PAC-0 TWO
'HiE DAILY COLLEGIAN
"Ear ?► Better Penn State"
Eddablish„ , .-1 1.910. SU.k!CeSSOr t) the Penn State Collegian,
established 1901, and the Free Lance. established 1887.
Published daily except Sunday and Monday during the
re,sular College year by the students of The Pennsylvania
Shute College. Entered as second-class matter July 5, 1931
Hi. the Post-office at State College, Pa., under the act of
Match 8, 1879.
Editor Bus. and Adv. Mgr.
Ifoss Lehman '42 James McCaughey '42
Editorial an I Cusine.4n Office
Sl3 011 Main Bldg_
Plinne ill
111.:• navine. Editor This Issue
Managing . Editor___
Women's Editor This Issue
Craduate Counselor
Fridati• Morning, May 9, 1941
14 e w Eligibility Ruling
Disrupts Athletic Family
.A simple little ruling on eligibility, which ordi
narily would have passed with a clear majority,
will be brought before the student voters in Mon
day's Athletic Association elections after more
controversy and dissension than any of its kind in
:years.
The ruling states, "No student shall be eligible
to _compete in any varsity intercollegiate contest
who has been in college more than eight full
seinesters, or four years."
Curiously enough, the quarrel is not about the
rule in question, but it concerns the procedure in
which the eligibility clause has originated. The
students, for the first time in their voting on Col
).age athletic government, will be voting on a rul
ing which Will be passed regardless of their own
sentiments.
.Here is the case history. In September, the
;Senate Commitee on Athletics, in order to keep
step with the "simon pure" standards of practical
ly all eastern colleges and universities, passed the
resolution that athletes may not perform in var
sity competition after, eight semesters of study.
In explanation, there are three governing bodies
which act upon athletic eligibility rules.—the stu
dents, Athletic Advisory Board, and the Senate
Committee on Athletics which consists of •four
faculty members. Of these three, the Senate com
mittee has final authority.
However, prior to this present ruling, the Senate
group did not exercise its power on eligilibity
rules, except in those cases which regarded schol
arship and class cuts. All other rules were re
ferred to the Athletic Advisory Board, composed
of students. alumni, and the Senate Committee on
Athletics.
In 1937, the Senate committee went outside its
own self-restricted sphere to propose an eligibility
rule on junior college athletes. But, it established
a procedure by proposing this resolution to the
Athletic Board and the student body for approval
before action was taken. On the present rule, the
Senate adopted, not proposed. This brings us to
the present dissension.
It is granted. that the faculty group has the final
action on eligibility code regulations and this pow
er is not questioned. But we do question the pol
icy which the Senate committee has established
(that of giving the Athletic Advisory Board and
student body a voice) and then the sudden depart
ure from its policy.
In all probability, the action taken by the Sen
ate in September was not meant to take away the
right of student expression or the shearing of spe
cific duties from the Athletic Advisory Board, but
it has erased the line of athletic legislature which
had been drawn by the 1937 resolution. Now, we
ask, where do the duties of •the Athletic Advisory
Board begin-and end? Is student opinion still
wanted?
Evidently, the Senate committee still thinks so,
because it had requested both the Athletic Advis
ory Board arid the student body tb voice their
opinion. Hence the Athletic Association included
the new resolution on its May ballot.
The situation, as it stands. threatens smooth
athletic administration and student-faculty coop
eratifin. However, in our opinion, the Senate com
mittee unintentionally departed from its regular
procedure by oversight, not a deliberate attempt to
assert its original rights. •
Perhaps a clarification from the committee on
the issue would be welcomed. It is realized that
the Senate committee has expressed its confidence
in the expression of, student opinion. We hope
that confidence is not shaken.
As for the ruling, there is little doubt that it will
cement better Penn State athletic relationships
with other colleges and universities. Even the
coaches, who would be the last ones to acquiesce,
supported, the measure. Naturally, some athletes
will be affected, but that would be true if it were
adopted twenty years from now.
Downtown Office
11.9-1.21 South Frazier St.
Night Phone 4372
Richard S. Stebbins '43
Gordon Coy '43
Edith L. Smith '43
H. Bell
The Professor's View
(by Dr. Henry J. Brunian, Instructor in Geography)
The People Of Mexico
More than fifty native languages, some of them
as different as English, Chinese, and Hebrew, have
survived in Mexico to the present day. In excess
of a million people out of a total population of
twenty million speak only their native idiom and
have not even a working knowledge of Spanish.
Fully a third of the people of Mexico must. be
considered as relatively pure Indians in various
stages of cultural assimilation. Some of these
tribes are gradually dying out, withering away
before the advance of white and mestizo culture,
receding into the forest into less desirable loca
tions because of the intruders and unwillingness
to submit to Mexicanization and eventual loss of
tribal identity. The Lacandones -of the State of
Chiapas are a typical case. Fewer than a hundred
members of the tribe remain,
Articulate Mexicans have been saying for years
that the backbone s of the country is "El Indio."
But of late, with the gradual assimilation of many.
Indian groups, with their widespread adoption of
Mexican dress and Spanish speech, -- it has become
an increasingly vague "Indian:' that is meant, and
"El Indio" has equated with the proletariat.
