PAGE FOUR
Editorial Opinion
University Status
There is jarring dissonance among authorities con
cernkng the legal status of what we know is The', Penn
sylvania State University.
The argument does not be in semantics, but in atti
tudes and. commitments.
If legal precedent is to be accepted as a foundation
for, orderly government operation, Penn State is clearly
the University of the Commonwealth. Current opinion
or convenience aside, a legal precedent to this effect was
set-in 1921. •
There exists on thi part of state officials, a reluctance
to grant the validity of this statusißy admitting that Penn
State is an organ of the state, the Commonwealth would
be :forced to commit itself to the maintenance of the Uni
versity. Such commitment is held as unsavory by the
state. By keeping our status hazy, stater officials can
manipulate Penn State's climate in accordance with their
own convenience and ambitions.
This almost incoherent debate could go on ad nauseam.
The act of .Feb. 22, 1855, P.L. 46, incorporated the
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'"Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania." The name of the
institution has undergone three changes since that time.
However; , because of these changes government officials
apparently do not interpret this 'as creation of a state
university by act of the legislature.
• Thii then is what we call foraspecific act passed by
She General Assembly designating Penn State as the`state
. ,
universiO. _
Penn State officials then would have an uncluttered
view of the channels from which they are to seek financial
aid. The state would , be forced to stop playing political
ping-pong with our officials and our budget in favor of
responsible support.
'lnherent in this 'legal status would be a Board of
Trustees which would in fact, as well as name, be respon
sible to the people of the Commonwealth.
This is also established in the legal precedent set in
1921 by - then deputy attorney George Roits - FlulL who
wrote ". . . although the Trustees of Pennsylvania State
College are k separate and distinct corporate body. they
have received and now hold their property as trustees for
the People of the Commonwealth." ;
The . current Board of Trustees is only in small part
responsible to the ,people, and even -that part is vague. Of
the 32 members on the board, five- sit ex-officio. Four of
these five represent the state government. In addition, six
members are appointed by the Governor.
The •rest of the board is composed of nine elected
representatives of the Alumni Association and 12 elected
representatives from 'the state's agricultural and engineer
ing societies.
Thus the only members to represent the state (the
people) are the appciintees and ex-officio members.
In :addition and inconsistent with a public function,
the meetings of the ;Board of Trustees are closed to the
public and the press. •
To - make the functioning of the University a part of
the state and to make its Trustees responsible -directly to
the people of the state, we urge a change in the composi
tion .of the board and the opening of the meetings.
A Student-Operated News paper
57 Yeirs of Editorial Freedom
Pt 801 - 11. Qiptitotatt
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JOHN BLACX
Edilor
Member of The Associated Pre s
City Editors. Lynne icrefice and Richard Leighton; Rditorlal Editors.' Meg
Teiehkolts and Joel Myers; ,Near Editor. Paula Drawn' Personnel and Trailing
Director. Karen lanireckeal; Assistant Personnel and Training Dirsoctor. Susan
Irtherisl..Sporta Editor. UMW Earl: Assistant fiannin &Mem Dunn Dutch and
Joni. Morris; Picture Editor. John BMW , .
Local Ad Mgr.. Kam' Dos Oar: Assistant Local Ad Mgr.. Margin Zonis; IcatisssJ
Ad Mgr., Marry Gress: Credit Mgr.. Ralph Friedman: dleildnitt Credit Wire.
Kathy Notapolosa; Classified Ad Mgr.. Kathie ltdrotaonr arentatten Mar...lidnrern
Choosier: Promotion Mgt.. ' Jane Irrraskie; reroenner M 1,.. Anita Roll; Orlin
Mgr.. Lynn-Murphy.
• •
E •
Penman with owardstote about The D i mity Collegian's editorial paler es .sewa
sewerage -toes relit Ahem -in tint letters to tier editor releata or proseat Cam.
in perses -or to writing. po the editor. 4 All reanplabsta will I. iavessisstos mod
+Worts wade to remedy eltsatleas where this sewspapet is sit fault. TM Daily
eelletisit. however *Aside the right to ishlotida Its , tolloPoslk'sto sad to
otottise lis own Isidirsatet ss to whit It Woks is is the bed Wives! of the
Ustiversity as • whole. - I- •
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i• ..
WAYNE HILINSEI
Businiss Manager
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN. UNIVERSITY PARK. PENNSYLVANIA ,
Grad Student 'Criticizes
TO THE EDITOR: Morplity,
according to the Winston Dic
tionary, refers to the teaching
or practice of the duties of life;
virtue, righteousness. It has to
do with a sew of right and
wrong: with justice. Reason,
logic, and probability alsia bear
upon the subject. Morality has
to do with theories, principles
and practices-of virtue.
Roget's Thesaurus also brings
into the pietbre ' incorrupti-
bility, honesty,• scrupulousness,
-conscientiousness. •
Penn State University and the
recent efforts to make us civil
Defense minded?
There has been a confirm
-OM effort in the past months
to channel University thinking
into accepting a Big Lie, name
ly the efficacy, and validity of
CD generally. and of fallout
shelters in particular.
Civil Defense as a principle
is basically immoral if you ap
ply. the criteria from the dic
tionary and the :thesaurus..
From the moral_ viewpoint,
which is cpnsidered to be on a
more universal than personal
level, CD and fallout shelters'in
particular are not concerned
with righteousness, nor with
justice, nor with a sense of
right or wrong, nor with the
teaching and • practice
. of the
duties of life and virtue.•
There is a distinct, sense
Freshman Asks 'What Can
TO . THE EDITOR: One eve
ning as I entered my dormi
tory on the way to my room,
I came upon a group of boys .
discussing '.`world problems" as
college boys sometimes do. Evi
dently they had been
.talking
for some time as comments
were diminishing and the • at
mosphere was - filled with frus
tration.
Then, one. boy .shrugged his
shoulders and said, "Hell, what
can we do?" At this, he arose,
and there followed a general
dis=of- the group. .
oast we do." I thought
to myself. and realised that
herii" was half the problem. My
friend wasn't really asking"a
question, buil expressing his
resignation in the shadow of
oversrhelmbn conflicts. _
` Author John Steinbeck wrote
in 'Grapes c , f Wrath": "Hell,
you ain't never gonna know.
Casey tries to tell ya an' you
jest• ast the :same thing over.
I seen fellas , like you before.
You ain't askin' nothing; you're
just singin' alcinda song., `What
are we comin' to?' You don't
wanta know.• Country's movin'
aroun', goin i places. They's
folks dying all aroun'. Maybe
you'll die pretty soon but you
won't know nothin'. I seen too
many fellas like you. You don't
want to know nothin'. Just sing
Yourself to sleep with a song—
'What are we comin' to?'"
What are the other songs of
_ today?' "More aid!—No taxes!;
Fight communism whatever
that is; Hold South Viet Nam!
• —No American blood!; All
Myers Critic; Hit
TO THE EDITOR: I woJd like
to take exception to David -
Johnston, who in the ' F b. 10
Daily Collegian, attacked a re
cent Joel • Myers ediloriaL
Johnston- attacked Myers be
cause he felt some of Myers'
statements could not be sub
stantiated.
One such statement Mr.
Johnston pointed out was
Myers' prediction that the
Democrats would win resound-'
ing victory in• the fall.
To satisfy Mr. ' .lohnston.
Myers could have gone on and
listed several of the iMportant
Democratic victories last year
including: . i •
The hotiy contested House
•eat won by 'a liberal Democrat
Lettets to the
What has this to do with
(where there is no obv
self-righteous gullibility),
ccnri* iptibility, commercial
and having to doi with t
Self-aggrandizement of 1.
minds There is dishonest]
promoting as fragile and ]
adequate device as are
gently designed fallout shel
There is a 'cruel .decep,
Which makes the whole ra j
reek.
' In truth the purpose of 4
and fallout shelters is basi ally
a scheme to makelour foreign
policy 'appear stable. Somehow
we have lost faithiin our:abil
ity to win the•respeet and as
surance of our sincerity in! our
diplomatic relationS. so w(i fall
back on .the treats of military
Might and showof cilian
backing through" such calcu
lated measures as huge military
spending and Cr? programs.
Where is the virtue here? I
. These actions by" us, how
ever, are accepted as threats
tiy other peoples. !Aren't uch
measures as' , fallout shelters
iind CD further l is rOof oil dur
war-mindedness; ur willing
ness .and expectancy almost
. eagerness, •to take part in a
nuclear war? There is a deep
fallacy as .well a 4 immorality
in the concept that bigger, and
stronger arms will deter. so
called enemies.
•
Where is the morality—the
righteousness, the virtue, in
Creating and arousing negative
men .are created' equal—ex
cept..."
Actually
most of the world's
jlls are not overwlming.
just that their lolutions are
not easy. The overwhelming
Issue is getting trople to ac
cept the responsibility and ac
evely participate, pooling their
fforts to overcome them.
Yet; if you hayen't the in
terest then you *ill deserve
what catastrophies befall you.
But remember, these catastro
phies don't just ,come. They are
not acts of God. They are made
by men. You and I have a part
in them. If you and I don't do
our share, we giV i e those who
are acting that much more of
a chance to be effective. And
those who are aCting, are not
all acting in our : interests (if
we hale any).
William J. Lederer and Eu
gene Burdick, authors of 'The
,Ugly American," are aware _of
;this responsibility. "If the only
, price, we are willing to pay is
'the dollar price, then we might
as well pull out before we're
;thrown out..
"If 'we are not ptepared to
pay the human price, we had
better retreat to our shores.
build Fortress Ainerica, learn.
to live , without international
:trade and communications, and
accept the medio4zritir, the low
standard of living, the loom of
world communism which would
accompany such d move."
"How can a man 'be satis
fied to entertain an opinion
merely, and enjoy it? Is there
any enjoyment din it, if his
opinion is that he is ag
grieved?" —Hera? David Tho-
by . Sopl _
in Texas where, conservative
Strength is suppOsed! to be ,so •
high, the third (term victory
achieved by Mayor Wagner in
'New York. and Judge Hughes'
victory over his' more noted
opponent, former; LabOr Secre 7
tary Mitchell , in , New Jersey.
These three important elec
tions Mr. 'Johnston f obviously " .1
skimmed over without gibing .
their portents much! consider
ation. I .•
Ai for his inferring that a .
reSounding Democratic victory
in November would: lead this
nation straight down the road
towards crxnmunisrn,.Mr. John
ston would do us aIU a favor if
he would suh r Mantiate his
statement in this; connection. ,
.411 chard Vie r ,
IFEBRUARY-16; 4962
Editor
D • Efforts •
emotions: fear, greed, suspic
ion, jealousy? Yet that' is . pre
cisely the .foundation fore ac- .
ceptanee and action in' CD and
fallout . shelters. These • all
undermine good logic, sound
reasoning;l . and virtues And do
not students of psychdlogy
de
dare that fearing often brings
ton the feared, actually promot
ing it?
We, as edupatelindividuals,
-should n t be .tricked into il-:-
lusionary Panaceas character
ized by and fallout shelters,
nor accept the monetary ado
lescent kick .of following a cur-,•
rent fadj but face up to the •
fact thati nuclear warfare is- a
matter of life 'and death 'and •
nest to be confused with the
semantically, contrived "war
game" psychology of those
currentlyl in power.
A. positive answer to' this
problem .lies in promoting
within the University the moral
values upon which important
judgements can be made with
some assurance of long-range
hope.
We need greater 'understand
.-ing of, and honesty in, the eco
nomics and politics which
behind .our national policies.
We need morality- when ac
tively seeking out ways and
means of contributing to hu
man welfare the world over.
—Eliiabeth R. S. Richards
• Greduale student
•Letter cut .
ittle
in
' in
!
ur
ers. -
tion
ket
Do?'
reau in • Civil DisObedietice."
"We . c.n't ; defend what iwe
don't un.erstand . . . The ifu
ture for bur , kind of freedom
dependi *ion • how well we
explain, purselves—to others
and to ourselves .If we Put
our faith in • bullets and blank
checks paSsed around by blank
minds . 1 . it won't- be com
munism that wins the world.
It will be' democracy that loses
-31." —Dr. ',Albert E. Burke, PhD.
Of Chesirg, Connecticut.
I cannOt tell you what you
can do. The answer is within
yourself. But the idea is to do
SOMETHING, ,to do WHAT
YOU CAN.
—Joseph Bosworth, IS
FMMin
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