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The Daily Colleerian the iicwsdascf trn<<{cnnt MiitnriKiK
t cnneyl vania State University. Soecem*? te TUB FREE LANC*, cat. lit! arc by the" editor.
Entered as second-class natter
DAVE JONES, Editor
STAFF THIS ISSUE: Night editor, Diehl McKalip; Copy editors, Lee Wheeler, Nancy Ward; As
sistants, Marilyn Ambler, Rodney Felix, Barbara Hendel, Nancy Fortna, and Robert Dunn.
Military Ball Decision Needs a Review
The decisions that made Military Ball week- that this impression existed. The committee
end into a “big” weekend were at first received never said the dance would be opened. It said
with accolades. But fii light of more recent £i° SS u S
, . , ~ . It seems probable, however, that this mis
developments, -hose actions could now stand formation was a big factor in the decisions to
a quick review. make Mil Ball weekend a big weekend. The
The Senate committee on student affairs ap- Mill Ball, however, need not be forced open,
proved the dance for special hours, and Worn- If the military groups sponsoring the dance
en’s Student Government Association and wish restriction, that is their prerogative. But
Interfraternity Council followed with special big weekend classification does not seem logical
considerations. This created Penn State’s fourth f° r a restricted dance.
big weekend. Theoretically, the restriction of ticket sales
But the Mil Ball is restricted in its attendance, prohibits those not within ROTC—and all coeds
not only in the number of tickets sold, but —from buying Mil Ball tickets. These people,
in who may purchase tickets. And this lim'i- however, may buy tickets through ROTC stu
talion makes some wonder if such a dance dents. But if this is true, what is the sense in
should be classed as a big weekend., restricting sales to ROTC students?
Restriction in the number of tickets sold may The defense, of course, is that ROTC students
be a good idea, since it makes the dance dance- must be given a chance to attend their own
able. But restriction of sales to advanced and dance. That is true. And because it is, it appears
basic ROTC students is a different matter. Be- the dance is really not a big weekend dance,
cause of the latter restriction, many students and not an all-University affair,
who wanted to go to the dance may have been It would be good for the Senate committee,
deprived of the opportunity. And some of those or All-College Cabinet, to review the classifi
who did buy tickets waited in line overnight to cation of big weekends. There is no official
get them. designation for “big weekend.” But the student
The Senate committee issued the late dance body and administration knows which are the
hours on the basis of dance attendance and big weekends.
name band. The IFC and WSGA action provided If a name band and attendance are the deier
a clincher to the classification as big weekend. minants, the Mil Ball classifies. A logical pre-
But there was a belief by many that this year’s requisite, however, would require the dance
Mil Ball would be open to any student who be an all-University function. Mil Ball does not
wished to buy a ticket; or at least, not limited fit in this And until it does, there
to ROTC cadets. is considerable doubt as to whether it deserves
It is not the fault of the Mil Ball committee big weekend recognition.
Campus Radio Stations
Last night, the campus radio station staff
started walking on its way to what may be
come an extremely successful radio broadcasting
station.
Two weeks ago, the entire staff went through
two days of “dry runs” —complete programming
without broadcasting—saw what they had ac
complished, and what still had to be done. Then
came two weeks of final advance preparation.
Now station WDFM is practically on the air.
Practically because the transmitter will not be
turned on yet for a short time.
The staff has been working hard toward its
goal: the best station possible. It conducted sur
veys to discover what the students want on the
station. It has spent many hours planning,
rehearsing, rewriting, and getting the programs
into final shape for what is now going on.
Station WDFM is in the process of seven-days
a-week actual programming of an entire pro
posed schedule of programs. These shows will
be practiced, improved, and made ready for a
day in the near future when the switch to the
transmitter will be thrown and the station
will be broadcasting.
Unfortunately, due to equipment shortage
which has hampered the station's progress,
WDFM will only be broadcasting on FM for the
first few weeks. Later, after translators Eire
Fraternity Action: Discrimination Cloak?
In a series of meetings this past weekend, the
National Interfraternity Conference finally took
a united stand on an issue that has vexed the
fraternity system for some time. The outcome,
however, is both disappointing and regrettable."
The conference passed the following auton
omy resolution, cloaking the resolution in the
outward desire for continued “unity of purpose
and compatibility of interests” in the fraternity
system: “that in the opinion of the National
Interfraternity Conference each member fra
ternity should have the right to adopt qualifi
cations for membership applicable to all its
chapters free from any interference or restric
tion by any non-member.”
The report of the committee on fraternity
autonomy stated the problem of membership
criteria had arisen "as a result of effort by sev
eral college administrators to regulate member
ship criteria." However, the reasons why these
colleges ruled as they did should be kept in
view: otherwise, the picture is distorted.
Today
ACEI, 7 p.m., Atherton Lounge.
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS RESEARCH AS
SOCIATION MIXER, 7:30 p. m., Sigma Pi.
NEW BAVARIAN SCHUPLATTELERS, 8 p.m.,
405 Old Main.
NEWMAN CLUB, 7:30 p.m., Catholic Student
Center
PENNS VALLEY SKI CLUB AND OUTING
CLUB, 7:30 p.m., 109 Agriculture.
PHI UPSILON OMICRON, 6:45 p.m., Home Ec
onomics Living Center.
WRA MODERN DANCE CLUB, 7 p.m., White
Hall Rhythm room.
WRA UPPERCLASS BOWLING CLUB, 7 p.m.,
White Hall alleys.
Tomorrow
ART EDUCATION FORUM, 7:30 p.m., 138 Tem
porary.
PENN STATE GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY,
7:30 p.m., 218 Mineral Science.
J«ly S. 19M at tfcc State Cellere, Fa. Post Office ander the act af Hmrcli 3. I*7».
Gazette •..
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN. STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA
VINCE DRAYNE. Business Mgr.
Money Well-Spent
installed, students in dormitories with AM radios
will be able to listen to the station.
And until that switch is thrown, putting the
station on the air, everything will be going
through final rehearsal—realistic program days
without transmission of signals.
Many students will be able to hear WDFM
when it first goes on the air. Many townspeople
will also.be listening. Many persons, permanent
residents of State College, have radios with FM
bands. There are also FM sets in some dormi
tory lounges, fraternity houses, and sorority
suites. So the station will not be without an
audience.
The WDFM program schedule is definitely
aimed at a University level. The schedule calls
for all kinds of music: popular, semi-classical,
and classical. Much of the music will be of the
easy-to-listen-to-while-studying type. Up-to-the
minute newscasts and programs to acquaint the
audience with what's going on at the University
will be broadcast.
Now, WDFM is set to serve the University
with a top-notch program schedule as soon as
the final kinks are worked out. This should not
take long. And when that time arrives, the
student body should find its radio fee assess
ment well-spent.
Each of the fraternities in question either
.practiced its biases and prejudices pursuant to
a discriminatory clause in its charter, or was
itself a victim of prejudice when expelled from
the national organization for admitting to mem
bership members of one minority or another.
In other words, there were two kinds of dis
criminatory practices that these college admin
istrators were trying to curb.
Yet, both the report and the resulting resolu
tion of the NIC refuse to come to grips with
this basic and underlying problem w in the fra
ternity system.
Instead, the resolution gives tacit consent to
such action of the national organization, and
any discriminatory practice of a member fra
ternity.
What, then, becomes the “purpose” and the
“interest” of the fraternities?
Devotion to undemocratic—much less un-
American—principles is hardly praiseworthy.
—Len Goodman-
POLITICAL SCIENCE CLUB, Dr. Ernst Freund
speaker, 7:30 p.m., Home Ec Living Center.
STUDENT EMPLOYMENT
Waiters wanted on and off campus.
PLACEMENT SERVICE
The companies listed below will conduct interviews on
campus. Schedule interviews now in 112. Old Main.
WHEELING STEEL COMPANY will interview Jan. B.S.
graduates in Ch.E, Chem., CE, EE, lE, ME, Fuel' Tech, and
Metal, on Dec. 3.
BENDIX-WESTINGHOUSE (AUTOMOTIVE AIR
BRAKE CO.) will interview Jan. B.S. graduates in ME
on Dec. 3.
M. W. KELLOGG CO. will interview Ph.D. candidates in
Chem., Ch.E expecting to receive their degrees in 1954; M.S.
candidates in CE, ME, and Ch.E who have completed at least
one semester; and B.S. Jan. graduates in CtuE in. Dec. 7.
STANDARD PIEZO CO. will interview Jan. graduates in
Bus. Adm., Bus. Mngt., Eco., lE, Arts and Letters, Labor
Management Relations, and Math, on Dec. 7.
ATLAS POWDER CO. (CENTRAL RESEARCH LAB.)
will interview Jan. B.S. graduates in Chem., Ch.E, Mining
E, lE, CE: M.S. candidates in Ch.E, and Chem. who have
completed at least one semester; and Ph.D. candidates in
Ch.E and Chem. expecting to receive - their-degrees in 1954
•u Dec. 8*
The plan for today called for a light going over on ROTC, the
army, and military life in general. However, I read a column Mon
day night that deserves a little passing comment. And so,, the mili
tary will have at least a week to live it up a little.
The _column in question was written by Robert C. Ruark, a
fairly well known columnist. His main gripe for the day seemed
to be students. He apparently
doesn’t like them. Why? They
think. Right or wrong, they at
least make some kind of attempt
at exercising the gray tissue stuff
ed between their ears. This, ac
cording to Ruark, is wrong.
I gathered from his outburst
that the reason for his displeas
ure was the report that riots in
Rome and Trieste, over the Tri
este issue, were largely the work
of students. It naturally follows,
then, that such things as panty
raids in this country are one
aspect of an overall character
istic of students, Le. violence as
an outward manifestation.
—Bill Josl
Wire editor
In this manner, Ruark tells all
students they should not try to
think. The fact that panty raids
in this country are precipitated by
a minority is beside the point.
Since I was not in Trieste or Rome
at the time of the riots there, I will
not venture a guess as to what
percentage of the students in
those two cities took part in the
festivities.
The riots may illustrate some
thing other than a love for activ
ity. The students in Europe, by
their action, reveal an interest in
something other- than sex. Sex is
fine, but it has yet to solve a na
tional problem other than sparse
ness of population.
Riots are not the answer to
settling national problems eith
er. But the action shows that
students are at least doing a lit
tle thinking on national subjects.
It might also be remembered
that particularly in southern
Europe, .riot s—not debates—
have been the means of express
ing displeasure with national
situations or governmental acr
lions. It might also be kept in
mind that the person whose
main concern is his next meal
is not likely to take up violent
action unless he is deprived of
the' meal. If this happens, he,
too, will probably lake violent
action in the name of sex, or
anything else that a spirited
orator names as the cause of his
trouble.
In maintaining his stand on stu
dent thinking, Ruark said:
“As part of college discipline,
students should be made to write
100 times daily in all languages,
including Sanskrit —‘I will riot
confuse myself with adults and
will try hard not to think on the
same plane with my elders. This
especially includes politics.”
I suppose this means that our
Little Man on Campus
How's about getting somewhere outta sight—That's the secoi
•rof that's looked in here and fainted." v
Cjfancintg -Ground
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1953
-At CL P,er
elders always think on the same
high plane.- Judging from some
samples of thinking by “elders,”
I’m sure I “will try hard not to
think on the same plane with my
elders” on any subject.
As far as students confusing
themselves with adults is con
cerned, I'm sure this philosophy
will be greeted with ecstasy by
the vast number of educators
who are knocking themselves
out trying to get students to act
like adults, not to mention think
like adults.
Ruark’s opinions of students
who try to think and express their
thoughts apparently come from
his college days, and a casual look
around since the day he was grad
uated. He said:
“When I was a lad in college, all
my wise compatriots were busy
writing learned essays on world
matters, communism, literature
and the arts. Some were busily
joining the Communist Party.
Others were telling Herbert Hoov
er what to do about the depres
sion and second-guessing Roose
velt when he came in.
“A few of us earned the finger
of scorn from our betters since we
devoted ourselves mainly to the
pursuit of happiness, coeds and
corn whiskey and read only. the
sports pages. Of that group, most
of them grew up to succeed. The
long-skulls who wrote the learned
essays for the campus paper most-,
ly wound up as minor clerks and
press agents.”
I have yet fo hear a professor.
■ or anyone with any amount of
education, recommend ' that the
solution to matters worthy of
serious consideration is found
in the bottom of a whiskey bot
tle, in the sports pages (with all
due respect to my journalistic
(Continued on page five)
Photo Schedule
The unofficial schedule for
LaVie group pictures tonight
at the Penn State Photo Shop
is:
Men's Debate 6:30
Forensic Council 6:50
Board of Dramatics
and Forensics 7:10
Senate 7:30
Farmer 7:50
Bv Bible:
Ey DICK RAU
LaYie Group