PAGE FOUR Vle Datil; Collegian Sacco/nor to ISE !PREZ LANCE, tot. 1357 Published ruesday through Saturday mornings inclusive sunny the College year by the staff of ebe Daily Colleirisa of ray Pennsylvania State College. Fasteren as second-eines eaatter July 6. 1931. At the State College. Pa. Post Ottiee ander the net of Mardi 3, 1879. Collegian editorials represent the viewpoints of the writ. era, not \ necessarily the, volley of tie newspaper. (Insigne'. editorials ' are by the editor. Mary Krasnanak, Editor Managing Ed., Ron Bonn; City Ed.. George Glazer: Sports Ed., Ernie Moore; Edit. Dir., Bob Fraser; Makeup Ed., Moylary Mills; Wire Ed.. Len Kolasinski; Society Ed., Carolyn Barrett; Feature Ed., Rosemary Delahanty: Asst. City Ed., Lee Stern; Asst. Sports Eds.. Dave Colton, Bob Vosburg; Asst. Society Ed., Greta Weaver; Librarian, Joan Kuntz: Exchange Ed.. Paul Beighley: Senior Bd., Bud Fenton. STAFF, THIS ISSUE • Night editor, Jim Gromiller; copy editors - , - Lynn , Kahanowitz, Chuck Henderson; assistants, Sally Sapper, Chiz Mathias, June Reizes, Betty Allen, John Phillips. More Care Needed In Forum Choices After reviewing the facts surrounding the signing of Upton Close as a bonus speaker for the Community Forum, that group's general committee has decided to allow Close to speak April 7. , The decision, made with only three of the 13 members of the committee taking an oppo site view, was made, not because the , com mittee has any sympathy for the anti-Semitic views of Close, but largely because the corn mittee was aware that banning any speaker after he has been engaged might set a dan- gerous precedent. If there ever has been a speaker who does not deserve a forum on a college campus, it surely must be Upton Close. But in banning Close a precedent would be created which could be cited - in banning other speakers. A large part of the value of any university .or college lies in the fact that such institutions are free to allow all shades of opinion, both of the right and the left, to be presented to its itudents. This duty of a university—to present contrasting views of all shades—must not be tampered with, nor undermined. • Refusing to allow Close 'to speak would have undermined that freedom no matter how much virtue there might be in denying him a plat form. The issue has been settled in a manner which reflects nothing but credit on the committee. The committee has resolved a bad situation in a fashion which leaves Penn State an institution where freedom of expression is not in danger. Still left to be taken, however, are steps which will guarantee that the likes of Upton Close are not again dignified by the Com munity Forum. The decision to engage Close as a forum speaker can be chalked up to nothing but sheer negligence. Needing a bonus speaker, the selec tion committee, which ironically enough was chaired by Dr. Gerald B. M. Stein, the B'nai B'rith representative on the forum group, ap proved a contract . without looking into the man's record. In considering Close, the• committee of Dr. Stein, forum chairman Clayton Schug, and Mrs. S. Lewis Land, found that •he had two virtues: he was available for only', $3OO and he was available for a suitable date: Being duly quali fied, Close was engaged. The point at which .Close should have been turned down as a' Community Forum speaker should have been by this" committee. Close's record of bigotry does not qualify him as a speaker for the Community Forum, and this record should have been known by the com mittee. As we think of the forum, it is' a platform for the expression of ideas of both the right and the left as well as ,the middle of the road. The view of religiou s intolerance is above and beyond political issues, however, and has no place in a democratic Society. ' With its fingers badly burned this once, the forum . should have learned a lesson. We feel certain more care will be taken in the selection of future speakers. Today Is Poll Day Today for the first time Penn State students will have an opportunity to express their opin ions in a Presidential preference poll. The poll, which is being conducted by the Daily Colle gian, is the first of a series which will be made before elections. The poll ballot appears on page 2 of today's Collegian. There will be no advance claims made as to the accuracy of this poll. It is not being con ducted on any statistical basis nor is there guarantee that some students will not cast more than one vote. The degree of accuracy of this poll will be determined by the number of students who participate in it. If a large number do partici pate, then some degree of accuracy could be claimed, with' the ever constant factor that there may be some double voting. In the last poll conducted by the Daily Colle gian, just one week prior to the 1948 national elections, 53 per cent of the Penn State students polled favored Thomas E. Dewey. One or two conclusions can be drawn from this: either the campus pollsters were kvrong or students were wrong. While the accuracy of this poll is not guar anteed, the results should nonetheless be