2 The Daily Collegian
Editorial Opinion
Major step forward
New legislation helps alleviate
problems of people with disabilities
Around the nation, people with
disabilities must overcome obsta
cles others consider trivial. Cross
looks from strangers and discrimi
nation in the workplace only add
pain.
In the past, legislation to provide
services for people with disabilities
has been limited in its scope. But the
recent congressional approval of the
Americans with Disabilities Act
marks the passing of the most sig
nificant civil rights legislation since
the 1964 act prohibiting racial dis
crimination.
The bill, which has President
Bush’s blessing, aims to alleviate
some of the discrmination in the hir
ing of people with disabilities and
also requires transportation sys
tems and public facilities to be more
accessible.
Among the bill’s key provisions
are clauses requiring restaurants,
stores and professional offices to
make their services available to
those with disabilities; businesses
with 15 or more employees to disre
gard handicaps in hiring decisions
and make special accommodations
for disabled workers; Amtrak, com
muter rails, local and intercity bus
systems to provide space for pas-
daily Collegian
Tuesday, July 24,1990
©1990 Collegian Inc.
Editor
Ted M. Sickler
Business Manager
Ty D. Strohl
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
Copy/Wire Editors
Laura A. Ward, Chino Wilson,
LisaZollars
Sports Editor Tom Esterly
Assistant Sports Editor
Laura Eckert
Arts Editor Caryn Brooks
Discovering the feel
Long in my dream appears the land.
The bare land is in serenity the tex
ture of the land smoothly fluctuates, and
the color of soil smoothly moves in the
spectrum, from black to brown to red to
yellow and then to white. I felt the urge
of going closer and closer, to be close to
the earth.
My Opinion
Clay, which is not quite the same as
soil, gives me the touch of the earth.
Both soil and clay are the result of rocks
decomposed by natural erosion, wind
and water, millions of years ago. Soil is
grainy, while clay is more a body of con
tinuity. In contrast to the soil lying
relaxed on the surface of the earth, clay
is usually found at some depth and can
be mined out. Clay has similar color
changes to soil, only more subtle. But
there is one uniqueness about clay its
plasticity.
When you grasp a handful of clay,
squeeze it slightly and then open your
palm, your finger is a bit wet, and that
piece of the clay clearly has your finger
prints on it and takes the shape of your
finger. The feeling is warm and cool,
very sensual. Because of its plasticity,
the clay can be stretched, spreaded,
squeezed and molded. It will take the
sengers with disabilities.
The bill brings home the message
that people with disabilities must be
considered equal and capable in the
eyes of society. They must be privy
to the same facilities, luxuries and
treatment as the non-disabled. The
bill has even been called a 20th cen
tury emancipation, but it can only
be so if acted upon at local levels
across the country.
The University has taken some
action to enhance conditions for stu
dents and faculty with disabilities,
making strides toward upgrading
campus buildings to include hand
icap-accessible entrances. Howev
er, there is still much to be done.
Not all campus buildings are
wheel-chair accessible, and some
buildings lack elevators as well.
In light of the new federal legis
lation, the University needs to con
tinue its efforts to make the campus
easily accessible for all community
members.
The federal bill is a major step
toward eliminating the problems
and prejudices faced by people with
disabilities. Hopefully, in the not too
distant future, disabilities will no
longer limit the opportunities avail
able to all people.
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 com
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, double-spaced and
no longer than three pages.
Students' letters should include semester stand
ing, major and campus of the writer. Letters from
alumni should include the major and year of gradua
tion of the writer. All writers should provide their
address and phone number for verification of the let
ter. Letters should be signed by no more than two
people. Names may be withheld on request.
The Collegian reserves the right to edit letters for
length and to reject letters if they are libelous or do
not conform to standards of good taste. Because of
the number of letters received, the Collegian cannot
guarantee publication of all the letters it receives.
form under your very hand, and be
whatever you want it to be. I would like
to believe the material the first human
being was made of was clay.
Pottery is made of clay. To pursue the
cool sensuality and the lost touch of the
earth, this summer I attended the pot
tery class in the Hub Craft Center. I
must have advertised this feeling viv
idly, because I even made my friend,
who usually shrugs at this sort of activ
ity, attend.
It is a wheelthrowing type of pottery
class, and the clay we use is red clay,
the same type of clay bricks are made
of. Pottery making consists of several
steps: centering, shaping, trimming,
drying, glazing and firing. After the first
three steps the pot has its feature, and
the last two steps will give the pot its full
color.
At the first class, Rita, my pottery
teacher, demonstrated the first two
steps of pottery making. On the wheel
between her hand, the clay rose and fell,
opened up and took shape. The clay just
flew. Watching the process of the clay
smoothly taking form in her hand was
a pleasure.
When I tried to sit down to do the
same thing, the result was not that
great. The clay in my hand was either
not centered, or twisted in the opening
up; the wall of my mug or bowl or what
ever was never quite round and even. I
secretly peered at my friend who was
skillfully manipulating his piece of clay,
and his “reactor ” which was the prima
ry shape of his mug series. I felt the bite
of embarrasment and jealousy.
But there was another feeling grow
ing bigger and stronger to neutralize
that bitterness. Ever since I grew up, I
Opinions
Reader Opinion
Promote tolerance
Recently there appeared in the Centre Daily
Times a paid advertisement protesting “the Uni
versity’s promotion of the homosexual lifestyle
as demonstrated by their advertisement in the
Centre Daily Times on Monday, January 22,
1990.” While respecting the right of others to
offer criticism, the University categorically den
ies that it has “promoted” this lifestyle or any
other lifestyle through the eight advertisements
developed by the various groups of students.
The University is very concerned by the
increased number of incidents of “gay bashing”
which have taken place at this university and
across the country. Members of this university
community have an obligation to provide a safe
and hospitable environment for all of its stu
dents, faculty and staff. Until we achieve the
desiredJevel of civility, the University will con
tinue its efforts to eduacte and to promote toler
ance.
Robert E. Dunham
Penn State Vice President and Vice Provost
Not just women
I take exception to Michael Newman’s column
of July 17 attempting to distinguish between
“pro-life” and “anti-abortion” positions for three
main reasons. First, although I agree with his
contention that to be truly pro-life one must
endorse all policies which promote and take care
of life, I have a problem with his exclusive focus
on women. Of course women are the ones who
get pregnant and then have to deal with the con
sequences of pregnancy most directly, but to
leave men out of the equation as partners and
equally responsible citizens makes this only a
women’s issue. This attitude is responsible for
a large part of the abortion dilemma today.
Males, and male legislators in particular, try to
tell women what to do with their bodies and lives
without acknowledging the crucial roles of wom
en and children in society which require support,
or males’ need to share in solving the problem.
Second, it is simply not true that pro-choicers
of the earth through clay and pottery
never thought I would have such a
chance to play so freely. With mud on
my whole hands, and water here and
there on my legs, face, hair and my
clothes, there wouldn’t be a sigh from
Mom to make me feel guilty, and there
wouldn’t be a demand of washing my
dirty hands and sitting tightly at the din
ing table. On the contrary, I was playing
a game of water and mud with some
playmates and some sort of competi
tion. I was much like a girl who was too
fond of the fairyland in the mist to go
back.
Actually that type of game was not a
part of my childhood. Thus, the hunger
for the touch of soil, clay and the earth
UMOUttfW
BURNS)
HE TAPES-
grew stronger, gradually grasped me
tightly, until I was relaxed by making
my quite ugly pot.
The idea of making wonderful pottery
does not mean that much to me. First of
all, I am quite clumsy at hand work, so
most likely I can’t do it, at least in this
sort of playing attitude. Second, I enjoy
the process of work rather than putting
the finished pot on the shelf. Third, just
the possibility of breaking the wonderful
pots upsets me God, they are fragile.
The mixed feeling toward antique pot
tery may be rooted in memories of my
childhood. When I was a little girl, my
grandma used to collect the pieces of
broken china and wait for the worker
1*0)10*
BURNS)
cusnows.
O
e
0
view pregnancy only “as something that can be
terminated” and not as “a marvel, a special
bond between mother and child.” The decision
to terminate a pregnancy is almost always a
very difficult and painful one, filled with emo
tional anguish and certainly not taken lightly.
Women who decide to have abortions are no less
likely to view pregnancy as a very special event,
but are all too aware of the difficulties involved
in bringing an unwanted child into the world
given the current state of affairs in this country.
This brings me to my third point. While New
man presents many valid ideas for the way
things should be, the reality of the situation for
women now facing pregnancy, especially poor,
young and single women, is that there is very
little available in the way of support. Also, many
women get pregnant through ignorance, misuse,
or failure of birth control and should not have to
bear the burden of those mistakes if they are not
ready or capable. Yes, pro-lifers must demon
strate support for life in all cases (and I would
go even further than Newman with this concept,
including opposition to capital punishment and
war), but until the day when women and their
young children are truly valued and supported,
abortion must remain an option.
Leigh M. O’Brien
graduate-early childhood education
Reject prejudice
So, the church leaders have decided to use
their power to highlight their own self-righ
teousness so what else is new? My first
response was to shrug the whole thing off as
local ignorance, looking for attention it doesn’t
who went around the street with a two
wheel-cart to repair it. I would be very
careful to stay away from her fine china
and not to let her worry.
When I was in China, I had seen many
marvelous pieces of pottery in the For
bidden City. Those pots, which con
sumed years of craftsmen’s hard work,
silently accompanied the emperor as
time elapsed and witnessed the changes
of history. They are very old and perfect
pieces. Now they are kept in glass cases
and adored by the people.
Those antique pottery pieces seem to
me as cold, fragile and far beyond my
reach. I also adore them, but personally
the reverse style of pottery is more
Tuesday, July 24, 1990
I SWOUICNE
BURNER.
UU.DAN6.
I FORGET..
deserve, in labeling certain groups undesirable.
Undesirable, meaning the homosexual portion
of our community, which this new-found “moron
majority” labeled as immoral, among other
juicy phrases, in a full-page advertisement they
themselves sponsored.
Though I admit I haven’t been to church since
they were passing out the Ten Commandments,
I have yet to meet a single person who was
seriously religious that wasn’t a hypocrite, made
even more contemptible by the fact that they
won’t even admit what they think. Instead, they
hide behind some invisible God they claim tells
them what to think. And, of course, if they have
to listen to God, whose fault is that? You might
fool yourself, but you don’t fool me.
In all fairness, I must add that Thomas Sear
foss, Pastor of St. John’s United Methodist
Church, said that “the advertisement went
against the Christian message of love and for
giveness.” He also said that the groups that put
out the ad were “a small portion of the Chris
tians in this area.” Are they? Since only six
churches out of 60 receiving letters protesting
an ad Penn State ran in January promoting gay
rights agreed to sign officially, it would seem so.
But why is it we haven’t heard from the rest of
you? Silence is compliance. Do you want to be
lumped into the same category as these xeno
phobic pinheads?
When I was a child, I was stuck in Special
Education, where I obviously did not belong,
since I am a “B” student in college. It was more
in retaliation for my refusal to obey authority
and violent tendencies than out of any real desire
to help me. The violent tendency I had was a
result of the treatment I got from the other kids
when they found out I was “one of the retards”;
not unlike the treatment certain portions of our
society have gotten, and still get, from those who
preach love with one face and hatred with the
other. The point is, I know what it feels like to get
singled out for something that isn’t your fault.
So hopefully, the majority of Christians will join
this Atheist in telling those six out of 60 churches
to shut up and mind their own business.
close to me. I like the heavy and big
pieces of pots in simple but original
form, with one or more neutral colors
flowing and mingling. They are closer
to nature, and less fragile.
I remember a piece of pottery deco
rated with a pattern of a roughly
sketched man’s face and fish. It was
made thousands of years ago in an early
civilization called Banpo. That piece
struck me as the early exploration for
beauty on functional daily utensils.
The wheelthrowing brought me closer
to pottery. During the time of the Arts
Festival at Penn State, I lingered
around the pottery booths and talked to
the potters. I found I could appreciate
their work more and understand more
when they tried to explain some special
techniques to me.
One thing about pottery, they said, is
its fragility. Even the most satisfying
pieces could break. Another thing is its
uncertainty. During the process of firing
the glaze tends to flow in different direc
tions, precipitate at different locations
and mix with other glazes. The effect is
unpredictable. Thus it is often a delight
ful surprise to watch the colors and pat
terns of the pots after firing. They often
say: “Let nature do the work.”
Right now the processing of pottery
has changed a lot from the traditional
way; the ingredients of clay and glaze
are closely examined by advanced sci
entific equipment, and the firing proc
ess can be computer controlled.
But no matter how it is modernized,
to me the attraction of pottery remains
as strong. It is the sensual touch of the
earth. Without it, I will be homesick.
Jinghong Mu, a graduate student in
molecular and cell biology, is a colum
nist for The Daily Collegian.
I WOOD
BURN NEILS
TRUST FUNG.
Steve Moore
junior-com munications