W-20: Repressive Rule
UNIVERSITY SENATE rule W-20
states that the University can ban from
sale or distribution any publication
which it deems “unacceptable.” It does
that and a lot more.
The controversial rule, which grew
out of the fury over the Administration's
banning of the first issue of the Water
Tunnel last winter, may soon be chal
lenged by none other than the normally
placid Commonwealth Campuses.
The Ogontz Campus News, the stu
dent newspaper at the Philadelphia area
campus, has taken the first step in what
will hopefully be the end of W-20.
THE NEWS, ALONG with some
members of the faculty at Ogontz, has
asked the Senate to abolish the rule.
Indications are that support is in
creasing, slowly but surely, from other
campuses of Penn State. University
Park, the main campus, should be in
there fighting, too.
The reasons for abolishing the rule
are clear. Foremost, the University does
not have the right to ban the sale or dis
tribution of anything on this campus—
no matter how obscene or treasonous.
THERE ARE STATUTES upon stat
utes, and the U.S. Constitution, which
have been written to determine who can
ban what.
When W-20 states that the Univer
sity can ban any publication “which in
Smile, Wave the Flag, Cough
By JONATHAN RICH
Collegian Columnist
There is something of a bitter irony
in being called for a pre-induction
physical on Moratorium Day, but who
was I to protest the inconvenience of
the 120 mile ride home before arising
at 3:30 a.m. to take a bus trip to dis
cover that I was healthy enough to be
shot at by someone other than the
American Legion.
“What is a little inconvenience,"
I thought. “What kind of American
are you? Hadn’t my uncle and grand
father served well in World War I,
hadn’t my father almost been shipped
to Alaska in World War 11, hadn’t
General Hershey almost seen combat
in his 89 year Army career?" I searched
my soul. Yes, I would take the physi
cal. I would endure all manners of
indignity. I would give a blood sample.
I would urinate in a tube. I would run
in place on a cold floor while a physi
cian pressed his dry ice stethoscope
against my chest. I would cough. I
would also flunk the physical, my eyes
are terrible.
I tucked the papers, all signed by
men proven in the eyes of their pro
fession (doctors, optometrists and check
forgers) in my pocket. I made a mental
note to myself that no matter what
happened this sunny Oct. 15, my atti
tude would be one of detachment. My
primary task, I decided, would be to
chronicle the experiences of the day,
compare notes with Alice’s Restaurant
and get the word to all those under
graduates who look ahead with an
ticipation to the day when the smiling
sergeant says, “This physical you men
are taking today won’t mean anything
for a little while, unless sometime to
day you men take it into your heads
to step out of line. Then it will mean
something. You’ll be called for induc
tion immediately. Do I need to say
anything else?”
The spirit of the bus picked up as
old friends recognized each other,
George Geib and I practiced singing the
Canadian National Anthem which is
easier to sing than our National Anthem
Letters to the
No Selection Until Function
TO THE EDITOR: Concerning The Office of
Student Discussion, we would urge students and
faculty members to take another look at this
revived vehicle by the name of Office of Student
Discussion. Cornell. Columbia, Connecticut and
other universities now have similar type offices,
and have been used by students with some effect.
As it is now, the Office seems to be primarily
a tool for the Administration at Penn State. It
should be primarily a tool for the students and the
faculty. With the support of the various student
organizations, and the more significant interest
groups such as SDS, WLF, NUC and others, but
above all with the student government of the
Blacks, the Black Student Union, the Office can be
made into a worthwhile enterprise.
One last effort, to make the Office a signifi
cant machinery, will indicate that students are not
disenheartened by the slow processes and past
evasion by the creators of the Office.
We fully realize that the response so far has
been one of merely defining the Office’s functions,
without making it clear that the “definitions” are
accepted by the Administration and by the
Trustees. The students have made positive sug
gestions. They have repeatedly indicated support
of the Office if the Director has some direct
influence, some direct input, and some formalized
duties.
The committee of four faculty and four stu
dents have agreed on these functions. It is now
time for the President and the Administration to
review these suggestions, and clarify if they want
an Office as defined by the faculty and the stu
dents.
