Summer in the working ,By ANITA YESHO Collegian Staff Writer Ask a University students what they did this summer and you’re likely to hear a lot of the same answer internships. • These coveted summer jobs often taken in the summer after sophomore or junior year give students a chance to decide if they’re majoring in the right thing. Penn State students were interning across the country in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Harris Town ship, Centre County. . . . . In today’s Free Lance, some of them talk about what they did and what they learned. Capitol jobs Edith Raphael, perched on the edge of a couch in the HUB, explains what it’s like to return to Happy Valley after working in a congressman’s office. _ “It’s difficult for me to be here now after being in Washington. There, you’re living the news... I miss being in the world.” As an intern in the Capitol Hill office of Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), Raphael (junior-foreign service) was indeed in the world of politics - and she wasn’t the only Penn Stater .there. Veda Nyoth, (junior-foreign service and international politics) was also an intern on Capitol Hill. She worked in the office of Rep. Joseph Kolter (D-4th). •Like Raphael, Nyoth said she enjoyed the excitement of being in the nation’s capitol. For her, one_of the highlights of the summer was hearing Rajiv Gandhi, leader of India, address Congress. “There was only one ticket per office, Nyoth says, “and we drew straws to see who got to go.’’ A woman in the office was picked and “everyone was kind of down in the dumps that afternoon because we couldn’t go. Then the majority whip called and said there was space on the floor so we ran over there.” Both students spent a lot of their summer writing. Nyoth’s special duty was putting out a newsletter for Kolter’s constituents and one of Raphael’s projects was writing to the heads of every steel company in the United State*. Letter-writing was one of the big lessons of the summer, both say. “I learned that if I write my senator, he s not the one who writes me back, ” Raphael says, laughing. Interns took turns sorting and answering the mail - a tedious job, Raphael says, but a very neccessary one. “There’s so many letters coming in that there s no way the congressman can handle it all,” so the duty falls to aides and interns, Nyoth says.“l had to learn to write like I was the congressman.” Nyoth also attended some of the many receptions sponsored by lobbyists and notes, “The more right-wing the lobbying group, the better the food.” Groups like the National Rifle Association would serve lobster and civil rights groups would serve sandwiches, she says. . , , “Working on the Hill more or less reinforced my plans to go to law school,” Nyoth says. She is a citizen of Edith Rapheal (Junior-foreign service), on left, poses with Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and some of the 18 interns w worked In his office this summer. world •V.j-v^v UH Liberia, but she does not know if she would practice law here or in her West African nation. “I know onething,” she says. “If I live in America I want to live in D.C.” ~ , Raphael also says that her summer internship taught her a lot. „ „ ~. . . “I feel that if I had a cause I’d be an effective lobbyist. I see how the sytem works now. “Politics is so complicated, so intricate that it s difficult for the average citizen to understand what’s really going on.” There is an amazing amount of information being batted around, she says, and it can easily be distorted. “One thing I learned,” she says, “is QUESTION EV ERYTHING.” Dealing with pain Ask Heather Duncan to describe her summer inter nship and she’ll say, “emotionallystressful.” Then she’ll say, “It was a fantastic job I was sorry to leave.” , . .. Duncan worked as a counselor at a Philadelphia health center where one of her duties was to talk to women who were thinking of having abortions. An senior majoring in individual and family studies, she worked 35-40 hours a week for no pay counseling women who came to the Elizabeth Blackwell Center for Women for treatment. “I counseled women going through menopause and 13- year-olds going through abortions so it was really a range,” Duncan says. Abortion counseling wa's difficult for her, Duncan says, because she was ambivalent about abortion. If a counselor talked to a women and she decided to go through with an abortion the counselor had to stay with her during the procedure. ’ . . "If I had been a little more resolved in my views it would have been easier-,” she says. Also, the women were often hostile because they were pregnant, because their boyfriends or husbands were not with them or just because they were scared and they lashed out at health center workers. Duncan says that although she understood the hostility, it still made for a stressful workday. “A lot of people were offended at how young I was, she says. , , . Duncan says the other women who worked at the center were a great help to her and she learned to use them as resources when she thought a patient s prob lems