This simple and kindly group without formal
education but with gret funds of folk lore, this
great basal stratum of society contains the soul
of Mexico. Among these unsophisticated masses
cleanliness is distinctly not next to godliness, nor
does it matter. Spiritual values are far more im
portant. In the most out-of-the-way places one
encounters among these people a hospitality and
charm, an unassumed courtesy that would put
many of our "civilized" American countrymen to
shame. We are too quick_ to criticize lack of edu
cation, lack of cleanliness, and low standard of
living, seldom stopping to consider that, but for
birth, the situation might have been reversed. Ar
rogance based on, our higher standards has noth
ing to recommend it. It is based on the false as
sumption that we personally can take credit for
the good things of our society, when actually they
are the legacy of those who prepared the scene be
fore us.
Regarding the more educated Mexicans, we have
taken few pains indeed to understand them. Many
of us believe that their somewhat slower tempo
of life, as epitomized by the mid-afternoon siesta,
is a sign of laxness and laziness. We have pre
sumed to judge a neighboring culture unfavorably
because it happens to be less in a hurry than ours.
All too many times our own nervous bustle is not
accompanied by proper direction. To be contin
uously on the go is in itself p_virtue.
Among the more favored classes in Mexico we
are just as likely to find refinement and well
thought-out working philosophies as we are in
this country. The two most cultured people I know
are Mexicans.
Don't Forget
MOTHER
She Will Enjoy
Eating
The CORNER
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN
UNUSUAL
CAMPUS CALENDAR
TODAY
.17 arsity golf match with
Georgetown, College course, 2
p.m.
P. 'H. Chase will lecture to en
g;ineering seniors in Electrical
Engineering Building at 4:10 p.m.
Topic: "Engineering in the Public
Utilities."
Players present, "The Mer
chant of Yonkers," Schwab Audi
torium, 8:30 p.m.
May Day practice, front cam
pus at 1 o'clock. In case of rain
report at 9 a.m. Saturday.
PSCA Board and Cabinet sup
per meeting at CA Lodge, 5:30 to
8:30 p.m.
TOMORROW
Players' "Merchant of Yonk
ers," Schwab_ Auditorium, 8:30
p.m.
All newly-elected Cwens and
newly-initiated • Blue Key men
report to Old Main at 3:30 p.m.
with jackets and hats to usher at
the May Day ceremonies.
Riding Club Plans
Given To College
A $2,500 plan for Riding club
stables will be submitted to the
College Board of Trustees today,
since a strict Borough zoning or
dinance will probably eliminate
town stables behind the Glenn
land Apartnients.
President of the Borough Coun
cil Russell E. Clark said yester
day that the body would not lik(
ly renew the owner's privilege
to the building because it is
cated in a residential section
the Borough. Strict Council ru.
ings forbid business• enterpris(
of the sort in residential zones.
The owner of the stables could
move his horses out of the Bor
ough, but the Riding Club dis
likes such an inconvenience fcir
students. With over $4OO already
invested in four horses, the club
was donated $435 by WSGA and
$lOO by WRA for the new stable
fund.•
The main unofficial objection
to club stables on the campus is
the uncertainty of permanent ex
istence. But although 45 mem
bers are enrolled in the club, of
ficers of the group are confident
of its expansion during the sum
mer and the first semester next
1. E. Society Elects
Newly-elected officers of the
Industrial Engineering Society
are Charles W. Schuler Jr. '42,
president; Warren C. Kolkebeck
'42, vice-president; and Howard
W. Smith '42, secretary-treasurer.
Percival P. Henshall, assistant
professor of industrial engineer
ing, and Joel E. Crouch, instruc
tor in indtistrial engineering,
have been named faculty advis
ors.
Lions Paw Initiates
Junior Lions Paw initiates are
Robert D. Baird, John A. Baer,
William F. Finn, Robert B. Jeff
rey, H. Leonard Krouse, Ross B.
Lehman, Charles F. Mattern,
William 0. Meyers, Max S.
Peters, James W. Ritter, and
Elden T. Shaut. ,
FRIDAY, MAY 9, 1941 •
Irvin Hall Takes
Discussion finals
Irvin Hall wo - _nthe annUit
Forensic Council Intramural Dis
cussion contest•by taking a close_ -
decision from Beta : Sigma'
Irvin Hall, upholding the af
firmative . side _of _the. question:
Resolved: That Penn State should: - ,.
adopt a system of unlimited-cuts, ::
and represented by Milton B.
Dolinger '44 and Clermont S.
Powell '44 opposed Lewis S.
Kapnek '43 and Norman Racu- -:
sin '4l of Beta Sigrna,Rho who, _
advocated the negative side.
Robert D. Baird '42, All-Col
lege President was chairman-of
the discussion and Stated that•-
according to the results obtained;"
the students.of Penn State were
in favor of a system of unlimited
cuts.
Prof. Joseph F. 013rien of the
Speech Department acted as
judge of the tournament, 'and de
plored the fact that 'a larger
number of students did not take
advantage of listening to the dis
cussion.
Since the lieF.r.inning"Of the
EIBA tournaments in 1924; Pelin
State has had 39 individual cham
pions, more 'than an.).; - . other col
..
lege competing.
NEED NOT'
BE EXPENSIVE
ine . white buckskin
with a rich brown saddle.
A distinguished pattern
that's always suitable
_for
sports wear.,
$5.00 to $7.00
South Allen_St. State College'