The daily collegian. (University Park, Pa.) 1940-current, May 19, 1944, Image 4

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    PAGE FOUR
THE COLLEGIAN
Establiished 1940. Successor to the reran State Collegian,
established 1904, and the' Free Lance, established 1887.
Editor-in-Chief Business Manager
Lee H. Learner Rosalind Becker
Advertising Manager ASO
Managing Editor
Herbert Hasson Serene F. Rosenberg
Member
Pssociated Collet Mote Press
Distributor of
&Ale 6iaie Digest
Senior Editorial Board:
Servlee Editor Rita M. BeMulti
Feature Editor M. Jane McChesney
Sports Editors—Arthur I'. Miller. Rembrandt C. Robinson.
Editorial At:sistants---Helen Hatton, mil Kubli, . Bernard
Cutler, Nancy Carastro, Victor E Danilov.e
Reporters —Bennie Weaver, Gertrude Lawatsch, Ruth Constnd
Junior Advertising Board Betty Federman, Bernice Fine
berg, Elaine Miller, Kitty Vogel.
Publishedevery Friday during the regular College year
by the staff of the Daily Collegian of The Pennsylvania
State College. Entered as second class matter July 5, 1934
at the Post Office at State College, Pa. under the act of
It aver S. 1879.
Subscriptions by mail only at $l.OO a semester.
Staff This . Issue
Managing Editor Nnncy Carastro
Assistant Managing Editor Ruth Constad
News Editor Emil A. Kubek
Spurts Editor. Arthur' Miller
Assistant Advertising Manager Kitty Vogel
News Assistants—Woodene Bell, Richard Glickman, Barbara
Ingraham, Lynette Lundquist, Gloria Nurenberg,
Fay E. Young.
Friday, May 19, 1944
All editorials represent the opinions of
the writer whose initials are signed to it,
and not the opinion of the corporate Col
legian staff. Unsigned editorial's are by the
editor.
Law Or Outlaws?
Last weekend several upperclassmen; some of
them members of Druids, took freshman law
making into their own hands. Acting on their own
initiative, these men shaved the heads of tAa
freshmen, whom they believed had been dealt
with too leniently by Tribunal!
By this act they revived a problem that was
presumably settled about 20 years ago!
The problem, which first arose in 1920, ques•
tioned the right of any upperclassmen to admin
ister freshman. justice by means of hazing! For
five years this problem was juggled about, and
was finally settled by the verdict that "Tribunal
alone has the power to establish and enforce
College customs for freshmen."
Last weekend, Druids members violated this
rule by taking it upon themselves to "administer
freshman justice." •
When an unauthorized body .in any society u
surps the power of an official group, the founda
tions of that society are shaken because the peo
ple are defying the authorities of law and order!
This fact is undeniable and holds true, no matter
what were the' motives behind the usurpation of
power!
In this case the motives might have been highly
commendable!
When Druids reorganized recently, they ex
pressed themselves to the effect that one of their
aims was to revive Penn State spirit. Specifically,
they were going to tackle the freshman problem.
This, in itself, was commendable, for the notice
able lack of class spirit among the freshmen was
admittedly a problem which needed tackling.
Unfortunately, their expressed aims went the
way of most good intentions.
Granted that head-shaving in itself may not be
such a dire catastrophe. Granted that it is an ac
cepted means of hazing on other campuses. Gran
ted, even, that many shaved heads, made their ap
pearance on this campus in pre-war days during
fraternity hell-week.
But head -shaving by any self-designated group
of upperclassmen who may happen lo be in pos
session of a few razors, is not the Penn State way
of dealing with the freshman problem. It is not
a solution. The freshnian problem still exists. It
was in no way dissipated or alleviated by the hat
men's attempts to cope with it.
Instead, the action of Druids and their cohorts
has brought to light a much more serious pro
blem, namely, whether law by outlaws' methods
will be tolerated at Penn State. It is to be hoped
that subsequent developments in the near future
will prove that such methods will not be tolerat
ed. And it is to be hoped that such developments
will be a warning to any other would-be arbi
trary administrators.. of justice. •
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Letters To Editor
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 1 1 1 11 11111114111111111!
Letter to the Editor of Collegian: •
Dear Sir
The deplorable "hazing" practices committed by
certain upperclassmen last Sunday night took
place entirely independent of, and in defiance of
Tribunal. Tribunal was not responsible for this
action, and thoroughly condemns such practices.