in- leresting. . Edward Shanken Business Mgr. THE DAILY COLLEGIAN. .STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA Amendment Would Hurt Government • After almost one month .of discifs - Sion; the proposed amendment to the All-College Consti tution dealing with student fees is scheduled to come up for a vote when cabinet meets tonight. The amendment, introduced by senior class President David Olmsted, would require that a statistical poll be conducted to determine student opinion on any recommended change in student fees if a- petition signed by ten per cent of_the student body requests such a poll to be taken. For a month now the merits and shortcom ings of this poll have been the chief topics of conversation among stud6nt government lead ers, politicians, and students interested in better student government. - It has been claimed that a statistical poll, which would not be _binding• on-cabinet as it is now' proposed, would be used to give cabinet Members an idea of student thinking. This as far as we can see is its only, virtue. On the red side of the ledger there is enough to make 'this amendment detrimental to student govern ment, rather than helpful. From the very basis of this poll—that it be initiated upon a petition signed by ten per cent of the students—to its end result—that it be used merely as a' guide for cabinet—the amend ment is marked with dangers. Experience with petitions shows that almost anybody can get- students, or other people for that matter, to sign almost any kind, of petition. Such..was the case recently when the D ail y Collegian circulated a petition which, among other things, gave the bearer of the document the right to hang the signer by the neck until dead. Of the 165 students asked to sign the petition. 70 did. Just how easy it is to get students' to sign a petition was illustrated 'two .years ago when• cabinet was hearing the' pros and cons of the Student Union assessment. At that time a peti tion bearing the signatures of 740 students was presented to cabinet by parties who did not have the respect of a large portion of the stu 7 dent body. . The proposal for a statistical poll of -ques tionable accuracy creates the possibility of a situation where a poll may indicate student thinking to be in one direction while cabinet may act in another. If indeed a poll could be guaranteed in accuracy, we could say cabinet was not being representative of the Student body. But if 1936 and 1948 are any indication, the accuracy of these polls is questionable. The - result of such disagreement would be the creation of a breach between students and their government. One of the points madi in discussion on the amendmentlhas beery that it would !wen un- , necessary crut c h which cabinet would be forced to lean on. The amendment _tends to take the responsibility for governing away from the respongible:elected representatives of student gOvernrnetit. One of the benefits gained from participation in student government is that the values it teaches = among 'which 'is responsibility are preparation for . greater.Tesponsibilities in later years .and- away from ;the college campus. The amendment robS student government leaders of the opportunity to learn from this responsibility and it robs the student body of the opportunity to bear• the responSibility of electing qualified and responsible officials and the responsibility of making their wishes known to these elected representatives. The amendment • does all this and more. It caters to the apathy of students and the refusal of students to take an• interest in their govern ment, for it says to the student who just doesn't care and who does not wish to participate in the affairs of the community that he need not bother with government. It 'says to this student: "We know you are apathetic, but that is okay; we will cater to that apathy rather than combat it" And that is exactly what this amendment does: caters to apathy. The framers of this amendment and those who suppoit it are condemning the basic concept of representative democratic govern ment: that the basis for government is in elected repreentatives, and going further, in the ballot box, and in the contacts, personal or otherwise, which the voter has with his representative; The strangest thing to come out of this entire controversy is that while proposing the amend, ment as crutch for student government because of a lack of faith in the current representative system, Olmsted and his friends have used well the very system which they condemn. The issue- is being discussed; student opinion is being obtained, a decision will be made. The issue is being taken to the elected representa tives of the students and a representative vote will be recorded tonight in cabinet. • So on one hand we have the picture of Olm ste-d saying the representative system does not work and needs a crutch. while the same Olm sted is illustrating by his actions that it does work. A vote for good government, student gov ernment which is more than a debating so ciety, will be a vote against the amendment. To be of use In the world is the only way to be happy—Hans Christian Andersen "God will., forgive ate;• that's his business." —Heinrich Heine Little Man On Campus "Professor Snarf, would you mind !.f we stapled one of our little folders to all the bar 2 papers before you turn them back?" The Old Millstream If you want to get married and, don't have the dough, take a tip from Serbs and earn the money for the festivities—and the first year of married life—at the wedding ceremony. It seems there's an old Serb custom that the wedding guests at a Serb splicing have to pay a slight fee for dancing with the bride. Most of the guests desire a dance with the bride. When you have 500 or more guests at a ceremony, that means' the bride and groom-stand to make some nice moola. • Nick and Mira •Lalic h, of • Baltimore, raked in $9OOO a few . weeks ' ago frord such a cere mony. The bride was slightly tired from the three days of, continuous partying, but an old custom, especially a Serbian custom can't be ignored. Any way, who would ignore $9000? The Serbian colony in the Unit ed States is rather small and 800 Serbians, a majority, showed up for the affair. They must have brought along plenty of pocket change for bridal dances. At a Serb wedding, everyone gets into the act as far as throw ing parties is concerned. The bride's parents, the bridesmaids, and the ushers all hosted parties within a 24-hour period. It must have seemed like' IFC weekerid. But don't get -the idea that dancing with the bride for money is the only ancient custom ob served at Serb knot-tying. First of all, the prospective bride receives her engagement ring embedded in an -apple. Wed ding rings have been knciwn to dis'appear when the bride-to-be hasn't eaten for several weeks. Another quaint custom ob served by these Slavic peoples Gazette . . Thursday, March 6 ALPHA'NU, 102 Willard Hall, 7:30 p.m. ART EDUCATION F 0 RUM, McElwain walnut 'lounge, 7 p.m. CHRISTIAN SCIENCE OR- . GANIZATION. 304 Old Main, 6:45 p.m. COLLEGIAN, freshman • board and candidates, 9 Carnegie Hall, 7 p.m. FROTH promption staff, 111 Carnegie Hall, 6:30 p.m. HILLEL GOVERNING BOARD meeting canceled. IN K L I N G PRODUCTION, 9 Carnegie Hall, 7:30 p.m. NEWMAN CLUB, scholastic philosophy ,lecture, 317 Willard Hall, 7:15 p:m. NEWS AND VIEWS, 14 Home' Economics, 6:30 p.m. STATE PARTY WORKSHOP, 10 Sparks, 7 p.m. THETA SIGMA PHI, Gr.6ge game room, 8:45 p.m. WRA SWIMMING, White Hall pool, 7:30 p.m. = - COLLEGE PLACEMENT Aetna Life Insurance Ca. (Group -and THURSDAY, MARCH 6 1952 By MOYLAN MILLS is the buying of the bride from her parents by the head usher. Of course, the head usher is usually a sport about it and im mediately gives her 'over to the bride-groom. The head usher and' the bride's parents are sworn to secrecy and must never reveal the price paid for the bride. After all, a litlle disclosure of this type might ruin an otherwise happy' mar riage. • These weddings are definitely not fly by night affairs. Fifty women. worked for more than a week to prepare the dishes "for Nick's and Mira's reception. The wedding cake itself cost almost $2OO. So the happy couple is now on the way with their loot. to Rio - de Janeiro for a honeymoon. Every. one else connected with the wed ding is probably going home to nurse their empty pockets. Then they'll have to start saving .their money for the next Serbian.wed ding. Maybe that's why the Serbs are such a small: group in the U.S. Who can afford to such luXury as to dance with every Serbian bride? Except, of c our se, the grooms who ,get half - the haul. Pensions Dents.) will interview June grad uates in C&F and L.A. Tuesday, March 18. Delaware Power and, Light Co. will in terview tune graduates in M.E. and 'E.E. Monday, March 17. . Factory Mutual will " interview June graduates in 1.E., E.E., M:E., C.E. and Arch.E. Monday, March .17. Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. will in terview ' June graduates in E.E., ALE., Cb.E., Ag.E., Chem.; L.M.R. and C & F Monday, Marelk 17. Radio Corp. of America will interview graduates at all levels in Chem.,Phys., M.E., LE., C.E., L.A., L.M.R. an C & F Monday, March 17. Sears Roebuck and Co. will interview June graduates interested in a career with Sears Monday, March, 17. Student Christian Movement will inter view June graduates •in Phys. Ed., L.A., Home Ec., Ed., Soc. and Psy. Monday, March 17. Dixie Cup Co. will interview June grad uates in Ch., 1.E., M.E., Chem. and Corn. Wednesday, March 19. •,_ Federal Telecominunications Laboratories, Inc. will interview June graduates in E.E.; Ch.E. and Chem.' Wednesday, March 9; National Carbon Division will interview June graduates in Ch.E. M.E., LE., E.E., Cer., Phys. and Chem. Wednesday, March New Jersey Zinc Co. will interview June graduates in Ch.E., M.E., Min.E., E.E.. Geo. and Metal. Tuesday, March 18. They will also interview 1952 M.S.' and Ph.D. candidates in Ch.E. and Metal. and Ph.D. candidates only in Phys. and Chem. Solvay Process Division will interview June graduates in •Chem.• rind Ch.E. Wed. neada,y., March 19. By Bibler
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