PAGE FOUR FftblUhed Toetdar thiwaib Sitardijr Morning! daring (h« Univer»Hy jrt»r, Tht Dolly Co(t(ri«n u « otsdent* •perttd nrwtptper. }S.tt txi tennU) SS.tl o«x fMi ' II Meon4-elk» nttlti ill; i. l»}» it tki SUU Collet*. Pi- Pott Office andei thi let of Hirck I. 187} MIKE MOYLE. Edifot STAFF THIS ISSUE: Night Editor, Jack McArthur; Copy Editor, Pat Evans; Wire Editor, Matt Pod besek; Assistants, Dick Drayne, Pam Alexander, Sherry Kennel, Bobbi Levine, Bonnie Jones, Marcel VanLierde, Tom Beadhng, Cathy Fleck. This is another in a series of guest editorials from other college newspapers. This editorial does not represent t he editorial opinion of The Daily Collegian but was chosen as another example of thinking from other campuses. It appeared originally in the Washington Daily and was reprinted in the Ohio State Lantern. One institution is often overlooked when we try to explain appalling lack of leadership on the part of college graduates. That institution is the fraternity and sorority system. These •organizations which preach the doctrine of con formity to their members for four years are the major contributors to the production of students who can’t stand on their own feet. „ Fraternities and sororities are not merely cor rupting their members but also everything else on campus. Their attitude of social superiority and thei. misplaced materialistic values con taminate everything with which they come jn to contact. On a campus such as the University <Ohio. State) the prevailing student attitude emanates from the sterile confines of Greek Row. Lest these words be thought to be vengeful railings of one who "didn't make the grade/' it should be stated that this writer has been a fraternity member for over three years and has worked in a sorority house for Iwo years. These affiliations have provided a wide backlog of personal experience which serves to solidify the premise fhat conformity is king on Greek Row. Freshmen who pledge houses soon learn to beware-of independents, drama majors, art stu dents, intellectuals, graduate students and pro fessors. This fact is never stated but these groups are blackballed because they are different. The people in them have other interests besides .social activity, cars, clothes and indescribably inane small talk. A Utopian socialist could never have hoped for a better living arrangement. Not only do the large majority of fraternity and sorority members wear the same clothes, talk the same language, live together, play together and judge people they meet by the same phony standards, but fraternity people also thing together. And, what is worse, they think alike. A person with original ideas soon learns to keep them out of the fraternity house. Critics of the system are not welcomed because they expose it for the dream world it is. Fraternity and sorority people do not like to be reminded of reality too often. It destroys the lovely never never land where everyone says, "Whaddya say. Tiger," and has a buckle in the back of his pants. Waldo Emerson, in 1841, wrote his Antiquated Rules! TO THE EDITOR: In the course of duties as graduate assistant during the past semester I had the occasion to become acquainted with a very’ pleasant and sincere young woman. She was blind. I soon realized that her every move about the campus and town called for a guid ing companion. I had the chance to observe those inevitable limes when the arranged-for campanion was delayed or was unable to keep the appointment, and the feelings of helpless ness'and dependence this must have caused. 1 began to wonder why she had never hap pened to purchase a seeing-eve dog which would make her virtually independent of others. I knew that cost could not be the reason for they are available under the most lenient terms. Thinking that the reason was perhaps a very personal one, I questioned a friend of hers Satin CflUpgtatt Successor to fHE FREE LANCE eat 1387 DAVE RICHARDS. Businesi Manager GUEST EDITORIAL Safety THE DAILY COLLEGIAN. STATE COLLEGE. PENNSYLVANIA famous essay, “Self Reliance.” In it he sug gested that every man reaches a time in his life when he must stand on his own two feet and be an individual. : T am ashamed to think how easily we capitulate to badges and names, to large societies and dead institutions.” He would be ashamed, in 1957, to walk through the Commons Shop (Ohio State’s version of the Comer Room) on the University campus. There he could see hundreds of identical students drinking the same horrid coffee from identical cups (the large size is popular now.) This situation, on the face, is merely funny and nothing to get alarmed over. The alarm ing aspect of the entire dreadful scene is that these people must leave school some day. They will be torn from their coffee cups, fraternities and sororities to become the leaders of a world desperately searching for the pathway to peace. What will these well-heeled men- and women have to offer? Will an Ivy League suit, a sports car or an insincere smile help to solve any problems? Hardly. What is the answer to this destructive force on our campuses? If is not to abolish fraternities and sororities. They perform several valuable functions for young college students. They do provide, somewhat imperfectly, a needed dimen sion—social life. Some have nice beds and good food and this is superficially important. The answer to conformity on the campus would seem to be for the social and living groups to re-evaluate their goals on the cam pus. They should assist members to become valuable contributors to society An emphasis could be put on knowledge and preparing to go out into the world with skill and confidence. Let’s take the emphasis from the insignifi cant little world of trophies and social standing and place it upon intellectual achievement. The member who stands out from the group de serves to be rewarded, not condemned. The alternatives are open. Will the sororities and fraternities make the needed re-evaluation of themselves, or will they continue to be spawning grounds for dullness and mediocrity? The right choice would give higher education an invigorating shot in the arm. Education would become the prime goal rather than some thing which must be tolerated so that the bene fits of fraternal life might be enjoyed. Valve only to discover the most disgusting reason imaginable. Dogs are not allowed in the dorms! Dogs indeed! I trust -there has been a mis understanding somewhere. I sincerely hope that one of the greatest universities in the country, mouthing the virtues of freedom, enlighten ment and personal autonomy, is not responsible for such a rule. The railroads, the theatres, the buses, and the best restaurants and hotels have long since climbed out of the darkness of stupidity. Please let’s join them. I feel so uncomfortable up there, having hotel and bus lines dragging the enlightened ones up into the daylight. And by the way, here’s a hot tip for the person -in ' control Of such matters: witch-burning seems to be taper ing off in the New England area. Let’s con demn that, too, and steal a march on those bus lines. Editorials represent ths viewpoints of the writers, not necessarily the poliey of the paper, the student body, or the University —Roger Weir Little Man on Cam mis "This builds fr< According to Moyle The Readers Write... We have been besieged by a sudden rash of “letters to the editor” lately and it has surprised us. For weeks, nay months, we got a minimum of these written expressions of opinions, and it troubled us for. we always welcome our reader’s opinions. Last week’s torrent of letters caused us to reflect on soma of the letters we get, both those which are printed and those which are not—for various rea sons. Letter writers use many forms of persuasion and sometimes the logic rivals that which we are accused of using. Here are some fictitious letters which might turn up in our mailbox. “Contrary to popular thought, the University actually has one of the finest, most efficiently-run Food Service departments of any institution in the entire country” —Mildred Baker. “I think the game of tennis is not given its proper respect on campus. We should do something about making everyone “tennis conscious” at Penn State— Dr. Eric A. Walker. “Anyone who says that there TUESDAY. APRIL 16. 1957 by Bibler w fl] t i, /[ rnily spirit?" by mike moyle was any shady practices con nected with the Liberal Arts elections' is not only a rabble rouser but is proceeding without fact and is talking through his hat.” —Robert Nurock. “All those people who having been criticising the editorial page of The - Daily Collegian all year (Continued on page five) Tonight on WDFM «1.1 MEGACYCLES Sign On :55 -.- News :00 —— Simmons Lecture Series :00 Face to Face :30 Sounds in the Night 00 News 26 Review of the jb*uropean Press 30 Marquee Memories 00 This World of Music News Sixn Off
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers