opinions
•. . • •.. • ...•
• .• ... • . • . . . •• . •....
To buckle or not to buckle
Pennsylvania residents, like all Ameri
cans, value the privilege' of being free to
make decisions concerning their personal
But pending legislation in both the state
Senate and House of Representatives
threatens to take away a simple but very
important choice citizens face every time
they get in an automobile whether to
wear a safety belt.
A bill requiring front seat occupants to
wear seat belts or face a fine was passed by
the state Senate last October. Before its
summer recess, the state House approved a
similar bill.
When the recess concludes after Labor
Day, the state legislature will meet in
conference and vote whether Pennsylvania
will join over 20 states in adopting a manda
tory seat belt law.
Those in favor of a seat belt law argue
that the bill is a sensible and responsible
effort to decrease the number of traffic
deaths in Pennsylvania.
But these supporters are ignoring the
simple fact that a mandatory seat belt law
infringes upon one of this country's most
basic ideals: an individual's right to self
determination.
Proponents argue that legislation enforc
ing the use of seat belts is best for all. There
is no argument, they say. Seat belts save
lives and if legislation is needed to enforce
their use, so be it.
zil; Collegian
Thursday, August 28, 1986
©1986 Collegian Inc.
Anita C. Huslin
Editor
William G. Landis Jr
Business Manager
The Daily Collegian's editorial opin
ion is determined by its Board of
gavatma..l%.s
And now,
the results
of the
president's
drug test:
Hedging bets on the presidential candidates, even if the election is 19,582 hours away
It is still early only 27 months and
eleven days or 19,582 hours to go until the
election but the 1988 presidential cam
paign is already in full swing.
Ever since Ronald Reagan obliterated
Walter Mondale in 1984, politicians from
both parties have positioned themselves to
run in 1988. George Bush is the front-runner
for the Republicans and Gary Hart for the
the Democrats. They are veterans of rigor
ous presidential elections and are presi
dential material.
But they will not win easily, if at all
With all this in mind, I thought I'd tell you
who I think the main contenders will be.
(This is the same person who took Louisiana
State University in the NCAA Final Four
last Spring, so I'm hoping for much better
luck this time.) There are a lot of names to
remember, so just bear with me.
On the Republican side, I believe the
nomination is George Bush's to lose. The
vice president is the front-runner, but he is
no shoe-in. For him to win he must avoid the
Walter Mondale syndrome that is, saying
one thing to one group and something else to
another.
His closest rivals are U.S. Rep. Jack
Kemp of New York, evangelist Pat Rob
ertson and maybe U.S. Sen. Paul Laxalt of
Nevada, who may be Bush's strongest rival
if Laxalt enters the race.
A Laxalt bid would not mean an open
arms Reagan endorsement for Bush, de
But the issue, is not whether wearing seat
belts actually saves lives the facts prove
they do.
The issue is whether any level of govern
ment local, State or federal has the
authority to make personal choices for
individuals.
If lawmakers force citizens to snap on
their seat belts today, what kind of laws will
people be subject to in the future?
Will the state legislature in the interest
of public safety vote to outlaw cigarettes
and foods containing too much cholesterol
or salt because they increase the risk of
cancer, heart failure or heart disease?
Such over-legislation of individuals' per
sonal decisions must be deterred.
The solution to decreasing traffic injuries
and fatalities will not be found in a law
requiring motorists to use their seat belts.
The answer lies in increasing public aware
ness of seat belts' ability to save lives.
The state funding which would be set
aside for enforcement of such a law would
be better channeled into a comprehensive
public awareness program.
Recent media campaigns developed by
government agencies as well as auto man
ufacturers seem to have captured the pub
lic's attention much more than a
restrictive, yet unenforceable law.
'Education and awareness, not force, is
the key to persuading motorists to buckle up
and protect their own lives.
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.
Letters Policy: The Daily Collegian en•
courages comments on news coverage,
editorial policy and University affairs.
