PAGE FOUR Editorial 0 • inio Change Leaders But Keep Platform The Encampment workshop on Student this would be a better way to select candi- Government Association made thr e e dates—on their abilities and personality— sweeping resolutions concerning political activity lists do not prove abilities nor give parties that for all practical purposes the electorate any indication of where the would eliminate the parties from the SGA candidite stands on vital political issues. election system. And this is what the platform must be. The recommendations were to have the Not just a list of dandy little projects to be majority and minority party leaders serve "studied or investigated" (what meaning as party clique chairmen, to have_ cam- less terms), but rather an expression of a paigns financed and conducted by Elec- definite stand on the basic issues facing tions Commission with equal publicity to SGA at that time. each party, and finally to drop the custom Platforms of the two parties would of party platforms. • not have to be diametrically opposed. They We can see merit in the first two may be very similar. But they must express recommendations, but, though we have a stand. Not "We propose that considera been disgusted with the gross misuse of the ' lion be given to • . .” but "We will fight party platforms, and at times have been for driven to entertaining ideas of eliminating them, to do so would wreck the elections framework of SGA. Let's examine the function and opera tion of a party in the SGA frame Work The party outside of SGA Assembly operates only at election time. The only continuing party unit is the elected bloc on Assembly. So the party clique chairman, who has always been a member outside the Assem• bly is left to lead a party that doesn't exist. The minority and majority leaders in Assembly could most effectively control the party all year long. This in itself could strengthen pursuance of platform ob jectives. Campaigns financed and conducted by Elections Commission should eliminate the perennial cries of dirty campaigning. These two recommendations should be enacted. But the proper approach on party platforms, idealistic though it may sound, is to make them meaningful not to elimi nate them. For to kill the platform is to kill the party. Wit lout platforms, parties would be sere agencies collecting activity lists of 'lose who wish to run for office. While some people have advocated that .1 - n • DUI IF I DON'T, OHO WILL? (11.10 . 5 GOING TO GIVE THEM ME GUIDANCE TkEY NEED?I ro,r -.,; A-Arkipd, _iv III ..I [ , 'i:--) 0 11 1 \ c 1 • MI ~...4'.1 ‘,)l, A 11, 01 .- ,_3iY,-,7 SEE? THEY LOOK TO ME FOR HELP! ~.. I 4r... ' • si , •;•.‘ . A . .., --,. .-4....-„,......1 ' 1 .1..... .Ait . . ~., ... t.. , 4 ,-,- t--. Without platforms an unethical cam paigner could change his view on a con troversial issue from audience to audience. The establishment of a meaningful platform means candidates will have to sit down and really examine the problems before making infeasible rash promises. The argument against platforms has been that they are not carried out or aren't any good to begin with. This has been true, but need not continue to be so if parties will understand the proper concept of a platform as a "stand" and not silly little studies or forming committees. Abolishing platfornis_ is a retreat, ad mitting defeat in attempting to formulate constructive approaches - tó student 'prob lems. Last year, Campus, Party had a few meaningful planks in its platform, saying a little more than wouldn't it be nice to have a University archiveS. • Unfortunately the party's candidates who were elected made no fight for these planks. A strong party wouldiight for its plat form as a mandate from the electorate. Parties have not performed their func tion in the past, but to kill them rather than strengthen them would wreck SGA's responsibility to its electorate. TODAY Ag Hill Party, 6:30 p.m., 213 HUB Air Force Glee Club, 3 p.m., HUB 113- senility room Alpha Lambda Delta, 5 p.m.. 211 LIB AWS. 1.0 a.m. - 3 p.m., HUB first flow lobby Campus Party, 3 p.m., 215 111111 Circa Stall Meeting, 7:30 p.m., 203 Itoocke Daily Collegian Promotion Staff, T p.m. 11 Carnegie Greek Sunday Committee. 7. p.m., 212 HUL Navy Recruiting 10 a.m. 3 p.m., I!I 11 ground floor lobby October Interpretative Reading Hour, 7 ;:io p.m., McElwain lounge Special Education, 6:30 p.m., 217-213 HUB SCA Residence Committee, S p.m., 212 iil l ll SCCB, 11:30 p.m., 211 111111 SF(' Jazz Featival Committee, 6:30 p.m.. 216 HUB A Student-Operated Newspaper 56 Years of Editorial Freedom Elaitg Tolirgiatt Successor to The Free Lance, est. 1887 Published Tuesday through Saturday morning during the University year. The Daily Collegian is a student-operated newspaper. Entered as second-class matter July 5. 1934 at the State College, Pa. Post Office under the act of March 3, DM. Mail Subscription Price: 33.00 per semester 55.00 per year, Member of The Associated Press and The Intercollegiate Press JOHN BLACK CHESTER LUCIDO Editor Business Manager City Editor: Carol Blakeslee; Assistant Editor, Gloria Wo!ford; Sports Editor, Sandy Padwe ; Assistant City Editor and Personnel Director, Susan Linkrourn Feature Editor and Assistant Copy Editor, Elaine Miele; Copy Editor. Annabelle Rosenthal; Photography Editor, Frideric Rower; Make-up Editor, Joel Myers. STAFF THIS ISSUE: Headline Editor, Barb Yunk; Wire Editor, Jerrie Markos; Night Editor, Dex Hutchins. Assistants: Sue Tay lor, Bev Cades, Susie Ellison, Bill Barber, Lois Haegely, Carmen Zeiler, Beth Nesbit, Blanc Holovach, Judy Rendleman, Linda Leney, Adrienne Veeson, Barbara Brown, Dotti Watson, Carole Kismaric, Peggy Lacy, Jackie Russiano, Joan Menzel, Vicki Caplan, Steve Book, Jeff Shaman, Estelle Levine. THE DAILY COLLEGIAN, STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA GAZETTE SGA, 7 p Tn.. 207 11118 8V Christian Fellowship, 12:10 p.m., 218 111511 World Series, 12 noon, HUB ballroofn WRA !lackey CliP, 4 p.m., women's athletic field Wit A Swim Club, new members, 6:30, old membera 7 :30. White Ball John Anderson, Barbara Burk, SUE , Christian, Loretta Cowan, Patricia Dill, Robert Dockatader, Ilarriet Em duri Barbara Cnall, Patricia Kamp. meier, William Klotsas, Lillian Leis, Ingrid Leunis, Jacqueline Long, Louise Mapp, Jo Anne Mark, Robert Mumma, Ruth Noble, Michael On u f ry, Cenerva Peck, Norman Potter, John Semi, Charles Siemenaki, Nancy Sklarew, James Skok, Marva Smith, Nancy Tharp, David Walter, Richard Ward, Barbara Watchorn, Willard Zimmer. man. HOSPITAL being amyable 'Head' Writer Has Space Problems A headline writer lives in a world all his own or so it must seem sometimes to the students who read the paper. The confusion stems from the problem that each headline must he a short summary of the story and yet fit into the space allowed. Sometimes achieving these aims calls for a magician or perhaps a Walking dictionary : It must seem the Collegian is on intimate terms with the national or world leaders for on our pages you can find such head lines as "Dag Must G o , Says Niki" or "Jack Swings Through State as Dick Tests Knee." No, we do not really know them on a first name basis, Miss. Rosenthal it's lust that their surnames won't fit into the spaces as signed. Often as we toil away in the office we are confronted with the problem of how to make a one line summary of 25 let ters or less out of the fact that Clarence Isotophoric, professor of agricultural meteorology, will attend a meeting of the National Association of Astro nomical Cultivators. If there is any reader that can do bet ter than "Prof to Attend Meet ing" let him step forward and be received with blessings. Then too we are confronted Letters Voight Defends Liberal Party TO THE EDITOR: In attempt ing to express the feelings of those of us who choose to identify ourselves with the spirit of the Liberal Party, I sincerely question your under standing of the "why and hows" of this new campus political organization as shown in yesterday's editorial. First, several .apologies are in order. We are sorry that SGA is structured around a 2-party system. We are sorry that the very existence of the new Liberal Party .will cause a weakening of the two exist ing "strong" parties. We regret that we cannot create powerful leaders in stu dent government because we do not have the block support of 40 "brothers" during nomi nations. We are also sorry if our "broken record" of non-repre sentation on the SGA assembly is a record of truth. We are remorseful because the fact that a few Campus Party Independents were de feated in the last elections "proves" to you—Through blis tering logic—that independents have no interest in campus politics or that the Greek can didates were better qualified. We lament that our desire to start the ball rolling for a stu dent book store to be operated independent of administra tional control does not meet Grad Laments Delayed Stipends TO THE EDITOR: A deplorable situation has recen it y been called to my attention and I just thought that you might be interested. Did you know that over 200 graduate assistants and instruc tors were not paid on Sept. 30? Why were they not paid? They were not paid because their ap pointments had not been proc essed. Now I can certainly under stand that the processing of these apointments takes rime However, nobody, but nobody, on God's green earth can con- vince me that it has to take all summer. These are human beings in volved, not just numbers and names. Many of these people have familieS to support. They THURSDAY. OCTOBER 6. 1960 by amy rosenthal with the problems of picking different verbs that say there are forms or tickets at the Hetzel Union desk which can be picked up by interested stu dents. Usually we end up by using that old stand-by "are available." And there's nothing like that short verb "set" to solve a head line writer's problems, dates are set, plans are set, research. is set, this could •lead to lin guistic phobia. Then for you who get the news by reading the headlines only, we must be especially cautious, just a shading of a word can cause a panic. Con sider this headline "Telephone Trainees Practice Here." Hmm! To • one with imagination this presents numerous possi bilities. Are they training op erators to say this phone has been disconnected, or training people in telephone painting or perhaps we have a class of wire tapers in our midst. The problem of how to say the most in the least space goes on and for a better Penn State we will do best to turn out legible but undts•standable headlines. If only the short words weren't mainly four let ter ones! with your approval or the ap proval of the "big three" book store owners. Finally, we are truly sorry if you are fearful, as you stat ed, that SGA may eventually be "dominated by interested Independents." After all, they would selfishly be representing the needs of a small "interest group" of over two-thirds of the student body. —Walter H. Voigt '6l (Editor's Note: Yesterday's editorial did not claim that two "strong" political parties already existed—quite the con trary. It also pointed out that a residence hail unit could easi ly out-vote fraternity blocks. We did not "disapprove" of a student-operated book store but mercy questioned the naive assumption made by the Liberal Party that the admin istration would not care about such a plan. We "fear" nothing. We mere ly noted that Independent domination of SGA will prob. ably evolve ;under the com munity living concept without any help from the exclusively independent Liberal Party. We do have "concern" over the fact that the Liberal Par ty's only accomplishment may he the separation of Indies and Greeks and by causing such factions it may bring about the ultimate disintegration of SGA which meets its fate next spring.) have to rely on their monthly stipend and they should be able to rely on it. They have come to Penn State in good faith- and this faith should not be violated. Mr. Editor, I humbly submit to you that this ••anic incom petence must cease at what ever level it occurs. —David E. Groner, Graduate Student WDFM Schedule 3:30 p.m. Critics' Choice 5:00. p.m. Three at Five G:00 p.m. Studio X 6:155 p.m. Joel Myers 7 :00 p.m. Obelisk 7:30 p.m. The Jazz Sound 7:55 p.m. News Roundup 8:00 p.m. This is the Subject 9:00 p.m. Folk Music 9:80 p.m. Just New 9:45 p.m. News. Sports and Weather 10:00 p.m. Chamber Musts 12:00 p.m. Sign Ott
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers