After the Bombs,
Still Number One
When the first bombs dropped
on Hawaii early in the morning
of December 7 the ordinary ac
tivities of the millions of people
in the rich country which had the
islands for its territory were put
asute, they did not know for how
long, until the sudden-breaking
war had ended.
One of the smallest things that
was postponed for the duration
was an idea which had been
brooding in the minds of Oregon
students for many years. It was
a plan for. a student union build
ing.
Hot Rich
This was nothing new. Other
campus had buildings where stu
dents met and where visiting art
ists performed. But Oregon had
never been- a rich campus and
other, more pressing, needs had
put th'e building in the back
ground.
After much spadework, how
ever, ’it" Had seemed, before Pearl
Harbor, that everything; v/as
ready for the union. Now, with
the union an absolutely dead is
sue, other things have the spot
light and there has been danger
of the union being killed forever.
One reason for this slaughter
is arguments that have been ad
vanced promoting other buildings
to be built after the emergency
is done. But a concrete promise
that these plans would not inter
fere with the student’s dream
when building was again consid
~W’Cd on the campus was given
Friday by the young, vigorous
president of Oregon, Donald M.
Erb. Said Erb, “The student un
ion is number one on the list. I
am committed to the erection of
a student union building.”
Killed
With no indecision, however,
he indicated' that the student un
ion was definitely killed for the
duration. The nation's efforts are
concentrated on war and he in
dicated that there can be no dis
tractions from this. “All expecta
tions which we had for a possible
s1i%dent union project have now
been put in a pigeonhole,” he
said.
So the dream which had its be
ginnings in the mind of Lyle Bar
tholomew, ASUO president in
1921-22, and was carried on by
John MacGregor, again was put
on the shelf, this time to make
way for the most pressing emer
gency that had yet caused its de
ferment. But the promise which
Dr. Erb made Friday gave new
hope to many students who had
heard arguments in the past
months for, when the time came,
the erection of other buildings.
A Dream
Dr. Erb has not, of course, been
the first president of Oregon to
throw his weight behind the stu
dent union building for Prince L.
Campbell, president from 1902 to
1925, was also one of its chief
sponsors and included the idea in
his $10,000,000 ‘‘greater Oregon”
campaign. Two of the objectives
of the campaign has been
achieved, a stadium and a gym
nasium, but the student union is
still a dream.
It was near to a reality, how
ever, before the war guns boomed
for the state legislature had
passed a bill to permit $250,000
to be borrowed to finance the pro
ject. Important fact of this bill
was that it was not a grant but
merely gave permission to bor
row the money.
And a Hope
Other aid was also then, ap
parently in sight, for Dr. Erb Fri
day, ‘‘We had thought that we
would be in a financial condition
by the end of 1943 or the begin
ning of 1944 so that the building
fund would begin to free itself
from the bonds now outstanding
for the library and other campus
buildings. We had also hoped that
bv that time a public works pro
gram might assist in the work."
So certain were campus author
ities that the union would be
erected that on May 13, 1941, a
student-faculty committee had
given its decision on the question
of a site. First choice was Deady,
second, Sheldon, third, millrace.
Were Shelved
But these years-long plans
were all shelved Friday when in
his sunny office Dr. Erb outlined
the present status of the stu
dent union. He was not indecisive
or hesitant on the subject but
talked as a man would who has
had his mind made up for some
time. Although the student un
ion movement is rightly dead un
til normalcy is reached again the
students of Oregon now have def
inite promise that it will not be
put aside because of plans for
other buildings. When building is
again started on the Oregon cam
pus the student union is “number
one on the list.”
Gcan^iwi
GatetuLiSi
Installation of officers will be
the highlight of the Yeomen pot
luck dinner set for 6 p.m. Monday
night in Gerlinger hall.
The ASXJO Executive council
and members running for top
four positions will meet on the
council upstairs in the Side, Sun
day night at 9 o'clock.
All Emerald reporters will meet
this morning at 11 o’clock in the
news room to discuss plans for
reorganization and the frosh edi
tion.
Glenn Wessels, noted artist and
teacher, has been appointed as
sistant professor of fine arts at
Washington State college.
DREAM STAGES . . .
. . . of the student union. Above,
students of 1923-24, headed by
John MacGregor, student body
president, watch the rise of the
union’s gift campaign thermome
ter. Right, three cf the sites cho
sen in '-11: top, Fiji; middle, Dads’
gates; bottori, Sheldon. Below,
President Erb who Friday stated
that after the war the union was
still “number one on the list.”