opinions ditorial opinion A time for action Students and other area residents who believe that vandalism is just a problem for those unfortunate enough to be living near fraternities are likely to find little to be interested about in State College's Crime Watch program. And that's a shame, because this disinter est is just the sort of buck-passing that will allow the problems created by vandalism to persist. Vandalism was listed in last year's Resi dential Improvement Study as one of the top six community concerns. This concern would seem to be well-founded incidents of vandalism have increased annually since 1980 when a year-long campaign against vandalism ended. In the face of this increase, the Anti- Vandalism Committee has been developing a program to encourage awareness of the problem and discourage vandalism. The group, which consists of student, citizen and business organizations, will ask State College residents to keep an eye on their neighbors' properties and keep closer contact with police to fight vandalism. But whether the program is successful depends largely on the participation of college-age residents, who represent 70 percent of the State College population. So far, the signs have been encouraging. The Interfraternity Council is already forming a "Fraternity Crime Watch Pro gram" set to begin operations next week. Members from each downtown fraternity will patrol the area Wednesday and Thurs dathiley Collegian Board of Editors Managing Edi- Board of Managers Assistant tor: Jeanette D. Krebs; Opinion Edi- Business Manager: Amy R. Norris; tor: Doug Popovich; Assistant Accounting Manager: Lori A. Spos- Opinion Editor: Alan J. Craver; sey; Office Manager: Gretchen A. News Editors: Ron Yeany, Bob King, Funk; Assistant Office Manager: Patrick Collier; Copy/Wire Editors: Aileen M. Stickley; Sales Manager: Anita Yesho, Sue_ Graf f ius, Lori Susan Shamlian; Assistant Sales Goldbach, Tim Eyster, Denise Weav- Manager: Michael Kutch; Layout er; Town Editor: Phil Galewitz; As- Coordinator: Nancy George; Market sistant Town Editor: Lori Heller; ing Coordinator: Cathy Jones. Campus Editor: Amy Fellin; Assis tant Campus Editor: Celeste Mc- . . . Friday, Feb. 7, 1986 ©1986 Collegian Inc Anita C. Huslin Editor William G. Landis Jr Business Manager The Daily Collegian's editorial opin- Cau ley; Sports Editor: Mark Complaints: News and editorial ion is determined by its Board of Ashenfelter; Assistant Sports Edi- complaints should be presented to Opnion, with the editor holding final tors: Chris Raymond, Carol D. Rath, the editor. Business and advertising responsibility. Opinions expressed Doug Frank; Arts Editor: Pat Grand- complaints should be presented to on the editorial pages are not nec- Jean; Assistant Arts Editor: Victoria the business manager. If a com essarily those of The Daily Colle- Jaffe; Features Editor: Kris Sorchil- plaint is not satisfactorily resolved, gian, Collegian Inc. or The la; Science Editor: Nan Crystal grievances may be filed with the Pennsylvania State University. Arens; Business Editor: Rich Dou- Accuracy and Fair Play Committee Collegian Inc., publishers of The ma; Graphics Editor: Tony Ciccarel- of Collegian Inc. Information on Daily Collegian and related publica- li; Photo Editor: Gregg Zelkin; filing grievances is available from tions, is a separate corporate insti- Assistant Photo Editors: Jeff Bus- Gerry Lynn Hamilton, executive sec tution from Penn State. traan, Cristy Rickard. retary, Collegian Inc. On Monday, Feb. 17, 1986, The Daily Collegian will percent by 1987. The figure currently stands at 3.7 open its opinion -editorial page to reader opinion con- percent. cerning the formation of the Black Student Coalition Students, faculty and other members of the Universi- Against Racism. ty community are invited to react to BSCAR's plan. BSCAR, comprised of 13 black University organiza- Authors must present letters-to-the-editor (one typed tions, formed in reaction to the University Board of page, double-spaced) or forums (up to three typed Trustee's vote not to divest University holdings in pages, double-spaced) in the Collegian office. in 126 companies operating in South Africa. BSCAR pledged Carnegie Building. Deadline for any letters or forums to oppose minority recruitment efforts until the trust- is Friday, Feb. 14 at 5 p.m. ees reverse their decision. All submissions should be signed, include the au- The University is required by a court mandate to thor's phone number, semester standing and academic increase its black student enrollment figures to 5 major or University position. Going home: Those visits with the parents who remind you to wake up in the morning and give you gifts of Dog Halt I guess those few weekends home were too short and too hectic to notice much. It may have hit some people over Thanksgiv ing break, but I suppose I was too caught up in the raw excitement of parades, football games and real stuffing to notice it then. No, it was that first long break away from school that did it for me. Over Christmas break I experienced for the first time the trauma of returning home. ...., . ~ ' `:‘ fslo l 4... . rof '" l .' ' ' , " . .... "it i ...;.. , ...,-. E . ...' ' '. ' ' '' Now everyone talks about the trauma a college student faces when leaving home for the first time. Leaving parents, family, friends, pets and especially the car can be an emotionally painful ordeal. But the frightening experience of the first time away from home is nothing compared to the mental shock that awaits the student re turning home for the first time. Sure, the majority of us really love home and I'm sure many cried the first time we packed the car and headed for State Col lege. Confess it now, how many clung to the front door chanting "Idonwannago" repeat- BSCAR fights for divestment ~. u+~4~ day nights as well as during weekends "Both fraternities and homes•in the area had experienced a lot of vandalism recent ly," IFC Community Relations Chairman Vinnie Delie said. "The IFC felt that it should take the initiative and decided to take some direct action against it." Delie and the IFC should be commended for taking the initiative to help alleviate the problem. However, the IFC has attacked only the most obvious times when vandal ism incidents occur nights when the area is most active. The challenge remaining is to convince other students that vandalism is a problem that burdens us all. • Every student who rents an apartment should realize that vandalism is a potential ly expensive and often not understood re sponsibility of a leasee. In addition, the Organization for Town Independent Students should help make students aware they are responsible for damages incurred as a result of vandalism possibly through advising or pamphlets. Every State College resident should also be encouraged to join in the fight against vandalism. But whatever is done, it is clear that awareness and the participation of all groups within the community students included is 'the key to combatting the problem. The time has come to take action, if for no other reason than our own self-interest. edly until shot with a tranquilizer gun, tied up and secured to the luggage rack of the family car? Okay, so maybe it was just me. But we were all filled with all kinds of fears the day we moved out, ranging from the fear of having to use a campus map for the rest of our natural lives to anxiety stemming from the realization that we were now responsi ble for doing our own laundry and probably wouldn't see clean clJthes again. It may have been difficult adjusting to college life at first, but gradually the real ization hit that now that we were no longer home, we were basically in command of our own lives. We were becoming independent and we liked it. Remember the joy of newfound freedom away from screaming siblings and prying parents; staying out all night, cutting classes for days on end, playing the stereo at decibel levels only dreamed of when still at home, eating cold pizza and Pepsi for breakfast and doing a dozen other things our parents were likely to drop dead if aware of? At last we were really living! What a shock it was to our newly liberated egos to go home and be subjected to the tyrannies of familyhood! It started on the car ride home when Dad and I played our ritual game of 20,000 Questions. He 'asked. I answered. All the way home. Two hundred grueling miles If gruesome grilling. I began to feel like I was on some sort of game show where the main objective was to answer an endless amount of questions with as few words as possible so as to frustrate the interrogator thus causing him to ask more questions. I had played the game before. I wa:s good at it. "How was your chem exam?" "0.K." "What do you mean by 0.K.?" "I mean that it was 0.K." "Well, do you think that you did well?" "I did 0.K." "How is 0.K.?" "Alright, you know Dad." And so on, for nearly two and a half hours. Next time I plan on packing light and taking the bus. Or walking. Or crawling. Anything to avoid those questions. When I finally arrived home, for reasons unknown I expected that I would be treated differently now that I was a big-time college woman. Oh where did I conceive such an asinine idea? Things were different. My parents now treated me as if I suddenly had the brain of a slow 12-year-old. I guess I shouldn't really complain