PAGE FOUR Editorial Opinio Barricades In Government A barbed-wire barricade is not a pretty thing— especially when it is being built around a supposedly democratic government. Yet it seems that the SGA reorganization committee may undermine the government it was attempting to con struct by the use of such tactics. Tv/o of ihe committee's proposals in particular are blatantly authoritarian and should be debated thoroughly before Assembly votes on its future tomorrow night. The first of these recommends that no bill can be brought to the floor unless approved by three-fourths of the eligible Assembly or brought before rules committee for approval. The rationale behind this measure seems to be to prevent the recurrence of past situations where an unin formed Assembly voted on a bill it had just accepted for debate. The rules committee chairman has also admitted dif ficulty in insuring that sufficient investigation went into the bill if it was hurriedly prepared. We strongly urge that Assembly maintain the past requirement of approval by two-thirds of the membership to hear legislation. This would prevent a small minority from binding the hands of the entire Assembly, for either rules committee itself or one-fourth of the Assembly could prevent legisla tion from ever being heard. The second proposal is an obvious attempt to silence what in the past has been a critical and vocal minority— the gallery. The recommendation Itself says ‘‘have some set rule against members of the gallery speaking during Assembly meeting, except to offer a point of information. It also gives the chair the right to call a speaker out of order if he oversteps the bounds of information and gives an opinion. The reoganization committee nicely rationalized this move by saying that it would expedite meetings and encourage the constituents to seek out their Assemblymen. If Assembly wants to expedite its meetings it alone has the responsibility of being informed, both on the issues and on parliamentary procedure. Student government operates on a minute scale when compared to a national government and therefore has ample room for direct expression or opinion. Let the Assembly not violate basic democracy by placing undue limitations on the gallery for the sake of efficiency. Democracy is not, by nature, the most efficient form of government. Autocracies and aristocracies are smoother and wonderfully efficient, but as the world situation today proves, not necessarily in the best interest of those governed. The right of the gallery to speak should most certainly her maintained. We would offer just one warning to the Assembly. The constitution which SGA members will debate tomorrow night needs only one reading and the approval of a majority of the members present to become a gov ernment. We urge Assembly to act cautiously, to question each proposal regardless of the “inefficiency” this might entail. We ask that they postpone their approval if necessary until they are certain they have considered all the po tential dangers and implications of their constitution and have taken stops to remedy future abuses before they occur. Only when student government has a truly demo cratic constitution will it regain pride and stature in the eyes of its people, the 13.120 undergraduates on this campus. A Student-Operated Newspaper 56 Years ot Editorial Freedom Site Satlg (Colbgtan Successor to The Free Lance, est 188? Published I ucsilpv through Haturdny morning during the University year. Thd I)hu.v t nUcgihn im n MixU'iit-operatrd newspaper. Entered as second-doss matter July 5, 1931 rt the State College, Pa. Post Office under the act of March 3, 1879, Mail SuWriplion Price: $3-00 per semester $5,00 per year. Mailing Address Bax 261, State College, Pa. Member of The Associated Press and The Intercollegiate Press , JOHN BLACK Ediior City Editors, Lynne Orcfire and Richard Leighton; Editorial Editors, Mfff THchlwilz and .loci Myers; News Editors, Patricia Dyer and Paula Dranov; personnel and Training Director, Karen Ifyneckeal; Assistant Personnel and Training Director, Susan Ebcrly; Sports Editor, James Karl; Assistant Sports Editor, John Morris; Picture Editor, John 'Beauge. Local .\d Mgr., Marge Downer; Assistant Local Ad Mgr., Martin ZonU; National Ad Mgr., Phyllis Hamilton; Credit Mgr,, Jeffrey Schwartz; Assistant Credit Mgr.. Ralph Friedman; Classified Ad Mgr., Robbie Graham; Circulation Mgr., Neal Keitz; Promotion Mgr., Jane Trevaakla; Personnel Mgr., Anita Hollt Office Mgr„ Marc/ Grew. * * * * WAYNE HILINSKI Business Manager THE DAILY COLLEGIAN, STATE COLLEGE. PENNSYLVANIA Letters Hunger Strike Proposed to 'Back Budget' TO THE EDITOR: In the days of my innocent youth (pre- PSU) I suffered under the il lusion that “something could be done” about most anything. But now I see student at tempts to procure a larger ap propriation from the state ei ther stifled or non-existent, so perhaps the expectations of my younger days were too ex treme. Hopeful of revitalizing student energies, may I sug gest the following actions to be taken both by SGA and the individual students: • Obtain official support of the faculty for one specific day on which classes could be cut without fear of retribution so that a large portion of the stu dent body could travel to Har risburg. It appears that the Ad ministration (I use capitals loosely) will not officially allow such a dav. • Charter a caravan of buses for the use of those students who are not rich capitalists. This would be safer and more practical for all concerned. •To inform and to activate the masses here on campus, have prominent student ora tors return to the soapbox style of delivery. Rabble rousing speeches could be given be tween classes or wherever the gathering of a crowd makes ft advisable. • Assign students to person ally contact each legislator; make appointments to see ev ery one; go to them with facts and figures; impress upon them the importance of the University. • Have a hunger strike. Im agine 15,000 starving stu dents! This might even bring us depressed aid from Wash ington. Am I hoping for too much? I don’t think so; as a “simple soul” I believe in the efficaciousness of action. —Karen Tuion, '64 Sophomore Hits Turkey Draggers TO THE EDITOR: Our letter is directed primarily at Misses Kaplan and Cimmons and Mes sers Schwartz and Miller •whom we yesterday observed dragging a turkey around cam pus by means of a rope at tached to its leg. While we have hitherto con sidered Spring Week a fairly innocuous event, such sense less cruelty as this places the event in an entirely different category: one of negative worth. We wish to propose that the turkey be returned to his cage and that campus cruelty in the future be limited to hu mans. —Gerald Burman. '63 Russell Greenfield, '63 James Rothrock, '62 David Snediker, Grad Gazette TODAY AIM. 8 p.m.» HUB 263 AWS, 6:30 p.m., 203 HUB Cnmora Club, 7:30 p.in., 217-218 HUB Chess Club, 7 p.m„ HUB card room Collegian Credit Staff, 7 p.m., 3 Car- negie Front? Advisory Board, 6:30 p.m., 215- 210 HUB Investment Club, 8 p.m., 212 HUB 1.V.C.F., 12:45 p.m.. 212 HUB La Critique open meeting, 7:30 p.m., 211 HUB Machine Records Conf., 8-5, AH 214- 218 Men’s Residence Council, 7:30 p.m., 217 mm Phi Epsiion Kappa, 9 p.m., 214 HUB Pi Eta Sigma. 5 p.m., HUB ballroom PI Sigma Alpha* 7 p.m., 213 HUB Realestate Club* 7 p.m., Beta Sigma Rho Spnrtscar Club, 8 p.m., 2H Boucke TIM, 12 p.m., HUB assembly hall Women's Chorus, 6:30 p.m.» HUB assembly hall Letters Graduate Supports NS A TO THE EDITOR: A point Times last August concluded, which was raised in the re- "For its 13-year record and tor cent election campaign should Us efforts to widen its area of be clarified and stressed. One concern and responsibility, candidate for SGA president the United States National suggested that Penn State Student Association deserves might rejoin the TJ.S. National ihe commendation of all." Student Association, where- NSA is also the largest stu upon another candidate felt dent organization in the nation, compelled to call the NSA a and probably does more to “pink” and “leftist” group. make student opinion felt in Unfortunately the first can- public life' than any other, didate did not answer the It would appear to me that charge, but withdrew his sup- the Penn State student body port from NSA. (The winning could obtain much benefit candidate, as far as I know, from membership in NSA made no public statement on because it would reduce Penn the issue.) State’s lamentable isolation Contrary fo campaign as- from the world; because it sertions, ihe National Student would simplify ihe problem of Association is ihe most highly obtaining information and ex respected student organization perienced advice on many is in the country, except among sues which face student gov ihose individuals who are far- eminent; and because it would ther right than Barry Gold- give PSU some voice in mat water. ters which affect the nation’s President Kennedy has pointed out the Association’s "generous and effective con tributions in many areas of public policy,” particularly its “most significant and path breaking role in expanding op portunities for educational as sistance and exchange to the underdeveloped areas of the world.” Richard Nixon has com mended the group for “the splendid work you are doing to advance student aims and to contribute to our American wa3 r of life.” And an editorial in the not quite - left - wing New York CD Supported By Sophomore TO THE EDITOR: The indi viduals who protested against civil defense maneuvers last Friday afternoon appear to have a salient lack of com mon sense. If they believe they can settle the problem of world peace by waving an olive branch in the face of the Rus sian regime they had belter re view their history lessons. They slated “ . . . fallout . . . would contaminate the atmos phere for years.” An incom plete picture is rendered here. This atmospheric contamina tion does not necessarily have to be harmful for years. If it would be, why would the CD organization advise only enough rations and neces sities for 72 hours after a bombing? As for CD creating an "Hysterical emotional im pact" I think the only people who suffer from this are Fri day's CD protestors. If the Soviets merciless in- trusion ever comes they can preach their sermon of peace > to the oncoming warheads. I think that will be the extent of their congregation. —Thomas Hunsinger, '63 WOFM Schedule WEDNESDAY 3:25 Financial Tidbits 3:30 Stack Market Reports 4:00 Critics Choice 5:00 Music at Five 6:00 Studio X 6:55 Weafher.Hcope 7:00 CAMPUS BEAT 10:00 Virtuoso 12:00 Sign Off HUB THE ONLY IOAV ICOOULP EVfct MARRY YOO WOULD If TOO meW LAST 6M EARTH, AND IN THAT CASE All THE TRADE SIMM (OOUID PROBABLY D£ GONEJQOJ 'tSFmT' v e- /Wn WEDNESDAY, MAY 10. 1961 students as a whole. Penn State withdrew from the Association several years ago, partly because of person ality conflicts on campus and partly, I think, because NSA firmly supports democratic student government and op poses rule by Administration or secret societies. Neither reason for withdraw. mg was a worthy one; there are many good reasons for re joining. I hope the Assembly and the new SGA president will give earnest consideration to the good reasons. —Alan Elms, '6O • Letter cut Postal Speed Questioned TO THE EDITOR: I am inter ested as to the reasons why it takes a letter 74% hours to travel from the HUB post of fice to the Pollock A post of fice, a distance of 1,250 feet, and it only takes 19 hours for a letter to travel from the Wilkes Bai're post office to the Pollock A post office, a dis tance of 134 miles. The only deduction which I can make is that delivery tizne is an inverse function of dis tance. I would appreciate it if any other logical explanations for this phenomenon would be forwarded to me. —M. Louis Lieberman, '63 Student Makes New Proposal TO THE EDITOR: Recently various minority groups of Penn State students have been holding demonstrations to arouse public opinion In favor of the groups’ objectives, I would like to propose an other such organization whose purpose would be to £tamp out demonstrations. What this organization would do would be to plan a series of demonstrations against demon strations. By these demonstra tions we would hope to arouse public opinion against demon strations. I am sure a horn-honking caravan through town and campus at 3 a.m. or something of a similar nature would be quite effective to this end. —G. Leary, '63 I DREAMED THAT WU Gftfe UP THIS STUPID PfANCJ; AND WENT t? TRADE SOWOLTO LEARN m TO MAKE A LIVING 50 WCICOOLO SUPPORT ME AFTER SUE EOT MARRIED) A* *3* t 4 •• / i,. jSHHgL
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers