opinions editorial opinion Push the difference When University President Bryce Jordan took office more than two years ago, he said his goal was to make Penn State one of the top 10 universities in the country. A lofty goal, maybe, but attainable all the same. Jordan may or may not have been aware that he’d be fighting the governor and state legislators in his attempts to bolster Penn State into the realm of greatness. If he didn’t know then, he does now. Fortunately, Jordan has not been satis fied by the less-than-accomodating state appropriations that Penn State has received in the past. Instead, he has viewed increas ing them as a challenge. This year’s state appropriation request exemplifies the culmination of Jordan’s efforts to convince state officials that Penn State’s mission, as well as the missions of the University of Pittsburgh and Temple University, differs from the mission of the 14 state-owned universities. Jordan and the two other presidents say that, unlike the 14 state-owned universities, Penn State, Pitt and Temple are involved not only in large undergraduate programs, but also in graduate and professional educa tion, research and public service activities. From this variation comes the concept of differential funding. This funding, which Jordan initiated with the presidents of Pitt and Temple, accounts for an increase in funding for the state-related universities whose role in the Commonwealth goes be : yond undergraduate instruction. The current system of funding higher education in Pennsylvania does not address differing missions appropriations in creases are generally made across the board. In other words, if Penn State gets a six percent increase in state funding, so does every one of the 14 state-owned univer sities, as well as Pitt and Temple. But University officials, led by Jordan, are working to convince state officials that “Pennsylvania’s public research universi ties have a critical and central role in attracting and sustaining industrial and daily Collegian Thursday, Nov. 21,1985 ‘©1985 Collegian Inc. Gail L. Johnson Editor Business Manager The Daily Collegian’s editorial opin ion is determined by its Board of Opinion, with the editor holding final responsibility. Opinions ex pressed 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 publica tions, is a separate corporate insti tution from Penn State. Board of Editors Managing Edi tor: Mark DiAntonio; Opinion Editor: Doug Popovich; News Editors: Pat rick Collier, Bill Ferrell, Anita Katz; Copy/Wire EditPrs: Bob King, Anita Yesho, Phil Galewitz, Sue Graffius, Colleen Barry, Lori Goldbach, Ron Yeany; Town Editor: Pete Baratta; Assistant Town Editor: Megan O’Matz; Campus Editor: Anita Hus lin; Assistant Campus Editor: Kim Journalists too: Last week I attended a national conven tion of the Society of Professional Journal ists, Sigma Delta Chi in Phoenix, Arizona. The convention was a great experience to learn more about journalism and hear what professionals had to say about American print and broadcast journalism. But, I learned something more than I had bargained for by attending the convention. I learned how easy it is to forget the impor tance of press freedom. And even journal ists themselves, if they aren’t careful, can forget that importance. Going to the convention I looked forward to interacting with practicing journalists from all over the country as well as meeting Bower; Sports Editor: Chris Lindsley; Assistant Sports Editors: Mark Ashenfelter, Chris Loder, Chris Raymond; Arts Editor: Jeff Bliss; Assistant Arts Editor: Pat Grandjean; Features Editor: Amy Fellin; Science Editor: Nan Acens; Graphics Editor: Tony Ciccarelli; Photo Editor: Jeff Bustraan; Assis tant Photo Editors: Dan Oleski, Gregg Zelkin; Business Page Coor dinator: Rich Douma. Karen Jaret Board of Managers Sales Man ager: Susan Shamlian; Assistant Sales Manager: Dawn Kelley: Ac counting Manager: Cathy Reese; Marketing Manager: Roland Deal, Jr.; Office Manager: Wendy Metzg er; Assistant Office Manager: Amy Norris; Layout Coordinator: Corinne Salameh. Letters Policy: The Daily Collegian encourages comments on news coverage, editorial policy and Uni versity affairs. Letters should be typewritten, double-spaced, signed by no more than two people and not longer than 30 lines. Students’ let ters should include semester stand ing, major and campus of the writer. Letters from alumni should include How easily business development in the "Common wealth.” They have been working closely with the state Department of Education to develop an information system that will convince state officials by justifying the needs of the three universities. This work has developed into a plan which thoroughly examines the University’s successes, failures and needs by providing information on such things as private support, minority recruitment and cost-cutting efforts in programs. The University’s 1986-87 state appropria tion request also calls for $12.3 million in differential funding. That money is ear marked for critical need items the Universi ty has called for, like scientific equipment and minority student aid. When Jordan outlined his plans for the University Board of Trustees last week, they were met with overwhelming appro val. Trustee Cecile Springer applauded Jor dan for providing the leadership necessary to establish differential funding. Sen. Edward Zemprelli, who is also a member of the Board of Trustees, said he supports the concept of differential funding and pointed out the Penn State heart as one of the special contributions of the Universi ty. “This is basically the reason you should be specially funded. There is a difference, you should push that,” he said. Such pushing is nothing new to Jordan he’s been applying that pressure since he first came to the University two years ago. Pressure which he will continue to exert through lobbying. Those lobbying efforts will be the last leg of the trip down the long financial road for Jordan and the rest of the University ad ministration as they work toward putting the University among the top 10 universities in the country. So far, the leadership and commitment of Bryce Jordan have made the traveling smooth, but it is now up to state officials to determine how far the University can go. is to forget what role the media is supposed to play in society other college journalists, who like myself, are just getting a start in this field. The highlight of the convention was to be a dinner and “roast" in honor of CBS news commentator Walter Cronkite. The roast would include ribbings by friends Andy Rooney of 60 Minutes, Marlene Sanders of CBS Newsbreak and CBS news producer Bud Benjamin. While my companion from Penn State and myself were somewhat annoyed that every one who wanted to go to the roast had to give a “donation” of $lO, with the thought of actually seeing Walter Cronkite in mind, we quickly paid. On the day of the roast though I was shocked to see a picture of Walter Cronkite on the front page of the The Phoenix Gazette and a headline reading “Cronkite roast closed to press.” The article said that SPJ President Frank Sutherland had'canceled plans with cable television network C-SPAN best known for its unedited coverage of U.S. congressional sessions from broad casting the roast. Sutherland said the speakers scheduled for the roast were not aware that the event would be broadcast and therefore the television coverage might the major and year of graduation of the writer. All writers should provide their address and.phone number for verification of the letter. The Collegian reserves the right to edit letters for length and to reject letters if they are libelous or do not conform to standards of good taste. Because of the number of letters received, the Collegian cannot guar antee publication of all the letters it receives. All letters received be come the property of Collegian Inc. Mail letters to: The Daily Collegian; 126 Carnegie Building; University Park, Pa. 16802. Names may be withheld on request. Letters may also be selected for publication in The Weekly Collegian. About the Collegian: The Daily Collegian and The Weekly Collegian are published by Collegian Inc., an independent, non-profit corporation with a board of directors composed of students, faculty and profession als. Students of The Pennsylvania State University write and edit both papers and solicit advertising material for them. The Daily Colle gian is published Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday during the semester. inhibit what they had planned to say about Cronkite. At first I couldn’t help but laugh. I mean, a journalism society closing something to the press was just too unbelievable to be true. I thought about one of the conferences I’d attended at the convention just the day before that focused on the First Amend ment. The speakers stressed to the audience that journalists have to make the public more aware of the importance of press freedom. How ironic that this organization is plan ning a major advertising campaign for 1991 when the United States Constitution turns 200 years old called Project Watchdog. The program is aimed at educating the public on the importance of a free press and what might happen if the press is denied freedom of information. One idea for the campaign is to explain how the Soviet media functions as merely an arm of the government and is manipulated and re strained from providing more than highly censored information. C-SPAN producer Carl Rutan argued that editors and publishers would scream if they weren’t allowed to cover a newsworthy MEED " WE CUT NEDIUFI-RANGE and STRATEGIC FORCES BY HALF, AND PULL OUT OF AFGHANISTAN',, What Dm Regan Cbesnt Realize.,, reader opinion Not write In regard to the article, “Writing-intensive courses part of general ed. plan,” I was extremely frustrated. As for Anne Herringtons’s assumption that “writing is a more effective way of learning . . I disagree. When I write a paper, I worry more about how to write it and spend less time thinking (and learning) about the topic I am writing on. Reading and discussing a topic teaches me more than writing about how to write on that topic. During High school, I took four years of advanced and college prepatory English clases, and hardly improved my writing ability or at least my grades indicated such. As a freshman taking English 15 (I was accepted into English 30 but opted to take the “lower”), I find I still do not have the writing talent to pull off A’s. Well, I’ve tried, and I feel that regardless of how many English courses I take, my writing will primarily stay the same. I understand that written communication is an ability which we should all have, but I don’t believe we should all have to be masters of it. This skill should be left to the English majors of the world, for isn’t that what an English major is? Lauren Chesterton, freshman—business administra tion Removed doubts If I had any lingering doubts about the wrongness of capital punishment, Wednesday’s opinion page removed them. Those opposed to capital punishment presented closely reasoned arguments that called for us as human beings to rise to a more humane level. Those supporting capital punishment appealed to our desire for vengence, one of our most beastial emotions and one' which Chris tianity explicitly condemns. It’s interesting that only one person wrote a letter supporting capital punishment and that that letter was so half-hearted it indicated (to me at least) a normal person trying to sort through the confusion of - emotion and morality surrounding the issue. I’m sure many more people support capital punishment, but I suspect that if so few bothered to write about it perhaps they have not bothered'to think about it either. As for Michael A. Moyer, I am not surprised he was the one to write the only outright support of capital punish ment. This particular column began with the grossest of emotional appeals, followed it with two logical fallacies (vengence equals justice, and “The real question is why shouldn’t we use capital punishment”), and concluded the mess by responding to the main arguments of his opposi tion without answering or rebutting them. The overall effect was so disgustingly slimy it left me completely convinced that capital punishment is indefensible. Still, if anyone can present an argument supporting capital meeting and that Walter Cronkite is a nationally known figure anything he does is of public interest and the network had a right to broadcast the event. Personally, I disagree with C-SPAN’s reason for wanting to cover the roast I don’t believe everything Walter Cronkite does is of public interest. However, I do agree that they did have the right to broad cast it. After all, how could a group so concerned with professional journalism have a double standard of news coverage? Later that day it was announced that the roast would be televised; the participants had been consulted about C-SPAN and they didn’t mind the coverage. Many people were relieved. I’d heard many comments about “how embarrass ing” and “how out of hand” the issue had become. But even more evident was the dose of reality everyone had to swallow. The roast was opened to C-SPAN because of all the media coverage it received locally and nationally from the Associated Press, newspapers and news broadcasts. The pow er of the press made the executives of SPJ realize they had made a grave error. „.ANP Vls'll open SIRATEGIC defense initiative research TO SOVIET SCIENTIST EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY., J punishment that is as logical and humane as those published Wednesday opposing capital punishment, I would like to hear it. Joseph Myers, senior-architectural engineering and east Asian studies Health alternatives As William R. LePage of Central Pennsylvania Health Systems Agency points out in Thursday’s paper (Oct. 31), the cost of health care has and will continue to surpass its already exorbitant rates. One such program I have heard of that cuts health care costs is the idea of Work Site Health Enhancement Programs. This program encourages employee “well ness” by offering reductions in insurance and hospital costs provided the company’s employees engage in a “wellness” (i.e..weight loss, smoking, aerobics) pro gram. Benefits for companies are three-fold. Better employee health will reduce the rate of absenteeism on the job. Better employee health is condusive to higher employee productivity. Lastly, and most significantly, health care costs will be reduced. With such a wealth of gain possible, it would be highly desirable for companies to find out more about this and other types of programs. Only lip .In today’s society people are opposed to underage drinking, but it appears to be more lip service than actual fact. There are a number of social groups and fraternities that claim to be against underage drinking. Yet you can go to any number of their gatherings and you will observe numerous underage drinkers. Since these groups are not going to stop underage drinking on their own, it is up to our political leaders to put an end to this problem. I feel that by laying down tougher regulations against underaged drinking the elect ed officicals who we put in office could solve this dilem ma. To bring it down to our own university level, I feel that the Alcohol Task Force will need to have a greater impact on recommending additional probationary status for the first offense. I feel that the University should require each fraternity to card people at the door. I feel that if the university inplements stronger regulations, that through time students will adopt a more responsible attitude toward this problem. In other words, the power of the press made the press allow the press to cover the roast. I don’t think anyone who attended the convention will soon forget how the SPJ executives thought only in terms of trying not to inconvenience participants of the roast and did not consider the broader issue. Even Mr. Cronkite, after saying that he did not feel a roast in his honor merited being broadcast, stated that C-SPAN had a right to broadcast the event and that the public has a right to access to as much information as possible. Ironically, an incident like this shows how important press freedom is. I don’t mean to say that the roast was something that had to „ be covered. Or that SPJ should be con demned it realized its mistake. What I do mean is that this showed me how easily the press can lose its freedom, and how easily all of us can forget what role the media is suppose to play in society. . Jeanette Krebs is a senior majoring in journalism