opinions editorial opinion Owning up to responsibility . . . The right of the people to keep and bear arms s hall . not be infringed. —The Second Amendment to the Constitu tion of the United States. The two bank robbers who shot and killed two FBI agents and wounded several others in Miami last week exercised that right. As did John- Hinkley Jr. when he severely injured Press Secretary James Brady in an attempt to assassinate President Reagan. Countless Americans, exercise their right to bear arms in robberies, murders and 1 suicides every day. In 1983 alone, 9,014 Americans were mur dered with handguns, 1,100 others were killed accidentally and 12,000 used hand guns to take their own lives. By compari son, England, with one of the strictest gun control laws in the world, had four murders by handguns in 1983. Canada had six and Japan had 92 in the same year. In 1968, the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy prompted the U.S. Congress to adopt the 1968 Gun Control Act to regulate not prohibit the use of guns. • But the Gun Control Act ain't what it used to be not after what the House of Rep resentatives and the National Rifle Associa tion did to it last week. The House passed a bill that would man date minimum sentences for using a gun in a violent crime and allow the interstate sale of rifles and shotguns. The bill would also ease record-keeping rules for dealers, allow unrecorded sales from dealers' personal collections, restrict federal inspedions of dealers and require evidence of "willful" violations in prosecuting dealers. What the House did not allow he'eding the cries of the nation's police, who have to face some of the lunatics who exercise their Two-plus-two: I was taking role when he walked into the room. A medieval monk's tunic draped his enormous bulk. As he wedged himself into the last seat of the middle row, all my students turned to stare at him. The two women sitting by the radiator giggled. I looked at my class list, then at him. I asked, "Who are you?" He answered me in a dead language, "Vero sum Thomaso." "Wait a minute I get it. You're a monitor from that Accuracy in Academia outfit, aren'•t you?" He just stared back at me; he never blinked. Hold it, I thought. Huge. Medieval friar. Thomas. "You're you're Saint Thomas Aquinas?" And then I woke up. I lay in bed and let the dream fade into the fields of memory. True, he wasn't from Accuracy in Academia. He represented something bigger than that how about Truth in Academia? He had said, "Vero in truth I am St. Thomas Aquinas," patron of schools; the foremost scholastic theologian and philosopher. I fell back to sleep. The next day, as I taught and went to classes, I thought about Truth and the University. We're Penn State Proud, but are we Penn State True true to preparing people to live the best human life? As I walked about campus, I saw shan- Penn State True Second Amendment right is the inter state sale of handguns: This move was considered a major political defeat to the NRA. Most politicians dream of such major political "defeats." The NRA's powerful Washington lobby of three million people, its $1.4 million in campaign contributions to 1984 elections and its advertising campaign claiming cer tain legislators want to take away people's guns have born fruit. Several lawmakers have admitted that the House is intimidated by the NRA; it has made gun control an issue that could win or lose an election. "It's a classic example of the power of big money and a well-orchestrated campaign by a narrow interest," said U.S. Rep. Rob ert G. Torricelli, D-N.J. "It's an example of the Congress at its worst." Further, it appears that the same bill will also pass in the Senate, which passed a similar measure last summer. Let's face it, the NRA has become the advocate of gun dealers, not gun owners, and has wrenched the nation's lawmakers into conforming with its ever-narrowing interests. With all rights guaranteed under the Constitution come responsibility. The First Amendment guarantees news papers their right to print. But newspapers also have a responsibility not to recklessly libel an individual or invade a citizen's privacy. When a newspaper ignores that responsibility, it has to answer to the law. It is time for Congress to put aside its political considerations long enough to stand up to the NRA and make sure that with the right to sell and own firearms comes accountablity under the law. ties, sit-ins, fasts and protests. I picked up a paper and read the words of a wise profes sor: "The best universities in the country are characterized by their commitment to publicly debating critical human issues." Well, it seems we're publicly debating criticalluman issues but does that really make us one of the "best universities?" How do we have the right to say that we hold the vantage point from which