• ©SemMA/eekty* 4—’*
ESTA ®^ SHED COMPLETE CAMPUS
Volume 31 Number 1,
Fraternities To Begin
Rushing on Thursday
53 Social Groups Will Open Ten-Day Period of
Organized ‘Rushing’ on First
Day of Freshman Week.
Fifty-two Penn State social fraternities will begin a 10-day “rush
ing” period at 5 o'clock on the first day of Freshman Week, Thursday,
September. 13. During this period the first-year men will be entertained
at luncheon and dinner engagements at the various fraternity houses.
, .The “rushing’’ of first-year men is an organized system used by the
fraternities in securing members-.from'the freshman class. The activities
of Iboth .the .freshmen and the fraternity men during this period are gov
erned by-a rushing code which has '
been/adoptedby the Interffaternity
Council.
* '.Evpry, Penn Stale social fraternity,
national- and local, is represented in
a group-known as the Interfraternity
Council.. The purpose of . this orga
nization is. to aid and assist in the
solution of problems common to the
various member fraternities, and to
Tegiilate and govern their relations
■with one. another, with the College,
and-with the general public.
. The way in which fraternities may
rush,, bid, ahd pledge new members
is. one of the important duties of the
council;' Each .year the outgoing rep
resentatives . draw up a “rushing’!
code .which applies for the forthcom
ing College year. The code is revised
each year in an attempt to eliminate
all- undesirable regulations,. and to
meet the changing conditions. .
. -The 1934 Rushing Code defines
“rushing”-as “any communication or
association' between a fraternity man
and a rushee” during the specified
period. A “rushee” is defined as any
non-fraternity man. in his first year
at : Peim State.
' 'Sometime during--Freshman Week
all; ; first-year men will 'be furnished
with “date” cards, which in addition
to containing a * memoranda of en
gagements for the entire rushing-sea
son,' also contains the 1934 Rushing
Code. Fraternity men in making a
’luncheon'or dinner engagement with
a;rushee will;sign the. name of their
organization on • the card., A repre
sentative-of the’ fraternity -will .call
for the.rushee'at'his residence at the
time specified'on, th'e'card." "'. n '-‘
These date' cards', we the'only legal
means by which a fraternity may
make rushing dates. All rushees not
classed 8S freshmen—sophomore Mont
Alto transfer students—may receive
date. cards and further instructions
at the - Student Union desk in Old
Main.
, At the first section meeting during
Freshman . Week each new student
will be asked to make out a card giv
ing his name, local address, home ad
dress • and religious preference. This
information will be distributed to all
fraternities by the following morning.
Prof W. J. Keith Dies
While Visiting Maine
News of the death of Dr. Walter
Jackson Keith, professor of organic
chemistry of• the College faculty for,
thirty-eight years was received Tues
day from Bangor, Maine, where Dr.
Keith. was vacationing. He would
have been seventy-three years old
Monday.
Dr. Keith was appointed instructor
in chemistry .at Penn State on Feb
ruary 24, 1896, after he had served
os an assistant and instructor at the
Rose Polytechnic Institute, the Uni
versity of Gottingen, find the. Unive
rsity of Pennsylvania. He received
his baccalaureate degree in science
from the Worcester Polytechnic Insti
tute, Worchester, Mass., in 1884, and
received his doctorate at the Univer
sity of Gottingen, Germany, in 1888.
He, received the Phi Eta Eigma re
search medal-at Penn State in 1934.
His death signals the close of an
intellectual adventure of great
breadth’ and friends were quick to
recall, on learning of his passing, the
range of his intellectual interests.
His main professional interest lay
in the field of organic chemistry and
particularly in the chemistry of ni
trogen compounds. But he was a
keen lover of natural. science in all
its phases and was especially fond 'of
what he described as “pioneering.”
All College Classes ■
Will Begin Sept. 19
Although.first-year students will
be attending the annual Freshman
Week orientation period from Sep
tember 13 to 19, classes will offi
cially begin for. freshmen at the
same time. as for upperclassmen,
at 1:10 o'clock Wednesday after
noon, September 19.
'.While the first semester .offi
cially begins at 10:30 o’clock Wed
nesday, morning, when the annual
convocation address in Recreation
hall is scheduled, it is likely that
the - ceremony; will be postponed
until later in the term.
Players To Give
Comedy on 15th
Cast to Enact George M. Cohan’s
‘The Tavern’ Saturday
Before, Freshmen
The Penn State Players will open
their sixteenth season with a special
Freshman Week performance of
George M. Cohan’s comedy, The Tav
ern, Saturday, September 15, at 8
o’clock in the Auditorium.
.The Tavern, first performed by the
Players in June, is a burlesque melo
drama in which the action takes place
in a lonely inn at midnight of a
stormy night. A special musical ac- 1
companiment played by the Penn
State Players’. Little Symphony or- ;
chestra, is a unique feature of the I
play.
With a schedule calling for seven or;
more full-lnegth productions the stu- 1
dent ' dramatic organization, under.
its faculty directors, Prof. Arthur I
C. Cloetingh and Mr. Prank S. Neus-1
baum, will have at least one play in;
rehearsal continuously from Septem-|
ber to June. When the cast and staff,
of. The Tavern resume rehearsals
with -Mr. Neusbaum,September 12,.the
-senior technical, staff of •;-the ' Penn
State ; PiayerS'iwill ,be;at work-ion the
set-up ofthe, October; show to be pre
sented Fathers’ Day.
. All students regularly enrolled in
the College are eligible for work in
Players’ productions and are entitl
ed to membership when they have
.completed the requirements of the
organization. Outstanding members
of the Penn State Players are select
ed to Theta Alpha Phi, national hon
orary dramatic fraternity.'
Try-outs will be conducted begin
ning the (first'week of classes, both
i for actors and for candidates for po-|
sitions in all departments of the |
technical staff, including stage, lights,
scene-design, costumes, properties and
publicity. Detailed announcement 1
concerning try-outs will be njade at
the performance of The Tavern.
Since their official organization in
February, 1920, under the leadership
of Prof. William S. Dye, Jr., and
Prof. Cloetingh of the English Litera
ture department,- the Penn State
Players have enacted over a hundred
full-length plays ranging from the
classical Greek to contemporary
American and European works. The
group has also sponsored many pro
grams of one-act plays as wcll as per
formances by professional companies
such as the Ben Greet Shakespearean
troupe.
College Was Known as ‘Farmers’ High School’
When It Was Founded Way Back in 1850
The Farmers’ High School, baptis
mal name of the/Penn State College,
was a pioneer in agricultural educa
tion; its roots go back as .early as
1850. Its development, if not its very
existence, is due to its re-founding by
the acceptance of the Morrill Act,
signed by Governor Andrew Gregg’
Curtin, April 1,- 1863, pledging the
“faith of the State to carry the same
into effect”
' The -first quarter of a century was
marked by a struggle to hold the
Land Grant, and by. drifting and ex
periment in education aims. Six pre-
twenty-three years was
scarcely compatible with continuity
of plan or purpose.
Dr.- Evan Pugh, a man of rare vi
sion, trained by six years of study in
the universities of Germany, France,
and England, the first.great president
'died Jit the early age of . 36, just as
he was laying the foundations of
Penn State. His successor, Dr. Wil
liam H. Allen, formerly arid later
president of Girard College, served
two years with not marked internal
chahges but with important activi
ties in disposing of the Land Scrip.
Only one course, agriculture, was
offered up to 1866, but -the settlement
of the entire Land Grant upon the
‘College by the Act of 1867, led Presi
dent John Fraser and the trustees to
a “reorganization" in which engineer
STATE COLLEGE, PA., FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1934
Will Register Freshmen
William S. Hoffman,, College Reg
istrar will supervise the registration
of; freshmen during the first three
days of Freshmen Week. '
Groups Reward
High Scholarship
2 Freshman Honorarics Select
New Members For High
Scholastic Rating
For freshmen with scholastic am
bitions, there•are two honorary so
cieties which reward high scholarship.
Forty-three upperclass groups recog
nize further achievement along vari
ous lines later in the collegiate ca
reer.
Phi Eta Sigma awards membership
to all freshman men who at the end
of their first semester have attained
a 2.5 scholastic average or better. To
those who have raised their grades to.
the minimum mark on the basis of
work for the first two semesters,
membership is also extended. With
chapters in twenty-three colleges and
universities'throughout the country,
'the‘-!freshman honorary elects from
.thirty-fiveito dforty/ new members each
-year.’‘ ‘
• .-Alpha. l Lambda. Delta, sister orga
nization of Phi Eta Sigma, honors
high standing freshman women. Each
year from’ five to eight women fulfill
the' 2.5 requirement.
Honorary fraternities usually set
up a minimum standard which a stu
dent must attain before he -is con
sidered for membership. Fulfilling
the minimum requirement does not
automatically ‘ make the student a
member of the society. An election
must first be held among the active
members of the organization.
Nearly r every branch of collegiate
activity; . scholarship, journalism,
dramatics, debating, or .a departmen
tal interest—his its honoraries which
(Continued on page three)
14,000 Cases Treated
Over- 14,000 cases arc treated an
nually at - the College dispensary,
which is’located in the east basement
of Old. Main. In addition, the College
infirmary on east campus has facili
ties for approximately twenty-two pa
tients. Part of the cost of maintain
ing these two establishments is de
frayed by the health service fee paid
by each student at registration.
’ihg was to be taught, agriculture and
tho arts expanded. The program was
too ambitious and too expensive to
carry out.
The trustees voted a “deorganiza
tion" and called Dr. Thomas H. Bur
rowes to salvage the College and re
store it to its original purposes. His
personal influence stemmed the tide
of discouragement- at home and op
position abroad (in which the so-call
ed Model-Experiment Farms largely
figured), but be died in office after
but three years of service.
Dr. - James Calder, a classically
trained, classically minded executive
succeeded; The College grew in num
bers largely due to preparatory stu
dents, to music and art pupils. Three
courses, agriculture, classical, and
scientific, 'were offered, and women
students :were admitted on equal
terms in 1871.
.An unfortunate interregnum in
1880-1881 under President Shortlidge
re-opened .the flood gates of criticism
and personal recrimination. Students
were few and in open rebellion. Fac
ulty; trustee, and legislative investi
gations followed—the’ Pennsylvania :
State College was passing through
its darkest'days.
However, -a new leader, the second
great president, Dr. George, W. Ath
(Continued on page five)
FERA Student
Relief Will Aid
262 Ereshmen
Appropriation Provides
§l5 a Month for
Each Job
Students Must Prove
That They Need Work
Thanks, to the prospects of federal
aid for the forthcoming year and the
new FERA stipulation that half of
the FERA moneys expended by col
leges for student relief must go to
students who were not.in college dur
ing January, 1934, the lot of the
Penn State. freshman is at last a
happy one.
Or if not a happy one, at least a
happier one.
About one' in six - among the ex
pected freshman enrollment will be
eligible for a job on. a supplementary
College project to'be'paid for by the
funds of Uncle Sam, provided he can
attest to his need for such aid.
Under the regulations recently pro
mulgated by the, FERA student-aid
a total of 524 stu
dents, half of whom; must not have
been in College in January, 1934,
will have an opportunity to cam an
average of $l5 per month toward
their keep during the next college
year.
A' total appropriation of $78,600
is expected by the' college authorities
during the ten months from Septem
ber to June to help in putting de-
(Continued on page three)
26 Clubs Have
Many Activities
Membership Consists of Those
Interested In Work
of Groups .... .
A r '" v '. -
.-.Twenty-six recognized!student clubs
are now in . existence on - the campus,
filling a need for assembling students
with common .interests. Their num
ber is constantly increasing as new
interests arise.
The majority of the clubs have no
scholastic or class requirements.
Their membership consists > solely of
those students-who are interested in
work that the club carries on.
. One of the oldest clubs on the cam
pus is the Penn State club, an orga
nization of non-fraternity men. It
seeks to provide for its members the
same advantages that are enjoyed by
members of fraternities. The club
holds dances and other social func
tions, promotes athletic competitions,
and. aids non-fraternity men in be
coming better acquainted. Non-fra
ternity men of all classes are eligible
for membership.
The Social Problems club is com
posed of students interested in con
temporary affairs and holds open for
ums every two or three .weeks at
which members of the faculty and
outside speakers talk on current prob
lems.' Last year the club also spon
sored victrola concerts of classical
music.
The International Relations club is
one of a large group of societies that
was founded by the Carnegie Endow
ment for International Peace. The
purpose of the club is to foster stu
dent discussions in world affairs. The
local chapter has participated in re
gional conferences at other colleges,
and last year sponsored tha appear
ance of a famous lecturer.
Members of the DeMolay society
enrolled at the College have formed
a DeMolay club which sponsors so-
(Conlinucd on page three)
Class Finances Here
Controlled by Board
Class finances at Penn State are
controlled and regulated by a com
mittee of students, which includes the
various class treasurers and Neil M.
Fleming, graduate manager of ath-;
letics, as ex-offico members.
This group, known as the Inter-
Class Finance committee, controls the
incomes- from class dances and from
interclass sports on the campus. It
is the policy and aim of the commit
tee to bring the finances of all extra
curricular activities under its control
so that those doing the work will re
ceive proper remuneration.
Chairman of class dance commit
tees and the presidents of the classes
sponsoring dances receive salaries
for their services, the chairman and
class president each receiving $5O for
the dance sponsored by their class.
Members of the dance committees re
ceive complimentary tickets to all
class functions.
1,300 Freshmen Will Gather for
First Assembly Wednesday Night
To Address Assembly
RALPH DORN HETZEL
Students Here
Govern Selves
Government Vested In Board,
Council Composed of
Undergraduates
Student government at Penn State
is vested in two legislative groups,
the Student Council and the Student
Board, composed of undergraduate
representatives elected for a term of
one year.
In addition to these two bodies
there is a combined student board,
established last year, which seeks to
coordinate the legislation of the
men’s and women’s governments by
handling problems affecting both
groups.
. , The board - includes-four .men
ident of-the senior class, editor~of the
Collegian, a representative elected
from Student Board, and one elected
from Student Council. Two women
are elected from the Senate.
The members of Student Council
are elected by schools from the three
upper classes, with each of the seven ;
schools in the College having at least
one representative in each class. The
President of the senior class auto
matically becomes president of -the
Council.
The Student Board is made up of
seven students and the Dean of Men.
Three of the members, two seniors
and one junior, are elected from the
Council. The - presidents of the three
upper classes and the editor of the
‘Collegian’ are other students on the
Board, with the president of the sen
ior class also serving as chairman of
this group.
The actual- legislative duties of Stu
dent government lie with the Student
Council, for this body recommends,
creates, maintains, and regulates the
customs and traditions of the College.
It also takes the necessary steps to
support and carry into effect any pol
icy to sustain the good name of the
College, qnd to promote mutual un
derstanding between the faculty and
student body.
The primary mission of tho Stu
dent Board is to act as a coordinat
ing unit between the Student Council
and the College administration, mect-
(Continued on page four)
Merger of Courses in Liberal Arts,
Education Schools to Affect Freshmen
Beginning with this year all fresh
men and sophomores in the Schools
of Education and Liberal 'Arts will
have a common curriculum, to be
known as the Lower Division. The
reason for this .merger is to increase
the importance of the bachelor of arts
degree and to enable students to have
a comprehensive college .education at
the end of the two years.
Under this arrangement it will be
impossible for Education students to
be admitted to the School of Educa
tion until they have completed their
work in the lower division. Fresh
men and sophomore students in the
School of Liberal Arts will be admit
ted as they always have been in pre
vious years.
“The purpose of this change is to
make the School of Education wholly
professional and not a school of gen
eral- education,” Dean Charles W.
Stoddart, of the School of Liberal
Arts, stated in an interview recently.
“It will also give the student a nat
ural place to stop his education if he
cares to, or if he is too poor to con
tinue in the specialized fields with
which the third and fourth years
President Hetzel To Welcome New Students at
• Conovocation Thursday; Attendance
to All Meetings Compulsory
More than 1,300 members of the Class of 1038 will gather
in Schwab auditorium, Wednesday night for the informal assemb
ly which will officially open the tenth annual Freshman Week of
the College.
Dr. Ralph D. Hetzel, President of the College, will welcome
the freshmen at the convocation on Thursday night, September
'l3. Attendance at this and oth
er meetings and assemblies dur
ing the six-day Freshman Week
period will be compulsory for all
first-year men.
Freshman Week was inaugurated
by the College ten years ago for tin
purpose of giving the new students
an opportunity to become acquaint
ed with the College and its various
student organizations before starting
on the routine of class work and lec-
Student Union
Aids Activities
Coordinating: Unit Was Formed
In 1930—Has Grown
Rapidly
Endeavoring to serve as a co-ordi
nating unit for all the extra-curricu
lar activities at Penn State, the Stu
dent Union has taken its place as one
of the valuable student organizations
in the short period since it was or
ganized in 1930.
The Unionhas no legislative power
and is not supervisory but accom
plishes its work -by suggestions to its
component groups in the form of rec
ommendations. Representatives from
each of the major activities consti
tute the formal membership of the
Union Board although every student
engaging in activities is automatical
ly a member of the Union.
Elected by outgoing members of the
Board, new members are selected
from each particular field of activity.
One representative from each of the
following groups is a member of the
Board: men’s athletics, women’s ath
letics, religious organizations, men’s
student government, women's student
government, publications, Interfrater
r.ity, Council, Inter-Unit Council,.Pan-
Hellenic; Council,' honorary fraterni
ties, Penn State club, and one repre
sentative from .the Interclass Budget
committee. ‘
In addition to the student members
there arc included in the membership
the Dean of Men, the Dean of Wom
en, the Union manager and two mem
bers from the administration or fac
ulty elected for terms of two years.
The first three are ex-officio mem
bers.
The purpose of the Union is the
furtherance of the welfare of each
student activity, the coordination of
the activities to serve a common pro
gram, and the promotion of projects
which could not properly be handled
by individual groups.
In its short history, the Union has
undertaken'and completed many pro
jects. All-College dances were held
free of charge after several basket
ball games last winter, the Student
Loan fund was aided through the Un
ion projects, a “Dutch Treat” dinner
was inaugurated to form additional
plans and general services were ex
tended through the information bu
reau situated on the first floor of Old
Main.
Notice To Freshmen
Registrar Hoffman, requests that
ali incoming freshmen, as well as
upperclassmen, bring fountain pens
to Recreation Hall when they regis
ter. The College does not furnish pen
or ink.
The courses given in the Lower
Division are designed to provide for
the cultural, social and intellectual
aspects of contemporary institutions
and to prepare the student for the
Upper Division. Upon satisfactory
completion of the work in the Lower
Division, the student will receive a
certificate of that work. This cer
tificate will not admit him to the Up
per Division but will merely certify
that he has completed two years of
college work.
Admission to the Upper Division
will bo based upon various’ qualifica
tions, one of which will probably be
the results of comprehensive exami
nations. Aptitude, personality, and
the like will also enter into the de
cision as to whether a student shall
continue or not.
At the start of his junior year the
student begins work toward his bach
elor of arts degree. Another of the
admission requirements to the Upper
Division will be a certificate from the
department of English composition,:
stating that he is capable of using I
good English. |
PRICE TEN CENTS
The informal assembly Wednesday
night will be conducted by the Penn
State Christian association. At this
time student leaders will be intro
duced, and immediately following the
assembly, the first-year men will be
divided into groups and will meet
with the student counsellors or ad
visors who have been selected from
members of the upper classes.
Thursday night’s assembly will bo
in charge of the Student Union. Oth
er similar assemblies will be held on
the remaining nights of the Fresh
man Week with the exception of Sun
day night, and will be conducted by
one of the campus groups.
Freshmen will bo separated into
groups according to their courses, and
will meet at assigned periods for lec
tures and consultations. At these
meetings, information concerning the
Schools and departments, as well as
the courses will be, given..
Physical examinations, intelligence
and placement tests, and library prac
tice hours are also included on the
program for the Week.
All members of the incoming class
will meet in Schwab auditorium at
11 o’clock each morning for song and
cheer practice under the direction of
Prof. Richard W. Grant, head of the
department of music. Following the
afternoon meetings, an opportunity
for sports and recreation is provid
ed.
Special programs during Freshman
Week have been arranged for the
women. These meetings will be eon
ducted by the Women’s Student Gov
ernment association.
Actors, Dancers May
Perform in Thespians
Students interested in developing and
displaying their dramatic or dancing
ability are furnished the opportunity
to do so by the Penn State Thespians.
At the same time excellent entertain
ment is furnished the College through
out the year.
Preliminary tryouts for this organ
ization arc held early in the fall and
freshmen are eligible to participate.
Last year several freshmen men and
women were given parts. Casting,
under the direction of graduate di
rectors, is completed by further trials
during the year.
Women students have been allow
ed to assume roles in Thespian pro
ductions since 1930. From 1897 un
til 1928 all parts, including the chor
us, were taken by men. As the mu
sical comedy era began, the Thes
pians turned to that type of enter
tainment with the resulting gradual
participation of women students.
Each year the Thespians put on
two shows. One is given for fall
house-party, and the other is usually
enneted three times in the Spring.
Besides that they are planning to
tour the larger cities of Pennsylvania
with the show sometime in the spring.
Greetings, Freshmen
This issue of the Penn State
Collegian is* sent to the members
of the Class of 1938 with the com
pliments of the stafT. Contained in
it are complete descriptions of all
phases of student life, which may
be helpful in learning more about
Penn State. . In this issue, as in
others throughout the year, the
C*llegian has attemptod to give
an accurate picture of what is go
ing on at the College. New stu
dents will be given an opportunity
to subscribe to this and other pub
lications early in Freshman Week.