PAGf Ftlf to
Editorials
Compulsory ROTC: Junk It
The Senate Committee on Education - Policy has recom-
Mended that all men and women students be required
to take a 2-year program in military and civil defense
education.
This ne‘.vspaper last spring reported that President Eric
A. Walker was toying with the idea of requifing coeds to
take a 2-year course in civil defense. Nothing more was
heard on the idea until the Senate committee made its
recommendation last, Thursday.
A new ROTC-CD program is not the real issue here.
The issue is whether students should be required to take
ROTC and CD in any form.
The Senate committee's report said that while the Uni
versity is "not under legal mandate to require two years
of ROTC of all mole students," the requirement should be
continued.
This recommendation comes on top of heated debate on
the same question among students of at least two caber
land-grant institutions, Wisconsin and Ohio State.
We feel that students should not be required to take
ROTC and CD training in any form. However, the Uni
versity must—and should—offer the program.
One of the main reasons cited for requiring ROTC for
all male students is that officers are badly needed by the
armed services. No one can deny that officers are badly
needed. But would an elective ROTC signicantly decrease
the number of officers the armed service receive from
Penn State? We believe not.
Maybe the services would have to do•a better selling
job on careers in the armed services, but students who are
interested in gaining a commission from one of the serv
ices would elect ROTC anyway.
And as it stands now, not all of the men who wish to
go into -advanced ROTC can get in because of quotas.
Also, it seems logical that the students who elect ROTC
from the beginning will be more likely to continue as
career officers than the ones who took ROTC because it
was required and lust decided to stay on "because it's.
better to go in as a first lapis than as a buck private."
We need school teachers, scientists and engineers as
badly—if not more so—than we need military officers.
But we do not require college students to enter these
fields. We encourage them, but we ,don't require them to.
The Senate committee feels that "ROTC contributes
significantly to citizenship education, and thus to gen
eral education."
Does military training really contribute to citizenship
education? It teaches the way of life of the military,
which must be well-regimented and well-disciplined.
But it does little to teach better citizenship. And any
course the students elected to take instead of ROTC
could contribute to general education.
Compulsory ROTC is certainly an expense to the tax
payers which could easily be eliminated without harm to
the defense of this country. Compulsory ROTC is also
-time-consuming. Time saved by eliminating it could be
put to just as good—or better—use•by students.
We feel that student councils should discuss this ques
tion and that student government should take a stand on
It. The elimination of compulsory ROTC at Penn State
Is possible.
University and ROTC officials have admitted to us that
the Department of Defense would undoubtedly approve
the move if requested by the Board of Trustees. Student
government can put the issue before the Trustees.
We feel that compulsory ROTC can—and should—be
eliminated.
Alpha Kappa Psi. meeting and initiation.
7 p.m.. Delta Chi.
American Society for Metals, 7:30 p.m.,
Mineral Sciences Auditorium.
!AssociationA of the United States Anayi.if i
p.m.. 1 Carnegie.
Campus Party Publicity Committee. 7 p.m..
209 HUB.
Collegian Business Staff, 7:30 p.m.. 202
Willard.
Collegian Business Staff Candidates, 6:43
p.m.. 305 Sparks.
Collegian Promotion Staff. 6:30 p.m.. 209
Willard. -
Gamma Sigma Pledge.. 6: 4 5 p.m.. 119 Os
mond.
Graduate School Lecture. 8 p.m., 121
Sparks.
:Intercollegiate Conference on Government,
7..30 p.m.. 204 Willard.
,Meteorology Seminar. 4:10 P.m, 20 2 Wil
t lard.
Newman Club, Film on Marriage. 7 p.m.,
10 Sparks.
.Panhellenic Council. 6:30 p.m.. 203 HUB.
Student Landscape Society. 7:30 p.m.. Sig
' ma Alpha Epsilon.
"University Christian -association. 3-2 . p.ru.. l
Waimea& Canon Jody Hartman: City FAAtet. Robert Franklin: Sports Editor. Vince' Chanel. 1
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tography Eitltot. George Harrison.
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the views of the University or of the student body.
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'?d STEVE HIGGINS. Bus. Mgr.
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN STATE COLLEGE PENNSYLVANIA
Safety Valve
Students Reject
Rock 'n Roll?
TO THE EDITOR (Dad): I think
that before you give a reporter
an assignment, you should make
sure he knows about the sub
ject concerned, which is rock n'
roll vs. jazz.
' Your reporter is as ignorant
.about the subject as I am about
'nuclear physics. If he isn't, let
him present his views in an opin
ion about the subject and not
'make biased statements about
'rock 'n roll.