Letters must be typewritten, double•
spite the fact that Bush has been as loyal to
Reagan as the Beaver has to Wally. Laxalt
has known Reagan for decades and he could
throw a wrench into Bush's well-oiled ma
chine. Should Laxalt enter the race, and my
prediction is that he will, look for a frantic
rush for the nomination.
The Democrats, not surprisingly, face a
much rockier road. While the party has its
shares of front-runners, the nomination is
clearly up for grabs with two years to go,
and it is an election the Democrats must
win.
The party of Roosevelt, Truman and
Kennedy has won only two presidential
elections in the last 22 years. The Demo
crats have been embarrased in both presi
dential elections in this decade. The time is
now to produce a winner.
For the Democrats to capture the White
House in 1988, they must nominate a candi
date who has solid ideas and who will not
spaced and no longer than one and one
half pages. Forums must also be type
written, double-spaced and no longer
than three pages.
Students' letters should include se
mester 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 address and phone number for
verification of the letter. Letters should
be signed by no more than two people.
Names may be withheld on request.
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.
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kowtow to special interest groups. He must
be able to sell the Democratic message to
the American people.
Mesh these factors together and you get
two men who can win in 1988. As the long
primary season wears on, the two will battle
it out.
Both are presidential material and pos
sess style as well as substance, charisma
and conscientiousness.
If I'm wrong, my track record which
includes picking the Patriots in the Super
Bowl, Rendell for Governor and Billy Beer
as the nation's best nectar stays intact.
1. Mario Cuomo, governor of New York.
Thrust into the national spotlight with his
rousing keynote address at the 1984 Demo
cratic Convention, Cuomo is my front-run
ner for the nomination. He is charismatic,
strong, shrewd and, above all, a leader
you know he's in charge.
Cuomo, 54, is the candidate the Republi
cans fear most because he can woo dis
gruntled Republicans with his combative,
passionate style. Like Reagan, he often
talks about the importance of family and his
passion for his own beliefs is unquestionably
real.
If he garners 70 percent of the vote in his
re-election campaign in November, he will
be a formidible candidate in 1988.
He can hold an audience in the palm of his
hand and he has the courage to take on
right-wing Republicans like Patrick Bu-
Review board needed to examine the
'blatant arrogance' of PSU personnel
By Steven Fondo
I am writing in response to the
blatant arrogance displayed by so
many of the administrative personnel
throughout the Penn State system.
I sometimes wonder if it's just me;
that I'm being too critical and de
fensive. But, once I mellow my point
of view and resume allowing The
benefit of the doubt, I am again met
with a bevy of curt answers, rude
statements and .a general "We could
care lesg attitude!" from members of
the administrative clique.
Forum
I certainly feel it is high time the
hierachy at Penn State steps back
and reviews their position and the
overall nature of their assignment as
public servants to those choosing to
attend the University. Penn State
University exists fundamentally to
"Provide programs of instruction,
research, and public service, and
thus act as an instrument of self
renewal and development for the
Commonwealth" (The Penn State
University Bulletin "Mission of the
University,"l9B3-84 edition, page 11).
Penn State does not exist as an end
in and of itself, it does not exist for
Penn State! Penn State's fundamen
tal purpose is in its continued service
to the student! This service should
and must be conducted with an air of
courtesy by competent and, con
cerned employees. After all, we're
paying their salaries.
I'm sure there are people who are
reading this who can empathize with
the circumstances I'm expressing.'
Have you ever been cut short by a
financial aid officer? Slighted by an
admissions clerk or registrar? Were
The Daily Collegian is looking for a few good column
ists for Fall 1986.
Columnists will be expected to write opinionated,
well-written and researched columns for the editorial
opinion page concerning issues or topics that are
currently capturing the public's attention.
Applications are available in 126 Carnegie Building
The deadline for all applications is Wednesday, Sept
3, 1986 at 5 p.m. No late applications will be accepted
you ever frustrated by the total in
competence, and ensuing disregard
for the blunder, by those individuals
assigned to handle your educational
needs and related problems?
Most times I'm convinced I could
have done a more thorough job of
bungling things if they'd only let me
handle the problems unique to my
situation. (You know about those
problems that nobody else could pos
sibly understand; like the misplace
ment of your third copy of a financial
aid transcript by someone in the
University's Federal Grant Office. Or
the registration hold that's been le
vied against you in lieu of an out
standing $3 ) Where is the line
drawn?
Now, how about those long-distance
phone bills that pile up in the endless
process of cutting through the needle
ss red tape associated with Penn
State's administrative policy. (What
ever happened to the philanthropic
800 number proffered by so many of
the financially sound institutions of
our day?)
You and I are expected to pick up
the postage and phone tabs connected
with ironing out problems that we
have not created. (Gee, that's a great
policy. I wish I'd thought of that one
myself.)
The students of Penn State should
demand that a review board be set up
that has the sole responsibility of
arbitrating all grievances against
any Penn State employee. This board
should be overseen by a student rep
resentative as well as a member of
the University's upper echelon. The
board should mete out just retribu
tion to any employee guilty of rude
ness, incourtesy or a "nose
thumbing" condescending attitude
toward any one student.
In closing, I would like to reaffirm
my stance that the student is indeed
the chief life spring of Penn State's,
Help Wanted
chanan, the head of the White House Com
munications Department.
But the opposition says Cuomo is all style
and no substance. They say he showboats
and his record as governor is not as good as
he says. He also lacks the knowledge of
foreign policy, and at times, Cuomo has a
classic case of foot and mouth disease, such
as the time he said that there was no mafia
in the United States.
2. Bill Bradley, senator from New Jersey.
Going out on a limb, Bradley, not Gary Hart
or Joseph Biden, will be Cuomo's toughest
competitor.
Way back in 1982, Bradley proposed a
program called the Fair Tax Plan, the
beginning of tax reform. As similar ver
sions passed the House and Senate, the bills
went to a House-Senate conference commit
tee early this year, where they laid in a
coma for weeks. Their survival was in doubt
until Bradley brought the package back to
life. It was Bradley's baby and he was the
star.
"When the going was tough for tax re
form, earlier this year, he didn't abandon
the cause," wrote Fred Barnes in a recent
article in The New Republic. "If he did, the
tax reform movement might have collapsed
altogether . . . He's done what practically
every other prominent Democrat pays lip
service to."
Bradley, 43, has impressive credentials.
He was an All-American basketball player
The Daily Collegian
Thursday, Aug. 28, 1986
or for that matter, any university's
continued existence. The student,
along with the staff, faculty and em
ployees should be afforded equal
amounts of respect and courtesy.
In citing these issues, I am merely
invoking Penn State's advocation of
the ". . fostering of independent
thought and the discussion of alterna
tives," from "Mission of the Univer
sity." Off hand, I'd say that the
fostering of independent thought and
the realistic availability of alterna
tives are sadly monopolized by the
various topguns throughout the sys
tem.
The general nature of all decision
making conducted at Penn State is
rampant with procrastination and
petty squabbling. If the needs of the
student were given top priority, in
stead of the ongoing quest to accumu
late administrative monies, the task
of being a student administrator
would be much easier.
Please don't misunderstand me, I
realize that it requires exorbinant
amounts of money to effectively oper
ate a university the size of Penn
State, but if the student population
suffers in the process of acquiring
funds, then I must stand opposed.
When the gala (and expensive) cele
bration of a Commonwealth Campus'
70th anniversary takes complete pre
cedence over the continued publica
tion of a campus-based student
newspaper, then again I must say
that something is sadly amiss.
Overall, I have come to the conclu
sion that the condescending attitude
harbored by so many of Penn State's
"little people" is simply a reflection
of the overrriding attitude harbored
by so many of Penn State's "big
people."
Fondo is the Student Government
Association President at Penn State's
Wilkes-Barre Campus.
Questions should be directed to Opinion Editor Jill
Graham or Assistant Opinion Editor Alan Craver in the
Collegian office or at 865-1828.
The Collegian is also accepting applications for an
editorial cartoonist. You must demonstrate good draw
ing ability along with a perceptive grasp of current
events and the ability to comment on them on a regular
basis. Applications are now available at the Collegian
in 126 Carnegie Building. The deadline for applications
and drawing samples is Friday, Sept. 5.
at Princeton, a Rhodes Scholar and a star
forward with the New York Knicks. He is
one of the Democratic Party's rising stars.
Bradley won re-election with 64 percent of
the vote in 1984 while Reagan carried New
Jersey with 60 percent of the vote.
"His best shot may be 1988, just as John
Kennedy's was 1960. When your hot, and
Bradley is, that's time to move. This is his
moment," Barnes wrote.
Bradley has said time and again that he is
not a candidate, much to the chagrin of
Democrats throughout the land. Unlike
some politicians, he is true to his word, but
the aroma of a presidential campaign is
ever-so intoxicating.
Cuomo, being as coy as a fox, says that a
run for president is not in his plans. But
every indication says he will run.
Who will win? Well, after the blood has
spilled, look for it to come down to the late
primaries and possibly the convention.
There's still time to go and anything can
happen. But two things can be sure there
will be no Rueben Askew's this time and
1988 will be the closest presidential race
since Richard Nixon edged Hubert Hum
phrey in 1968.
(And I picked Eugene McCarthy and the
New York Yankees that year.)
Chris Loder is a senior majoring in jour
nalism and is a sports writer for The Daily
Collegian.
Grads learn helpful hints
By VALERIE BAILEY
Collegian Staff Writer
New graduate students received
tips on available housing, cultural
opportunities and recreation during
last night's seminar "Surviving Penn
State and State College."
Charlene Harrison, director of the
Department of Assistance Informa
tion and Off-campus Programs sug
gested that students with questions
about off-campus housing should con
sult her department, 135 Boucke
Building, or the Organization for
Town • Independant Students, 1018
HUB.
The department has an attorney on
staff to answer any legal questions
about rental housing in the commu
nity, Harrison said.
About 50 of the University's 1,300
incoming graduate students attended
the seminar in Kern Building. It was
sponsored by the Graduate Student
Association.
Graduate students who wish to live
on campus can reside at any of the
University's four housing facilities:
McKee Hall, Nittany Apartments,
Eastview Terrace and Graduate Cir
cle, said Luke Taiclet, senior grad
uate council representive.
Each area also has a residence hall
association for graduate students, he
said. Nittany Apartment's residence
Choosy callers;
students will
decide to buy
or rent phones
LDER SQUARE U, STATE CQLLEGE 237-6716
~tc
~` ,
I ;
I I 1 )
and libraries and
meet some people
and try to discover
some of these
activities together.'
hall association is open to both grad
uate and undergraduate students.
Besides finding adequate housing,
graduate students were told that sur
viving at Penn State depends on pur
suing fun activities.
Time for recreation should be con
sidered or burn out could occur over
worrying about your thesis or com
prehensives, former GSA president
Brian Delßuono said.
He suggested attending football
games, buying the Artist Series or
getting involved in the intramurals
sports program. Meeting internation
al students and learning about a
different culture can also be helpful.
"Get out of your labs, classrooms,
and libraries and meet some people
By MICHAEL CARLIN
Collegian Staff Writer
Since the breakup of AT&T, stu
dents living off campus must decide.
'whether to buy or lease telephone
equipment, but they have several
special options from which to choose.
Dennis Coleman, account represen
tative with AT&T communication
services, said leasing phone equip
ment is probably the best bet for
students who stay at their apart
ments only during the school year.
