14—The Daily Collegian Tuesday, April 3, 1984 USG Supreme Court to assess charges of election misdoings By LISA CARLSON Collegian Staff Writer The Undergraduate Student Government last night voted to send allegations of wrongdoing in their recent elections to the USG Supreme Court after failing to approve the election court's actions. The court that presided over the election was not approved by USG prior to the election because of an oversight by the head election commissioner. Although Deirdre Kane had the authority to appoint the election court, she overlooked her responsibility to bring the court before USG for approval before the election. Kane's oversight was termed an honest mistake by the Student Advisory Review Board who thought the court would be approved as a mere technicality at the meeting, Connie Godlewski, SARB chairwoman said. However, some senators disagreed that the court should be approved after the outcome of the elections is known. John Riblet questioned court chairmen Brian Miller's ability to remain unbiased because his roommate is Dave Labuskes, president of Tile Association of Residence Hall Students who was involved in the Levinson-Saylor cam paign. Tracy Haack said she did not see how the senate could be expected to vote on the court after it had performed its duties. "We know what they did; how can we be unbiased?" she said. Some senators objected that senate procedure was not municipal' cOuncil Fee ordinance challenged Downtown businesses say proposed assessment unfair By MICHAEL J. VAND Collegian Staff Writer The State College Municipal Council last night held a public hearing on a proposed ordinance forming a Downtown Improvement District. • The ordinance is primarily in tended to levy an assessment of $300,000 over five years from busi nesses in, the downtown area that will benefit from the proposed Fra ser Street Parking Garage. Bo rough Manager Carl Fairbanks said the assessment is expected to help make up for an estimated $60,- 000 per year in losses during the initial years of the garage's opera tion. Fred Nicholas, 945 Redgate Road, said he supports the idea of the garage but is concerned about the assessment. Nicholas is in volved in the ownership of nine commercial properties in the pro posed district and said he does not believe he will benefit from the garage. He said most of his properties are apartments and offices that al ready have a&quate parking. Only one, the Tussey Building, does not have its own parking and that is adjacent to the existing Pugh Street garage, he said. Nicholas estimated the assess ments on his properties at $lB,OOO over five years. This cost would have to be passed on to tenants in the apartments, many of whom are students, he said. As alternatives, Nicholas sug- followed. They did not object to the qualifications of the court members. Jeff Morris said approving the court was not a mere formality. He said USG approval is necessary to keep biases from popping up in the wrong places. But senators Mark Held, Lis.4 Guerriero and Godlewski said the issue was the court members' qualifications. They maintained that the court members were all well qualified and that the senate would have approved these people before the election, but now, because of the out come of the election, senators' biases prevented the court from being approved. During the election, the court had looked into com plaints about illegal election procedures on the part of certain candidates but not on election codes themselves. Now that the court has not been approved, the election remains valid, but the complaints will have to be reinves tigated, if the USG Supreme Court sees fit. However, the court could just dismiss the matter. In other business, USG is sponsoring a program on the legalities of campus life Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the HUB Gallery. The objective of the program is to increase student awareness of legal issues pertaining to them both on and off campus and to answer any questions they may have on these issues. Participating in the program will be USG, ARHS, Organization of Town and Independent Students, Univer sity Police Services, the Legal Affairs Department and State College Police Department. gested a general tax increase for all borough residents or an assessment levied only on businesses that will directly benefit from the new ga rage. Fairbanks said options similar to those suggested by . Nicholas had been considered but the borough solicitor had determined that they would not be legal. Thomas Smith, 943 Redgate Road, pointed out that many other services are paid for without the expectation' of direct benefit. For example, many people have never had a fire and do not have children. Nevertheless they help pay for fire protection and public schools, he said. Nicholas also said he objects to the commercial spaces planned for the lower level of the garage be cause busineses will be helping to fund space for competitors through the assessment. "I think it is a socialistic move," Nicholas said. Council member Daniel Chaffee said after the meeting that the parking problem affects the entire downtown area, Businesses located away from the new garage will benefit because the overall parking problem will be eased, he said. •Another public hearing on the proposed ordinance will be held at the May 7 council meeting. The council also approved an amendment to the zoning ordinance to define residents and guests. The amendment allows an occupant to have overnight guests. However, if the guest stays for the majority of nights during any consecutive 10 day period, then the occupant can be held in violation. Borough Solicitor Robert Kistler said the amendment was necessary to provide a measurable standard that would stand up in court. He said the intent was not to interfere with legimate guests but to allow enforcement of the ordinance when complaints are filed. In other business, the council approved special activities permits for the Miller Rock Series Concert planned for Sunday at Delta Upsi lon fraternity, 229 Locust Lane and the Briarwood Bash scheduled for April 27. However, council member R. Thomas Berner said he was concerned about effects of these and similar events. "I do fear that we are sending the wrong message to the people who hold these events," he said. Berner stressed that he does not disapprove of drinking alcohol. But he said after the meeting that he believes it is inconsistent for the borough to give funding to On Drugs Inc., a local drug and alcohol abuse treatment center, and then approve events such as the Phi Psi 500. Berner called the Phi Psi 500, "Competitive consumption of alco hol." Berner also objected to a special activities permit for a Y.M.C.A. auction planned .for May 6. Among the items to be auctioned is a live llama. Berner said there was no guarantee that the llama would not be mistreated by its buyer. - A program of the Telecommunications Project of the Americas C. 3 Fourth Brazilian Film Fest A NE' By LEON HIRSZMAN A New Yorker Films Release c 1983 An Embrafilme Production • "RICH AND REWARDING... it communicates so much about how families cope, how families change, how families solve their problems. 'THEY DON'T WEAR BLACK TIE' is as enriching as it's illuminating." Judith Crist, WOR-TV Tuesday, April 3, 8 p.m. EISENHOWER AUDITORIUM ADMISSION FREE (English Subtitles) briefs Police arrest vandals of Lion Shrine Two University students were Edward M. Gray (junior-computer the stone animal, police said. apprehended March 23 in connec- science), also of 318 Lyons Hall, Jassinas and Gray must make tion with the initials carved into the and charged them with criminal restitution for, the damages and Nittany Lion Shrine on Dec. 15, mischief and "desecration of a yen- repair costs, police said. A prelimi -1983. erated object." Jassinas and Gray nary report estimates repairs will University police arrested Mi- allegedly etched their initials in the cost between $7OO and $l,OOO, police chael James Jasinnas (sophomore- rib area of the lion statue and said management), 318 Lyons Hall, and attempted to remove an ear from USG says no to Panhel constitution The 1984-85 Panhellenic Council Also at the meeting, the council ities and advisor to fraternities/so constitution was not approved by discussed a survey sponsored by rorities, informed the council on the Undergraduate Student Gov- the Residence Halls Advisory what to do if a fraternity or sorority ernment, said the organization's Board calling for alternative meal member is suspected of having a president during last night's meet- plans within the dormitory areas. serious illness. The action was ing in Sigma Chi fraternity, 400 E. The alternate meal plans will allow prompted by the death of a member Prospect Avenue. students to choose the number of of Acacia fraternity during Fall Patty Wolf said the constitution meals they wish to purchase in- Semester. Upon the request of the was rejected because of some prob- stead of having to buy all meals. fraternity member, his family was lems with the format of the consti- not notified of the illness until he Panhel also voted unanimously to tution. "A couple of minor was near death, Beyers said. difficulties need to be worked out" support the survey, which offers before the constitution can be ap- three possible meal plans, a vege- Beyers, also passed information proved by USG, Wolf said. tarian meal plan and off-campus to the council on what procedures to The council will revote on a student meals. follow if an emergency occurs in a slightly revised version at a later In other business, Gayle Beyers, sorority suite or on a sorority floor date, she said. assistant director of student activ- Fiji philanthropy nets $20,000 Phi Gamma Delta fraternity raised an estimated $20,000 this weekend for the Pennsylvania Spe cial Olympics during its second annual Sport-a-thon ; the philan thropic chairman said. • Tony Savant said that of 22 par ticipants, Michael Ross of Phi Mu Delta fraternity completed the most laps during the Sport-a-thon. Ross ran 39 laps in 30 minutes. "The average number of laps is around 25. (All participants) did above average," Savant said. The Sport-a-thon, which was to be held, in the White Building, was changed Saturday to the Intramu ral Building, where it was better Readmission A legislative proposal establish ing guidelines to readmit students to the University after an absence of at least four years is scheduled for review at the University Fac ulty Senate meeting at 1:30 p.m. today in 112 Kern. Under the proposed ."academic renewal" procedures, students would be readmitted to the Univer sity with new cumulative grade point averages and would not be penalized for poor past academic records. State poll shows Hart, Mondale tied PHILADELPHIA (AP) A poll undecided released yesterday shows presi- The poll, conducted by the Gallup taking only 2 percent of the white dential candidates Walter Mondale organization for KYW-TV in Phila- vote in the survey. Hart's heaviest and Gary Hart nearly tied among delphia, KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh support was in the 18-to-29 age Democratic voters in Pennsylva- and WNEP-TV in the Wilkes-Barre- group, while Mondale was most nia. Scranton area, surveyed 1,008 reg- popular among Democrath 50 and Among Democrats surveyed, istered voters, including 557 regis- older. Hart was favored by 42 percent, tered Democrats, in Pennsylvania According to Gallup, the margin Mondale by 40 percent and Jesse between March 26 and 29. for error for the survey was 4 Jackson by 8 percent. Ten percent The poll showed Jackson's sup- percent for the full survey and 5 of the Democrats surveyed were port to be almost exclusively in the percent for the Democrats. facilitated, Savant said. Gamma Phi Beta sorority, which Money is collected for the Sport- sent out 2,300 mailers, is one of the a-thon through a mailer system. nine organizations that will receive Individuals or organizations filled a free pizza party from Pizza Hut. out mailers and sent them to people The other organizations will be they thought would contribute to contacted by the fraternity this Special Olympics, and they also week, Savant said. included a personal message to Overall, about 5,500 mailers were some of the recipients. sent out. The actual amount raised Recipients of the mailers then will not be known until sometime acknowledged if they would con- this summer when all money is tribute and pledged either a fixed collected by the Special Olympics, amount of money or an amount per he said. lap. Those mailers were sent to the The Special Olympics will use the Pennsylvania Special Olympics money to purchase equipment for headquarters in Lower Merion, its training program and to send its Pa., where the billing and collec- athletes to competitions, Savant tion of money is handled. said. —by Kristine Sorchilla proposal to be reviewed Secretary Paula Ammerman quirements with courses taken said the proposal "opens up an before readmission. avenue for Penn State students to The proposal would benefit stu come back to the University" even dents who left the University to join if they have many grade point the Armed Forces, raise families or deficiencies from previous enroll- work for several years. ment. Also scheduled for discussion are According to the proposal, the nominations for new senate offi students' prior academic records cers. Ammerman said ballots will would remain on transcript, and be distributed to the senators later notations of academic renewal this month and votes will be count would be entered. With approval by ed on April 24. ' New officers will the appropriate college dean, stu- assume their duties May 1, she dents would fulfill graduation re- said. —by Anita J. Katz A ANIERICAN\ / t) GREETINGS Easter Cards & Gifts Pick from our spring garden of beautiful remembrances for sharing the joy of the season. Tenn State 800 store • on campus Owned and operated by . the Pennsylvania State University black community, with Jackson for that special person —by Leslie Thomas —by Kristine Sorchilla
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