PAGE SIX
Sailtj Collegtatt
Successor to THE FREE LANCE, cst. 18S7
. Published Tuesday through Saturday mornings in
clusive during the College year by the staff of The Daily
Collegian of The Pennsylvania State. College.
Entered as second-class matter July 5, 1934, at the State
College, Pa.. Post Office under the act of March 3, 1879.
Collegian editorials represent the viewpoints of the writers,
not necessarily the policy of the newspaper. Unsigned edi
torials are by the editor.
Dean Gladfelter •
Editor 1
Managing Ed. John jialbor; News Ed., atean Dcglor;
Sports Ed., Ray Koehler; Edit. Dir., Herbert Stein; Society
Ed., De.nnie Krebs; Feature Ed., Janet Rosen; Asst. Sports
Ed., Art Conning; Asst. News Ed., John Ashbrook;
Asst. Society Ed., Bcltina dcP&lxna: Photo Ed., Wilson
Barto: Senior Board: Jack Bcddington. Bill Detweiler.
STAFF THIS ISSUE
Night editor: Moylan Mills: Assistant night
editor: Doris Golub; Copy editor: Bud Fenton;
Assistants: Luella Martin, Dick Martz, Janie
Reber. .
Advertising manager: George Duff.
Voting Proposal
The proposal of the campus NSA chapter to
ask the General Assembly to pass a law or to
amend the state constitution to permit absentee
voting is one which deserves broad considera
tion by all students.
AGITATION FOR SOME provision which
would allow college students to vote in primary
and general elections has arisen from time to
time at Penn State, and was particularly strong
several years ago. The position taken by most
advocates is that students who are of age have
the right to cast their ballots even though they
are not living all year at their places of per
manent residence.
We agree thoroughly with this position, and
reiterate the past stand of the Collegian in
favor of absentee voting. We feel that the
absence-of such a plan actually is a depriva
tion of fhe right to vote.
Under present_ circumstances, the college stu
dent who is registered must cut all his classes
for at least one day if he wishes to go home to
cast a vote. But many students do not even
bother to register for voting because they real
ize they will be away at school at election time.
ADDITION OF THE COLLEGE population to
the electorate probably would be of considerable
help in producing sound democratic elections.
It is from among the ranks of college students
that the world looks for its leaders of the future,
and to deprive them of the chance to vote cer
tainly is bitter irony.
We feel college students could be counted
upon to vote as intelligently as their enfran
chised elders and- the non-coilege-educated seg
ment of the population.
Acting Hastily
Now in its formative stages, the West dorm
council might have been expected to make mis
takes. Events of the past week have substan
tiated this expectation.
THIS PAST MONDAY the council acted has
tily and ill-advisedly and against the counsel of
its advisers in breaking off relations with Rus
sell E. Clark, director of housing.
Yesterday, however, Thomas Durek, presi
dent of council, disclosed that Clark would be
given an opportunity to explain his side of the
story in the dispute'over unreturned ping pong
tables at Monday’s meeting. The announcement
that Clark would explain his views is in itself
an admission that council acted without full
knowledge of all the facts of the case—and facts
are a prime necessity prior to any action to be
taken by a responsible governing body.
Hasty action seldom pays. That the council
will profit from its own mistakes is evidenced
by its willingness to allow Clark “his day in
court.”
Movie Monster
Every weekend in any of the local movie
theaters, a disgusting exhibition of rowdyism,
immaturity, and even, vulgarity can be wit
nessed.
THOSE WHO REALLY want to enjoy the
picture are made miserable by clanging cow
bells, ringing alarm docks, loud guffaws, and
distracting remarks from childish and incon
siderate members of the audience. Whether
these boors think their sound effects are appre
ciated or whether they cannot control their
emotional impulses, we don’t understand. How
ever, we don’t care what prompts this display
it should be stopped.
Violators seem to bo mainly students. Perhaps
these displays reflect immaturity or frustration
—perhaps poor bringing up. At any rate, the
culprits should review the situation and realize
that, though their actions may bring a few
laughs from others of the same sort who arc too
meek to carry on in the same manner, the ma
jority of theater-goers definitely do not appre
ciate the rowdyism.
THE VIOLATORS who are intelligent, ma
ture students will realize this and discontinue
the disturbance. But if moviegoers who wish
to concentrate on the picture and enjoy it con
tinue to be needlessly disturbed and annoyed,
theater owners should take steps to have these
clowns forcibly ejected.
