One of the seven Undergraduate Student Government vice presidential candidates at a debate last night said she did not favor inclusion of a sexual orientation clause in the Fair Housing Ordinance.

"The sexual orientation clause is not the reasoning why the Fair Housing Ordinance should be accepted," said candidate Sue Donohue (sophomore-real estate). "I don't think you should force a landlord to rent to someone he does not want to rent to."

Later in the debate, Donohue said she may consider acceptance of the sexual orientation clause under appropriate conditions.

"If I find there is a ground swelling for fair housing, I will do what my constituency wants and I won't let my biases get in my way," Donohue said.

Vice presidential candidates -- David Bindseil (junior-accounting), Doug DeLong (junior-accounting), Donohue, Kelly Glazier (sophomore-public service), Drew Maerz (senior-chemistry education), Sue Williams (junior-health planning) and Denys Wilmer (senior-elementary education) -- answered questions from a panel of student leaders and audience members during the second of three debates scheduled this month. USG elections are March 21.

The other six candidates said they are in favor of specifying sexual orientation in a fair housing ordinance. Most of the candidates' platforms include this as one of their goals.

"To have people discriminated against due to age or sexual orientation is totally unacceptable," DeLong said. "We will form a coalition with Lesbian and Gay Student Alliance, Organization of Town Independent Students and USG. Getting these groups together works."

Glazier said her administration would work with other groups and also encourage a student to run for the State College Borough Council due to a lack of student representation.

Candidates expressed mixed feelings on the question of freedom of speech versus University action against intolerance.

Penn State's Acts of Intolerance Policy suggests that while the University is committed to fighting intolerance, it acknowledges that bigotry itself is not a punishable offense and cannot be legislated.

Some of the candidates said the University must take a stronger stance against students who outwardly communicate bigotry.

"Intolerance should not be allowed," Williams said. "We are here for an education and we pay for an education.

"After I leave this University, if one person plans to be a bigot, we can't control it. At Penn State we have to encourage students to be tolerant to each other whether it is in the First Amendment or not," she said.

Wilmer used the James Whitehead case as an example of where she thinks the University "did not act as well as it should have. I don't think people at Penn State and people that graduate from Penn State want racists and bigots walking around saying, 'I graduated from Penn State.' "

Maerz said students have a right to a liberal education which encompasses a variety of different viewpoints. He added that this freedom of expression must lead to constructive debate of why a person's views are improper.

Most candidates said they would pressure the University to make improvements in the University's Ritenour Women's Health Department.

Bindseil said his administration would try to get full-time gynecological service and increased availability of birth control pills.

"Why is it that when women want to receive a prescription for the pill, they have to take a class and then wait eight-and-a-half weeks for a gynecological appointment when a man can go in and receive condoms as soon as he wants them?" Bindseil asked.