10 The Daily Collegian
Editorial Opinion
Alarming news
False fire alarms benefit no one,
but can create tragic consequences
More people should heed the tale
of the boy who cried wolf.
Whether done for amusement or
out of malice, the consequences of
false fire alarms are anything but
humorous.
Students, jaded by scores of false
alarms, may neglect to leave their
rooms in the event of actual fires,
resulting in injuries and possibly
even deaths. There is no reason to
endanger people needlessly by pull
ing alarms.
But students should also be aware
of the penalties for such an action.
Fines and even expulsion are possi
ble. Students who pull alarms false
ly may face criminal charges or
University sanctions.
False alarms could cost students
money as well, depending on the
building in which the alarm was
activated and the circumstances
surrounding the pull.
Statistics show 310 false fire
alarms occurred from July 1, 1989,
to June 30, 1990. Of these, 278 were
in dorms. These actions represent
a dangerous and ignorant misuse of
safety equipment.
To curb this epidemic, the Uni-
Halls of misery
Congress hurts U.S.
The indecisiveness of congressio
nal leaders fumbling around with
the federal budget may be the high
est form of power politics in Wash
ington, D.C., but outside the
beltway, it is inflicting cruel eco
nomic pain and mental anguish on
the federal workers who keep the
government running.
The victims of this shabby treat
ment include thousands of govern
ment employees.
If they were working for a private
employer who treated them that
way even one time, let alone year
after year for a decade or more,
those same congressional leaders
would be calling televised hearings
and passing laws to punish the
offending companies.
But because it is Congress itself
that is causing the misery, there'll
be no hearings, no laws, no alphabet
agency given the task of assuring no
repetitions of the employee mis
treatment.
But Congress has been working
=Collegian
Friday, Sept. 28, 1990
@1990 Collegian Inc.
Editor
Ted M. Sickler
Business Manager
Ty D. Stroh!
Preachers can teach
I am not a Bible thumper. I do not
now, nor have I ever approved of the
religious fanatics who preach the gospel
of money disguised as the Word of the
Lord by day and sleep under the covers
of self-appointed sainthood by night.
(Usually with their secretaries, as we
have well learned. )
However, while I don't agree with
their methods of practicing whatever
religion it is they believe in, I will not
deny their right to practice nonetheless.
Especially when my own religious
beliefs, as well as yours, probably
appear a bit out of the ordinary by their
standards.
These pocket-Bible ministers have
taken on college campuses for years,
offering anyone within earshot a crash
course in salvation. Our campus has
been no exception.
Penn State has involuntarily adopted
a small but vociferous brigade of the
bumper sticker preachers who call the
steps outside of Willard home.
Everyone has seen or at least heard
of them by word-of-mouth, myself
included. The comments I have over
heard have been less than favorable and
versity has organized a safety com
mittee, made up of the departments
of residence life, housing, police
services, the Environmental Health
and Safety Committee and the Asso
ciation of Residence Hall Students.
This is a vital first step in spreading
the word of the danger of false
alarm pulling. Hopefully, the safety
committee will find a quick, effec
tive solution to this problem.
The committee is working on a
four-part plan to curtail false
alarms. Moderate solutions include
posted and written warnings
designed to make dorm residents
aware of the problem. Among the
more radical solutions are installing
plastic covers over alarms, which
when opened yield a piercing sound,
deterring pranksters. The only
drawback to this solution is that the
boxes cost $lOO.
However, in the event of such
repetitive signaling, such steps are
warranted.
The committee is only a start.
The real problem is convincing stu
dents how 4 harmful their jokes can
be.
with budget debacle
on the task since last January, when
President Bush released his budget
proposal. After eight months, Con
gress doesn't seem much closer to
agreement than when it started.
Little time remains before the
Oct. 1 deadline for the Gramm-Rud
man automatic cuts to kick in.
Negotiators must reach a deal and
Congress must ratify it or Gramm-
Rudman will mandate cuts of up to
40 percent in domestic and military
programs.
The silver lining in this dark fiscal
cloud is the high probability that
Congress will not allow the Gramm-
Rudman cuts to happen. The mem
bers can't stand the political heat.
At the last minute, they will find
some way . . . to keep government
operating and avoid the wrath of
mistreated employees.
The preceding is excerpted from a Sept.
23 editorial by The Sun Herald, Gulfport,
Miss. The opinion expressed is not necessar
ily that of The Daily Collegian.
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
Sharon L. Lynch
My Opinion
usually peppered with words I care not
to repeat. Still, having never seen these
preachers, I was eager to witness firs
thand just what all the controversy and
uproar was about.
So, early one Monday morning, I
waited for them.
Perhaps it's just that I'm not a morn
ing person, but there are few things I
can handle at 8 a.m. And on Mondays,
I can usually tolerate even fewer things,
especially if the weekend was partic
ularly festive. One of those intolerable
things that ranks right up there with
having to wear the same underwear
Opinions
Reader Opinion
Off target
I am writing in response to the letter recom
mending that Greek pole sitters climb down and
get their hands dirty. As one of those pole sitters,
I have a few words of advice for Jennifer L. Wat
son. Try seeing past stereotypical views of fra
ternities and stop looking for reasons not to help.
The money collected by soliciting passers-by
is only a fraction of the total amount raised.
Brothers also devote hours to raising pledges
around campus and sacrifice entire weekends
to collecting money. When was the last time you
gave up an entire weekend for someone other
than yourself?
Our involvement with our charity, the Second
Mile, goes far beyond monetary support. Every
other weekend throughout the year, brothers
spend time with local underprivileged children.
Not only do we get our hands dirty, but we make
a difference for young people who sorely need
support. Hopefully, our efforts will have a more
lasting effect than your suggested lawn rakings.
So, before you cast your misguided stones, get
a better view. You may find that your aim is
way off target.
Broadening horizons
We are responding to a letter in The Daily
Collegian Sept. 25. The author berates "student
members . . . involved in the farming business"
for making "massive generalizations." In many
cases, these so-called student members have
been born into the farming business, some live
and work on family farms that have been passed
down for generations, and others seek to further
their education through summer jobs and inter
nships in various agricultural experiences and
education, not from secondhand information.
Also, most people involved in animal agricul
ture feel an obligation to gain more insight into
animal behavior and production through educa
tion so that both animals and people may bene
fit. We would like to challenge those students not
currently invovled with agriculture to become
involved and broaden your educational experi
ence.
Students of agriculture enroll in courses at
Penn State in the arts, the humanities and the
social sciences to become better-educated and
well-rounded individuals. Perhaps if students
throughout Penn State would enroll in agricul
tural courses, they too could benefit from this
diversity and learn about the production, proc
essing and marketing of their food. We are all
fortunate to be attending a university with an
exceptional group of personnel and facilities
with the College of Agriculture.
Before criticizing agriculture and the handling
of animals, please take the time to become truly
from the day before is someone waving
a Bible in my face and supplying me
with a detailed description of how my
soul will burn in the bowels of hell if I
don't repent, and soon.
That's what I was expecting from the
man who stood silently in front of us,
engulfed in his Bible.
Instead, the preacher began to quietly
address the audience, taking calculated
pauses to stress certain points. He was
a college-age kid, not the Moses reincar
nated I had been told to expect. As he
carried on with his religious salespitch,
a couple of people became restless.
Finally, the inevitable happened.
A young man clad in sweats stood up
and began to yell at our host. He wasn't
just yelling, he was degrading the poor
guy. The preacher paused, waited for
him to finish and calmly carried on. He
didn't suddenly begin to speak in tong
ues or any of the wild things I had heard
people complaining about. Okay, he
DID raise his voice . . . there was quite
a crowd and the people in the back
couldn't hear.
The young man in sweats flew off the
handle and accused the preacher of
DEFER
ICU :!
WM!
J.B. Morris
senior-English
not just about religion
One of those intolerable things that ranks right up
there with having to wear the same underwear from
the day before is someone waving a Bible in my face
and supplying me with a detailed description of how
my soul will burn in the bowels of hell if I don't repent,
and soon.
forcing everyone present to listen to his
load of something or other. It was on the
tip of my tongue to point out to this
young man that I hadn't seen the chains
that connected him to the preacher, but
who was Ito say?
Eventually, the sermon was over and
everyone went their separate ways. The
young man left too, but not before slam
ming a shoulder into the preacher as he
walked by. The preacher blessed him in
return.
I was disappointed. I hadn't seen the
show I was promised. The minister
didn't rip into a tirade or condemn all
non-believers. He simply told us why he
believed and why we should too. The
young man had stolen the show, but I
Where to write
State College and University Park residents may sub
mit letters in person at 1235. Burrowes St. with photo
identification.
Others may write to:
The Daily Collegian
Letters to the Editor
123 S. Burrowes St.
University Park, Pa. 16801-3882
All writers must provide phone number and address
for verification. Letters may be no longer than two
typewriten, double-spaced pages. Letters of up to
three pages may be submitted as forums. Collegian
reserves the right to condense or reject submissions.
Submissions become the property of Collegian Inc.
educated. Many courses, clubs and extra-curric
ular activities are at your disposal.
Those of us in agriculture will continue to
strive for excellence in animal care and to
improve the efficiency and quality of foos pro
duction. We will back our convictions with
actions, not merely words.
Lisa A. Holden
graduate-animal science
Dean Ross
graduate-animal science
The narrow view
I find Mr. Baumrucker's opinion in the
Sept. 27 issue of The Daily Collegian distressing.
The title of the column itself indicates that his
is a very narrow, personal opinion. The situation
in the Middle East has become a very personal
matter to many of us who have friends and rel
atives who are members of the active duty or
reserve military establishment.
I sympathize with Mr. Baumrucker as he con
fronts the prospect of his personal welfare. I
would submit that he is quite far removed at this
time from the military situation in the Middle
East. It is there, however, that my sympathy for
his opinion ends. There are pratical realities of
the world today and America's role in it that are
ignored. The implications of Saddam Hussein's
direct control of 20 percent of the world's known
oil reserves cannot be tolerated.
The overwhelming international condemna
tion of Iraq's aggression legitimizes the actions
of those nations with the moral courage to con
front the issue. We, as a nation and as individu
als, cannot bury our heads in the sand. With the
rights provided in the Constitution comes
responsibility. The actions of the United States
and the international community toward Iraq
are proper. They are morally legitimate and
strategically imperative.
We would all do well to acknowledge our indi
vidual roles in the support of those actions,
whichever direction they may take.
was less than impressed with his perfor-
mance
As I walked away, I wondered why
everyone objects to these people? Can
you imagine if 2 Live Crew had been on
those steps? I bet that same young man
would have been in the front row hootin"
and hollerin' his support. If anyone had
dared to object, he would've thrown the
Constitution in their face.
I personally wanted to thank the pre
acher for making me believe. Not nec
essarily in his religion, but in my own.
The preacher reinforced my own beliefs
by making me realize that I didn't
approve of his methods. I learned more
from him in 10 minutes than I have
since I've been at college.
Eric Loop
University employee
Friday, Sept. 28, 1990
DOPiT WORRY, SENAPDR.,
WIRE SUPPORTING U 5„,
Infinite forgiveness
Recently, a letter and an article commenting
on Christianity have appeared on the Opinion
Page of the Collegian. These pieces said things
that were inaccurate and I think that it is very
important to clear them up.
On Friday, Samuel Anderson said that Chris
tians "blindly follow a diety who isn't bright
enough to realize tht he doesn't have to kill his
own 'son' to forgive man's sins. (He who make
the rules can break rules, right? )"
Wrong. Mr. Anderson does not understand the
basic concept of forgiveness. God is more that
forgiving; He is also just. Some people fail to
realize this because they concentrate on one
aspect of God but ignore others. God is com
pletely pure and perfect, and because of this He
cannot allow anything impure to enter his pres
ence. Therefore, our sins prevent us from expe
riencing His unconditional love for us. This is
where foregiveness comes in.
When I was younger, I had a wreck and
scratched my dad's car. This made him rather
angry and difficult to talk to, but eventually he
forgave me. That left the problem of who was
going to have the car repainted. Eventually my
dad paid because I was unable to. The point is
that forgiveness always has a price to be paid
by someone, and that price can be material or
non-material.
It is the same way with God. We have all done
something wrong at one time or another and the
price for that is a separation from God otherwise
Known as hell. Since God only wants what is best
for us, He decided to pay that price for us by His
Son who came and lived a sinless life.
In Tuesday's Collegian Kurt Seidel said, "If
there is a God, then there are two possibilities:
He's lenient toward indecisiveness about exact
expression of faith, or He's a stickler for detail
and behavior, and would therefore make heaven
kind of like an Ivy school with a bunch of
straight-edge 'select' running around." Both
cases are extremes and neither is true.
God is not vague about His forgiveness for us
and we cannot be vague about our acceptance.
Either we accept it or we don't. At the same
time, God does not expect us to be perfect and
He has gone to great lengths to show us that we
can never be perfect. Even Christians screw up,
but God's infinite forgiveness and the payment
of His Son are enough to forgive anything any
one could ever do to sin against Him.
Christianity does not mean abandoning your
sense of logic to be chained to a list of silly rules
for the rest of your life, it means turning away
from our ego and accepting the fact that you can
not possibly do enough good to right your
wrongs. You must accept Christ's gift of pay
ment for your sins and then you are free to expe
rience a love greater that you can ever imagine.
Jim Eisenman
senior-architectural engineering
And to the young man, I only hope he
took away something more than an
inflated ego from his friends. I hope he
took with him the desire to believe in
something as much as that preacher did
to want to share it with the rest of the
world. I hope the same for myself.
So, when you see these sidewalk pre
achers, give them a break. We all have
our place in society and good and bad
walk hand-in-hand. One can't exist with
out the other.
Unless one of them comes up and
physically forces religious philosophies
down your throat, don't be so quick to
jump down theirs. Is it so hard to just
keep walking?
I'm still not a Bible thumper and
you'll probably never find me parked on
the corner praising the Lord. But after
that Monday, I am hoping to thump
something of heartfelt concern some
day.
Katherine Hilgert is a freshman in the
division of undergraduate studies and
a columninst for The Daily Collegian.
Her column appears every other Fri
day.
MP
NOW