i Editorial opinion It looks like students who wan to make up “F" grades will have hard time starting next fall Yesterday .the Universit Faculty Senate got rid of the M-31 rule that allowed an F to be drop ped from students cumulate averages once a c?|jrse was takei over That's progress. The guide ti the rule confused everyone wit vague references to rule E-1 an> E-15 which had to be followed before the Course Repeat Notice, which had to be taken care of j before students could use rule M ! 3b Students without an academic : map in front of them were lost. Letters to the Editor Difficulties TO THE EDITOR: This letter is for all those hopeless souls ■ nr h.ive tried or will try to hitch a ride to or from campus. My i.-t/.cr- 'o you is to forget it. or else buy a car. But if you are ■V,.' h ere are a few things you will be up against: « ' Ttie late for work" drivers these are the drivers who • : really concerned about where they are going, just how iV mey get there (Who cares if you almost run down a hitch- . The late for class" drivers these are your friends who u'd pick you up. but then stopping for you may prevent ’ err, from arriving at class 20 minutes early. 3 The I wouldn't pick you up if you were my mother" drivers these are the scum of the earth drivers. They seem to get .led' satisfaction from passing you up on extremely rainy or ■-■id davs 4 The I'm turning" drivers these are the ones that aren't 'mg 'where you are going, even though they do not know . he'e you are going These drivers usually shrug their holders, or put on their turn signals until they've passed you ,p ir.f course, when they think they are out of your view, they urn off the signal, and go straight ahead) Many students who were denied campus housing have had gc-' apartments far off-campus: many of these apartments not provide bus service. And most students cannot afford to jj and run a car back and forth to campus, as well as pay for "eir education. So, in appeal to those drivers who continually ass up students (yes. you can usually identify the students ,e usually carry books), please thinßibefore driving on by next Hopeless souls O THE EDITOR: As a recent letter to the editor pointed out. L-re will be a major change in the University calendar system year that is going to present some difficulties for •udents It is not unusual that difficulties are presented for "udents at Penn State. On March 4 of last year, the Faculty Senate voted over term : -eak to recommend a six-day finals period. The thinking : ‘.hind this appearing in a May 15 article in the Collegian was •o improved integration of the courses." The subsequent T andatory requirement that professors must give their final '<^h^)s> XH ® EAu -'Y YaoFEB-TrtttT WftY. K’EFvv.v.N wvy To -sc-E. - * X £ in flunking courses. But the Senate student failing a course, with a -' ’/p:-'- r 1 < J has given students a way to drop chance to pass with a good grade :j / ~\j " r~ nn y jy i :o courses before the actual F’s go on the final, but dropping the J, ,/{• / ] ' -j ■ . ' 1 ' th on the transcripts, because the course because of outside prob- ' < j : f'' ; ' id Senate also voted to extend the lems? I *if [ : --, **'• drop period to the eighth week of the term. It used to be that to drop a course in the eighth week of the term students had to sign away their firstborn children. But the bad part of the revised Rudy Massa 7th-pre-medicine ((« voters voter must reside in his election district at least 30 days before the election. Centre County Commissioners define an election district as a precinct; so their official policy is one can’t vote if he's moved into a new precinct and hasn't filed for a change of address. There is something of a controversy occuring now about whether an election district should be defined as a precinct. It- seems especially unfair to students since they move so frequently within the borough of Stale College, but from one precinct to another. But while Centre County’s in terpretation stands, you are required to go personally to the courthouse in Bellefonte to file for your address change if you've moved to a new precinct. The next filing period opens Dec. 5. As long as it’s now more difficult to make up a failing grade, the least the Faculty Sppjjte could have done was to e. v ' hd the drop period without unfair grade status clauses onjlpof it. exam specifically during this period is apparently a further attempt to improve the academic quality of Penn State. This curious logic in itself warrants an explanation as to how pushing ahead the finals currently given on the last day of classes to the following week improves the academic quality of the