The Nittany Narrator
Behrend's Nittany Cub basketballers play two games this week,
and in order for them to secure any sort of foothold into the winning
levels of basketballdom this year the game with Dubois Campus on
Saturday afternoon is almost a must. With omnipotent Ashtabula
charging onto the Erie Hall court Friday night and with two losses
to basketball bulwarks already behind the Cubs, the first real chance
at victory presents itself in the form of Dubois.
But this is not meaning we should slight over the game with Ash
tabula. The Ohioans may be big and strong, but then you know how
the old cliche goes. If the Cubs are able to maintain their composure
for a major part of the game against 'Bula, which they were not able
to do in being pulverized by Johnstown, 91-52, the cityites may find
themselves with an unexpected struggle on their hands.
Speaking of composure, the Cubs lost theirs Saturday, Nov. 25, after
playing the Johnstbwn Panthers and their highly touted Pontius Pilate
to a standstill after the first five minutes of the game. It was even
tually,, however, a reverse case of the lions being thrown to the Chris
tians (assuming they are in Johnstown); and, as usual, it was all the
fault of a Roman. A versatile, 5'9" Dave Roman, after a slow start,
began to show his stuff late in the first quarter and when this hap
pened, the Behrendites present could only gaze in wonder. The blond,
crew-cut sophomore totaled 24 points in the first half and those in the
know were beginning to wonder if perhaps a new Johnstown scoring
record was impending. Called by Johnstown Coach Robert Bulas
"the key to - our scoring attack" (and he leaves little to be desired on
defense), the Pitt Center star set the record last year when he flipped
in 50 markers against Behrend in a game played at Johnstown. But al
though he played the entire second half also, Roman cooled off a bit
and ended the game with just 36 points. Six-foot-two Al Janezic fol
lowed the sizzling Roman in the scoring column with 18 points. Todd
Cook totaled an even dozen for Behrend with Sam Heller and Tom
Woodring swishing 11 and 10, respectively. George Buszinski followed
with eight. _
The Nittany Cubs roared out of the starting gate in the first quar
ter and the visiting Panthers took a while to become organized. Beh
rend scored the first goal and led 6-3 at one time and 12-11 before
succumbing to the devastating jump shot of Roman and the over-all
superior ball handling and playmaking of the Johnstown crew which
led by a 49 to 26 count at the halfway mark. Coach Gallagher allowed
all of his players to participate in the game and Johnstown likewise
substituted freely. A total of 24 players saw action in a game that
ended 91 to 52 for Johnstown's first win of the year and Behrend's
third loss.
One of the best crowds to be seen at Behrend Campus basketball
game in two years turned out to support the Cubs Saturday.
Hanging Of
The Greens
The annual "Hanging of the
Greens" was held in the Winter
green Gorge Chapel on November
30, 1961, at 7:30 p.m. The service
was held for a two-fold reason. It
ushered in the joyous Christmas
season at Behrend Campus. Even
though it came a little earlier than
usual this year because of the long
between-term vacation, the Christ
mas spirit was felt by all who
attended.
A very significant part of the
service was the hanging of the tra
ditional wreath by Dale Black on
the tomb of Ernst and .Warren
Behrend. In this way, the students
paid honor to Mr. Behrend and his
Cubs Meet Dubois In Must Game
Thumbs Down Revisited
And They're Off!
The program included a very in
teresting and inspiring talk by Mr.
Benjamin Lane entitled. "Christ
mas—A Three-fold Approach."
Also included in the program
were a few choral selections by the
Behrend Choir, which gave its
usual enjoyable performance. The
choir, under the direction of Miss
Eleanor Weber, worked very hard
all year to prepare for this service.
Besides the songs presented by the
choir, many of the favorite Christ
mas carols were sung.
The candlelight service was fol
lowed by a social hour in the
lounge. Coffee and doughnuts were
provided by the women faculty
members and the wives of the men
teachers. All in all, it was a• very
inspiring and enjoyable evening.
THE NITTANx cUIS
The Behrend basketball team.
Colleges Ready
Higher Hurdles
It is no longer news that getting
into college will become more diffi
cult. The impending "tidal wave"
of college applicants—"avalanche"
is an alternative descriptive term
much in vogue—is surely one of
the most thoroughly forecast me
teorological phenomena of all time.
But while it has been generally
assumed that the "prestige" col
leges, which already have three,
six or even nine times as many
applicants as they can accommo
date, will raise admission require
ments, there is growing evidence
that other, less sought-after insti
tutions will also be imposing more
rigorous entrance standards.
In fact, the student who just
barely gets through high school
will have to do a great deal of
barrel-scraping before he finds a
home away from home for four
post-high school years.
The trend toward stiffer en
trance requirements is already
discernible among institutions in
the Washington area, though the
great surge of enrollment applica
tions is still several years off.
More demanding standards went
into effect last fall at American
University. A drastic tightening
of admission regulations for Dis
trict Teachers College was ap
proved this month by the Board of
Education.
The University of Maryland,
which has been accepting all corn
ers from Maryland high schools,
will subject dubious applicants to
intensive summer screening start
ing this year. And the new presi
dent of George Washington Uni
versity, who spoke last week of
the, student body's "increasing
quality," has indicated that still
Tuesday, December 5, 1961
further increases may be in order.
All this is bad news for the stu
dents who will be rejected—
American education still must solve
the problem of the youngsters
very willing but not very able to
go to college—but it is good news
for those who make the grade.
Colleges which have made a
practice of accepting every appli
cant able to fill out the registration
cards and foot the bills either be
cause of the school's financial needs
of because of statutory require
ments, have generally used fresh
man and sophomore years for the
inevitable weeding-out process.
The result has been agony for the
professors and substantial dilution
of education content for more ca
pable students.
These schools have found it
necessary, too, to burden faculties
and facilities with high-school-level
remedial courses for students who
are unable to tackle college work,
The value of such remedial
courses has been a subject of de
bate. Some universities have drop
ped them, serving notice on high
schools that they will have to do
the job of high school teaching.
Others maintain that so long as
substantial numbers of college en
trants arrive unprepared, the col
leges will have to fill the gap.
Where such remedial courses
continue to be offered, they are not
marked by impressive records of
success. To be sure, some "late
bloomers" make the grade and go
on to subsequent academic accom
plishment. Most do not.
Kent State University, which is
required by law to accept all grad
uates of accredited Ohio high
schools, reported last week on its
experience with a remedial sub
college algebra course. Prof. Fran
ces Harshbarger, who made the
study, concluded that high school
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