opinions
editorial opinion
Role of the student trustee
Within any organization, there
are groups that advise and recom
mend, and those that make deci
sions.
At Penn State, the most influen
tial of the advisory groups could be
University Executive Council,
which has been established to ad
vise the University president di
rectly and, thus the University
Board of Trustees indirectly.
The group that makes most of the
primary decisions concerning the
operations of the University is the
Board of Trustees, which takes
recommendations from University
President Bryce Jordan. Jordan
should carry to the board the views
and concerns of the executive coun
cil.
However, a problem arises when
a member of the Board of Trustees
votes on what the executive council
recommends to the administration.
By appearing with student leaders
in an advisory capacity, a trustee
risks losing the credibility and in
fluence with University adminis
trators needed to be an effective
trustee.
But Marie Patricia Walsh, who
will become the next student trust
ee, if confirmed by the state Senate,
plans to risk diminished influence
by accepting an appointment to
become a full member of the exec
utive council.
Last Thursday, while the trust
ees were holding their first meet
ings since Walsh was selected by
the governor, the council as part
of their metamorphosis from the
Undergraduate Student Govern
ment Executive Council to the Uni
versity Executive Council voted
to make her a full voting member
instead of an ex officio or non-vot
ing member.
USG President Emil Parvensky
said the move was made at Walsh's
request, although he had advised
her that "she may want to keep her
daily Collegian
Wednesday, Sept. 21, 1983 ©1983 Collegian Inc.
Suzanne M. Cassidy Judith Smith
Editor Business Manager
The Daily Collegian's editorial opinion is
Thanx just the same, but no phonies needed
(pO•
}for
autonomy" as did Walsh's prede
cessor, Paul Bell.
Walsh said in an interview that
she wanted to be a full member of
the council in order to "consol
idate" her efforts to gather all the
information she needed to be the
student trustee.
But that philosophy doesn't seem
to hold water.
Walsh could efficiently use exec-
utive council meetings to gather
information about what students
want and need. She could also con
tribute to the meetings by adding
her own opinions and observations.
However, that can be done by
non-members at the meeting just
as easily as by council members.
As an ex officio member of the
council, the student trustee has
always been invited to council
meetings.
Walsh added that her only charge
as the student trustee was to bring
to the trustees a point of view
representative of the students.
But if the student trustee wants
to know what student leaders are
saying to the president, she can
easily find out by asking them or
attending their meetings.
Finally, Walsh said she would act
as the student trustee representa
tive to the executive council and
would base her advice to the coun
cil on her position as trustee.
This, however, inherently contra-
dicts the purpose of the executive
council to advise the president
on student concerns and interests.
Student trustees should rep
resent student interests, but they
must keep a distance from forming
those interests to ensure that they
can effectively wield their influ
ence at trustee meetings.
Trustees are traditionally the
policy-makers of the entire Univer-
sity not just student government.
It's time for Walsh to • begin act
ing more like a trustee and less like
a member of student government.
determined by its Board of Opinion, with the Board of Managers Assistant Business
editor holding final responsibility. Opinions Manager: Mary T. McCaffrey; Office Manager:
expressed on the editorial pages are not Colleen Waters; Sales Manager: Terri Alvino;
necessarily those of The Daily Collegian, Assistant Sales Manager: Mark Rebholz; Lay-
Collegian Inc. or The Pennsylvania State out Coordinator: Michele McNamara; Market-
University. Collegian Inc., publishers of The ing Manager: Beverly Sobel; National Ad
Daily Collegian and related publications, is a
separate corporate institution from Penn Manager: Susan Melle; Assistant National Ad
State. Manager: Marianne Smulski.
ilil an
reader opinion
Checks and balances
In response to Kathleen Porter's letter
of Sept. 20, we have neither the time nor the
inclination to engage in a point-by-point refu
tation of her position.
The facts, as well as various analyses,
'1(4.4/1.6e1-1 e>
', sir
" 4-10L0 'THE FORT, ROt4
I just finished reading "A Catcher in the Rye" by
J.D. Salinger . . . you know, the (in)famous chronicle
'of a teenager who is constantly annoyed by the sickness
of society. Some educators loathe the novel, others
applaud it. From what I hear about the past of "Catch
er," many libraries yanked the book from their shelves
because of its lewd, controversial content.
I'm afraid the scheme backfired quite explosively
the curiousity about what kids were not supposed to
read probably spurred "A Catcher in the Rye" to the
top of the "Required Reading List" of my frayed "The
Official Preppy Handbook" (p. 59).
Vice-wary people did not want the book to fall into the
delicate, unsoiled hands of young Tad and Tiffany and
into their spotless(?) minds. No can do. Censorship is
out of the question when trying to force-feed ethics to
adolescents. Face it, a novel is a novel is a novel. I
believe reading triggers a reader to think about any
dank, dingy thoughts already floating through his
mind.
I'll bet some anti-Catchers feared that their dear
children, sprung forth from their evil-free loins, would
go through the fabled "Holden Caulfield" complex that
frequently accompanies the book. Symptoms include
periodic sighing and moaning, gazing into space and
discharging a battery of explicit statements about what
the the victim likes or dislikes (heavy on the dislikes).
Because I am experiencing these dreaded side effects
. . . sigh . . . I thought I would share my thoughts with
you as I suffer this arduous journey.
I seem to be passing through a prolonged "society is
full of phonies" stage. I feel terrible; it wrenches me to
know I have mentally blasted a lot of my fellow
collegians and former schoolmates for doing things like
rattling off a current beau's attributes as if reading
ingredients off a nutrition label of Crackerjacks ("100
percent pure sugar, gorgeous all-American").
concerning the downing of KAL Flight 007
have appeared in both the popular media and
scholarly journals. This is one of the advan
tages of a free press.
Unfortunately, Soviet citizens do not
share this privilege.
Whether or not one chooses to believe
what has been published throughout the Unit
ed States and the free world is one's own
decision. We have confidence in the indepen
dence and the integrity of the news media
regarding this event.
As to a comparison of U.S.-Soviet nu
clear and conventional military posture,
these figures are also readily available to the
public.
True, these are government-provided
numbers, but an overwhelming percentage of
journalists and scholars accept them. After
m. Zeit'
The Daily Collegian
Wednesday Sept. 21, 1983
all, any attempt by the government to deceive
the population would be exposed either by a
leak or investigative journalism within days,
if not hours. Remember Watergate?
Furthermore, our constitutional sys
tem of checks and balances ensures responsi
ble government.
The Soviet population enjoys no such
protection.
In closing, although we possess differ
ent viewpoints from Ms. Porter's, we thank
her for expressing her opinions.
Perhaps this exchange of letters will
stimulate others to investigate such issues of
vital national importance.
Anthony Christino 111, senior-foreign service
Richard P. Schlarp, senior-finance
Sept. 20
Doesn't it ever bother 'you when you unearth an
entire square foot corner at a party and the boggle
eyed bozo jammed in next to you boasts about munch
ing Mexican mushrooms and then monopolizes conver
sation with barbaric grunts? Or how about the Polo
drenched Madras plaid-clad Joe College who says
"excellent" when a "great" will do?
It kills me to hear some pristine princess elaborate
on her lofty ideals after she sifted 10 test files to find a
duplicate of the Finance 100 final her prof would be
giving. Hah. I hope this scholar will apply her pragmat
ic scruples to the world, if she graduates.
I shudder when I see phony 20-year-olds write "luv,"
"thanx" and "C
-me" on their notes and letters (on
gushy stationery, to be sure). They must think short
ened phonetic spellings look cute on paper. Does jotting
an "-x" instead of a "-ks" conserve that much energy?
I wonder. If this adorable spelling trend continues we
may become too "bi-z" devising catchy spellings and
bag consulting Funk and Wagnall's altogether.
Phonies depress the hell out of me.
They resort to facades whenever they deal with
people. Phonies dream their feeble attempts to con and
impress people will lead to admiration. Unfortunately,
I believe the power tools of manipulation and exploita
tion can only be used by the highly respected. Any
sensible person can peer through a phony's layers of
Izods and oxfords and see him bare the spineless
jellyfish of man's social order and quickly discard
any notion of tribute.
The phony thrives in the Disneyland college environ
ment; a 24-hour party atmosphere would even give a
novice ample opportunity to perfect his craft. Like
Holden Caulfield, I often wish to leave our beloved
campus to escape from such phony people. But one
wise businessman told me that mild-mannered hypoc
risy finds a breeding ground anywhere people. go.
"Such is life," he cautioned.
Yuck.
I hope I can arrest this affliction pretty soon. Al
though experiencing the complex places me on the
offensive in the campaign against phoniness, I cannot
wait until most of Holden's influence withers away.
"Phony" identification can be a pretty exhausting,
risky business.
Stella Tsai is a junior majoring in political science and
a copy editor for The Daily Collegian.
066 0
reader opinion
Wrong interpretation
(This is a copy of a letter sent to the
New York Times.)
After reading Gordon S. White Jr.'s
column, "At Penn State, Color is Blue" (New
York Times, Sept. 19), I was surprised and
dismayed at his simplistic, concrete interpre
tation of my recent letter to the editor of the
University paper, The Daily Collegian, re
garding Penn State football and Head Coach
Joe Paterno.
First of all, no one at Penn State has
been or will be calling for Coach Paterno's
resignation and I am no exception. Had Mr.
White read my letter mindfully, he should
have come to understand that the changes to
which I was referring were changes in atti
tudes.
Interestingly enough, the Collegian ap
propriately entitled my letter "A new ball
game." It is beyond me how Mr. White
interpreted it as a demand for a new coach.
Secondly, somehow Mr. White drew the
inane conclusion from my remarks that a
contingency exists between winning and los
ing and a coach's attire. Our team, which at
the time of my letter had lost the first two
games of the 1983 season, lacked the spirit
and intensity of Coach Paterno's teams of the
past, in my opinion.
It was with regard to this phenomenon
that I. directed my remarks about the symbol
ic value of Coach Paterno's attire and the
implications it has for his role identity as
head coach. That's all.
The meaning of my suggested changes
in Penn State football obviously escaped Mr.
White and, I fear, others who can't resist the
opportunity to put Coach Paterno down with
unfounded criticism or put him on a pedestal.
Furthermore, Mr. White has taken my
statements entirely out of the context in
which they should have remained.
He is also incorrect in his statements
about Penn State's last game with lowa. lowa
did 'not win easily. I was in the stadium
(wearing blue and white) with 84,000 other
people. Where was he?
Mr. White's selective and cavalier use
of a few of my statements in his apparently
desperate search for a lead to his sports
column is shockingly uncharacteristic of the
calibre of journalism usually found in the
New York Times.
I resent his irresponsible use of my
comments in the college paper in order. to air
.his own caustic and ill-conceived remarks
Allegheny
Women's Center
• abortions
• free pregnancy
and
related counseling
Mon• Fri 9.5 Sat 10.4
Call collect 412-362-2920
about Penn State and Coach Paterno, both
past and present.
Suzanne E. Tallichet, State College resident
Sept. 20
Problem child
We thought about this letter 20 minutes
before the kickoff of our Penn State vs. lowa
football game Saturday, Sept. 17.
Prodded by the moans from the Sunday
morning quarterbacks these past few weeks,
we asked ourselves, "How are we going to
react when we win?"
We thought about the unwarranted flak
heaped upon the Lions by less-than-loving
characters who, if they were on the field,
would probably head for the enemy's goal
post to score.
We wondered if these persons are trying to
improve the Lions' performance through neg
ativism. If so, they ought to quit quick.
The Lions will always be much better off
without "fair weather friends." Just what
does "Love ya Lions" mean?
A casual acquaintance struck us with the
question, "Which of your children do you love
the most?" The answer was quick in coming:
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Sentimental
journey.
"The one who is having a problem at the
moment."
The Lions are having a problem at the
moment and it's nobody's fault.
Bill Madden, in his Sunday News baseball
analysis, said, "The best baseball team in the
American League will not win the pennant
this year." This is not an idle statement of the
Yank's George Steinbrenner or Murray Cook,
but rather a consensus of other respected club
officials around the American League. "The
Yanks prove that the best talent doesn't
always win," Madden said.
It is time we stopped complaining about Joe
Paterno and his very talented players.
How did we react when we lost? As the 43-34
score indicates, it wasn't a bad loss. In fact,
the Lions might be doing better than the
Yankees in getting .their act together. They'll
get no flak from us.
Jean and Bert Walsh, State College residents
Sept. 20
You and your old typewriter have been through a great deal
these last few years. From English 10 papers, done only because
you wanted to graduate someday, to your final project or
practicum that, really, you didn't mind staying up all night to
finish. It's been quite a college career. If only those keys could
talk. . . .
Yes, your typewriter was wonderful, but now there is the small
matter of preparing your resume. No matter how attached to
your typewriter you may be, it's time to cut the proverbial apron
strings.
Let Collegian Production professionally typeset and print your
resume, and enjoy the fruits of our labor. A typeset, printed
resume is visually far superior to a typewritten one. But don't
take our word for it. See for yourself. Browse through our resume
portfolio.
You've never looked better
C
collegian production
Résumé Service
126 Carnegie Building
Monday through Friday
10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or by appointment
863-3215
The Daily Collegian Wednesday, Sept. 21, 1983-9
Temporary setback
As law-abiding God-fearing American
citizens, we wish to respond favorably to a
different article published by this newspaper
some time ago.
Furthermore, as no action was taken in.
this matter since that date, we must remain',
steadfast in our opinion.
Had local government been swifter in
providing the necessary legislation, the inher-,
ent apathy associated with the project could
have been avoided. Being major proponents:
of the original plan, we were deeply dismayed!
to find that support was lacking in other
fields.
Despite this temporary setback, we'
feel that we were initially better informed
than our worthy opponent and consequently
we still don't know where Jimmy Hoffa is.
Dilwyn Knott, senior-civil engineering
Jeff Kulp, graduate-mechanical engineering
Sept. 20