PAGE FOUR ditorial 0 •info SGA's 'Status Seekers' In the recent past, many critics of student government have said that the present SGA could have worked if it had had a strong executive. We feel, after observing Thursday evening's chaos, that only half the blame can fall on the incompetent executive branch. The other half rests on the Assembly, one half of which is usually asleep and the other, largely incoherent. Jackie Leavitt's motion that SGA simply vote itself out of existence should have had some impact on the Assembly. But the sleeping members probably didn't hear it and the other half refused to take it seriously and grasp its significance. While we cannot back this motion, we certainly appreciate the feeling with which it was made. SGA is ineffective and for many essential purposes, totally useless Being persistent, we do insist that student government can have some meaning and that attempts to change it from "mickey mouse" to "mighty mouse" should still be made It will take courage to remain in student govern ment and to stand up for it—a lot of courage. And yet there are people, we hope, who will continue working or who will begin working for student government who have the courage to start with nothing and build something meaningful. We know courage, like honesty, is old hat and that its much more sophisticated to be the apathetic party student or the pseudo-intellectual (real ones are rare). But we do ask many students to re-examine their values to see if some of the most important ones have been lost * * The complaint is often made that SGA is just for "status seekers." But the student who moans about status seekers and yet is too selfish to give up part of his own precious time is actually more useless. A status seeker is motivated by self interest but so are many of the critics of SGA status seekers. Some critics refuse to participate in something which just might not give tangible personal rewards. Their "self interest" is in a need for security in obscurity. A status seeker may sometimes accomplish something for others as a by-product, but the coward accomplishes nothing. SGA needs intelligent students who are not afraid of extra work or long meetings—people who would be motivated by the interests of their fellow students and for whom status is merely a by-product. A few students like this have worked for student government in the past but the present and the future are questionable. Better Use for Money If these residence area record hops - are making so much money, why can't it be put to better use than offering give-away prizes such as trips to New York and Fort Lauderdale? West Halls has been conducting financially successful record hops all year and has over $l4OO in its treasury, according to Assistant Dean of Men Raymond 0. Murphy. At one time this year, West Halls had reached the $2OOO mark. Recently Pollock Council decided to cash in on the same idea. But then came the give-away prizes. That these record hops can provide weekend entertainment for the students is fine, That they can bring in a profit should be a boon to the budgets of the area social committees. But certainly more worthwhile uses can be found for this money than give-away prizes. It could help finance other social functions or equipment for the area. According to Murphy, West Halls did purchase a stereo and TV cable hookup from such profits. Then there are such things as scholarship funds. 011 r Batlg . Tultrigiatt Successor to The Free Lance, est. 1887 Pubt!shed Tuesday through Saturday morning during the UnirareitY yeett. The Dotty Culteutun is a student-operated newspaper. Entered as seeond-elass matter July IS. 1934 at the State College. Pa. Poet Office under the set of March 2, 16111. Mali Subseription 33.00 per semester 35.00 Der rear. Mniling Address Box 261, State College, Pa. JOHN BLACK Editor 06°1 STAFF THIS ISSUE: Headline Editor, Meg Teichholtz; Wire Editor, Sue Eberly; Assistant Copy Editor, Pat Dyer; Assistants, Phyllis Hutton, Ginger Signor, Peggy Rush, Joan Hartman, Todd Lehman, Sandy Reabuck, Myra Harris, Robbie Cobrin, Ken Kestle and Jeanne Yeagle. * * * CHESTER LUCIDO Business Manages THE DAILY COLLEGIAN, STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA s:tffitßElMd . . Inn / • . C let!' e • m k hai‘ . ‘... PR gt",s**‘tl\j :dt, .. ' . • .. • , Letters Soph Questions Worth of SGA TO THE EDITOR: While read ing the Collegian yesterday, I noticed that there is a contro versy concerning SGA's re organization. I wonder why the students are concerned, when they should realize SGA can do virtually nothing of any conse quence without University con sent, The University will not al low a group of students to modify its multi-million-dollar business against its wishes, As a result, the student should not be fooled when SGA says it can modify university policy if it had full student backing. Let us always remember that SGA asks; the University tells, —David Peffer '62 Peace Corps, A Second Look 13y STEPHEN B. BLUM Contributing Writer At present this country is full of enthusiasm for the Ken nedy administration Peace Corps. The Peace Corps concept con tains many laudable factors, most of which have been fully explained to the public via the press and by lectures on var ious campuses around the coun try. The Peace Corps would cer tainly be a step toward hu manitarianism. The goals of the Corps, as roughly outlined by R. Sar gent Shriver, its director, call fo r aiding underprivileged areas. The aid is to be primarily in the form of young Ameri can talents. These Americans will be giv ing of themselves in order to ease the suffering—in its many forms—of the many peoples of the earth. But it is not all that simple. Let us not hide behind any idealistic banner when con sidering what college men will do after graduation. The usual immediate choices are military, work or more schooling. 4 i t 1144 '11 (4 14. cs -i. awn 41.1 Le' . YOU'LL HAVE TO EXCUSE ME, FR(EOA...APPARENTLY iT SOMEBOVeg SUPPERTIME! AWS Elections Since the AWS elections have finally been validated, the rumor that women's student government will con tinue is probably true. We wonder though if all women students (not just their so-called leaders) really want to be organized under an institution which does lit tle else but sit around and pon der over Its revised constitu tion. Oh, pardon us! We realize this year AWS has worried a lot about improving communi cations between its central body and the rest of us. Sen ate members even had a les son in parliamentary proce dure so that they could con tinue to hold their meetings, But when it comes time to hold elections for "new lead ers," THEN the real fun starts. The first move is to screen candidates to decide which are "qualified" to run. This screen ing process was begun way back when the former WSGA still had the black mark sys tem. (Remember the good ale days?) We see no reason why any woman student who wants to run for a position cannot do so if she has the stipulated aver age. Why must an undemo cratic procedure be used to select candidates for a sup posedly democratic election? As long as the system is not TODAY All-Student Movies, 7:30 p.m., HUB FlStierrild y room Camp llesiacosa Interviews, 10:00 p.m., 2154 HUB Graduate Student Association, Square Dance, 9 p.m., HUB ballroom SGA "Back the Budget" Committee, 1:30 p.m.. 217 HUB Spanish Club Siesta, 7:45 p.m., Stephens lounge UCA Forum, S p.m., Eisenhower chapel TOMORROW All-Student movies, 6:30 p.m., HUB assembly room Alpha Phi Omega, 1:30 p.m., 216 HUB Angel Flight and Scabbard and Blade, 8:00 1-11111 ballroom Blue Band Concert. 3 p.m., Schwab Chapel Service. 10 :65 a.m.. Schwab Chem-Phys Open House, 2 p.m., 218 HUB Cheat; Club. 2 p.m.. HUB card room Chess Exhibition. 