PAGE TWO
Dirty Politics
Dirty politics have long been a factor in elec
tions, and the approaching All-College Elections
are no exception. Usually the underhandedness in
politicking is so cleverly handled that the Elec
tion Committee is powerless in docking votes.
Before the present political campaign got into
full swing, dirty politics had played a part in the
nominations. At Key’s final nominations meet
ings near the end of last semester, a suspiciously
large crowd of “Key clique members” was on
hand to cast votes. Actually, everyone who cast
votes for nominations at that meeting was not a
member of the Key clique ... a few of them
were not even students in the College, and a
number of others were members of the opposing
political party. The object, of course, was to push
into nomination the candidates who had the low
est chances of winning the elections.
Technically, the fault lies with the set-up of
the Key party. According to the clique’s rules,
anyone who pays 25 cents dues is eligible to vote
at the nomination meeting. However, the very
fact that people whd are not matriculated or have
no connection with the Key party voted for can
didates is evidence of a clever, but unethical,
form of politicking.
One of the oldest and most childish forms of
dirty politics is the tearing down or blacking out
of party posters. Already this semester some of
the political posters were taken from windows
downtown and posted in Old Main,' where the
Elections Committee forbids any campaigning.
Obviously, this type of action is dirty politics
and must be abolished if political cliques wish
to’ gain the respect of the student body. •
Editorial Briefs
•The most-talked of article in the last Col
legian was the politics story, not the contents of
the story itself, but the fact that Collegian placed
Independent-Nittany candidates before the Key
candidates. Alphabetically speaking, Collegian
was correct. But to keep the score even, in the
politics story this issue, Key preceeds Indepen
dent Nittany.
According to their platforms, both political
parties, are interested in seeing the College re
turn to the full peacetime social status, with the
return of May Day, the annual Circus, class func
tions, etc. Both parties also shunned the Student
Union building altogether.
If campus leaders are to be elected oh the basis
of popularity as athletes, Corner Room loungers,
and perform as servants of the student body no
more than the-majority have ‘to date; we suggest
the titles of class president be abolished and
more suitable ones substituted, such as ‘‘Most
popular-football-player,”, or “Man with the most
keys and hats.”
Whenever We - have occasion to think about
undergraduate political activities we are re
minded of an' old Italian saying which says in
effect: “Between the saying'and the doing lies
the depth of the sea.”
.Penn. State politicoes say much but say nothing
and after-elections slip below the- waves of ob
scurity. They occasionally pop up again at a fu
ture election time as “A good'guy'to run for of
fice . . . didn’t he win last semester-’’
: THE COLLEGIAN- ■■
Published every Tuesday and Friday morning dur
ing the regular College year by the staff ot tHe- Daily
Collegian of the Pennsylvania State College. Entered as
cecond class matter July S, 1934, at the-State College, Pa,
Post Office under the act of March 8. 1879.
Subscriptions by mail at $1 a semester. *'
Member
ftssoetded Golle&ide Press
Distributor of
G>!fe6iate Di6esl
Edhor-in-Chief Business Manager
Wooden© Bell Mary Louise Bavey
EDITORIAL STAFF
Co-MannEring Editors
Manus'-'.-!'
Advertising
News Editor —Barbara Ingraham; Feature Editor —Jane
Wolbarst; Photo Editor —(Iwynneth Timmis; Sports Editor —
.jack Reid; .Women’s Editor Doris Stowe; Circulation
Manager— Jack Neel; Assistant Advertising Manager—
Thyllis Deal. Senior Board—Kay Krell Lois .Marks.
Junior Board —Michael Bints. Lawrence Foster, Marilyati
Jacobson, Leo Kornfeld, Lynette Lundquist, Suzanne
McCauley, Kathryn McCormick. Lucy Seifing, and Ruth
Tishernum.
Reporters—Jean Alderter, Kay Badollet, Allan Baskin,
Frank Davis, Eleanor Fehnel, Ben .French, Popsy Fried
lander, Elsie Harwitz, Shirley Lyon, Roberta Hutchinson,
Betsy Murshull, Marty Mosley Elaine Mittelman, Gloria
Parks, Joan Peters, Helen Reid, Lewis Stone, Jerry Trump
er, Selma Znsofsky.
STAFF THIS-ISSUE
Managing Editor
Cop” Editors
New* Editor
Spc. Editor ...
