,GE FOUR
Editorial 0 •inion
Academic Plan Benefits
Students, Faculty, Staff
The 4-term academic year plan that President Eric A.
Walker will present to the executive committee of the
Board of Trustees Friday is a. unique compromise plan
that offers advantages to students, faculty and adminis
trative staff.
The plan, devised by C. 0. Williams, assistant to the
president for special services; for adaption to Penn State's
particular situation, could well become a model for other
large universities, that want to institute a full academic
The unique feature about it is the fact that it is merely
a metamorphosis of the semester system. By extending
the class period to 75 mintftes at the same time as the
15-week semester is cut to a 10-week term, the amount
of class time for each course remains the same.
This means that no changeover in the credit system is
required, but rather the semester credit can remain_as.the
basic academic unit. (Schools on the quarter system re
quire 160 to 190 quarter credits for graduation.) This
eliminates a volume of changes in administrative paper
work.
It means also that faculty members do not have to
rewrite their lectures or course outlines but merely re
align them to fit the 75-minute period.
But the greatest_ advantages will come to the student.
Ho will have fewer courses at one time and thus will be
able to concentrate on just three or four subjects rather
than having his study spread over six or more diverse
subjects.
It will also provide a more intensive study. The stu
dent will complete the course in 2/3 the time formerly
required, then move on to fresh subjects.
The breaks in the terms will correlate with vacation
periods, and most students will be relieved not to have
hanging over their heads during the Christmas season,
that ominous cloud of the reports, papers and catch-up
work that they always leave to the end of, the semester.
The 20-minute break between classes, made possible
by the extension of the class periods to 75 minutes was
becoming a• necessity with the expanding campus.
But most of all, the new plan will do away with the
confused conglomeration previously called Summer Ses
sions. These short soiurns of study were of little use to
Anyone except graduate students and vacationing school
teachers, not only because of the duration and nature of
the sessions but also because of the very limited scope
of courses offered.
These five sessions will be replaced with one full term
expected to offer a complement of courses almost as full
as the fall, winter or spring terms. Students desiring to
accelerate will be able to graduate in three years.
It will probably take some time to build up the sum
mer term to an enrollment commensurate with the other
three terms. Inducements such as conditional admission
to freshmen if they start in the summer, may have to be
made. Anything short of forcing regular students to attend
this term would be in the best interests of the system.
The 4-term academic year is a significant educational
advance for Penn State,
A Stt dent Operated Newspaper ` Seriousness Marks Ca mpaign Debate
Tollrgiatt By J M. ROBERTS
~l~r
Successor to The Free Lance, est. 1887
Published Igesday through Saturday morning during the University year. The
Daily Collegian is a student•operated newspaper. Entered as second-class matter
July 5. 1931 at the State College, Pa. Post Office under the act of March 3, 18T5.
Mail Subscription Price:, $3.00 per semester $5.00 per year.
JOHN BLACK
Editor coax 3-10,
STAFF THIS ISSUE: Headline Editor, Susie Eberly; Wire Edi
tor. Jim Karl; Assistants: Sue Taylor, Saralee Orton, Pat Haller,
Nancy Langsner, John Rein, Edward Kaliss, Bettie McCoy, Sue
Beveridge, Phyllis Raton, Shellie Michaels, Ann Irwin, Carol
Lee Vino, Al Sharp.
TODAY
203 HUB
A p.m
ASCE, 7:3u 191 Sucliett.
Camera Club. 7:30 p.m.. 917 111711
Chess Club, 7. p.m.. 111.111 card room
Continuing- Education. 19 p.m.. 217
Engineering Student Council, G:l5 Dan,
21 t 111111
F.F.A.. ti a.m. - 111 p.m., 212 HUB
Freshman Customs Ilonrd, 1 7: 1 0 P.m,
21: 4 HUH
Jazz Club Table, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., IWO
ground floor
GAZETTE
Kamm Phi Kappa, 9:90 pan., 214 HUB
Pennsylvania School Study Council, 10
a.m., 2
Penn State Grange, 8 p.m., 100 Weft.
ver
Student Christian ARsoeintiun, 7 p.m.,
212 HMI
Textiles, 12 a.m.-5 p.m., NUB astern•
Illy room
Women's Chorus,
lily room
Women's Orientation Transfer Coun•
!whirs, 10 p.m., Grange I.cmnge
WSGA, 0;30 p.m., 203 Milt
Zoology Club, 7:30 p.m., 100 hrear Lab
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN, STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA
CHESTER LUCIDO
Business Manager
7 p.m., HUI 3 assem.
Letters
Long Customs
Dampen Spirit
TO THE EDITOR: What do
you think about customs? We
are going to give you an• hon
est opinion of what we think.
Customs are fine to a certain
degree. They awaken Univer
sity spirit and teach us a lot
about the University that is
interesting and educational.
We don't mind singing and
cheering and all the other
things that are required dur
ing customs.
For a week, customs are
carried out and appreciated
exactly as- they were meant to
be. However,• when it is ex
tended to the second week, the
"Frosh" now feels he is part
of HIS University. He begins
to regard the curt "button
Frosh" with resentment.
This reaction does not pro
mote the University spirit and
does not create friendliness
among the students. This, we
believe accomplishes the exact
opposite purpose of customs.
Our namecards haMper us in
the dining room by getting in
(Continued on page five)
`` HE FLEW OUT IN ANGER
AGAINST ALL THAT WAS
PETTY, DULL OR GREEDY IN MEN II
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admi
111,twel0
"._.. OFTEN, HOWEVER', HIS
SCORN WOULD TURN TO H1C.41
(-MARIN AND KUMOROUS JE6I - 5"
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ARE YOU READING ABOUT
BEETHOVEN OR MORT SAHL ?
