feooJ&i 04 Q4444A? Obecjost Ji/tuAi ^beciab
JpOR the first time in over 23 years
the University of Oregon is op
erating under war conditions^ The
peace that followed “the.war to end
all wars” ended, for the United States
of America, on December 7, 1941.
Since that day the black clouds have
steadily acquired a darker hue. And
the only silver lining lies in the fact
that Americans are not only dis
couraged—they’re mad.
* * #
^JOLLEGE students, perhaps more
than any other class of Amer
icans, have been the victims of that
vicious pair, “Old Man Gloom” and
“War Nerves.” For no other group
of Americans are so directly affected,
as a group, as the college student. It
has disrupted his plans, destroyed his
most Cherished dreams. To a certain
extent: that is true of all American
youth but especially is it true of the
college group.
And the war tever invades even the
campus itself. Air raid wardens have
been appointed from the faculty to
patrol the campus, with the aid of
deputized students. Myriad, defense
councils are set up under a unified
command to take care of many pos
sible emergencies—not in Hawaii, the
Philippines, or Singapore, but right
here on the University of Oregon cam
pus. Committees to fight fires, ad
minister first aid, clear the campus of
debris, rescue persons trapped in
bombed buildings, provide food and
clothing for students whose residences
have been destroyed, establish and
maintain communications in spite of
raids, set up first aid stations and
emergency hospitals, and to dissem
inate information have been set up
and are now operating. Yes, on the
University of Oregon campus.
* * *
DUT in other, perhaps more import
ant ways, the Avar has invaded the
campus. Innumerable proposals, de
signed to shorten the length of time
between enrollment in the University
and graduation, have been made. Sev
eral are being seriously considered.
One proposal would send Oregon stu
dents trooping to classrooms six days
a week instead of the customary five.
Another would lengthen the class
periods to one hour, instead of the
present 50 minutes, starting classes at
7 :30 in the morning. Under this pro
posal the first class period would be
from 7:80 a.m. until 8:30, the next
from 8 :40 to 9 :40. etc.
Still another proposal would cut out
the vacation between winter and
spring term, moving graduation day
approximately one week closer. An
other proposal would put the Uni
versity on a four terms a year basis.
In other words, a regular term of
school would be offered during the
summer months instead of the short
summer and post sessions which have
been offered in the past.
* * #
^5^1iL of these proposals are fairly
obvious ways of shortening the
average student's school days. It
doesn't take a master mind to figure
out that it students go to school four
terms a year instead of three that they
will graduate in three years instead of
tour. Also if a student, signed up for
15 hours of class work each week,
actually spends 15 hours a week in
class instead of the 12 hours and dO
minutes he now spends, more material
can he presented to him during any
particular day, week, month, or school
year. Furthermore, if.classes are held
six days a week, instead of five, the
class can cover more ground than is
possible at present.
It is not difficult to figure out ways
that the school year could be con
densed and shortened. It is compara
tively easy to plan how it would be
possible for professors to load more
work on their students. The question
is, “Can the educational process be
speeded up without making a lower
ing of educational standards neces
sary?” “How much ‘laming’ can be
crammed down a student’s throat?”
There are, no doubt, many students
woh would take the sped-up program
in their stride. A little more midnight
oil burned, a little bit darker circles
under the eyes during exam week, a
few more pounds of superfluous flesh
lost, would be the only noticeable dif
ference. Bu twould the majority be
able to thus adjust themselves to tak
ing their education in concentrated
form? And what of those who didn’t
make the adjustment?
JN a military campaign, a general
must, before attacking a particular
point, deckle on two major questions:
“What will it cost in manpower and
materials to capture that point?” and
“Is that point of sufficient strategic,
military importance to warrant the
expenditure of that much manpower
and materials?”
This situation is much the same.
The University administration and the
State Board of Higher Education are
the high command. These serious
times have thrust new, more serious
questions upon the high officials of
the State System of Higher Educa
tion, who already were faced with
problems of gargantuan proportions.
They it is who must decide, “Which
plan or plans will accomplish the nec
essary end with the least sacrifice?”
i¥ *
'j^'TTERE can be little question that
some sort of speed-up would be
desirable. Even under the best possible
circumstances far too many young
American men will be unable to fin
ish their education before their coun
try calls. There is both an immediate
and long-time advantage from the
point of view of national good in a
man having finished his college train
ing before he is needed in the armed
forces. The immeditae advantage lies
in the increased value of such a man
to a nation at war. Such a man is
fitted for a position of leadership and
it is leaders rather than the rank and
file that the nation desperately needs.
The long-time advantage to the na
tion lies in the problem of national re
adjustment to the period of peace.
Eew can doubt that the United States
will face more gigantic problems of
economic, social, and political re
adjustment as soon as the war is over
than ever before in American history.
It is imperative that the nation then
have a sizeable body of citizens, who
are trained along broad educational
lines—a body of citizens who will have
some conception of why the problems
arose, who Mill have some idea how
to cope with such problems.
# * &
rJpiIAT the University program will
be sped up seems highly probable.
How it will be done is quite another
question. Perhaps none of the methods
already proposed will be adopted. Per
haps several will be. Each has its own
drawbacks and faults.