Owen E. Landon
Business Mgr.
Marv Krasnansky
John Dalbor
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN ST.'.';'
Off-Campus News
Among the chief purposes of expanding the
Collegian to eight pages daily is the hope that
a good deal more national and international
news could be included.
THE MAIN PURPOSE is still, of course, to de
velop a wider coverage of campus events, but
in these times when news events of significance
change so rapidly, we feel that the short sum
maries now used are inadequate.
Many students read no newspaper other
than the Collegian. Others read only a Sunday
paper or one of the . weekly newsmagazines.
The shortened news summaries in the Col
legian averaging about six inches of type in
a news column are not nearly sufficent to
be informative on day-to-day happenings.
The Collegian currently buys a summary of
Associated Press radio news for each day’s issue.
Purchased through WMAJ, the summary is not
even comparable to a five minute newscast.
Five minutes of news, as radio listeners will
testify, is not much more than the headlines in a
newspaper and hardly-enough for a sound un
derstanding of any day’s news picture.
■ WITH AN EXPANDED set-up, the Collegian
would have the same number of Associated
Press news stories available each day as most
other morning papers in the state. Though it
would be impossible to use that many stories,
it is estimated that the amount to be used under
the expansion program would be about ten
times that used now, but still would leave much
more space for campus news than now is avail
able.
This added coverage, we think, should give a
satisfactory picture of the top stories of the day.
Considering this with the more comprehensive
campus coverage, we feel, the paper will be
well worth 35 cents more each semester.
Fire Hazard
On Tuesday, Russell E. Clark, director of
housing, issued a statement declaring that Pol
lock Circle is not a fire hazard and explaining
the fire which destroyed Moffatt hall two weeks
ago. In view of the serious matters involved,
matters, in fact, of life and death, that statement
deserves strong scrutiny.
FIRST, MR. CLARK said that the fortunately
unoccupied Moffatt hall burned because it was
filled with “furniture and bedding in storage.”
It becomes immediately evident that occupied
dormitories also are filled with furniture and
bedding. They are also filled with human beings.
Second, Mr. Clark pointed out that the fire
was started by an oil burner- in a basement
maintenance shop. There are no oil burners in
the occupied dorms, true; but there are a fright
ening number of matches, cigarettes, lighters,
and other inflammables just as capable of start
ing fatal fires as oil burners.
For the fact is this: Pollock Circle is made of
wood and wood burns; therefore. Pollock Cir
cle is a fire hazard.
This is not a time to bury our heads in the
sand; two weeks ago a Pollock Circle dormitory
caught fire for the sixth time and was destroyed.
Eight of these wooden buildings are still occu
pied. Each could at any time become a fatal
inferno of blazing timber and collapsing ceilings.
With the fiery evidence of Moffatt hall before
us, it is inconceivable that we should ignore its
warning.
Gazette...
Sunday, December 10
ALPHA PHI OMEGA, Slavonic society, 304
Old Main, 7:30 p.m.
NITTANY BOWMEN, field shoot, Forestry
parking lot, 1:30 p.m.
EPISCOPALIAN open house, Episcopal rec
tory, 304 Frazier street, 7-10 p.m. Those plan
ning to attend, call 3155.
Monday, December 11
. NAVAL RESERVE volunteer unit, 302 Engi
neering E, 7:30 p.m.
ENGINEERING student council meeting, 107
Main Engineering, 8 p.m.
„ COLLEGIAN, senior editorial board, 8 p.m.,
8 CH.
* COLLEGE PLACEMENT
Farther information concerning interviews and job place
ments can he obtained in 112 Old Main.
Seniors who turned in preference sheets will be given
priority in scheduling interviews for two days' following
the initial announcement of the visit of one of the com
panies of their choice Other students will be scheduled
on the third and subsecuent days.
Monsanto Chemical company will interview chemists at
the rhD level Thursday, Dee. 14.
Sylvania Electric company will interview January gradu
ates in E.E., 1.E., M.E., Chom., and Phys, Tuesday, Dec. 12.
Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing company has
opportunities for January graduates in sales worlt. If
enough students indicate an interest a representative of
this company will visit the campus. Notify the College
Placement office as soon as possible if interested.
