PAGE FOUR
Editorial Opinion
Capital Paper Cites
University's Fund Need
Excerpts from an editorial loath appeared in
The Harrisburg Patriot, Sept. 21, 1962
The
.11 Central Pennsylvania colleges and universi
ties have hit a. new peak in enrollment this fall, close to
30,000 students, but yet,' as many college-officials them
selves would admit, the, enrollment is not high enough.
The projected increase of college qudents through
the nation is 8 per cent,: but the 11 schMls - in this broad
area of Pennsylvania have been able to boost their capaci
ties only by 2.3 per cent over last year.
Eight of the II schools . have set enrollment records
for themselves. But their gains, coupled,with ilia increases
at Franklin and Marshall College and Lebanon Valley
College, are not enough to offset the standpat enrollment
figure - at (The) Pennsylvania State University,
-7- Penn State, because of budget problems, cut its fresh
man .Class by 800 students to 2,850 this fall. The drop was
serious. It means, among'other things, that while six col
leges in Central Pennsylvania have larger—freshman
classes than they've ever had before, the overall number
of freshmen in this area's schools is down from last year
by almost 600 students, to 6,445.
A smaller freshman enrollment this year than last?
It seems a strange statement An estimated 4one out of
every two of June's high school graduates in the nation,
or 58.6 per cent, is in college this fall. Pennsylvania's mark
is much lower, 30,200 of the 103;000 graduates, or 29.3
=per cent.
Fortunately, one reason why Its (Penn State's) fresh
man class is amaller this year than last is on the positive
side . . . Penn State hadl fewer flunk-outs waft drop-outi\
this past academic year than it normally has .. . • i f
The second reason . . . is its losing battle for state
funds. The University received only $2O million from The
Legislature. This appropriation, though $l l / 2 million high
er than last year's, was still $5 million under the univer
sity's needs.
It is for these statistical reasons, if no other, that the
expansion program at Penn State must be supported . . .
Certainly the demand for higher education is here.
But all expansion costs at Penn State Just cant be met
by ;higher charges to the resident students at University
Park. Their education now is expensive enough.
The next Governor will find the problem maiting_on
his desk. Before his term of office is up, the problem could
become far worse. Many more young Pennsyli , anians will
.be seeking admission to college. This is no idle "popula
tion boom" estimate. These students- are in the ninth- and
tenth grades now, and they can't just wait around until
Pennsylvania puts its higher education house in order.
A Student-Operated Newspaper
SE Years of Editorial Freedom
gllto Bally Tnittnian
, : Successor to The Free Lance. est. 1887
Published Tuesday through Saturday morning' during the University year. The
Daily Ce!legion Is a student-operated newspaper. Entered as wend-clam matter
July S. 10811 at the State College. Pa. Pest Office ander the act if March 3. 1378.
MAU Ralessription Priest . MIN a gear
Mailing Address Rex 2gl. Rialto Cenci.. Pa.
Member of The Associated Press
ANN PALMER
Editor 41ES•-.
City Eiiltera. Joan Mohan and Darid Balbach: Noma and World Affairs Editor.
Kay KlM:litorlal Editor. Carol Klinkloran; Sparta Editor, Jahn Morris:
Assistant Sport.' Editor. Ken Denlinyor: Phatatrao , 7 CM-sditaro. - Tom BrISMINI
and Don Coleman; Personnel Director, Sante* Drina— )
Local Ad Mgt., Jean Rahl Assistant Local Ad Mgr., Jan. Silverstein; National
Ad Mgr.. Barbara Brown; Credit Mgr., Ralph Friedman; Assistant Credit Mgr.,
Harry Haack; Promotion Mgr.. Barry Levitz: Closoltiod Ad Mgr.. Cathrrin•
Saumor: Cirealstion Mgr., Phil Canot: Perwnel and Office Mgr.. Lynn Murphy.
I -
:11
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`•";;:,-;0' .
0604 41 1 ) MANIC
vilgrAh,l&4 ‘ ,4.4
* * *
HERBERT WITMER
Business Manager
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN,• UNNERSFY PARK. PINt7ISYLVAMIA
Letters
Frosh Urges
Class Spirit,,
TO WHOM IT MAY CON
CERN: As the second day of cus
toms came to a close, I:found my
self facing the Customs Board.
The rule, broken, in this case, is
rather irrelevant, for I was not
only chastised for my. error, but
also given a new outlook on Penn
State life; specifically,, the value
of customs and the building of
school spirit.
After listening to tit/ questions
and comments of these esteemed
upperclassmen, I -reMized r that
the two subjects •wete insepar
able. Customs is not toimake . fools
out of freshmen but to: help them.
to feel part of a group. When
this idea is instilled in the frosh,
the acquiring of school spirit fol
lows naturally. The entire purpose
is not getting masses to be ,"rah,
rah, team," but to _ enable the
newcomers to appreciate the as
sets of a higher education, a pro
cess of learning which extends
past the textbook. •
In all humility I Submit this
letter and sincerely hOpe my fel
low classmen will learn to deeply
appreciate The Pennsylvania State
University as I am now beginning
to do.
