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VOL. 51- No. 93
Ccibinet Investigates
Changes In Diploma
All-College President Robert Davis appointed John
.Erickson,
senior class president, Wednesday to investigate the cost of changing
the size of the diploma received by graduating students. •
• Erickson, in a report to All-College cabinet, presented samples
of the diploma used now and the smaller one that is beyig considered.
The preseni diploma is printed on a piece of paper, 14 by 17.
The school seal is printed on it.
The one which is to be investi
gated for cost by Erickson, is 6 by
8 1 / 2 inches, bound .in a cordovan
leather case with a silk lining in
the school colors. The seal is em
bossed on the 'small sheepskin
diploma.
Two Tried
For Illegal
Permit Use
Two cases of illegal use of a
parking permit were tried before
Tribunal last night, one resulting
in a fine and the other in a sus
pended sentence.
A West Dorm resident was
fined $3 for parking illegally and
using a parking ticket which did
not belong to him. He said he
would appeal the' case to All-
College cabinet.
A commuting student was also
fined $3 for a similar violation,
but the fine was suspended due
to unusual •circumstances of the
case. He was, warned that if he
appeared before tribunal '.again,
it would constitute a second of
fense and carry a . larger fine.
Another student was fined $2
for driving west on Pollock road,
which is one way east. ,
Three West Dorm residents
were let off with a warning in
a .case involving mischief in the
dorms. The men had caused ,a
mess in a shower room, but no
damage had been done.
Neil See, tribunal chairman, is
sued a warning to any, students
who may be using illegal park
ing permits. He pointed out that
the parking permits are issued by
the College, and are invalid if
obtained in any other way. Park
ing with' an illegal permit is con
sidered a more serious offense
than regular traffic violations, he
added.
NSA To Close
Petition Drive
This Week-End
A majority of the Pennsylvania
residents at the College have
signed the. National Student, as
sociation's absentee voting peti
tion, David Fitzcharles, absentee
voting committee chairman, re
ported last night to the NSA
meeting.
The pg , tition to the Pennsyl
vania legislature urging legalized
absentee voting will be circu
lated at the bulletin board in
front of Carnegie hall this after
noon. Fitzcharles asked all com
mittee members to turn in their
petitions to the Student Union
desk in .01d Main .or to his room
at 316 South • Allen street by
Monda,y.
4400 Signatures
Since there were over 4400 sig
natures on the petition, the com
mittee will stop circulating the
petition this weekend.
William Klisanin, NSA chair
man, reported that there will be
a student government clinic at
Muhlenberg college in Allentown
April 28 and 29. "Why Student
Government?" and "How Student
Government?" are among the
topics to be discussed by differ
ent panels.
Jazz Concert
Fred Hopkins and Joan Yerger
will head a committee tO plan a
jazz concert. Gene Witmer will
provide the music.
Phyllis`Schreider will repre
sent NSA on a group to help stu
dent displaced persons socially.
The work, study and travel
Program will be headed by Leon
nard Wargo and Otto Grup.
Not In Time
Erickson said, however, that
the change could not be made in
time for the June commencemeftt
but could be prepared for future
graduates.
The present diploma must be
rolled for easy handling, cannot
be given out at the commence
ment exercises, `but is distributed
at the recorder's office after the
exercises, Erickson told cabinet.
Davis told the group that Pres
ident Eisenhower would like to
give them out• personally.
If the new smaller size could be
used, it would be possible to dis
tribute them at graduation exer
cises, Erickson said.
'ln Sympathy
The senior class president said
that the administration would be
in sympathy with any move to
ward changing to the smaller size.
Cabinet unanimously passed a
measure giving its support to Ne
gro History week at the meeting.
The week, which began Monday
will continue until Sunday.
State Party Will. Hold
Final Elections Sunday
Final nomination and election
of State party clique officers will
be held 7 p.m. Sunday in 10
Sparks, it was announced yester
day.
Clique officers'• will be elected
for All-College, senior and junior
class positions. Preliminary nom
inations were made last week.
Nominations
The deadline for the nomi
nation of All-College candi
dates for office is March 18.
Yesterday's Collegian eroneous•
ly stated th e deadline was
March 1.
Russia„ Western Powers Will_ Open
Peace Conference In Paris Monday
WASHINGTON, March 1.--(2P) .
Diplomats of Russia and the
Western poviers will sit down at
a Paris conference table Monday
—but the United States express
ed open skepticism "tonight that
it would lead to any easings, of
world tension.
There is no sign 'of "any real
change" in the Kremlin's attitude,
said the State departinent. •
It announced, however, an
agreement by the U.S., Britain,
France, and Russia to open a
meeting of foreign ministers dep
uties Monday to work out a slate
of critical issues for later discuss
ion by the Big Four foreign min
isters, themselves.
Terse Note
The announcement followed re
ceipt of a terse note from Moscow.
In it the Soviet Union reaffirmed.
its position that the Western pow-'
ers are responsible for the world's
trouble but expressed willingness
to hold the Paris talks for a pre
liminary survey of the topics
which the foreign ministers might
later go into in detail.
The arrival of the Russian note
was followed by hasty talks
among the three western govern
ments which resulted in the final
decision to go, ahead with the
Paris meeting. .This decision was
STATE COLLEGE, PA., FRIDAY MORNING, MARCH 2, 1951
Senate Committee Gets
Senior Finals Question
AIM Asks
5 Changes
In Contracts
Five changes in the present dor_ .
mitory contracts were suggested
to the College by the Association
of Independent Men's board of
• ,
governors at its meeting Wednes
day night.
Also under discussion was the
report of the project committee
concerning its tentative plan to
Promote a blood donor drive in
cooperation with several other
campus and town organizations.
The first section of the dormi
tory contract, which deals with
the length of the contract, now
specifies that the rental period
will extend for two consecutive
semesters beginning in the fall,
and that residents of the Nittany-
Pollock area may be granted an
option to, terminate the lease at
the end of the fall semester.
•• Rental Period
The committee's report sugges
ted that the rental period be only
one semester, and that the- West
dorms residents be given, an op
tion to break their contracts at
the close of the first semester.
The second recommendation
asked a change to make provision
for replacements in the clause
stating that students remaining in
college but leaving the* dorms do
not receive refunds on rental:
The committee asked for clari
fication of the College's policy
cohcerning the re-arrangement of
the one man left in a double room
if one man vacates.
Dorm Searches
AIM also proposed that searches
of dorm rooms be made only
when , occupants are in the room.
As a final, recommendation, the
committee asked that residents of
the living units not be charged as
a group for damages done to the
unit.
The board accepted the commit
tee's report in full, and will await
further action periding the out
come of a meeting between the
(Continued on page eight)
disclosed by Michael J. McDer
mott, State department press of
ficer, who began by saying:
"The Soviet note does not sug
gest any real change - in attitude
on their part which would en
courage the, hope that the four
ministers would be able to reach .
useful, agreement."
Warning Issued
This was a warning to the non-
Communist world against opti
mistic expectation that the ne
gotiations will solve major world
problems and usher in a new era
Andrei Vishinsky
The College senate yesterday referred elimination of
finals for graddating seniors to the committee on academic
standards, with the assurance that students will sit in on the
committee discussions. •
Other senate action - included reinstatement of a mail- ,
fied World War II system of credits.for students entering ser-
Committee Head
Victor A. Beede
Negro History
At Library
Books by Negro authors and
pictures of outstanding Negroes
are on display in connection with
Negro History Week, -at the Pat
tee-library.
The display is designed to show
the achievements of the race in
the literary, political, and eco
nomic fields.
Books on display are "Shakes
p ear e in Harlem," Langston
Hughes; "Dusk of Dawn," Wil
liam E. B. Dußois;- "Negro Fam
ily In United States," Franklin
Frazier;, and the autobiography,
"Life and Works of Alexander
Pushkin."
Julian Cook, sixth semester
arts and letters student, is in
charge of the exhibit.
Dean Acheson
of relaxed living. Actually offi
cials here believe that if and
when the four foreign ministers
meet there will be bitter debates
on - the great East-West issues but
little chance of agreement.
The Western powers have sug
gested that the Big Four should
meet in Washington, provided the
preliminary Paris negotiations
result in agreement on an agenda.
The speculation is that barring
unforeseen difficulties in the Par
is talks, the main conference may
be set up for some time in April.
By RON BONN
vice, a simplification of the
grading system, and elimination
of the rule that women in courses
requiring ROTC for men students
substitute equivalent credits.
President Milton S. Eisenhower
read a letter from Marlin Brenner,
parliamentarian for All-College
cabinet, requesting senate con
sideration of the finals question,
in view of unanimous senior class
and cabinet votes for dropping the
exams. Dr. Victor• Beede, chair
man of the academic standards
committee, said that the commit
tee would invite Brenner and
possibly another student leader
to its sessions on the matter.
Six Reasons
Brenner's letter emphasized
that no condemnation of the finals
system itself was intended and
listed six reasons for exempting
graduating seniors. He cited the
shorter period in which the stu
dent must take the exams, the
shorter period for the instructor
to consider his grade (marks for
graduating seniors are due earlier
than others), the strain of pre
paring for graduation, the neces
sity to make arrangements for
life after graduation, the fact that
many seniors have scheduled only
the minimum number of credits
needed to graduate and could
estimate' their grades earlier if
finals were not required, and the
fact that these seniors have proven
able to pass finals for seven'
semesters.
Formula Changed
The World War. II formula for
granting partial and cqmplete
credits to students leaVing for the
service was reinstated with one
major change. Under the old sys
tem, seniors who had completed
over half their eighth semester
requirements, or who lacked up
to four credits or 12 grade points
needed to graduate, could be grad
uated on enlistment or induction.
(Continued on page eight)
Chem-Physics
Council OK's
Absentee Vote
The Chemistry-Physics student
council voted Wednesday night to
send a letter to the Pennsylvania
legislature giving the council's ap
proval,of the absentee voting bill
advocated by the local NSA chap
ter.
The council also stated its posi
tion in favor of elimination of
final exams for seniors. President
IRobert Sharetts pointed out that
Kansas State had adopted the sys 7
tern during President Eisenhow
er's administration there.
Sharetts said that the three
chemistry-physics seminars dur
ing Religion-in-Life week were
very poorly attended, with only
one or two professors and one
student at each meeting.
Chairman Donald Furlong re
ported on the Chemistry-Physics
open house planned for May 12.
He said that this year the pro
gram will continue until evening,
because'more people will be able
to attend then. Opportunity for
parents to meet faculty members
will be provided from 8:30 to
9:30 that night..
The open house will take place
in all the chemistry and physics
buildings including Textile Chem
istry building, and Frear labora
tory from 1:30 to 5 p.m. Sharetts
said that all parents and friends
are welcome and invitations are
sent to high schools and colleges
nearby as well as to the Penn
State centers.
PRICE FIVE CENTS