opinions editorial opinion Stalemate at the summit In the aftermath of last week's economic summit in Venice, the prevailing sentiment among most observers appears to be one of disappointment. Without question, the 13th annual gather ing lived up to its billing as a grand parade of the world's most influential leaders, but to the disappointment of many, not one of those leaders succeeded in leaving his mark on the world's most pressing problems. After three days of- discussion, the seven leaders departed Italy leaving nothing of substance not for lack of anything con crete to discuss but rather for their failure to agree on anything substantial. Oh, they agreed that AIDS has become "one of the biggest potential health prob lems in the world" and they agreed to call for the dismantlement of the apartheid regime in South Africa, but they refused to take any concrete steps to combat those evils. They decided that declining economic growth rates and serious trade and econom ic pitfalls were problems but they were Worthy Words Are you angry at a recent editorial, article or column printed in The Daily Collegian and are your friends are thoroughly bored with the fact that you've rehashed it at dinner for the last three nights in a row.? Don't bore your friends or ruin a good dinner, write a letter-to-the-edi tor and let others in Happy Valley know what's on your mind. The Daily Collegian welcomes let- reader opinion Mandatory tests Drug testing of professional athletes is a subject of controversy in our society. In light of the recent admis-. sions of drug use by such talented athletes as Dwight Gooden and Lawrence Taylor, it is time that all profes sional sports adopt policies of mandatory drug testing. Professional athletes are ascribed a high status in our society because of the nature of their profession. By taking drug tests professional athletes would be delivering a powerful anti-drug message to the public, which could prevent many people from getting involved with drugs. Although athletes may not realize it, drug testing would also eliminate any unnecessary danger from professional sports. There is enough risk of injury in professional sports without the presence of illegal substances. When a professional athlete uses illegal drugs immediately prior to competition, drug use is no longer a victimless crime. The victims are teammates of the drug user, opposing competitors, and the paying fans who are deprived of seeing fair athletic competition. Drug testing could keep potentially dangerous athletes out of competition while preserving the quality and fairness of the game. I am in favor of drug testing for athletes because of its many benefits. Drug testing could help individuals who would not voluntarily seek help for a drug problem. The knowledge that drug testing exists may also prevent some athletes from even experimenting with drugs. All athletes at Penn State are asked to take a drug test, Discrimination Breaking down stereotypical barriers is the first step to solving a problem that affects us al Well it's that time again. What time you ask? Time for the news division to be crazy enough to allow me to write a column. I guess it's been long enough since the last column to forget about my writing creden tials (or lack thereof). On with the column. Over the last semester as business man ager of the Collegian and as a student, I have had many different experiences with 'people. Some good. Some bad. I was told that I would never succeed in business. Clients have called me things that I cannot print. Also, it has been said that I have "sold As one observer aptly pointed out, the summit's economic conclusions were sim ply "policy objectives without commit ments." The same can be said for ' the statements on international politics. Sadly those measures were indicative of the direction the summit has taken in recent years. Britain's urbane foreign secretary Geoffrey Howe conceded this year that the summit simply provides a useful forum for "international group therapy." French President Francois Mitterrand concurred adding that "propaganda has edged out utility" as its primary purpose. Perhaps next year, , that will all change. Maybe then, the Summit Seven will recog nize the futility of those objectives and they will leave for Toronto with conviction and a genuirie interest in problem solving. If not, maybe they should carry out their corre spondence by mail. "Man can will nothing unless he has first understood that he must count on no one but himself; that he is alone, abandoned on earth in the midst of his infinite responsibilities, without help." Jean Paul Sartre Please Write ters from students, faculty, staff, alumni, and area residents concern ing current issues and ideas locally, nationally or internationally. All letters should be typed, doubled spaced, and no longer than two pages. If you believe a topic merits more of an in-depth statement then you may submit a forum. Forums also should be typed, double-spaced, but may be up to three pages long. Author or authors should include which many feel violates an individual's privacy. As a team member, I will be tested sometime in the future. Although the test may be an infringement on my personal rights, I will support the drug testing program because it can be of benefit on a large scale. Phony In the June 7th issue of the Philadelphia Inquirer there was an article about the new Penn State logo which was brought on by a terrible crisis the school was having for fear of losing its identity tolts image. According to a Mr. Roger Williams, who titles himself the executive director of University relations, "Identity is a bit firmer concept than image image can be oscillat ing and shimmering!" As a long-in-the-tooth alumnus, who lived long enough to finally see the school called by its proper name "a University" instead of "the cow college," I "oscillate and shimmer" at the thought that some phony "corporate identity-making" outfit bilged Penn State out of more than a few thousand to point us in the direction of the Dark Ages again! If you look at the Lion on the new logo he's pointed that way and the old cat ain't happy about it! Might not the money have been better spent on student aid or somescholarships? out." The few comments that have been complimentary are the reasons why I still come to the Collegian office each morning. No matte? what was said, I was able to gain something positive from each experi ence. Whether I learned more about myself, the individual I was speaking with, or peo ple in general the fact is that I learned. Recently, I had another experience in which a similar outcome occurred. A good friend of mine and I had just seen the Celtics blow a 16-point lead to the Lakers in the final seconds of game four of the NBA Finals. Patrons soon began filing out of the bar and since I had lost the bet as badly as the Celtics had lost the game; I made my way past elated, dejected, and drunken fans to buy another pitcher of Bud. As I sat back 'down at our table my friend and I tried to figure how and why the Celtics choked. We soon exhausted that subject and moved into an area of conversation familiar to the both of us and to Penn State: discrimi nation. We both agreed that: 1) the problem at unable to agree on which policies to pursue only that action would be necessary "if future growth is insufficient." name, ID number, local address and telephone number on each letter. Writers should submit their letters in person to the Collegian office in 126 Carnegie during business hours, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Due to a large volume of letters, we cannot guarantee that all will be printed. Opinion Editor Meg Culhane reserves the right to edit letters for length and also hold letters that are judged libelous or in poor taste. Claudia Karabedian freshman-division of undergraduate studies image Samuel Gallu Bucks County, Pa. Penn State is wide spread and (2) occurs at both ends of the spectrum (that is, all persons experience it to some degree or another). At Penn State, everyone is assigned a label. For example, when we first enter the University we are deemed freshmen and when we leave we are identified as alumni. Well, the basis for these labels is fine when d6ling with thousands of people. Grouping them aids in effectively managing and running Dear Old State. Perhaps, you are now saying, "so what, he's a freshman, I'm greek, she's fat but where does discrimination come into it?" This is the point that is difficult to explain. My friend and I debated back and forth for about an hour trying to get to the bottom of the issue. As I said it is difficult to relate the point, but I will try. It seems that here, at this University, everyone judges one another by using an established label. Attached to each label are a number of assumed characteristics. When a Connection is made between a person and a label, the qualities that belong to the label daily Collegian Monday June 15, 1987 ©1987 Collegian Inc. Chris Raymond Editor Glenn B. Rougier Business Manager 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 Editor Jane Kopacki Are you interested in becoming a columnist for The Daily Collegian for Summer Semester 1987? If so; then we are interested in hearing from you. You don't have to be a journalism or English major to write for us, but you must be currently enrolled as a student at the University. Columnists will be expected to write proficiently on national and local issues currently capturing the' public's attention. What we want are ORIGINAL, well written, well-researched and insightful columns (not old high school term papers). They can' range from humorous to political (or can be politically humoroug, whichever you prefei): We ask that you be able to present these issues in new and different ways that will are automatically attached. A problem occurs when the person mak ing the connection refuses to associate with, or give a person a chance because of their own perceived prejudices of that person. Too many times people will refuse to speak with someone because of a stereotype. It happens to all of us, whether you're at a party, a bar, in a classroom, or on the street. When you bypass an opportunity to talk with someone because of their looks, clothes, or whatever, you have automatical ly assigned these stereotypes to the person's exterior characteristics. Because this stereotyping occurs in the most basic circumstances, is it any wonder that there is such a problem with discrimi natiOn of minorities at this campus? If we have difficulty getting past whether or not a person is greek or independent, freshman or sophomore, fat or slim, how are we ever going to eliminate the discrimination that occurs with blacks, women, and other mi- norities? If people would try and ignore their in stant indicators, perhaps this University 114 e. Sivial:_ ,