Page Two PENN STATE COLLEGIAN Successor to The Free Lance, established ISS7 PuhltHhed bemi-wcekly durinc tlic Collojrc year, except on holidays, liy students of The Pennsylvania State Collette, in the interest of the College, the students, faculty, alumni, and friends. NATIONAL ADVERTISING SERVICE. INC. ChlcaKo —Hinton—Sun Francium—Los Angeles—Portland—Seattle Applied for entry as second class matter at the State Colleta* Post Office, State College, Pa. THE MANAGING BOARD JOHNSON HRENNEMAN M 7 ALAN L. SMITH M 7 Kilitor Business Manager E. TOWNSEND SWALM M 7 KENNETH W. ENGEL M 7 Mntmjcing Editor Advertising Manager PHILIP S. lIEISLF.R M 7 PHILIP A. SCIIWAIITZ M 7 New* Editor Promotion Manager W. ROUEKT GRUlsn M 7 1 GEORGE W. BIRD M 7 Sports Editor Circulation Manager RICHARD LEWIS M 7 IIUVIN ROTH M 7 Feature Editor Foreign Advertising Manager MARION A. RINGER *37 JEAN C. HOOVER M 7 Women'* Editor Secretary M. WINIFRED WILLIAMS M 7 REGINA J. 11YAN/37 Women's Managing Editor Women's News Editor ASSOCIATE EDITORS Woodrow \V. Hierty '3? Stephen Campbell '3B Francis 11. Szymczuk MR Frank 11. Titlow MS Jerome Weinstein '3B Charles M. Wheeler jr. MR ASSOCIATE BUSINESS MANAGERS Jay 11. Daniels MS Edward 11. Elliott MS Robert E. Elliott jr. M 8 Kathryn >l. JenninM MS Robert S. McKclvcy MS John G. Snbeiln MS WOMEN'S ASSOCIATE EDITORS Shirley R. Helms M 3 Georgia 11. Powers MS Caroline Tyson MS Friday, September 4, 1936 THE FRESHMAN AND THE FRATERNITY It is unfortunate that about half the members of the Class of 1940 will bo forced to make a decision which will iiave a large influence upon their four years here after they have been on the campus less than two weeks. But empty rooms upstairs and vacant seats at the dinner table don’t help pay off the mortgages in fraternity row and every fall sees the same undignified scramble as each house tries to grab off the select of the current freshman crop, And so, after about ten days of acquaintanceship. during which both rushers and rushces are on their good behavior, 600 freshmen will select the particular group of men with whom they expect to live for the duration of their undergraduate lives. That this al- most hit-or-miss process usually turns out satisfactorily is a tribute to the social adaptability of the average col- lege student. As far as rushing is concerned freshmen fall in- to three obvious classes: those who are trying to de- cide which house to join; those who know that they are not going fraternity; and those who are undecided. Suppose we start with the last group. Somc of the advantages a freshman may gain by joining a house are these: It gives him a certain, social position and prestige. It enables him to identify him- self with a particular group and to enter into the ac- tivities of it. It provides him immediately with a wide range of acquaintances in which he will probably be able to make several friendships. It throws him in.with twenty or thirty upperclassmen who will be able to help him orient himself in a strange environment. On the other hand he will find that life in a fraternity will be more expensive than life outside. He will find that he must sacrifice some of his freedom and ndependeince; emphasis is upon conformity, not individuality. He will discover, after the first few weeks, that he is expected to take care of such matters as waxing floors and mow- ing lawns. Ho will find that under the fraternal sur- face there is constant bickering by house cliques, often ill-will between members, occasionally even graft among the brothers. If he decides to go fraternity the actual selection of the House is not too important. Aside from obvious differences in the matter of creed or race the fraterni- ties on the campus do not vary a great deal. Some may have more imposing houses; some may be in bettor fin- ancial condition; some may have a long list of activities men; but into almost any of them a freshman will be able to fit himself. Perhaps that is a little too broad a statement: cer tainly not every freshman could get along in every house. But the rushing season, short as it is, is long enough for him to find out if he. feels at home with a particular group. If he does he probably won’t make a mistake in joining it. If he doesn’t he had Letter wait until he finds a group into which he feels that he can fit. But what about the other GOO freshmen who at the close of rushing season will still he living in rooming houses or dormitories? * The best thing they can do is not to worry about it. They will find that they can have just as many and just as good friends, though it make take them a little longer. They will find that, with a few exceptions, they have just as good an opportunity’ to “make out” in activities as fraternity men. Their marks arc likely to be higher because they will have better opportunity for uninterrupted study. Through various non-fraternity units they will be able to participate in intramural ath letics. They will be freer to do what they want and say what they want. Whatever it may depend upon, Success in College (whatever that is) is not guaranteed either by the pres ence or absence of a pledge pin. R. O. T. C. SHOES $25.95 OLD MANIA; Cheerful Earful Before all the advisors begin advising, fraterni ties fraternizing, everyone telling you how to get through-school with the least amount of work, and English' Composition 1 hasn’t yet had the chance of antagonizing you too much against we infinitive split ters, Campy, with his eye to the key-hole and car to the ground will tall you, in a few simple lessons how to become what is euphemistically’ called acampus luminary, commonly called a big-shot, and other times called any uncomplimentary name you can think of. Any of the following activities will bring to you this fame: 1. Have yourself born the son of the College president. 2. Become a big fraternity man. This consists of joining a fraternity and spending most of your time your freshman year waxing floors, emptying ash cans and stooging for the upperclassmen. Your sophomore year you arc busy riding the new freshmen. Your junior year you catch up on your school work and spend your spare time getting hack the neckties that the brothers had borrowed. Your senior year, there you are, a big Frat Man. 3. Become a merry-quipstcr. This consists of reading Dorothy Parker and other dealers in smart cracks and then pulling them on a good friend who promises to tell it to the Maniac or myself. If the Maniac or myself, Campy, are short on material, we’ll probably print it and your name in this column and once again you have become a campus luminary. Example of things not counting: Knock, Knock. Who’s there? Hetzcl. Hotzcl who? Ilctzel to write a col umn. 4. Become a radical. This is rather complicated and requires much analysis. Reds, Communists, Fascists, Atheists, etc., are not radical. That is, they are not radicals comparatively. If you really want to be different and appear radical become an ultra-con servative. 5. Become an apple-polisher. This docs not neces sitate your taking an agricultural course. You will got farther also becoming a master at the indirect method of apple-polishing. This consists of going lip to a professor and saying “Joe Blotz certainly knows his stuff about this course. Why only last night he said,” etc. Of course it hepls things if you have a friend who will do the same for you. G. Become a politician. This is perhaps the easi est of the lot. All you need do is practice smiling in the mirror and saying “Hell-o,” buy lots of beer and become a habitue of the Corner Room and tap rooms. You will end up being appointed to some committee that never meets except to get its picture taken for La- Vic. Of course I cannot guarantee all of these meth ods for some of them are liable to have a boomerang effect. For instance: the Merry-Quipster might end up as a Froth momscr where her would-feel very much out of ‘place with all his funny jokes, or the politi cian might be appointed to a dance committee and Neil'Fleming might not let the selection of the band up to the committee. ♦ + ♦ Rum and Rumor: An old grad was explaining the wiles and ways to a student who planned to enter Penn State as a freshman this year. The neophyte was looking in the catalogue and said, “It says here you must matricu late, what’s that mean?” “Yeah, you must matricu late,” said the old grad with a sigh, “but it doesn’t hurt very much.” Parke Eshbach is planning to enter professional wrestling . . . Several of the profs have discarded their 1914 joke book for a revised edition, 1923 . . . Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Townc Swalm please report or return him to the Collegian office. When last seen he was lost in a German beer garden. Parents... You 'Will Find The Comer Room Penn State's Best Known Restaurant An Excellent Place to Eat When You Visit State College The Hotel State College Offers You an Attractive Place to Spend the Night THE PENN STATE COLLEGIAN Dramatic Group Invites Freshmen Penn State Players Schedule ‘Personal Appearance* For Ist Offering One of the first activities in which freshmen will be invited to engage is in the work of the Penn State Play ers. This is a group of students in terested in dramatics who, under the director, Prof.' Arthur C. Cloetingh, or the assistant director, Frank S. Neusbaum, each year present about half a dozen plays. “Personal Appearance,” a comedy which had a long run on Broadway re cently, will open the season this year, and will be presented on Dads’ Day, October 3. Announcement of try-outs will be made shortly after classes be gin. It will be directed by Mr. Neus baum. “Men in White” Will Be Given Three other recent plays and one revival will complete the program for the year. “Men in White,” Sidney Kingley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play MISS LOUISE A. LAMBERT LADIES’ EXCLUSIVE BEAUTY PARLOR SHAMPOOING FINGER WAVING SKIN and HAIR TREATMENTS Zotos Permanent Waving done without electricity or machine Above Athletic Store Dial 2042 STARK BROS. & HARPER R. O. T. C. SHOES NEXT TO THE MOVIES . ' $2.95 STUDENT SUPPLIES Upright and Portable Typewriters • i 3 . : Fountain Pens and Pencils Die Stamped Stationery Drawing Materials Official Gym Uniforms TEXT BOOKS ATHLETIC STORE, W- of three seasons ago, will be oue of these. The others will be announced lateK “The Old Maid,” the Pulitzer play of two seasons ago, was one of the most successful Players’ produc tions of last winter. "Th?’other plays produced last sea son included John Wexley’s “The Last Mile,” a drama laid in the death house of a prison; the colonial comedy, “The Pursuit of Happiness;” and Gerhardt Hauptmann’s romantic fantasy. “The Sunken Bell.” “Ah, Wilderness!,” Eu gene O’Neill’s comedy of adolescence; and a revival of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” pi'esented so far as possible as it was about seventy years agoj. were the other plays produced. SCHLOW’S QUALITY SHOP Welcomes the Co-eds Laundry Cases New and Used ON CO-OP CORNER Welcome Freshmen . . WHERE STYLISH AND STURDY SHOES GO HAND IN HAND FOR YOUR COLLEGE NEEDS AT BOTTORF BROS. SHOE STORE + YOUNG MEN . ... . prefer our shoes for style setters. Priced very moderately. $3.95 to $6.00 MISS CO-ED . . . prefers our shoes for campus and dress wear. Priced $2.95 to $5.00 They are surely the last thing in style +' We carry a complete line of Gym Shoes, Bedroom Slippers and R. 0. T. C. Shoes * + + .+ BOTTORF BROS. BOOTERY STATE COLLEGE, TENNA. + We are authorized dealers for Freemen, Walk Over, and Bostonian SJjoes for men; Walk Over, Treadensy, and Musbock Shoes for women; Red Goose and . Buster Brown Shoes for children. at the .Friday, September 4, 1936
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