to ad dress critical human issues? We're so busy building shanties that we haven't really examined whether we have built a universi ty that properly prepares us to confront the paradoxes of human existence. For a brief moment, let's turn our critical eye away from South Africa and onto our University. So, what is our "best Univeisity" doing to form us into people who can take on the critical human issues, people who can deal with the ironies of human life? We're not the N.RA. w e just At to be i s 6 1 ‘ll OUP lives orl when we were shot 6j tests col climb* who were able to hiprogulls. That's all we milted to sal. ALji ?Mh4&* true 7e y5....4 to preparing people to live the best human life Well, all the undergraduates have to take baccalaureate degree requirements. And there is a method behind this BDR mad ness. Why do undergrads have to take BDRs? The answer is never clear, but sometime during his/her undergrad career, a student realizes that the best way to deal with BDRs is the two-plus-two-equals-four approach. Since he/she is never made to see the logic (if there is a logic to it) of taking a "whole bunch of courses that don't matter," the only relevance he/she finds in the BDRs is that they have to be taken to get a degree. Hopefully, the proposed replacement of BDRs with things called "Breadth and Depth Courses" will provide more of a coherence to undergraduate education. But at present, the method is: you take your BDRs, you get your degree, you get your job. Two-plus-two-equals-four simple, right? Then what does this - two-plus-two ap proach say about the undergraduate degree programs at our best University? BDRs are a means to a degree, which is a means to a job. Thus, the end of a university education is a job, right? Wrong. Vocational-technical schools are job training institutes. Now we hit the root of the problem: in light of the two-plus-two approach, nothing distinguishes the Univer- reader opinion , Injustice I believe we should give a round of I say let us write to the our gover - applause to the Black Student Coali- nors, senators, representatives and A 75 percent discount in college tion Against Racism and the Under- even the President to push for a tuition unheard you think? The graduate Student 'Government and strong political force against apart college must be in the Amazon. No others who have helped to bring the heid. folks it's Penn State! By now are you plight of the South African Blacks to By all means, let us continue to baffled? The other day in class I was our attention. protest against apartheid. Picket the moaning because summer semester Their sincere efforts to educate us University, hold meetings and contin tuition bills are coming out soon. of the evils of apartheid is in keeping ue education efforts to win more Someone sitting next to me in class with the traditions of university. • followers. But, let us examine other stated that children and spouses' of However, the ending of apartheid by ways that may be just as effective or Penn State faculty and staff attend divestment brings some doubts to perhaps better to end this evil system the University with a 75 percent dis- mind. of injustice. count in tuition cost per semester. lam against apartheid and racism. Dale Kern, senior-history Was I shocked! I support efforts to stop such prac- Charles Pappas, senior-meteorology Penn State's administration is com- tices. Divestment from companies plaining because the University did that are in South Africa may be a Stereotypes not get enough funds from the state, good idea, but only in the short term. so tuition is expected to increase. Why do I pay $1,380 to attend classes full-time when dependent's of faculty and staff pay about $385? When your tuition bill arrives try explaining this discount to your parents. At one time, the reason for this huge tuition discount was Penn State's faculty and staff were under paid compared to private businesses. Years ago, perhaps this was true but wages and benefits at the University are now comparable to most busi nesses, and the benefits are above average. Some people may say discounted tuition is just a fringe benefit of the system, but I strongly disagree! This is a public university offering a superior level of higher education, so why should some of us be charged more than others for our education? My suggestion is to make every one's tuition the same (provided they are Pennsylvania residents). This increase in funds won't solve the University's •budget problems, but it sure seems like the right way to handle this injustice. Ann Hubbard sophomore-recreation and parks Alternatives During the past year we have been reminded of the struggle that is tak ing place in South Africa. qmwm Methods. We're taught. neat little meth- gestation period. Commencement, in its ods. Every class is an experience in