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

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t2 year. The student drop-out rate at Penn State increased 4170 over last A bomb blast killed 225 An earthquake. 7.1 on the Richter US. Marines and Navy scale, left 75,000 homeless in Tur- men in Beirut. key. the first time a black woman took the top two positions in the Miss America Pageant. Vanessa Williams, was Crowned Miss America, and Suzette Charles was chosen first runner-up. There were more bright sides. For Some baseball fans, the bright side was the victory of the Baltimore Orioles Over the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series. STATE There was a loss in the Philadel- Phia area. Jim O'Brien, one of that areas highest paid and most popular pCWScasters, died during a parachute JUmp, when he became entangled with a riend and cut himself loose, too close t0 the ground for his chute to open. The 43-year-old OiBrien. a veteran of over 0Ojumps, left a deep feeling of sorrow among his colleagues and viewers of Channel 6-Station WPVI. The media also had another loss. Television. news anchorwoman Jessica Savitch, 35, of New York Cityefor- merly of Philadelphiaeand New York Post excctutive Martin Fischbein. 34, drowned in a car accident in New Hope, PA. After the couple left a New Hope restaurant, the car Fischbein was driving overturned in the nearby Dela- ware Canal. LOCAL The State College Area School District decided that Mark Twainls classic, Huckleberry Finn, did not pro- mote racism and would not be banned from the ninth grade classroom. The decision was triggered by a complaint earlier by State College resident Mar- garet Allen. The year before, Allenls son, Antwi, was asked to read the part ofJim, a runaway slave. Allen had felt the novel promoted racism by present- ing a demeaning view of blacks and us- ing the word llniggcrlT repeatedly. But a study by the school district in conjunc- tion with the University found that stu- dents who read the book in class ude- mostrated both a deeper sensitivity to racial matters and a llmore positive atti- tude towards racial acceptance. There was also much clamor over dis- puted stipulations for downtown living. After a number of Penn State students were fined for having more than three unrelated people residing in a house, much ado was made about this and oth- er housing laws, including the noise or- dinance. Soviet Shooting It was to be an ordinary flight for the 269 people who boarded the Korean Air Lines jet. The plane landed in Anchorage to refuel and prepare for the long stretch ahead. Probably none of the passengers knew it would be their last glimpse of land. Now, the story becomes obscure. The pilot was to take the most northernly route to Seoul bypassing the Kamchatha; the site of Soviet missile testing. Al- though the pilot reported the plane was 115 miles south of Hokkaido. Japanese radar spotted it at 115 miles north of it, heading for Soviet territory. Then a conversation could be heard and was translated. uTake aimf' llAim taken. Then, one minute later, llWhere did it go? The reply, 2We shot it down. At first, the news was that the plane was forced to land in Soviet territory, then that it landed safely. Then much later, the devastating news came . . . Outrage could not strongly enough describe President Reaganls reaction, as he and others called it a tlwan- ton, calculated, deliberate murder. Although they first denied it, the Soviet Union admitted to shooting down the jet, simply because the US. had sent over a uspy plane? The jet had carried Senator Lawrence McDonald, the leading anti-Com- munist in the government. Whatever the Soviet ex- cuse, the results of the ghastly bombing will never be forgotten-269 lives were lost. VANESSA WILLIAMS Uem. the new Miss America, is crowned by the outgoing Miss America, Debra Maffett. Williams is the first black to ever win. Retrospect 27

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26 Rimmed Pennsylvania got its first test tube baby-Jillian Johnston was born. Unexpected. Sep- tember was full of unexpected surprises, some devas- tating, others pleasant. Septemberfs news kept people crying tears of sorrow or tears ofjoy. The tears of the friends and relatives of the 269 passengers of the Korean Air Lines flight 007 were joined by the tears and outrage of all Americans and several countries for the barbaric act of the Soviets. Tears of grief were also shed for Benigno Aquino, the Philippine opposi- tion leader who was murdered in Manila and for the smiling Jim ftJimboii OiBrien, the popular newscaster of Philadelphia who died during a parachute jump. In Israel, a sorrowful Prime Minister Begin resigned while an equally sorrowful country watched him leave. But, there were tears of joy. A tearful Vanessa Williams became the new Miss America, the first black woman to ever win the prestigious contest. Things were just as unexpected in Happy Valley where students were beginning to adjust to classes under the semester system. The most shocking event of the month was the possible loss of charter for Alpha Tau Omega fraternity until 1986. The IFC reported that the fraternity had violated written University policy and local, state, or federal law. This was due to a complaint a woman filed August 29, alleging that she was a victim of gang rape at ATO. The University only hoped that, if it was true, it would not cast a bad name over the entire organization. Penn State rose to new heights in September. Among others aboard the space shuttle Challenger was Penn State alumnus Paul Weitz. The 54 graduate of an aeronautical engi- neering degree, also piloted the first manned Skylab in 73. Weitz remembered his alma mater by present- ing President Jordan with the Penn State tee shirt he wore while in space. -Diane DiPiero Confiicts. Along with the colors and chills of autumn, October brought many conflictsafrom bombings to earthquakes, inva- sions to protests. From the shake-ups on the interna- tional level down to the conflicts and pressures in Happy Valley, October covered everything. The Bei- rut bombing, the Grenada invasion, Wattls resigna- tion, ATOls dilemma, the pressures of adjusting to semesters-all were dealt with by students at Penn State. By the 12th, statistics released by the Universi- ty showed that the student drop-out rate increased by 4M: fall semester of 83 over last fall term. Although semesters were not directly blamed, students included excessive stress and being overwhelmed as the rea- sons. And, the National High Council of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity unanimously voted to liinvoluntarily surrender the charter of the fraternityls Penn State chapter. The reasons cited for the action included several incidents involving alcohol. The woman who claimed she was raped at ATO filed a formal com- plaint with State College Police. But, later if the circumstances were right, the fraternity may someday return to Penn State. -Sue Sturgis Retrospect INTERNATIONAL If the international scene had to be summarized by one word, turmoil would be the definitive answer. Due to the depression and sad- ness he had faced from the death of his wife and the dismal situation between Israel and Lebanon, Israel's Prime Minister Begin resigned. President Hurzog reluctantly replaced Begin with Foreign Minister Yitzhah Shamir. In the early morning hours of Octo- ber 23, a pick-up truck loaded with ex- plosives crashed through the lobby of an airport building in Beirut, where American Marines and Navy men, part of a multinational peace-keeping force stationed in the city, were still asleep. The blast levelled the four-story build- ing, killing over 225 men. Moments later, one mile away, a similar attack destroyed the building housing French troops, killing 58 men. In another early morning surprise at- tack, 2000 US. Marines and Army paratroopers, along with forces from Caribbean islands, invaded Grenada. The invasion was met with resistance from Grenadian troops and armed Cu- bans. Two weeks prior to the invasion, THE AUSTRALIAN Australia If beat the US. Liberty in the 25th American Cup to become the first foreign victorr Grenada had been overtaken by a Marxist regime. President Reagan or- dered the invasion to protect some 1000 Americans on the island, and to restore order and democracy to the nation. NATIONAL There was also a number of shake-ups on the national scene. US. Secretary of the Interior James Watt announced his resignation. Controver- sial since assuming his post, Watt had already succeeded in offending many groups with his remarks. But with his statement about appointing 0a black, a woman, two Jews, and a cripple'l to his coal advisory commission, he lost his core of GOP support and chose resigna- tion over a no-confidence vote in the Senate. There was an inspiring note for blacks in America. The space shuttle Challenger not only enacted the first US. night space launch, but also car- ried the first black astronaut to travel in space, Guion S. Bluford, Jr. Also, it was RESCUERS PREPARED to lower a US Ma- rine on a stretcher to safety after being trapped in the wreckage of the US. Command Post in Bei- rut after the terrorist bomb blast which killed hundreds.

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Rtrospect The Equal Rights Amendment failed to be revived in the Senate. d5 Eventful. Novem- ber was Filled with events; there was always something occurring somewhere. Internationally, the month of November brought with it the end of US involvement in Grenada and the continuation of military conflicts in Lebanon. Nationally, elections set precedents as women and blacks successfully captured political vic- tories. The nation focused its attention on nuclear war, due to 11The Day After? and reminisced about the late President John F. Kennedy on the 20th anni- versary of his death. Statewide, we watched our own elections, Three Mile Island, and became wary of chickens. Things were exceedingly busy and eventful in Happy Valley. Students who were tired of waiting in dorm contract lines each year received good news from the Association of Residence Hall Students tARHSL University administration accepted a new dorm contract acceptance system by ARHS. The new system based assignments on semester standing, with requests for singles and suites based on a random lottery procedure. And, Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, convicted of violating IFC codes on physical abuse, was dissolved when the University officially revoked recognition of the fraternity. The conviction stemmed from a complaint filed by a 19-year-old female stu- dent. On a pleasanter note, Penn State had a reason to cheer-the football team was winning. However, some of the excitement got a little out of hand. The tradition of tearing down the goalposts after the Lions football victories continued into the last home game of the season, despite pleas from the Under- graduate Student Government. The Athletic Depart- ment offered the cost of a set of goalposts, $4,500, to USG if fans refrained from the ritual following the Notre Dame game. Despite public service announc- ments by Coach Paterno, several football players, and USG President Emil Parvensky, one goalpost was torn down following the victory and three students were injured in the melee. -Diane Miller Brutal. December was a brutal month, despite the holiday season. Un- kind in its acts, December brought more disputes in the Mid East, terrorist bombings in London, left guer- illa gains in El Salvador, and one of the most savage U.S. winters on record. December brought the upris- ing of Syria, the fleeing of PLO leader Yasir Arafat, and the Fire from the battleship New Jersey. Nation- ally, December brought the announcements of many Presidential candidates and a very frigid blast of Arc- tic air. But December brought Christmas as well. It gave many of us that 11Cabbage Patch doll1' craze as thousands rushed to get ahold of one of those plain rag dolls. In Happy Valley, as classes ended in the first semester, and the brutal final week ended, stu- dents went home for break and cheered on the Lions in the Aloha Bowl. And, being a belated Christmas present to Penn Staters, the Nittany Lions defeated the Washington Huskies 13-10. -Angie Nuss 28 Retrospect INTERNATIONAL The turmoil in the Mid East was insurmountable. Sixty Is- raeli soldiers were killed November 4 when a truck filled with explosives crashed into Israeli headquarters in Tyre. Israel retaliated with jet raids on Palestinian artillary camps, and the US, Israel, and Syria all strengthened military forces in the area as tensions mounted. Syrian troops succeeded in defeating PLO leader Yasir Arafatls last military stronghold in Lebanon. Arafatls troops withdrew into Tripoli, causing a temporary cease-fire in the fighting. Later, the battleship New Jer- sey fired its 16-inch guns at Syrian anti- aircraft batteries in the mountains be- hind Beirut. Its effect echoed through- out the Mid East as Arafat prepared to flee in Tripoli. And the PLO troops began to evacuate, also. In London, another sort of terrorist event wreaked havoc on Christmas shoppers. A car bomb exploded in Lon- donls fashionable department store, Harrods. At least five people died and 91 were injured. But there was some good news. Presi- dent Reagan declared that US. troops were being withdrawn from Grenada, their mission complete. And though US. troops were still in Lebanon, Christmas would not be bleak for them. At age 80, Bob Hope raised his USO banner once more, headed for the shore of Lebanon with Brooke Shields and other performers, and entertained the US. troops over the Christmas holi- days. POLISH NOBEL PRIZE LAUREATE Lech Walesa along with his wife, Danuta. appears at a press conference before the presentation of the Nobel Peace Prize. NATIONAL November was election month, and 1983 election results held quite a few surprises. Democrat Bill Al- lain was elected governor of Mississippi despite charges that he was a homosex- ual. Women scored a victory when Martha Collins was elected the first woman governor of Kentucky. However, the womenls rights move- ment suffered a defeat at the hands of the Senate when the Equal Rights Amendment failed to be revived. The amendment came up six votes short of the required two-thirds majority. Both the House and Senate must adopt the ERA before it can make a second try at gaining 38 states approval. Employees of Greyhound Lines Inc. went on a nationwide strike after refus- ing to accept a contract offer. Tragedy FOR DISCOVERING JUMPING GENES. 81-year-old Barbara McClintock received the Nobel Medicine Prize. She is the First woman to receive the Medicine Prize alone.