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Vol. 94, N 0.107 28 Pages ©1993 Collegian Inc.
PSU among few in Big Ten without fee
By KATHRYN BRAZEL
Collegian Staff Writer
While University student organizations
are researching the possibility of imple
menting a student activities fee, most
other Big Ten schools already have one in
place.
Of the 11 schools in the Big Ten, only
three, including Penn State, do not have a
student activities fee or something simi
lar. These fees pay for different services
at different schools but usually fund stu
dent governments, clubs and services.
But Penn State has to be careful when
Weather
dampens
ceremony
By DEEPIKA REDDY
Collegian Staff Writer
The individuals who braved the icy
roads to sit in Rec Hall Saturday looked as
much like a bunch of kids graduating from
high school as a group of young adults
getting ready to face the rest of their liv
es.
As these students became part of the
more than 400,000 University alumni,
there were a noticeable number of stu
dents missing, many due to the adverse
weather conditions.
"We almost didn't make it in time," said
Muriel Olivier of Normandy, France, who
journeyed 35 hours to see her son Mathias
graduate. After a five-hour delay at the
airport in Philadelphia, Olivier and her
daughter barely arrived in State College in
time for her son's 4 p.m. chemical engi
neering graduation.
David Laird, who traveled from Erie to
see his son John become a civil engi
neering graduate, said those who weath
ered the storm to make it to the ceremony
reflected the extent of achievement
earned by four years at the University.
The three ceremonies took place in full
amid the weather-heightened coughing,
sneezing and throat clearing of the
crowds.
During the speeches there was the
occasional individual listening intently to
the advice of the various speakers. But
mostly, there were the groups of friends
whispering and laughing among them
selves.
"Some of you may feel like experts at
starting things, school, friendships ... you
may feel you've had enough of the forced
spoon-feeding," said Forrest J. Remick,
commissioner of the U.S. Nuclear Regula
tory Commission, in his address to grad
uating students from the Colleges of
Engineering and Health and Human
Development and the School of Commu
nications.
Louise Stubing, a graduate of hotel,
restaurant and institutional management,
said although the event was reminiscent of
a high school graduation, the underlying
feelings were quite different.
"You're not just going off to school
again, you're starting the rest of your
life," said Stubing.
Slush and stinging storms start Spring Semester
By TODD GERNERT
Collegian Science Writer
An icy wind blows through the
quads stirring up powdery snow
and settling it back into waist-high
drifts. Icicles sparkle in the harsh
January sun as they dangle from
the rooftops. Piles of dark slush
line the streets as cars spin their
wheels seeking traction.
This is the Happy Valley stu
dents returned to or tried to
return to -- for the beginning of
Spring Sem ester.
As the Northeast was racked by
two powerful storms, dumping a
total of 14 1 / 2 inches of snow on
State College, meteorologists had
little time to hibernate.
"It's certainly been a crazy
week," said Jonathan Merritt, an
instructor of meteorology and
coordinator of the Penn State
Weather Station in Walker Build
ing.
The first of the storms billed
by some forecasters as the "Bliz-
the
daily
looking at other schools' use of a student
activities fee, said Paul Kasper, Student
Organization Budget Committee chair
man.
"Every school's activity fee covers dif
ferent things," he said. "It's like compar
ing apples and oranges."
Penn State student organizations are
considering implementing an activities
fee to be distributed among different
student organizations. SOBC is responsi
ble for distributing the $400,000 currently
allocated by the University.
If the fee is implemented, it could bring
in an additional $2.2 million. Sneha Vira-
Carrie Jae Sieber, the College of Earth And Mineral Sciences marshal, participates in grad
uation ceremonies. Sieber received her degree in meteorology Saturday morning in Rec Hall.
zard of '94" was a nor'easter
that blew through on Tuesday,
blanketing the area under a foot of
snow.
Ken Reeves, a senior meteorolo
gist with Accu-Weather, 619
W. College Ave., described a
nor'easter as a storm front that
moves along the East Coast in a
Heavy snowfall curbs borough parking
By TIMOTHY DAUGHERTY
Collegian Staff Writer
When traveling on snow-covered roads, an open
parking spot is a welcome asylum. But finding that
parking spot in State College may not be easy.
According to a State College Borough ordinance, it
is illegal for someone to park a vehicle or to allow a
vehicle to remain parked on the paved portion of a
street when snowfall reaches a depth of 3 inches.
But there is no penalty for a first violation and
notification is sent in the mail. Each subsequent vio
lation warrants a fine between $2 and $lO and the
cost of prosecution, or a maximum of five days
imprisonment.
ilk° . „ . x. Sports Weather
4-* . a .
~, 1
1 ''
At at
46i - t Pounded Today, mostly sunny and
1 - ''.'
.. "41 I t rounded chilly, high 25. Tonight, mostly
t *4 ic - 1 ,...
. r clear and very cold, low 10.
Tomorrow, becoming mostly A 1 " ~• Al.
it Penn State gains respect of
nation in rout over Tennessee A
cloudy with sorne light snow, high
4- o
Page 21 by Adam Canter
collegian 300
tia, Undergraduate Student Government
Big Ten relations director, said she is
researching the use of a student activity
fee at other schools and trying to gather
information.
Tony Wagner, president of the Univer
sity of Minnesota Student Association,
said Minnesota charges a $l3B fee three
times a year, but the money is not dis
tributed only among student organiza
tions.
Minnesota Health Services receives $6O
of the $l3B and recreational sports
assumes another $l5, Wagner said. This
leaves $63 to be distributed among stu-
northeasterly direction.
Central Pennsylvania wasn't hit
as hard as during the "Blizzard of
'93," but this week's mea
surements for Centre County did
range between 12 and 15 inches.
And as if this wasn't enough of a
winter wonderland for everyone to
dig out, a second storm, this time
After the accumulated snow has been cleared, it is
legal to park in those areas, according to the ordi
nance.
Lee Lowry; director of public works for State Col
lege, said his crews begin plowing when the snow
level reaches a height of 2 1 / 2 inches and the snowfall
persists.
After it stops snowing, Lowry said it takes his
crews about eight to 10 hours to dig out all of those
areas.
Although Lowry heads the plowing of parking lots
downtown, Tom Harmon, University Police Services
director, monitors the snow plowing on campus.
"Luckily, the cleanup has been helped greatly by
Please see PARKING, Page 12.
Monday, Jan. 10, 1994
an Arctic blast sweeping in from
the West, drizzled through the
Northeast.
The second storm consisted of
little more than 2 1 / 2 inches of snow
mixed in with freezing rain and
sleet, but the results were dev
astating. "Pennsylvania is getting
Please see SNOW, Page 12.
dent organizations, cultural centers, stu
dent unions and a course information book
that describes general education classes.
The student government at Minnesota
receives about $lOO,OOO a year, Wagner
said. Penn State's USG receives only
about $15,000.
Michigan State University's student
government taxes students $2O a year and
uses the money for student organizations.
The student government can provide stu
dents with free legal counseling in any
type of case, said Paul Zelensky, Michigan
State's assistant director of student
activities.
Organizations pay
big bucks backing
political nominees
In 1991-92, $8.4
million was spent by
the National Education
Association, the
National Council of
Senior Citizens and
dozens of other groups
to pitch candidates to
• eir_inembers.
By MICHAEL BLOOD
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON, D.C. Since
1986, the political wing of the
National Rifle Association has
given Sen. Arlen Specter's cam
paign committee nearly $lO,OOO
and spent another $120,000 on its
own accord to get him elected.
But the NRA could do more.
And it did.
Taking advantage of a some- NRA spokesman Joseph M. Phil
times-overlooked aspect of cam- lips. It's "more effective than PAC
paign law, the NRA's Institute for contributions."
Legislative Action shelled out an The NRA isn't the only group
additional $204,000 during that flooding the mailboxes around
time writing letters to its members Election Day.
on behalf of the three-term Penn- Sen. Harris Wofford, D-Pa.,
sylvania Republican. received more than $450,000 in
In 1992 alone, when Specter direct donations in 1991-92 from
narrowly won a third term over PACs representing unions.
Democrat Lynn Yeakel, the NRA But, as in Specter's case, the
spent $166,0p0 on mailings urging money didn't stop there.
its members to back his candidacy FEC documents show that labor
—by far the most it spent for any dumped another $255,000 into his
congressional candidate that year, 1991 race in "communications"
federal documents show. with union members.
The expenditures are permitted The Pennsylvania AFL-CIO spent
under the federal election code as $54,000 on flyers, brochures and
"internal communications," and direct mail supporting Wofford;
unlike donations to a candidate's $20,000 on Wofford campaign
tbut
political committee there are no tons; $24,000 on videotapes; and
spending limits. The NRA and $1,700 on Wofford T-shirts. The
similar organizations can pay for PAC representing the national
such things as letters, telephone AFL-CIO spent $155,000 sending
ro-Wofford letters.
calls or telegrams that endorse or P
oppose candidates, providing they The communications costs are
are targeted solely within its "another way of showing their
membership. support for the candidate, and
During campaigns, attention from their point of view getting
generally focuses on cash contri- the candidate elected," said Joshua
butions made directly to candi- Goldstein of the Center for
dates by individuals and political Responsive Politics, a group that
action committees. Yet in some monitors campaign financing.
Plowing priority
These areas of downtown State College are the first to be plowed. All
other roads are then plowed at random. •
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•si g i MM . ...,„, - g . ......:
Plowed first • Plowed second II Plowed third
■ If your street has not been cleared and you have any problems or
questions,.call Lee Lowry, director of public works for the State College
Borough, at 234-7140
Source: State College
Published independently by students at Penn State
Purdue University's student govern
ment receives a subsidy of $30,000 from
the administration and earns thousands
more from fund-raisers. Students also pay
a $2B activities fee for recreational sports
and facilities, said Purdue's student body
President Angela Hale.
Ohio State and the University of lowa
currently have no specified fee but are
researching the possibility, said Ohio
State USG President Chris Norman.
Penn State's Executive Student Action
Council, headed by Kasper, has formed a
student activities fee committee of
Please see FEE, Page 12.
cases, organizations spend big
dollars to make sure their own
members know who should be
elected to the House, Senate and
White House.
Nationwide in 1991-92, $8.4 mil
lion was spent by the National
Education Association, the Nation
al Council. of Senior Citizens and
dozens of other groups to pitch
candidates to their members, Fed
eral Election Commission records
show.
In Pennsylvania, more than
$670,000 was spent on such efforts
for congressional candidates in
those years, an amount second
only to California.
The NRA, one of the most active
groups when it comes to partisan
letter writing, spent $2.8 million on
political mailings to its members
in 1991-92.
"We intend to do quite a bit more
of that the next time around," said
Depattmenf of Public Works
Collegian GrapiNeftmonlbylor