The daily collegian. (University Park, Pa.) 1940-current, September 28, 1960, Image 4
,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 C :4; it admi 111,twel0 "._.. OFTEN, HOWEVER', HIS SCORN WOULD TURN TO H1C.41 (-MARIN AND KUMOROUS JE6I - 5" • a. (:- ,C4lll I_l4 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.