The Towerlight, November 10, 1978

tl19781110-000 "VOL. LXX11 No. 10 TOWSON STATE UNIVERSITY November 10, 1978 Divestiture discussed at Council meeting by Paul Gilmore and Mark Adams The TSU Chapter of the Baltimore Coalition Against Apartheid has Presented a motion to the Academic Council calling for the Towson Foundation, the Alumni Association ud the State Treasury to divest itself of all corporate stocks of companies operating, in South Africa. Those organizations cur-rently hold a combined tot:11 nf aPnroximately $27,000 in stocks in such companies. Dituastiture South African become a hot rampuses. 'see of university stock in corporations has on the nation's h.NUe page 7.1 The coalition intends to present its proposal to the Student Govern-ment Association Senate this Tues-day. The Academic Council has post-poned taking action on the motion u ntil their next meeting on becember 4. Until December 4 the coalition and the Towson Founda-tion will present their case to the uouncil members on the issue of divestment. ""What they've been asked to do for next time is send to the council there information on the divestment issue,"" said Dean Esslinger chair-man of the council. ""We've also asked Mr. Wisdom (vice-president of the Towson Foudation) to provide us with information why we shouldn't divest."" The Towson F oundation holds the bulk of the investment in the corporations in question and is the primary fundraising arm of the University. Acting President Joseph W. Cox said at the council meeting that the enuncil ""does not have legal jurisdiction over the Foundation."" Cox, however, has stated in the past that if the Academic Council were to adopt a motion requesting divest-ment, he would carry that request to the Foundation. Cox himself does not have jurisdiction over the l'oundation, so his appeal would still he viewed as a request. Wisdom said he is not sure of Whet financial implications the ivestment would have upon the university but said, ""I think it Would have very serious implica-tions in terms of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation. They feel very strongly against divest-ment... They don't feel that's a very effective way to fight apartheid."" Wisdon said he took the issue of divestment to the Board of Trustees of the Foundation last spring upon the request of the coalition and they refused to divest. ""I would be anlazed if they changed their Position,"" he told the council. Wisdom said some members of the Foundation have said ""if you're really going to consider divestment, You're going to have to divest in everything. There isn't a bank in the United States that isn't directly or indirectly involved in South Africa."" The Towson Foundation has adopted the philosophy that the most effective method of fighting apartheid is via American investors' practices in South Africa. Oppo-nents of divestment argue the best way to combat apartheid is to incorporate the ""Sullivan Princi-ples'. into the practices of American businesses in South Africa. 1( icard Allen of the...,.coa/ition disagrees. ""Vlie have discussed the Sullivan Principles, but don't find them acceptable."" he said. ""They haven't in any way altered the apartheid system."" In a six page report presented to the council, the coalition made five requests of the University to ""make clear to our government and the world at large that our efforts to oppose apartheid do not begin in 'empty rhetoric and end in the profit and loss column."" The coalition called for complete divestment of all stocks in corpora-tions in South Africa; Wisdom to request the Foundation to take such action and for Margaret Hartman. president of the Alumni Association to make the same request of the alumni association: for Cox to pri.!sent the Nlaryland State Treas-ury with a resolution requesting the treasury to divest itself of the shares in the Philadelphia Electric ('o. it holds in escrow for the University: for Cox to act as a liaison between the students and the stock - holding corporations: and for Cox, Wisdom and Hartman to present their personal conclusions on the issue to the coalition within a mutually agreed upon time. TSU investments The TSU Chapter of the Baltimore Coalition Against Apartheid is Urging the University to divest itself of the following investments: Towson Foundation Investments 100 'shares of the Allied Chemical Co. valued at $3,840.00 76 shares of AT&T valued at $4,590.40 100 shares of Diamond International valued at $3,587.50 200 shares of Goodyear Tire and Rubber valued at $3,400.00 100 shares of Maryland National Bank (value currently unknown) .15 shares of Merrill Lynch value( at $963.00 400 shares of Olin Corp. valued at $6,480.00 Alumni Association investments 6 shares of AT&T valued