STUDENT EMPLOYMENT
Urgent Permanent and substitute waiters
for snack bar and dorms: off-campus residents
with good schedules. Large number wanted. Re
muneration in meals.
Door to door sales men for the Pennsylvania
Door to door sales man for the Pennsylvania
Plan for a local concern; local territory; com
mission basis.
Two men for television installation; must be
used to steep roofs and high climbing.
COLLEGE HOSPITAL
Patients; Stanley Wampler, Joseph Piorkow
ski, Shirley Raynes, Richard Carla, Herbert
Groff, Charles Douds, James Davis, Franklin
Reese, Philip Martin, Patrick lieims, and Law
rence Day.
Herbert Stein
Ron Bonn
Llttfe Man On Campus By Bibler
*W 55 - ° nN 0 \
ss fSk i " v w
Jkr
4/~
"Bey! What a player —He sure breaks
up their defense with that dribble.'
Pro and Con
Proposals To The President
The State College'Friends meeting sent a telegram to President
Truman and Secretary Acheson Sunday recommending five measures
• to meet the present international crisis.
They included clearcut refusal to use the atomic bomb, top-level
conferences among major powers to explore all avenues of mediation,
seating of the Chinese Communist delegation in the United Nations,
creation of a neutral zone in Korea to prevent spread of violence,
and creation of United Nations peace observation commission.
THE FRIENDS' OBJECTIVE, creation of a lasting world peace, is
laudable. Whether the measures they propose would achieve that
objective, and whether several havq any chance of being adopted, is
more questionable. •
Seating the Chinese Communists in the UN at this time would
raise cries of appeasement from some sources. But the fact re
mains that the Communists are the actual rulers of China, and
have already been recognized as such by many UN members. X
Top-level conferences should meet with no objection, except' that
we have been intent on working through the UN when it suits our
purposes. However, a conference seems to be largely a matter of
“you go first,” and no one has seen fit to make the first move."
Refusal to use the atomic bomb seems unlikely since we may.find;
-ourselves in a position where we must use it. The problem can be
considered a military one, and from that point of view the bomb can
be used just as any other weapon. ,
BUT THE POLITICAL and psychological repercussions involved
. in Europe and Asia seem to prohibit use of the bomb unless it be
comes a matter of overwhelming tactical importance. Associated with.'
mass destruction of civilian populations, use of the bomb has been
universally condemned abroad as a method of dealing with the pre
sent crisis. - ‘ . .!
Creation of a, neutral zone between Korea and Manchuria'' Was
under consideration bv the UN, but it hardly seems practical before
some agreement can be made to halt the actual fighting in Korea.
What is intended by creation of a UN peace observation mission
is not clear. Presumably it would be an agency to arbitrate disputes
to prevent conflict. And presumably it would be_subject to the same
divisions as the UN itself.
AT ANY RATE, the immediate problem seems to be for the UN
to extricate itself from the military catastrophe in which we -find:
ourselves in Korea. - ■?
On Other Campuses:
O. W. Hascal, director of admissions at the University of Color
ado, recently claimed that sex education in schools should do no
more than support what parents have taught. He said teachers should
answer questions in an objective way when touchy situations arise'
among the younger generation. ' . - ;
In the recent storm that swept the east coast, Lehigh university’
suffered damages amounting to $lOOO. A. W.‘ Litzenberger, superin
tendent of buildings and grounds at the school, said the losses were
minor as compared to the $3500 loss in a storm two years ago. .
Dr. Raymond Walters, president of the University of Cincinnati,
reported in a recent study that almost 75 per cent of the 492 approved
American colleges and universities have suffered drops in enroll-;
ments. He also stated that 58 per cent of the schools have reported’-
smaller freshman classes during the fall of 1950.
Students of the University of Colorado attended a pre-Thanks
giving vacation convocation in order that Bud Davis, student presi
dent, could tell them of the necessity of an increased state appropria
tion for the school. He told them increased tuition would be required
if the appropriation was not granted. Students were asked to tell
their parents of the need in the hope that-legislators would be con
tacted.
Administrators of the University of Connecticut have approved
an organization called a "Black Triumvirate." The group aims to
guard traditions of the -college and stimulate active participation
in sports and other extracurricular activiti**’-
By STAN DEGLE:
-IY, y, 1950
r SN **•