During the State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Bush came just short of declaring war with Iraq, and he vowed to lead a campaign to disarm the Iraqi regime if Saddam Hussein refuses to surrender its weapons.

As the nation prepares for what seems like an inevitable war, we applaud the university for taking steps to ensure smooth transitions for the 71 Penn State students who have filed for military withdrawal from the university.

These numbers might grow in the coming weeks, but the university has been publicly committed to supporting the men and women who may be called to action. They are even reimbursing the tuition money of these students.

In addition, the university has taken steps to make certain those who have to leave Penn State for military service can re-enroll in the university and their intended major without any trouble.

Hopefully, other members of the State College community will follow the university's lead.

We urge realtors to take similar action when dealing with students who might be called to military duty soon. Although they might lose out on some money, it only seems reasonable that they should be sympathetic to these students.

The Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act (SSCRA) of 1940 allows a person to terminate certain contracts, including residential leases, in the event that he or she is forced to relocate for military duty. However, the SSCRA is worthless if apartment companies make tenants jump though hoops to get out of their leases. Realty companies should work with tenants who are called to duty and not look at them as a financial burden.

Conversely, realtors should not begin discriminating against potential tenants simply because they may be called to war soon. Making it harder for members of the armed forces to find housing cancels out the purpose of the SSCRA.

Students should be afforded special treatment from the university and realty companies because in the coming weeks and months the number of students may continue to grow.