Buying a phone can cost between
FOOTBALL PACKAGE
* $40.00 per night per person
* Transportation for two, to and from the game
* Two tailgate lunches per room
WITHOUT PACKAGE
* $60.00 single occupancy per room
* $68.00 double occupancy
Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages for sale on request
• Additional people on bus at $B.OO charge per person
' Additional box lunches for $6.00
7 Day cancellation notice required
• Call early for guaranteed reservations
• Package is based on double occupancy
814/946-1631
`Get out of your
labs, classrooms,
—Brian Delßuono
Former GSA President
h
e
r
a
t
a;y
Altoona
and try to discover some of these
activities together," he said.
New graduate students were also
told that the GSA office, 305 Kern.
Building, can assist them in finding
health insurance.
Ritenour Health Center offers Blue
Cross and Blue Shield, and the Lone
State Accident and Sickness Insur
ance Plan for any grad student, Del-
Buono said.
International students, however,
may also want to check in the Office
of International Students, 222 Boucke
Building, because of lower health
insurance costs, Taiclet said.
GSA President Russ Taylor said
the goal of the Fall 'B6 Graduate
Orientation programs is to get stu
dents involved with the Graduate
Student Association and the other 40
graduate organizations.
In addition to the orientation pro
gram, others programs will continue
through the upcoming weeks. The
program will be an "enthusiatsic
kick-off for the year," Taylor said.
Other programs listed in the grad
uate student orientation pamphlet
include a "Welcome to PSU/Wine
and Cheese Reception" from 5 p.m. to
6:30 p.m. today in 112 Kern Building.
University President Bryce Jor
dan, deans and staff of the graduate
school and the colleges, and members
of GSA will attend the reception.
$lO and $lOO, depending upon the
model, he said. A standard AT&T
phone can be leased at prices ranging
from $2.50 to $3 per month.
If customers do not like the phones
they have leased, they can get them
replaced, he said. If repairs are nec
essary, AT&T will pay the cost of
repairing them. If a customer buys a
phone, it cannot be exchanged and
the consumer is responsible for the
cost of repairs, he added.
Choices for students are also re
flected in a number of local service
and special telephone plans available
e
Sheraton
.Altoona
TM homMlity pm& ITEE
SOUTH PLANK ROAD
ALTOONA, PA 16601
(814) 946-1631
~:,
through Bell of Pennsylvania.
A service representative fOr the
company said three types of local
service plans are available:
e Unlimited local calling costs
$5.20 per month.
• Standard usage costs $2.50 a
month and allows callers $4 worth of
local calls before a basic -charge' is
incurred.
• A budget rate charges custom
ers for each call.
Local calls cost seven cents from 8
a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Fri-
Learn About the
FLENSBURG GERMAN
LANGUAGE PROGRAM
FOR SPRING SEMESTER 1987
at a
QUESTION AND ANSWER EVENING
Tuesday, September 9, 1986
7:30 - 9:30 PM
301 HUB
Meet returning students,
German professors, and
Education Abroad Staff
offered through Education Abroad Programs
day, and 2.8 cents at all other times,
including weekends, she said.
Since the telephone breakup, Bell
takes care of only the telephone lines.
It does not cover equipment.
Bell offers several services, includ
ing call waiting, which informs a
phone user that another person is
trying to call; call forwarding, which
allows callers to transfer to another
number; three-way calling, by which
three parties can speak to each anoth
er at once; and speed calling, which
allows users to program frequently
used numbers into the system.
THE ATHLETIC CLUB
Free Unlimited Suntanning
with
Fall Semester Nautilus Membership
Only $99
or
2 for 1
One Semester Nautilus Membership
$49.00 per person
Included:
Free Parking Whirlpool, ,eambath, Sauna
• 4 Locker Rooms
• NEW Health Bar-Vegies, Croissants, High Protein Shakes
• Free Day Care
Look For Our Unlimited Aerobic Student Special
237-5108
HRS: 6 a.m.-10:30 p.m. 1445 W. College
The Daily Collegian Thursday, Aug. 28, 1988-11
Correction
An ad for study lamps,
which appeared in
Wednesday's issue, bore
an improper business
name. The 10% discount
on study lamps is
available at Whitehill
Lighting Supplies.