PAGE FOUR
Editorial Opinion
To March Or Not To March
The Academic Senate at Michigan State in approving
a program of voluntary ROTC has set a valuable example
for this University to follow.
While the program has yet to receive the final ap
'noval of their Board of Trustees, the major point is that
academic and administrative officials have recognized the
futility of carrying on a compulsory ROTC program.
For the past three years, the fight to abolish com
pulsory ROTC has been Waged on this campus by student
leaders. Different plans for bringing this abolition about
have evolved through the years but they all boil down to
the same essence—give the students a choice.
Our Senate-Go-Round has accepted, rejected, passed
around and all but thrown proposals offered by SGA and
the former All-University Cabinet into their wastebaskets.
One of the excuses given by the administrators in
refusing to consider voluntary ROTC has been that as a
land-grant institution, Penn State must retain ROTC. But,
they have failed to recognize that shifting to a vokintary
program would not alter the University's obligations.
ROTC would still be here. The only difference would be
that the programs might contain quality and not quantity.
The ROTC issue is not dead. It never will be dead on
this campus despite the continued efforts of both the
armed services and the administration to make it more
appealing to the college student. And it never will die
while the student is required to undergo a compulsory
program as a pre-requisite for a diploma for academic
achievement.
This issue is going to come up again
,and again as long
as student government continues to represent the wishes
of the students. How the University Senate and the Board
of Trustees can ignore the constant antagonism felt in
requiring such a program cannot be understood by those
of us who have seen the issue arise over and over.
The compulsory versus voluntary issue should be
settled once and for all in the near fture. We should take
a lesson from Michigan State and solve this problem
through action, not passiveness.
Trend Toward Progressivism
A must progressive Women's Student Government Associa
tion will attempt to modernize regulations for women students
Wednesday night.
A proposed- plan approved by Dean of Women Dorothy J.
Lipp and the WSGA executive committee which would lengthen
hours for women and abolish the blackmark system will go to the
WSGA Senate for final approval.
For many years, while the University as a whole has been
adjusting to the modern trends of education, the rules governing
the women on this campus have remained static. It is high time
that realism has won out over idealism in trying to regulate
women of college age.
If passed by Senate, the plan will give both freshmen and
upperclasswomen extended weeknight hours and will abolish the
ridiculous practice of regulation through the blackmark. The
women students who have spent a year or two under the present
rules should appreciate these new measures more fully than the
freshmen who have had the chance to grow along with this
progressivism.
At long last, coeds are being considered in a mature perspec
tive. They will be better able to use their college days as a
foundation for future conduct,
In the past the policy seemed to follow a line of trying to
protect women who were old enough to leave the parental fold
and come to college, but not old enough to be considered able to
regulate their standards of conduct.
These rules will officially herald a new policy of recogniz
ing trust in her to act in good fashion, Perhaps the new trust
placed in the college coed will bring about a new and mature
attitude which will penetrate into every aspect of her college life,
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN. STATE COLLEGE PENNSYLVANIA
Letters
ROTC Plan
Needs Attention
TO THE EDITOR: Since the Uni
versity is currently considering
the tri-semester and quarter
semester system, now would be
the proper time to re-evaluate the
compulsory ROTC program.
Under the land grant act of
1862, the University is not re
quired to make ROTC compul
sory, but merely offer it. Except
for the Navy program, the ROTC
programs here are inadequate and
boring for most students. The
programs are also wasteful.
In the Air Force program it
takes a detachment here at Penn
State of between 20 and 30 offi
cers to turn out less than 100 of
ficers each year. While the Army
has nice new green uniforms, they
are still playing with the same
old antiquated World War I ma
chine guns.
If ROTC were made voluntary
here at State, it is probable that
the Armed Forces would still turn
out the same number of officers
each year, while the majority of
freshman and sophomore male
students here at State could de
vote six credits worth of time to
more worthwhile causes
SGA Average
Needs Change
TO THE EDITOR: I would like
to comment on the recent letters
to the editor concerning the schol
astic average required for mem
bership on the SGA Assembly.
I am certain that a lot of the
people who are capable of leading
students and who are intelligent
do not make outstanding grade
averages. Some of these people
have to work their way through
school and, as a result, their
grades are not the best possible.
Others are in fields of study
where good grades are not easy
to attain.
Many of these people would be
very interested in participating
in student government if the re
quirements were not so rigid. I
am sure that some of these people
would be able to do a job just as
well and probably better than
some of those who are presently
members just to have an activity.
In the future, the requirements
should be reconsidered by SGA
members in the hope that their
judgment will permit more ca
pable and interested students to
participate in student govern
ment. I am interested in hearing
more comments on this subject.
In regard to the letter written
by another student, I don't think
that he should have been so "shah
low" in his thinking before he
put his pen to the paper,
Gazette
TODAY
Ag Council, 7 7 10 p m., 212 HUB
Alpha Kappa Psi business meeting, 7 p :IL,
Theta Delta Chi
Artist:, Series, Netherlands Chamber Choir,
8:30 p at., Schwab
Bridge Class, 6:30-8:30 p ni., HUB main
lounge
Christian Fellowship, 12 :45-1 :15 p m . 218
HUB
Economies Facaler Seminar, 12 noon, HUB
dining room "A"
Father Havarde discussion, 7. p.m., 211
HUH
Five O'Clock Theatre, "Dernonnigratiostm"
5 p in., Little Theatre, Old Main
Intercollegiate Conference on Government,
7-10 P.m 2C3 HUB
Nittany Grotto, 7 p rn., 121 Mineral In.
dustries
Pi Mu Epsilon, 7 :30 p.m„ 12 Sparks
Placement. 8 a m.-5 p.m., 203. 212-a HUD
Schuhplattler Dance Club, 710 p.m., 8
White
Sigma Tau Delta, 7-0 P.m , 210 RUB
Student Handbook business staff, 7 p.m ,
10 Sparks
WDFM lire broadcast, 7 :00-3 .30 p.m.,
HUB assembly room
WUS, 7:00-8:30 p.m., 211, HUB
David Atkinson, William Bailey, Dennis
Broil, Thomas hockey, David Fowler, Jac
queline Greenberg, Barbara Hannum, Shar
on Barad, Dorothy Harrar, Leroy Hibbs,
Bradlee Karen, Leila Kuchas, John Lasky,
Michael Laxorchak, Francine Lembo, Julia
blather. Thomas Newell, Paul Pratt, Mi
chael Raiser, Carolyn Rush, Barbara Rice,
Nancy Stang, Nixon Stuart, Robert
Schmidt, Joanne Taylor, Samuel Woolsey,
Vernon Zeita.
Activity Cards Available
Activities cards are available
in the Dean of Women's office,
105 Old Main. All women must
fill out one of these cards in
order to be considered by the hat
aocities for tapping.
—Anthony Gift, '62
—John Dunkle, '6O
if OSPITA L
re-FLECK-tions
Rushees, Have Fun;
Think Seriously Too!
Name? Curriculum? Hometown near Philadelphia or
Pittsburgh? Interests? Sound familiar to anyone?
These questions should have a familiar ring to anyone
participating in this past weekend's Open House, a pro
gram which officially marked
the beginning of sorority rush
ing,
The next two weeks will
have an important bearing on
many rushees' college careers.
Two weeks is
a rather short
time in which
to choose the
girls you are
going to live
with for the
remainder of
your days at
Penn State.
Two weeks to
choose the
group with MISS FLECK
which you will be working,
studying, associating and most
of all living.
And graduation does not end
your connection with sorority
life—a sorority woman remains
one for her entire life. Once the
step has been taken, she is
a member of a life-long organ
ization.
These are a few of the many
reasons why sorority rushing
should be taken very seriously
by every woman who partici
pates in the program. Meeting
people is-fun, and so are the
chatter dates, parties and cof
fee hours—through these as
pects of rushing you have the
opportunity to get to know the
many sorority women on cam
pus as well as fellow-rushees
and potential pledge sisters.
But every rushee should con
sider the relative and absolute
importance that sororities will
hold hold for her after the fun
of rush is over. Sororities are
fun for most of their members,
but these members have at one
time been faced with the prob-
r - D0 to EVER
WORRY MOOT
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A Student-Operated Newspaper
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00 Bugg Toltregiatt
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DENNIS MALICK GEORGE MeTURIC
Mier • 460'3 Business Manages
Member of The Associated Press
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Managing Editor, William Jaffe; Assistant Editor, Catherine Elea; Publie
Relations Director, Loth Neuharth; Copy Editor, Roberta Levine: %ports Editor,
Sandy Paciwe: Assistant Sports Editor, John Black: Photography Editor Martha
Scharr; Member, zanily sipespa,
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sistants, Margie Zelko, Emily Nissley, Lynn Cerefice, Sandy
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TUESDAY. FEBRUARY 23. 1960
by cathy fleck
lem of analyzing their indi
vidual needs and deciding
which sorority would fill these
needs to the greatest degree
possible. During the next two
weeks rushees must also think
about sororities in other than
the usual social terms.
When you have considered
the general idea of belonging to
a sorority, should you decide
that such an organization will
enlarge your outlook during
your college years, then it is
time to decide which sorority
is the one for you. This is the
moqt important question that
will confront you in the next
two weeks.
This decision should be ar
rived at by you and you alone.
Consider yourself first and
foremost, forgetting about
friends who might be in a sor
ority. Then try to fit yourself
into the group where you feel
you will be most at home; with
the group that you will enjoy
sharing projects, ideas, prob
lems, and happiness; with the
group where you will not have
to put yourself in an artificial
light completely alien to the
real YOU.
If you can honestly tell your
self that you can be a vital
part of sorority life, then you
are on the right track,
Rushing is a wonderful ex
perience in college life. How
wonderful it can be for the coed
who participates in the program
will depend upon the attitude
of the individual coed. The
rushee should enter into rush
ing with a broad outlook on the
sorority system which eventu
ally will narrow into the one
vital answer—" This sorority is
the one for me!"