The daily collegian. (University Park, Pa.) 1940-current, September 29, 1950, Image 4

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    3MGE FOTAt.
TO Batty Collegian
Successor to THE FREI LANCE. est. 087
Published Tuesday through Saturday mornings a
thrive during the College year by the stuff el The Daily
Collegian of The Pennsylvania State College.
intend ea eeemed-elaas natter Jnly 6, 1934. at the. State
College, Pa.. Poet erne* ander the act et Mareh 3, 1879.
Managing Ed., John Dalbor; News Ed., Stan Degler;
Sports Ed., Ray Koehler; Edit. Dir., Herbert Stein; Society
Ed., Dennis Krebs; Feature Ed., Janet Rosen; Asst. Sports
Ed., Art Denning; Asst. News Ed., John Ashbrook;
Asst. Society Ed., Bettina dePalma; Photo Ed., Wilson
Barto; Senior Board: Jack Boddington. Bill Detweiler.
Asst. Buis. Mgr., Thomas M. Karoleik; Advertising
Dir., Harold L. Wollin; Local Adv. Mgr.. Hugo R. Mandes;
Promotion Mgr., Laura Mermelstein; Circulation Co-Mgrs.,
Edward W. Noyes, Gerald F. Yeager; Personnel Mgr., Ed
win Singel; Classified Adv. Mgr., Shirley Faller; Office
Mgr., Loretta Stempinski; Secretary, Winifred Wyant;
Senior Board: Norma Gleghorn, Delores Home, Mary
Kauffman, Sue Halperin.
Dean Gladfelter
Editor '4lEfl;o'.l
STAFF THIS ISSUE
Night Editor: Moylan Mills; Assistant Night
ditor: Lillian Cassover; Copy Editor; Paul
Beighley; Assistants: Louise Caplan, Joan
Kuntz, Dot Benett, Bob Landis.
Advertising Staff: Manager: Dick Rossi,
Assistants: Howard Boleky, Terry Moslak,
Theresa Pierotti.
Storm Signal
The freshman outbreak Wednesday night may
well be the storm signal for a growing, wide
spread rebellion that could snowball into drastic
proportions. It could be the start of an explosive
situation that could disintigrate quickly to the
variety of hazing and frosh retribution prac
ticed in pre-war years.
LAST SPRING we called upon cabinet to
seek some method of preventing a reversion
to the fantastic customs practices of earlier
years. Nothing was done. Yet the Wednesday
revolt indicates that an explosive situation can
deteriorate with startling rapidity and that
reversion is a distinct possibility at this point.
Hatmen promised shortly after the revolt
that they would "crack down" on •frosh—a
promise which if carried out sternly, could
lead to frosh retaliation and further outbursts.
Much of the responsibility for seeing that
customs do not get out of hand—that a harm
fully explosive situation is not allowed to
develop—will fall on the shoulders of hatmen.
They must realize that they as well as the frosh
were to blame for the Wednesday outburst, and
that they must maintain a level-headed atti
tude if they wish to prevent further outbreaks.
Mere vindictiveness will go a long way toward
further inflaming frosh and will do nothing to
build a sane customs program.
FRESHMEN apparently felt that they had
legitimate gripes when they called their protest
demonstration. Hatmen will contribute greatly
toward understanding and a stable campus if.
they give consideration to these gripes and stop
for a moment to take stock of their customs
operations.
Apparenty hatmen Wish to continue customs
and make them a permanent fixture at Penn
State. If they do, they must take care that the
program stays within bounds and does not
result in harmful effects. Unless hatmen tread
softly and approach their problem in an adult
manner, the customs program quite easily
could degenerate into an orgy reminiscent of
irresponsible pre-war days.
AT THE MOVIES
CATHAUM: The Breaking Point
STATE: My Friend Irma Goes West
NITTANY: Nancy Goes To Rio
STARLITE DRIVE-IN: It Happens Every
Spring
Owen E. Landon
Business Mgr.
The First
National Bank
Of State College
Member ej
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Federal Reserve System
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN, STATE. COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA•
A Cheer For 'Rip'.
Charles "Rip" Engle, Nittany football coach
since May, will be welcomed to the College by
the whole student body at a pep rally in front
of Old Main tonight.
POSSIBLY the welcome is somewhat belated,
Rip having already molded the team for its first
encounter tomorrow. But in a sense it is appro
priate that we greet him now, at the start of the
gridiron season, and wish him luck in all of his
days here.
On several occasions the new head coach has
stated that the football outlook for the year is
not bright, that we can hope for no more than
two or three wins. Still, he has gone to work
and produced what promises to be a spirited if
not often victorious team.
