PAGE FOUR Editorial 0 • info Piddle Party Humor? What started out to he imaginative humor displayed through the published platform of the secret' "piddle party" has turned into sheer stupidity with the advent of little flyers asking students to write "piddle" on their ballots in the current SGA elections. Good satire often provides a welcome break and reminds everyone not to take himself so seriously. It is curious, then, that the group providing this reminder should apparently decide that their distorted view of SGA should be taken as truth by students. Please, we ask these people not to take themselves so seriously—their platform. was well-received because it was funny not because it was a necessarily true picture of SGA or Old Main. Advocating that students relinquish or fail to use their voting privilege is nonsense and piddle party's method is neither humorous nor logical. A student government is a necessary institution. We do not claim that our SGA is fulfilling its obligations to students but we do claim the only way it can do its job is for students to first vote and then hold the candidates and their parties responsible for promises. If the Student Government Association fails, part of the blame:must fall on those students - who did not vote or who do not even find out what is happening in SGA. Any government without the support of its people will fail in much of what it tries to accomplish. Those people:who do not vote or who do not even find out if their elected men carry out what they promise are not support ing their government. We wish that each student voter would read the piddle party plan, laugh, and then go to the polls to vote for bonafide candidates. A Student-Operated Newspaper 56 Years of Editorial Freedom Daily Olollrgiatt ~~~ 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. lOU at the State College. Pa. Post Mice under the act at March 3. 1813. Mail Subscription Prices MOO per semester $5.00 per year. Member of The Associated Press and The Intercollegiate Press JOHN BLACK Editor -IiZNI;iA., City Editor: Carol Blakeslee; Assistant Editor, Gloria Wolford; Sports Editor, Sandy Padre.; Assistant City Editor and Personnel Director, Susan Linkroum; Feature Editor and Assistant Copy Editor. Elaine Miele; Copy Editor, Annabelle Rosenthal: Photography Editor, Frederic Bower; Make-up Editor, Joel Myers. Local Ad Mgr., Brad Doris: Assiatant Local Ad Mgr., Hal Delaher; National Ad Mgr., flessie_Barke; Credit Mgr., Mary Ann Crans;, Met Credit Mgr., Neal Keitst Classified Ad Mgr., Constance Kieael; Co. Circulation Mgrs., Rosiland Atte', Richard Kitzinger; Promotion Mgr., Elaine Nichol; Personnel Mgr., Becky Kohudict Office Secretary, Joanne Huyett. STAFF THIS ISSUE: Headline Editor, Jerry Markos; Wire Edi tor, Joanne Mark; Night Copy Editor, Ellie Hummer; Assistants, Gail Mogel, Linda Leney, Tucker Merrill, Peggy Rush, Anne Thomas, Gail Tolerico, Arlene Lantzman, Phyllis Hutton, Bettie McCoy, Len Butkiewicz, Bob Segal. TODAY Accounting Club, i :15 p.m., Phi Sig- ma Kappa Ani, 7.9 p.m., Foundry classroom Aisoriation for Childhood Education, Home FA., Living Center CRI Student Council, 6:15 p.m., 306 Itoucke ("hems Club, 7 p.m.. HUB cardroom English Colloquium, 7:30 p.m., Nittnny kite ti .inn Inn tali:, Women's Club Cbristmss Party. noon. Continuing Educe ion Con ference Center PEANUTS /THAT'S NOT VERY oKA' SMARM.. po t r 600 f) PRINTING, YOORSELF THEN . .': LUCY...I HAD HOPED THAT tito WiLD DO ` A BETTER cos.. ( ) - , r .....- . .... ~..... _--°, O • - 1 3.:4:_...:.....,.. IZ-7 ALL_ ii)mritittai RI6HT, r n , y) 1\ . 1 , . ---- • CHESTER LUCIDO Business Manager Gazette Forestry Convocation, Sparks Forestry Society, 7 p.m., 203 Willard Graduate Mining Seminar, 3:20 p.m., 304 M.l. Home Econoinics Research Seminar, 12:30 Dining Room "A" HUB Industrial Engineering Graduate Semi. nar, 4:15 p.m., 117 Sackett . Israeli Folk Dancing, 7:30 p.m., Hillel Foundation Penn State Camera Club, 7:30 p.m., 212-213 111)13, attendance required Riding Club, 7 p.m., 203 Willard THE DAILY COLLEGIAN, STATE COLLEGE. PENNSYLVANIA 'Piddle' Vote Advocated By Junior TO THE EDITOR: This letter is a plea to the students of Penn State. It is a plea asking them to . reflect upon whom they are going to vote for in the upcoming elections and what they are going to vote for. I contend that if the major party candidates are again elected, the present form of student government as on this campus will be perpetuated. What is the one thing that the present form of government has produced? Apathy. Why, you may ask, has this hap pened? • Simply, because the major ity of students at Penn State cannot be fooled. They realize that they are not being truly represented by SGA and hence show no real interest in an organization that doesn't (or can't) carry out the wishes of the student body. What is the solution to this problem? There is, of course, no single answer to this question. But I feel that something can be done. Recently "Piddle Party" po sters have appeared, satiriz ing SGA. it would be quite a shock if a majority of those voting were to write "Piddle" on their 'SGA ballots. But this is what we need! Maybe this would show the administration, and all those concerned in the political scene on campus, that Penn Staters are interested in their student government and want a change for the better. Consider this before you vote. Think about what you really want. If you want ' a change, write "Piddle" on your ballot. Brandt Discusses Piddle Party Plan TO THE EDITOR: I view with increasing alarm the efforts of Piddle Party to invent seem ingly sordid facts about SGA. This democratic and venerable institution has been faithfully serving the interests of many Penn State students for some years. The Piddlers have taken a narrow viewpoint in criticizing SGA for attempting such worthwhile projects as multi- tier pigeon hole parking lots and administrative assistants for SGA officers, to say noth ing for such direct representa tion as the voicing of atudent opinion on the quarter system. These warped people would disparage SGA for its whole hearted efforts to improve stu dent spirit through cheer con tests. They would similarly condemn SGA actions to in terest students in campus poli tics by granting political par ties $7OO a year. - Likewise, their attempt to sabotage