PAGE, FOUR Editorial Opinion., USG and Discipline ;The chief item of business for tonight's USG meeting is the formation.of a committee to investigate and. make recommendations on the men's and women's disciplinary EZZEEM :The importance of this committee cannot be over stated, for its subject matter is of direct importance to every undergraduate. `But in addition; USG's initiative in 'Attempting .to overhaul the discipline system may give student govern ment some unificationamf governing power. Inherent in the, committee's conside'ration, of Penn State's judicial 'codes or lack thereof, is the goal of estab lishing a series of common pleas courts, operating under USG rather than under the area governments as is now the case. Revision and codification of the present rules is neces sary and desirable, !since there are, at present, various agencies making rules and dispensing discipline on , this campus. They are thit Senate Committee on Student Affairs, -its subcommittee on discipline, the Dein of Men's office, the Dean of Womeds office, the AWS Judicial, the MAC Judicial and the off-campus tribunal. ' Too often, the regulations set up and interpreta tions fostered_within some of these groups - prove to be contrary to regulations and interpretations on - the same subject in other judicial groups. Codification of common offenses and standird penalties for such , offenses should be first on the USG committee check list. The system of courts which USG is attempting to create would be ultimately responsible to the Senate Com mittee on Student Affairs, which initially chartered USG. In addition. the system we visualize would includt an appellate structure, with the USG Supreme Court at its top. This Supreme Court would not have to burden itself hearing the case of every student who.feels unjustly treated, but by discriminating attention, it could hear cases which are representative. The dean's offices have the right to circumvent the present judicial structure. This could only be altered by a change in the Senate regulations which we think unlikely. But should a student feel that this right is abused, he could bring it to the attention of the Suprerrie Court which could hear the case and reach a decision. The important point, benefitting the entire student body is not whether this individual case is reversed, but whether, for the record, the Supreme Court feels that injustice has been committed. , - - - - In brief then, this is, on the lower levels, a codification and unification of 'diverse Judicial powers land, on the upper levels, an appellate structure. - Above all, it would mean Wit the :USG really is a governing body administering l justice and seeking to protect and presenie student rights and dignity. Although this is claimed by the USG constitution it remains for the infnnt organization to prove it, MR Patty Qinlirniatt Successor to The Freu Lance, est. 1887 Published Treader threagic Saturday •ernlag during be linlyeridt3 Year. The Linllo Callegian is • etailegit-eperateni newspaper. gatere4 as. sieread-class wetter Maly I. 1034 al the dial* College. Pa. Pest ortiea ender the • of Mardi I, UT, Pall B,allistriptlea Priest SILOS a feet •lUllint Addresa Bea , 2111. Stal. Collets. Pa. JOHN BLACK Edit*, Member of The Associated Pre's wwin 630 D GRIERF IT ~ 15t17 ORE THING, - ANOTHER! THE'DAILY COLLEGIAN. UNIVERSITY PARK. PENNSYLVANIA WAYNE HILINSICI Business Munger HE AS JOSTJEALCX6 OECALKE I LOOKED SO DISTiNGOPSHEN 1 ........4144___ si! Grad Questions Causes of Apathy TO THE EDITOR: In your is sues of Feb.: 1 and 3, I .have read letters concerning the al leged student. apathy toward world and domestic affairs which is supposed to be so per vasive on this campus. , While I ,am personally not in a position to comment on the extensiveness of student lethargy—l have taken:no sur veys—l am interested , by the causes assigned to it, namely, Mr. Sprintzen's oversimplified "we just don't care" syndrome, and Mr. Mcliale's highly sub jective notion that religious malaise is at the root of the trouble. To say "we just don't care" is not to give a cause, but merely to identify a symptom. Apathy is what is really under attack here, and not noncom mitment. Mr. Sprintzen's charges do not go deeper than the; obvious symptom of , the condition and therefore do not shed much light on its causes. Mr. McHale attempts to iso late the causes with a little more depth, but his conclusions arouse some curiosity: He as sumes that ' commitment is a moral responsibility. No one, think, will question that human affairs, and problems of justice in them, are moral, as well as political issues. However, it is not neces sarily true 'that the kind of morality involved here is the kind which takes one to church on Sunday. • The two kinds may be. re lated, but they are not always Final Exam. 'Experience' Unnecessary= TO THE EDITOR: Last week• in discussing a finals period for next year, Dr. Bernreuter said "students could make a clear stand, on this' issue on• what is good for them educa-' tionally, and would proj3ably, get a good hearing." The student opinion should be known to our stagrfant bureaucracy by now regard less of Dr., Bemreuter's "per sonal opinion that final exam inations were to. be de-empha sized 'and all examinations were to'be held in the regular class periods." To anyoni taking a realistic attitude toward the problem of finals, it becomes obvious that: •Final examinations have NOT be,rn de-emphasized in the great majority of classes. •A majority of professors; dislike being forced to use their class time to give finals. , c4. IL • The student. body 'finiE the present system of finals an extreme hardship :certainly not an , "educational' eimeri ence. • Penn State students would gladly welcome the chance to voice their opinions,! especial ly if they thought that by doing so the policy-rnakent of this University would take heed. —Ray M. Anderson. !63 Committee Offers 'Thank You' TO THE EDITOR:. On behalf of the Military,Balt Committee I would like to publicly thank the administration, particularly Mr. George Donovan, Dean • Frank Sirnes; and ViCe dent Stanley Campbell. for , - their help in negotiating for the opening 'of the HUB park6g lot for student use. j The weeks of .zeirogaitions showed that thazi are times when the. administration will not only listen to student re quests, but will honoir then. I also would like to 'plead with Letters to the' Editor Mutually 'dependent. An d everyday morality does not have tct. be ;dependent on! God: The fact is,4that some of tis are oriented toward a particular God, and some of us_ are not. The capacity for assuming moral resixinsibility, is • not a function of category. • The popular notion that the religious nonconforinist the "honest doubter," skeptic, ag nostic, or atheist is morally degenerate and irresponsible, is a myth. A person who thinks nothing of God whatever is capable of humane, intellWent, and re• sponsible behavior. "Likewise, an individual with his eye firm ly fixed on God is capable of maltreating' his fellow men. History bears this out. I do not wish to imply here that I think churches foster civic irresponsibility Far from it. But I do wish to point out that moral responsibility is an individual matter, a function of an individual's capacity for justice and humanitarian thought and behavior. Mr. McHale also cites in the "natural law" as a neces sity for revitalization. •As there is no universal interpretation of God in 20th century Ameri ca, how cari`,there he universal agreement on what this "na tural law" stands for? In the area of principle. Mr. McHale's meaning gets even more obscure. Any doctrinaire concept, religious or political, rests on principles of some kind. Democracy, we: know. is based- on principle, but so is Marxism. Fisher Interprets OSGA Vote TO THE EDITOR: The most recent turn of events in the controversial . USG name Change is one that necessitates a closer loot, the implica tions of the OSGA decision of last weekend, when the body voted against -recommending that 'University Park's' USG change its namebackto SGA. Note that they Voted against recommending a 'change,- and not, as the Feb. 13, Daily Col legian implied, against chang-, ing the name ("OSGA Defeats USG Name Change"). Just what is• the. significance 'of this decision of OSGA? • The significance is siinply this: OSGA , considered . among other Things, The "political im plications" and complexities which a name change would have at University Park: ac cording to USG_President Den nis Foianini, who., very skill fully presented his side of the story. The organization felt that to recommend a name change would be• to place unfair pres- Sure upon •one of its member campuses, and its biggest mem ber. as well. A year ago when such a recommendation was made, it was for all campuses to comply—not apy specific one. This year the case 'is dif ferent. No, "the bottom" has not "fallen out of the principle argument" for a USG name change; on the other hand, the students to respect this privilege and to use it wisely. Should the privilege be abused, the lot will again be 'closed. ' —Gamer Wiliam '63 Mil Ball Committee Valentine Heart TO THE EDITOR: I wish to commend the sisters of Phi Sigma Sigma Sorority or certainly -having their hearts in the right place on Valen tine's Day. —24.a4 Solovonsky. 63*, . . Our reactions to various I • ' l_ THURSDAY, FEBRUARY ID, 1962,, concepts depend solely on whether or not we happen to be . sympathetic with , the prin ciples involved. Our rejection of certain ones does not, Now ever, eliminate them as ',mild. principles. , It is. true that commitment' to principle has given rise to the - development of great coun-= tries like ours. But it has alsn• been responsible, in the his torical past, for much. intoler-; ante, persecution, and gener-r : ally inhumane behavior. I do not feel that I am in a position to cite causes for such a widespread situation as stu dent apathy is supposed to be inf a or two•column letter; But I think I would urge those who cry commitment to be cautious. • Certainly, it is every stwr dents moral obligation to know what is , going on in the world ' , to learn the meaning of "-isms," and to understand the princi ples upon which they operate. Commitment must only fol. low such understanding, and never precede it. There is a considerable dan ger that, in the, struggle be tween' opposed principles,• the person in the middle may be caught and confused_ • To commit oneself in mid= confusion is irresponsible, and it .is on such commitments that mass movements thritre. In other words, commitment to no princple is better than commitment to one that is not understood. 4 - —=Donald Wineke, : Graduate Student . 1 OSGA has distinguished itself for not having put one of its member campuses on the ,pro verbial "spot," a decision which even to the OSGA pres ident appeared erroneous at the time. OSGA has said, in "essence, - "lt's your problem at Univer sity Park: we realize your problems there and would rather not get involved in ,them. "We want you as a member whatever you call yourselves; we need you for the betterment of the University as a whole. We can see both sides of your position at. University Park and would rather not interfere; we •cause any resentment against OSGA. It's your -prob lem; make your. own decision:" This is the decision of OSGA, yet ;I can't help feel the ma jority\ of its members would be happy to see the name changed back to SGA. USG Congress men, the decision is up to you. • —Robert M. Fisher 'B3 President. OSGA (Editor's Note: At the OSGA convention lastweekend, the organization voted down a mo tion "which would have recotn mended a name change for USG. The vote wa:; six op posed,• two' in favor, four ab staining. The story in The Daily Collegian noted that the OSGA voted on recommenda- Lion, not on legislation. OSGA is an 'advisory liaison" and has no legislative power.) • • WDFM Schedule THURSDAY 1:00 News 6:05 Dinner Date ." 6:56 Weatherseope • 7:00 CAMPUS BEAT 7:00 Call from London 7:16 Album Review 7:30 Musicsll2 Speaking ' 13:00 News' 8:05 This is the Subject 9:00 News in French 9:05 Folk Music 9:30 Opinion 16 ' 1:45 News. Sports and Wssth_-r 10:0 Chimber Convert 12:00 Sign-off • • 4:00 News .4:05 Dinner Data 4:55 Weetherseope ' 1:00 Spotlight _ 500 Light Classic:4l Jukehos 4:OC Marquee Memories 11:45 News, aportu arid Natalie 10:60 Ballet Thentrs - - • 1E:00 News • 12:00 Night &get 4:llo_klicseott - FRIDAY ' ' I • i L ,
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