opinions editorial opinion A gSY,;~Fo Thanksgiving: in the U.S. (?) um UP WITH The 70RKEY, HONEY— I'M STARVE?*: .. 1 HOLIDAY IGNORANCE Ethiopia % * The Daily Collegian Wednesday, Nov. 27, 1985 For today's editorial, the graphics staff of The Daily Collegian have contrib uted their cartoons correlating Thanksgiving in America and the fight against hunger in Africa. opinions reader opinion Missing What would you do if you realized that your son or daughter were missing? What would you do? For many of these children their faces appear on everything from milk cartons, highway tickets to grocery bags and utility bills, hoping that their face will look familiar to someone. In 1983, the television film Adam, which told of the abduction and murder of 6-year-old Adam Walsh, aired three times. This story woke many people up about the increasing number of missing and exploited children and that something desperately needs to be done. Last year, a National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was set up by the administration with congres sional support. The center is based in Washington, D.C. It is a toll-free hotline and offers assistance to parents in finding children and preventing abduction. Statistics now show that between 1.1 and 1.5 million children are missing each year. A large number of these cases are due to increase in parental kidnapping. Child safety experts estimate each year that 10,000 children are abducted by a non-custodial parent. The child reason for this is revenge on the other parent and not love for the child; often times the child is neglected or abused. To stop this increase in kidnapping, state legislators have been passing new laws so that now parental kidnap ping will be treated as a felony, and that harsher penalties will be enforced. Forty six states have already enforced this law. The National Center and Other Missing Children pro grams had originally been called by congress to fund $lO million to support the program through 1989. As of now the administration provides about $5 million. Child kidnapping and exploitation of children will not just go away. Parents need to take special precautions for the protection of their children, because if they don’t, their child’s face could be on the next milk carton. Linda Syktich, junior-sociology Sad statistics While reading the Collegian’s Police Log the other day, a friend of mine commented offfhandedly, “Did you see that there was another rape? How scary.” Her tone of voice insinuated that this is a common, if awful, occur ence. What’s even more terrible, and more common than we’d like to admit, is date rape, date rape being the term that is used when a man has sexual intercourse with a woman against her consent. I know that I, for one, never knew that so many of the rapes that occur today are by men the victims were previously acquainted with. A study of 500 students at Brown University revealed that 16 percent of the women interviewed had been forced to have sexual relations with a man they had known or had been dating, while 11 percent of the men admitted to having forced himself on a woman. Another study revealed that, sadly enough, a very small percentage of date rapes are reported. Maybe that is because a victim may feel she would be looked at by society as if she were to blame; conceivably, reporting a rape could cause even more emotional repercussions. But perhaps the main reason date rape is not reported is because it is not recognized as rape. A woman’s image of rape consists of being attacked in a dark alley by an ominous stranger, not in the car of that gorgeous guy she may have met at a fraternity party. It’s hard to compre hend, but if a woman is forced, in any way, by any one, to have sexual intercourse, that is rape, and it should be reported. What really scares me is the fact that, at one time, most girls I know, myself included, have left a frat party with a guy we’d just met, not with the intention of sleeping with him, but also not realizing the potentially dangerous situation we were putting ourselves in. We have been lucky. Many women are not. (All statistics have been taken from the New York Times, Oct. 23, 1985, “A Recognition of the Realities of Date Rape.”) Mary E. Heberling, freshman-division of undergradte studies Common sense I am not one who is in the habit of writing to the editor, but there are too many simplistic elements being left out in recent disputes over alcohol policy. This letter is addressed to all University and law enforcement officials. It is surprising to me that your approach to tightening policy is so short-sighted.ln a recent issue of Dorm Magazine there is an article titled “The Party’s Not Over.” In it, the author speaks of the responsibility involved in student drinking and how they are success fully battling recent policy action through the legal system. He also claims “To think this age group will refrain from alcohol would be, in the least, naive, and at most ignorant.” I particularly will address the tailgate situation. Per haps you are victims of pressure from above, but one point is clear, the safety of individuals is not one of your objectives. Your motto is “To Protect and Serve.” You are meeting neither of these goals. Maybe tradition means nothing to you, but it does mean a great deal to the students and alumni of this University (your bread and Thanksgiving: Confessions of a psychedelic turkey who tore the goal "A great mind which is dormant amounts to nothing when compared to a small mind that is put to use ...” Yam, from Shaikespeer’s Death of a Butterball “You’ve got to be kidding, Brycy,” Alfred said as he gave the desk a kick. “I only have one semester left before I graduate, and you’re going to throw me out now. This is real great man. And how am I gonna tell the folks?” “You got yourself into this mess,” the University president said, as he adjusted the knot in his tie so tight that a blood vessel butter). Penn State tailgaiting used to be a great source of pride to this school. It was a huge and colorful festival in a tribute to our school and athletic program. It is not even comparable to what it used to be. We have a University rich in academics and social life. Our school’s eventful and yet very controlled social life is envied by schools across the nation. Our football weekend tradition is being shattered and it won’t be allowed to continue. The tension is created by unwarranted police action in the field has killed the traditionally festive atmosphere. It is clear in speaking with these officers that they do not approve of what they are doing. When considering the number of people at a football game, the number of alcohol-related incidents is minute. Those who are drink ing have planned to do so long before they walk out their front door and the toughest police in the world can’t stop it. The students are walking home and those who drive home are twenty-one or older. This is a college town, Mr. Policeman, and you are the law. But the law is only as strong as the people allow and we are the people. This is not a threat, not even an argument just common sense. As it is written This letter is written in reply to Miss Heaton’s com ments of Nov. 6. First off, Miss Heaton, before you get so riled up that all you can do is defend something from an attack that you don’t understand, listen to a few points. Education comes under attack in that students are all too willing to accept theories presented to them without giving much thought to them. Also, the humanistic, liberal point of view presented in many cases is ridicu lous. It is not just education here that needs help, but education everywhere. Here, just happens to be where we are. As for religion, you were almost correct. Religion in general has fallen away from the doctrines and beliefs which it was originally set up on. So, most people who go through their weekly rituals, are in dire need not necessarily pf repentance but rather of proper lead ership. In reference to your dislike of the attack on Catholi cism, perhaps you should do some research on what Catholicism originally developed from. I am referring to the rituals and hierarchy. I guarantee you, that it did not come from either God or the Bible. The remarks and accusations we make daily are neither biased nor unfounded. In order to truly be saved, you understand that the state which you are presently in is corrupt. However I am glad that you do hold respect for the Bible, so do we. But where we speak does nothing to degrade the Bible. If you want to worship God in your way, then OK. But perhaps you should try worshipping him in the way in which he has instructed us, as it is written in the Bible. Sandra Purring, sophomore- animal bioscience 'True spokesman' I am relieved to find that a true spokesman for the majority of Penn Staters has finally surfaced to settle this dispute over the divestment issue. I am, of course, referring to Mr. Michael A. Moyer and his column of Oct. 31. What an uplifting experience it was for me to open the paper Thursday morning and discover such a well-in formed, stirringly expressed opinion as Mr. Moyer’s! Lately, I’ve gotten tired of hearing all this propaganda about conditions in South Africa being as bad as they are reported to be. Am I supposed to believe that 80 percent of the population is confined to 13 percent of the land because they are not white? Or that stuff about Blacks not having the right to vote, or not being able to speak out against the government without being imprisoned, or those stories about Blacks being beaten or shot indiscrim inately when they gather in public? And I guess I’m supposed to believe that American companies did not go to South Africa to institute socio-political reform, right? Even if I did believe the stories that are circulating through the media, how do I know that divestment is the correct solution? Why should I listen to Bishop Desmond Tutu when there is someone of Mr. Moyer’s reputation to rely on? This same Mr. Moyer, a man brave enough to step forward as the representative of the majority of Penn Staters, has obviously spent countless hours of research in preparing his argument against divestment. It is refreshing to find an examination of the topic that doesn’t rely on emotional outbursts, rampant unsupportable generalizations, and an overall avoidance of reality. Far be it for Mr. Moyer to stoop to such a childish level. Besides, would the Collegian ever permit a staff member to demonstrate such irresponsible journalism? One thing, Mr. Moyer. You must have overlooked me when you performed your comprehensive survey of Penn Staters. So contact me at your convenience. I’ll be looking forward to it. in his forehead seemed ready to burst. “Awe, get off it, Brycy.” “Don’t call me Brycy, punk. My name is Dr. Jordan to you. You should learn to treat the president of this University with some respect.” “OK, Doc, then I got a name too Alfred. Alfred, yeh, that’s my name.” “You could have been removed from the University several times before, Alfred, but we gave you chances to redeem yourself. You threw them away.” “You probably use a straw to suck up your cranberry sauce,” Alfred mumbled. “What’s that, young fledgling? Quit gawking, and listen to the three counts of High Treason against the University you are charged with: “Number one you were convicted of attempted roommate murder. I understand that the temptation to kill a roommate is overwhelming at times, especially since it’s University policy to grant anyone who’s roommate dies a 4.0 for that semester. But you must realize you are not in the wild any longer. “Number two you refused to make memorization your top priority. By trying Timothy J. Deegan, sophomore-prelaw Joe Cole, sophomore-engineering science to learn concepts and questioning your professors you are threatening the stones this institution was founded on.” I guess I am a traitor. My life means nothing. I could have taken, the easy road and became a turkey manager after I graduated from high school. But I decided to go off to college and try to make some thing more of myself. I didn't want to be in charge of leading my own kind to slaughter. But now my dreams are collapsing around me. “Number three Saturday evening after the Pitt-Penn State game you were seen leading a flock of wild students into Beaver Stadium to tear down the goalposts. Then later on that evening in front of Old Main you were identified while holding up a piece of the north goalpost.” I should have known it. One of the people posing as a Collegian reporter Saturday night was actually Bryce Jordan incognito. When he asked me, "Are you happy that Penn State won?” it seemed like such a typical Collegian question. Yet it was actu ally Brycy collecting evidence against me. “As you can see Alfred, we’ve got quite a case against you,” Dr. Jordan said. “Be- daily Collegian Wednesday, Nov. 27,1985 ©1985 Collegian Inc. Karen L. Jaret Business Manager Gail L. Johnson Editor 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 Editors: 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 Bower; Sports Editor: Chris Lindsley; Assistant Sports Editors: Mark Ashenfelter, Chris Loder, Chris Raymond; Arfs Editor: Jeff Bliss; Assistant Arts Editor: Pat Please define State College justice The State College criminal justice community has a strange version of justice. A dictionary tells us that justice is “just treatment; deserved reward or punish ment.” Perhaps the taxpaying local citizenry does get justice but Penn State University students most cer tainly do not. forum I think it is only fair to warn all Penn State Universi ty students that they will end up with a permanent criminal record if they get arrested for a first time offense of retail theft and are foolish enough to listen to the State College police and the district justices, who say “pay the fine and costs and that will be the end of it.” Payment of a fine is considered a conviction and only non-convictions can be expunged (cleared). As soon as a potential employer finds out that you have been convicted of theft, which any employer can easily determine, you will get a polite rejection. In 1972, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court authorized the institution of a unique program for non-violent offenders. It is known as an Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) program. The purpose of the pro gram is to take offenders who have not yet made crime a way of life and encourage them to make a new start under the supervision of the ARD program and by offering them the possibility of restoring a clean record by completing the program successfully. The criminal courts then are available to focus on the handling and rehabilitation of habitual or violent criminals. Such a program is in effect in Philadelphia for retail theft offenders. Centre County criminal justice authorities have decided that an ARD program can only by applied in court cases (misdemeanors and felonies) and not summary cases. But the Supreme Court placed no such limitation on the program. One cannot partici pate in an ARD program for the summary offense of retail theft in Centre County. The State College police arrest all retail theft offend ers regardless of the circumstances. It just so happens that many of these persons are young college students away from home, possibly for the first time, and who are interested in making sure that Mom and Ddd don’t find out. Although these persons do not meet the definition of juvenile, they are relatively naive and easily intimidated by over-zealous merchants and the State College police. They are easy prey for the statistic-hungry police department. I guess the police are too busy writing citations and filing charges to implement an educational program on the retail theft problem. I guess they are too busy to implement a vigorous prevention program too. Since I am a career police officer with 14 years of service, I think I have an idea of what “justice” is. Fairness and impartiality have something to do with it. What is fair about intimidating a young college student into making statements against themselves without benefit of legal counsel or their parents? What is fair posts down posthumously printed cause you were a turkey we gave you a few more chances than we give most students, but like I said ...” A young man burst through the office door, interrupting the president. “Dr. Jordan, I want to close up all the student government meetings from the press/’ the young man said. “They’re getting too hot on our trail about this pornographic movie stuff. They might find out what you and I do with the movies before we send them back to the film company ...” “Shut up,” Dr. Jordan said. “I am talking to someone here. Come back later.” The young man left the room. “Do you want me to call your parents?” Dr. Jordan asked Alfred. “No, that’s OK.” “I’m sorry we had to boot you out of the University. But it is our job. No hard feel ings, I hope?” He reached his hand out to shake Alfred’s wing. Alfred just strutted out of the office. (Columnist’s note: This account is fac tual, and took place just two days ago. Alfred was one of my roommates, but after the meeting he did not return to our place. Grandjean; Features Editor: Amy Fellin; Science Editor: Nan Arens; Graphics Editor: Tony Ciccarelli; Photo Editor: Jeff Bustraan; Assis tant Photo Editors: Dan Oleski, Gregg Zelkin; Business Page Coor dinator: Rich Douma. 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 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. about not getting a job or worse, not getting a hard earned promotion because of one mistake? What is fair about taking an individual who has no prior involve ment with law enforcement authorities and rigidly arresting them without giving them any opportunity to right the wrong in an alternate way: restitution, attending a school, a stern warning, etc. Is it fair to coldly make them a criminal? My training has taught me that a professional police officer uses arrest as a last resort, when all else has failed. A rigid arrest policy cannot possibly ensure justice because the individual is forgotten. In October, my 19-year-old daughter appeared be fore a district justice and pleaded guilty to a first time summary charge of retail theft. In the name of justice, she was ordered to pay a $3OO fine for this “heinous” offense, the maximum fine allowed by law. And now she has a permanent criminal record. Interestingly enough, she cooperated fully with the police and she was not discourteous. In return, she received nothing. No one can condone theft. However, if every person who has ever stolen something was arrested, like my daughter, few among us would have no criminal record. When Jewish leaders and Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery in front of the crowd, they told Jesus that Moses’ law said to kill her. Jesus said “All right, hurl the stones at her until she dies. But only he who never sinned may throw the first! ” Indeed, the State College criminal justice commu nity has accomplished something here. Yes, between the rigid enforcement policy of the State College police, the harsh penalty handed down by the district justice and a head-in-the-sand attitude by the rest of the criminal justice community, they have made my daughter a criminal with a record to prove it. The real result will start to show in three or four years when she applies for a job and does not get one. Thereafter, the real result will show when top positions are being filled by other people, that’s if'she can get a job at all. So then the true cost of this episode of alleged “justice” may well run into thousands upon thousands of dollars and untold anguish. But, I guess this is just treatment, deserved reward and punishment. I guess its fair and impartial. But, others who committed misdemeanors, more serious offenses, are allowed to participate in an ARD program and have their record wiped clean. I guess that’s fair. Meanwhile, we await the arrests of the drug traffickers in the State College area. How many college students and parents know about this? Not many, I’ll bet. Isn’t it time to get justice into your “Happy Valley”? The State College criminal justice community is ruining untold careers. It is too late for my daughter, the damage is done and it is permanent. You got your pound of flesh. Now, when my daughter calls a police officer a “pig” or when she says the system “stinks” or worse, I will not discipline her or correct her, for both comments would fit. But if anyone in State College believes in justice, could he or she please explain to me what “justice” my daughter got. The Daily Collegian Wednesday, Nov. 27, 1985—7 Mall letters to: The Dally 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. Complaints: News and editorial complaints should be presented to the editor. Business and advertising complaints should be presented to the business manager. If a com plaint Is not satisfactorily resolved, grievances may be filed with the Accuracy and Fair Play Committee of Collegian Inc. Information on filing grievances is available from Gerry Lynn Hamilton, executive sec retary, Collegian Inc. 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, and Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday dur ing the summer. It is distributed on the University Park campus. The Weekly Collegian is mailed to Com monwealth campus students, par ents of students, alumni and other subscribers who want to keep abreast of University news. ’ The next afternoon we got word from his mother to ship his belongings home he had sold his body to the turkey factory in Boalsburg. Five grams of cocaine were found in his pocket he had left our townhouse that morning with about 50 grams. Some of the men at the factory claim he ran around for hours after his head was cut off. One old man claimed Alfred died with the calmest expression he had ever seen on a decapitated turkey’s head. Many Boalsburg turkeys are bought by the University and given to University ad ministrators so one of our fine leaders and his family are going on quite a trip when they get to grandmother’s house this Thanksgiving. I have not told you this true story to plead; Alfred would not have wanted it that way. Hopefully by reading this turkey tale we can gain a better understanding of the other turkeys we live with. That is all that Alfred would have asked for.) John Dunn is a senior majoring in English and a columnist for The Daily Collegian. His column appears every Wednesday. Name withheld
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