.lAudrey Ryliach, George Sample
. _ Rosemary Ghan tous
Audrey Ryb&ck
Michael Blatz, Marilynn Jacobson
Jeun Alderfer
Jackson Reid NROTC
BMOCY
\ ' /
Sr v
A Dark and Bitter Look
Every once mi a while, even In Liberal Ants, people have to attend
a class. It never really does them much good, hut it humors the fac
ulty: And it is a change from the Corner. j
Take for instance the first day of classes, the day I'dropped around
to see what servants of the state I’d drawn for four more months' of
concentrated baloney. -
IMy class that day was Socio
logy 761, a six' credit survey
course in the finer points of
wooing, wrestling; and winning
women. You’re supposed to at
tend the one-hour, lecture and put
in seventeen hours over the
weekend on after-hours practi
cum. Several- gentlemen I know
put in twice that amount of time;
but, of course, they- chew their
- toenails, too, arid wear - black
hats.
. Personally, I think the whole
course is a foul: scheme .pushed
upon the Soc. department by sev
eral designing psuedo-recreation
al and governmental women’s or-'
ganizations. Purely as a matter of
detached research I took the
course and have regretted it- ever
since. . ..
The text, an oversize volume of
“Lady Chatterley’s Lover,’’ is-em
bellished with a • wedding ring
rampant. symbol of triumph, on
the front cover. Itl’s new title:
“Love, Courtship, and Wow!”, is
admirably suited to catch the'eye
of the usual Nittany Valley cas
ual, hungry for knowledge. . . .
Because Of- a general and wide
spread interest in reading matter
of this nature, old Pilfiford Clad
mans, noted authority on.the;sub
ject. assumes (ancl definitely, cor r
rebtly so) that the text will be
. read without being ' assigned.
Therefore, he leotures from- his
owin experiences; an'd, I suspect,
•borrows -heavily jin the 'process
from-such . childhood: classics- as
- “Forever- -Amber” and “Kitty.” ;
' Statements
■ Most.-of :us;■ kissed our' vacations ".“good-bye”-and returned to
school just'in time to get in on registration, but one. ambitious brother
out at Delta Tau Delta house left the fun behind and came, back
early Thursday. After hiking out to Boalsburg (or almost) he found
the Delt house locked, windows and everything. Our boy was not
to be discouraged and applying a'little ingenuity he reached the in
side via.the coal chute. Patting
himself on the back; he emerged
from the chute, walked upstairs
and found the cook’s husband
waiting for him—with a butcher
knife
Line Foyms on High;
Standing in line is as- much- a
part of college life as it is of the
Army. Thus we have registration
lines, food lines, nylon lines. With
the new semester, however, a new
line has been added and the re
ward' for patient waiting on • this
one isn’t a pair of nylons. The line
forms outside of Sparks every
day, the reward is attendance at
class, and, -fudging..by. appear
ances, Penn State;students are ex
tremely eager in their'intellecfual
pursuits.
The Corner Boom lias intro
duced the caste system and it
THE COLLEGIAN
O'.
Two Years Ago and’ Today -
Theoretically ihis ‘ cases are
drawn from actual amatory occu
rences in the annals of, Penn
State. But this could not toe true,
for the women here are models of
propriety and good behavior. For
instance, I have yeit to see/, a
woman lasso her prey in broad
daylight and drag him helpless
off to the AOPi . house, or any
other' house.
Yet still there lurks far down
in the undercurrents ■ of this
course little gems of wisdom for
the hopeful huntress, little games
she can play on dull evenings.
Thingg like, “if you want him to
propose, sit on the couch . : . .
bring out the family alibuni, put it
on his lap, then, foilcw it there in
easy stages.”
It’s all very complicated. It
confuses- my retarded mind. It
leaves open the way to doubts
and questions as to just ho,w ef
fective Pifford’s little maxims
are. ■
For in the famous case of the
cornered coed, .the : poor dear; had
only read, to page 29 by Saturday.'
She went out' on - her research
project-with a : fraternity mail—
now she doesn't go out with any
one. Blit I can’t see.why. Would
she have been better off if she’d
.read-further? Or would that have'
served only to, plant more clever
•ideas in .her receptive mind?.
I'.don’t pretend- to. know, but
I' bet Pifford could tell me; file’s
probably working on the case
toe. in . the American DVEagazine.
right, now; And; ; next month it will
You justwatchn •: -
By JANE WOLBARST
works like this. There are three
orders of workers: the setting-the
table class, the taking-the-order
class, and the clearing-away
class. We don’t know how promo
tions are determined, but logically
the highest qualification for mem
bership in the most cherished
class, taking-orders, would be the
ability to write. And speaking of
the Corner Room, Stan Ziff tells
of the time he ordered pie a la
mode. Peering at the check later
he found that he had eaten “pie a
la mode with ice cream:”
SNAFU
Classes this semester have add
ed a new Characteristic—they’re
wearing • physically ax -well -■as :
imentallynMost of thehr.aire packed
to over-capacity and students
(Continued on page seven)
by Hymowitz
Punch Lines
By GEORGE SAMPLE
On March 26 and 27 some few students inter
ested in the welfare and betterment of Penn State
will devote two minutes of their time and cast
ballots for the candidates aspiring to a position
on the governing body of our College.
If figures taken from past elections are an indi
cation, then it is quite possible that less than half
of the student voters will elect the officers to rep
resent all. the student body. In the fall election of
1945. 1500 students elected the officers which rep
resented 4800 enrolled persons. In plain facts, this
means class officers are not truly representing'
the majority but the minority. How can they rep
resent the majority when only 44 peri cent of the
student body turn out for an election?
Back Stoppers
In analyzing this deplorable condition it was
found that those persons who d 6 the voting are
the back-slapping politicians and their friends.
By allowing thid practice to continue, the men.
and women of Penn State allow the cliques and
their members to control the student governing
body. |
In past elections the winning nominee has fre.-
'quently been the one with the most engaging
smile, firmest handclasp and. with the most free
time to spend in the Corner Room. ,
Voting Method
In the hustle of pre-election campaigning, the
real worth of a particular candidate is often over
looked. The average voter is apt to hurry into.
Old Main, take a hurried look' at the pictures of
the candidates and cast his vote. In this manner
the cliques often muster enough votes to usher
into office a candidate whose qualifications would,
be more fitting; if he were running for dog
catcher.
Now is the tiriie for men and women of Penn
State to effect a change., This change can be
brought about in only one way. The Penn State
student body must be concerned enough to Con
tribute two minutes of their time toward. bringing
about a better Pfenn State through an election of
better officers.
From the Files
OCTOBER, 1931
Dick Powell, billed as the “Pride of Pittsburgh,”,
was appearing in a stage show with Berhie Arm
strong’s orchestrk at 1 the Cathaum. Powell at that
time was singing with Armstrong’s orchestra at
KDKA and Pittsburgh theatVes and nigh! clubs.
Penn State was host to the University of Pitts
burgh football team for the first time in 29 years.
Score: Pitt *4l, State 6.
The College radio.. station, ,WPSC .-announced ,
ihat-it would now be on "the air 16 hours a week.,
A-Beliefonte concetti advertised “Squabs for
Sale.”
' The • Nittany 'Theatre, was.. featuring -Wirnec
Baxter in “The Cisco Kid.” ,
A visiting English actor playing- at Schwab.
Auditorium told a Collegian reporter that “talkies
would soon die out. People wiiHose interest in
them because they use such, horrible language.”
•Metzgers advertised “Penn State Pennants for
•Hiking’ .” ; . , - ' .
■ • Thespians stated in their, advertisement for the 1.
fall.presentatibrt,'“Panics'. of 1931,’’ that “The De T
pression is Over.,Ehjoy~youfsdf.” 'J.,
The Dux Club opened eight bowling-alleys in
their present location. ; .
• The library announced that it would be open _
from 2-5 pim. Sundays. - . , • . . t J
Local restaurants were- advertising .“full-course"
dinners” 35c-50c. ' ,
One local merchant advertised “Gabardine topi
coats at $4.95.”
Penn State’s first student, Dr. James S. Read, .
a retired physician, was located living on a small -
farm near Fayetteville, Arkansas. Dr. Read ma
triculated in 1857 at what was then known as ; the
Farmers’ High School.
President Hetzel was named chairman of, the
Greater Pennsylvania Commission by Governor
Pinchot.
The following notice appeared in the Calendar:
Those going on the geological field excursion
tomorrow may bring their own lunch. Arrange
ments will be made for the others.
Sock Kennedy and Grace Baer were giving tap
dancing lessons in. the Odd Fellows Hall. ■
The Graduate School reported its peak enroll-'
ment of 303. '
The-Artist Course' Series was' 'dropped becaUsfe
of 6ritih<;!at ; adficjt, y.:iti;
Plh'ns Were madefor rgmodeihig
brary (now Carnegie Hall)
TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 1946