If the defined functions of the Office are not
acceptable, the' Office should be speedily dropped
from the roster of non-functioning mechanisms at
this University. It would be a plague on both the
Administration and the academic community.
We do not think that any man 'could
reasonably accept the position of a “director” if
his Office has not been formally recognized as
having a formal function. Student organizations
2% iatlil (UnUenian
Published Tuesday through Saturday during tha Fall, winter and spring Terms, and Thursday during the Summei
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Circulation: 12,500. _____
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Member of The Associated Press
JAMES R. DO!
Editor
Board of Editors: Managing Editor. Glenn Kranzley; Editorial Editor, Allan Yoder; City Editor, David Nestor;
Assistant City Editors, Marc Klein, Pat Gurosky; Copy Editors, Sara Herter, sandy Batonis, Pat Dyblla; Feature Editor,
Marge Cohen; Sports Editor, Don McKee; Assistant Sports Editor, Dan Donovan; Senior Reporters, Rob McHugh and
Denise Bowman; Weather Reporter, Billy Williams.
’AGE TWO'
Editorial Opinion
its opinion violates the civil libel laws,”
it is stepping on ground that is reserved
for the courts of this nation, not the uni
versities.
And when the Supreme Court often
has difficulty determining civil libel
suits, it is doubtful whether the Univer
sity could do so. Unless, of course, the
Administration plans to enforce its pre
judicial views, similar to its tactics in the
banning of the Water Tunnel.
IN ADDITION, it is nearly impos
sible to determine what the standards of
the University are: “The University shall
ban on its campuses any publication
which in its opinion is incompatible with
the University’s standards.”
Whose opinion constitutes the “Uni
versity’s standards”? The Board of Trus
tees? President Walker? SDS?
Hardly; a look at the Board of Trus
tees alone shows that even those men and
women probably could not decide unani
mously on such an issue.
When The Ogontz Campus News
called on the other Commonwealth Cam
puses to print an objectionable word,
they were doing the entire University a
service.
IT IS ONLY WHEN antiquated,
naive and repressive rules such as W-20
are abolished that the Pennsylvania
State University will grow to the stature
of a “true university.”
but harder than “Everybody’s Going
to Ginos” which we had fun singing.
Some of the less intelligent on the
bus occupied themselves by looking in
to the sun as it came over the horizon.
Others asked the driver if he wanted
to take the day off and drive to the
shore, but he had a job to do he said
so why didn’t we look at the legs of
the girls in the cars we passed. “It’s
a good angle,” he said.
Because the New Cumberland
Army Depot is there, Harrisburg will
never need to fear a ground attack
from Richmond. Over the entrance gate
the arch reads, “Arsenal For The
Brave." Underneath the arch an old
man rises from his chair to sneer at
inductees or peek into cars with female
occupants. These he checked for cards,
thighs and other interests concerning
the national security. I mention this,
only because the bus driver spent the
day at the gate.
Our bus beat the two other bus
loads by 50 minutes, which gave us
all plenty of time to think about our
homes, families and other loved ones.
I was surprised by the number of fel
lows who talked of escaping to Canada.
Soon the young men from Huntingdon
and Perry Counties arrived and we
were set for one of the biggest days of
our young lives.
First, we filled out forms. When
asked to list criminal offenses in a
seven by seven space, some guys asked
for an extra page. One interesting lad
asked how he should list’ a robbery
he’d be charged with after he returned
from the physical.
“Did you do it?”
“No, sir.”
“Don’t list it ” Now that’s what I
call faith in the American way.
Under the marital status space, we
were to fill in the following: M—
married; S—single and L—legally sepa
rated. So then this nut asks for help.
He was married but got conveniently
lost. He doesn’t support anybody since
his wife is still looking for him.
“Well, son,” the sergeant said, “you
are still married.” Pause. “You must
and interested faculty organizations have shown
their willingness to participate and make use of
the Office when the Office has specifically
designated and formally as well as practically
significant functions.
When the Office and its director have a
function, a function that goes beyond talking and
discussion, a director can and will be selected.
Such a person may very well be someone who is
acceptable and responsible!
Next Sunday afternoon —3-5 p. m.—the com
mittee will hold an open session. We urge the
above named groups, and others who have shown
an active concern for a strong director and Office
with power to influence decisions, to assist the stu
dent and faculty members on the committee, so
that a worthwhile functioning OFFICE FOR STU
DENT INCLUSION will be established. There is to
be no selection until there is a function for the
director.
TO THE EDITOR: The temporary housing
situation needs a lot of improvement. It's a mess.
We all know that. We have managed to cope with
it as best as we can. But on the other hand,
something’s got to be said when being stuck with
temporary housing also means one can be pushed
around to satisfy the needs of others. Since I was
one of the “fortunate beings” to be in
convenienced, the Department of Housing and
Food Services assured me every effort would be
made to get me in a permanent room as soon as
possible. In the meantime, being concerned about
my well-being they would do everything to help
make our living accommodations
. . pleasant. . .wholesome. . .comfortable, con
venient, and enjoyable.. .” But this isn’t the case.
First they put me in the cellar of a dorm with
the pipes squeaking away. There is hardly any
Successor to The Free Lance, est. 1887
S 4 Years of Editorial Freedom
Hal Sudborough
GSA President
Ted Thompson
USG President
Ronald Batchelor
OSGA President
Concern for Students?
PAUL S. BATES
Business Manager
'RIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1969
this peal \
WILL MAKE ME
A FORTUNE y
ALL I HAVE TO DO IS 6ET THE
NECESSARY CONTRACTS SISNEP
EVeW PERSON 80EN 'J |
have a friend somewhere who reported
you to the local board.”
“Oh, I did that, sir. The card says
to report any change in status to the
local board.”
“Try D for dumb."
I misread the subversive list and
almost listed myself as an acquaintance
of the German-American Band, but dis
covered somewhat sadly that it was
Bund.
Then it was mental test time. We
were told that under new Army regu
lations we only needed a score of one
out of 100 to pass the mental test. I did
the first five questions and asked if I
needed to do anymore. Nobody loves
a wise ass.
The physical part of the test wasn’t
bad at all, even if the equipment was.
During the hearing test a plane flew
overhead and drowned out the sound
of any tone which might have been
coming through the headphones.
The test was neither insulting nor
thorough. Anybody who has ever gone
to summer camp has had to endure
more in the way of an admittance
physical. Two of the three MDs didn’t
show, which might have influenced
that day’s testing. The man counted
my toes, asked me if I wetted the bed
or walked in my sleep.
By 12:30 I was done. Here the
worst part of the day started. While
everybody who didn’t have an X-ray
or whose doctor had died within the
year went back for a more thorough
examination, 100 of tomorrow’s leapers
sat in a room watching the recruiting
sergeants listening to the World Series.
Four of us spent two hours throwing
rocks at a flower outside the confines
of the Nittany-like structure. I finally
crushed the flower in frustration.
When all the rocks were on one side
of the compound, we threw them back.
Finally at 5 the doctor and the
recruiters gave up and sent us home.
By this hour New Cumberland, Ann
ville and Palmyra had their streets
lined with American flags. As I
clutched my lens prescription and
looked at the flags, I knew America
would be safe at least until tomorrow.
Editor of The Daily Collegian
ventilation and the radiators don’t work. There
are six of us crowded into this cubicle with just
enough room to climb into bed without kicking
someone in the face. In the morning we find
ourselves in a different location than the night
before. That’s due to the “ball bearings” on the
bottom of the stiff cots. Despite these little quirks
we adjusted reasonably to the conditions. Then
one morning a coordinator calls and tells us to
pack our things, that we are moving to another
lounge. We weren’t even given an option.
Apparently members of various organizations
and the housing department themselves felt our
room would be useful for their weekly meetings.
They could move us to a supposedly “more
desirable staging location” and still be satisfied
that they had shown the utmost concern for our
well-being. We weren’t so sure, but despite our
feeling of injustice we looked into our “new liv
ing quarters” anyway. They weren’t any better; if
not worse! By now the heat and the pipes were
fixed and we had made our old room “livable.”
So, some of us refused to move.
We told the coordinator we were not going to
move. Since there is no written rule forcing us to
move from temporary housing to temporary hous
ing in a better stage, there was evidently little she
could do. Therefore as a last resort she threatened
to have letters sent home to our parents and
claimed our rights in temporary housing would be
relinquished. What rights? Well, it boils down to
our being denied any requests for residence hall or
roommate next term and we will be the last to be
given permanent housing. Now there is a good
chance I will be in temporary housing again in
Winter term. Are we dolls? Are we deaf, dumb,
and blind? It’s about time for us to stop being
shoved around like a herd of cattle and to speak
up.
This . sort of threatening, that the ad
ministration can get away with, scares students
into complying. It’s not our fault that we are in
this situation and it’s not right to be punished for
it either. But, this seems to be the consequence if
one holds out. The housing situation has become a
game between the officials and us, the new stu
dents. The administration tries to use force in
directly by threatening us. It fails. We win. But
have we really won? Didn’t they know from the
very beginning that they had the power.. .the
power to do with us as they want? But don’t
forget the Department of Housing and Food Ser
vices at Penn State is concerned for the well-being
of every student here. ..
Bonnee Field
(Ist-Computer Science-Huntington, N.Y.)
' To Help Your Fellow Man'
(Editor's Note : The following is from a letter
written by .S. Sgt. .Weil Gross, of the Ist Infantry
Division stationed in Vietnam, to Sandra Fein
man, a graduate student at the University. It
was written the night of Oct. 14, after he had
heard a news report about the Oct. 15 Mora
torium.)
Because you’re in a college situation, which
seems to be the situation which most of the
organizers are in, I have finally felt it necessary
‘Hamlet’ and
Disappointing
In contrast to Friday night’s slow "
presentation of “Hamlet,” the American
Theater Productions* version of Tom
Stoppord’s “Rosencrantz and Guilden
stern are Dead’* provided fast
moving entertainment. I’m sorry to ad
mit that this production of “Hamlet”
disappointed me. Perhaps the company
had an off night, perhaps the stage was
awkward, perhaps a lot of things; but a
professional repertory company is sup
posed to de-
liver, no mat-
ter what the
circumstances.
to Guildenstern:
Ser i e 3 bro-
c h u r e,
critics gave Left Utterly
this company
rave reviews and Laughingly
WAUV 01
—‘superb pro
duction . . .
STiaS Peeofiar Logic'
and exciting.* ” I would like to, know
where all those dazzling qualities were
Friday night. I am inclined to attribute
the general lack of contrast, pace and
script to sloppy directing rather than to
sloppy acting. It is generally assumed by
actors that the manner of line delivery
tells greatly in its effectiveness...! have
never seen more professional people
deliver lines ‘on the run*.
I lost the conscience of the king, the
rottenness of Denmark, and several other
statements of affairs to an incoherent
mad dash off the stage. Pace is picked up
between the lines, not between the
scenes, or the words. I also objected to
the static posing of the players, the lack
of definition of transitions and passions in
many of the speeches, the need of
Laertes (Harvey Solin) and Ophelia
(Margo Ann Berdeshevsky) for voice
lessons, and the interpretotion of the
characters of Hamlet, Ophelia, and
Claudius. Despite my many objections, I
found several moments of the play cap-
~ Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition ... praise
the Lord and pass the ammunition . •
By BEVERLY WYATT
Collegian Film Critic
Rosencrantz
‘Audience Was
Behind by
for me to tell you what those “protesters” do not
know. They are the ones who are misinformed and
know not of what I and the half million men here
have been involved in. I feel now what my father
and his comrades felt during the World War II
when Nazism was the enemy. Although my ser
vice to our country was forced, I am grateful to be
allowed to witness the horrors of our new enemy.
No, you know me better, I’m not being “brain
washed.” But, rather, my situation has opened my
mind and made it more than receptive to the
plight of the Vietnamese people.
As our tracks roll down the roads of RVN the
children hold out their hands calling, “G. I. num
ber 1, G.I. number 1.” It’s these children whose
fathers were dragged away, under fear of death or
retribution by the Viet Cong, and forced to fight
for a cause they did not, and never will believe in.
The students of today call themselves more
aware of the world and the happenings around the
world—never a bigger lie has been said. They
have shown me only ignorance and susceptibility
to the words of false leaders. Or perhaps these
young men are only misinformed. But, as with the
boy who cried “wolf,” they are causing disruption
and anarchy which will only lead to the destruc
tion of freedom, one of our cherished principles, in
the Republic of South Vietnam.
If you ever decide that it would bring stares
and embarrassment to wear the fatigue jacket I
have sent you, then it is me you hurt. I, and my
buddies, have given our blood to save this coun
try from servitude. Yes, it's a small, insignificant
country, 10,000 miles away but, does that make
these people any less real? They're very real to
me. They’re alive and free and struggling
desperately to be free forever. Just as we discard
ed the British, they are trying to loosen the ever
tightening and strangling bonds of Communism.
Corrupt as governments are and can be, these
people exist nonetherless. I want so much to come
home ... But how can I leave until I’ve done my
share .to help these people.”
I only hope that the truth (whatever that is) is
closer to you. I feel that my country’s armed
forces, represented by that fatigue jacket, are
engaged in a worthwhile task, and aiding the
cause of humanity which should be “to help your
fellow man.”
Send Supplies r Not Our Guys
TO THE EDITOR: Last week’s Moratorium
brought much criticism from the conservative ele
ments of our society, as well as praise and ad
miration that the American people could band
together peacefully in a just and noble cause.
Critical conservatives said it was all well and good
that Americans want peace, but they wondered if
we would really want to pay the price for peace.
They say we naively think we can pull out
from Vietnam and reallocate the funds for the bet
terment of our own country. We cite crying needs
for cleaning up poverty pockets and America, in
general, to be magically cleaned up by the billions
of dollars wasted on Vietnam. Eric Severeid says
that young people always oppose the right things,
but they never propose anything good.
Our class got together on Moratorium day to
see if we could propose something good. Our
Theatre Critique
‘Rosencrantz’:
and Delightful
tured the passion and high tragedy ot
Shakespeare's script, as well as his
raucous humor.
Scenes that stand out in my mind
include Ophelia's mad scene, the
gravedigger encounter, though I greatly
missed the second gravedigger, the ex
cellent portrayal of Polonious b y
Frederic Warriner, Laertes’ distress over
Ophelia’s broken will, the conflict be
tween Hamlet and Laertes at her grave.
Although I disagree with the in
terpretation of Ophelia I somehow see
her altogether more meek and forceless
when sane, more bewildered and pathetic
when mad, rather than the throaty
amaze of her hysteria between herself,
Polonius, and Hamlet, and the raucous
distraction of her later madness I was
greatly impressed with Margo Ann
Berdeshevsky's. portrayal. Although she
was not Ophelia to me, she was a very
real person gone mad, and the horror of
it came through. I didn't feel that Robert
Burr took advantage of his speeches for
their potential of passion and revelation
of character in his interpretation of
Hamlet. Perhaps the speech Shakespeare
has Hamlet deliver to the Player had
something to do with it. He advises that
over much show of ranting and raving is
as bad as not enough. Especially in his
soliloquies of suffering and self-torture, I
think Mr. Burr left out a great deal of
torture, so that Hamlet's later adootion
of distraction makes him appear ofihand
somehow Hamlet just didn’t convince
me of his own tragedy. My objection to
Claudius was that he made himself too
one-sided, so that the soliloquy before
prayer appeared ludicrous...l) no in
dication had been given that this man
might even possess guilt. 2) his address
to the audience as an admonishing father
to a rather dumb child completely robbed
an excellent speech of its qualities of in
ner examination and revelation of
character.
In the company's production of
"Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are
Dead” I found a sense of rapid fire pace,
humor and interweaving of plots that
delighted me, at least in comparison with
the previous night’s show. Perhaps
Guildenstern (Clebert Ford) mushed and
mouthed his speech a little, but Rosen
crantz (John Church) was unforgettable,
his characterization precise, sensitive
and self-possessed.
There were moments when the light
ing people seemed as confused as the two
courtiers: and there were moments when
the audience was left utterly and
laughingly behind by the peculiar logic of
the two men: but there were also mo
ments of realization, of sensitivity to the
discovery of death and fear as in the two
letters discovered by these two very real
and bewildered men. It is here that Tom
Stoppard’s script transcends itself, and
goes beyond the satiric and bawdy. To
watch Rosencrantz cry out against death,
to feel Guildenstern’s bewildered distress
left .me clutching for more things to laugh
at. when I suddenly knew Stoppard
wanted me to double up with agony
instead. The experience was like
watching Mercutio die.
The agony of Romeo’s young friend
at the hands of Benvolio perfectly
illustrates my reaction to the profoundly
serious death that constitutes ‘‘Rosen
crantz and Guildenstern are Dead.”
Behold, the clown:’ laughing, witty,
satiric...dying meaningless, without com
passion, pity, or even suitable reverence.
Saturday night the audience laughed and
applauded, and I watched them become
Mercutio’s jeering gang of friends, totally
unaware of the struggle with ultimate
death before them.
As for the rest of the matter: the
bawdy humor that escaped an audience
unfamiliar with Elizabethan double en
tendres Friday, found just appreciation
Saturday night, especially when the
troupe of actors was suddenly ’revealed’
as a troop of exhibitionists. Robert Burr’s
role of the Player provided the catalyst
for the action of the play, he being the
only character who knew what to ‘do* in
the rotten state of Denmark. The
brilliance of the play in its wit and pathos
was well portrayed but owes its presence
to an excellent playwright more than to
its actors, or to the appreciation of its
audience.
teen a Vietnam moratorium
"If only tl
five years ago ..."
research revealed war to be very beneficial,
economically. For instance, approximately one
third of all people in the states of California, Con
necticut, Kansas, Nevada and Washington
presently are employed in defense work. Also, the
time honored notion that war brought us out of the
Depression and has since kept us from sliding
back into one. The “Report From Iron Mountain”
says this is because funds for war can be used ar
bitrarily by the government, without consent of
the people, to stabilize the economy as the govern
ment deems necessary.
Our class felt, after hearing a public opinion
poll on the local talk show, that the American peo
ple would not support cleaning up the poverty
pockets in America. We felt Americans would
selfishly vote for reduced taxes instead.
Therefore, we submit a plan which would save the
millions of defense jobs and let the government
retain the economic leverage it supposedly needs
while, at the same time, protect American
We say, send the supplies, not our guys.
Louise Lopes, graduale-GFS
Dan Joseph, (lOth-Broadcasting)
IFS 424 Class
Attention to Courtesy, Detail
TO THE EDITOR: I have been reading with
interest Steve Solomon’s series on defense-related
activities being carried out at the University. On
the whole, I think the presentation has been
balanced and definitely instructive.
I do wish to say a few words about the article
in the October 22 issue of the Collegian, insofar as
my own association with IDA is mentioned.
Mr. Solomon's comments would have been
enhanced had he approached me in a somewhat
different manner, and had he checked a few more
facts. It is said that I was “not eager to talk about
the project." I should say that I was called at
home some months ago, and never directly in
terviewed. Mr. Solomon asked me a series of
questions about my IDA consultantship, but only
toward the close of the discussion did he mention
that the material might be included in a later Col
legian series. I think it is understandable that an
essentially personal, otherwise unidentified call
does not warrant an elaborate reply.
Mr. Solomon never called again, nor did he
look me up in person. I had asked him, once told
of the posstbility of a Collegian story, that I be
allowed to check the accuracy of his telephone
conversation impressions. This was not done. The
result is that some of the spirit of the phone con
versation suffers from distortion, and several fac
-thi°: r iJg»aflnfsl^
Po“mcimidTe n s” f div^ £ by an ‘' Economie
. I h °P e tha t, in the future, Collegian inter
y/I^!P£*?roce^uf?s undertaken with
somewhat more attention to elementary courtesy
and to the details of material being published.
Henry S. Albinski
Professor of Political Science