institution. However, there appears to be another reason tied up in the implementation of the semester system ten tatively scheduled for th Fall of 1977. The six-day finals period represents a transition to the two term semester system in which an extended finals period of at ieast a week would be necessary. Thus, it was described last year as “the only way we can test the feasibility of the six-day exam period," in preparation for this switch. Obviously, any degree of thinking reveals that one thing has nothing to do with the other. Trying to implement a finals period geared toward a semester system while we're still operating under a term system is going to cause some problems, the least of which will be financial. Assuming money grows on trees, the added time residing at Penn State will cost an additional $l6 per term. In other words, on top of the tuition rise, a student can figure on paying another $4B to cover the cost of room and board for the privilege of staying around to take finals on what used to be vacation time. The planned extension of examination periods was hardly met with approval last year. Out of 197 students surveyed by student representatives, 197 voted against the longer finals period This would appear to be an overwhelming majority against the proposal. The comments at that time included, “ill timed, ridiculous, and term-system sabotage." No doubt these feelings haven't changed much since last spring. Interestingly enough, a poll taken last year of the student body at large presented to the Collegian on Dec 11, 1975, indicated that 82.7 per cent favored retention of'the term system as compared to 16 per cent who preferred the two-term semester system. With over 80 per cent of the students against the semester system and a modest 100 percent opposed to a six-day final period, it seems a little unusual that both may become a reality shortly. (It should be noted here that there were many faculty members opposed to both the six-day finals period and the semester system change.) Regardless of public opinion, and of logic too, it appears that some major’changes can be expected next year in the calendar system affecting current students with the exception of seniors and they are probably glad they will be missing all the excitement aaaoa 1 \woo Besides these students who had moved, there was another group that were unable to vote in my precinct. About 15 people came to the wrong polls and I hated to tell them they had to go to another precinct, figuring they might feel they had made enough of an effort and not bother to vote at all. If you don't know where you're registered to vote, there's a very easy way to find out. Call the Commissioner's office at 355-5512; give them your name, and they'll tell you what precinct you should vote at and where it’s located. The office is open all day on election day if you have any questions about voting. Because they were unaware of some facet of the election process 28 per cent of the people who came to vote in my precinct last Tuesday couldn’t cast their ballots. This doesn’t have to happen next spring if people know they have to file for their change of address or call the Commissioner’s office if they need some information. Ben Gelber 3rd-secondary education . -*££**• " cx&l... If Wte*\m6Toto *SUU. ©f\\L Ob OUT, um 'TfeH'. YIE'LL AVJST -bTfVS <\FU*\T ©y OCRSLLVE'b j ' Explanation needed TO THE EDITOR: Three weeks ago the Star Trek society submitted to WDFM’s Half A Radio Comedy Hour a script, "Lost In Star Trek”, a comedy based on STAR TREK. Their leader, William "Doc" Holland agreed to talk it over at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Monday at 11:30 p.m. he called and said he wanted to do the final recording instead. Just like that, on 20 hours notice. Well, despite tests the next day we recorded it arid were told it would be broadcast at 6 p.m. that Saturday. It was not broadcast, which made us look bad since we had advertised it on WQWK. We were informed that the tape had been misplaced and that it would be put on Wednesday night. This time we advertised in the Collegian and told all our friends. It was not broadcast. We were told by WDFM that Mr. Holland had decided the tape lacked sufficient fidelity. We were told unofficially that it was not Mr. Holland but some unknown official who, five minutes before airtime, decided it was technically unfit. We were also told that the show would have to be retaped and that they would handle the advertising next time. Last Tuesday night a friend and us saw Mr. Holland per sonally* he informed us that the technical difficulties had been resolved and that it would be aired the next