An appreciative as well as
castigated frosh.
—E. Lee likchall. '6B
Value, Tasks
Of Customi
Questioned
TO THE EDITOR: perusing
Wednesday's Collegian, I ' came
upon an- item to the' effect that
a freshman was given thi. task of
writing a short essay c.ri the value
of Cuitorns and school spirit. This
seems to me to be a very worth
while task.
However, since any such, docu
ment prepared by a freshman can
be no more than a simple regurgi
tation of that which has; been
avowed by the Customs Board
(for obvious reasons), and , since
this does not, to my mind, fulfill
the above objective, I take Smith
Corona in ,hand to attempt to
rectify" the situation.
Just what is the value of • cus
toms? Let us explain the stan
dard answers. We are' told that it
builds a spirit of class pnity.
Whether or not unity 'is desirable
is deba table. However, without
going - into that. I wquid like to
ask if anyone, who has gone
through Customs can seriously say
that they feel any bond with the
other several thousand people who
went through it with, them. The
thought of uniting a class of that
sin with anything as juvenile as
Customs is absolutely silly.
. We are also told that Customs
is of value because it encourages
freshmen to learn the location of
buildings on campus. There may
be a certain value to this, because
the upperclassman who does . not
knOw just exactly Where id" the
boondocks his next class is may
ask directions. •
However, after Customs is over,
the freshman will do just what
his upperclass contemporaries do,
i.e, he will remember only the
location of those buildings- with
whiCh he is concerned or which
lie upon his normal route of travel,
which he already knew.
That Customs `builds school
spirit is evidenced by the sea of
humanity which stood in front of
the HUB last .weekend making a
ridiculous din and looking for all
this world like the crowd in front
of a burning parochial school in
tht.ir little blue hats. This type of
school spirit is what will t kelp
this university exactly what it is:
Farmers' High Sawa. •to the
umpteenth degree. But then-that's
traditional. and Customs is sup
posed to instill tradition;
Finally let us look at the en
forcers of Customs. Not. the ob
vious sense of duty, the genuine
desire to help the fresiunen, which
radiates from their kind and sensi
tive face. Here we come' to the
real reason and the, purpose of
Customs. It's a dandy: way for the
fourteenth graders to, have fun
at someone else's expense-
Dennis lfirirtisa 1113
for the record
Soviet-Cub
The usually unsavory smell of
fish may become even more un
pleasant to the United States
when the Soviet 'Union begins its
surprise trading pact with Cuba
for the commodity.
The pact, announced Tuesday
by Prime Minister Fidel Castro,
provides for the building of a
fishing port in Havana Bay 'for
Russian trawlers.
Castro said the .port facilities
would provide headquarters - for
a ' joint Cuban-
Soviet /Ulan'
fishing fleet.
addition to
usual fishing
galia, a radio s
tion will be p.
vided, he said.
The Soviet Ui
ion, in turn, w]
eventually t u
over 115 to
trawlers to __
Cuban govern-
ment after So- KUNILESIAN
viet crews have trained Cuban
sailors to operate the vessels.
Castro emphasized that the port
and facilities - will remain in Cu
ba's control and that the Russians
will have ,their use for about 10
years. But regardless of the , time
limit or who is in control of the
port, the fact remains that • the
Soviet Union again is one step
closer to the shores of the United
States and the realization 'of its
dream Jar world conquest. And
CAMPUS COMEDY
C
. Deft
iltlf*
4 1IE'S A REAL TRIPLN THREAT lAN. WHEN HE GET*
THE
_EAU. YQL) PONT KNOW WHETHKR NE WILL
IVWN, OR Rim me worm wit
1
LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS
THURSDAY: SEPTEMBER 27, 1962
n Pact
by carol kunklema
this Could mean that we. too, will
soon 'be smelling Russian fish.
Another fact makes the rea
lization even - more meaningful.
Our state department knows , that
many of the Soviet Union's trawl
ers are anything but just fishing
craft', They're known to be carry
ing ;radar and other electronic
devkes which they have used to
monitor U.S. missile test shots at
Cap Canaveral and to . observe
our fleet maneuvers. •
Observation of the U.S.-Soviet
race! for friends shows that food
and the trading of food is a great
weapon. The need for food i§ a
desire to capita li ze on, sine s it
sustains life, and most of us have
the desire to live.
We also, like the Russians, have
learned that by teaching The peo
ples of the world how to grow
more food (by sending trained
technicians - and agricultural ex=
parts abroad) we can create more
good will than by appropriating
money and equipment they don't
know how to operate. , •
The radio station planned for
the port is yet another evidence
that! the Soviet Uninii plans to
saturate as- much of Cuba and
the surrounding area as possible
with its propaganda.
White President -,Kennedy was
vigorously criticized for his state
ment that he would send arms to
Cubs if necessary, we cannot •ig
nore,
this possibility—or else the
senators in Washington now ar
guing about what to do about
Cuba will find they're eating a
truly Red salmon.