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COLLEGIAN 100 YEARS
April 1887•Apri1 1987
Soldiers in Cameroon bury victims of volcano
By ARTHUR MAX
Associated Press Writer
SOUBOUM, Cameroon Soldiers, their
faces covered with bandanas to mask the
stench. of death, worked yesterday to com
plete the grim task of burying more than 1,500
victims of a volcanic eruption of lethal gases.
Most survivors fled this mountain village
five miles from the Nios volacano, leaving
herds of long-horned cattle bloated and rot
ting in the fields of this west African nation.
In Nios, which had a population of 1,200
people, only one woman and her child sur
vived, authorities said.
When the first group of reporters reached
the stricken area in northwestern Cameroon,
army units had buried most of the victims in
shallow graves that pockmarked the country
side.
"If you had come two or three days ago,
you would see corpses in the same way you
B.J.
and
the
[icon
Key alcohol regulations not
By DAMON CHAPPIE
Collegian Staff Writer
The University's new alcohol regulations
seem certain to affect student drinking, student
leaders say, but three months after the policy
was announced, some key issues remain un
clear.
The administration is preparing a handbook
for students explaining the changes, which
largely remove the University's liability by
cutting back on enforcement of rules the Uni
versity says "couldn't be enforced." The hand
book is expected to be available within the next
few weeks.
The most visible sign of the revisions will
come at the first home football game Sept. 6, as
Greek tailgates, long an event as popular as the
game itself, cease to officially exist.
Because fraternities and sororities are regis
tered as undergraduate student organizations,
the
daily
see the cattle now," said Lt. Gen. James
Tataw, the chief of Cameroon's ground
forces.
On Thursday, at about 9 p.m., a volcanic
tremor unleashed a huge bubble of gas that
burst through the surface of Lake Nios with a
thunderous clap, sending deadly gases over a
10-square-mile area where 5,000 people lived.
"The smell was like cooking with kitchen
gas," said Chia David Wambong, a farmer in.
his 30s. "Everyone started coughing and
spitting up blood."
In Geneva, the United Nations Disaster
Relief Organizatiopn reported 1,543 bodies
had been counted and others still were being
discovered. It said it had obtained that figure
from the government and it was cross
checked with reports from private relief
agencies. On Monday the government placed
the death toll at more than 1,200.
Israeli army medical teams said the fumes
also killed more than 7,000 cattle.
University President Bryce Jordan and cheerleaders display mounting enthu
siasm at Rec Hall during Monday's pep rally for Penn State's incoming class.
they are now prohibited from serving alcohol
on University property.
"We can't hold tailgates," said Pat Conway,
president of the Interfraternity Council. "But a
group of guys who are all 21 going up there and
drinking would still be OK. They can't fly the
fraternity flag though," he said.
Conway said that consensus developed after
meetings with administrators this summer. At
the time University President Bryce Jordan
announced the new policy, the last day of
Spring Semester, it was unclear as to what
would constitute a formal gathering of an
undergraduate organization.
Administrators then said this question would
be worked out as the policy was put into effect.
The policy also calls for "stricter enforce
ment" of alcohol use in the residence halls. But
an Association of Residence Hall Students
official said that means RAs will "start enforc
ing the rules they never enforced before."
°lle • ian
Tataw said relatives had buried many of
the victims before his army units arrived
Sunday, making an accurate count impossi
ble.
A major concern was preventing an epide
mic that could be bolstered by the decaying
carcasses of cattle and other livestock. Ta
taw said bulldozers were en route to dispose
of them, but added, "The cows have no
relatives. Their burial will be the last. Priori
ties are for people."
Viewed from a helicopter, lemon-shaped
Lake Nios had the reddish-brown color of the
clay that had been churned up from the
bottom. A few yards away was a small pond
of brilliant blue water.
The lush green mountains and tropical
forests appeared untouched.
Tataw took reporters to a two-room shack
with a mound of freshly turned earth near the
door and a single chicken strutting through
the house.
John Dalrymple, executive vice president of
ARHS, said a letter was distributed to all on
campus students explaining the new policy.
But he said ARHS hasn't heard of any new
developments on how the policy will be en
forced in the residence hall rooms. Underage
students are prohibited from possessing alco
hol in their rooms, but students 21 and older
may still consume liquor in their rooms, but
can't serve it to minors.
The new policy, according to administrators,
incorporates two elements: bringing policies
and practices together, and removing Univer
sity liability by removing ties to the Greek
system and shedding responsibility for alcohol
violations that occur off-campus.
"We can't have rules we can't enforce," is
the rationale for the changes, according to a
briefing prepared by Jordan's staff.
If an underage student is caught drinking by
local police the student will not face discipli-
all clear after
"In this grave, I buried eight people yester
day," he said. "All the people, the goats, the
pigs and the cows died. What surprises me is
how that chicken survived."
Gideon Taka of the Ministry of Information
and Culture in the provincial capital of Ba
menda said word of the catastrophe did not
reach Bamenda until Friday. He said the
tragic delay was because "nearly everyone
was affected" and the isolated region near
the Nigerian border had no telephones and
only dirt tracks for roads.
He said local authorities first learned of the
disaster from a government official who was
going to his home in Nios for the weekend.
The official saw bodies along the road and
when he became dizzy he turned back, Taka
said.
He said that when he first visited the area
Saturday, "some people were still dying.