the coming elections with a write-in Piddle on your SGA ballot-campaign is equal ly perverse. It is clear that a vote for Piddle is a vote against SGA. I hope the student body will ignore their plea when they exercise their right to vote Tuesday and Wednesday. Otherwise they will endanger the very foundations upon which SGA rests. —John Brandi, '6l, 11 P.m., 121 WDFM Schedule WEDNESDAY 3:30 Stock Market Report 8:50 News and Weather 4:00 Critic's Cheiefl 6:00 Three at Five 8:00 Studio X 8:65- Weitherscope 7:00 Marquee Memories 9:66 News Roundup 8:00 Jam Panorama 9:00 Forum of the Air 9:30 Artist Series Previevr Newn,-Sports, Weather 10:00. Virtuoso 12:09 Sitra-0(2. Letters to The Editor —Mike Goberman, '62 Campaign Discussed TO THE EDITOR: As a fresh man candidate running inde pendently for SGA Assembly, I in particular feel the need to comment on the present campaign. Perhaps because I am a new student on this cam pus and therefore have not been exposed to any of the previous campaigns I'd natur ally be surprised at the nature of this one. But, surely many other stu dents feel as I do about the amount of erroneous interpre tation and poor play that has been occuring lately, Certainly, some of the issues about the group interested in Liberal Party should be made clear. I became a member of Liberal because I knew that its ideals and plans for positive action could be of real benefit to the students as a whole. These principles represent something that our present student government definitely lacks, and are of such a nature as to be worthy of impartial consideration. Other issues have not been made clear to the voting stu dent. For example, one of the other candidates running inde pendently for SGA Assembly was told by two of the fresh man candidates of the Univer sity Party that student funds were not used to print the Cavanagh States Aims TO THE EDITOR: As a candi date for Junior Assembly, I would like to let the students know what my aims will be if re-elected. . . The Collegian editorial of December 6 expressed what any rational person could have done. It weighed the feasibility of each platform and came up with the general conclusions that the platforms are basically good if they can be accom plished. I agree! Aa an Independent candi date. r am running on my past experience as an assembly member and my past work for the students. I could also run on all the proposed platforms, promising to do my best to car- On Voluntary ROTC TO THE EDITORt I am glad to see that Nicki Wolford in Friday's Collegian agreed with ma that SGA must become more effective using its present powers to the regulation of such campus organizations as TIM, Leonides, and the area councils. However, I am disappointed that she misinterpreted me as being opposed to any plan of voluntary ROTC. What I am opposed to is the seeming ab sence of any plan by Campus Party to support their plank. This plank was part of their platform last year, but, as yet What Is Piddle Party? TO THE EDITOR: As a stu dent interested in politics on this campus, I would like to know just what this new "Pid dle Party" stands for, and who is behind it. If this is some one's idea of a joke, I don't think it is very funny. It seems to me that the "Pid dle Party" is taking an irre sponsible attitude at a time so close to the elections. What this group can contribute to student government by their recent "manifesto" is beyond me. Take their "alogati "Far WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER' 7. 1960 posters prepared by the SGA Elections Commission. They stated that the only funds used in printing these posters were the three dollars assessed them by their patty. As a further example last eve ning I received a phone call from two Campus Party nomi nees. In their campaign ma terial for these conversations they included several deroga tory statements concerning Liberal. One of these was that Lib eral Party is against fraternity and sorority members as such. This is completely untrue. We believe more representation should be given the unaffili ated student, because he does represent the greater part of our student body. But, because we want to give attention to the problems of the independ ent as well as the Greek it does not mean that Liberal Party is against the latter group. I would hate to believe such animosity exists between the two factions that this gen eralization could truthfully be made. It's barriers like these that Liberal endorsees face in the upcoming elections. 'I ask, why should certain elements mis construe the facts in order to gain votes? Shouldn't this campaign rather be represen tative of what we want student government to be at Penn State? —Dale Harris, '64 ry them out, but this is some- thing I would do by my mere position as an assembly mem ber. My firm belief is .that • the real problems of the students are not those expressed on the platforms. The problem is get ting these platforms and any future platforms accomplished. The ONLY way we can do this is through a two-way ef fort support of the students for capable candidates and ca pable candidates to support the students and their views. We cannot have one without the other! I urge you all to vote today and to consider what I have said. —Joan Cavanagh, 12 they haven't even presented a bill to the Assembly to allow that body to express its feel ings on this issue. The Board of Trustees will not give the studenti a volun tary ROTC program until they are presented with something more than what appears to be a crude political gesture. I feel that a majority of the student body feels voluntary ROTC is best. The absence of an ROTC plank from the inde pendent's platform does not mean that we are opposed to a feasible plan to implement voluntary ROTC. —Wayne Ulsh, '62 SGA—The Thinking Man's Fil ter." Funny isn't it? But it's not so funny when you stop to think that most of the students on this campus will feel the same way. Constructive criticism of stu dent government will be a wel come change from the tongue in-cheek attitude that prevails at Penn State. This is not the first time an attempt has •been made to satirize SGA, and• at tempts in the past have gotten us nowhere. -When will these people finally learn their les son? —Walter Kagsovrtiy-''63
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers