PAGE FOUR
rut:lust:ea Tuesday through Sat- I • Juilegtan editorials represent
urday mornings inclusive during a. B at t g c a tt rg i att the eiewPehet of the w ri e ere'
the University year by the staff not necessarily the Polley of the
•
if The Daily Collegian of the newspaper Unsigned editorials
"ronsivivsnis gtote University. .. ..
SCItCe664I, to THE MEE LANCE. est. MI " are by the editor
Entered In second-class matter Jut, 5. !SU at the State College, Ps. Peet Office en
DAVE JONES. Editoe
STAFF THIS ISSUE: Night editor, Jack Reid; Copy editors, Baylee Friedman, Bev Dickinson; As
sistants, Gay Snodgrass, Nancy Gray, Joanne Wohleber, Ruth Barnard, and Ron Gatehouse. Ad Staff,
Cindy Manarin, Rod Adams.
Panhel System: In Theory and in Practice
The system of rotating the Panhellenic Coun
cil presidency among member sororities is un
democratic, and therefore it would seem a
democratic election system should be substi
tuted. But there is more to the problem than
mere democratic form. There is the problem of
a democratic practical result.
The rotation system prevents cooperative
efforts to put the presidency in control of a few
sororities. And yet a general election system, if
it produced control of the majority by a few
sororities, would certainly not result in democ
racy.
It is a question of where the emphasis is put—
on democracy as a theory, on democracy as .a
practice. Some say we cannot have a demo
cratic organization if the president is not demo
cratic. But it is not the way the executive is
chosen that shows democracy. The French pre
mier is not the choice of the people— he is
the man who can get the most legislative
parties to back him. This process is not truly
democratic, and yet France is considered a de-.
mocracy.
On the other hand, Russia has a democratic
framework, but Russia is no democracy. It has
the form, but not the practice. And this might
be Panhel's condition with a general election
system. ,
A general election system, some argue, would
prevent a situation in which the best qualified
candidate would be bypassed because it was
not her sorority's turn for the presidency. Un
doubtedly the best qualified is not always given
the job. But it makes no sense to claim there
is only one who can do the job well. A demo
cratic country is not one in which there is only
one man capable of the presidency. That is the
assumption of a dictatorship.
Under the proposed amendment to the rota-
A New Name for the Student Union
The Student Union building will be needing
a bona fide name one of these days, and the
time for suggestions for that name is drawing
to an end. Students who wish to make them
selves heard on the subject must act fast.
Some students feel there is no need to call
the new building anything but the Student
Union. They reason students in the future will
call it the Student Union anyway, regardless of
its official name.
University officials favor giving the building
a new name because the term "Student" Union
does not really describe its purpose. Such a
name could make faculty and townspeople re
luctant to use the building because they would
feel it was for students alone.
Naming the Student Union building will be
one of the few such events in which students
will have a chance to take part. And although
students will constantly use the building, rela
tively few suggestions for a name have been
forthcoming.
The Sttident Union Board has discussed four
possibilities: Hetzel Union Building, after former
President Ralph Dorn Hetzel; Warnock Union
Building, after former Dean of Men Arthur R.
Warnock; Memorial Union Building, after Penn
State's war dead; and University Center, in line
Gazette ...
Tonight
AIM TOWN COUNCIL, 7:30 p.m., 106 Willard.
LAKONIDES, 6:30 p.m., White Hall.
MINERAL INDUSTRIES STUDENT COUNCIL,
7:30 p.m., 108 Willard.
NEWMAN CLUB BASKETBALL GAME, 8:30
p.m., Lutheran Student Association.
MINING ENGINEERING SOCIETY, 7:30 p.m.,
217 Willard.
NEWMAN CLUB MISSION, 7 p.m., Our Lady
of Victory Church. . . .
OMICRON NU, 8 p.m., Home Economics Living
Center.
PHI UPSILON OMICRON, 6:30 p.m., Home
Economics Living Center.
PLAYERS ADVERTISING WORKSHOP, 6:45
p.m., Schwab Auditorium loft.
RADIO GUILD BUSINESS MEETING, 7:30
p.m., 312 Sparks.
INFIRMARY
John Apgar, Mavourneen Bender, Burritt
Haag, Joseph Hayes, Lois Nissley, John Nute,
Robert O'Brien, Emmalyn Schwing, James
Smith, Ronald Solovitz, George Stark, Robert
Wainscott, Roy Walker.