2 ;30 p.m., Waring lounge Chimer, 9 p.m., Delta Gamma Rolfe DARE, 3:00 p.m., second floor lounge, Faith Church Crud Student Bridge, 7:30 D.m., 212 HUB Landscape Architecture Exhibition, 2 p,m„ HUB main lounge Navy Discussion Committee, it p.m., 212 HUB WDFM Schedule SATURDAY 2 :00 Metropolitan Opera (Live) 6:00 Spotlight 6 :50 Weatherecope 7:00 If Pi Open House 9 :00 Off-Beat 1:00 Rony and Mr. X 8:00 Sign Off SUNDAY 5:00 Chapel Service 6:00 Chamber Mimic 6:30 Mormon Choir 1:00 Highlights of the Week 7:15 The Third Programme 1:00 Sign Off The main idea in our society is "to get out and do some thing." That "do something" is usually construed to mean make money, get a wife and build security as soon as pos sible. For a great many people the ideal that we ought to be our brother's keeper doesn't mean much, Then there is the matter of the draft. Remember that this country is still drafting several thousand men monthly, The present draft laws do not ex pire until 1963. An American male, in most cases, has to think of a portion of his life being devoted to ful filling his military obligation. This still leaves open the pos sibility of young women serv ing in the Peace Corps. And, as the New York Times survey indicated, the idea is more popular with women than men. The reason is simple. There are not too many young men that want to devote two or three years of their lives to helping others before they have started to help themselves. This is not true of them all, But, I'm afraid when it comes to signing on the dotted line not SATURDAY. MARCH 25. 1961 by elaine trial selective, no one can charge that so-and-so was picked to run because she is vice presi dent of the Tiddly Winks Club or because she "knows" some one, This would also prevent such things as withholding the pri mary slate for three days be cause not enough of the "right" people had applied for an of fice. Certainly, present AWS members have a responsibility to their organization. This ob ligation does not mean that they are free to pick the girls they wish to see have an office. Other areas of the AWS elec tions need revising too. Charges such as unfair campaigning at the polls were made after Thursday's election. Why is there no rule expressly forbid ding this or even forbidding any campaigning at all on elections day? The newly elected officers should realize that corrections must be made in the present system of elections. Maybe then the entire organization should re-evaluate itself. Gazette Newman Club, 6 p.m., 214 HUB Scabbard and Blade Coffee Hoar, 9 p.m., HUB main lounge Spring `Week Be-Kan Contest, 2 p.m., 2.14 x lll3 Spring Week Sponsorship 1:15 p.m., 218 HUH Sophomore Class Advisory Board, 1,30 p.m., 203 HUB Swedenborgian. 10:16 a.m., 212 HUB Worship Service, 9:00 a.m., Wesley Foundation _ MONDAY Alpha Phi Omega, business meeting, 7 p.m., 212 HUB Beta Colony, g p.m.. 218 HUB Bridge Club, 7 p.m.. HUB card room Faculty Luncheon Club, noon, HUB dining rooms A, B Frimcli Alliance, 8 p.m., Eisenhower Chapel lEC, 7:30 p.m., HMI assembly room isA, 7:00 pm.., 203 HUB IVCF, 12:16 p.m., 215 BUR IVCF, 7 p.m., 216 HUB Pi Mu Epsilon, 7 p.m., NUB main lounge Sociology Club, 8:15 p,m., Simmung !ounce Student Handbook, R;3O 211 HUB University BX Committee, 6 p•m.. 218 HUB MONDAY 8:25 Financial Tidbits 3 :30 Stock Market Reports 4:00 CA( ic'a Choice :00 Music at Five 6:00 Studio X 6:55 Weatherscope 7:15 Seven O'Clock Report 7:30 The Little Show 7 :55 News Roundup 8 :00 Contemporary Concepts 9:00 Campus and Religion 9 :30 Campus and Religion 9:15 News, Weather, Sports 10:00 Symphonic Notebook 12 :00 Sign Off many American males are going to be willing. Finally, the Peace Corps does not have bipartisan endorse ment in Congress. Several con servative Republicans have al ready spoken out against the costs of running such a pro gram. Whether or not this is a political disagreement made on party-line principles alone does not matter too much—it is a complaint from the out-of power party. The lack of bipartisan sup port presents one quick worry. Will the Kennedy Peace Corps die as soon as the Democrats are out of control? If this is to be the case then this country is undertaking something, the grandeur and scope of which will be doomed to failure if it does not have more than four or eight years to keep working. These problems are not, I feel, insurmountable barriers to the eventual success of the Corps. But, unless they are recognized and dealt with, the Peace Corps could become a dead dream rather than a live hope. It is too fine a dream to die, Program,
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