PAGE FOUR
Editorial Opinion
Students Not Consulted
Dean Emeritus of Admissions C. 0. Williams said in
a letter to the editor yesterday that the students were
consulted on a major policy issue when the four term
plan was presented to the 1960 Encampment at Mont Alto.
We disagree.
Granted, the plan was first outlined to students a day
before it was released to the public, but this does not
mean the students were consulted.
Granted, the students accepted it at that time, but
what else could they do.
They were riot prepared for such an announcement.
They had no time to consider this major educational
change and its effects, nor did they have a chance to dis
cuss it before the plan was officially adopted.
It had already been signed, sealed and delivered.
liad the students had any valid suggestions or view
points on the proposed system, it was already too late for
them to be considered because the plan had already been
adopted.
This - is not "consulting the students," it is merely
extending the courtesy of informing them one day before
informing the rest of the state.
A Reading Problem
The already strained line of administrative-student,
communications that every one talks about but no one*
does anything about is further complicated by students
who don't discern what their eyes actually see.
Every day this newspaper receives letters from stu
dents who confuse administration and faculty, adminis
tration and'committee, administration and student leader,
administration and senate, etc.
Many readers are not astute enough to differentiate
between action actually taken or statements actually made
by members of the administration, and action. or state
ments by members of the faculty. the Senate (faculty and
administration). or Senate committees (faculty adminis
tration and student.) _ -
If students consider the actions taken by any of these
groups to be detrimental to the student interest they im
mediately heap blame and ridicule upon the administra
tion without being fair enough to criticize the administra
tion only for its actions and not falsely accuse it of actions
taken by other groups.
This only compounds the problem.
Cooperation Requested
The Inter-College Council Board's recent decision to
have the college council presidents investigate the possi
bility of having certain classrooms open in the evening for
study purposes is a commendable one.
The increased educational pressure which has re
sulted -from the four term plan, and the crowded condi
tions at the Pattee Libary prompted this move.
Specific rooms that will be opened to students have
already hen announced by some of the council presidents.
We hope all the College Deans will cooperate with the
college councils in their bid to increase the use of the
University's educational facilities.
Library Action Praised
Term system adjustments warrant more than quiet
acceptance, more than a "taken for granted" attitude. For
this reason, we note the action of the Pattee Library in
extending the deadline on overnight books from 9 to 9:30
a.m. Monday through Saturday.
Students may now return books after their first period
classes end at 9:15. They need not rush frantically to the
library before their 8 o'clock class or risk a fine.
A Student-Operated Newspaper
57 Years of Editorial Freedom
Ilr• Unity Tolitgian
Successor to The Free Lance, est, 1887
Published Tuesday through Saturday morning dating the fiulTttel4 rut , - no
0103 CeHerten is a student-operated newspaper. Entered as second-class matte,
July 1. 1934 at the state College. Pa. Pest Office under the set ad Muth 1. 1879.
Mail Sail:caption Privet UM a nee
Mailing Address Bo* 241, Slats College. Pa.
JOHN BLACK WAYNE HILINSKI
Editor 1 4510 1 " Busineu Manager
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN. UNIVERSITY PARK. PENNSYLVANIA
Letters
Jr. Claims
Old Main
Wants 'Stamp'
TO THE EDITOR: it seems to
me to be the general consensus
of opinion that student govern
ment gt Penn State has been in
effective. Why? I can luggest,
two probable answers:
*Caliber of persons in student
gavel nment.
* Administrative attitudes.
Many persons want to
see their names itx the Col
legian as often as possible. Does
belonging to student govern
ment solely for this purpose
contribute to a better Penn
State?
Many of the "student lead
ers" do not bother to attend
the meetings of the organiza
tions to which they have been
elected. It is a disgrace when
student government cannot
meet because it lacks ir quorum.
This letter is net to degrade
responsible student leaders. We
need more of them.
The SGA and all other stu
dent government groups are
"tolerated but ignored" to quote
Mr. Buckley's letter of Oct. 27,
when the administration is in
favor of what they are doing.
SGA runs into difficulties
when it is not in accord with
the Old Main group. I feel that
is what is going on right now.
SGA is -a necessary outlet
for the opinions of the student
leaders in the form of stands
on certain issues or in the form
of legislation passed.
If there was a referendum or
another election. would these
responsible students be re
elected? No, because it would
be easy for the opposition to
point out that they had accom
plished little while in office.
It would not matter that the
SGA could not meet for tech
nical reasons, it would only
matter that the responsible
students had accomplished very
' little recently.
Then students with ideas
more in favor with the Old
Main group and the lion's paw
would then be elected and the
stumbling blocks would be re
moved from SGA and every
body would be happy in Old
Main and the lion's paw.
The adminis.tration does not
•want responsible student lead
ers. they want rubber stamps.
(Ed. Note: The interim SGA
can meet at any time thepresi
dent calls it into session.)
—Alan White '6s
Gazette
Chess Tournament.
Lounge. HUH
&atch Dept.. 10 a.m., HUB asoembly
WI
Future Teachers, 12:30 p.m., HUD ee•
•embly hall
P$lllA. 1 p.m.. ?IR HUB
Student Films, 7 p.m., HMI Asgemlay
haft
WIIA, 9 a.m., HUB assembly hall
WRA, to sari., 212, 913, 214, 213, HUB
WRA, 2 p.m., 216, 216, 214, HUB
Chem Tournament, rill day, Main
Lounge. HUB
Folklore Soddy', 6:30 pan., RUB Ball•
room
Emerson Rodety, 6;30 p.m., 210 Eisen-
Flower Chapel
Sophomore Cinss Advisory Board, 1:30
p.m. ' 219 HUB
Student Films, 7 p.m., 711111 assembly
hail
Swedenborgian. 10 a.m., 212418 HUB
Theta Sigma Pi. 6:30 p.m.. 210 11 ‘18
WR A, 3 a.m.. RUB settembly hall
Air Force Recruiting, 9:30 cm., ground
fluor. HUB
Alpha Phi Omega, 7 p.m.. 812-219 HUB
Prichte Club, 6:80 p.m, HUB card man
Penni, 7 - mm.. 216 - RUB
Grad Stutket ANstorlettion Counel, 7:30
p.m.. 217 HUB
Hiklel Social Committee, 7 p.m., 2115
HUB
ISA. T p.m.. 203 HUB
PS Bible Fellows/Nip, 7 p.M.. 211 RUB
PS Bible Fellowship, 12:15 p.m., 212
II CB
Scabbard and Blade. 7 p.m., 218 111, 1 11
Spanish Club, 7 p.m., HUB assembly
WDFM Schedule
SATURDAY
5:00 News
5:05 Saturday at State
5:55 Wen t hcrscove
7:00 Hi-Fi Open House
5:00 Offbeat
1:00 King's Corner
2:00 Sign-ott
SUNDAY
5:00 Chapel Service -
5:30 Chamber Meek
6:35 Marmon Tabernacle Choir
7:00 The Third Programme
12:00 Sign-off
TODAY
ill day. Main
TOMORROW
MONDAY
Letters
•
Party Chairman Claims Senate
Furthers - SGA Apathy
TO THE EDITORi I would . - -
like to congratulate the mem
bers of the Senate committees
on student affairs and organ
izational control. They have
done R fine job in furthering
student apathy concerning
SGA
- This latest move will un
doubtedly postpone elections
until the winter term and will
probably convince the few stu
dents who will still show ,an
interest in SGA that on this
campus it is a fruitless venture.
I cannot conceive of a rea
son why lict much time and ..f.
fort is spent by the adminis
tration in order to baffle, be
fuddle. and Completely destroy
student government.
The administration issues
propaganda about the term
system and how all -students
must conserve - their precious
time in order to do all the re
quired studing. But -why have
they been sitting back and
watched students spend many
months of valuable time cre
ating a constitution • that was
pre-destined to failure?
If there was a strong enough
feeling against political parties,
why wasn't the Reorganization
Committee notified of this?
But that wouldn't have fit into
the "master plan."
Realising that the few stu
dents who still had .an inter
est in a student government
would help rewrite the con
stitution, their plan was to let
the students work, and work
hard, only to find themselves
completely .disgusted .w he n
their revised constitution would
fail to be accepted.
Another example of how the
administration is trying to
frustrate these interested stu
dents took place in the last
month. Permission was granted
by the Senate -to prepare for
Visions of
'Moldy Tallow'
TO THE EDITOR: What a won
derful Halloween Dinner! We
dressed up in. our Sunday suits
and proceeded to the dining
hall where we were bowled
over by the beautiful decor
ations.
The sight of the moldy tallow
dripping off a wax candle sent
a tingle down my spine. The
first thing we received were
beautiful napkins. How color
ful and exciting! We were then
allowed to take two whole
pretzels.
Only a special night such as
October 28 warrants a treat
such as two pretzels to eat with
our tasty cider. As for the salad,
the lettuce on the bottom was
another rare treat.
Then•l received a _huge piece
of meat about the size of a
quarter and worth less. Tra
ditional puinpkin pie has been
shelved for coconut, in another
Penn State first.
What a farce! Penn State
students should do something
about this situation. Th e
thought of Thanksgiving din
ner at the P.S.U. dining halls
now appears more menacing
than ever,
—Ronald Horowitz '65
.
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nA • I kIIkTCANY 1. Orb HAWS A PEN,CHARLIS
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IT S JUST A MATTER OF 1 1
I:OUJINCI MO MUCH INK TO L 5 DEARpEIi
AND:THEN BEINICARERL WITH ' '
THE WAND-DOM STROKES.„ .
MAW?
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SATURDAY. NOVEMSF.R 4. 1961
the elections by holding party
nominations.
Why were students allowed
to spend their valuable time
preparing for something that
the committee members knew
would never take place?
I believe that this latest
Move to remove political parties
will make the SCA Assembly a
group of individuals, each with
different ' values and basic
philosophies, thus creating
utter chaos. Without a multi
partisan Assembly the all-im
portant experience gained by
the members• in the workings
of politics and government will
be lost entirely.
This has been one of the im
portant purposes of SGA. in
the past, teaching the students
democracy as if is practiced in
any democratic government
using a party system. The As
sembly will become nothing
more than a "high school coun
cil."
In conclusion, I agree in
broad principle with the edi
torial opinion expressed in
Wednesday's paper. I further
more believe that the students
of this University should not
accept just any form of govern
ment unless it is the desired
one.
I would rather have no
government than have one that
is handed down and created by
the administration.
—Elliot. Newman '63
University Party Chairman
(Ed. Note: The word admin
istration is incorrectly used
synonomously with the words
Senate and Senate committees
on student affairs and organ
izational control in this letter.
The Senate is composed of ad
ministrative and faculty rep
resentatives and the Senate
committees are composed of
administrative, faculty and stu
dent members.)
Frosh Proposes Way
To Restore Harmony
TO THE EDITOR: It is obvious
that there is a great deal of ill
keeling between the adminis
tration and the student body
concerning the Thanksgiving
Day recess.
It is also quite evident that
many students will be going
home whether or not there is .
an ample vacation. This will
lead to mass absenteeism in
most Friday and Saturday
classes.
May I suggest to the adminis.
tration a novel way of solving
this problem: extend th e
Thanksgiving vacation. This
will not only eliminate the class
cutting, but will also restore
the student-administration har
mony that was present before
the commencement of the term
system. -;—}toward Kliger '65
Administration Backed
TO THE EDITOR: Thanks, Mr.
Goldman, for the first sensible
letter to the Collegian on -the
4-day vacation.
It is time that those of us
who' believe that the 4-term
system, as presently set up, i 3
a worthy forward step in the
history of American education;
and that our administration
have only our best interests in
mind, finally speak out.
—Charles H. Miller '64