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

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r- StateyLocal Election Results As was the trend throughout much of the country. Pennsylvania Republican candidates won big in state and local elections. Republican Arlen Specter was elected Pennsylvaniais US. senator in a long struggle against former Pittsburgh Mayor Pete Flaherty. In a neck-and- neck race, Republican E. Budd Dwyer defeated Democratic incumbent Robert E. Casey for the post of State Treasurer. R. LeRoy Zimmerman became first elected Attorney General in a close win over Democratic hopeful Michael OiPake. The victory of incumbent Auditor General Al Benedict proved to be the only bright spot for Pennsylvania Demo- crats in state elections. In local action, Republican Congress- man William Clinger posted an easy vic- tory and will return to the US. House of Representatives for the 23rd Congres- sional District. Republican Rep. Gregg Cunningham was easily re-elected to the State General Assembly. eJill Rippey Divorce Bill A unilateral, no-fault divorce bill went into effect in Pennsylvania on July 1, 1980 which revised the States 95- year-old divorce code. The no-fault provision in the legisla- tion allows one spouse to win a divorce without blaming the other. The four ma- jor areas of reform were: U divorce by mutual consent 90 days after a petition has been filed in court, 2i contested di- vorce granted after a separation period of three years and after the filing of a petition stating the marriage was irre- trievably broken, 3i equitable division of property, and 4i alimony when property settlements were deemed insufficient. State Representative Gregg Cunning- ham, a Republican from Centre County, was one of the main supporters of the legislation. Pennsylvania Governor Dick Thornburgh called the new law 0a com- passionate and realistic measure which brings Pennsylvania into the twentieth century in this sensitive area of human relations. -Seott Smith 8 StateiLocal Cuban Refugees Pennsylvaniais Fort Indiantown Gap military reservation was one of four camps in the nation selected to handle the influx ofCuban refugees into Florida last spring. The first refugees arrived on May 18, and within a week the camp had neared its capacity of 20,000. Unlike the predominantly middle or upper-class Cubans given asylum in the United States after Fidel Castrois 1959 triumph, the latest refugees were gener- ally penniless workers, some of them freed criminals. This, combined with frustration and the sheer numbers of Cu- bans being processed at Fort Indiantown Gap, resulted in an Aug. 5 riot in which 16 camp officials and 42 Cubans were injured, one fatally. The 300 to 500 refu- gees involved cited long processing, 95- degree heat and guard brutality as rea- sons for the uprising. Security increased after this incident, as the remaining ref- ugees waited to be reunited with rela- tives or otherwise resettled. -Jill Rippey Funds Cut in the ongoing abortion controversy, 1980 brought on a victory for anti-abor- tionists. In mid-November, the Pennsyl- vania legislature overwhelmingly ap- proved a bill that prohibits the use of Medicaid funds for poor women who want abortions. The bill resulted from a US. Supreme Court decision in June which ruled that states can refuse to pay for abortions even when the health of the mother is at stake. Most states have since taken that option and passed anti-abortion bills. The Pennsylvania bill was sponsored by Rep. Stephen Friend. a Republican from Delaware County; and Rep. Gregg Cunningham, the Republican assembly- man whose district includes the State College area. Cunningham was re-elect- ed to a second term last November. Both Friend and Cunningham planned to introduce a bill that would restrict abortions for everyone under any circumstances. The current bill denies funding for abortions except for those reimbursed by the federal government in cases of rape and incest, or when the mothers life is endangered. -Cindy Halterman Phillies Win Series After a long season of dissension and turmoil, the Philadelphia Phillies sur- prised everyone by capturing their first World Series Championship in 98 years. Picked third in their division, the Phil- lies battled the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Montreal Expos into the final weeks of the season before clinching the East- ern Division title in their second-to-last game. The Houston Astros, who slid over the Dodgers into the number one slot of the National League West, be- came the next fallen opponent as the Phillies conquered them for National League rule. Moving on to the World Series, the Phillies faced the Kansas City Royals, who had triumphed over the Yankees to secure the American League pennant. Picked as underdogs, the Phillies, win- ning four out of six games, brought the World Championship home. -Cindy Halterman

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Budget Woes Governor Dick Thornburgh had to cut non-preferred appropriations by $33 million in July when the Liquor Control Board did not approve a plan to raise $26 million through a 10 per-cent-bottle sur- charge and the legislature defeated a bill to raise license fees. The LCB approved a plan in Septem- ber, however, to provide the $26 million through a new price structure and from profits left over from the past several years for the states general fund. The new LCB pricing system would raise the prices of liquors and wines costing less than $6.50 and lower the prices of items costing more than $6.50. The price structure, slated to earn $6 million of the $26 million, was challenged in Common- wealth Court. but the Courts decision had no effect on nonpreferred funding. Thornburgh planned to make up the rest of the appropriations with $4 million in fee increases made without legislative approval, and $1.5 million in unspent funds previously budgeted for projects and equipment. -Sherri Ross Scholars Program The University Scholars Program was designed to provide opportunities for ex- ceptional students in the College of Lib- eral Arts. Honors students benefited from smaller classes and communication with similarly gifted students. With help from special program advisors. students scheduled at least three honors courses during the year. The students were exposed to theories and studies by leading scholars in diverse fields. an approach geared toward broadening the perspectives of those chosen to participate. Organizers of the program hoped to provide these students with a more challenging curriculum. Some discussion arose over the effect the program might have on University Scholars. Many questioned the entrance requirements, debating whether high school grades and SAT scores alone, or academic intentions should determine eligibility. Some suggested the program might create a group of elite scholars separated from the mainstream of stu- dent life. Only the future Will tell. eJim Metzgar Paterno Named Athletic Director I accept the challenge the position offers and look forward to the 19805. which promise to be a most exciting dec- ade for intercollegiate athletics at Penn State said head football coach Joe Pa- terno when he was appointed athletic di- rector. Paterno replaced Edward M. Czekaj. who had been athletic director since 1969. Czekaj is now special assistant to Senior Vice-president for Finance Oper- ations Robert A. Patterson and will re- main active in the athletic department as an advisor to Paterno. Paternois appointment was part of a plan to reorganize the department of athleticst which has been growing rapid- ly in recent years. Under the new format. Paterno will report to Patterson on poli- cy matters. and to the dean of the Col- lege of Health, Physical Education and Recreation on academic matters. Paterno commented on his added re- sponsibilities as athletic director saying. lllf I thought it would hurt football, I wouldnit have taken the job. I can do both and I intend to do both well? -Carol Koehler T Berg Wins Nobel Prize Paul Berg. a 1948 graduate of Penn State. won a 1980 Nobel Prize for his contributions to modern chemistry and genetics. HeTs the only Penn State gra- duate to receive this award. The 54- year-old biochemist from Stanford shared the chemistry prize with Cam- bridge University molecular biology pro- fessor Fredrik Sanger and American Walter Gilbert. Six years ago Berg led a go-slow movement because he feared experi- ments linking genes of different organ- isms might produce novel types of drug- resistant germs or spread dangerous vir- uses. Berg has since concluded any risk is exceedingly small from experiments in which genes from one organism are spliced to those of another to create mi- cro-organisms with new capabilities. eScott Smith Nude Woman With Lion Many people pose for photographs near the Nittany Lion shrine on campus and go unnoticed. But an exception to this rule surfaced in October when an eyebrow-raising photograph of an un- conventional couple was displayed in a downtown business window. Controver- sy spread throughout town and campus. The picture was available for sale at prices of $20 and $60; someone was cap- italizing on this art form, and yet no one would take credit for it. At first. State College photographer Bill Coleman was believed to be the shutter-bug since he was taking part in the sale and distribu- tion. However, Coleman denied credit and would only say. llThe man is well- known; he has a great sense of humor. As of last winter, the photographer remained a mystery. But the content of the picture is all too plain to see. The photograph depicts a woman, posing near the lion, wearing red high heels and makeup. The reason for the controver- sy? She wore nothing else! eLiz Chesney J Campus 7

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Arson At Garden Theater An early-morning fire in late January 1980 extensively damaged the upper floors of the Hotel State College7Gar- den Theater complex on South Allen Street. An arsonist was later arrested in connection with the blaze. Alpha Fire Company officials report- edly found debris stacked at the end of a hallway on the buildings top floor where the fire began. The fire spread across the roofand burned out of control for nearly two hours after firemen were summoned at 12:14 am. About 70 Alphas. with the help from several Boalsburg firemen, fought the blaze, which gutted 16 living units, apartments and rooms. The the- ater, reportedly built in 1914. also sus- tained extensive smoke and water dam- age. Even by late December, owner Fred lannurelli remained uncertain as to when the theater would reopen. -Liz Chesney Sharp Dies Centre County Common Pleas Court Judge Richard M. Sharp, of Phillips- burg, died Oct. 7, 1980 after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 61. Judge Sharp, elected to the bench in Centre County in November 1977, died at Phillipsburg State General Hospital Where he had been a patient for three Weeks. Judge Sharp had been initially hospitalized in February for a potassium imbalance. In December the judges ill- ness was found to be liver cancer. Judge Sharp was an attorney for 30 Years and a former District Attorney of Centre County from 1957 to 1961. He had served on the bench since 1977. He was instrumental in establishing pro- grams of constructive rehabilitation for juvenile and adult offenders. He was most noted for his contribu- tion to court improvement at the trial court level. In 1979, Judge Sharp pio- neered the Inmate Work Program, the only program of its kind in the state, which allows convicted offenders the op- portunity to serve the community in a constructive fashion. -Sherri Ross TMI Clean-up Clean-up activities designed to decon- taminate and restore the now famous Unit 2 reactor at Three Mile Island lagged seven months behind schedule this year. Metropolitan Edison estimat- cd that cleanup following the March 1979 accident will take at least three more years and cost $500 million. Clean-up efforts in the shut-down re- actor started with the venting of krypton gas from the sealed airlock leading to the reactor building. The venting allowed the first workers to enter the area and take radiation readings. A major problem hindering the cleanup is the new equipment which must first be designed and built. One such innovation is a system known as EPICOR 11, which helped decontami- nate the water that spilled into one of Unit 2's auxiliary buildings. The wastes from this process will be stored in tanks on the island until a permanent disposal site is found. In addition to the technical aspects of the clcan-up operation, Met-Ed also faced a barrage of public criticism about the company's handling of the actual ac- cident and the venting of the krypton gas. As a result, Met-Ed is trying to re- store its tarnished image and recapture the publicis confidence. A-Jill Rippey T CATA Troubles A strike by the local transit employees union halted Centre Line bus service in the State College area and left many stu- dents and business people without trans- portation for nearly a month. A dispute between Local 1203B of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the Cen- tre Area Transportation Authority arose in late December upon termination of the drivers contract. The disagreement centered around increases in hourly wages and the length and wording of a new contract. In addition, the dilemna grew to encompass problems surround- ing the inclusion of a part-time worker pension plan and a non-discrimination clause in the contract. After many weeks of unsettled tension between CATA and the union, the courts stepped in and im- posed a mandatory collective bargaining session. The result was a two-year con- tract settlement ratified by a vote of 23 But that sill did not put the buses back on the road. CATA manager Vernon Lyght and the drivers clashed over the terms under which unionized drivers would resume work. Almost one full work week passed before service was re- stored and transportation returned to normal in the Centre Region. ALiz Chesney State7Local 9