PAGE FOUR
Editorial Opinion
'Ungodly? 'Unconstitutional'?
The chaplain of the Interfraternity Council has more
or less charged us with proposing a plan which is uncon
stitutional, dangerous to democracy and ungodly.
It is probably possible to use the broad terms of free
dom and constitutionality to attack or defend almost any
idea (the Soviet Union manages this nicely) and it is cer
tainly possible to use the concept of God in any manner
one chooses.
However, we do feel that there are certain definitions
of these terms which prevail in this country and we do
not see how our proposal can be taken as "unconstitu
tional" much less "ungodly."
We merely think in order to help erase discrimination
the University should not recognize fraternities whose
national groups impose discriminatory clauses because of
race or religion.
Ohio State University and Colgate have instituted
this rule. Discriminatory clauses have imposed a hardship
on many local chapters who happen to choose members
regardless of race or color. The Stanford chapter of Alpha
Tau Omega has had to hire a lawyer because it pledged
four Jewish boys.
The intention of our proposal has been misconstrued,
saying that we want to take away the right of “free
association.” This is a complete reversal of meaning. We
want actually to insure the right of “free” association.
Discriminatory clauses prohibit “free association.”
The elimination of such clauses would be a-definite step
toward allowing free association to exist in individual
fraternity chapters.
Many fraternities are trying to get the discriminatory
clauses removed from their constitutions and our pro
posal was intended to help the cause.
We have said nothing about individual chapters who
choose ihemselvea to be governed by prejudice except
that they will get'members whom they deserve. However,
it is quite unfair for chapters to be forced to adhere to dis
criminatory clauses written some time ago by someone
else under quite different circumstances.
If the Chaplain chooses to believe that God would
look with disfavor upon this proposal we cannot say he
is wrong but we can say that the ideals in the Judeo-
Christian tradition, as wednterpret them, are on our side.
So, at the risk of being monotonous, we again propose
that the Interfraternity and Panhellenic Councils in con
junction with the Senate Committee on Student Affairs
begin work toward abolishing all racial and religious
clauses existing in the national constitutions of some
Greek groups on campus.
A Student-Operated Newspaper
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JOHN BLACK
' Editor
Member of The Associated Press
and The Intercollegiate Press
STAFF THIS ISSUE: Headline Editor, Ellie Hummer; Wire Edi
tor, Saralee Orton; Assistant Copy Editor, Lynne Cerefice; As
sistants: Robert Dean, Marilee McClinlock, Betsy Mulcey, Maxine
Fine, Kitty Bassett, Tucker Merrill and Sandy Pohlman.
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN. STATE COLLEGE. PENNSYLVANIA
CHESTER LUCIDO
Business Manager
Letters
Write to Your Representative
TO THE EDITOR: The most
recent warning we Penn Stat
ers have had is that next term
the tuition may go up.
The question is: Why? The
answer is: The University must
meet operating expenses to
keep its doors open to us,
To meet these expenses, the
University depends on appro
priation from the state and our
tuition fees. When the state
does not meet the University’s
financial request for operating
budget, the money must be
secured from other means,
namely us.
For yarious reasons Gover
nor Lawrence has not seen' it
in his budget to grant Dr.
Walker the sum he has re
quested. The requested sum is
considered by the administra
tion to be adequate tor the
next year of operation.
If the State continues to be
obstinate concerning the
amount allocated to Penn
State, then the University
Letters
Sr. Answers
Haney Letter
Oh Prejudice
TO THE EDITOR: (In response
to George Haney’s letter on
individual liberties) I shall
write a bill, Mr. Haney, de
manding that all organizations
must have an arbitrary per
centage of members of each
ethnic group and each religious
order—Then, and only then,
would your letter demanding
the right of free association be
apropos.
For then it would b« I <who
was closing a door on the
"rights, responsibilities. ' and
privileges of citizenship." How
ever, that bill has yet to be
written, and now we must look
at the real culprit of such a
devious crime. Who exactly is
committing a travesty against
constitutional rights?
Why, Mr. Hahey, it’s a piece
of paper with carefully typed
words saying No admittance
to , These are words
impinging on the rights of your
own fraternity men, women in
sororities; or on anyone a mem
ber of an arbitrarily-restricted
group.
For I ask you, what right
does a disassociated branch of
a social organization have to
determine who the immediate
group shall have as brothers?
What use are laws that cannot
be respected by a. majority of
a governing group? When a fra
ternity with a sufficiently ef
fective “black-ball” system
agrees that they want a “No
admittance to” member as a
brother where are those “con
stitutional rights” then, Sir?
I repeat, none yet has de
manded that there be a quota
system, or even that any group
of people change the way they
decide upon their friends.
Attitudes do not come in
portfolios and they do not
change with a change in law.
However, if they had a tacit
desire to change, don’t you
think they should be given the
right?
—Leslie LeWinler '6l
Gazette
TODAY
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Trustees will have to raise the
tuition.
The State raises the money
for appropriation through the
various taxes in the state. One
tax which hits all of us at this
time of the year is the sales tax
on books. This tax is theoret
ically turned into a state fund
for educational purposes. Does
it really get there, and is it
really used for education?
In order to find out why the
Legislature will not give us the
funds we desperately need, I
propose that each student write
to his Senator or Representa
tive, or both, and ask him what
his stand is on the issue, and
exactly what is happening to
the sales tax from books.
If we want to keep the tui
tion down to the present level,
we will have to put some pres
sure on the Legislature at Har
risburg to grant the sum re
quested in the budget submit
ted by Dr. Walker.
If we take Dr. Walker’s ad-
World At
New Premier
Heads Congo
LEOPOLDVILLE, the Congo
(/P) The Congo’s government
was handed back to the politi
cians yesterday in a move to head
off American overtures for a new
deal with Patrice Lumumba.
President Joseph Kasavubu
formally dismantled the College
of Commissioners —the group of
university graduates installed by
Gen. Joseph Mobutu to run the
country last September and
proclaimed a provisional govern
ment of parliamentarians. It will
serve until Parliament can be
summoned, but this may not be
for some time.
The new premier is Senate
President Joseph lleo, a soft
spoken, slightly built man of 39.
A firm opponent of Lumuba, lleo
nevertheless offered the deposed
premier a place in the govern
ment once before in a bid to
unite the Congo's warring fac
tions.
He now finds himself again as
a potential conciliator. In naming
the Cabinet, Kasavubu left open
six posts—including the vital De
fense Ministry—for opponents of
Leopoldville in hopes they would
rally to the central government.
JFK Proposes
Health Program
WASHINGTON (/P) Presi
dent Kennedy pressed yesterday
for enactment of a "freedom of|
choice” program under which 14.2
million older men and womenj
would receive hospital, nursing
and other medical care paid for
by bigger Social Security taxes.
Sending his medical care for
the aged program to Congress,
Kennedy sought to neutralize one
major opposing argument by de
claring, “This ... is not-a pro
gram of socialized medicine. '
“It is a program of prepay
ment of health costs with absolute
freedom of choice guaranteed,”
the President said in a special
message. “Every person will
choose his own doctor and hospi
tal.”
Arguing the need for his pro
gram, Kennedy said the 16 mil
lion Americans over age 65 face
an annual medical bill twice that
of the younger segment of the
population “but their annual in
come is only half as high.”
Kennedy’s message signaled
what may turn out to be the hot
test battle of the session.
Gas Tax Increase OK'd
HARRISBURG UP) Gov.
Lawrence yesterday signed into
effect the two-cents-a-gallon in
crease in the state’s gasoline tax.
The increase raises the tax to
seven cents, effective April 1.
It will produce an estimated $74
million a year for the state motor
fund: — the commonwealth’s high
way-building treasury. i
FRIDAY. FEBRUARY 10. 1961
vice, and each of us writes to
his Senator and Representative
as well as the Governor, we
will be letting the Legislators
on Capitol Hill know that Penn
State students will not stand
to be pushed around like chess
pawns, or take second best.
Politicians value their office;
they cannot afford to ignore
14,000 letters flooded in from
students who represent all
counties of Pennsylvania. They
know that votes count in elec
tions, and if they do not give
the voters what they want,
they may not get back into of
fice.
Remember: The lobby pres
sure and the leters to Senators
and Representatives' got the
two cent gas tax passed." Our
student body- with its lobby of
letters is just as big a lobby
and just as effective for our
share of appropriation.
—Ron Sheetz '62
(Editors Note: We second the
motion.)
A Glance
Tough Months
Seen for U.S.
I WASHINGTON (/P) -- Experts
painted for Congress yesterday a
'picture of even tougher months
'ahead for the nation’s economy.
,They predicted things will get
better later this year, but com
plete recovery may not come be
fore 1962.
And there was applause for
President Kennedy's go-slow ap
proach in trying to provide gov
ernment cures lor the country’s
economic aches and pains.
These were the over-all views
of a panel of lop economists —■
in industry and government in
testimony before the Senate-
House Economic Committee.
Meanwhile, Republican leaders
in Congress removed any linger
ing doubt that Kennedy’s eco
nomic proposals will have tough
sledding. Senate Leader Everett
M. Dirksen of Illinois and House
Leader Charles A. Halleck of In
diana said some of Kennedy’s
proposals might “dampen down
the recovery process.”
Expert Accuses
5 of Espionage
LONDON UP) A British ex
pert declared yesterday that five
persons accused of spying for the
Soviet Union stole details of the
Royal Navy’s nuclear submarine
Dreadnought, based on designs
supplied by the United States in
1959.
The details were not specified
but described by the witness,
Navy Capt. George Symondsi as
“of undoubted value to an en
emv.”
Symonds said the information
was spirited Out of the highly se
cret Royal Navy research station
at Portland, where he was direc
tor of the underwater weapons
section. He said it was contained
in photographs of the pages of a
top-secret Royal Navy book.
Algerian French Jets
Intercept Soviet Plane
ALGIERS (tf>) A French
spokesman confirmed last night
that French air force jets inter
cepted a Soviet Ilyushin 18 and
fired warning shots at it.
The spokesman said the planes
fired only when the Soviet air
craft failed to reply to radio calls
for identification.
He said the French had no ad
vance notice of the flight.
The Soviet Foreign Ministry in
Moscow charged last night that
a French jet fired on an Ilyushin
18 carrying Soviet President Leo
nid Brezhnev,
Severance Resigns
VILLANOVA, Pa. (A>) Al
Severance, Villanova University
basketball coach since 1936, re
signed yesterday, effective the
end of the season. His team won
415, lost 196 in that time.