and minoring in Spanish and Latin American Studies and is the Colle gian’s national reporter The Daily Collegian Thursday, Nov. 21, 1985 Glenn R. Hoffsommer, senior-marketing Ed Monoghan, freshman-business TELL MISHA— 'LL TELL Ron / opinions Bogus That long-deserved and awaited-for letter arrived yesterday. Thank you, Gail Hurley, for the effort. It was richly deserved by some, not so much by others. But there are a few things about East Orientation that you don’t quite understand. Let me explain and perhaps you’ll see why I find that letter so incredibly BOGUS! Two weeks before orientation, the coordinator in charge resigned and was never replaced. Thus, there was little to no communication between the core group and the residence hall staff, who were equally as busy. The orientation work fell on this core group without them there would have been nothing. They know who they are. The core group wishes to thank the staff for their help, not vice versa as your letter stated. Special thanks for the constant complaints that, I might add, continue to this day. No, I’m sorry, you did foot a $377 bill that you shouldn’t have. But let me clarify: No communication leads to big mistak es. No one is solely responsible for -this mistake. Tell,me, will I fail to graduate due to an outstanding bill? BOGUS! Your letter also stated a thanks for the time and energy that we devoted. Time yeah! It took me two days to meet my roommate, about three weeks to begin to meet my house and about till now to realize that none of it was worth it. So many good things came out of orientation the least congested arrival day ever, record breaking crowds at events, one of the most active ERAs ever, and so much more. None of it has been recognized as an effort from some devoted indi viduals and probably never will. BO GUS! Finally, you state that there is a danger of being so busy that we IFC DANCE MARATHON IFC DANCE MARATHON IFC DANCE MARATHON IFC DANCE W » y n All entries must be dropped off at 310 HUB by 5:00 p.m. Any questions call 863-2283 Poster must include theme and 1986 IFC Dance Marathon IFC DANCE MARATHON IFC DANCE MARATHON IFC DANCE MARATHON IFC DANCE 1 » 1986 IFC DANCE MARATHON POSTER CONTEST This Year’s Theme: + m So We Danced *5O FIRST PRIZE Due Date Extended: Friday Nov. neglect to appreciate a task well done. Your thanks was the first thanks that was given that was not tainted with bad feelings. And even that thanks doesn’t begin to reward some individuals for their dedication. It is sad that large efforts come to nothing due to lack of appreciation. Maybe I just expected too much, like I always do. Oh well, there’s always next year and I have a feeling that orientation will be the best ever, but not for me. Orientation was probably the great est week of my life, regardless of how sour that week now seems. It’s BO GUS, but as the song says: “It’s a little too little, it’s a little too late!” Regina Barron, senior-environ mental engineering Reflects society The tension (conflict? hostility?) involved in recent “controversy” as to whether the Undergraduate Stu dent Government would withdraw from the Penn State Movie Co-op is perhaps more clearly viewed through the lens of the misogyny (that’s “woman hatred”) that supports, so to speak, literally (and financially) America’s male-supremacist society. It’s accurate enough to describe the showing of porn as “not indicative of a commitment to women” but that’s accurate to say about all of society. I must admit, though, I wonder how USG will work to eliminate “some of the problems” the Department of Women’s Concerns has with the oper ation (the operation, of course, being porn-for-profit); “for example, sexist advertising of pornographic movies.” I just can’t wait to see the Co-op come up with, no pun, “non-sexist advertis ing of porno.” Jean S. Guertler, State College AIDS: An accurate "Frost"? By ANTHONY D’AUGELLI NBC-TV’s “An Early Frost” had many com mendable features. It brought to a national audi ence a convincing family drama involving a successful lawyer’s experience with AIDS, a dis ease complex that has directly affected over 14,000 families. The man is living in a gay marriage, with a warm and engaging lover who restores antiques. He comes from a successful upper/middle-class family his father is the owner of a lumber company, his mother a musician and piano in structor, his sister is married and pregnant, his grandmother is an important part of the family’s life. From the little provided about his back ground, he has led a conventional life and his development as a gay person appears to have been less tumultuous than most lesbian women and gay men experience, perhaps because of his unwilling ness to confide in his family. (Or his colleagues: Many professionals, executives and scientists who are gay fear loss of status and career opportunities if they share this part of their lives.) He has been monogamous for two years and reports very few other sexual experiences. None of the “promiscu ous” hyperactivity, late nights, drug and alcohol abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, inadequate nutrition, under-employment and low achieve ment, and chronic stress related to being unique in a culture that devalues women, people of color, people of diverse affectional interests, or aging adults. “An Early Frost” could be subtitled’ “AIDS gets a GUPPY” (a Young, Gay Urban Professional). What’s wrong with this portrait? Both nothing and everything. There may well be AIDS cases like this lawyer; gay men for whom AIDS rep