PAGE FOUR
rueNday through
Saturday • mornings, during
the University rest. the
Daily Collegian is a student
' operated nevrpinsmer.
Revered as second-class matter July A. r9S4 mt the Starr College. t's- Pont office ender
DAVE JONES Editor
STAFF THIS ISSUE: Night editor, Baylee Friedman, Copy editors, Don Shoemaker, Bill Snyder,
Assistants, Al Klimcke, Stan Frolic, Marilyn Ambler, Nancy Gray, Brooke Moyer, Bobbie Hendel.
WSGA Elections: An Unfortunate Decision
Women's Student Government Association
has decided to let all coeds decide whether or
not WSGA will release its spring election fig
ures. At first glance, this appears a wise decis
ion. & further look, however, will show , the
decision not only a poor one, but an unnecessary
one.
Senate of WSG - A. said early last week it would
decide whether or not to release election figures.
In the past, WSGA has withheld vote figures
from the student body.
When cpnfronted with a decision, however,
WSGA balked. A University representative
raised the question of the legality of releasing
figures without taking a vote of women stu
dents. This question of legality was based on
precedent set two years ago when WSGA took
a vote among coeds to see if results should be
released. The representative said WSGA had
the responsibility to take another vote on the
matter to see whether figures should be re
leased.
Senate fell in line with this suggestion. Most
senators seem to feel the results should be
released. They did not, however, have the
courage of their convictions. They chose the
easy way out. They decided to throw the situ
ation to all women, leaving themselves the easy
task of doing as the coeds wish. Thus, WSGA
Senate refused to take a stand where it not
only has the right, but the duty.
Two years ago, when the question "of releas
ing vote figures was put before women stu
dents, coeds voted overwhelmingly to keep the
figures secret. Many women now feel the ques
tion was then presented in .a biased manner.
One argument for keeping results quiet is to
prevent candidates from having hurt feelings
upon seeing results published. Another is that
More Suggestions Mean a Better Gift
Suggestions are being received for the 1954
senior class gift at the. Student Union desk in
Old Main. And if only because of the amount
of money at stake—besides the real value to
the University of any gift—the problem de
serves the attention of all seniors.
The policy in the past seems to have been
the selection of some gift to the University
for which the University would not ordinarily
have money. It is the class' way of saying the
University will have improved itself for our
having been here; it is a gift of appreciation.
And, over the years the University has
profited from such gifts as the Old Main chimes,
benches scattered over campus, funds to pur
chase an organ or stained glass window for the
All-Faith Chapel, and more than half the needed
funds for a student press.
Funds for the press, and a lighting system for
the old portion of the University Library, are
still needed; but there must be hundreds of
Gazette ...
Tonight
ART ED STUDENT FORUM, 7 138 Tem
porary
AGRICULTURE SPEAKING CONTEST FI
NALS, 7 p.m., 109 Agriculture
ARNOLD AIR SOCIETY, 7:30 p.m., Alpha Chi
Sigma, 406 S. Pugh street
BELLES-LETTRES, 7 p.m., Northwest Lounge,
Atherton
COLLEGIAN AD STAFF, 7 p.m., 102 Willard
COLLEGIAN BUSINESS STAFF, 6:45 p.m.,
Business Office
COLLEGIAN CIRCULATION STAFF, 6:30
p.m., Business Office
COLLEGIAN EDITORIAL CANDIDATES, 7
p.m., 111 Carnegie
COLLEGIAN PROMOTION STAFF, 7 p.m.,
Collegian Office
FROTH EDITORIAL STAFF, 7 p.m., 2 Carnegie
HOME ECONOMICS CLUB, 6:30 p.m., 105
White Hall
PENN STATE VETERANS, 8 p.m., American
Legion
PI GAMMA ALPHA, 7:30 p.m., Main Eng.