STUDENT EMPLOYMENT
The following camps will interview prospective
counselors. Students may sign up at the
Student Employment office: Barree—Feb. 24;
Trail's End—Feb. 27; Hiram House—March 2;
Conrad Weiser—March 3; Herald Tribune
Fresh Air Camps—March 12; Abington YMCA
Day Camps—March 16.
PLACEMENT SERVICE
ARMSTRONG CORK CO. will interview graduating seniors
in Journalism, Bus. Adm., Eco., Liberal Arts, Chem (or
ganic preferred) and Physics, Arch E, ChE, CE, lE, M&E
on Mar. 9 and 10.
PROCTOR & GAMBLE CO. will interview graduating seniors
in ChE, CE, EE, lE, ME, Chcm, and M.S. candidates
in the above fields who have completed at least one
semnstrr on l'sarch 9 and 10.
SYLVA NI A •. LI1"7.1 . 11I.C: CO. will intezview graduating
seniors in EE. ME.• IE, ChE, Ceramics. MetaL, Chem.,
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN. STATE COLLEGE. PENNSYLVANIA
VINCE DRAYNE. Business Mgr.
• 10;;V:10, '. ...' •
Lion system, five women would be suggested by
the sorority whose turn it is for the presidency.
If one was accepted, the office would pass to
the next sorority with the former sorority having
a chance again the next year. Surely during that
time there would be one woman from the soror
ity capable of the presidency.,
It is unfortunate the sorority system needs
an undemocratic practice to insure a democratic
result. But this failing is not limited to Panhel.
Justices of the Supreme Court are not popularly
elected because they cannot be put in a position
in which their decisions are influenced by public
opinion. Yet the judicial system is not called
undemo crate.
At Penn State there is an unwritten law pro
viding for the rotation of the All-College presi
dent and class officers between fraternity and
independent students each year. This year we
have an All-College president who is a fraternity
man. Next election both parties will nominate
an independent for the job. It may not be strictly
democratic, but it prevents elections from sink
ing into a fraternity-independent squabble.
Although the .fraternity-independent problem
is different from the inter-sorority problem, the
rotation system exists for the same reason—to
prevent an internal fight which, in the case of
Panhel, might well cause the collapse of the
council.
Ideally, institutions in a democracy should be
democratic. But this is not always possible. The
question sorority women must face is whether
it is more important for Panhel to have a com
pletely democratic framework that will satisfy
the democratic purists, or that Panhel have
working democracy that will satisfy those con
cerned with democracy as a practical result, as
well as a theory.
with the institution's new name. The board will
present the four suggestions to All-College Cab
inet, expressing preference for Hetzel Union
Building.
Final decision on the name, however, does
not rest with the student body, as some believe.
Cabinet will discuss the Student Union Board
suggestions, plus any others mentioned, and
will decide upon the name it prefers. This action
will be on behalf of the student body.
Cabinet's decision merely will be a recom
mendation to the University Board of Trustees.
The board will then consider
_cabinet's sug
gestion, along with any others, before it de
cides upon a name. University buildings are
traditionally named after persons who have
done much for Penn State in their lifetimes.
Names are always chosen by the Board of
Trustees.
There is, of course, no reason to believe the
trustees will adopt the student suggestion.
There is good reason, however, to believe the
trustees will give the student suggestion con
siderable thought.
With Penn State's centennial in the offing,
and the building due to open in that year, there
could .be no better time for students to make
themselves heard on such a matter. Here is a
chance the student body must not miss.
`Security Risks'
The very dangerous practice of the national
administration making irresponsible attacks on
the party out-of-power has finally been curbed.
This has come about as a result of natural work
ings of the separation of powers on the federal
level, and the not so natural unity of the Demo
cratic Party.
A start in the breakdown of the 2200 "security
risks" ousted by the Eisenhower administration
was made last week by the Democrats on the
House appropriations committee. At that time
the committee forced the Treasury department
to disclose how many dismissals, or security
risks, were accused of disloyalty.
The results of the breakdown were: four of
131 dismissals accused of disloyalty. Other de
partment breakdowns later in the week dis
closed that 23 of 132 dismissed were accused
of disloyalty in the Commerce department, one
of eight in the Justice department, and 12 of 534
in the State department.
The category of; subversives, or those accused
of disloyalty, was also attacked by the Demo
crats 'as much too broad. Further clarification
of the situation was promised.
But, what a hoax the party-in-power almost
pulled! Even though some continued to imply
past administrations of Democrats had been in
fested with "commies of all shades," other,
more honest men, were retracting past state
ments as "unfortunate mistakes."
And, what a dangerous practice was begun:
the practice of labelling, the opposition as dis
loyal. It is more than an interesting comment
that many totalitarian regimes began this way.
—Len Goodman
Phys.; M.S. candidates in EE, ME, ChE, Ceramics, Metal.,
Chem., Phys. who have 'completed at least one semester;
and Ph.D. candidates in EE, Metal., Chem.,
and Phys.
expecting to meeivc their degrees in 1954, on March 5.
THE TEXAS CO. will intcrvilw graduating seniors in ChE,
EE.- ME, and. PNG on March 8.
er the aet of Kurth S. 1879
—Paddy Beahan
Little Man on
"By the way, Prof—what's th' name of this course anyway?"
WIRE AND WIRELESS
Big Story
Once again it is time to check through our file of humorous Asso
ciated Press wire stories, select the average and best for this column,
and send the rest to a local magazine known as Froth.
On top of the pile is an AP s'
fraught mother phoned police to
She noted it was after 10 p.m. and
told police operator Joe Day her
son never stayed out that late be
fore
Day ask ed, "How old is the
boy?"
"He's 55," the mother replied.
* * *
MIAMISBURG, Ohio (IP)
Troubles just kept piling up on
Rufus Stapleton, 32. He was in
volved in a weekend accident
and must pay $25 damages for
denting the fender of an auto
mobile. But there's mor e.
Charged with intoxication, he
also ran through a red light,
police said, failed to put a coin
in a parking meter, and hid un
der a parked car when they
tried to arrest him.
Stapleton was riding a horse.
There's still another traffic
story. Out in Detroit, barefooted
Robert Smith had a novel excuse
when he was 'hauled into traffic
court for running through two red
lights and speeding 80 miles an
hour.
He told the traffic referee, "I
was driving barefoot because my
feet were sore and swollen. They
felt like lead. I couldn't even feel
the accelerator."
He did feel the $lOO fine.
MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. (A ) )—
Lake Norfolk has been at a low
level and Mr. and Mrs. S. R.
Beaird took advantage to search
along the shore. They found ten
rods and reels, 11 anchors, more
than a bushel basket of artificial
baits, about 125 pounds of sink
ers, pocket knives, pipes, and a
wallet containing $7OO.
Must be better than fishin'.
One of the guests at a pretty
Louisville nurse's wedding may
wind up swinging from the
church chandelier.
If he does, it will be a big dis
appointment to the 21-year-old
nurse. Her pet ringtail, Yatchie,
will be dressed in a white satin
tuxedo and she doesn't want any
monkeyshines out of him.
There have been no objections
to Yatchie's presence at the
wedding, not even front the
nurse's fiance.
They declined to say whether
or not the monkey is going along
on the honeymoon.
* * *
A woman in Datona Beach, Fla.,
really showed up the men the
other day, we hate to admit.
She lassoed a four-foot alligator
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24;1954
Campus
ory from Little Rock, Ark. A 'dis
eport her son had not come home.
as it crawled along a city street
while half a dozen husky males,
kept at bay- by the creature's
gnashing teeth and slashing tail,-
just watched.
A Datona Beach patrolman
called to the scene told the wo
man, "You've got more nerve than
I have."•
The cop called the local sea: zoo
and an attendant carried the alli
gator away.
Jeweler Silent
In Red Spy
Investigation
WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 (M--
Mrs. Victoria Stone, a New York
jeweler, refused today to answer
more than 60 questions about Red
spying in the United States.
When members of the House
Un-American Activities Commit
tee told her they had evidence
linking her with Communist es
pionage in the '3os and '405,.. Mrs.
Stone exclaimed:
"I have definitely denied it time
and time again, and I refuse to
answer -again."
She said she based her refusal
on the grounds "the committee
tends to incriminate and degrade
me."
The witness, a plump woman of
50, was near tears at the end of
20 minutes of questioning. She
protested she had testified for the
committee in 1948 without invok
ing her constitutional protection
against self-incrimination, an d
had appeared before a grand jury,
but "still it goes on."
All she wants now, Mrs. Stone
told the committee emotionally, is
a chance to forget about her past.
Chairman Velde (R-Ill) said pre
vious testimony indicated she was•
an associate of Arthur Alexandro
vitch Adams, identified as a Red
spy who fled from this country in
1945. •
Tonight on WDFM
91.1 MEGACYCLES
7:25 ---___ Sign on
7:30 •
8:00
8:15 ___---- Bob Crosby Show
8:30 __- Segue Session
9:00. Semi-pops
9:15 • Campus News
9:30 __ Masterworks Hour
10:30 - Sign. off
By Bibler