He wrote that "P.S." students
reject rock n' roll. I believe that
the poll was a jazz poll—not a
rock 'n roll poll. In case he isn't
aware, rock 'n roll is another form
of music. Some people consider it
jazz, but in actuality it isn't.
(Champ).
He said some rock 'n roll ar
tists received few votes. From
this he concluded that "P.S."
students rejected rock 'n roll.
This is ridiculous, because Jack
Benny received one vote; now
does this mean that "P.S." stu
dents reject his version of classi
cal music and other classical
music?
If he wants to know how "P.S."
students feel about rock, look at
'the rock 'n roll records on the
juke box in the HUB and in the
music stores. Maybe rock 'n roll
will save his soul.
Don't knock the Rock, cat.
—(Mr.) Mark Silverstein, '6l
• Letter cut
Students Thanked
For 'lntense Study'
TO THE EDITOR: In regard to
the AB-University Cabinet meet
ing of Nov. 2, and in particular
in regard to the report of the Stu
dent Encampment Committee on
,Regulations, Controls and Student
'Welfare, I feel bound to publicly
thank a clearly-defined group in
attendance at said meeting for
',their most evident intense re
search into and study of my com
mittee's report.
I was, to say the least, flat
tered by their recent and vast
display of knowledge on the
topic of student recreation fa
cilities at the University.
Furthermore, I am certain that
the University will soon express
its thanks to these gentlemen for
the reassurance that the report of
various eastern collegiate associa
tions was incorrect, in this group's
decisive opinion.
My only regret is that these
same people who appeared so
well-informed on the evening of
Nov. 1 did not voice their opin
ions at the final plenary session
of Encampment when they.
along with the entire Encamp
ment body. unanimously accept
ed the report as it was pre
sented.
If this had been the case, much
valuable time on the part of many
persons could have been saved.
—David W. Faust, '5B
Chairman of the Regulations.
Controls and Student Welfare
Workshop of the 1957
Student Encampment
•Letter cut
Gazette
Little Man on Campus by
By J. M. ROBERTS
Associated Press News Analyst
The appointment of "czars" to handle vital phases of de
fense efforts is an old practice, having come to full bloom in
the days of McAdoo and Baruch in World War I.- •
President Dwight D. Eisenhower's appointment of Dr.
James R. Killian Jr., eminent scientist and administrator,
puts the military science program l
on virtually a wartime basis. Firsti has not yet addressed himself to
guesses as to possible costs run that beyond the field of science.
around $2 billion a year. He refers to the Air Force
That's how serious the President and the nation's other military
considers the revelation that, resources as strong defenses.
starting late and having taken Cutbacks in these fields have
various twists and turns, the' been based on the theory that -
American missile program has better weapons make reductions
been outstripped by Soviet Russia. possible without endangering
It's a reminder of the historic strength. -• .
maxim that men charged with The question now arises wheth
the security of their countries er reliance on this theory is also
cannot afford to rely on person- permitting Russia to make unsus
al judgments, but must prepare pected gains in the whole field of
at all times for the worst. To put preparedness. -
it another way, when leaders The most optimistic interpreta
taken an optimistic view of the tion of - Khrushchev's statement
chances of war or _domination • that Russia will overtake Ameri-,
by another nation, they must 'can industrial production-in fif
still operate from the stand- teen years is that - Russia will not
point of how badly they could 'deliberately make war before
be wrong. then. .
The American rearmament prb-. If • that be' true, then an all-out
gram, launched after the Russian war production program now
apture of Czechoslovakia nine would be merely shooting the
years ago, was conceived as some-i tion's resources into the space of
thing which would achieve a cer-, obsolescence.
tain level and then be held on a: Nevertheless, the United
plateau. ' States must keep up if only for
Leveling off was emphasized! the purpose of preventing the
after the Korean War and closely Communists from using their
connected with the Eisenhoweri power to blackmail other na
administration efforts to balance. lions into stre n g t h-sapping -
the budget. Critics who reminded; agreements.
of what had happened to world ! And the nation now has good
relations because of drastic cut- reason to remember tha the Corn
backs after World War II were ; munists are capable -of big sur
waved off as alarmists. .prises in any field where they
There is, then, policy as well as' choose to concentrate the efforts
ia new awareness involved in the'of the countries over which they
new program, and the President; hold away.
TODAY
"And now
, Dr. Clodpate, who will relate his experience among
the shrinking natives of Central America."
Interpreting the News
Military Science .
On Wartime Basis
!!... kr , 014.4.1
.11. 1 41 444 44.
TUESDAY. NOVEMBER
SNIFF?
12. 1957
ck Bibtw
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