scheduled to attend the conference, the association does include graduate students. If the University decides to form a chapter, it could his tax program, his remarks to the Alabama legislature marked the first time that he expressed serious dissatisfaction with the bill Congress gave him last summer. The president complained that he "had to accept a compromise" that reduced his original 30-percent cut over three years to 25 percent, with the first installment cut from 10 to 5 percent, starting last October instead of January of 1981 Actually, that so-called "compromise" was a clear-cut victory for Reagan, since it was that bill which beat out a Democratic alternative calling for a much smaller cut over two years. The president embraced it wholly at the time, saying it represented "a new renaissance in America." In Montgomery, Reagan made no call for expanding the tax cut. Despite his complaint, he still pronounced the measure "the best darn thing that's been done for working and middle-income people in nearly 20 years." But in saying so, he served notice he will not tolerate any further attempt to backtrack as leaders of both parties have suggested may be necessary to slash deficits. Draft will return because U.S. baiting USSR, objector says By SCOTT G. OTT Collegian Staff Writer The Reagan administration is taunting the Soviet Union to invade Poland and thus bring back the draft in the United States, the associate director of the National Interreligious Service Board for Conscientious Objectors said Friday. , In a telephone interview, Shawn Perry said, "The administration has done every thing it can to set the bait for Russia to invade." "All we need is one international crisis" to bring back the draft, he said, "and a Russian invasion of Poland would bring it back more surely than anything else." President Reagan's economic sanctions and political rhetoric could incite the Soviet Union to invade Poland, Perry said. Although other areas of the world are presently in crisis situations, more people in the United States sympathize with Poland than with El Salvador or the Middle East, he said. Because the United States has more Poles and Europeans than El Salvadorans, Americans would be more likely to support a draft in the event of a Soviet invasion of Poland, Perry said. "People are concerned about El Salvador," he said, "but not enough to want to have their boy go fight there." Perry said Americans are beginning to question the motives of the United States and the Soviet Union in Poland, and many are deciding not to register for a possible draft. About 927,000 men had not answered the Reagan administration's call to register as of February 28, according to Selective Service System figures, although the penalty for non compliance is five years in jail and a $lO,OOO fine. Most of those who have not registered are either ignorant of the requirement or too lazy to walk to their local post office, an administrative assistant to U.S. Rep. Les Aspin, D-Wis., said Friday in a telephone interview. Warren Nelson, Aspin's administrative assistant, said, "There's no reason to assume people are not registering because of any principles they might have." But Perry said, "That's patently 20C Tuesday March 16, 1982 Vol. 82, No. 133 18 pages University Park, Pa. 16802 Published by students of The Pennsylvania State University false. People are making conscious and conscientious decisions." About 90 percent of non-registrants know of the requirement, but do not • want to sign-up, he said. Aspin introduced legislation last ' week to reduce the penalty for not registering from a felony to a misdemeanor with a ` s2oo fine and no jail term. "The penalties are not realistic," Nelson said. "The idea is to get people registered and not prosecuted. "If you want people to comply with a law, you should get the word out about the law rather than threaten prosecution, he said." The penalties for draft evasion were created in 1940 and "only incidentally" carried over to registration evasion, he said. Nelson said Aspin's bill provides tor a return to the original penalties should the draft. resume. Perry said, "I think that Aspin could be on the right track in reducing the penalties, except that he is in favor of registration." Although no actual prosecutions have begun, more than 183 names of ' non-registrants have been submitted to the Justice Department, said Betty. Alexander, public affairs officer for the Selective Service. Nelson said prosecution was an: . "idle threat," and now that the Justice Department has the 183 names, "they don't know what . . . they're going , to do with them." . . Perry called the limited prosecution "selective and unfair" and . designed to "make examples of a few men." • ' "To date, the majority of the 183 that we have talked to about 30 are religious objectors; that's selebtive," he said. "If you prosecute a couple hundred and let hundreds of thousands go free, that's unfair,". Alexander said the Selective. Service plans to begin an active program in which lists of registrants are compared to social', security security and driver's license lists starting in late April or early May. President Reagan had granted a "grace period," which ended February 28, to allow those who had not registered to do so without fear of prosecution. "Prosecution is a double-edged sword," Perry said. . ' be the first University organization to include both undergraduate and graduate students; Clu . ek said, Bob Pulgino,'USG coordinator of surveys', said the results of last term's survey of student views about financial aid reductions have been compiled. The results show that about 72 percent of University undergraduate students oppose and about 10 percent are in favor of the reductions. About 17 percent are uncommitted, he said. The surveys of black and graduate students have been discontinued because of a lack of manpower, Pulgino said. Also, the survey results showed that . general .. . student opinion is not unlike opinions that would be. expected from the two groups, he said. • . ' ' . USG will hold a a press conference for all . . candidates at 2 p.m. Sunday in 321 and 322 HUB. The presidential debates are scheduled tor March 24, 25, 28 and 29, he said. inside • The Interfraternity Council dis cussed a new hazing policy.... Page 2 • Add two new bids to the list of those running for the offices of USG president and vice president weather Mostly cloudy and breezy today with periods of rain developing. High near 48. Rain tapering off this evening, becoming partly cloudy and breezy later tonight, low around 44. Variable cloudiness tomorrow with a few showers, high around 58 degrees. index Arts Comics/crossword BUsiness News briefs Opinions Sports State/nation/world. Page 18 Page 16 17
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers