Penn State University - La Vie Yearbook (University Park, PA)

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Inflation Hits Penn State Spiraling costs and unsympathetic legislators in Harrisburg have taken a toll on the University and its students. University President John W. Oswald asked for an increase in the budget to match inflation costs, arguing that if the proposed budget wasn't met, in- creases would be passed on to stu- dents in the form of higher tuition. State representatives didn't give in. They decided to grant state-owned universities a funding increase that was 2 percent greater than the increase for state-related universities like Penn State. More disturbing news came from Harrisburg when a spokesman said that the state should not be looked to as a source of funding for research. These costs, he said, should be absorbed by federal and private sources. This budget cut set the stage for a tuition increase and some reorganiza- tion of general funds. The loss of fund- ing took its toll at the University, how- ever, with a decrease in the quality of programs. Larger classes were formed and there was a decrease in the num- ber of course sections available. Facul- ty members have heavier workloads and have faced a decrease of 3.1 per- cent since 1972. Enrollment in that same period has increased by 11.5 per- cent. Other increases awaited new and re- turning students this Fall Term. The drop-add fee, normally $2, was raised to $6, and in October, the Campus Loop raised its fares to 25c: per ride. Campus News Briefs New Ear for Lion On September 8, sculptor Vincenzo Palumbo came to University Park to carve a new ear for the Nittany Lion Shrine. The Lion's ear was destroyed by vandals during spring term of 1979. Palumbo did the carving at the request of Heinz Warneke, the original Lion sculptor. Warneke made a mold for the new ear and Palumbo worked on the final carving and refitting. Several class members thought the statue, a gift to the University from the class of 1940, should be moved indoors for protection. This suggestion was contested, however, so no plans have been made to move the Lion from its present site by Rec Hall. Rally for Research Students for a Pennsylvania Public Interest Research Group, under the coordination of Jeff Goldsmith, fought hard this year for support of their group. After the defeat of the PennPlRG student referendum in last Spring's Un- dergraduate Student Government elec- tions, the group's leaders looked to the U56 for support. All but one of the students on the U56 Executive Council said they thought a majority of University stu- dents were in support of PIRG. But these students were disappointed to hear of University President John W. Oswald's negative stand on the issue. Every Inch Counts The University Department of Hous- ing and Food Services, assisted by Resi- dential Life, began studies to deter- mine if more dormitory space could be created from non-productive space in residence halls. Because vandalism in many study lounges and dorm lobbies had rendered them useless, Housing considered constructing rooms in those areas to meet the increased de- mand for on-campus housing. The studies also tried to determine the optimum number of students which could be housed while still maintaining an adequate standard of living in the residence halls. Costly Dinner Lady Lions' basketball Coach Pat Meiser never thought accepting a seemingly innocent invitation to din- ner would result in a year's probation for all thirteen women's sports teams at Penn State. Meiser accepted a dinner invitation from the persistent mother of a prom- ising high school recruit in 1977, before the rules were revised to prohibit off- campus visits with recruits. A March 1978 article in Sports Illustrated, calling the Association for Intercollegiate Ath- letics for Women a poor rules enforcer, prompted an AIAW investigation of Meiser's recruiting practices and sub- sequent probation for the teams. Push and Shove Over Re-routing students entering Beaver Stadium enabled ushers to call the new seating process the easiest load- ing in years. Under the new system, up- perclassmen were directed up the ramps to the top sections. From there they could filter down into the lower seats, cutting down on mobs entering the lower portals. Further improvements came with stricter enforcement of section desig- nations and traffic flow. ReviewlCampus 25

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review7campus Human Development East Building Nurses Have New Home The New Human Development East Nursing Building was completed and opened to the public in October of 1979. The building will serve as labora- tory, classroom center and career re- source center for the 550 under- graduates presently enrolled in the School of Nursing. The Department of Health, Educa- tion, and Welfare provided two-thirds of the funding needed, and the Uni- versity supplied one-third, after the ini- tial plans were okayed in January of 1977. Services of the nursing consultation center will be open to the community as well as University students, faculty, and staff. The People's Choice Hal Shaffer t10th-Political Sciencei and Vicki Sandoe t9th-Political Sci- encel were elected president and vice- president of the 1979-80 Under- graduate Student Government. Out of a 26 percent studenUvoter turnout, Shaffer-Sandoe received about 38 per- cent of the vote with a total of 2,431 votes. Tom Feeney and his running mate AI McKenna were Shaffer's clos- est competitors, receiving 1,442 votes; Bonnie Northrup and Vic Dupuis were third with 1,241 votes; Jeff Barrett and Henry Gorczycki were in fourth place with 457 votes; and the Tony Filip- pello-Mike DiPiano ticket was fifth with 382 votes. 24 Review7Campus Test of Endurance After spending up to 34 hours wait- ing in line for a space in the dorms last year, students were more than ready for a new dorm contract submission procedure. But the administration's suggestion for a lottery assignment sys- tem wasn't exactly what they had in mind. The problems began last spring when Housing Services announced a first-come7first-served system for con- tract submission. Fearing they might lose their dorm rooms, some students began lining up early. They spent the night in the cold, filing into union buildings in the morning once the doors opened. As students amused themselves amid the swarm of bodies snaking in and out of numerous rooms, petitions were circulated pro- testing the line-up system. Finally, when Housing decided to accept con- tracts a day early, the lines began to move. Realizing a more efficient system was needed, administrators and repre- sentatives from Housing and Residen- tial Life came up with a proposed Iot- tery assignment for dorm rooms. Under this system, students submitting con- tracts would be assigned as their cards were pulled in the lottery. Student opposition to the lottery came in the form of letters to the Collegian, organized rallies, and an As- sociation of Residence Hall Students poll showing that 71 per cent of those surveyed were against the lottery. Stu- dents said they would have no control in the lottery, that it would split up friends and destroy house unity. In the end, dorm dwellers preferred standing in line to submitting to the luck of the draw. Last fall, ARHS submitted a revised first-come7first-served plan to Univer- sity President John Oswald who later approved it. The proposal required stu- dents to turn in a $45 contract deposit to the bursar in February and to submit contracts spring term in one of ten equal lines outside dorm union build- ings. Up in Smoke Vandalism became a more serious problem for the University this year than it had been in the past. Aside from the usual damages, the University was faced with $26,000 worth of dam- age resulting from an elevator fire in Pinchot Hall. A two-month investigation of the in- cident led to the arrest of a suspect in this and a host of other unrelated criminal activities. The male arrested in connection with the elevator fire is a former resident of Pinchot Hall. He was also charged with 19 counts of arson and vandalism for this and sev- eral other incidents. Pinchot Hall residents were quite concerned that the arsonist be found and several residents helped the police in finding and charging the suspect. If the arsonist had not been found and held responsible for the damages, each of the 311 residents of the dormi- tory in East Halls would have been required to pay approximately $32 to- ward the replacement cost of the elevator. Strong 8t Vital In response to budget tightening and the threat of declining enrollment dur- ing the 1980's, the Penn State plan for the new decade will emphasize re- structure within the University, and pro- gram selectivity in its policy proposals. The plan, with its work divided into four task forces and headed by a steer- ing committee, will attempt to provide specific recommendations for the Uni- versity's goals and priorities this com- ing decade. Senior Vice-president for Adminis- tration Stanley 0. lkenberry said the commitment of the University is to achieve a stronger and more vital Penn State in the 80's than there is at the present time. Also included in the Plan for the 80's are the roles of research and the en- rollment problems at the Com- monwealth campuses. A 31 percent decline in enrollment is forecasted for the Commonwealth campuses in the 80's.

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reviewrstate 84 l ocal Local Election Favorites On November 6, 1979, Election Day in Centre County, four people were chosen by the people of State College to fill the vacant seats in the county's Municipal Council and Board of Com- missioners. Incumbent Mary Ann Haas led the way in the race for Municipal Council by getting the majority of votes in the election. Haas, a republican, ran on both the democratic and republican tickets. Democrat Daniel Chaffee was named on the second largest number of ballots. Chaffee was a write-in can- didate during the spring and won the primary elections. He was pleased that he won a seat on the Council even though his campaign was minimal. Chaffee said he had aimed his cam- paign at no special group and that he was happy to have received as many votes as he did. Fred J. Honsberger, a native of Centre County, was also named to Council as he came in third in the voting. Honsberger is a republican, and was formerly employed by both WRSC in State College and KDKA in Pitts- burgh. Joseph Wakeley, Jr., came in fourth in the voting and will fill the last re- maining seat on the Municipal Coun- cil. Wakeley, a democrat, said he was not at all surprised that Haas won since both she and Chaffee ran on both tickets. He did add, however, that he was pleased that Fred Honsberger was also named to the Council. Wakeley won by a margin of 149 votes over the next candidate in line. In the race for the three seats for the Board of Commissioners, republican Jeff Bower's name turned up on the majority of ballots. Bower said that he was very pleased with the work of the former board, and that he would con- tinue to work hard for the Centre County region. The other two Board seats were filled by John Saylor, a democrat, and John Clatz, a republican. Both men were incumbents. 26 ReviewlState 8r Local Phi Psi 500 Re-Routed The State College Municipal Council approved a series of changes in the running of the annual Phi Psi 500, in- cluding a route change and reduction in the number of runners allowed to participate. The action was taken in response to several complaints of vandalism and crowd control problems that were ob- served in last spring's event. According to several spectators, bot- tles, plastic garbage bags, and beer were just several of many things heaved at spectators from apartment balconies. Borough Council President Ingrid P. Holtzman said that another problem with last spring's race was the sale of beer at downtown bars without age identification. Robert Albright, man- ager of the All-American Rathskeller, denied such accusations. As a result of these problems, the Municipal Council has designed a new route for the Phi Psi. The next race will begin at the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house on Locust Lane, continue to ei- ther E. Nittany Avenue or E. Foster Avenue, proceed up Pugh Street to Calder Way, and then reverse itself. Another proposal reduces the field of runners from 2,000 to 1800. Airport Controversy The growing controversy over whether the University Park Airport is of more vital importance to the Centre region than the Mid-State Airport was a topic of major concern this past year. Incumbent Republican for Centre County Commissioner John Glatz said that the Centre County taxpayers' money should not be used to finance the University Park Airport's operating expenses. Glatz proposed several means for the University Park Airport to counter- balance its deficit, such as improving its operating efficiency and assessing regular airport users. Jeffrey Bower, a republican candi- date for county commissioner, agreed with Glatz stating that the taxpayers' money should not be used to support the airport. He also proposed that an additional fee should be charged to those who use the airport. Mall Dispute In one of the greatest controversies to ever hit State College, citizens have actively opposed the building of the proposed Ferguson Mall. The mail was supposed to be built along N. Atherton St. on the Dreibelbis farmlands. However, Ferguson Town- ship residents tried to petition against the construction. On February 28, 1979, residents tried to petition against the mall, calling the proposed building construction the mauling of Ferguson Township. This petition was denied however, by Centre County Common Pleas Judge Richard M. Sharp, who said that petitions may not be used to effect final legislative action on proposed changes to zoning ordinances. Still dissatisfied, residents appealed the ruling to Commonwealth Court. The residents also drafted a re-zoning proposal which was under evaluation. lf re-zoning can not be accomplished, the mauling will be on.