opinions
editorial opinion
A stand for fairness
Governors and university presidents
should know that even the most insignifi
cant and innocent actions can haunt them.
Bryce Jordan should have been attuned to
what may set off another confrontation with
students after a long list of controversies.
But he wasn’t.
Mary Greeley- ( Beahm thought she was
about to begin a three-year term as the
University’s student trustee. She isn’t.
Instead, she’ll be serving a one-year
term, while William Schreyer, head of Mer
rill Lynch, gets the three-year seat held by
the last student trustee.
It might be easier to swallow if someone
had told Greeley-Beahm she wasn’t getting
the thhee-year seat. Instead, she was led
along to believe otherwise, facing the em
barrassing shock of a premature expira
tion.
Thornburgh’s office said the appointment
was made so Greeley-Beahm wouldn’t
serve beyond her graduation. But Greeley-
Beahm says she told Thornburgh officials
she intended to continue her studies here
the entire three years.
Meanwhile, Schreyer knew since last
spring he would serve a three-year term on
the board.
Something doesn’t seem right. In fact,
several things don’t seem right.
Why wasn’t Greeley-Beahm told she
would have just a one-year term on the
daily Collegian
Thursday, Oct. 23,1986
©1986 Collegian Inc.
Anita C. Huslin
Editor
William G. Landis Jr.
Business Manager
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ion is determined by its Board of
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Managing Editor Jeanette Krebs
Opinion Editor Jill Graham
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Knife-dancing:
Why do people see one danger so clearly, while habit and emotion blind them to others?
I have this friend I’d like to tell you about
She’s from another country, a strange little
place you’ve probably never heard of. She’s
wanted by the law in her country which is
why I won’t give her real name or the name
of the country. I’ll just call her Valerie.
Valerie thinks nothing like what happened
to her could happen in this country. She
thinks not enough Americans appreciate
what an enlightened country they live in, so
she wants me to tell her story. I’m not so
sure I agree with her, but I’m going to tell
you about this anyway. Valerie, however, has a penchant for speed
It appears the laws in her country are a It’s an addiction I think many Americans
little warped. The public gets very incensed can understand. I know I can. So, whenever
about something which is dangerous so all she got the chance, she would speed down
sorts of laws and police measures are taken the highway, taking her car up to 95 mph,
against it, simply to protect the people of which is the fastest it goes,
the country: This of course seems quite Valerie is not the only person in her
reasonable. And yet other practices that are country with this addiction. In fact, there
far more dangerous are encouraged, seem- are many people w h o break this law regu
ingly for no reason at all. larlyi most 0 f t h e m young, looking for
As you will see, however, Valerie is a little drills. Of course, it is dangerous, especially
naive and if she had looked closely, she. everyone else is driving so slow, so a
would have seen there are some very con- g o od number of accidents occur,
crete reasons these things are: tolerated ■ and in Va ierie’s country fight this
sometimes encouraged But enough of my crime aU they , re worth _ they have
editorializing, let s get to Valerie s story- f un d- ra isers to get money to launch educa-
Driving over 45 miles per hour campaigns ° n the issuean d a great deal
ly illegal in Valerie s country 0 f public and government attention is fo
ceived as a life-threatening, very dange o cuse( j on stopping this dangerous activity,
activity. It is also viewed by many people as Luieuu “ w B
a grave sin. She would have left the country, except
board? Why did Schreyer get the three-year
seat? Did Jordan advance that notion be
cause Schreyer is chairman of the five-year
Campaign for Penn State? Did Jordan real
ly not know, as he claims, that Schreyer,
whom he has worked with closely this past
year, was getting the three-year seat? Did
Thornburgh and Jordan favor the financial
interests of Schreyer over the student inter
ests of Greeley-Beahm?
We may never know the answers to these
and other questions. However, there is one
solution to ease this situation.
In the wake of another incident that
underscores this University’s insensitivity
to student opinion, the trustees should make
the student position a permanent fixture on
the board. Such a move would demonstrate
a commitment that this sort of odious action
won’t and can’t happen again.
It’s not enough to speculate that the
student trustee position will be there be
cause of tradition. We may seem insecure
and paranoid, but the trust this administra
tion has garnered with its deaf ear toward
students leaves everything to be desired.
Much more, students could rest assured
that their voice can’t be easily erased at the
whim of incoming politicians and financial
magnates. If, as the divestment issue
shows, this University doesn’t stand for
morality, at least the trustees could at long
last take a stand for fairness.
Graphics Editor Tony Ciccarelli
Photo Editor Cristy Rickard
Assistant Photo Editor Dan Oleski
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■■
reader opinion
Porn response
In response to Sue Eichorn’s letter
of Oct. 20, “Pornography,” it is inac
curate to assume that the Penn State
Cinemas deliberately refrained from
showing pornographic films on Par
ents’ Weekend.
Let me first point out that PSC, a
department of the Association of Res
idence Hall Students, has only been in
existence for the past six months.
Thank you for pointing out that porn
has not been shown for the past three
Parents’ Weekends.
We were unaware of this fact;
however, we are not the same Board
of Directors which approved the pre
vious movie schedules. Up until
April, the organization of which you
speak was the Penn State Movie
Cooperative, a joint venture between
the Undergraduate Student Govern
ment and ARHS.
I must also point out that Universi
ty guidelines give PSC total control
over which movies are shown. We
voted to show pornography this se
mester. It was done because it is a
service students obviously want (as
shown by the box office receipts) and
will continue to use.
We don’t assume parents are so
naive as to not know what is happen
ing, and the fact that porn was not
shown on Parents’ Weekend has a
quite plausible explanation.
Th.e fact of the matter is, we decid
ed to show Disney flicks for a week
end to see how they would fare. Since
the two movies we wanted were only
available the weekend of Oct. 10, we
had to schedule them then.
she could not bear to leave her favorite
brother, Igor, who had an addiction of a
different nature.
This was something which is seen as
comparatively harmless well, although
everyone knows it’s dangerous, it certainly
isn’t looked upon as sinful, it isn’t illegal and
the people who practice it are usually part
of the basic establishment.
This practice is knife-dancing. Let me
describe knife-dancing to you briefly. First,
the dancer balances himself with each foot
on a small animal native to that country
(Valerie said they look a lot like squirrels).
Then he takes six or seven knives and
throws them all into the air and tries to
catch them as they fall.
Most of the knife-dancers in that country
are middle-aged, because the younger peo
ple are beginning to realize how dangerous
it is even for a skilled dancer. Indeed, just
looking at the body of a knife-dancer, which
is often lacking arms, legs or fingers, is
enough to convince you of that. And their
death rate is staggering.
Although knife-dancing is legal, there are
many people in the country who do not
knife-dance and are quite frightened of
being killed by a stray knife. They would
like to see knife-dancing confined by law
and kept out of public places.
However, they are virtually the only peo-
ADMINISTRATION! PuTriNlG- lIS OION SPIN! ONI SUMMIT FSMLUJ2E
Also, the Office of Student Activ
ities only gave us two rooms in which
to show movies. Had we been given
the third room like we frequently are,
Wanda would have continued to Whip
Wall Street.
If special interest groups are going
to continue attacking us, we ask that
they please get their facts straight
instead of basing their arguments on
assumptions and emotional appeal.
We realize that porn is a sensitive
issue, and we are willing to discuss all
aspects of the PSC with anyone who is
concerned enough to take the time to
come in and ask.
John Dalryinple
chairman, PSC Board of Directors,
executive vice president, ARMS
Freedoms
Why doesn’t Debbie do Dallas on
Parents’ Weekend? For the same
reason you don’t take parents to frat
parties. And for the same reason your
boyfriend or girlfriend abstains from
sleeping over on Parents’ Weekend.
Be honest parents can be cool, but
they are still our parents.
Without getting into a debate over
the legality and morality of pornogra
phy, I would like to say that I myself
find pornographic films distasteful.
However, my personal likes or dis
likes should not govern any Universi
ty policy; and neither should Sue
Eichorn’s, who recently had a letter
published in The Daily Collegian.
Until the Supreme Court rules
otherwise, pornography is a freedom
of expression, just as important as
any other freedom mentioned in the
Bill of Rights.
It is not a religious issue, and
assertions as to the ethicality of por
nography should be made on a socie
tal level and not an ecumenical one.
Not everyone on campus is a devout
Christian; people who watch porno
graphic films do not feel as if they are
dishonoring God and Jesus. Christ.
If Eichorn would have argued that
pornography downgrades society,
that might have given her argument
a more universal persuasion, al
though I would disagree on the
grounds that many things tend to
downgrade society (such as alcohol)
are still full-fledged American free
doms.
I respect Eichorn’s religious va
lues, but I do not think she should
attempt to impose them on such a
variegated and liberal institution as
Penn State.
Good job
Congratulations to The Daily Colle
gian sports staff for their remarkable
Homecoming issue of The Collegian
Magazine.
Being an avid Penn state football
fan, I find your publications informa
tive as well as entertaining. Although
your hard work and long hours fre
quently go unrecognized, there are
some of us here at the University who
appreciate your dedication to quality.
Thanks for making Penn State’s
“Century of Excellence” year one to
remember.
ple who are working for this cause and they
are often characterized as annoying and
overly cautious. There is even an express
ion to describe someone as paranoid: “He
looks for knives falling from the sky.”
Valerie told me she could not understand
%vhy this practice was legal, especially since
it seemed far more dangerous than speed
ing. I thought at first that I understood why,
but I only had half the reason.
I thought it must have a lot to do with the
fact that the people who speed are mostly
young and rebellious, and the people who
knife-dance are mostly middle-aged and
part of the establishment and would raise a
fuss if they were legislated against.
But later, Valerie mentioned in passing
that one of the biggest industries in their
country is knife-making. I think I get the
picture, don’t you?
Well, whatever the reasons behind all
this, Valerie’s brother Igor died as a result
of knife-dancing. One afternoon, when he
was relaxing with a little dance, something
startled the animal underneath his left foot.
He lost his balance and didn’t manage to
catch a single knife as they fell. Valerie
says she did not even recognize her brother
when she found him.
After that, there was no reason for her to
remain in a country where, any day, she
could be arrested for a habit and addiction
The Daily Collegian
Thursday, Oct. 23, 1986
Paul Kleidermacher
sophoniore-prc mcd
which she could not break, so she immi
grated to the United States.
Everytime she tells anyone this story,
Valerie can’t help saying how happy she is
that knife-dancing is illegal in the United
States.
She can not imagine the enlightened Unit
ed States making such a poor decision to
permit something as dangerous as knife
dancing while hunting down with zeal and
fervor everyone who commits another
crime which is certainly does not directly
kill more people per year.
Unfortunately, I can imagine it.
Why, it was only this week that I read Carl
Sagan, quoted in USA Today, mention this
statistic: 400 deaths per year in the United
States are directly related to drug use,
while 4,000 deaths per year are directly
related to cigarette smoking.
So when is Nancy Reagan going to jump
on the anti-smoking bandwagon? And when
will people stop adopting causes franticly
just because they are the “in” causes?
Not that taking drugs is great or should be
legalized, but why is it we can see one
danger so clearly, while habit and emotion
can blind us to another?
Angela Vietto is a sophomore majoring in
Englishand a column for The Daily Colle
gian. Her column appears every other
Thrusday.
Overall performance; “A-plus.”
Rhonda A. Critchfield
scnior-telccomiminieations
Candidates
The Oct. 16 issue of The Daily Colle
gian reported on a congressional can
didate’s press conference where four
of my colleagues appeared and pub
licly endorsed the candidate. I would
like to address two points.
• The candidate’s statement that
he was “trying to take it (child
abuse) out of the political arena and
turn it over to people who deal with it
day in and day out,” could be viewed
as misleading since my colleagues do
not deal with child abuse every day.
• The statement that members of
the department discussed the adver
tisement privately and were pre
pared to write letters against it. The
discussions must have been very pri
vate since not all members were
involved. Perhaps, only those who
are anti-Clinger were involved.
Not all administration of justice
faculty agree with the statements in
support of the candidate who held the
press conference. Indeed, it may
even be unethical for professors to
hide behind their academic robes in
support of political candidates. As
citizens, of course, they have the
right to support anyone. To use their
academic affiliation in endorsing
candidates is deceptive to say the
least.
Edwin J. Donavan
assistant professor
administration of justice
opinions
Please
write
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Kids Eat Free.
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Growing old:
People shouldn't be so concerned with the future that they blur through life
So it’s Monday, and a God-awful one at that.
And there I am, walking down the Mall, too
early in the morning and for some absurd
reason I don’t even remember now. Oh yeah,
and it was pouring down rain, the kind of rain
where an umbrella doesn’t work for squat
because it’s not just raining down, but side
ways, too, if you know what I mean.
Well, anyway, I’m squishing down the side
walk and one of my shoelaces decides I don’t
have quite enough misery going for me. So the
little bugger mutinies, unties and works his
way out of the first couple of eyelets.
“Great,” I thought to myself. I realize this
isn’t a very profound thought to have shared
with myself, but like I said it was early and it
was a dung heap of a day. Besides, I’m sure
most of you geniuses wouldn’t have done any
better.
So I sit down on one of those benches to lace
it back up and that damn little plastic thing on
the end of the lace is gone. Great. So I start
licking the end of the lace and twisting it to a
point, feeling pretty stupid the whole time.
“Having some trouble there, pal?”
This threw me off because I knew none of
my “pals” were around at the time. It turns
out there was this old guy sitting on thebench,
but I didn’t even notice him, he blended in so
well with the grayness of the day. Old guys
are pretty nondescript if you think about it.
“Yeah,” I said. Wonderful. My world is
falling apart and this Geritol junky wants to
strike up a conversation.
Now I notice this guy’s sitting on the bench,
under an umbrella, feeding squirrels from
abagful of nuts. What could I do but conclude
e 1986 Ponderosa. Inc.
he’d gone senile, sitting out in the rain feeding
an occasional brave or stupid squirrel?
“You look like something’s really bothering
you, son.”
Oh boy, I’d had enough. I was feeling
especially crabby and this guy walked into the
combat zone.
“Yeah,” I said, “I’m afraid that one day I’ll
end up being like you.”
Now that was evil. The poor old fart didn’t
deserve that. But, he’d started it.
He turned to me and looked at me with these
really deep eyes, just a little bloodshot around
the edges. I felt a little twinge of guilt inside.
He looked like a wise old saint or a crazed old
pervert with those eyes, I couldn’t be sure
which.
“Being like me?” he said. “And just what
does being like me mean to you?” He spoke so
sincerely and intelligently I was taken off
guard. The least he deserved was an honest
answer to his question.
“Well, I guess it means having pruny skin,
prostrate trouble, contending with Polydent
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and doing senile things like sitting in the rain
feeding squirrels.”
“Sounds like you’re just afraid of getting
old, the way I see it.” Amazing. The man does
not get angry.
“Shouldn’t I be? I don’t relish the thought of
getting up in the morning and spending 10
minutes coughing up lung.”
“Seems to me you sure know a lot about
being old for someone one-third my age. I
guess it never occurs to you young, beautiful
people that you could actually be wrong about
something. Does it?”
“Well, 1..
“So I thought. You all think once you’re
over the hill, you pick up speed and a weak
ened body means a weakened mind. Quite
frankly, given the chance to be like you again
or remain as I am, I wouldn’t change.”
“Are you kidding?” I exclaimed. “Why
not?”
“Well, pretty much because you’re a pack
of insensitive jerks with no sense of anything
really important.”
I tried feebly to defend the undergraduate
population of Penn State against that remark,
but the old codger was on a roll.
“Thirty-five thousand of you all racing
dowh a road leading nowhere.” He paused
and spat. “You don’t appreciate anything,
that’s your trouble.”
“Wait a minute, what do you mean we don’t
appreciate anything?”
“Just what I said. You are all so busy, so
concerned with the future that you blur
through life not even stopping to take any of it
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The Daily Collegian Thursday, Oct. 23, 1986—9
in and appreciate it. You do, do, do; I stop,
watch and think.”
"Hold on, you can’t be implying none of us
think.”
“No, just too few of you. When was the last
time you actually created something, some
thing besides a puddle of gakk on Beaver
Avenue?”
Okay, so he had a point.
“Well, let me tell you,” he began, and I
knew this was gonna be good. “There’s still
hope for most of you, so don’t worry. You see,
right now all of you are here to get a good job,
maybe drive a nice car, be successful. But
that passes. I hope when you’re near the end
of your life you can look back on everything
and be happy, like me.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” I asked.
“Because right now you all think only in
terms of success of getting what you want;
I think in terms of happiness of wanting
what I get.”
, Wow, that floored me. The rain had stopped
and numerous squirrels were now crawling up
to him and taking nuts from his hand. He gave
each a kind word and a pat on the head.
Unbelieveable.
“You look like something’s really bothering
you, son.”
“Yeah,” I said, “I’m afraid that when that
day comes, I won’t be like you.”
Todd S. Christopher is a sophomore major
ing in English and a columnist for The Daily
Collegian. His column appears every other
Thursday.