night at 10 p.m. We promptly told our friends and fellow members. There was no Collegian announcement. It was not broad cast. The announcer at WDFM told us that during the recording one of the tape channels had failed. If this is true then how did it get within five minutes of airtime a week previously? Or was that the technical difficulty? But Doc said it was resolved. How could Mr. Holland and his crew have had that tape for two weeks, readied it for broadcast twice, and still not know there was an unresolvable technical flaw in it? Or perhaps he simply misled us! Or perhaps there is nothing wrong with the tape and someone has been playing games with both Mr. Holland and the Star Trek society. We no longer care. The society has been humiliated. We have invested time and money in an undertaking which has been grossly mishandled. If there is a sane, logical explanation for this fiasco, we challenge Doc or WDFM to give it. For further information please contact us or come to 265 Williard, 7.30 p.m. Tuesday. Paranoia TO THE EDITOR: In reply to Mr. B. David Schwartz’s letter of 11-7-75 First, I fail to see the need to politicize a simple dinner. It would seem to indicate a high level of paranoia. If anything, the meal was conceived with the intent of putting politics aside, to propagate international friendship. Symbolically, it indicated a sharing, the communal breaking of bread. Secondly, while it might be true that the “masses" of the Third World are uneducated, this does not necessarily mean they are ignorant or incapable of thought. I happily note that you are Ist term, maybe there is still time for you to discard your narrow childhood prejudices. The people you seem to slander appear to hold a much more sophisticated view of Israel and Zionism. These are perceived as nothing more than a new rationalization for imperialism. Perhaps your studies will allow you to understand their abhorrence of this policy. As to the "legitimacy" of these, while formal recognition by one state of another might constitute “legitimacy" in Inter national Law, it does not constitute moral sanction. It is this which is debatable within agiven culture. Finally, .being a student of both history and politics, and believing I have at least "moderate intelligence," I beg to differ with your closing statements. 1) While I agree that there has never been a "sovereign state of Palestine,” as defined above, this has been due largely to the efforts of present and former imperialists. Also, the very concept of "sthte” is a fairly recent (1648) concept of Western origin. 2) Your apparent equation of "nation" and “state" seems to defy the way this term is used by contemporary political science. I believe most recognized scholars in this field (Deutsche, Verba, Schwartz, etc.) would agree with the definition of the first as a given group of people sharing a common culture. You therefore either imply that the Palestinians lack this, or don't know what you are saying. 3) Lastly, your statement dealing with the possibility of a Waiting By JOHN B. ROWLEY JR Collegian Columnist When I first came to Penn State, I didn't understand' the purpose of club breakfast. I had reasoned that the university could not understand why everyone wasn't up at 7 a.m. for break fast. "They must think we’re all at club meetings and so they're saving us a few snacks,” I inaccurately concluded. Now, of course, I have been enlightened as to the real reason for club breakfast. Maybe there are still a few who don't un derstand, however. For those people please allow me to explain. The phrase “club breakfast" first of all is a very deceiving word. It is neither designed for clubs, as I had once thought, nor is it a breakfast. Why is this? Simple. The university is punishing students for not getting up early. They The Daily Collegian encourages comments on news coverage, editorial policy and campus and off-campus affairs. Letters should be typewritten, double spaced, signed by no more than two persons and no longer than 30 lines. Students’ letters should include the namr term and major of the writer. Letters should be brought to the Collegian office, 126 Carnegie, in person so proper identification of the writer can be made, although names can be withheld on request If letters are received by mail, the Collegian will contact the signer for verification before publication. Letters cannot be returned. Edward Rutkowski lOth-Aerospace Engineering William Swallow 10th-Computer Science for decided that the best way to get students up at 7 a.m. is to make fools of them if they don't. Think of the fOy that the administration gets everytTmp it thinks about students getting up at a.m. and, get this, waiting in line for a doughnut. It is pretty hystericaMi-one examines the situation on a full stomach. In the interest of promoting this policy, I offer my own variations that will make the student look even more stupid. 1) Only serve club breakfast on even numbered days how many students would remember if this were an even or an odd date. Very few would. Imagine then, students getting up, walking to the dining halls and we don’t even give them their doughnut. 2) Only serve students with odd third world war reveals you believe "might equals right." This lack of morality in politics, domestic and international, has been used throughout world history to justify aggression atrocities, and so on. If this is the best argument you can base your thesis on, then I suggest you make an in depth, more objective investigation of the problem. Your only alternative is to wallop in the mire, with the supporters of Stalin, Hitler, Hiroshima etc. For by your logic their methods used are permissible. Relish TO EDITOR: We are unaware, as to whether David Schwaijtz actually attended the dinner. If he did, we hope tnat. even though he did not relish the wording of the menu, he. nonetheless, found the substance palatable and agreeable to his constitution. Upon reading David’s letter of Nov 7, we found it rather derogatory. We also felt that some clarification is needed The people involved in the Palestiman-lsraeli conflict have strong feelings upon the slightest mention of this problem Often, little reason is needed to trigger off powerful emotions Seeing the item "Palestinian Rice” on the menu, David "discovered" the occasion as "another underhanded attack on the legitimacy of the state of Israel.” He charged (implicitly) the Internatronal Council as being pro-Palestinian and at tempted to create a political issue over the menu. The item Palestinian Rice" had no other function than to provide variety on the menu and to reflect the cultural diversity of the in ternational student community here at Penn State It was prepared by a Palestinian according to a home recipe Therefore, its name was well deserved The International Council is purely a cultural body, with an aim to promote understanding and relations among in ternational students and Americans. Among the 900 in ternational students at Penn State, there are both Israelis and Palestinians, and we have always existed as a harmonious group, never having held any political opinions or bias Finally, we hope David may learn in his curriculum of in ternational politics, that Africa. Asia and the Third World consist of more than just uneducated masses. We also hope that rather than aspire to become a political venom, he would aim towards a broader horizon of international friendship JERRY SCHWARTZ Editor Mailing Address Box 467. State College, Pa 16801 Office 126 Carnegie Editorial policy is determined by the Editor Opinions expressed by the editors and staff of The Daily Colli- :• i- 1 are not necessarily those of the University administration, faculiy ' students BOARD OF EDITORS: EDITORIAL EDITOR, Sheila McCauley EDI TORIAL ASSISTANT, Karen Fischer NEWS EDITOR, Robin Moore ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR, Glenda Gephart. WIRE EDITOR, Paula Gochnour. FEATURES EDITOR, Cathy Cipolla. COPY EDITORS, Jear LaPenna. Diane Nottle. Leon Pollom. SPORTS EDITOR, Jeff Young ASSISTANT SPORTS EDjTOR, Dave Morris. PHOTO EDITOR, Erie Felack. ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITORS, Ira Joffe Tom Peters EDI TORIAL CARTOONIST, Tom Gibb. WEATHER REPORTER, Tom Ross BOARD OF MANAGERS: LOCAL ADVERTISING MANAGER. Jr n Kirschner OFFICE MANAGER, Lynda Weiss NATIONAL ADVERTISING MANAGER, Kim Batey LAYOUT AND DESIGN, Rcr Green. Peter Sichel doughnuts numbered meal tickets on even num bered dates this system would ob viously confuse the student even more They would probably see that their meal ticket is even and come on an even date The variation adds to the confusion and as the administration well knows there is nothing quite so funny as a confused student 3) Have students make breakfast for themselves this suggestion appears to be quite different from the others Indeed it almost looks constructive as if the university is saying "We want students to learn how to cook for themselves." Or even worse, "If students don't like club breakfast, let them cook it don’t worry, this isn't the case at all. The administration would only provide the ingredients for one substance. Doughnuts. i nr James D. Donnelly graduate-history Jigmi Thinley graduate-public administration Josef Blunschi graduate-geology ROBERTA. MOFFETT Business Manager