POLLOCK COUNCIL, 6:30 p.m., Nittany
Dorm 20
SIGMA ALPHA ETA, 7:30 p.m., 19 Sparks
THETA SIGMA PHI, 6:45 p.m., 107 Willard
STUDENT EMPLOYMENT
The following camps will interview prospective
counselors. Students may sign up at the Stu
dent Employment office. Interviews will take
place: Lillian Taylor Camp—March 23; Camp
Onawandah—March 26; Camp Menatoma—
March 29, 30; Clear Pool Camp, N.Y.—April 1;
Camp Kiwanis—April 2; Camp Conrad Weiser—
April 7.
uKE" I CHING THUBSPAY at the STATE THEATRE
Batig Cattegiati
Successor to CUE FREE LANCE. ad. 1819
THE DAItY COtLEGIAINI STATE COttEGE PENNSYWANtA
VINCE DRAYNE. Business bilge.
it is of 'no interest to the student body in gen
eral what the exact vote was. Those favoring
the release say WSGA's seat on All-University
Cabinet makes that position of general student
interest. They also say women who want the
right to their own government must also have
the maturity to release vote figures. The prob
lem is one of principle.
It is obvious why some favor referring the
decision to all women students. Most women
students will not know the complete situation.
They are happy the way things are. There is
a chance they might be unhappy under a
change. Therefore; they will wish), to assure con
tinued happiness; they will want to retain the
status quo. They will, - probably, vote to leave
things the way they are.
Those who oppose releasing the figures know
this. That is why they propose referendum.
This has democratic atmosphere. But it will
not bring a wise result.
Senate of WSGA has the responsibility to
lead. There is no reason why it must refer this
question to women students again. Senate must
lead, and they must lead on the basis of prin
ciple.
Senate has not made all bad decisions, how
ever. It will present arguments both for and
against release when women vote Thursday.
All attempts are being made to present both
sides of the question objectively. This is to the
unqualified credit of WSGA.
The misfortune here is that attempts to stop
the vote release have been disguised as "re
sponsibility." Referring the decision to all coeds
will assure the decision most coeds want. It
will not, however, assure an intelligent decis
ion. Unfortunately, WSGA Senate was tricked
into believing a majority decision and a wise
decision are always one in the same.
ways the campus could be improved—even
to enclosing the grass in barbed wire.
April 2 is the deadline for submitting gift
suggestions, at which time the gift committee
will select those for the senior ballot, April
28-30.
During many primaries at election time, few
turn out to select candidates that will be run on
the final ballot. And, because of such primaries,
the final elections have often been lacking in
qualified candidates. Too few realize it is at
the primaries that the issue is often decided.
This—in a somewhat round-about fashion—
really demonstrates the importance of getting
a number of suggestions now from as many
students as possible. Then there will at least be
a choice April 28-30, and more choices means
greater possibility of finding better gifts.
Investment of a little time now may pay
great dividends in the University's future: con
sider, then suggest.
Safety Valve e
Hits Players Review
TO THE EDITOR: I wish to take issue with the
review of the Players' production "Death •of a
Salesman" by Edmund Reiss. (The review ap
peared in Friday's Daily Collegian.) In all due
fairness to him, I must say that I may have
seen a more favorable performance, since it
was on the evening following his review . . .
However, I think it implausible that last Fri
day evening's performance was an accident for
there was too much above the average quality
for a college • . . production to see it, ridden as
hard as Reiss seemed to ride it. His opening
statement was a bit harsh and I feel he was
caught in the tumultuous waves of his own
metaphor.
However, there is another factor which might
explain his inability to see these student actors
as anything but amateurs, and that is what
might be an off stage familiarity with them ...
If Greer was more convincing as a student in
the flashbacks than as a 34-year old bum in the
play proper it is because he is a student. This
must be considered in any criticism of the pro
duction . . .
That these students were able to handle as
well something which is difficult for an ama
teur group, no matter how professional, is also
to be commented upon.
.("Death of a Salesman") cannot be viewed
steadily for two and a half hours at one sitting
without some feeling of fatigue. This is more
the fault of the playwright than of the Players.
. . . I felt credit must be given where credit
is due and taken away from where it is no
longer due, at least= not in such unqualified
terms.
*Letter cut
kditorial.t rot:. eat ht the
viewpoint of the writers.
not necessarily the policy of
the paper. Unsigned edi
torials are by the editor.
ace a Starch S. 1879.
—Len Goodman
—Robert J. Saunders
Little Man on Campus
;/dire 536
"Worthal and I broke up--I got a .65 average last semester, and
he said he just couldn't go with a girl smarter than he was."
Excursion .5: Memories
• en Sea
I wondered and pondered—asked but received no answer—how
I would look back upon these college years some day. Reminiscing
does become an occupational hazard of old age, I'm told. Then, what
else is left but memories.
Memories only are what was left for the old age of Willy Loman,
the salesman of the very excel
lent Players' production this
weekend. Willy's plight forcibly
brought this to my attention,
though in a somewhat roundabout
fashion: I continually asked my
self what, with, so many memories
of happy times—some, of which
were enacted for us—what would
drive him to suicide?
Then, it occured to me that
here we had a living example,
unfolding in the P!ayers' pro
duction, of the very real dif
ference between goals and ideals
as "directives" in a man's life.
A goal may be attained; it is
that end for which we labor, the
pot of gold—a usually small pot
for the realistic—at the end of
everyone's rainbow.
But, the ideals cannot be at
tained; they may be illustrations
of one sort or another, but they
are necessary illusions—necessary
in the sense that one patterns his
conduct from them.
A goal usually presupposes no
set pattern of conduct, but may
be achieved by many methods,
all of which might work. The ideal
does presuppose a certain pattern
of conduct for its fulfillment, •a
fulfillment which never comes.
The ideal, then; is a directive, a
basis for judging what is good
and bad, and deciding, given the
circumstances, "right" conduct.
There is a real difference be
tween the goal and the ideal.
It was Success that Willy
sought after during• his whole
life: Success, that illusive thing,
the "Bitch- Goddess" of indus
trial society (s a i d William
James.) •
When Success could not be had,
a transfer was made to the success
of his boys. It was shown how
he continually wavered between
the two poles of concern, his own
success, and the success of his
boys. When both were denied, it
finally led to the collapse of his
spirit and a mental breakdown—
the extent of the latter open to
conjecture.
And, all this resting on a back
ground of a childish faith in man
in a society in which man was
pictured as less than the pro
verbial cog of a machine.
Willy's ideals were embodied in
TUESDAY. MARCH 1 - 6, 1964
By LEN GOODMAN
the ideal of executive, unrealized
in the son of his old boss; and the
remarkable successes and adven
tures of his brother Ben, unreal
ized in himself—brother Ben, who
had "gone into the jungle at 17
and come out at 21 a rich man."
The ideals Willy saw in these
two men—the executive and the
adventurer—were now i deals
for patterning his conduct, and
the court of last resort for a
wearied spirit.
The ideals came too late, how
ever, and functioned more to com
fort and to justify, than to direct
his life. Willy quickly grasped
suicide as the only way to assure
Success, however vicarious, now
for his son, and in the security
and comfort of the last years of
his wife.
Wicked? Sinful. No but
painfully pathetic: a rational
and sensitive man applying old
hopes and values to the new
situation of an irrational and
insensitive society.
Even if one rejects the view
of society underlying the play,
still the need to discriminate be
tween goals and ideals remains.
If the view is accepted, then all
that is left is either withdrawal.
as one of Willy's sons vowed in
the end, or the defiance of the
other son.
Willy failed miserably. Maybe
he could have controlled the cir
cumstances affecting his life, may
be not. Either way, a life pattern
was missing: he possessed few
ideals, and sorry goals.
Memories remained for Willy.
but only to pain him: for they
were memories of an empty life.
Frosh Council to Meet
Freshman Council will meet at
6:30 tonight in 103 Willard.
Tonight on WDFM
91.1 MEGACYCLES
7:25,__ Sign. on
7:30 Adventures in Research
7:45 _-_--_--- Guest Star
8:00 ------------
------_ Lest We Forget ,
Hamburger Stand
_—_____ Semi-pops
Cappbs News
8:15 ____-_-
8:30 _____-_--
9:00 -
9:15
Ballet Theater
Sign off
9:30
10:30
B. Bib!
Record Prevue