At an orientation meeting several weeks
ago, Rip told the freshmen that he too was in
his first year at the College but that already.
within a span of four months, he had been
able to grasp the spirit which prevails, in
Nittany valley.
By his actions, Coach Engle has shown that
he means these words. Leaving behind a vic
torious Brown University eleven, he has en
thusiastically attacked the problems of a Nit
tany team which has seen some lean days since
its Cotton Bowl peak of 1947.
TOMORROW, the Penn State football team
takes on its first opponent of the 1950 season.
Tonight, students will say hello to their team's
new coach and will let him know that they are
solidly behind him, win or lose, in his first year
in Nittany football.
Safety Valve
Letters to the editor should be addressed--
The Daily Collegian, Box 261, Boro. The_
writer's name will be withheld upon request.
but no letter will be printed unless signed.
Unifying The Frosh
TO THE EDITOR: The showing displayed
by a portion of the freshman class on Wednes
day night Sept. 27 made very evident the
necessity of freshman customs. The customs
are for the purpose of unifying the class and if
there is anything lacking in the class of '54 it's
unity. This was very clearly shown by the mob
last night.
Unity is necessary in order that we may pick
out our most capable leaders and get behind ,
them as an organized unit, instead of forming
a disorderly crowd that can be easily swayed
by a small organized group . . .
... If there have to be some freshmen who are
cry babies about the customs why don't they
cry to themselves instead of causing others to
waste their time and efforts towards a senseless ,
cause . . .
• Letter cut
—Chuck Wood, Bill Schellhammer,
Ted Struk, Al Delbert
Regrettable Incidents
TO THE EDITOR: . . . The mob action dis
played on Wednesday night of this week shows
that customs, in a sense, has already accom
plished one of its major goals—that of furnish
ing us with a group spirt. However mobs never
accomplish anything except regrettable inci
dents . . . If we wish to accomplish something
for the class as a group it will have to be done
through organization in our respectable dorms
and not through mass demonstration.
From my inexperienced viewpoint, I see
customs as a necessary part of college life . . .
We are under a lenient system and should be
all for it not trying to overthrow it.
• Letter cut
—John Ashbrook
—jack White
Littl
Pro and Con
The College hasn't seen the last of Wednesday night's freshman
demonstration.
EVEN IF NO MORE "rallies" occur, bitterness against hatmen
and student government officials will carry over into the time after
customs are removed.
The rally can be viewed as an expression of freshman untiy,
as an excess of exuberance, or as a malicious defiance of regula
tions.
That it is not class unity is illustrated by the disorder which
reigned when various leaders spoke of gaining representation, or of
partial removal of customs. For a hot-head faction in the crowd
nothing but defiance of customs regulations would suffice.
ONE SPEAKER insisted above the din that members of Tribunal
are "decent fellows"; he apparently had first hand experience. And
there was a large moderate element. These were men who stayed in
the dorms, who remained in the courtyard instead of participating
in the mad dash down the Mall, and who, wrote the letter in today's
Safety Valve.
The bitterness involved refutes the naive statement that, as
one person said, they were "feeling frisky." It is true to some
extent, of course, but comments like "Let's show them freshmen
are important," and "We should have the right to go anywhere,"
revealed the hard feelings rankling in some minds. '
A hatman talked to the crowd on senior walk, and spoke much
sense. But he had a knack for saying all the wrong things; and suc
ceeded only in arousing more hard feelings. His remark that fresh
men "weren't invited here" was particularly unfortunate, and the
mass rejoinder, "Where would Penn State be in four years, if we
hadn't come?" was perfectly correct.
WHAT FRESHMEN MUST REALIZE is that "the few hatmen
who torment them, are only a tiny part of the hat societies and an
even smaller portion of the student body. Upperclassmen have
greeted the customs program with apathy, on the whole.
Some hatmen and members of Tribunal and cabinet may regard
the affair as a malicious defiance of customs which must be punished
and suppressed. Probably some disciplinary action will be taken.
But it would be more sensible to regard the rally as the logical result
of the hatmen's own actions.
Payment of Fees Postponed
Registration for Fall Semester 1950-1951 will
be completed by payment of fees on October
12 and 13, instead of October 5 and 6,
ALL FEES, including ROOM and BOARD
CHARGES, will be due on these dates. Veter
ans whose remaining entitlement is insuffi
cient to carry them beyond the semester's
mid-point should note that they will be re
quired to pay their entire semester's fees.
Fees will be collected in Room 6, Willard Hall
on October 12 and 13 from 9 a. m. to 4 p. m.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29.. 1950
By STAN DEGLER
NOTICE
Bibler
1.... -.R.
g YNE-