meth- ideal form, is a beginning, a birth into life of odology. Go to class, take notes, memorize a fully human person prepared to deal with the information, spit it out on the exam, joy and pain. One learns to deal with them make the grade two-plus-two-equals- not by solving them but by living with them. four. You make enough grades, you get a So, the methodologists shrug and answer degree, and you get a high-paying job. us "you must supply the meaning; you We English graduate majors aren't must live the pain and joy." But the relent exempt from methodology. In many semi- less reiteration of methods crushes the nars, we are encouraged, or even required, individual's exercise of imagination and to produce publishable work. We also have slowly erodes our ability to break away to take a required course: Research Meth- from the strict confines of the method. To ods and Materials. If you get published, depart from the method is to not make the you've got an ideal shot at a tenure-track grade is to lose the degree is to fail at life. professor's position. Two-plus-two , Irrational numbers don't fit into the two- But what does all this method have to do plus-two equation. with preparing us to address critical human Aquinas sits at the back of our classes and issues? Methods produce pat answers to in the back of our dreams to hint to us that very limited questions. Apartheid, Nicara- there is so much more to life than what we gua, death, God, human pain and suffering can see with our eyes and that there ought to have no pat, categorical solutions. be much more to our education than meth- Sure, the University is teaching us how to od. When he starts to skip our classes and get a job. However, it isn't teaching us a abandon our dreams, then we've lost the substantial and meaningful way to pursue ability to properly address critical human life itself. issues. Most of us would agree that there is more to human existence than working and earn- ing sustenance this platitude becomes most apparent when we are writhing in pain Let me ask this: suppose the Univer- The Daily Collegian has printed sity does divest, then what? Will the articles concerning minority prob protests cease? Will the voice for lems lately. The article "Study says justice in South Africa become silent men do not respect women" in the on campus? April 8 edition concerned me. I certainly hope not, but I believe Women have their problems. One that is what will happen. By divest- such problem is traditional job ste ing, are we going to be satisfied and reotyping which involves low pay and say, "Well, we did our part?" Or will low prestige. the call to divest become a slap in our ' faces? However, the greatest problem that Now suppose we do divest. The women deal with is that our society stock is placed on the open market (both male and female) perpetuate where someone else is going to buy it. traditional male/female roles. Little i rls are tau ght success in Will that person care about apart ligfe depends upon that acceptance their by heid, or will he see it as a way to gain someone else, usually a male. Little a quick profit? boys are taught to achieve. I would like to propose another idea to help end apartheid in South Africa. Why are girls taught to be passive Suppose Penn State would form a and submissive and little boys taught union with other universities that to be assertive and independent? Just have stocks in companies in South because this society has always been Africa. a white, male world doesn't mean They could use the stocks in the there is no hope. companies to demand the South Afri- There are opportunities for all of us can government to end apartheid. to change the existing sex role stereo- Should we not be active in ending typing. Children should be raised apartheid instead of becoming pas- with an idea of a healthy individual's sive? • charateristics (not male, not female, Along with using the stock to direct but an integrated approach). these companies, how about the up- Uniqueness can exist when we stop coming congressional elections? If the stereotyping that sets us all apart. everyone who is against apartheid This will break the narrow thinking of registers to vote and would write a the white male society and create a letter to his congressman, we would more integrated society. force the issue to become an inpor- Renee Lehman tant question in Congress. junior -health education dit; Collegian 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: Jeanette D. Krebs; Opinion Edi tor: Doug Popovich; Assistant Opinion Editor: Alan J. Craver; News Editors: Ron Yeany, Bob King; Copy/Wire Editors: Anita Yesho, Sue Graffius, Lori Goldbach, Tim Eyster, Denise Weaver, Donna Hig gins; Town Editor: Phil Gaiewitz; Assistant Town Editor and Features Editor: Kris Sorchilla; Campus Edi tor: Amy Fellin; Assistant