USG
ruled
By KERRY GILDEA
Collegian Staff Writer
The Undergraduate Student Gov
ernment Supreme Court decided yes
terday that the USG endorsement
committee violates the organization’s
constitution.
The decision was made after a
debate Sunday night between Town
Senator Ken Houk and Senate Presi
dent Ron Marlow.
“The senate does not have the
authority to delegate law-making to a
committee. (The endorsement com
mittee) takes all the senate’s power
away,” Houk said yesterday. Houk
filed a complaint with the court
against the seven-member commit
tee, which was designed to endorse
candidates in November’s local elec
tions.
Homeward bound
From left, Eric Foster (junior-English writing), Mytrice Robinson (senior- the carpool lists in the HUB in search of a lift home for the Thanksaivina
communications) and Dave Hager (freshman-communications) take a look at holiday. a a
USG pres,
to trustee:
Speak out
By MAUREEN QUINN
Collegian Staff Writer
Undergraduate Student Govern
ment President Todd Sloan yesterday
said the role of the student member
on the Board of Trustees should in
clude speaking out about issues af
fecting University students, but the
student trustee said her job is to
improve communication between the
trustees and students.
“(Christine Henke) has just as
much power as any of the rest of the
trustees, and it’s a power I think she
should be making use of," said Sloan
of the student trustee. Sloan is a non
voting student representative on the
board, which met last week at the
University.
Sloan said Henke, the student trust
ee, should have publicly condemned
the posting of racially-offensive swas
tika stickers on campus four weeks
ago. The USG president said he wrote
letters condemning the act to The
Daily Collegian and the University
weather
Today, a mix of cloudiness and sunshine, mild, high 53. Tonight, more
clouds, low 39. Tomorrow, cloudy, with an increasing chance for rain, high
49.
endorsements
unconstitutional
Marlow said at Sunday’s debate an
endorsement is not a law but a show
of support that serves as a recom
mendation to the public.
The committee, which endorsed
four candidates for State College Bo
rough Council on Nov. 1, consists of
the USG president and vice president,
co-directors of USG’s Department of
Political and International Affairs,
Senate president and vice president,
and chairman of the Senate Appoint
ment Review Board. The committee
falls under the category of a joint
committee because it is comprised
members from both executive and
legislative USG branches and was
approved by two-third majorities in
the Senate and Academic Assembly.
The court agreed with Houk’s claim
that the committee’s function vio
lated USG bylaws which state: “A
Christine Henke
administration soon after the inci
dent.
“The student trustee has to be
known to all students,” Sloan said.
“It’s a dangerous precedent to set
just having the trustee go to meet
ings.”
But Henke, whose trustee seat was
confirmed by Gov. Robert Casey on
Oct. 6, said condemning the stickers
was a more appropriate role for stu
dent leaders, such as Sloan.
“By speaking (publicly), I would be
usurping the role of student leaders,
and I didn’t want to do that."
Please see TRUSTEE, Page 5.
the
daily
Collegian Photo / Chris Hiester
Collegian
joint committee may not establish
USG law.”
Chief Justice Mike Sosnowski said
the key issue involved in the decision
was whether or not the committee’s
endorsements constitute USG law.
Houk proved that the committee
makes law by comparing how past
USG legislation has affected stu
dents, he said.
Houk said, and court justices af
firmed that past USG legislation sup
porting a Student Credit Union,
promoting Alcohol Awarness Week,
and urging the University’s Board of
Trustees to divest its holdings in
South Africa constituted law.
These actions are similar to candi
date endorsement because they give
students guidelines to follow, Houk
said.
“The committee’s endorsements
Fire breaks out at Sheraton
By TERRY MUTCHLER
Collegian Staff Writer
A fire broke out at the Sheraton
Penn State at 240 S. Pugh St. about 1
a.m. today, causing guests to evac
uate the building.
No one was injured and damages
were unknown. At press time. Alpha
Fire Chief Marvin Robinson said the
ANC delegate decries S. African govt.
By TERRY MUTCHLER
Collegian Staff Writer
Comparing the political unrest and
daily massacres in South Africa to
those of the Jewish Holocaust, a rep
resentative of the African National
Congress of South Africa last night
denounced his country's white re
gime.
“Now we in South Africa are facing
that same monster that is trying to
rise up from the ashes of the last
World War, crying to the world and
saying we are dying daily.” Dumi
Matabane said. “(Yet) the world
continues to say: can that be true?
Can that really be happening? ’
“Yes. This is not a Ram bo film," he
continued. “This is true and we’d
better do something.”
Founded in 1912, the African Na
tional Congress is the oldest political
movement in South Africa. It cam
paigned openly and non-violently
against the South African govern
ment’s racist policies. In 1960. the
ANC was outlawed in South Africa
and the group went underground.
Matabane said because of the white
regime now in power, black South
Africans have lost their identity. He
Collegian Photo / Pal Christmas
Ron Marlow
are basically similar to the examples
Houk gave, and if they can be termed
law, the committee is unconstitution
al because a joint committee may not
establish USG law according to by
laws,” Sosnowski said.
Please see USG, Page 5.
Collegian Photo / Pat Christmas
cause of the fire was unknown.
“At this point the fire is out,” he
said.
In the rear of the building, firefight
ers kicked out window panes as about
50 people looked on. Couches and
mattresses were thrown out the win
dow and hosed with water. Night
receptionist Scott Reitz said the fire
started in room 111.
Collegian Photo I Jody Stachar
Dumi Matabane
said their rights have been stripped
away, citing the lack of the right to
speak: of individuals to go where they
choose: the right to fall in love with
whom they choose: and the right to
send children to the schools of their
choice.
“They say to us: ‘You can’t even
swim in the same part of the
ocean,' " he said. “How do you under
stand such a system that says, ‘Be
cause you are not my color you can’t
swim in this part of the ocean?' What
Tuesday, Nov. 24,1987
Vol. 88, No. 95 14 pages University Park, Pa. 16802
Published by students of The Pennsylvania State University
5.1987 Collegian Inc.
Proposal to change
USG structure gets
mixed responses
By PAMELA WEIERS
Collegian Staff Writer
Members of the Undergraduate
Student Government have something
to think about during Thanksgiving
break the future direction of their
organization.
A nine-member research team,
created by USG executives in Sep
tember to pinpoint and eliminate
bureaucracy in USG, released its
findings Sunday and USG members
are faced with the choice of imple
menting the committee’s sugges
tions.
Recommendations by the commit
tee, called the Strategic Analysis
Research Team, include eliminating
the Senate and Academic Assembly
and creating one new legislative as
sembly in their place. Yesterday,
some USG members voiced concern
over the controversial plan.
Senate President Ron Marlow said
he does not agree with some of
START’s recommendations, partic
ularly changes in the legislative
branch, but said the Senate has two
options at this point.
“We have the option of either tak
ing the START recommendations and
making changes within the existing
system or taking the recommenda
tions at face and creating the assem
bly to make a new system,” Marlow
said.
“Whichever course the Senate de
cides to take ... as senate president I
will be 100 percent behind either
decision and work towards that
goal,” he added.
USG Executive Assistant Ken Hong
Pat Paul resigns;
successor named
By MARYANN LIDOY
Collegian Staff Writer
Ending a 23-month term in office,
North Halls President Patrick Paul
resigned last night at the Association
of Residence Hall Students meeting.
“This is the end of the Pat Paul
era,” he said, “and for those of you
that have been my friends, I want to
thank you and let you know that I am
never going to change.”
Effective last night, former North
Halls Vice President Kirsten Martz
was sworn in as Paul’s replacement
by ARHS president Bobbi Mel
chiorre.
“I realize that Patrick is a hard act
to follow but I am confident in myself
and my council,” Martz said after the
meeting, “We can work together to
make North Halls the best it can be.”
Martz, who has served as North
Halls vice president since April, said
although she is a new leader, she has
worked closely with Paul and they
share many of the same aspirations.
Martz said Paul’s decision to resign
before the end of the semester is
advantageous to council because he
will be available to answer any ques
tions she has about her position.
“He is an excellent resource and
person to deal with,” she said.
Paul said, “If the transition of the
guard is to be effective, I have to have
mentality of human being (are they).
What happened to their minds? "
He said thousands of persecuted
black people are languishing in pris
on, including “12-year-olds in soli
dary confinement who come out
mentally destroyed . . . and young
girls who want to die, saying I don’t
know why I should live.' ”
Matabane said the current govern
ment claims to be civilizing the Afri
can people, but he has a different
idea.
“I think we are much more civi
lized than those who claim to have
brought civilization into our coun
try,” he said. “They said we must
close our eyes when we pray, and we
did because we are trusting. But by
the time we said Amen,' they had
everything of ours in their hands."
President Ronald Reagan contends
that if the white regime loses power.
South Africa will be lost. Matabane
said.
“We in South Africa are not about
to surrender to a racist regime," he
added. “Enough is enough. Come
what may, we are going to fight and
be free. ”
Following Matabane’s hour-long
speech, most members of the audi
said the organization’s problem may
lie in the current check and balance
system.
“I think it is the START commit
tee’s belief that maybe checks and
balances (in the current system) are
the reason we re not getting anything
done,” Hong, a member of the com
mittee, said. USG has become “an
unending bureaucratic loop,” he
added.
START was part of USG President
Todd Sloan and Vice President Bon
nie Miller's campaign platform last
spring.
Hong said the START committee
has a pretty good idea of what stu
dents want in their student govern
ment because the committee’s
recommendations were based on in
put it received in preliminary inter
views which included 50-75 students.
START Committee Chairman John
McManus said the committee hopes
that as many changes as possible can
be implemented before USG elections
in March.
If USG officials believe it is nec
essary, they will set up a student
referendum to get students’ opinions
on the proposed changes to the 25-
year-old USG structure, Hong said.
“Right now we are interested in
what USG feels about START,” Hong
said. “The referendum issue is some
thing we will have to discuss later.”
Town Senator Betsie Polo said she
disagrees with the plan.
“I don't care for the recommenda
tions they made for the legislative
branch. They are moving away from
their purpose . . . and I really don’t
Please see START, Page 5.
complete trust and faith in the wom
an taking my place.”
At last week’s council meeting, the
North Halls Association of Students
approved Martz’s choice for vice
president, Leigh Mclntosh, president
2nd floor Leete Hall.
“I think if people think they are
going to get off easy because Pat Paul
is gone, they’re wrong because al
though Kirsten may be quieter and
softer in her speech, she puts up with
nothing," he said.
Paul, who is resigning from his
second term of office to graduate in
January, ran unopposed for his first
term as North Halls president and
has handled affairs like the Beam
Hall conversion to University office
space, his ontroversial self-appoint
ment as North Halls senator and his
candidacy in this month’s borough
council election.
Paul said he is proud that he has
never had to apologize for his words
or actions, adding that “whether this
offends you all, it doesn’t matter.”
Melchiorre said, “I know he’s of
fended a lot of people, but I do believe
he's given a lot of valuable input to
this council.”
West Halls President Pete Allen,
who has served during Paul’s entire
term in ARHS, said, “I have never
seen anyone so motivated and opin
ionated.”
ence praised its message while a few
expressed criticism.
Larry Young, director of the Paul
Robeson Cultural Center praised
Matabane’s speech.
“(Many say) it will infect the
minds of our young people to hear the
ANC, but that is just an infection of
ignorance.” Young said. “Knowing
more is better than knowing less, and
you can’t if you stifle any one voice.”
Chris Woronchuk, (senior-political
science) said the speech was infor
mative but one-sided.
Woronchuk questioned Matabane’s
credibility to speak on South Africa,
adding that further documentation
should have been presented.
“If we had a US. Congressman
here saying how terrible things are
(in South African jails), it would have
helped win me over,” he said.
Donald Rallis, a white South Afri
can who teaches a University course
entitled “South Africa Today” said,
when he grew up in South Africa he
was taught by the white regime that
the ANC was a subversive organiza
tion.
“I don’t fear the future of South
Africa under the ANC (now),” he
said. “I very much look foward to it.”