be cause not once over vacation did I have to think for myself. "I think you should take some medicine for that cold." "Drive carefully and wear a seat belt." "Get a good night's sleep, you have a big day ahead of you tomorrow." Dad may have been just a little bit trying with his questions, but Mom surpassed him with flying colors when it came to 'helpful advice.' In a time span of 24 hours, she told me eCollegian Inc reader opinion Constructive measures Now that everybody is jumping on President Jordan, it may be time for somebody to come to his defense. A vote against divestment of all assests in companies doing business in South Africa is not necessarily a vote for apartheid; neither is a vote for divestment a rational measure to reduce racial bigotry. At the December Faculty Senate meeting, South Africa was compared with Nazi Germany (a comparison in certain ways valid), even though there are some strong forces in South Africa calling for improved conditions for Blacks something which would have been unthinkable under Hitler's regime. The ultimate goal of the divestment policy is to isolate South Africa economically. Nazi Germany was quite well isolated in the 1930 s and 19405, and it was exactly this isolation which allowed the Nazis to rally the people behind a ridiculous regime, against the whole world conceived by the common citizen as the common enemy. The worse the economy in a country is, the more violently do racial tensions flare up. So if you want to foster and worsen racial tensions in South Africa, elimi nate jobs and throw the country into a permanent eco nomic depression, vote for divestment. I prefer to side with President Jordan'ssupport for constructive measures like the Sullivan Principles. Gert Aron, civil engineering professor New light I was very disturbed when I read the statements made by Schumann and Sestito in the Jan. 30 edition of The Daily Collegian. and I would like to repudiate some of them. nine times to be careful because there was ice on the sidewalk. She would call me from work to see if I remembered to get up. I was really grateful that she gave me some truly useful reminders on food preparation be cause I probably would have forgotten and served the darn spaghetti dry had she not reminded me to boil it first. . I tried to ignore it for the first few days, but eventually the "button your coat's" and the "drink your milk's" became hard to ignore. I finally lost it while out driving with my mother one day. After she had been giving me directions around the city I had only lived in for the last fourteen years and listening to her drop helpful driving tips ("stop the car when the light is red"), her last "turn left here" did me in. I brought the car to a halt, looked her in the eye and carefully explained,"Look, Mom. There's a building in front of me. There's a brick wall to my right. And there's nowhere else to turn. Mom, I'm in college now. That's C-O-L-L-E-G-E." Unfortunately, my mini refresher course had little to no effect on her as she continued to share bits of obvious information with me up until the day I left. By the new year, I was more than ready to go back to dear old State as evidenced by the scratch marks on the inside of our front door. Before I left, my dad gave me his stan dard speech that I shouldn't worry myself over grades as long as I was doing my best. I did not think this was a good time to The Daily Collegian 77/ BRuTg_? First, I'd like to pose some questions. Is it naive to believe that American corporations are supporting the white government of South Africa and vice versa because one profits off the other? I think not. Is it also naive to belive that our support of those corporations (with our investments) is tantamount to supporting the oppressive, racist government in South Africa? I think not. The majority of South Africans (even though they are denied citizenship) receive nothing of the riches of their land. All they receive is oppression and the denial of their human and civil rights. Political sanctions against South Africa have failed. The only way white South Africans are going to notice anything we say or do is to hit them in their overly fat pocketbooks! Now I'd like to address some other statements made by fellow Penn Staters. It only seems logical to me that the reason the African National Congress is advocating violence is because the South African government has ignored their more reasonable pleas for change. Another reason for violence is in retaliation to the years and years of oppression and violence used against the Blacks by the Whites to keep them in their place. Was it wrong for Colonial Americans to have used violence in their fight for freedom against Britain? The University Board of Trustees' decision not to divest has nothing to do with morality or student opinion. Instead they merely want to make money (a fiduciary responsibility). Moreover, the current fundraising drive by the University would be hampered if we divest. What company involved in South Africa would donate money to Penn State after we have divested from them? The trustees are not "in tune with student opinion," your's or mine. inform him that I spent finals week playing cards with my roomies. I just nodded my head gravely as my comedian of a mother added,"Remember, 3.9 is fine!" At this time, my dad presented me with a small going away gift a can of dog repellant that postal workers use. when threatened with canine attackers. Not your standard going away present, I agree, but I have a job on campus and my parents, being the parents they are; worry about me walking home late at night. So let that be a warning to all those who stalk the neighbor hood at night in search for innocent victims. I am armed and dangerous and can be identified by a small birthmark on the right side of my neck and a can of DOG HALT in my left hand. I still found myself getting all misty eyed when it came time to say goodbye. As much as Mom and Dad seem to bother me at times, I know it's just because they miss me and I find myself missing them just as much. So, here I am back in the dorm again contemplating whether I should do some studying or make some marshmallow kris pies. I'm sure the krispies will win in the end. It's good to be 'back. Cheri Monaghan is a freshman majoring in secondary education and a columnist for The Daily Collegian. Her column appears every other Friday. Ffiday, Feb. 7, 1986 Michael S. Protevi, senior-French opinions The Bull Session Those late-night, philosophical discussions which take on a new dimension above the second floor The scene is a dormitory room. It is three o'clock on a Saturday morning. The room is cluttered with papers, books and beer bot tles. Harry, a recent convert to born-again Christianity, is reading the Bible by a desk light. His hair is fashionably short, and he wears a striped bathrobe. Chip, a punk rocker, is dry-heaving by the window. He is naked and has an.orange mohawk. Harry: Really, Chip, is it worth it? Is a life of sin worth throwing up for? Chip: (gasping) Yes. Take no prisoners. (Chip kneels and leans against the the wall.) Harry: I'm praying for you, Chip. Chip: Yeah? I'm praying for some Pepto- Bismol. (Chip stops heaving and gains his composure.) Hey Harry, did I tell you that I had a dream about Moses last night? Harry: Oh? And how did you know it was Moses? Chip: He was wearing a shirt that said "I AEO • AEC) • AEO • AEC) • AEO • AEO • AE,O • AECv, 0 ,e Les 01. b • -ti Delta Sigma Theta. l:. M 9 would like to announce their 0 w • "Spring Formal Rush, 1986" i> • , held m 2to e l onh S unday, gebtuaty g, at 3:oo p.m. , ° . <I • is extended to all ladies intelested in finding got mote infotmation call 865-8396 AEO • AEO • AEO • AEO • AEO • AEO • AEO • AEOci LOOK WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU Flexibility. When you take courses through Penn State's Department of Independent Learning, you choose the pace and the place. Selection. More than 190 credit courses, including many baccalaureate degree requirements, are offered. Convenience. You can register at any time for an Independent Learning If flexibility, selection, and convenience are what you're looking for, stop by the Independent Learning office at 128 Mitchell Building and pick up a free catalog with course descriptions and costs, or call co„gay arts: the next best thing to being there! '~~" Lad at 108-S S-Cibbs S-Call A Special Invitation out ►mote about 2elta course 865-5403 University Park campus or toll free .1.800.252-3592 anywhere in Pennsylvania parted the Red Sea and all I got was this t shirt." Harry: I will not tolerate you mocking my beliefs. Chip: Then you better live .in a cave, because you're going to get abused no matter where you go. What's happened to you, Harry? We used to have some good times together. Harry: Chip, there is more to life than "good times." He has called me, and I have answered. Chip: He called Little Richard, too, and that cat's on a party line. Harry: Let's not discuss my beliefs. You could never understand. You're a hedonistic humanist. Chip: Is that like a pocket fisherman? (Harry ignores him.) Come on, Harry. I don't care what you believe in. Just don't lay a self-righteous trip on me. Harry: Chip, do you believe in God? Chip: Of course. Harry: And will you accept Christ as your personal savior? Chip: No. But I will accept a Coke if He has one. Harry: Stop avoiding the truth, Chip. You run around like a lust-filled German shep herd. (Chip scratches his head and repeat edly pounds his left leg on the floor.) There's no meaning in your life, no direc tion. I have that, and it feels good. I've found the way. You will, too. Chip: If that means telling people I'm • R 154 I> M right and they're wrong, then forget it. I don't understand you anymore. We used to have these talks, and you were open to anything. Always willing to try something new. Now, you just go "Chip, you're lost!" and make condescending remarks. Harry: Chip, I'm sorry, but when you find the way, you realize that everything else is silly and false. Chip: Gandhi was silly and false? Bob Geldof is silly and false? Harry: If they haven't accepted Him then they will burn in . . . Chip: Hell. And home born-again living in a suburb who gives blood and buys Easter Seals will go to heaven. Harry: Faith in Christ is the key, my friend. You can't go there without it, no matter how much good you do on earth. Chip: It seems like the whole point of religion is to have faith in something and let that faith turn into positive actions. Harry: Oh, Chip, you're only halfway. Be hot or cold, don't be lukewarm. Chip: I'm not liath water. And who are you to say how hot or cold my soul is? For all you know, I may be an angel sent here to test you. Harry: I didn't know angels wore safety pins in their noses. Chip: Harry! You made a joke! Dear God, you still have a sense of humor! Harry: Yes, I do. Only you get so uptight about my beliefs that I'm always on guard. Chip: You? Harry, if you lay that "What a This summer get your PSU credits in ISRAEL * An exciting 7 week, 6 or 8 credit program June 17-August 1, 1986 * Includes 16 day, extensive tour of Israel and 1 month at Tel Aviv University * Instruction in English Application deadline: March 15, 1986 Contact: Dr. Menny Rabinovich, Office of Education Abroad Programs 863.4933 (office), 237.3295 (evening) 222 Boucke Building, 865-7681 friend we have in Jesus" speech on me again, my head's going to explode. Harry: I'll try to be more subtle in the future. Chip: Screw subtlety. Try accepting the fact that, some people are never going to be , Christians. Harry: Chip, you will not be one of them. One day, you and I will go home to heaven. Together. Oh, what a day that will be. I can't wait. (Both become silent. Ten minutes pass.) Chip: Man, I got to get my GPA up. Hey Harry, you ever hear about that rule saying if your roommate dies, you automatically get a 4.0 for the term? (Harry is asleep. Chip gently lifts him from his chair and carries him to the window. Chip sits him on the ledge. Harry flops out the window as Chip holds his legs.) Harry: HEEEYYYY! Chip: Don't sweat it, Harry! You'll go home to heaven, right? Oh; what a day this will be! Harry: Chip! I have so much to live for! Don't do it! Chip: Well, now, Harry old son, you told me that the whole point of your life is to go to heaven. Now, if you're a true Christian and I let you go, I can help you get there. Sort of like instant salvation. Harry: Chip! I could never die knowing the dark sin that would forever stain your soul!' Chip: Oh pish, Harry! It can't be darker s2o© o off when you purchase a complete pair of prescription eyeglasses Offer expires 2/15/86 = . —/- 1; Mon.-Fri 9.5, Sat. 9.1 The Daily Collegian Friday, Feb. 7, 1986-13 than the stains on the arm pits of my bowling shirt, and Tide got them out. (Chip sings.) Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves, we shall come rejoicing . . . Harry: Chip! I'll do anything you want! Say it! Chip: Okay. Swear on this. As an imper fect human who often swipes my jockey shorts, you will realize that life is a mys tery, and to go around telling everyone they're going to hell sounds foolish and crude, especially coming from the mouth of 20-year-old kid. Harry: No! Never! Chip: (singing and shaking Harry's legs) Kumbah Yah, my Lord! Kumbah Yah... Harry: Wait! I swear! I swear! And you can have my tan loafers! Chip: Deal! (Chip pulls Harry back into the room and laughs uproariously. Harry slams his Bible shut, kicks some beer bottles and paces the room.) Harry: God will get you for this, Chip! I don't know when, I don't know where. When you least expect it, expect it. (Chip swigs from a bottle of Cherry Kjafa. He burps the words, "Sure thing, Harry." Harry turns his face away so Chip can't see him grinning.) William S. Repsher is a senior majoring in English and a coimnist for The Daily Collegian. His column appears every Fri day. 125 S. Fraser St. 234.1040
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