PAGE FOUR
ditorial 0
Thoughts While Playing
'What Happened To
Now that it is nearing campus electi_on time again
we thought it--might be a good idea to take a look at some
of the past campaign promises
Looking at old platforms and promises is a good game
which might aptly be titled "Whatever Happened To ...",
Just take the case of the last election campaign which
promised, among other things, to see about organizing
student lobby groups to protest things like taxes on text
books. Now we thought that lobby groups were kind of
noisy people but we guess that those advocated by Uni
versity party are trying a new technique which utilizes
non-organization and silence.
University. party also • advocated later hours for the
Pane° Library but we guess Mr. McComb didn't wind
enough support for the idea on their written planks. Maybe
somewhere someone - is thinking of doing more than
writing the idea down but he's being very quiet about
the whole thing.
Another University party plank stated: "recognizing
the fact that student spirit is founded upon tradition, we
advocate the establishment of a University archives." We
think the University party, not wishing to alter traditions,
decided to be very 'quiet about its subsequent work on
this plank.
Then around last election time, we heard talk about
SGA members attending meetings held by other campus
organizations and something about those students who sit
on Senate Subcommittees submitting written reports or
reporting to the Assembly.
University party was swept into power during the
last election and so we thought we might be hearing more
about some of these things, unfortunately, such has not
been the case.
Upon checking with the highest University party
candidate who is now our SGA president, we found that
he did not know anything about many of these planks.
He explained that upon becoming president he became
bi-partisan and consequently had little to do with party
work.
Evidently, this has beep the case with many assembly
men. So we can only conclude that they found the plat
forms merely useful to campaign on.
Some of these assemblymen also wish to abolish
platforms and parties because they do not do anything.
Well, it is these assemblymen's fault that platforms are
not carried out. If they refuse to carry out or try to carry
out planks they campaigned on, then they ought not to be
re-elected.
We are not suggesting that failure to carry out plat
forms is by any means limited to University party. What
we are suggesting is that the voters must hold 'parties
and the freshmen, sophomore and junior assembly mem
bers responsible for the platforms in future elections.
We are suggesting that the student body, In order to
make SGA meaningful, must examine campaign issues
and vote next week on the basis of the issues and candi
dates.
Then next spring, the voters must determine whether
or not the party in power has tried to fulfill its promises
and whether or not the assemblymen have done their
jobs.
Indirectly, the voters determine what kind of SGA we
have by first electing assemblymen and then holding
them and the parties who nominated them responsible.
But most students will probably decide not to vote claim
ing SGA is just a joke. Ultimately, the joke is on the non
voting - students.
Afterthoughts
It is interesting to note that the University Senate
approved the bowl half-holiday during a fit of laughter
following a joke related by President Eric A. Walker.
Perhaps laughter does "save the day."
Those students who take delight in writing boring
notes on campaign posters ought to be made to read them
all sometime,
inion
1:::3
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Letters
Williams
Challenged
TO THE EDITOR! In reply to
Comer Williams' statement
that he is "positive" that the
Governor "does not have any
power" to interfere with ad
ministration-student affairs, as
acting Campus Party Chair
man and author of our plan of
action, I hereby challenge the
veracity of his statement.
Indeed, if Mr. Williams
chooses to dispute the matter,
I offer him the opportunity to
accompany him to the Capitol.
Perhaps then he'll be inclined
to withdraw his hasty conclu
sions.
—Dennis Eisman,
Acting Campus Party
Chairman
(Editor's Note: Williams is a
sophomore candidate for as.
sembly and is being endorsed
by the unchartered Liberal
Party. He was asked by the
Collegian to comment on the
Campus Party plank which
calls for notification of the gov
ernor, state legislature and
alumni if SGA-approved bills
are stalled by the administra
tion.)
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small talk
Platform Platter
by nicki wolford
The platforms proposed by the University and Campus
parties and the uncharted Liberal party for the upcoming elec
tion certainly look better than many we've seen in the past.
However, the argument against and explanations of some
of them are decidedly weak and we hope they are better
explained in the next few days
For example, in arguing
against a Campus party plank
on ROTC, Wayne Ulsh, a Lib
eral party "endorsee" advanced
the idea that all plans to elim
inate compulsory ROTC aren't
any good because the decision
is ultimately up to the Board
of Trustees. This is ridiculous
and illustrates a defeatist atti
tude typical of too many stu
dent government people.
A good student plan or con
stant student pressure to get
rid of our obsolete ROTC pro
gram might lead to a faster
institution of a voluntary pro
gram—that is if the ROTC'
question is not conveniently
dropped after the election is
over.
On the other hand Ulsh came
up with a fairly good point
which ought to be kept in mind
when considering a rather am
bitious University party plank.
The party intends to promote
a plan which would provide
for SGA coordination of such
groups as TIM, Leonides and
the community councils.
Ulsh in questioning the plan
used an obvious truth—SGA is
not now even working near its
constitutional limitations and
should do more under its pres-
Snowed
Seasonal Sincerity
Campus party's method of implementing their platform,
which includes bringing pressure on Governor Lawrence and
members of the State Legislature, has appeal to the average
student because it posseses the potential of bringing results.
However, there are some
very interesting questions that
shroud this proposal.
First, why has Campus par
ty promised to take such dar
ing and forth
right action
just prior to
election time?
I wonder?
Second, if
the members
of Campus
party really
believe in
the proposed
methods of
obtaining
their goals
why must MYERS
they wait until after the elec
tion to press for their achieve
ment,
Since we believe that public
pressure on elected officials is
the only method of obtaining
many of the much-needed re
forms on the Penn State cam
pus, we are indeed sorry that
no truly sincere group of stu
dents has emerged from the
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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2. 1960
ent system before branching
out.
Eventually all campus or
ganizations may be re-organ
ized-with a form of SGA at the
top. Such plans were discussed
at a WSGA retreat last spring
and such reorganization might
become a reality as the corn
, munity living concept develops.
But right now the organiza
tions which University party
feels SGA should control are
in the process of reorganizing
in view of the community liv
ing concept and perhaps SGA
ought to wait until they are in
a less nebulous form.
SGA itself is not at the pres
ent time ready for such an
undertaking but it is commend
able that University party
recognizes an eventual change
in SGA might be advisable.
Of course, I assume that
since University party put such
a plank in its platform it in
tended to do something about
it in the next few months and
was not merely lending sup
port to an idea which will
evolve in the future anyway.
If the latter were the case,
then the platform would be as
meaningless as those in the
past.
by Joel myers
jumble of campus political
parties this semester.
A well-organized coalition of
students and alumni could ac
complish many of the things
now desired by• the student
body. Namely: a University
stu d e n t-run bookstore, im
proved library facilities, a stu
dent-o per ate d AM radial
station, expanded parking fa
cilities and sufficient appro
priations from the State Legis
lature so that no further
increase in tuition and room
and board is necessary.
It seems that none of these
things will be achieved until
a group of truly sincere and
self-sacrificing students begin
to actively push for their at
tainment. This would require
a year-round rather than elec
tion-time interest in these
goals.
Because no such group of
year-round politicians has ap
parently appeared, a vote in
the upcoming student election
would be nothing more than a
ballot in a popularity contest
rather than a choice between
two specific programs.
CHESTER LUCIDO
Business Manager