We realize, naturally, that the guilty party had
good intentions, in that they wanted to make an
attempt to revive frosh spirit, but we condemn
them for the irrational and violent methods that
they employed in carrying out their aims. •
These men were called before Tribunal to ac
count for their actions and for their infringement
upon Tribunal's powers. Tribunal is accordingly
reviewing the case and will make recommenda
tions to the proper authorities for punishment of
the offenders. After such recommendations, the
final decision will rest with College authorities.
Very truly yours,
Howard Milliken
•
Tribunal Chairman •
'Letter to till Editor of the Collegian:
Dear Madam
,Just when I had become pretty well adjusted to
Penn State, when I had begun to think reverently
about the Lion Shrine and to bow before the Wil
low consistently, just as a really good spirit began
to flow in me, a deplorable situation came to, my
notice.
Penn State Spirit isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Dinks, white socks, bow ties and sandwich signs
are now only empty symbols of a once-full spirit.
When the DRUIDS, an honorary (?) fraternity,
once respected on the campus, become hoodlums
and commit assault and battery on frosh chosen
at random, in the name of Penn State Spirit, and
at least one absolutely innocent• frosh was attack
ed, then that spirit is ready for no less than a
very thorough overhauling.
Maybe the freshmen can show the upperclass
men how to behave.
Respectfully yours,
An indignant frosh
Editorial Note: A signed copy of this letter is
on - file in the Collegian office. The name of the
writer is being withheld, at the discretion of the
staff, not because of a request from the writer.
Collegian has received several other letters on
this subject, all taking the same stand as this one,
but wel regrett that we are unable to print them
because they were unsigned. Letters to the edi
tor submitted for publication, must be signed,
although the name will be withheld upon re
quest.
(Continued on page five)
THE COLLEGIAN
Campuseer
As soon as our public read us
last week, we began to get re
sponses, some of them unpleasant,
it is true. But aside from• these
cries of anger from assorted per
sons who seemed to think the shoe
was pinching their toes, we re
ceived many compliments, and
patS on the back. We know that
the song • and dance about many
worthy persons being omitted
when the honoraries tap is a re
curring event, and as usual we
agreed. However, we did hear by
devious routes that there was a
plan on foot to collect enough
money to buy up the space where
this column appears and print
something or -other. •By way of the
same devious routes, we let it be
known that if anyone had any,
thing worth while to say on the
subject, we would be glad. to do
nate the space. There have been
no takers.
This Week's Dynamite -
The powder keg is all set and
ready to have the fuse lit, but here
is one bright boy who knows
enough to keep his fingers out of
traps . . . so you'll have to wait for
the official version before we can
interpret the results.
V-Mail •
-
From one of our close friends
and recent collaborators now on
the front with the Fifth Army in
Italy, we had quite the nicest let
ter for a long time. Dolinger, who
also applied the scientific needle
in these columns, tells that he is
on the way to fame at last. Just a
week or so ago he was on the scene
DO YOUR . PART it BUY WAR BONDS
FRIDAY, MAY 19, 1944
XID SALVA-OE',
By 808 KIMMEL
at the front when some 15th and
16th century manuscripts were
discovered where they had -been
hidden in an abandoned 'church.
His ,story was used by the corre
spondents and wire services, but
no credit for Milty. He also writes
that the chaplain in his section is
a Trappist monk, probably the
only one in the armed forces.
Which• Side? - '- •
• The Penn State Engineer is run
ning a short story from the New
Yorker in the issue due out next
week. It .deals with a young lieu
tenant fresh from OCS• and a vet
eran from the 'civil war in Spain.
The - lieutenant, as do so many
other people, makes the mistake of
assuming that the Loyalists wee
Reds and that Franco was the
saviour . of Spain. We find it hard
to see how anyone, in the light of
later developments, could be led
to support the Franco point of
view. It is fascist, and there has
fever been-any question about it.
Invitations:or - -
After quite a• discussion on the
relative merits of invitations and
announcements for graduation, we
finally came to the conclusion that
invitations are those Things you
send that mean for the relatives
. . . "if you Can't come, send it"
and the announcements . . . "j'ust
mail it." The third pasteboard in
volved is the ticket for admission
to the auditorium, which, if you
haven't enough of, you scurry
around trying.to beg from neigh..
bors. • •
Drawn tfir-01,71
'PS. I