opinions
editorial opinion
A necessary law
A freshman pledge at a University of
Texas fraternity died in his sleep of alcho
hol poisoning last fall after he was forced by
fraternity members to drink a bottle of
rum. He was a victim of fraternity hazing
practices.
Hazing has long been a common practice
that has created concern and controversy at
nearly every college campus in the nation.
Defined by University policy, hazing is
“any on-campus action, activity or situa
tion intentionally created by a registered
student organization to impose any obliga
tions that interfere with scholastic endeav
ors as well as any mental or physical
discomfort, injury, embarassment, harras
sment or ridicule.”
No matter the definition, hazing is an
uncalled for practice condoned under the
auspices of brotherhood and sisterhood.
Every opportunity to prevent useless
deaths, must be taken. And recently, the
ball began rolling.
To combat the problem, legislation was
approved by the state General Assembly
that would charge fraternity and sorority
members with a third-degree misdemeanor
punishable by a $2,500 fine and one year in
prison for hazing.
The Interfraternity Council supports this
daily Collegian
Wednesday, Dec. 10,1986
©1986 Collegian Inc.
Anita C. Huslin
Editor
William G. Landis Jr.
Business Manager
Correction
Times change, but farewells don't
Two-hundred and three years ago last week,
Gen. George Washington stood at Fraunces Tav
ern in New York City and delivered his farewell
address to his soldiers. It was two years after the
Revolutionary War and Washington, his voice
cracking with emotion, told his troops that he
loved them. He thanked them for serving their
new country.
I know, I was there
I remember his words vividly. Afterwards, we
toasted our commander-in-chief and chugged our
Irish ale. The dancing girls then came out,
followed closely behind by the beer bongs. And
boy, was George a master at that!
I think of that farewell address today as I too
am about to leave this place and the people I
love.
(I know what you’re thinking. “Uh-oh, another
one of those blasted, boring farewell columns.
Don’t hog the covers, mama, I’m hitting the
sack. ZZZZ All this is corny, sentimental clap
trap.)
Well, I thought about that too and decided that
since the editors have given me this space, I’m
going to write one anyway. What the heck?
Two and a half years ago, I came to Penn State
after two years at Seton Hall University, a fine
institution located in South Orange, N.J., which
is a stone’s throw away from that beautiful
downtown Newark.
Not many people outside the state have heard
of the Hall, and often, especially from Pittsburgh
natives, I get this response, “Oh, Seton Hill.. .
Isn’t that a girls’ school?”
I had a good time there, but I knew all along
that I wanted to go a college that wasn’t one big
parking lot.
I wanted someplace else to go. Someplace that
had grass and fields and cows and space. No, not
Kansas.
I chose Penn State over the University of
Maryland, and as I look back at the problems
Maryland has had in athletics compared to Penn
legislation, although IFC President Pat
Conway said hazing is not a serious problem
at the University. IFC and the Panhellenic
Council already have anti-hazing policies in
their constitutions and enforce such rules
through the Board of Control and the Judi
cial Board.
It is encouraging to see that those organi
zations have taken a stand against hazing
practices at the University, and a blanket
law that would be enforced by the state will
further strengthen that effort.
Some people would consider the bill to be
overleg'flation but such legislation is
long overdue and too many people have died
or been seriously injured because of hazing.
Donald Suit, director of the University
Office of Conduct Standards, said if
Gov. Dick Thornburgh signs the bill into
law, it will probably not have a major
influence on the number of reported hazing
cases.
Although this may be true, a law against
hazing may cause greeks to think twice
before hazing their pledges. Moreover, the
legal protection may encourage victims to
report hazing practices.
A state law against hazing is necessary
and, if successful, could make the practice
as obsolete as freshmen wearing beanies.
Due to a reporter’s error, it was
incorrectly reported in a Dec. 4
editorial and a Nov. 26 article in
The Daily Collegian that the traf
fic light at the intersection of
Hastings Road and University
Drive is the joint responsibility of
State’s (i.e. Len Bias and athletes not graduating
vs. two undefeated regular seasons and athletes
graduating), I knew I made the right choice.
At the time of my arrival, I was young and
immature... a rebel without a clue (apologies to
Maddie Hayes and Herb). But after two-and-a
half years of breathing Happy Valley air, I’m
safe to say that I’m old and immature.
I first started off in East Halls and contrary to
public opinion, I liked the “other branch cam
pus.” East Halls was, in effect, its own little
community with different activities and social
events. It was the people who worked there who
made it fun. The people in East were always
congenial, especially Betty, who worked at the
mini-store inside the dining halls.
I spent one year in East Halls, and I met a
bunch of great people. Whether it’s been one
thing or another, however, we just have not,
stayed in touch. It’s sad, but inevitable. So, to
Janice, Tony and the all the guys at Lambda Chi,
thanks.
-
■ vi>s#- ’T
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It was at that time that I joined the Daily
Collegian and it is here where my closest friends
are. I have been critical of some of them because
they have taken their jobs too seriously, but when
you look at this paper and the people who work
for it, there is none finer in the country. I want to
thank them all because they are the ones who
have overlooked my shortcomings (and let me
tell you, I have a list of shortcomings longer than
Layout Coordinator Nancy George
Marketing Coordinator
Kristy M. Burgess
the University, State College,
College Township and the Penn
sylvania Department of Trans
portation. The traffic light is the
sole responsibility of the munici
pality of State College.
Nancy Reagan:
Viable for positions other than first lady
"Get off my goddamned back!”
the purported words of Ronald Reagan in response
to Nancy's nagging him to fire "Diamond Don” Regan.
Ron didn’t take any lip from his first wife either, and
look where she is now: playing the role of Angella
Channing in Falcon Crest. Poor Nancy. Maybe she’ll
get fed up with playing the role of First Lady and go
back to Hollywood, too.
Surely with her immense talent she could easily land
a role as a drug-detection dog or as Norman Bates’s
mummified mother in another Psycho sequel, but she
deserves better. Her unique experience as the leading
lady in the longest-running comedy of our time the
Reagan administration must be taken into account.
I’d love to hear your suggestions for an Oscar
guaranteed (or even a Patsy-guaranteed) cinematic
role for Nancy’s big comeback, but meanwhile, here
are a few of my own:
• Eva Braun. Yes, here’s a role that would fit Nancy
like a studded leather glove. She’d portray the mistress
of a desperate, raving dictator, trapped in his impreg
nable bunker as his empire crumbles in its final days.
• Lysistrata. Maybe you think she’d be mis-cast for
this one, and you’re right unless the story was set in
the 20th century and Nancy was allowed to play
herself. She’d be bound to immortalize the line, “Uh
uh-uh, Ronnie not until you fire Don and tell the
people the truth.”
• Lady Macbeth. This role would allow Nancy to put
her experience to good use as a woman whose dreadful
partnership drives her mad (or makes her lose her
lunch). Ron would be a natural in the lead role.
• The Bride of Frankenstein. Nancy would have to
do something different with her hair. Maybe Ron can
make it stand on end by giving Risa Gorbachev a
wedgie —■ live on international television at the next
summit. So it would be a remake so what? The next
summit will have to be a remake too it surely hasn’t
been done right yet.
• Bernard Goetz. Rememeber that “little gun”
Nancy keeps in her nightstand? It just goes to show
she’s a woman with the gumption to take matters into
her own hands. Given some artistic license, she could
easily give her own, personal interpretation of the
“subway vigilante” character in one of those serious
as-a-heart-attack “docudramas.” Perhaps she can be
accosted by a quintet of liberal photojournalists in the
changing room at her dressmakers’.
Al Blasko is a senior majoring in journalism and a
columnist for The Daily Collegian. His columns appear
• Jane (Mrs. Tarzan). Picture this: it's 1987, Tarzan’s every other Wednesday.
Santa’s gift list). They have put up with my
Loder Standard Time that is, an .hour later
after I told them I’d meet them and 1 have let
me be their friend. So to all the Chris’, Matt, the
Marks, Terry, Theresa, Carolyn, Fever, Anita,
Moe, Curly and Larry, thank you.
Finally, I remember the places like the Diner
at 5 a.m, the Shandygaff on a Wednesday night
and the Skeller on Friday afternoon. It’s a cliche,
I know, but let me revel in my glory one last
time.
As I look back, I think of all the people I’ve
met, the oceans o’ beer I’ve quaffed and the good
times I’ve had and I’m thankful for every
moment.
In a word, I had A Blast. And while the
memories still linger and the entrance outside
my apartment still smells like a public urinal, it
is time to move on.
I really have no regrets well, maybe there is
one. I wish I spent a little more time at Fred
Pattee’s house and cracked open a few more
books. But as my parents have always said,
“Yes, but did you learn something?” I certainly
did.
In the two plus years I’ve been here, I have
seen this University and town transform greatly.
President Bryce Jordan is doing his best to make
this University nationally-known, and while we
have disagreed on certain issues in the past, I
applaud his efforts in making the Pennsylvania
State University a better place for study and
research.
And so, a senior says goodbye, reassured by
the fact that his two-and-a-half years at the
Pennsylvania State University were the best of
his college life
I just hope George and Martha can sneak the
champagne into Rec Hall Jan. 10.
Chris Loder is a senior majoring in journalism
and minorin g in political science. He s going on
vacation for awhile, but he'll be back.
a long-dead victim of a zoophiliac strain of AIDS, the
jungle’s been defoliated, and Jane’s become a recluse
in a solitary treehouse bordering a sprawling, black
South-African township. (Of course it has no plot, but it
gives Nancy a chance to play opposite Bonzo the
chimp, who’d fulfill his lifelong ambition to portray
Cheetah.)
• Yoko Ono. With a little makeup and fake epican
thal folds, Nancy might be very convincing as a
greedy, talentless artist who inherits a fortune in 1980,
when her wealthy husband is ventilated by a madman
who’s in love with Jody Foster (or was that another
madman?). In any case, the “Yoko story” can be
spiced up by implying that the assasination was
engineered by the men who would later occupy the
White House basement.
• Mother Courage. A great role for a mature actress
like Nancy: Brecht’s Anna Fierling, a woman who’s at
her best in times of war. Hollywood might even
consider modernizing the play and shooting it bn
location on the Nicaragua/Honduras border for that
“war-torn” look.
• Vice Cop. Once again, Nancy’s experience could
enliven an otherwise dead role. Think of an aging
female Crockett; set her loose a frat-house beat in a
college town, and what you get is an action-packed
thriller loaded with innocent minors, wild frat-boys
and ingenious “sting” operations. Not for the squeam
ish: beer flows like drug-tainted urine in this film!
Obviously, the possibilities for a reviving Nancy’s
acting career are almost limitless. Maybe she’d do
herself a favor by getting off her husband’s back (like
Jane Wyman did) and returning to the silver screen for
a last shot at true stardom. She has nothing to lose, and
if she’s lucky Jane might bag her a part as a right-wing
Christian from outer space in the next Star Trek film.
reader opinion
Self-righteous
The tone of Frank Innamarato’s
letter compels me to write.
If it’s my future, why should I
“Read these books? Why waste my
time when I could be partying or
catching up on my ECON 004 read
ing?”
I suggest that he read Politics
Among Nations by Hans Morgenthau.
An interesting quote from the book
.. the ultimate aim of the foreign
policy is always the same: to promote
one’s interest by changing the mind
of the opponent.” The CIA is just one
of the foreign policy arms of the
American government, so I’m not too
surprised by the allegations that are
in the newspapers. I would rather
have such an organization as the CIA
rather than the legacy of the Cheka,
NKVD, etc.
Frank says, “Find out why we have
so many weapons.” Ever heard of
defense? Also, “Star Wars” is a Lu
casfilm trademark. If he’s referring
to the Strategic Defense Initiative,
with continued research, it can be
attainable. A general in the 50s said
ballistic rockets capable of carrying
an atom bomb from one side of the
world to the other would be impossi
ble. Unfortunately, these people were
wrong, or we wouldn’t have to worry
about being “three minutes to mid
night.” Perhaps Frank prefers sui
cide (Mutually Assured Destruction)
over global survival. And his next-to
last sentence, “Find out why we are
going to Nicaragua.” Unless he has
plane tickets for everybody, I don’t
■know what he is talking about. I’m
going to Belgium.
The Daily Collegian
Wednesday/ Dec. 10, 1986
Well, to paraphrase him, “It’s your
country.”
No excuse
For the past three seasons, I have
regularly attended Penn State bas
ketball games. Although there have
been more disappointing losses than
thrilling wins, one thing that kept me
coming back to the games: the team
always did its best to win.
In Sunday’s game against Loyola,
Coach Bruce Parkhill’s priorities
seemed to change drastically. After
an exciting and well-played first half
by the Lions, the second half was a
major disappointment.
To the great dismay of the crowd,
Parkhill refused to insert his best
players into the lineup for much of the
half, including when the game was on
the line. A 62-51 Penn State lead
turned into yet another in the long
line of should-have-been games I
have seen at Rec Hall.
I understand trying to develop
young players, but achieving a win
ning attitude should be the team’s
main concern. Penn State’s key play
ers need close game experience going
into league play in January.
' We want to see a winning team.
From the reactions of people around
me, I would bet that many of them
will not be back to Rec Hall in the
near future. And, it’s sad to say, but
neither will I. (At least not until
league games start, and we decide
that we should try to win.) Sorry,
Parkhill, there is no excuse.
John Higi
sophomore-political science
Mike McClaine
junior-economics
■ u
opinions
Finding the holiday truth
The night was cold and peaceful,
the kind of night that is best spent
comfortably on the sofa, or in front
of the fireplace. I looked out the
window into the night.
I couldn’t tell how long the snow
had been falling; it could not have
been very long. It was a gentle
wash falling unobtrusively every
where, coating the world with a
purifying layer of white.
Christmas was only a few days
away, and up until that moment, I
hadn’t felt the slightest bit of any
sort of Christmas spirit. Watching
that snow fall all around made me
feel like something was missing,
something I couldn’t really identi
fy.
I walked to my room, and pulled
a bulky-sweater from the closet. I
slipped on my old boots, put on my
well-worn peacoat and stepped out
into the night.
The snow was falling heavier
now, the whiteness becoming thick
er and thicker. The sky was a
ghastly white, as though something
behind the clouds was illuminating
them with a pale light.
That sense of yearning peaked
once more inside me, and I started
walking. To where, I had no idea.
My feet seemed to carry me by
their own will, and I did not resist.
The snow packed firm beneath me
with each step, squishing into the
shape of my boots’ soles.
I found myself walking through
'\\ a a
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A Musical Diversion
By Eve Merriam
With Music Arranged by Alexandra Ivanoff
Presented by The Pennsylvania State
University Resident Theatre Company
Under the Direction of Jim Hoskins
The Pavilion Theatre
December 4-6, 9-12, 1986
Curtain Time 8:00 PM
Student Preview Performance December 3
For Tickets and Reservations call 865-1884
unfamiliar neighborhoods, with the
light of town always ahead of me.
To both sides of me, houses glowed
with the light of hundreds of strings
of bulbs some white, some col
ored, some flashing. Further down
the street, something caught my
eye.
It covered the entire front lawn,
and was garishly lit with blue, red
and green floodlights. There were
also a few strings of those big, ugly
outdoor bulbs, which flashed off
and on every few seconds.
It was a nativjty scene, grandly
displayed here in this front lawn. It
was about half life-size scale. I
moved closer to it, as if drawn by
some compelling force. Snow was
starting to accumulate on the noble
figures. I reached down and
brushed the snow off of Mary’s
neoprene head, and off of the neo
prene cows.
Then I got a good look at Joseph,
at the detail put into his replica. He
looked just like Charles Manson.
By the time I ended up in town,
the snow had stopped. I wandered
into a department store for no
good reason just because it was
there.
Inside, it was one sterling exam
ple of holiday spirit and good
cheer, alright. I’d never seen a
pack of more crazed animals in my
life. I suppose five dollars off the
regular price of a Crockpot is just
provocation for trampling some-
The Club
one. To think that these were
adults. Christmas was in the air
alright, but it sure smelled bad.
I walked to the other side of the
store, where little kids were wait
ing in line to see Santa. For a little
while, that cheered me up. There’s
something heartwarming about the
naivete and innocence of children.
Then one of the little buggers
turned to the one behind him and
socked him in the mouth, bloodying
his lip. And then their mothers got
in on it. I couldn’t take anymore.
I left town, and found myself
walking along the railroad tracks. I
followed them for a while, alone
with nothing but my thoughts.
Then, I heard voices ahead of
me, and saw the glow of a warm,
red light. Off to the side of the
tracks, in a small gulley, were four
or five bums. As I drew closer, I
could see and hear what they were
doing. They were sitting around a
fire, talking. One of them had a
Bible and was reading about the
birth of Christ. They were cooking
hot dogs and washing them down
with Old Crow. Then solemnly,
they began singing “Adeste Fi
deles,” not drunkenly, not insince
rely, but out of their hearts. As I
walked down to greet them I was
thinking that it wouldn’t be a bad
place to spend the night.
Todd S. Christopher is a sopho
more majoring in English and a
columnist for The Daily Collegian
ANCHOR SPLASH )
CONGRRTULRTIONS! <
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R special thanks to:
Haepa, Nittany Hot Springs, Grove Printing, Lady Nautilus,
Pepsi, Domino's, and The Deli
East College Ave.
State College
x CA*4wtor-reu-A disimr3l2matiow.'‘'
9am-spm CHRISTMAS DAY CLOSED
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The Daily Collegian Wednesday, Dec. 10, 1986 —9
“Where You and Your
Needs Come First”
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