Interpreting
Associated Press News Analyst
Two nervous young men
joined in political debate in
a Chicago television studio
Monday night, reaching in
unprecedented fashion for
approval by the people of
the United States, and as the
return became known it ap
peared that Sen. John F. Ken
nedy had high score.
In a stark setting designed
to focus all attention on a se
rious project,
Vice Presi
dent Richard
M. Nixon and
Kennedy
stood on their
dignity and
good man
ners. T her e
was almost
none of the
famous smil-
ing and home- ROBERTS
body appeaL There was a little
book review
Gov't Aid Blasted
By Rand Fantasy
And then dear reader, there were the weak, corrupt
men who talked about government help to their industries
for the good of the country but in reality wanted the gov
ernment to control the succesful businessmen so that the
others could make more
money,
The successful businessmen
were brave, talented and cour
ageous souls who had gained
a virtual monopoly in their
fields but had done it by hon
est free competition.
The governments which
helped industry were really
"looter governments" which
clamped controls on the suc
cuessful businessmen in' order
to help their weak, corrupt
friends.
This is the
gist of Ayn
Rand's book
"Atlas Shrug
ged "
In some
ways Miss
Rand's book
reads like .a
history text
for young
children.
From it we
can infer: miss Rosenthal
Free competition is flawless. A
government which tries to help
industry becomes a "looter
government." Big businessmen
are good and never dishonest.
People who ask federal help
for their industry are corrupt
and can't or don't want to
make money by the sweat of
their own brows.
Perhaps Miss Rand is for-
Letters
Reader Praises Editorials
TO THE EDITOR: Please ac
cept my commendation for
.your recent editorials dealing
with ethnic discrimination in
housing in the U.S. in general
and in State College in par
ticular. I am glad that at least
one local agency is concerned
with this problem; even though
the University administration
does choose to remain silent.
About two years ago The
New Yorker reported that
while a student in this coun
try Kwame Nkrumah • some
times slept in subways and got
his haircuts at Father De
vine's heavens, since he had
little money.
I have often wondered about
what. might have been the case
if he had sufficient finances,
while he was a student, and
been enrolled at Penn State.
If he did not wish to live in
a dormitory, how much diffi
culty would he meet in find
ing housing accommodations,
jabbing but no knife-throwing,
no roundhouse swings.,
Both men were fast on the
draw with' statistics about the
gross national product, farm
income, the cost of social proj
ects and the like. Neither made
much time that way, public
knowledge of the uses of sta
tistics being what it is.
In effect, Kennedy said to
America "Go, go, go," and
Nixon said "Sure, we must go.
but not by expanding govern
ment too much, or at too great
a cost, - nor at the expense of
faking the zing out of private
enterprise."
On the issues, neither man
scored heavily, just asking the
voters to judge which meth.
ods should be used to approach
practically the same goals, and
which man was better quali
fied by experience to conduct
the program. It was more of an
already boring campaign.
When Nixon made a point,
Kennedy looked swiftly from
side ,to side as though seeking
the reaction from an audience
which wasn't there. Nixon, in
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28. 1960
by amy rosenthal
getting the fact that if . our
government had not aided in
dustry in the 1930'5, there
might not have been any coun
try left, Or maybe she thinks
the farmers should submit
themselves to the free com
petition of the open market
and be starved out of existence,
Then too, does she think
free competition is the best
system to be established in an
underdeveloped country which
must feed and clothe its peo
ple before they can even- pro
duce a surplus to sell.
It is true that too much gov
ernment help to industry leads
to governmental control and
perhaps dictatorship especially
in economically properous na
tions. But Miss Rand exagger
ates this view out of propor
tion• and reiterates it for 1000
plus pages. '
However, her •diseriptions of
scenes and emotions are very
believable, her views on sex
are interesting. And in what
other book could you find a
group of characters which in
cludes woman railroad execu
tive, a philosopher turned in
ternational pirate and copper
magnate . who has decided that
the best service lie can do for
his country is to destroy his
corporation?
or even a.barber shop, in State
College? To whom would he
have appealed when. he was
offended? •
I think that your editorial
"Well, You Know . . ." may
have indicated one of the pos
sible causes of some of the
difficulties which this country
is encountering in internation
al relations. After reading it,
I was reminded of a line from
a song which was popular
some years ago. The line was,
"I wonder why nobody don't
like me, or is it the fact that
I'm ugly . . ."
—Nolvert Scott, Jr.
Graduate Student
HOSPITAL
Lee Anders, Gary Moakley. Virginia
Broder, Alexander Chnochowski, Caro
lyn Cross, Ranagit Datta, Anne Far
ley, Barbara Frenget, Louis Catutro,
Richard Hurford, Henry Minton, Jac
queline Leavitt, Edward Niskey, Anita
Padovano, Elaine PerAmon, Ronald
Rapp. Lois Rothenberg, Don a 1
Sehnure, William Shenk, Eleanor Si
mon. Carol Spagnola, William Uram,
Barbara Watehorn, Richard Weiler,
turn, would look sharply at the
camera. Kennedy swallowed.
Nixon looked a little cooler
under fire.
Where Kennedy scored his
extra points lay in the way he
marshaled his argument from
beginning to end. He got the
toss, and Nixon was forced to
begin by answering, and from
there on the vice president
played a largely defensive
game.
Kennedy, on the other hand,
brushed through the questions
and kept plugging at his own
story in his own way. He ap
peared to be using more time
than Nixon, the way he crowd
ed in his points. Yet at the end
he had said only about 200
more words.
• There wasn't much meat in
the performance for the serious
politically minded listener, and
there wasn't any show for the
merely casual. The candidates
probably will do better next
time, when some of the dignity,
and the responsibility of set
ting a • campaign precedent,
have worn away.