2 The Daily Collegian Editorial Opinion A letter home Dear Mom and Dad Please send more money. The University raised tuition again for the 23rd consecutive year and I'll be paying about $228 more than last year, plus a computer My friends from out-of-state will be paying more too. Last year, their tuition went up 5 percent more than in-state students', so I guess they're more content with this system. Everybody's tuition, even grad uate students', went up 6 percent. I'll try to get some extra hours at work, but at $4 an hour, it would take about 57 additional hours of delivering pizzas for me to cover this year's tuition hike. Also, I'm not going to save money for a personal computer like I had planned. The University, for the first time ever, is charging every student a $35-per-semester computer fee. At first I was really steamed about the fee because I rarely use the computer labs on campus, but then University President Bryce Jordan explained that everybody needs the computers for scheduling and bil ling purposes and most of us use the library computers, which need to be replaced. The thing is, the fee is separate from tuition, so I guess they can charge whatever they want and still qualify for some of the state's pro grams that award state-related universities for keeping tuition down. The state is pinching pennies too. Rather than giving the University all the money it asked for, the state had to trim Penn State's original appropriation request by $l9 million. Maybe part of the reason is that the state doesn't know where its money goes, because Penn State has a closed budget. Last week I read some state legislators were on campus to inves tigate how worn down some of the buildings and facilites are here. Uni versity administrators asked them for additional funding to make repairs, but the representatives want to be assured the money will be spent for building improvements and not something else. If the budget were available for everybody to look at, maybe the representatives in Harrisburg would be more willing to budget money for improving our laboratories and the campus' infrastructure. And with an open budget they would probably be more comfortable giving money to the University each year. I guess I would too. And since administrators and legislators will begin working on next year's budget soon, I'll have to fire off my annual letter to the local rep resentative to encourage more funding. Anyway, until the University decides to let us know where our mon ey is going, and state administrators make affordable higher education a real priority, I guess I'll just keep writing out bigger checks to dear old State. daily Collegian Tuesday, July 17, 1990 1990 Collegian Inc. Editor Ted M. Sickler Business Manager Ty D. Stroh! The Daily Collegian's editorial opinion is deter mined by its Board of Opinion, with the editor holding final responsibility. Opinions express ed 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 Lori Shontz Opinion Editor Jesse Fox Mayshark Campus Editor Stacy S. Niedecker Town Editor Mark Jones News Editor Linda D. Wahowski The difference between pro-life and anti-abortion I am pro-life. On this issue I am, generally speak ing, in agreement with conservatives, a group of people with whom I normally disagree. I say "generally speaking" for two reasons: First, not all conservatives are opposed to abortion, just as not all liberals favor abortion. Second, I'd like to make ar . tinction between the term "pro-lite," which many conservatives claim to be, and the term "anti-abor tion." which many conservatives in reality are. My Opinion Michael Newman A politician who is anti-abortion sim ply ( and admirably) opposes abortion. A politician who is pro-life not only opposes abortion but also advocates pol icies which promote life. This distinction can be seen in the varying political reac tion to child care issues, such as Amer ica's disgraceful infant mortality rate. Led by conservatives, but without opposition from acquiescent liberals, Copy/Wire Editors Laura A. Ward. Chino Wilson Lisa Zollars Sports Editor Tom Esterly Assistant Sports Editor Arts Editor Caryn Brooks Photo Editor Mike Orazzi Assistant Photo Editor Chris Gaydosh Art Department Art Director Amy R. Glass Board of Managers Assistant Business Manager Anne Cunningham Accounting Manager Michele Beccarelli Office Manager Wendy L. Frank Sales Manager Selene M. Yeager Layout Manager Courtney L. Caswell Complaints: News and editorial complaints should be presented to the editor. Business and advertising complaints should be presented to the business manager. If a complaint is not satisfactorily resolved, grievances may be filed with the Accuracy and Fair Play Committee of Collegian Inc. Information on fil ing grievances is available from Gerry Lynn Hamilton, executive secretary, Collegian Inc Letters Policy: The Daily Collegian encourages corn ments on news coverage, editorial policy and Univer sity affairs. Letters must be typewritten, double spaced and no longer than one and one-half pages Forums must also be typewritten. state legislatures across the country responded to rising health care costs and shrinking federal funds in the 1980 s by tightening eligibility standards for Medicaid. Between 1975 and 1985, the percentage of Americans below the pov erty level covered by Medicaid fell from 63 percent to 46 percent. As a result, many poor pregnant women, unable to pay for proper pre natal care, see a doctor for the first time during labor, resulting in many prevent able infant deaths. The U.S. infant mor tality rate is among the worst in the industrialized world. A true pro-life pol itician would be appalled by this state of'affairs and try to change it. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Many anti-abortion conservatives see any expansion of social programs as the equivalent of apocalypse now. For the pro-life movement to succeed, it must fight for the life of the newborn as fer vently as it fights for the life of the unborn. It is hard to see how those anti abortionists who fail to do this can call themselves pro-life. This distiction becomes even clearer in light of the debate over a parental leave bill making the rounds in Wash ington. The Family and Medical Leave Act would force firms with 50 or more employees to give their workers unpaid leaves for pregnancies or for illnesses of family members. With the support of business lobbyists and right-wing con servatives, George Bush vetoed the bill, Opinions Laura Eckert which has bipartisan support in Con gress. The bill's opponents claim it would hurt smaller companies unable to effec tively replace those who leave and that bosses might have to cut other benefits to make up for leave costs. Data from companies that have implemented such plans make these contentions debata ble, but nevertheless economics is not the only issue. It is also a matter of fairness and of creating a kindler and gentler nation. Bush seemed to recognize as much when he said during the 1988 campaign: "We need to ensure that women don't have to worry about getting their jobs back after having a child or caring for a child during a serious illness." Just as he did on the tax issue, Bush is reneging on a campaign promise. And in so doing Bush who has done more than an adequate job opposing abortion in the last year-and-a-half and all conservatives who support the president have hurt the pro-life movement. There is no reason why working wom en can't have the best of both worlds which this law comes close to offering. Under the bill a woman could become pregnant knowing it would not jeopar dize her job. After having the child she could spend an extended period of time with her baby, providing her with time to contemplate her and her family's future. Maybe she would return to work, but she could also choose to quit her job c v $ i K 1 % "0 v = ~1. 4 aq l ' V° av lli 4V l i4 . 314t 1 ) 41. aa• j4 414 , 44 „, Reader Opinion Raise awareness On Sunday July 15, a full-page advertisement appeared in the Centre Daily Times addressed to the Board of Trustees protesting the Univer sity's proposed "promotion of the homosexual lifestyle." The ad was sponsored by six churches and was undersigned by approximately 700 peo ple. This open letter was written from their Christian point of view, and with that in mind, we wish to state that we respect their beliefs and in no way wish to debate theology or interpreta tions of the Bible. We would like to point out, however, that elements of their argument and the mentality behind such an argument leads to ignorance and helps to reinforce stereotypes, bigotry and prejudice. An advertising campaign was begun on Jan uary 22, 1990 by Penn State to raise the aware ness of minority issues. It was hoped that this would be an effective tool in combating an alarming rise in intolerant acts toward all minorities on campus. The campaign included but was not limited to: African Americans, women, Native Americans, handicapped indi viduals, Jews, and yes, Christians. The creators of this series of advertisements chose to address gay and lesbian students first because numerous reports have shown that these students are the number one targets of harassment and violence and thus, their issues needed to be addressed first. Not to mention the fact that they comprise the largest minority on campus, next to women. This was in no way a promotion of the "homo sexual lifestyle." We feel it is important to realize that whether or not an issue is discussed, that issue will still remain. Gays and lesbians are not created by talking about homosexuality. Many of the gay and lesbian students at Penn State were proba bly quite aware of their sexual orientation before they ever came to Happy Valley. Denying their existence and the very real problem of homo phobia and homohatred will only lead to even tual intolerance of all who are different. At an institution in which freedom of ideas is a most cherished right, and where people of many faiths come to educate both their minds and their spirits, it becomes a dangerous situa tion when any one group of believers try to impose their views and suppress others', espe cially in an institution that recognizes the impor tance of separating church and state. We would argue that homosexuality is a per fectly acceptable lifestyle. Gay men and lesbian to spend more time with her child. Without this option, however, abortion automatically becomes a more conve nient alternative. In this world of fast food, pizza delivery, and word proc essors, convenience is highly valued. This point is best illustrated by a con let GUYS.. WlllOl WAIN IS PONNWINDi ......,_ women have been shown to function normally in every aspect of life, if treated equally and given the same opportunities and rights. The myths and stereotypes that surround homosex uality are no longer being socially accepted and many institutions are reevaluating their position on gays, including the Christian church. In fact, many denominations such as the United Meth odists, the United Church of Christ and the Epis copal Church all support gay men and lesbian women as unique and equal. Also, religions such as Reformed Judaism and Buddhism see no sin in love between same sex couples. Therefore, it again becomes dangerous for any one group to claim divine knowledge and try to implement that into policy-m,aking decisions. It is very rare that an opportunity arises in which we, the students, can become the teach ers. Teaching not only the facts, but how facts and inaccuracies can be used to influence others. A person's beliefs, especially spiritual beliefs, are very precious. We hope that we can even tually learn to keep our beliefs from intruding into the lives of our fellow man. We seek a uni versity in which all ideas can be expressed with out being insensitive or, even worse, totalitarian. Choosing to raise awareness of hatred and ignorance does nothing but promote peace and understanding. J.P. Muir President. Undergraduate Student Government Michael LaFlam Political director, Lesbian and Gay Student Alli ance History of prejudice I am writing in response to Jinghong Mu's col umn two weeks ago, "A voyager learns 'God's children need traveling shoes,"' describing her admiration for America. I am glad that you have enjoyed your time living here. However, I was frustrated when I read your column. Yes, the glossy surface of America is "the land of the free," the famed melting-pot of cultures. In real ity, though, living here has not been a fantasy come true for everyone. As a native of China, you would have been denied entry into America by the Chinese Exclusion Act ( 1882-1943), and along with other Asians, would not have been eli gible for U.S. naturalization until 1943. America's history shows an obvious system of selective discrimination and harassment versation I overheard. One college stu dent was explaining to another how her view of abortion had changed over the years. "I used to be pro-life," she said, "then I entered the real world. I wouldn't want to have a baby at this stage of my life." Tuesday, July 17, 1990 (whether backed by law or institutionalized) against people based on such things as their country of origin and color of skin. Does anyone even dare say the black people who were forced into slavery in America immigrated here? Or that the Native American Indians are much bet ter off today after being "discovered" and then "civilized" by the Europeans? Or that thousands of Chinese enjoyed the back-breaking job of building America's first transcontinental rail road in the 1870 s, only to be faced with decades of laws denying them entry into this "wonder ful" country? You may say that every group has suffered at one point or another, or that things have changed. But anyone who has attended U.S. schools only knows about America's history from a very biased European context. Who ever hears of the many activities and accomplish ments of the people of color who were present since the early days? We are here but remain invisible. I am tired of hearing rave reviews of the U.S. as the great democracy. I am fortunate to be liv ing a comfortable life in the U.S. I was born here and my parents came here from Taiwan and China two decades ago. But I cannot forget the countless people living here now who are treated unfairly. Millions of people of color have had to suffer in order for even some of us to live without the direct discrimination. Yet, the problems are rising again as a result of our government's indifference to people of color. America has many good qualities, and I real ize that for some people, life here is in many ways better than other countries. However, until the U.S. becomes what it claims to be, where all men (how about women?) are created equal and people respect each other's differences, then I will not celebrate its "greatness." And, until then, the U.S. has no business sending Ameri cans to other countries to teach democracy. I realize that there are many who are aware of the problems and work to resolve them. But, the rest of us must open our eyes. Instead of quickly accepting the propaganda that the U.S. puts out, do some real homework by looking at all sides of America's history. To conclude, there is an Asian-Pacific American student organization forming. All interested students are invited to come to the first meeting on July 18, in 225 HUB at 8 p.m. Susan Y.F. Chen senior-nutrition Translation: abortion is convenient. Opponents of parental leave make abor tion even more convenient. Just as the parental leave bill is con sistent with the anti-abortionist's goal of reducing the number of abortions, it is also consistent with anti-abortion view of pregnancy. A pro-lifer views pregnancy as a marvel, a special bond between mother and child. Pro-choic ers, on the other hand, view it as some thing that can be "terminated." By supporting the parental leave bill, anti-abortionists can elevate pregnancy to a new level of respect. The parental leave bill shows society that pregnancy and its end result, birth, are at least spe cial enough to merit a minor disruption of the workplace. The anti-abortionist who fails to support parental leave on purely economic grounds also fails to support one of the basic concepts of the pro-life movement, reverence for pre gnancy. _ While most issues in American poli tics come and go with the wind, abortion will stick with us for quite a while. Because of its complexity, abortion affects many of the other social issues with which our country must struggle. If the pro-life side is to succeed in elim inating abortion it must show America that it is truly pro-life in all cases, and not just anti-abortion. Michael Newman, a junior majoring in health policy and administration, is a columnist for The Daily Collegian.
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