opinions
'or the 1982-83 Undergraduate Student Gov
ernment presidential elections, The Daily Colle
gian endorses the team of Jim Krauss and Steve
Lunger for president and vice president.
Krauss and Lunger have displayed a realistic,
mature and above all, intelligent view
toward student government. They are not full of
overly ambitious ideas or vague philosophies
about, gee-whiz, what student government
could really be.
They see USG as, first, a service organization
that must be run efficiently and, second, as a
political organization that reacts to problems
concerning students. The second priority is not
necessarily subordinated to the first; rather,
without the credibility of ,USG as a worthwhile
organization,. its political effectiveness is nil.
Krauss and Lunger both have a considerable
amount of experience in student government.
Krauss has been involved with USG since his
first term and has served in USG's department
of political affairs, USG's Supreme Court and
the USG Senate. As a USG fraternity senator, he
sat on the senate Appointments and Review
Board and chaired the constitution revision
committee. He knows the inner workings of
USG well.
readei opinion
Keep those terms
I have been .considering writing a letter to The Daily
Collegian about the calendar conversion for a week now and
after I read the letter by James B. Bartoo and James R.
Dungan, I felt the time has come for me to put pen in hand and
voice my opinion.
When the rumors first arose about a calendar switch several
years ago, I was totally against the idea -- not because of the
disadvantages of the semester system, but because of the
advantages of the term calendar. Before I begin with the
advantages, as I see them, I have to state that I have been in
both systems.
I went to the University of Pittsburgh (which although there
are some differences, is close to the calendar President John
W. Oswald wants) where I took a full term of engineering
courses. I must say that I definitely preferred Penn State's
calendar system.
The • "term" calendar allows a student to study a few
subjects (usually four), compared to six or more at Pitt. This
means the student can concentrate more on each subject and
this would (hopefully) enable him to learn the material more
thoroughly. I realize that this means a faster-paced class, but I
prefer it that way. The fast pace is actually beneficial, as it
teaches us to handle high-pressure, high-stress situations. I
also prefer to learn the material in as short a period of time as
possible and start learning new subjects.
Another advantage of Penn State's current calendar is that
there are four terms all the same length. Mr. Bartoo and Mr.
Dungan say that the original intention was that people could
use the Summer Term as a regular term, but that "institutions
were not successful in changing the attendance pattern of
significant numbers of students."
Well, Mr. Bartoo and Mr. Dungan, I say to you: BULL! If the
University had really wanted to change attendance patterns,
they would offer courses that students can take to satisfy their
degree requirements and I don't mean just basics like math
ematics, .economies and speech. I was going to enroll for
Summer Term 1982 until I looked at the schedule of classes.
There is not one course I can take! I have about 1 1 / 2 years left
of school, and the University doesn't even offer Mechanical
Engineering 31, 33 or 50, to name a few basic courses. The only
undergraduate courses offered this summer are Mechanical
Engineering 99, 411 and 496. As for Commonwealth campuses,
don't look for anything except Mechanical Engineering 22. The
University is not helping matters by offering only the essential
:lood money comes easily for a plasma prostitute
"Well, to start with, I'm a plasma prostitute."
This is my standard, light-hearted response to
the question of what I do for spare (and essen
tial) money and it seems to shock a lot of
people. My forthrightness surprises even some
people who have gone to Sera-Tec.
For, unlike so many other means of acquiring
income, going to Sera-Tec to donate plasma for
a fee is commonly viewed as an act of despera
tion. It's a last resort when you can't afford a
tube of toothpaste . . . not something to be proud
of doing.
Most of the donors at Sera-Tec (primarily
college students) are eager to assure everyone
that they wouldn't be "doing this" if they
weren't really screwed to the wall for necessary
funds.
Perhaps I have an abnormal streak of merce
nary in my system, but there seems to be no
reason that a person should be ashamed of
donating plasma at Sera-Tec.