at $362.40 Maryland State Treasury holdings for the University 21 shares of the Philadelphia Electric Co. valued at $2,220.75 (This investment was part of the Medwedoff Endowment which was bequeathed to the University) � --- Italian feminist 414011111110millt$01,.... -..20111111 Approximately 50 persons attended Italian feminist Mariarosa Dallacosta's speech last Monday in Linthicum 200. She addressed the history of the Women's Movement in Italy. TL Photo by I xster Shuga mum TSUcracks down on drinking Alcohol problems increasing on campus by Katherine Dunn ""We do have an alcohol pro-blem,"" said Dr. Joseph Cox, acting President of Towson State. Charles Maloy. director of the Counseling Center agreed. He said he used four criteria to determine that there is a problem. First. Maloy said the campus police say 80 to 90 percent of their calls are alcohol related. Maloy said Residence also reports an equal proportion of its calls are alcohol related. The number of students and staff who use the counseling center for alcohol problems has greatly in-creased, said Maloy. The last criteria is based on the number of people who call the COPELINE number to request to hear the tapes on alcohol. said Maloy. Dean Thomas Knox, associate dean of students, said there are ""a lot of situations where there is alcohol for alcohol's sake."" ""We simply cannot have a situation where an individual is under pressure or is expected to indulge in alcohol."" said Cox. David Nevins, assistant to the vice-president. said it is ""not the University's obligation to promote consumption of alcohol on campus. It is provided so the University can play some role in the social life of the students. There is no responsi-bility to have beer blasts where beer is sold at low prices and promotes heavy drinking."" ""If there is to be heavy drinking it should be off campus,"" said Nevins. Milissa Murray, director of SGA organizations, said there is a problem with organizations having events and providing beer; Any organization that wants to provide their own beer for an event like a beer blast must get a waiver. otherwise the beer must be supplied by SerYomation, said Murray. The problem. she said, is if Servomation sells the beer, it makes all the profit and it is not beneficial to the organization. If the organizs-tion brings in its own beer it cat. make a substantial profit. The problem comes with the disagreement. If the organization is allowed to bring itsown beer it can sell it at an inexpensive price and many people may drink a lot, but the organization will make a profit. If Servomation handles the beer it charges high prices but it controls the sale better. The organization cannot make a profit this way. Murray said the only way an organization can get a waiver is if the event it is sponsoring has less than 50 people attending. The group cannot bring in a keg of beer: it must have bottles or cans. This is more expensive. said Murray. but the administration says that a keg is too much for 50 people. The cost of events is going up so much, said Murray. that organiza-tions may go off campus to have nice events and make a profit. Murray said she is trying to set up a place with a different atmosphere than the Pub. She would like an environment where it is quieter and more respectable. Murray said she would like to use the Patuxent Room on the second floor of the Union and hold the event every Friday night. She said she has received a lot of support from administraiton. Servomation would sponsor the activity. She said they would serve beer but they would also have wine and cheese and crackers. She would also like to have chess and backgammon. She would like to have some kind of quiet entertainment like guitars. ""The purpose is to alleviate the stigmatism of the Pub on Thursday nights. There is nothing to do on Friday nights,"" said Murray. Murray said she thinks people will be less apt to get rowdy if the atmosphere is quiet and respect-able."" ""It will give students incentive to stay on campus Friday nights. It will also be a place where faculty members can come and associate with the students,"" she said'. David Nevins said this is ""an alternative to the type of environ-ment that presently exists in the Pub."" He said SGA set up a coffeehouse event a few years ago and ""it went pretty well, with a continued on page 7 $4200 allotted or speakers by Theresa Gilmore Dr. Norman L. Sheets, dean of academic affairs, said more than $4200 is available to bring ""out-standing persons"" to the University to conduct seminars and visit classes. The money is the interest accrued on an endowment set up three years ago by the SGA in cooperation with the Towson Foundation. Senate votes down Gay Alliance budget by Debbie Felton An $84 budget proposal from the Gay Person's Alliance was rejected by the Senate by a vote of five to six at its meeting Tuesday. One senator abstained. The GPA's original request was for $347 for a speaker, office supplies and stamps. The request also included funds for a coffee-house and Towerlight ads. Senator Jim Szymanski intro-duced the bill to Senate. He said the Appropriations Committee had re-viewed the request and decided on ""a recommendation of no recom-mendation,"" which left the bill open for debate by Senate. Loel Harvey, co-coordinator of the GPA, represented the group at Student places 5th in forensics Senior Fran Mindel of Towson State's Forensic Union, won fifth place in the Informative category with her speech on the Golden Fleece awards, at the Clarion State College speech tournament held October 20 and 21. Mindel also participated in the Impromptu. poetry and dramatic duo categories. Other students attending the tournament were Jo Butler, Cathy Hanson and Bob Robertson. Butler and Hanson participated in five categories. Robertson participated in the impromptu and extemporaneous informative categories. Tuesday's meeting. She outlined the group's purpose as ""providing"" for ""the gay community and also those' who support gay rights."" Another purpose of the group, said Harvey, would be to eliminate existing ignorance about and preju-dice toward gays. ""Tell me how many jokes you've heard about limp-wristed fags and tough bull-dykes and I'll tell you how many reasons we have for asking for the money,"" Harvey told the Senate. Harvey cited results of the Kinsey report that said 10 to 15 percent of the population is homosexual. She suggested the same percentage might apply to Towson State. Harvey also told Senate about the group's prospective speaker, Nancy Gross, author of a book about her experiences as the mother of a gay child. SGA president John Shehan encouraged Senate to seek different points of view before making a decision about GPA funding. Sheh-han said he did not oppose the group's educational objectives. He said, however, that he did have ""moral qualms"" about the group's ""open, social activities."" Shehan said he experienced a ' personal uneasiness' when con-sidering the group's activities. Senator Dave Reuner said he received negative reactions about GPA funding from classmates he polled. He said, ""I have moral qualms with gays getting together and working together."" ""They have every right to meet,"" said Rewer, but ""do they have the right to use (SGA) money that I contribute?"" Senator Valerie French said the decision should not be judged according to senators' morals. She said she ""feels uneasy"" about all campus religious organizations, but would not let that influence her decision on budgeting these organi-zations. French said she received positive feedback about GPA funding from (Instil:tied on page 6 The fund. called the Visiting Scholars Endowment presently con-tains more than $35,000 but only the $4,200 interest on the account can be used. The endowment began in 1975 when David Nevins, then president of the SGA, went to the Towson Foundation and asked how $10,000 could best benefit Towson students on a long term basis. said current SGA treasurer Donna Sauerborn. All told. the SGA has donated $11,500 and the remaining $20,000 was donated by alumni and private corporations. Sheets said he will set up a committee of two students and two faculty members ""within the next month or two"" to solicit opinions of how the money should be used. ""Our intention is to have an outstanding person or persons who would be appealing to everyone at the University to come and spend a few days on campus giving lectures and holding class discussions,"" said Sheets. Sheets said the money may not be used this spring because he would rather have an ""outstanding pro-gram that may take more money and time than one put together just so that we can use the money immediately."" Sheets would like to have people from various fields come to the University on a rotating basis so no area of study is neglected. For continued on page 6 In This Issue Showdown!: It's do or die time for the Tiger gridders as tomorrow's tangle at Ithaca will determine the fate of Tiger football '78 page 19 Melodies For the Mind: Symphony music at Towson State (and for the Towson community) tires to come.out of the closet for our listening pleasure. page 11 All Choked Up: Did you ever consider the great benefits we achieve from smoking? If not, light up this one. page 9 Off the Streets: Towson area residents press for laws to keep the campus commuter overflow out of their neighborhoods page 7 A Sporting Question: What is the real American pasttime? Angles offers a view from the key page 3 "