They suffered from burns and . . . were
coughing up blood."
Response to IDs
picture perfect
By ANGELA BRADLEY
and MARIA QUICI
Collegian Staff Writers
Although the majority of students
were slow to respond to the new ID
cards last spring, almost every stu
dent has completed the process,
according to the University's asso
ciate registar.
Richard T. Sodergren said yester
day that an estimated 90 to 95 percent
of students have now had pictures
taken for the new ID cards. And, he
added, about 65 percent of the stu
dents photographed in the spring or
summer have picked up their ID
cards in the past few days.
Sodergren said that long lines in 301
HUB probably deterred other 'stu
dents from picking up their cards.
"(Monday) it was wall to wall . . . I
think it'll be steady over the next
three days," Sodergren said.
Students must carry either a per
manent or temporary identification
card issued this fall, he said, because
the old ones are no longer valid. In
addition, bursar's receipts which
replaced the semester validation
stickers last year are still nec
essary to complete University trans
actions.
Students can pick up ID cards from
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. till Friday in
301 HUB, Sodergren said, urging stu
dents to pick up their permanent ID
cards as soon as possible. Students
who need photos taken can be accom
modated at 316 HUB.
Students who had pictures taken at
branch campuses may experience a
Personal drop/add
restricted to a.m.
By LAURA JENNINGS
Collegian Staff Writer
University Park students will only
be able to drop and add courses at
college departments from 8 a.m. until
noon for the first four days of the
semester, the director of registration
and scheduling said.
Jim Wager said students at the
Commonwealth campuses will be us
ing the drop/add system from 1 p.m.
to 8 p.m.
However, University Park students
can use the phone-in drop/add system
from 3 to 10 p.m. by calling 863-9000.
"The next four days are typically
the busiest, and the new restriction is
an effort to improve the computer
response time," he said.
Unless students use the phone-in
drop/add system, they must meet
months
nary actions by the University under the new
policy.
But if the student violates another law while
under the influence, such as fighting, the Uni
versity could discipline the student for those
offenses.
Among the other policies:
• Alcohol shall not be served to minors at
University-sponsored functions, which is any
event at any location that is sponsored by an
officer, employee or agent of the University.
• Minor undergraduate students and under
graduate-registered student organizations
shall not serve alcoholic beverages at any
function on University premises.
• Undergraduate-registered student organi
zations cannot use University student activity
funds for the purchase of alcoholic beverages
whether such beverages are possessed or con
sumed on or off University property.
Continued on Page 8
Wednesday, August 27, 1986
Vol. 87, No. 32 40 pages University Park, Pa. 16802
Published by students of The Pennsylvania State University
©1986 Collegian Inc.
In Nios, Taka said he found / °dies in the
yards. The victims "came out Of their rooms
and tore their dresses off becaUse of the heat.
They were mostly naked or half-naked. I
opened one of the rooms and saw there was
food in the dishes, which meant that, at the
time, they were eating."
A U.S.-made C-130 Hercules of the Camer
oon army that flew reporters to Bamenda
also carried 16 tons of rations for survivors
evacuated to the town of Nkaba.
Michael Wiener, a colonel in the Israeli
medical corps, said local authorities told him
there was a "one-time explosion" followed by
volcanic activity "that occurred for two or
three hours at the most."
Israeli medical teams flew to Cameron
Monday with Prime Minister Shimon Peres
who went to Yaounde, the capital, for a
ceremony restoring diplomatic relations be
tween the two countries.
delay in receiving their cards be
cause their pictures have not yet
arrived at University Park, Soder
gren said.
Tim Ennis (junior-psychology),
who has a temporary card, was one of
those students.
"I just came from a branch cam
pus. I think issuing the cards at•the
branch campuses would have been
more efficient," he said.
Beginning next Tuesday, the entire
operation will be moved to the lobby
of Shields Building, he said.
Temporary cards which can be
used until the permanent ones are
issued in late September will be
given to those who have had pictures
taken this week.
No late charge will be issued for
temporary or permanent . ID cards
but lost ID cards will cost $lO and can
be replaced throughout the year at
Shields.
Although similiar to last year's
card, the new ID is distinguished by a
magnetic strip identifying students
for library and dining hall use. The ID
cards are also needed for admission
to sporting events like football
games.
with their advisers, complete the
drop/add form and turn it in at their
department today, tomorrow and Fri
day, he said.
Students will be able to drop and
add courses at any department on
campus, but are encouraged to do so
at their own department, Wager said.
The other option is to drop and add
courses over the phone during those
days between the designated hours.
From Sept. 3 to Sept. 5, students can
add only at the department offices, he
said. Regular drop period extends
until Sept. 16 and will require a $6
charge. Late drop ends Nov. 4.
Commonwealth campus students
do not have the option of phone-in
drop/add and must go to their regis
trar's office to complete their sched
ules.
`Monday) it was wall
to wall ... I think it'll
be steady over the
next three days.'
Richard T. Sodergren
index
opinion
sports
state/nation/world
weather
This afternoon, there 1 , , a possi-
bility of a thundersh'..,• r early.
It will be quite windy wit': breaks
in the cloud cover by evening
and a high of 73. Tonight, cool
and breezy and a iow going
down to 48. Tomorrow, possible
showers or drizzle early on, -fol
lowed by clearing. High of 68.
Heidi Sonen