—The Daily Collegian Wednesday, Oct. 19, 1988
Republican Ferro set
to unseat incumbent
By LAURA VIANI
Collegian Staff Writer
Calling the 171st district race a
competition between excellence
and average, Republican Greg
Ferro is trying to unseat incum
bent opponent state Rep. Ruth C.-
Rudy, D-Centre and Mifflin. Rudy
has already served three terms in
the 171st district.
Ferro, in his first campaign, has
made four issues ethics in gov
ernment, day care, public water
problems and roads and infras
tructure his main campaign
focuses, and has been cam
paigning door-to-door in the area.
Ferro has been a State College
Area High School history teacher
since he graduated from the Uni
versity in 1971.
He also teaches Business Ad
ministration 2978, Orientation to
Business Administration, at the
University. Ferro has taught the
course, which is open to minority
students only, for four years.
"The course helps minority stu
dents matriculate through busi
ness," he said.
Because of his work with minori
ty students and graduation from
an integrated Philadelphia high
school, Ferro said he is particular
ly sensitive to minority issues.
Ferro student-taught at Thomas
Jefferson High School in Philadel
phia, which he called one of the
worst high schools, academically
and financially, in the city.
"I teach at Penn State, so I have
an advantage over my opponent
on what Penn State needs," Ferro
said.
He agreed with Rudy that the
amount of higher educational
funding in the state is not realistic
with what the institutions' needed
and recommends a 10percent in
crease in state higher education
funding.
Recent state legislation appro
priated a 7.spercent University
funding increase over the 1987-88
budget in state funding for the
1988-89 fiscal year. University
President Bryce Jordan had origi
nally requested a 19percent in
crease in funding and Gov. Robert
P.Casey had recommended a
3.9 percent increase.
Ferro said the University, which
relies on the state for part of its
operating budget, receives less
funding per student than other
state-funded universities.
He attributed this to the fact that
the University of Pittsburgh and
Temple University have more
state legislators in Pittsburgh and
Philadelphia catering to their
needs.
"I think it's a case of the squea
ky wheel gets the oil," he added.
More educational funding is nec
essary to create more jobs in
Pennsylvania, Ferro said. Educa
tion creates a pool of trained pro
fessionals that attracts industry to
the state.
The research at the University
must also be funded to continue
the spin-off effects that are benefi
cial to society, Ferro said.He cited
the University's agricultural re
search that benefits the state's
agriculture industry as an exam
ple.
Ferro said that if elected he
would try to form a committee of
people in the Centre County area
who benefit from Penn State fund
ing. The committee would be bi
partisan and would discuss issues
related to the University.
"I can work with both parties ...
(a bipartisan committee) is not an
optional type thing," he added.
On the issue of abortion, Ferro
said he is pro-choice with some
restrictions.
He supported state legislation
requiring women under the age of
18 to have parental permission to
obtain an abortion or a judge's
consent in the case of incest.
The candidate said he does not
support abortion as a primary
means of birth control, but he said,
"If you're going to put a gun to my
head, I'm pro-choice."
The candidate said the state
needs to take a stronger stand
against apartheid in South Africa
and pull all investments from
South Africa in protest of the
apartheid system.
"On this issue, I part with the
Republicans ... it's really modern
day slavery," he added.
Ferro was born and raised in
Philadelphia and his first teaching
job was with the State College
Area School District. He has re
sided in Centre County ever since.
Democrat Rudy relies
on experience in race
By LAURA VIANI
Collegian Staff Writer
State Rep. Ruth C.Rudy, D-
Centre and Mifflin, has stated
several times during her cam
paign that she's running on her
experience as a legislator because
she and her opponent have no
major differences on issues.
Rudy is running for her fourth
term in the state House of Rep
resentatives against Republican
Greg Ferro for the 171st district.
Rudy is a member of the Penn
State Caucus in the state House,
which is a committee consisting of
73 lawmakers addressing Univer
sity concerns.
The University "definitely
needs more funding. Higher (edu
cation), in general, has not been
receiving enough funding," Rudy
said.
Last spring, Gov. Robert P.Ca
sey recommended a 3.4 percent
increase in University funding.
University President Bryce Jor
dan had originally requested a
19percent increase.
Rudy said Casey's recommen
dation was not an accurate esti
mate of the kind of funding the
Univerity needs.
"I thought (Casey's recommen
dation) was entirely too low," she
said.
Casey raised the possibility of
supplemental appropriations for
the University and other state
univeristies in July. Recent legis
lation will allow the University to
receive sl.smillion for the Biotech
nology Institute and s2.2Bmillion
for new instructional equiptment.
Rudy said during budget talks
she added an amendment of
sl.smillion to one of the supple
mental appropriation bills being
considered.
The state legislature needs to
look at the way state universities
are funded, Rudy said. As it is,
Temple University and the Uni
versity of Pittsburgh receive more
increases per student than Penn
State, she said.
Rudy also said she is supportive
of the Pennsylvania Higher Edu
cation Assistance Agency increas
ing its funding cut-off income level
from $38,000 to $40,000.
"I think (education) is one of the
best investments," she added.
Rudy also wants to focus on
primary education during her
campaign.
"I think we have to be concerned
with basic education as well as
higher education, because basic
education is where it all begins,"
Rudy said.
Rudy is the main sponsor of a
bill designed to forgive college
loans of first-year teachers who
agree to teach in low-income ur
ban and rural areas.
The Secretary of Education
would administer the loan forgive
ness program and determine
which areas are to be targeted.
she said. The bill has just unani
mously passed the House and is on
its way to the state Senate.
The representative said she is
also looking into minority issues.
Rudy said she has met with
University officials to discuss af
firmative action concerns and why
more minorities are not being
recruited by the University.
One problem is the decrease in
the percentage of high school
graduates, she said, and the black
population has been especially
hard hit.
The University "has less of a
group (from the minorities) to
choose from," she added.
Rudy also attended the meeting
between University officials and
student leaders held at the Paul
Robeson Cultural Center last
spring to discuss minority con
cerns and demands.
"I do feel the (University) ad
ministration should have (re
leased minority information )
sooner to the press than they did,"
she said.
Gov. Casey appointed Rudy to
the Pennsylvania Commission for
Women last May.
The 20-member commission, es
tablished in 1972, is designed to
ensure women receive equal op
portunities throughout the com
monwealth and to keep the
governor informed of women's
status in the state.
In accordance with the Demo
cratic Party's stand on abortion,
Rudy is pro-choice, although she is
personally opposed to abortion.
EVERY WED. NITE AT SPM
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Republican Rep. Herman proud
to run in unopposed campaign
By KARA M. HADO
Collegian Staff Writer
A local state representative said he
thinks it is an honor to be running
unopposed for the 77th District seat in
the state House of Representatives.
Lynn Herman, R-Centre and Clear
field, said, "I'm not resting on my
laurels: I'm really running a cam
paign."
Herman, currently serving his
third term in the seat, worked as the
administrative assistant for the De
partment of Education and an admin
istrative analyst for the Department
of Transportation in Harrisburg be
fore being elected to his current post
in 1982.
Herman said as a representative,
he meets with University officials
and the House Appropriations Com
mittee chairman and staff to work on
the capital budget request —which
provides money for University build
ing rehabilitation projects and infras
tructure improvements.
Recently, Herman said he worked
to pass a bill to approve the s2B.Bmil
lion Convocation and Conference Cen
ter to be built near Beaver Stadium.
Herman said the bill, which was
passed by the General Assembly last
Thursday, is now before the governor
for his signature. Herman said he
considers the bill to be the first step
toward construction of the center.
In terms of minority recruitment,
Herman said he supports the contin
uation of the University's $200,000
appropriations for that purpose.
Herman said he is staunchly op
posed to abortion. "The only excep
tions should be in cases of rape,
incest, or when the pregnancy endan
gers the life of the woman," he said.
Herman has served on the Commit-
tee for Education and the sub-corn
mittee for Higher Education for the
past six years. "I am a strong sup
porter for state assistance for higher
education, - Herman said.
Rosemary DeNunzio, research
analyst for the sub-committee for
Higher Education, said Herman
worked with the sub-committee and
the University's Veteran's Associa
tion to provide for fifth year student
loan eligibility for certain students,
including University veterans, or
phans, and wards of the court.
"(Herman) is very responsive to
the real problems of the people,"
DeNunzio said. "In Harrisburg, he
works well with his colleagues in the
House. He can get people to support
his ideas," she added.
"If the legislation for fifth year
eligibility doesn't pass this session, I
will definitely re-introduce it next
session," Herman said.
feel all of higher educ ' ;on
should work together to get increased
support from the state," Herman
said.
Mike Rosenstein, executive direc
tor of the Appropriations Committee,
said he meets with Herman with
"great regularity" to review both the
capital and operating budgets of the
University.
Rosenstein said Herman has been
most helpful in terms of providing
information about the University.
"(Herman) sensitizes my office with
the needs of the University," Rose
nstein said.
"Rep. Herman has been a forceful
advocate for higher education gener
ally, and Penn State specifically."
Herman said he will also re-intro
duce legislation to require local water
authorities to test for Giardia cysts on
a monthly basis.
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