Human plasma is required by medical sci
ence for both therapy and research. For exam
ple, plasma and its various products are used in
the treatment of burn victims, hemophiliacs
and newborns with Rh-factor disease.
Plasma is used for blood-typing, as well as
diagnostic testing for such diseases as mononu
cleosis, syphilis and hepatitis. Plasmapheresis
the scientific procedure of collecting and
processing human plasma serves the needs
of medical science.
Plasma donors aren't being paid for their
Lunger, USG Centre Halls senator for two
terms, has spent time working in other campus
organizations most notably the Liberal Arts
Student Council, where, as president, he made
the organization a credible group with liberal
arts administrators.
He was also the council's Liberal Arts rep
resentative to USG's Academic Assembly and
the Residence Halls Advisory Board represen
tative from East Halls. As a USG senator,
Lunger was the senate liaison with the Associa
tion of Residence Hall Students.
- He and Krauss have earned reputations as
two of the hardest workers in the senate.
Of all the candidates, Krauss and Lunger
appear to be the best representatives of stu
dents to the University administration and to
the rest of the world. They are calm and well
spoken; they act like intelligent college stu
dents. They do not come off like the hyperactive
"student politicians" administrators loathe
and, of course, don't respect. Yet, Krauss and
Longer don't seem like goody-goodies who will
be mere puppets in the hands of the administra
tion.
Where do. Krauss and Lunger stand on The
Issues?
freshman/sophomore courses, and this does have an affect on
the people who •do want to enroll Summer Term. So, even
though the Summer Term was designed to be the same as the
other three, it isn't.
I would like to know why should we change our calendar?
Because "57 percent of colleges and universities . . . were on a
semester calendar?" Is this change because everyone else is
doing it?
I'm sure President 'Oswald has a good many reasons, and
there are probably even a few good ones that he has, but have
YOU, President Oswald, really looked at the second and third
order effects? (Maybe you should read Alvin Toffler's "The
Third Wave.")
Personally, President Oswald, I think the calendar switch
will do the University community grievous injury. More
faculty/student workload, fewer class offerings, bigger
classes, and physical plant problems are very important
considerations, and I hope that this isn't another case of the
students (and even faculty) getting the "shaft." I feel that
Penn State offers an alternative in education. The semester
system is not for everyone and I resent being "shoe-horned"
into this situation.
Another thing I resent is President Oswald saying, "The
calendar matter is not before the University for decision. That
final decision has been made." As was pointed out before,
President Oswald is precluding any discussion on the matter,
and I feel that this is a mistake. President Oswald, you call
yourself a president, and a president is the head of a DEMO
CRATIC society, not a dictatorship. So, let's get this democra
cy going, and find out just who wants the calendar change.
Paul D. Popovich, 10th-mechanical engineering
March 18 _
An 'A' for effort
I'm not bad at athletic activities just average. I wanted to,
make that clear before I told jou about my gym classes last
term and that I tried the best I could in both.
By that I mean that I came to my first period Tuesday,
Thursday and Saturday classes half and hour before everyone
else came every time just so that I could drill by myself
plasma but "are being compensated for their
time," said Wayne Rossi, Center Manager of
Sera-Tec's State College location.
The usual $lO fee is reimbursement for the
hours the donor spends at Sera-Tec not
payment for blood.
Few donors, if any, would say that going to
Sera-Tec is a healthy practice, although their
plasma should eventually contribute to the
health and well-being of other human beings.
Donating plasma must entail some risk, or
donors would not be required to sign a consent
form when they undergo their initial physical
exam. But how serious is that risk?
The only health hazard that most donors seem
concerned about is the possibility that their
veins may become damaged. I know many
plasma donors who have found that their arms
don't really like being punctured on a continual
basis.
In response to such regular abuse, consider
able scar tissue may accumulate and/or the
vein(s) may collapse, forcing dcrors to take an
involuntary vacation from Sera-Tec until their
arms heal sufficiently and they can resume
donating.
However, Rossi said that the health risks of
plasma-donating (even on a regular basis, over
many years) seem to be negligible.
"When you consider that we must do at least
50,000 procedures every year, and have maybe
one or two infections occur at the site (of the
needle) each year, it's pretty incredible. •
The USG endorsement
"Considering the size of the needle and the
length of time that it is in the arm, we've
probably got better statistics than most hospi
tals," Rossi said.
Rossi cautioned that plasma donors who
remove their bandages immediately after leav
ing Sera-Tee are taking a more serious risk of
infection, but that's an unnecessary risk that
the donors choose to take.
Rossi added that donors who have regularly
given plasma for up to 10 years have shown no
ill effects either in the volume of blood in
their bodies, or the amounts of proteins in their
blood.
Dr. J. Robert Wirag, director of the Office of
Health Promotion and Education at Ritenour
Health Center, also says that Sera-Tec's State
College facility rates a clean bill of health.
"We (at Ritenour) are convinced that they
have a credible, high-quality operation. They
have introduced controls to protect the health
They 'emphasize minority retention over re
cruitment, and have suggested creating a task
force similar to the one, fornied in 1975 to
examine the problem as well as studying how
other schools deal with minority retention.
They're against the proposed financial aid
cuts and want to continue. efforts such as SO
FAR. They want to keep students aware of the
calendar conversion and keep pressure on the
administration to justify its actions. They want
students to be involved in the selection of the
new University president.
But the difference with Krauss and Lunger is
their realistic attitude toward The Issues. They
understand that they can't do everything. They
appear to be executives who will competently
guide USG in the right direction, rather than
standing dramatically on the helni of the ship,
drinking in the glory . . .
Which would be a bit different than the
current USG administration, led by Bill Cluck
and Ken Reeves. Students shouldn't be looking ,
for someone to replace Bill Cluck, they should
be looking for a team to maintain and build on
his accomplishments. The Collegian thinks Jim
Krauss and Steve Lunger can do that the best.
and work on my weak spots before class. I put a lot of effort
into those classes and improved tremendously in both ask
my instructor.
So what did I get for doing some above average trying and
improving? It was a "C". Perhaps I could understand if I had
done just average work but I did the best I could in a field I
had no real choice in. (Physical education is NOT my major
but I'm required to take classes in it.) Perhaps I could
understand if I were graded on effort not skill.
Ellen J. Robertson, 3rd-speech communication
March 26
K/e/k i
(tt/i/ke,( s
and safety of individuals who donate plasma.
"To my knowledge, we ha 'e not had any
student complaints about the treatment at Sera-
Tec. It is a well-established plasmapheresis
center, with strict quality controls that the staff
is required to follow," Wirag said.
Wirag also said "Sera-Tec is by no means a
fly-by-night operation. Those people can't af
ford to mess-up, because their whole business
would be placed in jeopardy."
To many people who have never been to Sera-
Tec, however, the place sounds not'only merce
nary and unhealthy, but illicit, shadowy and
suspicious, with overtones of drug-dealing and
the Mafia. Sera-Tec is known to be in "some
basement," in "some alley," and most of the
employees there are thought to be klutzy col
lege students who can't find a better job else
where.
Actually, Sera-Tec is well-lit and the equip
ment appears quite clean. While there are some
phlebotomists at Sera-Tec who don't "give
needles" nearly as well as others, many em
ployees are remarkably deft.
I've given blood to the Red Cross, and the
facilities at Sera-Tec (which is strictly regu
lated by the Food and Drug Administration, and
the Department of Health) appear to be more
scrupulously sterile than those of the Red Cross,
if only because Sera-Tec is an immobile opera
tion.
Sera-Tec's advertisements make two major
appeals. On humanitarian grounds, Carl Cap
o O•
And so what about the other candidates, you
ask?
Only two other teams come close to our choice
Leni Barch and Lee Facetti, and Emil Par
vensky and Jim McJunkin. All four candidates
are experienced in student government and
have a great deal of energy. But we think the
presidential candidates, Barch and Parvensky,
suffer from a tendency to ramble. They have an
unrealistic perception of what they can ac
complish in one year; they are filled with
enthusiasm that may not translate into action.
These four candidates are great as individu
als working within student government —that's
where they'd be most effective.
Andy Leisner and Bob Nolen are running on
two major issues a task force of students
eager to "do the dirty work of USG" and a
general assembly of all student organizations
neither of which are realistic.
As for Matt Wolford and Bob McGonigle:
Neither have the experience or the knowledge to
guide USG through what promises to be an
eventful year.
dtaly Collegian
Tuesday March 30,1982 ©1982 Collegian Inc.
'Phil Gulls Paul Rudoy
.Editor • Business Manager
Sharon Taylor Judy Smith
Managing Editor Asst. Business Manager
•
John Allis - on Michael Conklin
Editorial Editor Office Manager
illary informs people, with evident enthusiasm,
that the plasma he "donates" at Sera-Tec
"helps save lives all over the world!"
More effectively, Sera-Tec's advertisements
offer quick money for just a few hours of time.
(Those few hours can stretch out a lot longer
than you plan, though, if the line of waiting
donors is long, or the operations at Sera-Tec get
backlogged.)
At the risk of being cynical, I doubt that I
know anybody who would donate plasma twice
a week, for purely altruistic reasons. I certainly
wouldn't. But why be ashamed of the truth?
As one student said, "I just don't want people
to know that I do this to my body."
There seem to be a lot of worse things, of
proven danger to the body, that many college
students feel no qualms about doing and admit
ting. And usually they pay for the means and
boast of the consequences.
To say that visiting Sera-Tec as a paid donor
is a relaxing, healthful, pleasant experience is
at the very least a gross euphemism. To say
that it is an inhumane and unjustified crime
against one's body is even less plausible.
Medical science needs human plasma. Many
college students need or want the extra income.
Sera-Tec is simply a marriage of convenience
of benefit to both parties.
Kathy Ankers is a sth-term pre-medicine major
and a columnist for The Daily Collegian.
The Daily' Collegian
Tuesday, March 30
13=:1
opinions
Hitting the books, not the quads
Each spring, thousands of University students take to the
great outdoors in an attempt to secure a spot in the hallowed
halls of Dormitoria. Frisbees fly, radios roar and sleepers
snooze at least until that becomes boring or Mother Nature
spoils the fun. They try to make the best of the situation, but
sooner or later, many students complain about the wasted time
and the absurdity of lining up with 6,000 other contract-seekers.
To some, dorm lines are party-time; but to others, lines are a
necessary evil. In the past couple of years, it's tilted a lot more
toward evil. Line-dwellers, expecting to be let go the moment a
threatening cloud appears, lined up earlier this year than last
year. Some of the 10 lines already had 500 students by noon
Saturday; some early birds were in line Thursday afternoon.
Considering applications aren't handed in until 4 p.m. Sunday,
the situation is out of hand.
The funny thing is that the evil is by no means necessary
nobody is making' upperclassmen live in the dorms. So the
solution is simple: move into an apartment, or push for an
alternative to this ludicrous method of dorm contract alloca
tion.
I suggest pushing for an alternative pleasing to the majority.
A system that uses some type of competition so students will
have their fate in their own hands. One that doesn't waste a
weekend and clog your sinuses. One that is sensible and
constructive, not inane and destructive.
In the spirit of this ideal, I offer the .grade point average
system. No more concrete beds, windburnt faces or head colds.
Just a simple "work hard in your courses, get good grades, get
a contract" system.
reader opinion
Can't forget Norm
Brian Bowers' recent• article on the improved
condition of former Nittany Lion mascot Norm
Constantine has led me to wonder why.
• Why has Norm been forgotten? During his
years at Penn State as our school mascot, Norm
devoted 98 percent of his time being involved in
both Penn State sporting events and fund-raising
activities charity. Beyond this, Norm somehow
found the time to teach martial arts to the
handicapped.