Campus Editor: Celeste McCauley; Sports sity from a glorified vo-tech. But shouldn't a university be different from a vo-tech? If we wanted a vo-tech, wb would have gone to Tuesday, April 15, 1986 ©1986 Collegian Inc. Anita C. Huslin Editor William G. Landis Jr Business Manager from a blow dealt by life. If a loved one dies in a car crash, we certainly don't turn to our jobs for an answer to the question, "Why?" Four years at a university should be a Randall Beeler is a graduate in English and a columnist for The Daily Collegian. His column appears every other Tuesday. The Daily Collegian Tuesday, April 15, 1986 Editor: Mark Ashenfelter; Assistant Sports Editors: Chris Raymond, Car ol D. Rath, Doug Frank; Arts Editor: Pat Grandjean; Assistant Arts Edi tor: Victoria Jaffe; Science Editor: Nan Crystal Arens; Graphics Editor: Tony Ciccarelli; Photo Editor: Gregg Zelkin; Assistant Photo Editor: Cris ty Rickard. Board of Managers Assistant Business Manager: Amy R. Norris; Accounting Manager: Lori A. Spos sey; Office Manager: Gretchen A. Funk; Assistant Office Manager: Aileen M. Stickley; Sales Manager: Michael J. Kutch; Assistant 'Sales Manager: David M. Profozich; Na tional Manager: Kathleen J. Heil man; Advertising Manager: Susan Shamlian; Layout Coordinator: Nan cy George; Marketing Coordinator: Cathy Jones. Letters Policy: The Daily Collegian encourages comments on news coverage, editorial policy and Uni versity affairs. Letters should be typewritten, dou ble-spaced, signed by no more than two people and not longer than 30 lines. Students' letters should in clude semester standing, 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 ad dress and phone number for verifi cation of the letter. The desire to turn life into an irreverent joke with a razor punchline So much more attractive inside a moral kiosk from "Moral Kiosk" by R.E.M. I wish my roomie would get her head out of the clouds and back in the gutter where it belongs. She's such a sap. She believes in unicorns and rainbows. She tries to con vince me into liking poetry and pep rallies. She listens to Barry Manilow and Julio Iglesias. She thinks everything's morality and sunshine. I put strychnine in her fruit juice. —'Miss Anne Thrope. Lately chaos has been an elemental theme in my life. It makes my mind itchy. "Oh, Jesus," I say when I open the newspa per and eventually turn to the letters to the editor. "I hate you and you and you. And this person's stupid." They say the same self-righteous things again and again. I turn to the comics. I think about it sometimes though. I think about the world where it's going, where I'm going, who the hell the world thinks it is and I feel chaotic and want to strike out. I want to spraypaint graffiti on it. "Absurdity was here," I'd write. I'd do it in Day Glo orange. My thoughts turn, again, to things mind filed under "Other Universal Ironies and Vast Ponderments." I wonder where that river of life-con sciousness is taking me and what does the TICE • TICE • TICE • TKE • TKE • TICE • TKE • TKE • TKE gia agt H • The Brothers and Little Sisters of TKE proudly announce the newest initiates to Elisa Rose Baldwin Leslie Ann Charles ° Colleen Patricia Dahlberg Janis Marie Fratamico E-. Laura Kristan Gizoli • Megan Lorraine Horn TKE • TKE • TICE • TKE • TKE • TKE • TKE • TKE • TKE Q T G/NAL Italian WJ PIZZA & RESTAURANT 1 FREE. TOPPING All You Can Eat llam-6pm Monday: Pizza $2.59 . Wednesday: Spaghetti $2.99 --- li4w! FREE DELIVERY AFTER 5:00 PM g„222 W. 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Sometimes, but not often, I think of suicide and marvel at the impossibility of it. I can relate to the moti vation and I understand. But I look outside my window and see the sky is blue. At night, I see the stars. I can't imagine it for myself. Instead I get angry at Jennifer Lynn Knowlan Dianna Lynn Lambert E- Christine Anne Sell • Laurel Elizabeth Snyder L 1 44 Susan Lynn Wilson E-0 Carolyn Ruth Yates s ************ * * * * * * * * * * * * The Student Dietetic Association presents "Career Days" * Come listen and talk with four Penn State University Nutrition Alumni * who will discuss their careers in the nutrition field. * Martha Gregory - WIC/Extension * Renee Hart Squire - East Liverpool Hospital * Diane Dabrinski - Prevention Magazine * Ida Laquatra - Heinz Corporation All Welcome! Place: 117 Henderson HDev Bldg. Tour the Nutrition Van * Funding provided by College of Human Development, Alumni Association * R 253.325 M 0-103 E... ************ * * * * * * * * * * * * 40 -.• 4 . ...? . .% ' ' 1i,40 ) the idiots in the world and I get cynical Inside, I want to laugh, act strange, throw away all consideration and inhibition and turn life into one big irreverent joke with a razor punchline. I want to rub people the wrong way. I want to do all the things the standards of convention we set up say not to do not because I don't care but because I do. With blatant disregard for social norms, I want to urinate on public walls. I want to sit in the middle of a busy street and read Webster's New Riverside University Dic tionary aloud to passing motorists. "Rhi zoid: a rootlike extension of the thallus of a fungus." I want to climb trees and buildings like a monkey and throw paper airplanes to peo ple below. I want to go on national TV and give the world the finger. I want to line up representatives of every organization with high social and moral merit, call them sanctimonious simpletons, then give them a raspberry. I want to rent an airplane and drop water balloons on Washington, D.C. Speaking of Washington, I want to shake the hand of Ronald Reagan with a joy buzzer concealed in my palm. I want to take a marker and-tilack out the front teeth of Mary Lou Retton in every damn battery commercial and cerial box she ever_ ap peared on. I want to defile that smile. Date: Saturday, April 19, 1986 Time: 10:00 a.m.-12 noon I don't want to hurt anyone; I just want them to know I think their stupid. Hopefully, in the most offensive way possible. I want to do cynical instead of be cynical. I want to be anti-everything. But here I am going to college so I can get a nice job like every other good little moth er's son. Here I am studying hard so I can get a high grade point average like every other college kid wanting to get ahead in the world. Here I am not doing crazy things that could be called "anti-social" or "self-de structive" because I don't want to be ar rested and have it on my permanent record, labeling me forever as a social deviant, a misanthrope, someone who "doesn't get along and play well with others." Here I am being conventional, unreck less, law-abiding, quiet and reserved, never parking my car outside the yellow lines, bludgeoning heavy metal rock singers to death or wearing nickles taped to my fore head. Here I am being a part of s-soc society (spit it out). And do I love it? Hey! I get down on my knees and praise God every night. Hey! I click my heels and sing "Happy Days Are Here Again" when ever the phone bill comes in the mail. I get a ticket for parking behind Pattee Library befor 9 p.m. and dance around my car. I dance that I even had to go to Pattee in the SINGLE . $2O OO off BIFOCALS A complete pair of VISION prescription eyeglasses RS LOW RS RS LOW RS $2775 Z 2 = $ 43 75 Offer expires 4/30/86 125 S. Fraser St. Mon.-Fri. 9-5, Sat. 9.1 234.1040 We'll tell you our true size. Don't be fooled by terms like "large", small", or "medium". Our small pizza is actually 12" in diameter. Our large pizza is a full 16" in diameter. You should also know that Domino's Pizza uses only 100% pure dairy cheese. We could use a cheaper imitation cheese, but we just can't bring ourselves to do it. As always, we deliver. We do it in 30 minutes or less, and we deliver free. 30 minutes or free! Are you getting only half a pizza? Some pizza places make pretty wild claims. They offer two pizzas for the price of one or low, low prices. Domino's Pizza thinks you should com pare pizzas before you buy. We think you should have all the facts, too: The Daily Collegian Tuesday, April 15, 1986-9 first place. I think of all the big money I'll make as a writer and do cartwheels down the street. I can't wait to begin paying income tax again. No, I do not like being a part of society. You can call me nutty. But I don't mind being a part of humanity. I like life. I like myself. I like most people, although I do not like what some of them think, do, say or stand for or the type of music they listen to. But that's how everyone is whether they admit it or not. I guess I'm normal overall. • Still, I like to think of myself as otherwise. Still, I want to paint Pattee Library purple with red and green polka dots and alternat ing slashes of diagonal black and blue lines. And still I think 80 percent of the popula tion would probably flunk a test on originali ty and most, if asked, would give the wrong answer to the question "Why do I wear sunglasses when it's not sunny?" Or "why am I wearing loud Hawaiian shorts when it's not warm out?" I look at the world and I sometimes get a bad taste in my mouth. I gargle with cyn icism. Emil Ihasz is a senior majoring in English and a columnist for The Daily Collegian. His columns appear every other Tuesday. Part of our promise of service and quality is that your pizza will always be hot and delicious. And all you'll ever have to do is call us. Don't settle for less. Domino's Pizza Delivers.' 01986 Domino's Pizza, Inc Limited delivery area. Our drivers carry less than $20.00. "No strings, no catch, no coupon!" Fast, Free Delivery North: 237-1414 1104 N. Atherton South: 2345655 421 Rear E. Beaver
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