PINIONS USG's Department of Safety meets goals through education By educating students about safety services available at the University, the Undergraduate Student Govern ment's Department of Safety shows it understands its purpose and is working promptly to achieve those goals. The department recently sponsored a workshop focusing on sexual assault education. Services discussed includ ed a year-old University program that provides free medical exams for victims of sexual assault. On a campus where the University Department of Police Services reported one rape and 16 assaults in 1987, knowledge of safety and support services available is essential for all students. State College crime statis tics for 1987 included one murder, 13 rapes, five armed robberies and 60 aggravated assaults. Clearly students need to become aware of these inci dents and learn what safety options they have. Students who spend late nights at the library can use the Penn State dn;Collegian Tuesday, September 5, 1989 01989 Collegian Inc. Editor Diane A. Davis Business Manager Jennifer R. Grimm The Daily Collegian's editorial opinion is deter mined by its Board of Opinion, with the editor holding final responsibility. Opinions expressed 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 publications, is a separate corporate institution from Penn State. Board of Editors Managing Editor Kirsten Lee Swartz Opinion Editor Meenekshi Bose ' Assistant Opinion Editor Tim O'Sullivan Editorial Assistant Lisa Pierce Campus Editor Ted M. Sickler Assistant Campus Editor Michael Bell Town Editor Marc Freeman Assistant Town Editor Dave Carpenter Projects Coordinator Ted Anthony News Editors Colin Barr, Jill Jesiolowski CopylWire Editors Marc Harkness, Stacy Niedecker, Laura Viani, Linda Wahowski Kelly Wilson Sports Editor Mark VVogenrich Day Sports Editor Lori Shontz Assistant Sports Editors Gene Bromberg, Chino Wilson Magazine Editor Steve Sampsell Assistant Magazine Editor Dana Pennett Ads Editor Jesse Fox Mayshark Assistant Arts Editor Kim Friedman The death of a son overshadows Nicaragua's civil war The first thing that impressed me was the lack of doors. All the shacks were simple in their construction. Their original white color had faded to the color of impoverishment. The dirt that makes the roads also makes the floors. The same dirt covers the simple furniture. The same dirt covers the people. Welcome to the border of Hon duras and Nicaragua. My group had not planned to stop in this small town. We had been traveling through Central America and South America for some time already this summer, and poverty had become part of the landscape. But after a long day of driving, we decided to take a rest. The bathing facilities are quite plain, when they exist. A large metal con tainer, that also serves as the basin to scrub the laundry, is the bath tub. At this particular shack, a family of eight shares the water for as many as three or four days at a stretch. Laying atop the water are the insects that were not wise enough to stay EDITORIAL OPINION Good start inside the house. A beautiful child stands next to the basin of drowned bugs and stagnant water encased in stench. She is six. She has not learned to read, and realistically, she never can expect to learn either. She knows no politics or "freedom fighters." Sandinistas who shall tri umph and restore agrarian reform are foreign to her. All she sees is squalor abounding, a lack of decent food and no thought of basic necessities. The girl speaks no political lan guage, she can barely manage her native Spanish. Due to the dreadful mortality rate, odds are that this little girl never may see the age of 10. In the hut next door a man began his story. "I could have left Nicaragua during the revolution but I didn't. The Sandinistas killed two of my three sons. My wife and I decided it was time to leave. 'r ---Q() "Soon after we made our decision, my wife was killed. I left with my son. I decided to head for the border, there is was a small village at the border where my wife had relations. After a long trek, we arrived at the village. We decided to stay there for awhile, until we regained the strength to continue. "It was at that time that the village came between the forces of the civil war. We knew that either group would kill us if we were caught leaving the village. So we stayed." The man looked out to the dirt road, Escort Service, a 24-hour service offering companions for students traveling alone. The Centre County Women's Resource Center provides a 24-hour hotline for counseling and aid. The five-member panel of women at the workshop explained these and other services quite thoroughly. When USG President Janyne Althaus promised during her cam paign last spring to create a new executive branch of USG that would monitor University safety efforts and promote the safety-related aspects of existing campus organizations, some thought the organization would become a defunct information and referral service. Last week's workshop clearly demonstrates the Department of Safety has no intention of forgetting its obligations to stu dents. By continuing to sponsor educatio nal forums on safety for students the department is fulfilling its responsi bilities and providing a much-needed service for students. Science Editor Semele Halkedis Style Editor Anne Karolyi Photo Editor Troy Ott Assistant Photo Editor Mike Orazzi Art Department Art Director Bill Smith Board of Managers Assistant Business Manager Melynda J. Rees Accounting Manager Susan D. Eastley Office Manager Heather L. King Assistant Office Manager Susanna L Mann Sales Manager Dena H. Tarshis Assistant Sales Manager Shaun A. Sparks Layout Manager Cameron L Caswell Marketing Manager Maureen P. McHugh Complaints: News and editorial complaints should be presented to the editor. Business and advertising com plaints should be presented to the business manager. If a complaint is not satisfactorily resolved, grievances may be filed with the Accuracy and Fair Play Commit tee of Collegian Inc. Information on filing grievances is available from Gerry Lynn Hamilton, executive sec retary, Collegian Inc. About the Collegian: The Daily Collegian and The Week ly Collegian are published by Collegian Inc., an inde pendent, non-profit corporation with a board of directors composed of students, faculty and profes sionals. Students of The Pennsylvania State University write and edit both papers and solicit advertising material for them. The Daily Collegian is published Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday during the summer, and Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday during the semester. It is distributed on the University Park cam pus. The Weekly Collegian is mailed to Commonwealth campus students, parents of students, alumni and oth er subscribers who want to keep abreast of University news. Letters Policy: The Daily Collegian encourages com ments on news coverage, editorial policy and University affairs. Letters must be typewritten, double-spaced and no longer than one and one-half pages. Forums must also be typewritten, double-spaced and no longer than three pages. Students' letters should include semester standing, major and campus of the writer. Letters from alumni should include the major and year of graduation of the writer. ~- -~~~ READER OPINION Choose right applicant On Aug. 29, a minority person drew my atten tion to your bold headlines proclaiming, "Brooks considered for vice provost job." Later that day another reminded me that the advertised qualifications for the relevant Vice- Provost position included "credentials and expe rience for a senior faculty appointment." The three of us speculated about the political purpose of the leak. We also agreed that there are many available members of underrepre sented groups who meet the advertised qualifi cations. It will be a shame if the Penn State adminis tration's choice should provide opponents of affirmative action with another ready example of "reverse discrimination" and thereby increase opposition to programs promoting equality. Roy L. Austin associate professor, sociology and administra tion of justice IRA prolongs fighting In response to Chuck Rogers' argument (8/30) that the British alone are responsible for pro longing the war in Ireland rather than the Irish Tell us what you think about today's issues Is there a local, national or international ble-spaced and no longer than three pages. may also be selected for publication in The issue on which you want to voice your opinion? Students' letters should include semester Weekly Collegian. All letters received become Do you have an opinion on the controversy standing, major and campus of the writer. Let- the property of Collegian Inc. regarding the fair housing ordinance? How do ters from alumni should include the major and If you are submitting a letter or forum from you feel about the upcoming elections in South year of graduation of the writer. All writers University Park or State College, please deliver Africa? Or how about the racial climate in the should provide their address and phone number any submissions in person at the office of The U.S. and on campus? for verification of the letter. Letters should be Daily Collegian; 126 Carnegie Building. All If you have an opinion on these or other signed by no more than two people. Names authors must be present with picture identifi important issues, The Daily Collegian wants may be withheld on request. cation either University ID or photo driver's to hear from you. The Collegian reserves the right to edit let- license when presenting the letter or forum. The Collegian encourages comments on news ters for length and to reject letters if they are Letters from out of town should be mailed in coverage, editorial policy and University libelous or do not conform to standards of good to: The Daily Collegian; 126 Carnegie Building; affairs. Letters must be typewritten, double- taste. Because of the number of letters University Park, Pa. 16802. Phone numbers spaced and no longer than one and one-half received, the Collegian cannot guarantee pub- should be included, as the opinion editors must pages. Forums must also be typewritten, dou- lication of all the letters it receives. Letters verify each letter before it runs. then to the dirt floor and then to the dirt on the table, on himself and in the air. "My son was shot during one of the constant skirmishes, the bullet grazed his head. His cousin carried him to our hut, where I held him. They wanted - ---- - - flE?:--k - - ------- 7 -- -- - - - = ii --- _ - --_ - _ - _ -- _ - : -- - mi••••- 1411111 - - - Jib. 11 1 -, ..- 1 , . OWL WELL MERGE _ _ _ _- . °4II4 T S O 7IIIO T WEAR IEWNIX"C°N uis IIOSE I . 114 .. * ---, . ... . _. All $ 1 ,,,,,, , 11,1 . NII / /7' e ' 4 " 0 . 4 -' j N -, ....../ L veltN. , ............„ t -- 7 ~. -- __ him treated. I wouldn't allow it he died soon after." His face showed no emotion. He no longer was capable of expressing it. "Why did you refuse treatment," I asked. Republic Army, I have some disappointing facts for consideration amidst your disillusionment. To begin with, your whole argumment is off base with the simple statement, "It is a war where the Irish in the North fight to unite with the Irish in the South." On the contrary, the citizens of Northern Ire land have voted to remain British, and, unfortu nately, most people seem to overlook this basic, democratic fact. Here is where the problem with fighting comes in, for the minority in the North (the IRA) thinks it is doing the rest of the country some miraculous favor when it goes around bombing parades and soldiers when the majority would be content to put an end to the madness. His eyes alone reflected the answer. This man who had suffered knew that I, an American, could not understand. He knew that we cannot go beyond the Contras, beyond the Sandinistas, to see the Nicaraguans. TUESDAY, SEPT. 5, 1989 You see, the IRA is indeed an organization that is rooted in terrorism, for in 1986 two arm caches were discovered in County Sligo and County Roscommon bearing the Libyan Armed Forces mark that were in the process of being delivered to the IRA. I doubt that many would argue that Libya, which does support the IRA, is not a terroristic country. I will agree that the British are not doing much to alleviate the problem. I would be foolish as anyone who dares take a side in this argu ment to say otherwise, which leads me to one simple point: There is no right or wrong answer to this problem. Both sides kill innocent people which is, of course, clearly in the wrong. Even if the Brits did pull out, there would, in all probability, be an enormous class warfare struggle, for there is still the problem of the Protestants and the Catholics hating each other for reasons many of them are unaware. This brings me to my last point. Only when these two religions start to looking at their orga nizations and not political factions will these exceedingly problematic situations begin to work out. That we are quite capable at choos ing and giving labels. That within the Western alliance hypocrisy thrives. The Washington, D.C. adminstration funds the Contras, while Paris and Bonn provide export credit subsidies that allow a Sandinista military build up. This man did not speak the language of a political scientist, nor a diplomat, nor a military tactician. Rather, he spoke the language of a defeated man, of a father. "As I held my son, my cousin told me to bring him to an area where reg ular transport to Managua is provided. My other cousin said he knew some people who had contacts with the Con tras and he could get help for my son that way." For the first time, the man showed a flickering of something in his eyes, he was remembering. "So, I looked at my cousins. Then I looked at my son. He was searching my eyes for the answer. I then said, 'lf I send him with either one of you, his body shall live but his soul shall die. If I hold him here, his body shall die - but his soul shall live!' " At that moment Washington and Moscow became very distant places and it was a joy to breathe the dirt. Todd Sloan is a junior majoring in political science and a columnist for The Daily Collegian. His column appears every other Tuesday. Patrick Allen freshman-liberal arts
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