Norm gave of himself to the fullest extent, and
for what in return? The glamor? No, the smiles.
The Saturday afternoon smiles of Penn State
football fans; the faint smiles of the Sunday
afternoon dance marathoners; and especially,
The system of assigning rooms after a particular percentage
of contracts are accepted would stay the same: students
seeking their same room have first preference, reassignment
to the same house, second, and change of assignment, third.
Freshmen, sororities and interest houses would still be guar
anteed dorm space. I am offering an alternative only to the
contract allocation part of the system.
Here's how it would work:
If demand for space is greater than supply (as it always is),
students with a cumulative grade point average in the top
percentage of their college would get a room. That is, if 3,000
males and 3,000 females turn in their $45 advance payment and
only 2,500 male and 2,500 female spaces are available, females
in the top five-sixths of the, females in their college (like-wise
for males) would get a room. Males compete against males for
available male space, and vice-versa for females.
I have suggested using the individual colleges as a basis,
rather than the University as a whole, because some colleges
have higher average GPAs than others. I have suggested using
cumulative GPA, rather than, say, the average of the two
terms preceding the spring term in which contracts are
allocated, because it's a more accurate reflection of course
success.
So we would be using a student's cumulative GPA as of
winter term, in whatever college he is enrolled in as of winter
term.
This system would take care of most contract-seekers. As for
students transferring from another school and who therefore
have no GPA at Penn State they could obtain dorm space
using a lottery system or they could be guaranteed housing.
Those students make up only a small fraction of contract
seekers.
And that's all there is to this system. It strikes me as a lot
more sensible than lines or lotteries. After all, this is a school,
so grades seem the obvious thing to use as a competition. If we
were here to learn how to best wait in lines, then the line system
would make sense. But we're not, and it doesn't.
John Schlander is a sixth-term journalism major and a mem
ber of The Daily Collegian Board of Opinion.
the thankful smiles of the handicapped that he
touched.
He touched over 84,000 of us, students and
alumni alike, as our team mascot out at Beaver
Stadium. It is time for us to use our Penn State
spirit, the spirit he instilled in us, to root Norm on
to recovery. What happened to the talk of a
benefit for Norm that was circulating around
campus two months ago? Are we satisfied with
believing that we truly tried? I think not.
We must, as a student body, come together and
organize a fund-raising event for our former
Nittany Lion. I call on all the student clubs, all
the sports teams, and all of the students to
become active in this drive for Norm. After
years of his rooting on our Lions, Norm now
needs the support that he once gave. It is time for
us to give our love and concern to Norm and his
family by truly showing that, "We want the
Lion."
Jeffrey T. Quinlan, 11th-pre-law
March 26
me being w/o
just past the stop sign on
discri,MAN,ation Free-way
and wanting to be
ack-NOW-ledged
for my pEr-foßm-Ance
and not my body
style my
gears won't
synchronize
Right-
Man
(NOW! ! !)
till we turn on to
title VII street
drive to coopEßAtion boulevard
and meet on
the middle-of-the
—bridge; Oh
beCause i am
self-ad Justing
self-propelling
I am
;w/oman
Janet S. Christman, .12th-English/writing option
Anthony Slomkoski 111, 12th-economics
March 25
The Daily; Collegian Tuesday, March 30,
Letters Policy: The Daily Collegian enco
ages comments on news coverage, editori
policy and University affairs. Letters shou
be typewritten, double-spaced, signed •
no more than two people and not long;
than 30 lines. Students' letters should i
dude the term, major and campus of th
writer. Letters from alumni should includ
the major and year of graduation of th
writer. All writers should provide their a.
dress and phone number for verification •
the letter.
The Collegian reserves the right to edi
letters for length, and to reject letters if the
are libelous or do not conform to standard •
of good taste. Because of the numbers o
letters received, the Collegian cannot guar
antee publication of all the letters it receiv
es.