The six clay week proposal would
undoubtedly put a ranch heavier load
on the student. One more day of class
each week, one less day in which to
catch up back asignments or get
ahead on future ones. The same ob
jection could be raised against the
60-minute class hour program. And
the suggestion to abandon spring va
cation could be argued against, with
perhaps less validity, on the grounds
that students need that rest period.
From the point of view of the stu
dent the four terms a year suggestion
is probably the most satisfactory. But
there again certain students need the
summer months to earn money for
the rest of the year. However, accord
ing to present proposals, the setup
would be such that a student could
start school any term. Thus if it were
necessary for a student to drop out
for one term he could do so and come
back the next term. Thus he would
be no worse off than he would have
been under the three-term system and
those students who could go to school
throughout the entire year would be
much ahead.
i* # #
'JpHE main sticker in the four-terms
a year proposal is a financial one.
Just how the state system would
finance such an extra term and. ob
tain additional faculty members for
the four-term setup is not quite clear.
But perhaps that hurdle could be
cleared.
One thing is certain. The days
ahead are not going to be pleasant
for anyone. President Roosevelt, him
self, has warned that sacrifices will
be required of all. Strange and un
usual words from the head of the
wealthiest democracy in the world.
Many have suggested that a curtail
ment or complete elimination of the
University social schedule would be
in order. Perhaps the strangest fact of
all is that such suggestions have come
from students themselves and they
weren’t bookworms either. President
Erb has already indicated that in his
opinion a curtailment of social activ
ities is-n logical step. It is obvious that
if the school program is to be sped
up, students must study more in order
to keep up. The time for that extra
study has to come from some place.
Where else could it come from other
than the social activities?
m * *
URTHERMORE, many students
will have an extra load during the
next few months or years. Those who
are taking part in the civilian defense
program will find strange, new duties
to take.up a large share of their time.
President Erb has warned that there
will be no lowering of educational
standards because of such drains on
the students’ time. ‘‘They can’t eat
their cake and have it too,” he said.
Even as some shout, “Shorten the
school year. Shoot the students
through and get them ready for mili
tary service,” others are advising,
“Add practical courses to your cur
ricula—courses that will train stu*.
dents for the defense effort. Add navi
gation. topography, army and navy
accounting, m i 1 i t a r v photography,
etc., etc.”
There is little question that there
is a need for some such courses. How
many such courses are actually needed
is a serious problem. Some work in
such courses is already offered in
courses now on the schedule such as
geology, geography, ousmess account
ing, etc.
* * *
pRESIDENT Erb has already prom
ised that the University is “going
to do some of that” although he lias
expressed a doubt concerning the ad
visability of “cluttering up a Univer
sity curricula with a lot of credit
courses in little specialties." An at
tempt will be made however, he protfn
ised. to add those courses which the
army and navy offices really wish
added to the schedule.
Such programs are also being car
ried out in other Universities. The
University of California has prepared
a “national service list of courses re
lated to war needs” from their pres
ent curricula. Each student is required'
to take one course from that list each
semester.
# # #
JJOWEVER, Dr. Erb has pointed
out that the war department ^
expressed a desire that the univeiK'
sities and colleges supply students
who are “broadly trained.” It is mani
festly impossible for an ordinary uni
versity or college to turn out men
trained in all the special subjects
which they will need while in military
service. War department heads have
expressed a desire that institutions of
higher learning devote themselves to
turning out students with good, gen
eral educational background and leave
the specialties to the special schools
intended for that purpose.
That does not mean that certain
courses will not be added but it does
cast doubt on the necessity for a large
number of highly specialized courses.
And so, the University, its students,
faculty, and administration, girds it
self for war. The University has its
place in the war program as definitely
as any institution in the nation. And
each student, each faculty member,
has his place in the program like the
tiny parts in a mighty, well-oiled
machine.
It is a grim job ahead.—II.0.
JleA, Peiit&L B if}owe
By CONNIE AVERILL
While we can’t hope to HARMONize
with your customary columnist, not being
the dirt-digging type by nature, a gal’s
technique comes in handy at times if for
nothing else than wrangling tidbits past
the censor.
Yes, yes, this war is getting mighty
close to home when we find, at the risk
of disclosing coveted military secrets to
our Nipponese brethren, that there will^ ^
be no more pleasure trips to Skinners
butte nor in the vicinity of the rather
less romantic reservoir. What we want
to know is how our secret Gestapo, DON
LEMONS, found out1;
Dear Whiz, but wasn’t Christmas vaca
tion a Cupidic spree ? Three AOPis re
turned to the campus wearing the latest
thing in engagement rings: FRANCES
JOHNSTON, Alpha Chi pledge, took
CLINTON CHILDS’ SAE pin on the train
coming back; GOLDIE PUZISS greeted
the New Year wearing LEN BARDE’S
Sammy pin; and we’d like to meet the
Santa Clauses responsible for the dia
monds sported by Alpha Chis MILODENE
GOSS and BARBARA TODD.
Stranger than fiction is the becoming
ly bashful attitude of Phi Delts DICK '
CARLTON and DOC HAYES. They insist
they “don’t know a thing” about what'3P>
going on around the campus.
WILL REYNOLDS, ATO, planted his
jewelry on Gamma Phi JANE FURROW.
(Please turn to page three)