resents an inexplicable “early frost,” an Winner announced Nov. 25 forum • Customer pays applicable sales tax. H n « Not valid with any other coupon on £ g • Valid during all business hours. same menu hem. B onslaught on immune systems never before marred by a single viral infection acquired by sexual involvement with an infected friend or partner; never compromised by occupational, financial or family stress; never assaulted by the use of cocaine, amphetamines, amyl nitrate, quaa ludes, marijuana, heroin, PCP, etc.; never made physically vulnerable due to repeated anal inter course with different partners, many of whom may inadvertently cause minor ruptures in the rectal lining; never physically assaulted by het erosexually-oriented victimizers who excel in “fag-bashing.” Nor is this AIDS victim a habitual user of intravenous street drugs or a member of the ethnic minority groups over-represented among federal statistics. Would viewers watch a portrayal of the more realistic “early frost” of a poor Hispanic man in New York City who may or may not be bisexual or gay, whose life has been a series of tragic personal and family stresses, .whose work is unbearable because of discrimina tion, who sees no future for himself in the Ameri can dream, and who finds peace in a drug-induced calm with an infected dirty needle shared with a viral carrier? Would an advertiser pay to sell a cold remedy during commercials on such a realis tic portrait? Would you watch this “early frost”? The most recent breakthrough in AIDS research did not occur in a biochemical lab in the National Cancer Institute nor the Institute Pasteur in Paris. Rather, it appeared in that most sedate of publica tions, The'Wall Street Journal. Reflecting an ever increasing disenchantment with the popular image that healthy (and “homosexual”) people “get” AIDS, Terry Krieger and Cesar A. Caceres present strong evidence that preexistent immune damage, particularly because of drug abuse, is the “unnoticed link” in reported AIDS cases. Com pletely sweeping aside the obfuscation caused by the official AIDS scientific and professional com munities, their October 24,1985 report will radical ize how we view AIDS and people with AIDS. Relying only on Centers for Disease Control pub . lished data and interviews with former CDC staff members, the reporters come to the astonishing conclusion that about 79 percent of all AIDS LATE NIGHT FOR TWO A AJLs soon as you get a could get the American Express® Card. If you're a senior, all you need is to accept a $lO,OOO career-oriented job. That’s it. No strings. No gimmicks. (And even if you don't nave a job right now, don't worry. This offer is still good up to 12 months after you graduate.) Why is American Express making it easier for you to get the Card right now? r - — - -—- Well, simply stated, we be lieve in your future. And as you go up the ladder, we can help— i ana iffikipsonb'' in a lot of ways. ‘ » The Daily Collegian Thursday, Nov. 21, 1985—11 patients can be assumed to have preexisting immune damage, whether because of repeated recreational use of legal or illicit street drugs. One former CDC official, Dr. Harry Haverkos, esti mated that up to 75 percent of the gay AIDS patients have used oral street drugs at least weekly for years, though they were not intrave nous drug users. The report essentially destroys the hypothesis that homosexuality per se is the “risk factor” from AIDS in gay / bisexual AIDS cases. This pervasive myth, they argue, is based on three erroneous assumptions: that most gay men are extremely “promiscuous,” that gay sex is in general riskier than heterosexual activity, and that gay sex is completely different from hetero sexual sex. None of these are true. (As they write, “Any sexual act performed by two men also can be and often is performed by a man and a woman.”) Their complete argument cannot be reproduced here, but their two major conclusions are essential to stopping the AIDS worries most people apparently experience at some level, par ticularly as it relates to gay men, women and their families. The first point is that the rate of increase of new AIDS cases is clearly declining and AIDS is stabilizing. (They quote an unreleased CDC analy sis as stating that the “composite trend for all U.S. AIDS cases” was in “a transition period that may plateau in 1985.”) Finally, they place the blame for AIDS not at the doorstep of gay households like the one portrayed in “An Early Frost,” but squarely before those the data implicate: “the nation’s overall health probably has been endangered less by AIDS than by the pervasive drug abuse that may be a cause of it.” Perhaps it is timely that we cease perpetuating the tragic misunderstandings that will destroy more healthy and productive families than this peculiar immune system disor der will. Anthony D'Augelli is an associate professor of human development. A clinical-community psy chologist, he is a fellow of the American Psycho logical Association. Only $ 4.93 The Card can help you begin to establish your credit history. And, for business, the Card is invaluable for travel and restaurants. As well as shop ping for yourself. Of course, the American Express Card is recognized around the world. So you are too. So call 1-800-THE-CARD and j-, ask to have a Special Student Application sent to you. Or look for one on campus. ! The American Express Card. ! Don’t leave school without it. SM 237-7314 Expires 11/25/85 1 14" Italian Sub 2 Bags of Chips 2 Drinks
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers