The Collegian Wednesday, February 21,1990
Opinion
Spanos thinks
diversity gets
old fast
by Christine Spanos
"Christine, when something is taken to an extreme it can get
really old, really fast." Someone I know said this to me in a
telephone conversation just last week. No, he wasn't talking about
my right winged conservative attitude and how 1 like to drive
people crazy with it.
What he was talking about isn't as important as what those
words imply. At times, an issue can be taken to such an extreme
that a majority of people, who could have been supporters, are
turned off.
I guess a perfect example of what I'm saying is this diversity
thing that Behrcnd is so gung-ho about. Don't get me wrong,
diversity is a great thing but haven't we heard enough about it?
Every time I open The Collegian or look on the walls around
the mailboxes someone is yelling "DIVERSITY." It's starting to
give me a headache.
I agree with a number of things encompassed by the diversity
issue. I think that a number of people in this world are insensitive
to racial differences. There are some people who need to open their
eyes to some growing problems surrounding the racial relations
issue.
What I don't agree with is the method Penn State's
administration employs in its attempts to "educate” the students of
Behrend. In last week's Collegian , (Wednesday, Feb. 14,1990), the
letter to the editor regarding the Sigma Tau Gamma incident,
written by Dean of Students Chris Reber, was just about the most
ridiculous thing I ever read.
I'm well aware that some
members of the fraternity were
in the wrong. I am also aware
that they have admitted to
doing the things they were
accused of doing. But come on,
do you really think that
making them write a couple
apology letters and attend a
lecture given by NAACP leader
Benjamin Hooks is going to
make a difference?
This is what I mean when I
say I question the methods of
this university in regards to
"educating" it's students about
diversity. Making students
aware of a national problem is
always important, but to beat
them over the head is a pretty
ineffective method.
Christine Spanos
In that same issue of The Collegian, there was a reference to a
statement made by Penn State President Jordan regarding Diversity.
He feels Diversity should be the highest priority of this institution
and all of us at Bchrend should do our part in making this idea of
Diversity a reality.
Diversity should rank right up there at the lop of the list, but to
say it should be the lop priority is to disregard the reason we're all
here in the first place. 1 would rather hear someone say academics
are priority one.
I'm paying for an academic education and if Diversity should
become a piece of the pie then I will become a better person for it.
But to have someone or some group beating me over the head with
it is an incredible turn off.
I'm not trying to dc-cmphasize the importance of Diversity at
this institution or any other institution. Diversity is important and
should not be ignored, yet there are other concerns (less teaching
time for professors because of mandatory research, for example)
that shouldn't be ignored either.
To reiterate the aforementioned statement, extremities can get
really old, really fast.
Mike Royko
Morally
it should
by Mike Royko
I've been on the receiving end of many stem
lectures this week because of a column I wrote
about Gov. Mario Cuomo and the New York
bishop who said Cuomo might end up in hell
because he isn't trying to make abortion illegal.
One of the rebukes came from an anti
abortion group's telephone hot line. It summed
up what other callers have told me:
"Bishop Austin Vaughan simply did what
every good priest should do and is obliged to do:
warn a public sinner that if he continues in his
sin he may not enter the kingdom of heaven.
...So more power to Bishop Vaughan, who knew
that he would be roundly criticized by a bunch of
know-nothings but who did not let that stop him
from doing his job."
The hot line message went on to explain why
I was one of the "know-nothings."
"Royko seems to think that if a bishop tells
one of his flock that he is in danger of hell,
suddenly that bishop is imposing his morality on
all of us. Why such a bad chip on your shoulder,
Mike, bad conscience?"
No, my conscience feels OK. I haven't
performed any abortions lately or encouraged
anyone to have them.
As a matter of fact, it might surprise the anti
abortion group, but I don’t think much of
abortions. I particularly dislike abortion as a
form of birth control.
There arc all sorts of birth control methods
available to men and women who don't want
children avoid pregnancy in the first place and use
abortion only in a life-threatening situation.
Unfortunately Vaughan's church doesn't
approve of most birth control methods, so it sort
of puts women between a rock and a hard place.
His church doesn't even want the poor and
uneducated told how to practice birth control. But
that's another issue.
To get back to Vaughan's warning to Cuomo.
I totally agree that if a Catholic priest believes
that a member of his flock is doing something
that could send him to hell he should warn that
sinner.
I'm sure that before this day ends, thousands
of American Catholics will have done something
that could, according to their faith, prevent them
from entering the kingdom of heaven. Goodness,
the figure might be in the millions worldwide.
And I think it is the obligation of priests to
warn them to mend their wicked ways, as I'm
sure many of the priests do.
However, I've been in the newspaper business
for 35 years as a reporter, editor and columnist.
I've spent much of my working life in or near the
newsrooms of three papers.
And not once have I ever received, or heard of
anyone receiving, a call from a priest who said
something like this:
"Hello, this is Father Shannon. I am calling
to say that there is a member of my flock named
Slats Grobnik who is a foreman at the Popup
Spring Company. Mr. Grobnik, who is a married
man, has been carrying on an adulterous
relationship with a married barmaid who works
near his place of employment Every Tuesday in
the Happy Nooncr Motel. If he persists in this
speaking,
be private
Mike Royko
sinful behavior, he might go to hell. So I would
like to warn him. Could you please sec that this
is printed on the front page of your newspaper?"
That, in effect, is what Vaughan did. If he is
genuinely worried about Cuomo's soul, as I'm
sure he is, why didn’t he send a letter or make a
call and say: "Governor, this is Bishop Vaughan,
and I'm concerned that you might go to hell,"
etc., etc.
Instead he blabbed it to a reporter, assuring
that it would wind up on the front page of most
of America’s papers, the network news, in the
news magazines and on the Associated Press,
United Press International and Reuters wires.
I realize that Cuomo is a prominent person,
but I know of many prominent Catholics,
including politicians, who have done things that
must surely, in the eyes of their church, threaten
them with hell's fire.
But I don't recall any bishops or cardinals
phoning and saying: "Quick, give me rewrite. I
want to issue a front-page warning to Sen.
Bedhopper that if he doesn't knock off his sinful
hanky-panky he's going to sweat through one
long, hot eternity.”
If Vaughan's approach were appropriate, then I
urge his church to really do it. Don't slop with
Cuomo. How about every archdiocese sending
out a weekly news release listing unrepentant
sinners? I'm sure that if Slats Grobnik and that
barmaid saw their names on Page 1 they would
cease and desist
But until this happens, I have a modest
suggestion for Vaughan. Thou shalt not blab
about just one guy or you'll be suspected of
playing politics, not religion. I don't know if
that's a sin, but it's kind of sneaky.
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