PA GE FOUR
lr Bang . Coltegiati
Successor to THE FREE LANCE, um UM
Published Tuesday through Saturday mornings imelludive
daring the College year by the staff of The Daily Collegian
of The Pennsylvania State College-
Entered as second-class smatter • July 1,, 1934, at tits State
College. Pa., Post Office ander the act of March 3. 1875.
Collegian editorial. represent tin viewpoint of the
writers. not necessarily the policy of the newspaper. (1w
signed editorials are by the editor.
Dave PeUnita Franklin S. Kelly
Editor Business Mgr.
•
Managing Ed., Andy McNeillie: City Ed., Dave Jones:
Sports Ed., Jake Dighton: Copy Ed.. Bettie Long; Edit. Dir.,
Mimi Ungar; Wire Ed.. Chuck Henderson: Soc. Ed.,LsVona*
Althouse: Asst. Sports Eds., Ted Saes's, Bob Shoellkopf:
Asst. Soc. Ed., Lynn Kahanowitz: Feature Ed.. Barry Fein:
Librarian and Exchange Ed.. Bob Landis: Photo Ed.. Bruce
Schroeder.
Aast. Bus. Mgr., Richard Smith: Local Advertising Mgr..
Virginia Bowman; National. Adv. Mgr., Alison Morley:
Circulation Co-Mgrs., Gretchen Henry, Kenneth Wolfe; Per.
sonnel Mgr., Elizabeth Agnew.; Promotion Co-Mgrs., Teresa
Moslak, Don Stohl; Classified Adv. Mgr., Marty Worthington:
Office Mgr., Mary Ann Wertman; Senior Board, Nancy
Marcinek. Rath Pierce. Betty Richardson and Elizabeth
Widman.
STAFF THIS ISSUE
Editorial Staff: Night Editor, Phil Austin;
Copy Editors, Nancy Ward, Tammie Bloom; As
sistants, Janice Laird, Jeannine Vandeuren, Ann
Leh, Mike Feinsilber.
•
Ad Staff: Louise Caspary.
Paperbound Texts
Would Cut Costs
(Reprinted from The Cavalier Daily, 'Uni
versity of Virginia, March 18, 1953.)
"This nation spends five times as much every
year on dogfood as it does on college textbooks,"
we are informed by the current bulletin of the
American Textbook Publishers Institute.
We are also told that less than one per cent
of the educational dollar is spent on textbooks,
and that textbook prices have climbed only 39
per cent since 1939, while book manufacturing
costs have gone up more than 70 per cent, and
wholesale commodity prices have been upped
more than 120 per cent.
While this assortment of facts is interesting
and no doubt quite reliable, we are puzzled.
Is the purpose of the ATPI to preface and
softpedal a boost in the cost of textbooks, or
is it about to shirk the publishing racket and
enter the dogfood business, since there seems
to be so much money in it?
At any rate, allow us to make a suggestion
to the American Textbook Publishers Institute
—since so many books are now being ,pub
lished in paperbound pocket editions, why
can't more textbooks be made available in a
similar format?
Tile benefits of such a step, both for the pro
fessor and for the student, are multiple and
manifest. The student would be able to purchase
much more for his money by paying 35, 50,., or
60 cents for a textbook rather than several dol
lars.
Paperbacked textbooks would be easy to
handle, easy to carry, and could be stocked in
large enough quantities by the bookstores to
prevent shortages. The professor could offer,
his students a wider range of reading if enough
books were made available in pocket 'editions,
as has already been demonstrated in the Eng
lish (literature) department where extensive
use is being made of paperbacked books.
There can be little practical objection to the
printing of, textbooks in cheap editions—if it is
possible to publish such diversified material
as Barlett's Quotatons (abridged), dictionaries,
world atlases, and poetry anthologies (all of
which are now on the newsstands), it must also
be possible to print histories, economics texts.
etc., in similar style.
Both the educator and the student are faced
with financial problems today—a reduction
in the cost of textbooks would help make edu
cational ends meet a little easier.
—William L. Tazewell
More Care Needed
In Posting Sigris
Each year as the campus political campaigns
open, both parties rush to indiscriminately plas
ter downtown store windows with posters ex
postulating on the merits of the various can
didates. Every year, too, most of these posters
are either torn down or taken down by the
store owners. Sometimes the absence of the
posters brings charges by one party against the
other.
It would seem that by this time the campus
politicos would have learned a few lessons
regarding posters. Evidently, they have not.
In the first place, it seems only proper that
local merchants be asked if posters may be taped
to their windows. In some cases this has been
done, and usually in these cases, the posters
have remained up longer than usual.
But the best thing to do would be to get per
mission to place posters inside the windows, thus
eliminating the problems of souvenir seekers,
the not too gentle April breezes, the students
who on Saturday night are "feeling good," the
overzealous par t y workers, and the littered
State College streets—an eyesore unappreciated
by the borough fathers.
If the party leaders would be willing to take
a little more time in getting their posters put
up, rather than trying to "get there the fastest
with the mostest, ' their poster campaigns
m!gh be less expensive as well as more effec
jive.
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN. STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA
Education. Budget
Shouldn't Be Cut
The taxpayers of Pennsylvania ,are overjoyed
by the proposed economy cut in appropriations
Par state departments. With the high cost of
living, this is politically a good idea, especially
with elections in the near future. However, one
• little point has been neglected by the taxpayers
in their joyous anticipation of no tax increase.
If the proposed budget decrease goes through,
the schools in the state will suffer more than
anything else.
If educational facilities suffer, in the long
run, so will the state and its residents. Much
has been written about the small amount of
American revenue that goes info the educa
'tional system, but the problem still exists.
Program after program has received , big bon
uses and appropriation while the money re
ceived by schools remains relatively the same
—small.
Among the' many things to be denied the
College if the proposed plan goes through are
the new animal and poultry disease laboratory
the state's share of the atomic reactor cost,
salary increases for College employees, and re
placement of the swine which weredestroyed by
last year's plague. Many of the programs for
which the College requires money will benefit
the people within the state more than the Col
lege itself in the long run.
No matter what sarcastic remarks-are made
along the line, the future of the world, coun
try, and state depends upon educating the
youth of today. Education receives little
enough—must'the proposed economy cut take
such a large slice from a program so vital to
the world of today? —AI Munn
Student Handbook
The business manager of the Student Hand
book for 1953-54, Morton Zieve, has called for
volunteers to work on the advertising staff.
Student support of the publication on both the
advertising and editorial staffs will be necessary
for the success of the handbook.
The incoming freshman's opinion of the Col
lege will be formed to some extent by the
impression he receives from the handbook. In
order tr create the most favorable impression
possible, the efforts of many will be necessary.
—Dick Rau
Safety Valve
Objections to Calendar
TO THE EDITOR: We would like to protest
the new calendar revision.
The College Senate approved the new plan
which is supposed to meet all objections for
merly expressed. According to the new plan,
the Thanksgiving recess will be 4 1 / 2 days long.
In the catalog for the 1953-54 session, the same
length of time is given. Neither is the spring
recess different under the new plan.
One change is that a longer vacation at mid
semester will occur. Why make it so long that
the spring semester must be lengthened? Even
C. 0. Williams. the dean of admissions, should
not need this much time to prepare for reg
istration.
The College Senate explained the increased
length of the spring semester is a means to
compensate for "days lost during Thanksgiving
vacation, and Memorial Day, when it occurs
during the period scheduled for classes, for days
lost by administrative proclamation for special
occasions, and for the increased mid-semester
vacation." This means that most students won't
be able to work in the summer until the middle
of the third week in June. •
Does the College Senate realize how difficult
it is to obtain summer employment even now
when students reach home by the second week
in June? Employers want summer employees to
start work as early as possible. They won't hold
off hiring until the Penn State students can
come home. Instead, they are going to hire
those who are available when the employers
need them. The longer the time before they can
work, the less the possibilities of obtaining a
Well-paying job..
There are many students who need these
jobs to continue their education.
The College Senate should look into the pos
sibilities of shortening the vacation at mid
semester and bringing the close of the spring
semester nearer the beginning of June.
Gazette ...
April 15, 1953
AGRICULTURE CLUB, 7 p.m., 210 Agricul
ture.
CHESS CLUB, 7 p.m., 3 Sparks.
WRA LACROSSE CLUB, 4:15 p.m., 1 White
Hall, experienced and inexperienced.
MARKETING CLUB, 7:30 p.m., Beta Theta Pi.
MI STUDENT COUNCIL, 7 p.m., 208 Willard.
PSYCHOLOGY CLUB, 7 p.m., 204 Burrowes.
RIDING CLUB; canceled.
STUDENT EMPLOYMENT
Camp Conrad Weiser, Pa., will interview men
April 16 and 17.
Camp Starlight, Pa.. will interview men and
women April 17.
Camp Nokomis. New York, will interview men
- and women April 23.
Married couple without children for summer
job near State College.
Men wanted for general outdoor work, garden
and lawn care, etc.
Asbury Arlington Hotel, New Jersey, will inter
view men and women, April 24.
Men with half-days wanted for the remainder
of the semester.
—Names withheld
Little Man On Campus
"New faculty member named Carter—beginning teacher, single
—no dependents."
WISE AND OTHERWISE
Liberal
Lacks Full Meaning
Too many colleges are failing to give the full meaning, and pur
pose of a liberal education, according to a recent report from the
Ford Foundation. The foundation based its report on a survey con
cerning student transition from high school to college.
Too many students, the report says, never know what a liberal
• education is. Many find out only
after they have completed their
college careers.
Students in the survey had
•three major complaints, all of
which have often been applied
to Penn State by its students.
Students generally com
plained about poor teaching.
especially in the fjrst two years
of college and in basic or sur
vey courses. The majority of
students 'questioned felt• they
had, better teaching in the last
two' years of high school than
in the first two of college.
Students also complained about
the impersonality of the large
university. This has also been one
student complaint against Penn
State, but that complaint is not
valid.
College students who cannot ad
just themselves to the imperson
ality of a large university will
not be able to adjust themselves
to an even more impersonal and
larger world upon graduation.
The individual, in his tendency
toward becoming lost in .the so
ciety, has been forced to adjust
himself to that society. Those who
cannot conquer the largeness of
a college are, perhaps, somewhat
immature. -
The advantages of a large
university often outweigh the:,
disadvantages of its size.
Through its largeness, such a
college may often provide wider
academic opportunities and im
p r o v e d educational facilities.-
And, except for a few cases,
the larger university is better
able to enlist outstanding pro
fessors and speakers than a
small college. The individual
educational cost at a large uni
versity is often lower.
Perhaps the most important
criticism of colleges, and a valid
one, is the lack of stimulus to ac
tive, independent thinking. "We
find clear evidence of wasteful
duplication and of barren work,"
the report said. "We find import
ant gaps in training and intellect
ual experience. Most serious of
all, we find that many students
do not do as well as they should."
Many students favored. a more
ma tur e approach to learning,
especially in the last year of
school. They favored the use of
advanced texts and source ma
terials, assignments in 1 a r g e r
blocks, more training in. critical
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 1953
Education
By DAVE JONES
analysis, and a chance to _work
on their own.
Penn State, unfortunately, in
many ways suffers from this im
mature approach to learning, and
perhaps in a greater extent from
immature approachers to learn
ing.
Too many professors believe
class attendance and grades
more impOrtant than learning.
Too many students believe the
same things. Regulation. of class
cutting and intentional schedul
ing of exams before vacations
are two examples of this im
mature approach.
Such a learning approach is
necessitated by the type of stu
dent. As long as we educate on
quantity rather than quality, such
controls will be necessarily placed
on students. And not until edu
cation returns to a select number
will those controls be removed.
Engineer - Field
To Be Studied
A program to study educational
techniques used in training engi
neers is being introduced to the
College by' the Westinghouse Ed
ucational Foundation. This pro
gram will be known as the George
Westinghouse Professorship in En
gineering Education.
- .
The program is designed to pro
*vide educational short cuts in the
engineering field and to supply
better-trained engineers to allevi
ate the shortage.
Thp job of the scientist who
will be chosen for the George
Westinghouse Professorship will
be to define and refine the liberal
and cultural needs of engineering
students in relation to their sci
entific background.
Tickets Now Available
For Forestry Banquet
Tickets for the annual Forestry
Banquet sponsored by the For
estry Society are on sale at the
main office of the Forestry Build
ing. •
Price of the.tickets, which may
also be purchased from officers
of the Forestry . Society, is $3.
The" banquet Will be held May
1 at the Nittany Lion. Inn.
By Bible