Wednesday, Jan. 21, 1998
Dance marathon time includes many events
Thousands of Penn State students are working diligently to prepare for the 26th Annual Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon.
THON, as it is affectionately known as on campus, is the largest
student-run philanthropy in the country. Over $10 million has
been raised for the Four Diamonds Fund at Hershey Medical Center,
which benefits children with cancer. As a member of the Penn State
community you can do several things to support this amazing cause.
The Dance Marathon Nittany Mall Auction will be held from 10 a.m.
to 4 p.m. Jan. 24. This auction will have many valuable items
available to bid on, and there will be various skits put together
by some of the students involved with the dance marathon.
On Jan. 27. in Findlay Dining Commons there will be a series of
THON Dinner Theater promotions with show times at 4:20 p.m. and
5:30 p.m. Come eat dinner and be entertained while learning about
dance marathon.
The annual Dance Marathon Mall Promotion will be held on Jan.
31 at the Colonial Park Mall in Harrisburg. The event will take
place from noon to 5 p.m. and will consist of various forms of
entertainment, a disc jockey and much more.
On Feb. 5, the annual Dance Marathon Kick-Off Dinner will be held
at the Penn Stater. This will be a spectacular evening celebrating
the 26th anniversary of the dance marathon. Tickets are $30 for
adults and $16 for children.
Ticket prices include and excellent meal and several dance marathon
promotional items. Ticket sales will be until Friday, Jan. 30
in the HUB basement. They will be sold on a first-come-first-serve
basis.
Some more important dates to remember are the weekend of Feb 13
to 14. This is the first ever THON HOOPS Basketball Promo to be
held at The Bryce Jordan Center. Penn State athletics is teaming
up with the dance marathon to promote dance marathon awareness
and raise money for the Four Diamonds Fund.
Be there Friday, Feb. 13 as the Penn State Lady Lions take on
Michigan, and Saturday, February 14 as the Nittany Lion basketball
team faces Wisconsin.
There is still time to solicit money from friends, family and
neighbors. Think about the gift of life you will be giving to
a Four Diamonds child with the money you will contribute.
Make sure to visit the White Building the weekend of Feb. 20 to
22, to help us make the best dance marathon ever!
1998 Dance Marathon Overall Committee
Human cloning bans would be premature
Human cloning is an issue that highly concerns ethics and morality. While many oppose the possibility of cloning humans, there are some positives that could be won from learning how to accomplish human cloning. People would no longer need to search for donors for organs. The human organs could potentially be cloned upon demand when emergencies arise.
Usually, though, when people discuss human cloning, the images
of superhuman military forces or some other abuse of cloning comes
to mind. That makes people very afraid of the possibility becoming
available.
If cloning were left to be a natural process and the children
were raised like any other human, what would really be the difference
between natural childbirth and a cloned child? Other than the
child would have a confusing family tree and a single "parent,"
there really wouldn't be that much of a difference. There are
already many single parent families as it is.
Religiously speaking from a Christian perspective, the Bible doesn't
have much to say on the issue of cloning. Of course, no one 2,000
years ago probably would have ever dreamed that humans would have
reached this potential.
Science 2,000 years ago wasn't even really in its infancy yet.
The Bible does say that we should "be fruitful and multiply,"
although it never specifies how that should be accomplished.
So a religious argument doesn't really seem to carry much weight.
It seems more of a question of morality and ethics, which is what
Penn State seems to strive for. This question is one that OUR
generation will probably have to find an answer to . . . and soon.
What if we do restrict cloning and it would be highly beneficial
for our society? I think that before anyone slaps a ban on or
restricts cloning, all the facts should be presented. Restriction
should not be too tight until a potential problem arises. Then
the social and ethical issues of human cloning would be able to
be better answered by people with real experience and knowledge.
I do not feel human cloning should be banned until we know that
it is something that is very dangerous and doesn't have any potential
benefits. However, we should use extreme precautions in order
to protect ourselves from any dangerous situation that might evolve
from the process.
Steven Markle
senior-science
Golfer with disability deserves to play
Upon reading the letter by Brad Park titled, "Golfer with disability should not play," in Monday's edition of the Collegian, I found myself completely disgusted and appalled.
I am not a "bleeding-heart liberal," nor am I attempting
to "correct perceived injustices." I do not need to,
for they are not perceived.
I am not writing to bash Park's view concerning the PGA Tour possibly
allowing a golfer with a disability the right, not the privilege,
to use a golf cart. I would not even say that I disagree entirely
with Park's view. If a separate but equal league for golfers with
disabilities existed, then by all means, that is where Casey Martin
should play. I repeat, if one existed. There is no equivalent
means for Martin to exhibit his talent.
Casey Martin is NOT "causing the dispute." The PGA Tour
is, by failing to comply with a federal legislation.
The act states that reasonable accommodation must be provided
to an employee without causing the employer undue hardship.
Reasonable accommodation is defined, by law as, "job restructuring,
part-time or modified work schedules, reassignment to a vacant
position, acquisition or modification of equipment or devices
. . . and other similar accommodations for individuals with disabilities."
Supplying a golf cart for a golfer who has difficulty walking
falls under such accommodations. Undue hardship to the employer
is defined as, "an action requiring significant difficulty
or expense." We all know the prevalence of golf carts in
this country, hardly difficult or expensive.
Yes, there are people who abuse this law. However, there are people
who abuse EVERY law. Within the act, specific definitions of disabilities
exist, and no case would make it into the public eye had the individual
not met those conditions.
With facts at hand and an open mind to the federal law, no person
could deem this legislation "ridiculous." As anyone
who has ever encountered an individual with a disability knows,
self-pity is not a common virtue but fighting for equal rights
is.
Catherine Martinelli
junior-special education
