alob Batty Collegian Successor to 11 1 / 3 MEE LANCE, est. OW Published Puesday through Saturday mornings inclusive during the College rear by the staff of The Daily Collegian of The Pennsylvania State College. Entered as second-class matter July fp. 1.934. et the State College. Pa. Post Offiee under the eat of Mirth. 8. 1879. Collegian editorials represent the viewpoints of the writ. ere, not necessarily the polies of the newspaper. Unsigne* editorials are by the editor Mary Krasnansky Edward Shanken ,45f , pmo Editor Business. Mgr. STAFF TI-US ISSUE Night editor, Lynn Kahanowitz; copy ,editors, Millie Martin, Jim Gromiller; assistants, Mar jorie Cole, Nancy Meyers, Jim Peters, Norma Zehner. Ad manager, Betty Agnew; assistant, Frank Kelly. 'Railroad' Charge Is Not Factual (Ed. Note: This is the second of a series of five editorials designed to present the back ground and clarify the issues on a subject which has been the cause of much discussion, the proposed Student Union building and the $7.50 student fee recommended to the College Board of Trustees by All-College Cabinet and approved by the trustees in 1950.) 11. "Railroading" Even if we were to disregard the long history of the Penn State Student Union campaign, the charge that the fee was "railroaded" could not stand up to the facts. Cabinet approved for the second time the proposal for the $7.50 per semester fee May 25. The proposal for the fee had first been presented to cabinet better than three weeks prior to this date, May 3. Opposition to the fee was given three weeks to materialize. With but one exception, it did not. The exception was the Nittany-Pollock Council which presented a petition signed by 740 students who asked for a referendum. The charge was that the SU fee had been hushed up, then railroaded through. The valid question asked of the petitioners then—and just as valid today—was if the SU fee was hushed up, how then was it possible to get 740 signatures on a petition decrying the hush-hush tactics? In addition, more than six months prior to the approval of the fee by cabinet, the Daily Collegian carried, on Nov. 11, 1949, a story on the SU with a banner headline across the top of page 1 which outlined plans for the SU. The story was based on a report made to cabinet by James MacCallum, then All-College secretary treasurer, chairman of cabinet's SU committee and one of the five student representatives on the College's SU committee. The Daily Collegian of - Nov. 11, reported: "Because the building is not of an 'academic nature,' state sudsidies would not be available to finance construction." Therefore, MacCallum said, Penn State would probably follow many other col:lieges' financial plan. "Many other colleges which boast a student union have paid for it through income rea lized through its services; from gifts from, alumni and friends of the college, AND from a continuing student union assessment of $5 to $lO a semester." The fact is that had it been the wish of those responsible for the handling of the SU and the assessment to railroad the fee, they could have gone straight to the trustees, cited the previous student approval of the fee,. and -asked the trustees to approve it on that basis. ECAC Is Balked The efforts of the Eastern College Athletic Conference to find a cure-all for the ailments of college athletics do not• seem to be catching on too well, especially in other sections of the country. The ECAC, which is made up of 91 major and minor colleges in the East, got down to business this week at a four-day convention with plans to cover the hot sports problems of the day. Important among an impressive list of re forms including television _rights, eligibility rules, bowl games, and the two-platoon sys tem is the question of whether spring practice should or should not be abolished. Is this such an important decision to make? Will the elimination of spring football practice solve anything? Two of the country's biggest and most influential football conferences, the Big Ten and the Pacific Coast Conference don't seem to think so. Both conferences went on record this week to continue football operations as usual, and have decided to continue spring practice. If the ECAC should insist on maintaining its crusade against spring practice it's going to find itself cheating no one but itself. Its teams will be playing teams with the benefits of two or three more months training, and probably with disastrous