were beyond her. . . “They were very open, very aware, very feminist oriented," she says of her coworkers. During the course of the summer, she said she heard a lot about sexual abuse. One woman, who Duncan counseled after a routine gynecological exam, began to talk about how she had been sexually abused since childhood. . „ After a summer of “seeing people in pain all day Duncan says she does not think she would return to that type of job when she graduates in May. She would rather work in family planning and educa tion outreach, perhaps for Planned Parenthood. The summer opened her eyes, she says, and made her much more interested in women’s issues. “I feel like I changed a lot,” she says. ‘‘Things that I used to worry about seem so trivial now. I feel like a different person.” Corporate summer While many students work at internships with little or no pay, others are lucky enough to land a summer job that brings some monetary reward, not just academic credits. For the past two summers, Brian Dowling (senior business logistics) worked for IBM in East Fishkill, N.Y. Because he had “a lot of credits in Comp Sci, Dowling spent last summer programming the software that IBM uses to keep track of its imports and exports. The summer before he worked with the business aspects of importing and often dealt with the U.S. Customs Service. • 1 ' . , . Dowling says he liked IBM and the $ll an hour plus overtime he earned. It’s a long way from the ‘sneakers and jeans atmost phere of Penn State to the suited world of a large corporation, but Dowling says it wasn’t a problem for hl ”The image of IBM is pretty ‘blue suit’, but they’re pretty laid-back,” he says, adding that he and his coworkers rather enjoyed “perpetuating the image especially when they went into New York City. Dowling, however, says he has his limits. “I refuse to wear wing-tips.” When he first worked for IBM two summers ago, the toughest thing was moving. I had no idea where I’d be living.. .and I didn’t have any suits” for work, he says, laughing. Moving to a strange city and not knowing what to expect from the summer can be a hassle, but Dowling says it pays off in the end. “You gain a lot of confidence in yourself,” he says. “It gives you an advantage. . .Now when I interview with companies I know what to look for and what to ask them. I’ve seen how things are run out there.” ‘Selling’ a hospital Sue DeGregorio (senior-health planning and adminis tration) worked at the Central Medical Center and Hospital in Pittsburgh as an assistant to a hospital administrator. As an HPA major, she must have an internship to graduate. So, like 130 other HPA majors this summer, that’s what she , „ , She worked ‘ ‘4O, sometimes 45 hours a week for three credits and no pay. With hospital budgets as tight as they are, paying internships in hospitals are hard to find, she sa y S . Although she got no money for her work, DeGregorio says she gained a lot of self-confidence. At the beginning of the summer, however, she was a bit intimidated. “I thought they were going to expect me to know everything,” she says. “But I realized that 80 percent of my job involved common sense and 20 percent was applying what I learned in classes. “I’ve had a lot of jobs since I was 16, but I never had a job I felt was so important.” The big project of DeGregorio’s summer was a mar keting study on whether the hospital should open a satellite office. She had never done such a thing, but after hours in the library poring over census data, she handed her boss a 120-page report. Mission accom- “The guy was so amazed. He said the study was more in-depth than the one he’d done a couple of years before.” The experience of working in a hospital has made a difference in her classes this year, DeGregorio says. “Sitting in my classes I can actually relate to what we’re studying,” she says. On the road People in Harris Township will be living with the result of Eric Tabacek’s internship for the next 20 years. Tabacek (senior-civil engineering) spent the summer rating the condition of the streets in the Centre County township. , , He studied the maintenance history of the roads, counted cracks and potholes and adopted a PennDOT street-rating program to something townships can use. He got academic credits, a wage of $5.25 an hour and a chance to work on his own. Tabacek enjoyed the job and the freedom that came with it. Sometimes, when he would be out checking the roads Veda Nyoth (junior-foreign service tics) poses with Rep. Joe Koiter (D- D.C. office, where she worked as a in his shirt and tie, residents would come up to him and offer their opinions of the road. ... “Some of the citizens get hotheaded, but you just have to talk to them one-on-one,” he says. Having set work hours can be appealing, he says. “I worked eight hours and then I didn’t have to work anymore. I’d go home and relax. And my friends, who were in school, would be working all the time. His main concern was the results of the street-rating project, he says. , r .. “I was afraid they’d expect too much out of the project, that it’d solve all their problems. . .1 didn t want to let them down. „ , , , “I realized this before, but it isn t all bookwork. You have to deal with people.” Behind the news Not many students have the chance to have the daily results of their summer jobs seen by thousands of people, but that’s one plus journalism interns can claim. In some ways, it’s one of the few concrete advantages of broadcast journalism internships, which usually don t pay at all and involve long, harried hours. For Jennifer Williams (junior-broadcast journalism) the one credit she got working as a broadcast assistant to CBS’ southern New Jersey correspondent was well Some of the stories she helped cover included Karen Ann Quinlan’s funeral and the Beach Boys concert in Philadelphia on the Fourth of July. , . Williams worked with the same reporter and two televison crew members all summer for 45-50 hours a W< *Tnever felt like I was an outsider an intern. I was expecting to and I didn’t,” she says. . Williams is only this semester beginning her journa lism courses, so she says she learned a lot from watch ing the reporter she worked with. “What I learned most from her was how to approach people, learn how to back off, she says. One of the toughest assignments of the summer was a story on the “mercy killing” of a quadrapalegic woman. “The father was screaming” and Williams says she was uncomfortable, but “covering stories like that is just part of the job.” . , •• . The summer job made a difference in how she ap proaches her classes, she says. . “I have Journ.' 392 (broadcast news) and I love it. We’re doing man-on-the-street interviews and I have so much fun doing it. . _ T . “I think I’m enjoying my classes more because I ve seen it done. , , , ■ f “Working made me anxious to graduate and get out there.” Special thanks to all those who answered The Daily Collegian classified ad asking for people to talk about their internships. Due to the large number of responses, not everyone was interviewed. The Daily Collegian Tuesday, Sept. 17, 1985 »t V *■ S * - s “ * ** \ and international poll •4th) in his Washington, summer intern. business Tax to push up liquor prices tors, 1321 E. College Ave., said his store is not increasing its inventory after the price increase. Hjckey said he believes the price will not affect drink- A new federal excise tax will hit state liquor stores ers choices because “You have your beer drinkers and Oct. 1 bringing the total amount of tax on liquor to almost you have your hard liquor drinkers, and those people who 50 percent of the total purchase price. sit around bars drinking hard liquor will not stop drinking The increase, part of a revenue package passed June 9, it because the price goes up.” 1984, will raise the federal tax on liquor from 23.5 to 28.5 Bars in the State College, area seem to believe the tax percent; however, the amount of state and local tax paid increase will not affect their prices. John Cocolin of The will decrease from 20.7 percent to 19.9 percent. In terms Gingerbread Man, 130 Heister St.., said there, will be no of actual dollars the tax could push liquor prices up as increase in the establishment s prices immediately or in much as $2 a gallon. the near future. Lisa Tate, spokeswoman for the Distilled Spirits Coun- The Kasser Distillery, a state-authorized distributor cil of the United States, said sales on liquor are expected located in Philadelphia, which supplies the state liquor to drop five percent in the next year due to the tax store on North Atherton with some of its stock, said it is increase running no special promotions or displays in preparation The decrease would be the latest in a long line for the ,for the September rush of those who wish to stock up. liquor industry. Between 1974 and 1984, annual per capita Outside of Pennsylvania, in New York and Washington consumption of hard liquor fell 14 percent to 2.46 gallons D.C. for example, where liquor sales are not state per person, Tate said. controlled, liquor stores are preparing for the increase Most liquor stores around the country are preparing for with large promotional signs both in the store and in front the Oct. 1 tax hike with special advertising and displays, windows. Robert Scott, manager of the state liquor store, 1688 N. Richard Coolen of Park Avenue Liquor Shop, 292 Atherton St., said individual companies handle the pro- Madison Ave., New York, says his store has posted motions themselves, not the state stores. several very large red and white posters that read. Buy Scott added, however, that “in order to anticipate the Now ... Beat the Big Federal Tax Increase of Oct. 1 September rush, Harrisburg is increasing (all state) Stock up on your favorite brands.” . stores’ inventories, although inventory will return to But Coolen says the store is not increasing its inventory normal after Oct 1 ” in preparation for the rush because of a floor tax on It cannot be determined how beer sales will be affected existing inventory which will prevent stores from stock by the tax, but John Hickey of W.R. Hickey Beer Distribu- piling before the new tax takes affect. By DEBBIE SKLAR Collegian Business Writer £★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★s. * Penn State * * Synchronized Swimmers * J invite you to join us jf for our 1986 season A £ NO €XP€RI€NC€ N6CBSSRRV * t Sept. 18, 6:30 p.m. * * White Bldg. * Order of Omega Order of Omega Order of Omega Order of Omega Order of Omega Order of Omega Order of Omega o°der of Omega Order of Omega Order of Omega Order of Omega Order of Omega Order of Omega © 1985 Domino’s Pizza Inc, Limited Delivery Area ' Our Drivers Carry Less Than $2O j La hbi hh mem mmm mm mm va ,^m mm -- 1 - Meeting Wednesday Sept. 18 7pm 265 Willard Nominations for Officers 2 nd Meeting Sunday Sept. 22 7pm 267 Willard Further Nominations & Elections Fri.-Sat. 11:00-3:00am Domino’s Pizza Highlighter Get a free Domino’s Pizza highlighter with any pizza. Just ask when you order. Offer pood while supplies last. North: 237-1414 1104 N. Atherton South: 234-5655 421 Rear E. Beaver Smoking costs $658 annually By JIM DRINKARD Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON, D.C. - Disease and lost productivity due to smoking are costing the United States some $65 billion a year more than $2 for every pack of cigarettes consumed according to a new congressional study released yesterday. The new estimate from the Office of Technology Assessment, Congress’ scientific advisory body, is substan tially higher than past calculations of the costs of smoking reflected in increased medical bills, premature death and time lost from work. "Our economy is losing more than $lO million an hour because of the smoking habit," said Rep. Fortney Stark, D-Calif., who requested the study. “This study confirms our sus picion that smoking is not only a deadly habit, but a costly one for the federal health care budget.” Stark, chairman of the health sub committee of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, is push ing legislation to keep the cigarette tax at its current 16 cents per pack instead of allowing it to revert to £ Expires 9/17/85 | FREE DELIVERY DAILY Wear your PiMaTT T-Shirt g Starting at 11 a.m. into the store and get 1 free % one coupon per customer topping on SAVE }M to 50% Comer of College and Allen Downtown State College eight cents a pack as scheduled at the end of this month. Stark’s bill would earmark part of the revenue to help pay for federal health care programs. Focusing on the three major causes of disease attributed to smoking cancer, heart disease and lung ail ments the congressional research ers said the habit adds $22 billion a year to the nation’s health-care costs and costs $43 billion in lost productivi ty and wages. OTA put the total cost of smoking in the range of $3B billion to $95 billion a year, with a middle estimate of $65 billion, or $2.17 for each pack of cigarettes sold. It said its new figures represent a conservative estimate. In 1984, U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Hoop said smoking costs $4O billion a year, and an estimate in August in the New York State Journal of Medicine put the range at $39 billion to $55 billion. Tobacco interests immediately dis puted the figures, saying the congres sional study was hasty and inconclusive. “The OTA memo releasd today demonstrates how little is known about the relationship of personal Fizza IT I *Whole wheat dough available H FREE 16 oz. Pepsis I ith any fizza TT ! FizzalT ■ C ..S- The Daily Collegian Tuesday, Sept. 17, 1983—3 behavior to disease, and then in turn, disease to costs,” said Anne Browder, assistant to the president of the To bacco Institute. Most of the data for the new esti mate are drawn from earlier studies by the American Cancer Society and other groups. The OTA paper says the latest estimate for smoking-related deaths, for 1982, includes 139,000 caused by cancers, 123,000 from car diovascular disease and 52,000 from chronic lung diseases. Researchers acknowledged the dif ficulties in coming up with accurate estimates. For example, smokers tend to be heavier drinkers of alcohol ic beverages, meaning that some health effects may not be directly linked to their smoking. For that reason, cirrhosis of the liver and ulcers were excluded from the cost figures. Smoking effects which cause a far smaller number of deaths or for which less data are available, such as damage to infants born to smoking mothers, the breathing of cigarette smoke by non-smokers and the ef fects of cigarette-caused fires, were left out of the study as well. SAVE Vl to V 2 on our largest selection of solid gold jewelry ever. Always beautiful and always competitively priced and now reduced for Super Savings. Big savings on over a thousand gold chains, hundreds of pairs of gold earrings, stylish gold bracelets (in both link and bangle styles), gold pins and broaches, plus gold pendants and charms and gold rings for him and her. Lay Away now for Christmas. ? '• * * ■ermw?*"'" Open To Serve You Monday thru Friday 9:OOAM to S:3OPM Thursday Evenings till 9:OOPM Saturdays 9:OOAM to S:OOPM ES i^-ii
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers