opinions
Student aid cuts
It's budget time again.
Time for everyone to watch what changes
the Reagan administration will try to slip in
while no one is looking. And student aid is
once again targeted as a potential victim.
The battle cry in Washington is similar to
last year --- let those free-loading students
help themselves through school.
While the 1985 budget proposal does call
for increased funding for the College Work-
Study and Guaranteed Student Loan pro
grams, Reagan has called for no new fund
ing for Supplemental Educational
Opportunity Grants, National Direct Stu
dent Loans and State Student Incentive
Grants.
,The budget also calls for the restructuring
of the entire federal aid system so students
must first apply for College Work-Study and
loan programs before becoming eligible for
Pell Grants. •
This contradicts the original concept that
Sen. Claiborne Pell (D-R.l.)' had, envision
ing a• grant program as the bedrock to
ensure that all students have access to a
college education
And while the proposals are supposed to
increase the awards for the neediest stu
dents so they can attend more expensive
schools, about 300,000 students will be com
pletely eliminated from the program if the
budget goes through according to Adminis
tration wishes. So much for increases.
According to • The Chronicle of Higher
Education, the philosophy of the Reagan
administration is to restucture the federal
aid programs because increases in aid di
minish, the "sense of responsibility" that
students and their families feel for financ-
Ing an education.
Well, the budget planners obviously
haven't been paying attention to college
students who work during the summer and
:reader opinion
''Equal
recognition
I enjoyed reading the advice from Penn State graduates
. .. 4 "who made it big." All the same, I did miss hearing the
:`voices of female alumni. Are there none that could join the
luminaries whose photographs are prominently.displayed
on Page 3 of Tuesday's Daily Collegian? Or was, there a
special reason for leaving them out?
A Whatever the answers, they reveal an unjust omission
'lat some level. Is the University adequately addressing the
•
, problem of this injustice?
- "Madhu Suri Prakash, assistant professor of education
~ Feb. 8
,':No apology necessary
I would like to ask Tammy D. Sorge what she thinks the
. ."Reader Opinion page is for, if not to express opinions.
I apologize for having a point of view different than
' Tammy's (it seems she thinks an apology is necessary).
i-. If, as she says, one shouldwrite to the specific party that
;.4:one has a gripe against, why then did she feel it necessary
:to: slander Michael Newnam and Dave Schulman on the
Opinion Page rather than writing directly to them?-(l'm
~.sure Michael and Dave would like to personally apologize
?;to her for having "outrageous ideas about State College's
i.radio stations" and "metal-headed needs," whatever that
~means).
Tammy is obviously very outspoken; I can't figure out
why she wants to keep this right from others.
' I do have a large record collection, I do have a job and I
do continue to buy records to listen to when the radio gets
..;monotonous. But how am I supposed to choose which
„records to buy if I never hear anything new on the radio?
I think it is great that people are trying to make a loud
Thoughtful uncertainty preferred over cocksure ignorance
Whoever invented freedom of speech
must have run•to the patent office shouting
"Eureka! Eureka!" before he had time to
realize what he was getting the world into.
Did he, for instance, realize that readers
would be subjected to styles of writing they
were not used to, opinions they did not like,
and, horror of horrors, articles by foreign
ers? Maybe not.
Did he, moreover, realize that readers
would be subjected to anonymous phone
calls at 2 a.m.? Of course not.
Nor could he have realized that the license
given by his invention would inspire a great
many people to become experts on politics
almost overnight. This is kind of unfair to
those who devote all their lives to becoming
the same.
Let me explain. If I wrote, "The first law
of thermodynamics is that if you throw a
stone on the moon, photosynthesis will occur
on Mercury," even a very harried editor
, would push the paragraph delete button. But
when someone writes "All socialism does is
wreck economies," no frown appears on the
editor's face, and the excerpt is published in
full.
That's because anyone who reads The
New York Times' or watches TV or doeS
No way!
throughout the year to finance their educa
tion. Or how about the parents who save
their money for years, just so their children
can have a better life than they had?
Under this plan, to receive a Pell grant,
students would be expected to contribute 40
percent or a minimum of $5OO of their
educational expenses through work and
loans.
But if those in the administration would
consult with the planners in higher educa
tion, they would realize the concept of self
help is already built into the federal aid
programs. For instance, here at the Univer
sity, a student contribution of $9OO is already
factored into every aid package before a
single dollar of federal aid is "handed out."
In addition, the Guaranteed Student Loan
program is the largest federal aid program
at the University. Students are borrowing
and repaying those aid dollars, with inter
est, after they giaduate. This isn't charity;
it's the sense of responsibility the Reagan
administration has claimed students lack.
But there is a group in Washington who
have managed to see this.
This group is the same Republican Senate
and Democratic House that rejected Rea
gan's similar ideas last year.
Congress refused to approve the drastic
changes in aid programs during the 1984
budget process because it should be re
served for the funding not the restructur
ing of federal programs.
The Reagan administration should drop
the archaic view that students are getting a
free ride through college.
When something works, leave it alone.
Congress should take the restructuring pro
posals for what they are an instant replay
of last yeir and send it back with the
same response no way.
noise about WQWK. Hopefully, a few letters on the Opinion
Page will inspire people to +write to the radio station and
complain. (Or maybe someone at WQWK reads the
Opinion Page).
A telecommunications major should know that radio
isn't "given to us practically free." Every time we buy a
product, a substantial portion of the price we pay goes
towards advertising on radio, TV and in newspapers.
By the way, if anyone wants to try a new station, WSQV
from Williamsport (97.7 FM) plays a wide variety of rock,
including new music. It's a little hard to get, but play with
your antenna a little.
Maybe if WQWK finally realizei that they have some Linda Lee Zehr, junior-rehabilitation education
competition, they'll shape up. Jean Hopper, sophomore-industrial engineering
Feb. 8
Jon Loos, sophomore-electrical engineering
Feb. 7
Publicity,
We are writing in response to The Daily Collegian
editorial "Blood donors: No time for apathy." The author
of this article made an unfair charge against the students
of Penn State.
Apathy implies prior knowledge and present indiffer
ence. Therefore, how can students be apathetic if they
aren't aware a bloodmobile is on campus? The problem
here isn't apathy, but rather lack of publicity.
We had no idea that there was a bloodmobile until late
Tuesday when we happened to walk by the HUB, and
many of our friends said the same thing. The Collegian
carried nothing about the bloodmobile until Wednesday
(the second day of the blood drive) when a small notice
appeared in Collegian Notes
The only flyer announcing the bloodmobile that we saw
none of the above is allowed to consider
himself an expert on politics. Being self
opinionated and witty helps. If you are able
to develop a small bombast, one or two
inappropriate analogies, a clever suppres
sion of facts, the use oratory, or a total
disregard for context behold, a political
commentator (or propagandist) is in busi
ness.
Sometimes he's even in business adminis
tration. Nothing wrong with that per se. I
would be the last to suggest that - you have to
major in political science to write knowl
edgeably on politics. But I do expect some
one who lectures me on communism to have
at least read " The Gulag Archipelago," let
not apathy
6w0..
alone Lenin's "Imperialism, the Highest
Stage of Capitalism."
In the area of foreign policy, of course,
things are much more difficult, because all
the knowledge is second-hand. How easy it
is, with your self-righteous ideas about how
well your own system works, to condemn
the present regime in Nicaragua for not
transforming the country overnight into a
haven of democracy.
How easy it is to tar all Marxists with the
same brush, whether they be Maoists, Sand
inistas, the Peruvian military, the Indian
communists or the Angolan government.
How easy it is to sit in judgement and say
that peasants who kill landlords are as
much to blame as landlords who kill peas
ants. When you have only two colors on your
palette, it is easy to forget that shades of
gray and red also exist.
..No wonder voters are confused when
elections approach. Very few have the polit
ical acumen to know whether the real issues
are national security, supply-side econom
ics, the Marines in Lebanon, high interest
rates, the free world or just the size of their
social security checks. It is not easy to
distinguish between media hype, govern-
.94 Collegian
Friday, Feb. 10, 1984
01984 Collegian Inc.
Alecia Swasy
Editor
The Daily Collegian's editorial opinion is determined by
its Board of Opinion, with the editor holding final
responsibility. Opinions expressed on the editorial
pages are not necessarily those of The Daily Collegian,
Collegian Inc. or The Pennsylvania State University.
Collegian Inc., publishers of The Daily Collegian and
related publications, is a separate corporate institution
from Penn State.
Board of Editors Managing Editor: William Scott;
Editorial Editor: Harry Weiss; Assistant Editorial Editor:
Ron Yeany; News Editors: John Sch!ander, M. Lee
was on the front of the counter at McLanahan's. Granted,
McLanahan's is a busy place, but one flyer there is hardly
enough. Why can't notices be posted in the dorms and
dining halls?
Obviously, publicity does help —*one has only to look at
the rival blood drives between dorm areas, where donors
are actively sought. Why not incorporate this theme into
the all-university bloodmobile and set up competition
between dorm houses or halls?
Instead of criticizing the students for their apathy, why
not actively encourage them to donate blood by increasing
the publicity concerning the bloodmobiles?
Clear message
In late February, the U.S. Senate will discuss HR 3231, a
bill which would restrict American loans to South Africa
and prohibit the importation of South African gold coins
into this country. Furthermore, it would require Ameri
cans, who have large South African operations, to engage
in nondiscriminatory wage and promotion practices and
provide penalties for violators.
At present, the United States is the second largest
source of foreign investment in South Africa. More than
300 U.S. corporations are operating there with invest
ments totaling $2.6 billion. Thus, American business has
helped give South Africa an economic boost upon which
apartheid can flourish.
As a nation committed to racial equality and human
rights, we can no longer justify increasing American
investments to nourish the economic growth of the South
African regime a regime that denies 80% of the
Susan M. Melle
Business Manager
ment myth and harsh reality. '
Given all the confusion on the political
front, some political theorists admit, albeit
reluctantly, that the most stable, democra
cies are those with a relatively lower degree
of popular participation like the United
States.
On the contrary, since knowledge is pow
er, it is not safe to leave decision-making
power in too few hands. The technicalities of
the nuclear arms build-up tend to make
ordinary people diffident about staking their
claim on the issue.
When Carl Sagan says, "The only way to
cut nuclear weapons is to cut nuclear weap
ons," it seems that there must be more to it
• than that. But who knows. The common
sense of the Europepn peace movement
may succeed in saving the planet whereas
several rounds of negotiations could not.
So there is no clear answer to the question
of how much people should know about
politics, or think they know. It does seem
reasonable to expect however, that emotion
al, fuzzy thinking should not rule the roost.
Very few people make a distinction between
politics and religion, nationalism and ideolo
gy and pragmatism and immorality. Some-
The Daily Collegian
Friday, Feb. 10, 1984
Schneider; Sports Editor: Greg Loder; Assistant Sports
Editors: John Severance, Chris Wightman, Matt Michael;
Photo Editors: Paul Chiland, Thomas Swarr; Assistant
Photo Editor: Bill Cramer; Arts Editor: Heidi Beeler;
Assistant Arts Editor: Diane DiPiero; Campus' Editor:
Christine Murray; Assistant Campus Editor: Lori Musser;
Town Editor: K.L. Kane; Assistant Town Editor: Michael
Newnam; Features Editor: Jeanne Ann Curry; Assistant
Features Editor: Grace LoMonaco; Graphics Editor: Tony
Ciccarelli; Copy Editors: Dina Defabo, John Holt, Patricia
Hungerford, Christine Kay, Marcia McGrath, Marcy Mer
mel, Lorl-Marie Vail, Rebecca Albert; Weekly Collegian
Editor: Michele Jo Pupach; Weekly Collegian Assistant
Editor: Laura Dunhoff.
Board of Managers Accounting Department Manager:
Mary T. McCaffrey; Office Manager: Barbara Larson;
Assistant Office Manager: Kathy Connolly; Sales Man
ager: Meiii-Kay Smoluk; Assistant Sales Manager: Mi
chael Meyers; Layout Coordinator: Susan Kiser;
Marketing Manager: Beverly Sobel; National Ad Man
ager: Marianne Smulski; Assistant National Ad Manager:
Laura Helbling. •
population the right to participate fully in the social,
political and economic life of that country.
If this bill is passed by the Senate it will not end
apartheid. It does, however, represent a moderate official
disapproval of racial segregation and exploitation. It will
send a clear, forcible message to South Africa that
America's economic support cannot be used to strengthen
the doctrine of apartheid while trying to bring about
peaceful changes through negotiation and diplomacy.
Committee for Justice in South Africa
B. Chadwick, senior-electrical engineering
Feb. 7
Sucessful
The . "Free Lance" feature in The Daily Collegian
(Feb. 7) which dealt with advice from outstanding alumni
was interesting but I noted a glaring omission. Of the 14
alumni quoted about the "rough road to success," not one
was a woman!
The Alumni Association lists, as of July, 226,928 active
(alive with addresses available) alumni of whom 73,095
are women. Surely, since we constitute one-third of the
alumni, you could have found one or more successful
woman graduates who had some advice about making it to
the top and how her years'at Penn State had contributed.
Granted, we have no senators, astronauts or pro football
players in the alumnae ranks but someone must be
"famous" enough to warrant our attention.
As the third generation of women (and men) in my
family to attend Penn State, I would hope you will at least
try to correct this slight with an article on significant
alumnae of the University in a future issue.
. .
Lee K. Puphal, graduate-extension education
Feb. 8
one who opposes the Israeli occupation of
the West Bank should not be accused of anti
semitism. Belief in. Marxism should not be
confused with a pro-Soviet orientation.
Issues should also be understood within
context. If Mao said, "Power comes out of
the barrel of a gun," he should not be quoted
ad nauseam without understanding the cir
cumstances in which he said it. If a govern
ment gets rid of multi-national corporations
because these firms are disturbing con
sumption patterns, it should not be accused
,of acting at the behest of some foreign
power.
In spite of the complexity of the issues
involved, then, many political writers tend
to sound omniscient and dogmatic. I am not
offended, on the other hand, if I am de
scribed as a young woman crying out for
help in a world I do not understand.
But then, I do believe that education is the
process of going forward from cocksure
ignorance to thoughtful uncertainty.
Manjula Saxena is a graduate student in
political science and a columnist for The
Daily Collegian. Her column appears on
alternate Fridays.
PSU women
opinions
Speak up
Students, employees, and teachers of Penn State, wake
up! The Daily Collegian has set aside one day for you to
express your opinions on whether the University is barrier
free or if there are obstacles to those who are disabled.
Why was there so very little response? Wheie are the 131
students who have some disability? Are there no im
provements to be made? What about you TAB's (temporari
ly abled bodied people)? Have you never thought about any
obstacles? Do you realize that maybe someday you may be
hindered from entering a building, or being able to see or
hear something?
For 26 years I have felt the same, but now I am in a
position where I encounter these obstacles daily. Hopefully it
will not happen to you, but it is a possibility. Stop and think
the next time you walk up steps.
How hard would it be on crutches? A little thought is all I
ask from you, and if you come up with any ideas, please
write in for the next scheduled op-ed day.
P.S. I could not even deliver this letter by myself, for the
Collegian office is inaccessible for whe e lchair users.
Harold Hoover, sophomore-recreation and parks
Feb. 8
Arl4Every Day is a Banquet at
SOUTH SEA
. CHINESE,RESTAURANT
Meals come with FREE
egg roll, steamed rice or fried rice,
dessert, hot tea
Please bring your own wine or liquor with you
For reservations or takeout call 238-8843
Business Hours everyday 4:30-lOp.m.
Closed Sunday
Hi-way Sicillian Style Cut Pie
Get 2 slices of Sicillian Style Cut Pie and a
Soda for ONLY $1.55
Walk-in fast service at
the Cut Pie Shop on Garner Street
112 South Garner Street • 234-0349
You put it on your paper, and we'll
put it in ours. :Collegian
,
IFC Dance McOathan 1984
KICICOI: 4O fi
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Benefits of abortion?
Thank you, Vickie Brown, for your insightful and
enlightening letter on the benefits of abortion (reader
opinion, Feb. 7).
We are so relieved to know we have someone like you
who realizes how much more courageous and mature
those women are who have abortions, thus erasing their
silly little mistake in getting pregnant, than those coward
ly girls who carry their child for nine months and then
painfully give it up for adoption.
And certainly, as you say, it is more devastating to bear
the child and risk the chance of becoming an alcoholic
(where DO you get your facts?) than it is to be a
murderer.
Finally, you are so clever in seeing what a pain those
pro-lifers are. After all, what mature woman wants some
silly set of morals messing up her life, just when she was
getting away with everything •
Suzanne Morris, junior-English
Kim McKeown, senior-sociology and medical anthropolo
gy \,
Feb. 8
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Enjoy your weekend.
The Management Club
(Elections = Monday, Feb. 13,
7:30p.m. in 307 Boucke)
Rl2B
The Daily Collegian Friday, Feb. 10, 1984-13
, •
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