results. There are many reforms of college football which are merited and certainly needed, but 'what good would come of eliminating spring practice as long as outlandish scholarships are still being awarded, and the many other evils of rope^•e thletics are still being allowed to remain on a scandalous level? —Bob Vosburg • AA - az - all • 7 , - rENDisYLVAANLA 'Thou Didst Mold Us' From The Pitt News, Nov. 30 "Results of the Student Congress poll showed student opinion saying an overwhelming "yes" to women cheerleaders." Monkey sees, monkey • does From The Daily Pennsylvanian, Nov. 29 "Women baton twirlers did not perform during halftime at the Cornell game Saturday because the student affairs committee refused to reverse its decision withholding university sanction for the majorettes." —Monkey sees, monkey doesn't Bafety Valve-- Do Not Abolish the Student Union Fee' • TO TI4E EDITOR: Do not abolish the Stu dent Union fee! This campus needs a SU build ing and the present set up insures one in the future as soon as conditions permit. Everyone will - benefit directly when it is erected, students and alumni. By abolishing the fee we would be defeating the purpose for which the fee was established. Granted that the fee is too high. Instead of asking the All-College Cabinet to recommend the abolishment, why not ask them to ask the Board of Trustees to reduce the fee to $2.50 per semester. This fee of $2.50 will not put un necessary hardships on the students Thus, the money would be accumulating so that when construction began, a larger part of the build ing would be paid for. - Let's not let the class of 'sl's contribution grow musty with old age. If the classes of '52,'53,'54,'55, and future classes continue the fee, a Student Union that will be a credit to Penn State can be had on campus. I think that it is about time an initiative on the part of students is undertaken to build a bigger, better Penn State, especially when we ourselves will benefit directly as students and in the future, as alumni. $7.50 Is a Lot to One Who Can't Spare It TO THE EDITOR: I am a single veteran having an extremely hard time trying to live on my monthly check of $75. Seven-fifty may not be a lot of money to some people, but it is a lot to one who can't spare it. Notwithstanding the fact Chat the All-College Cabinet in 1950' voted for the Student Union assessment, I consider it to be highly arbitrary and completely undemocratic, to say the least. In speaking to quite a number of fellow stu dents, I find the consensus of their opinions seems to be that the Cabinet did not, by any means, represent the majority opinion of the student body when it voted in favor of the assessment. If this is true then "student gov ernment" here at' Penn State is a farce and a disgrace! The only fair way, to decide this issue would have been to hold" a referendum in which every student on the campus had the privilege of voting 'for or against. I under stand that although many students at the time petitioned for this right, it was not granted. I do not' believe that on such a matter as the Student Union the All-College Cabinet should have the right of deciding whether or not a student should be assessed—this right should rest only with the students themselves. What if the Cabinet had voted for each stu dent to pay a hundred dollars? It is my sincere belief that the vast majority of the students share thiq view. Gazette ..-. Thursday, December 13 AMERICAN FOUNDRYMEN'S SOCIETY, Foundry - lecture room, 7:30 p.m. AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS, two filmg, 10 Sparks, 7 p.m. CHRISTIAN SCIENCE ORGANIZATION, 304 Old Main, 6:45 p.m. CIRCLE AND SQUARE, Armory, 7 p.m. . COLLEGIAN freshman editorial board and candidates, 9 Carnegie Hall, 7 p.m. NEWMAN CLUB. lecture, 317 Willard Hall, 7:15 p.m. NITTANY GROTTO, 318 Frear Laboratory, 7:30 p.m. PHI SIGMA lOTA, speaker, Phi Kappa, 8 p.m. POULTRY CLUB Christmas party, Alpha Zeta, 7 p.m. SCABBARD AND BLADE, Armory, 7:30 p.m. TAU BETA PI pledge meeting, 1 Main Engi neering, 7 p.m. WRA SWIMMING, White Hall pool, 7 p.m. COLLEGE HOSPITAL Lavonne Althouse, Anna Bailey, Meyer Bush man, Gloria D'Antonio, Karen Gold, Louis Gom lick, Elaine Gottlieb, Barbara 'Holzka, Kenneth Landis, Nancy Misner, Thomas Mulligan, Philip Nemchek, Conrad Nagel, Knox Phillips, Joy Rosenbloom, Ray. Schaeffer, Norma Waters. AT THE MOVIES CATHAUM: Journey Into Light, 2:13, 4:06, 5:59, 7:52, 9:45 STATE: Lorna Doone, 2:11, 4:03, 5:55, 7:47, 9:39 • NITTANY: Secrets of Convict Lake, 6:25, 8:19, 10:15 -R. B. —Frank Reese —Louis Boyar, also John Blanchard, Dale Jones Little Man On Cathpus ..- .--- rf VG "It's a time out—Now run in there an losing,team of mine ALL about ARM A rather frightening thing happened. to us last weekend—o draft board decided it was about time to check up on our physica condition. .This 'latest manifestation of paternalism in government met no very warm response here, but the • board pressed its invitation so earnestly, we really had no choice. At least, we figured, we'd get a government-paid trip to Philadel-1 phia, meals included, to see the I gentlemen. We were debating whether to charter a plane or not, and if pressed duck at the Ben. Franklin would be more appetiz iv:g than pheasant under glass at the Adelphia—we'd teach you taxpayers to draft us; by heaven! —when we learned that the board only pays expenses from its door' to the point of examination. Our total profit on the deal was two Philadelphia car tokens. They sent us out to the Schuyl kill Arsenal, a grim gray, building well suited to use as a prison or examining center. This was phase one of a pro cess that did not cease until 250 of us were parading coldly around in our altogethers. It's a psychological tactic: if you have an argument with an of ficial, you'd be . amazed at the mental advantage the fact that he has clothes on and you don't gives him. - In rapid succession, we were thumped, tapped, and inspected, by the seediest looking crew of doctors the medical profession has yet been able to assemble. One elderly MD peered briefly through the cracked lenses of his glasses - into each ear, and then certified that we ,were normal for head, face, neck, scalp,. nose, throat, and • sinuses. A s e coo n d gentlemen grabbed a .foot as if he were about to nail a shoe on it and snarled, "anything wrong with yer feet?" "They're flat," we noted smugly. '."I asked you if there was any thing wrong with them," he re minded, and sent us on. , Still a third lad lined up, 25. of us and said, "Bend t 6 the right." We bent. "Bend to the left.' We bent. "Touch your toes. "We laughed. He certified that we were normal for all upper ex tremities They gave us a psychology examination; to wit: "Ever had a fractured skull?" "No." s, "GO out with girls?" "Yes." Whereupon we were certified stable, normal individuals. They gave us an intelligence fliUftSpAY, DECEM3ERII3, 1951 I' •C' A Bonn Mot By RON BONN test—by this time we had our clothes back on. They gave us the sentence, "Close the door," with "close" underlined. We had to' find a synonym from among these other words: shove , impregnate . antidisestablishmentarianism shut But the high point of the after noon came when a sergeant wan dered into the room where some 30 of us were sitting, worrying. The sergeant asked if any of us were from southwest Philadel phia, and seemed greatly sur prised to learn that we all were. Isn't that a coincidence?" he cried ingratiatingly. "I'm the re cruiting sergeant for southwest Philadelphia." We all agreed hol lowly that this certainly was a coincidence. Then the sergeant became real friendly—looking out for our "interests, because we were all from southwest Philadelphia. "Do you guys know -what happens to guys drafted' in - December?". he whispered, with a furtive glance over his shoul-' der. "What?" we asked. • "They all go in the Marines. Nor, I have some enlistment papers right• here . . ." We didn't sign. They can't draft a seventh semester senior., Goodbye. • Gazette ... COLLEGE PLACEMENT Equitable Life Assurance Society of the U.S. will interview January graduates in C&F Thursday, Dec. 13. Railer, Raymond and Brown; Inc. will interview graduates at all levels in E.E.. Phys., and Math Monday, Dec. 17. Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. have opportunities in sales leading to retail management or wholesale , sales. Further information may be obtained in' 112 Old Main. STUDENT EMPLOYMENT Women for waitress work from 7:30-to 11 •p:m. in dairy store. Busboy for Mondays from 9 to 12 a.m. Woman for housework five days per week from 11 a.m: to 5 p.m. 'The concrete used in the con struction of the Golden Gate Bridge at San Francisco is enough to• build 10-foot sidewalks „on either' "side of the highway from Omaha to Chicago. By Bibler tip i v. 6, d tell that Y LIFE."
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers