Last Monday, the Daily Collegian’s editorial cartoon seemed a bit more…familiar than usual. The reason for this was the addition of cartoonist Alex Donahue, a fifth-year Penn State architecture student. Usually, the Daily Collegian’s political cartoons are from various publications and feature national or global issues. The typical student response was to be thankful we don’t live near oil deposits and go on with our day. Local cartoons could change that.

Apparently, a previous lack of cartoony criticism toward our local institutions wasn’t due to a lack of effort, according to Daily Collegian editor-in-chief Elizabeth Murphy:

The Collegian has never had much luck recruiting and maintaining quality cartoonists. In previous years, we’ve gotten cartoonist applications with artwork that looks like I drew it (trust me, you can’t run that stuff in a newspaper) and we’ve gotten cartoonists that can draw every twist and turn of the Eiffel Tower but don’t know Sarah Palin from Sarah McLachlan. And some years we’ve gotten squat — absolutely no applications.

Donahue’s first cartoon (pictured) ran in the July 19 edition of the Collegian. The artistic talent is obvious, but the cartoon itself is a bit tame for my liking, although that’s probably due more to the topic. The inevitable surplus of controversial legislation, tuition increases and drinking holidays will likely generate snappier toons.

Regardless, adding local cartoonists should accomplish the goal of drumming up more fervor on the opinions page. It will also make the Collegian complete in the eyes of Murphy:

It was my dream to open the paper to a caricature of Graham Spanier or Joe Paterno or Mayor Elizabeth Goreham. This dream looks like it’s on the horizon.

[Pic]