PAC>E FOUR Editorial Opinion Comprehensive Exams ...A True Measure? Wind good will comprehensive examinations be in fu i linn mg the. academic goals ot Penn State? With the SO A Assembly's approval on this examination, many laciois will have to be investigated before this recom nu'iidalion from the 10r9 Student Encampment can be el tec live. The recommendation aims to lequire a student to pass a compiehensive test in his major field befote receiving his bachelor's degree. The purpose behind this is to test the knowledge a student lias acquired in his four years. It also aims to strengthen the academic atmosphere of the University. Now, the idea of such an examination is a good one since it will compel students to learn as much as they can about the field of work they intend to pursue after gradua tion. But a lot of things must be taken into consideration beloie such a program is passed. There will be many repurcusions from this system, if the lest is to be given immediately before graduation. A test given at a specific time cannot sufficiently measure the knowledge of the student. Even the Intelligence Quotient tests have been fallible becauso of the difficulty in ascertaining whether ihe re sults are a true indication of ihe potentiality of the examinee. There are bad days and good days for every student and psychological elements are very important contributors in such tests. A student should not be denied a degree for which he has worked four years on the results of a single test which may have caught him at a stressing time. Thcie is one other way of determining a graduate-1 o be s knowledge—by a bachelor's thesis. Many colleges tluoughoul the nation require a thesis from every student boiui e graduation. This would be a good suggestion for the Colleges of Liberal Arts, Home Economics, Education, and Physical Education. A series of comprehensive tests could be administered to the remaining colleges that do not have such a program now. But these examinations should be scheduled at var ious times through out the semester, giving the students their choice when to take the examinations. Such a plan should eliminate the psychological problems involved in a uniform test program. The recommendation for comprehensive testing is a good one and, it' approved, would certainly tend to create a mme intellectual and responsible atmosphere than we now have. But the testing procedure will have to be well thoughtout if the plan is to work. A Big Welcome It will be hard to find many students more than 25 feet from the nearest radio tomorrow . , . except for the lucky ones who will be in Michie Stadium. We have confidence that the football team will bring back a victory . . . and we’ll be at Recreation Hall to wel come them home tonight. The team is expected to arrive at about 9 p.m. A Student-Operated Newspaper 5.) i ears of Editoiial Freedom latly OloUpgtan Successor to The Free Lance, cst. ISB7 1 ucid.n through Snturtluj’ morning during (lie I'nivcrsilr teir Th« tlulr Co (egmn is u Muilent-niicrnleil newspaper l'.mertd ns second-class matter y " i'enp ion'cri;:: offiw und " "" "< *of ” tai> MH>-tnption trite: $5.00 per «»erne** ter so.oo per ye.tr. Member of The Associated Press and The Intercollegiate Press DENNIS MALICK Editor Kel Coins* Diri 1 ! , W i i'“u A,,m,i,nl htli ‘or Catherine fleck; Public Jfr. I. ?» Un-iitnr. Loll. Ncuharth: Copy editor, Roberta Urine; Sports Editor, s'hcfr ' Ass, '‘ ,nm Sports Editor, John lllark: Photography Editor Martin Uial Ad Mgr Sherry Kennel; Aaa’t Local Ad Mgr., Darlene Anderson; Credit Mgr., Murry Simon: National Ad Mgr., l.ec Dempsev; Classified Ad Mgr.. ‘Mo? ‘.TV; Mgr,.. Uretta Ihnt, Dick Kit,inner; Promotion Mgr., Itiilh Hriggs; Special Page Mgr., Alice Mahachek; Personnel Mgr., Dorothy tamest; Quire Sccrttary. Bonnie Bailey; Research and Records. Margaret Dimperio. STAFF THIS ISSUE; Night Editor, Edie Beck; Copy Editor, Pat Dyci; Who Editor, Dox Hutchins; Assistants, Brenda Desch, Barb Foster, Lee Gahn, Karyi Du Chacek, Dick Goldberg, Pat Vargu, Lynn Bordonaro, Sharon Bolim, Linn Laufer, Jim Mc- Dowell, Bill Kraft, Larreen Doorley, Alyce Blair, Sue Common, Judy Foibrich. THE DAILY COLLEGIAN. STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA GEORGE McTURK Business Manager Letters Student Asks Good Conduct Toward Patrol TO THE EDITOR: In the last three academic months the dean of men’s office has been referring a new kind of case to the Off- Campus Men’s Tribunal. We- are asked to review nearly all cases in which a Campus Pa trolman is insulted or ignored or threatened by a student during the performance of his assigned duty, usuallv in the process of giving a traffic ticket. Any such actions are supposed to be met with silence on the part of the patrolman, and usually are. But the patrolmen are making a habit of renorting these incidents, and offenders are referred to Tri bunal charged with 'conduct un becoming a Penn State student." Insulting a patrolman or ob structing him at his work never has an effect upon the outcome of your traffic ticket: vou are sure to pet it any wav. If it is unlust, neither Captain Mark nor Traffic Court will deny you the privilege of showing why. Tribunal is soending -too much time investigating these unneces sary cases of immaturity and cen soring the offenders. We appeal io you drivers to grow up and respect ihe badge when you are at odds with a patrolman, even if vou cannot resoert the individual. And in giving a patrolman a hard time, vou are gambling with your privilege of keeping a car at Penn State. We hope to see no more of these ndiculous offenses. —Thomas Barnes, '6O Gazette TODAY American Ceramic Society Picnic, 12:15 |> m , M I. Ensineetinn Club. S:2O a.m., 212 HUB Forestry Field Day, 1 p.m., Unneisity Sawmill Student Movies, 7 p m., HUB assembly room WRA Open House. 7pm, White Hall WSI.A Flections Committee, 1 p.m. 21S HUH tomorrow AIM. 7 pm.. 2»:j HUB Campus Parly KxcfutiveM, •{ pm. 212 HUB Che' r y. • '• 11 NaW, THAT 15-N'T Hisr tgTTBR SWEATEK. —THAT'S tfW G(!2APe AVeZA&E." re-FIECK-tions K Trio Campus Same old story—Kingston Trio scheduled to appear on college campus—tickets gone in .an hour. We may have difficulty getting Army tickets, but other colleges have worse problems. Judging from news and Daily Student and Lehigh’s Brown and White there’s been trouble a'brewing in antici pation of the Trio. Both the University of In diana and Lehigh University had the fortune of angaging the Trio, or should I say mis fortune, considering the prob lems that arose prior to their appearance. For example, il look less than two hours to dispose of 3788 tickets at Indiana. And il look even less lime for the money making "scalpers" to organize schemes io sell the lickeis again at prices way above the origi nal level. Lehigh had two problems— seating capacity and scalpers. Grace Hall,' Lehigh’s auditor ium, can seat 3300, which is their approximate enrollment. What to do with others wishing to see the performance? Which brings me to wonder why the arrival of the Trio on colleges campuses causes such disturbances? The Indiana Stu dent has this answer; “There have always been many folk singers and a number of them have had excellent backing. "But most of them lack a quality which is a must for a permanent career. The key qualily of the Kingston Trio which sets them above a crowd SATURDAY. OCTOBER 10. 1959 Causes Problems by cathy Heck editorial items in the of 'guilar-iwangina followers' is ORIGINALITY." What else besides originality does the Trio have? Record sales have been booming and Penn State has done a pretty good job of assisting this boom. Judging from what I’ve seen and read of them, personality during appearances runs a close second to originality. They not only look like college students, but they seem prety much at ease acting like students. And contrary to a lot of popular artists, they consider the colle giate audience pretty impor tant when making their en gagements. Jumping from campus to campus throughout the nation, usually without a day's lapse in appearances, spells out the schedule for the Trio, It wasn't too long ago when it was hard to convince showpc-ople that college students were a lucra tive audience. Now the trend has changed and the Trio has found itself to be the most popular group among collegiate circles. Amazing what students can do. A hundred years ago, they were staging revolutionary movements in Europe for more liberties, Now the revolts are to get tickets to the Trio’s con certs. Can you blame them? I can’t! Indiana