Atomic Age Hits University Grading Systems;
Oregon Second School in West to Utilize IBM
—EMERALD photo by Don Jones.
Mrs. James B. Maxwell, one of the operators of the newly installed IBM
system, is shown processing student cards with the key punch machine
in the registrar’s office, Johnson hall.
Rapid Romance
Is 'Hop’ Theme
Decorations for the Heart Hop
are now in full swing under the
direction of Mary McQueen, chair
man of the decorations commit
tee. Individual houses will be
decorated during game time on
Friday night with all five houses,
which will be open to students
displaying a progressive theme
done in silhouettes.
It begins at Susan Campbell
with boy-meets-girl, and at the
Pi Phi house their casual ac
quaintance is carried out with
coke dates and Side meetings.
Alpha Chi Omega illustrates the
formal prom at which the couple
becomes better acquainted and
^which leads to the Chi Omega
house where the boy proposes, the
girl accepts, and plans are made
for the wedding. Finally at the
Delta Gamma house they are
married and the silhouettes end
with the proud parents pushing a
baby carriage merrily down the
street.
The Heart Hop, which began 10
years ago as a leap-year dance
entitled “The Lover’s Leap,’’ is
now traditional on the Oregon
campus occuring every year on
February 14, sponsored by the
YWCA. This year’s Hop will fol
low the basketball game at Mac
court between Oregon and Idaho.
Being a strictly girl-date-boy af
fair, tickets went on sale in
women’s houses Monday night and
voting for the King of Hearts, who
will reign over the entire evening’s
festivities, will take place on Wed
nesday, Thursday and Friday of
this week. Voting will be done in
the Co-op.
Tickets may also be purchased
at the Co-op voting booth at 50
(Please turn to payc seven)
Portland Audience
To Hear UO Band
June Johnson, soprano, and John
ette King, pianist, will be featured
soloists when the University con
cert band presents a free public con
cert in Portland’s Grant high school
auditorium today.
The concert, to be given at the
request of the Portland public
schools, will be open to high school
bandsmen, directors, and the gen
eral public as far as seating capac
ity permits. The band will be under
the direction of John Stehn, asso
ciate professor of music.
New Machine Handles
25 Grades a Minute
By LEONARD BERGSTROM
Pioneering a new method of
handling the large amount of data
required to enroll and maintain the
| records of students, the University
of Oregon has joined the University
j of California in bringing the IBM
system to the schools in the West.
This is being done to bring order
out of the chaos that resulted when
an outdated system attempted to
keep pace with the rapid growth of
the student body.
The IBM system was devised and
is operated under the sponsorship
of the International Business Ma
chines company, owners of the ma
chines rented to schools and business
concerns that adopt the system. It
is intended to handle statistical
material with accuracy and speed.
“There’s no question about it,” is
the opinion of C. L. Constance, as
sociate registrar, “this is the only
way mass records and information
can be handled efficiently. It is eas
ier to process, requires less person
nel to operate, and eliminates a
great deal of human error, yet does
the requried work rapidly.”
IBM Used Fall Term
University students began to
sense the innovation during the lat
ter part of fall term, particularly
when the new report card, with its
improvements, appeared. But few
persons realized the transition tak
ing place.
At present there are two IBM
machines in the registrar’s office—
a key punch and a sorter. These are
used to record enrollment data for
each student by name, class, course,
i course number, grade, points, cred
i it hours, home address, campus ad
dress, parents’ address, age, mari
tal status, veteran status, major,
housing, and other small details.
Another machine, the tabulator,
is used to compile and print up stu
(Please turn to l'ci</c six)
The Machine Age
Here’s a bit of information
In regard to computation—
Personnel goes technocratic
To make grade points IBMatic.
—T.G.W.
Fire Loss Figure
Set at $135,000
Losses resulting from the fire which destroyed the physical
plant warehouse on Onyx between Thirteenth and 'Franklin
Wednesday night were raised to an estimated $135,000 yes
terday by J. O. Lindstrom, business manager. The loss had
previously been set at $125,000 and the present figures are
still indefinite, C. Ken W’eidner, physical plant superintendent
emphasized.
A partial break-down of figures includes a $75,000 re
Aftermath
's Funny Now
By JEANNE SIMMONDS
Aftermath of a fire . . . Workmen
are cleaning up the remains of a
warehouse, women are washing
their woodwork trying to remove
the scorch, and, now that the near
ness and the panic are no longer
imminent, people are recalling
their actions and situations during
the fire.
A doctoral dissertation product
of a year’s toil, was nearly lost
when R. D. Millican, assistant pro
fessor of business administration
and journalism, dashed from his
Emerald street pre-fab—baby un
der one arm and thesis under the
other—to save two of his most pre
cious possessions from the fire. The
baby was deposited safely in a
neighbor’s house, but the disserta
tion wasn’t found until early Wed
nesday morning, when someone no
ticed a soggy mess of papers near
his garbage can - a potential PhD's
manuscript.
Some of the girls in Susan Camp
bell hall will be sitting on the floor
for awhile, it is rumored, for Susie
had sent some 16 chairs—to be re
paired - to the warehouse the day
of the fire.
$ if- •!•
A sword and its owner were soon
parted Tuesday night when E. L.
Clark's possessions w,ere distrib
uted freely up and down Emerald
street. The sword, a Japanese war
souvenir, was rushed to the house
of a friend to be cared for until the
danger was over. Clark is an in
structor in speech and drama.
# * *
A telephone, handily ripped from
the wall of one of the pre-fabs, was
filed in a displaced refrigerator
along Emerald street, keeping cool
until its owner should come to claim
it.
* * *
When Mrs. George Pegg, running
(Please turn to /’<;</<’ seven)
Herb Widmer s Orchestra Scheduled to Play
For Birthday Ball at Gerlinger February 22
i
JOK C OISliOV
The newest highlight added to
the social calendar came Wednes
day when it was announced that
Saturday, February 22, is the date
for the Birthday Ball. The event
is being sponsored by the Inter
dorm council.
Dale Harlan and Joe Conroy,
co-chairmen for the ball, announce
that Herb Widnmer’s orchestra
has been booked for the semi
formal dance to be held at Ger
linger from 9 to 12 p. m.
The dance, originally scheduled
for February 8, was postponed
until this date so that a known
campus band and a larger dance
floor could be obtained.
Chairmen Sell Tickets
Tickets will be sold by social
chairmen of all resident halls be
ginning Tuesday. Residents and
guests are advised to secure tick
ets early in the week because of
limitations on the number of
(Please turn to page seven)
DALE HARLAN
placement value on tne building,
which was moved to the location
on Onyx in 1936 and converted
from a gymnasium to a ware
house.
Expendable Stores Burn
Expendable physical plant stores
including janitorial and electrical
supplies, paint, plumbing, and
steam line valves, which were de
stroyed, accounted for an approxi
mate $30,000 of the total. Loss
of additional, nonexpendable
equipment totaled $20,000. This
included plumbers lathes and
tools, the plumbing and welding
shop, the athletic department's
truck, the pipe-shop pick-up truck,
power lawnmowers, electrical ap
paratus, and general maintenance
equipment.
Included in this category is the
physics department’s loss of three
rectifiers, with a replacement
value set at $3,900, according to
Dr. A. E. Caswell, department
head. Recently purchased through
the war assets administration, the
apparatus originally cost the Uni
versity only $500 or $600.
Further break-down of depart
mental losses is unobtainable,
pending further investigation and
the filing of individual claims by
the departments, Mr. Weidner
said.
Furniture Destroyed
Amazon flats’ furniture, ru
mored to have been destroyed in
the blaze, was taken from the
warehouse two weeks ago, accord
ing to the superintendent.
Settlements will be handled by
the state restoration fund, the in
surance which covers all state
owned buildings and equipment at
their full value.
(Please him to f>ae/e seven) f
All Tickets Sold
For Dad’s Day
Dorm Luncheon
Dean Karl Onthank, dean of
personnel administration, an
ministration, announced today
that tickets for the Dads’ luncheon
at John Straub hall Saturday have
been completely sold out. “How
ever, there will be so many other
activities that students and dads
-an participate in during the day,
that no student should discourage
lis father from attending Dads’
Day,” he added.
Because of the limited seating
arrangements in John Straub
rail, selling of tickets for the lun
cheon was limited. There are
>till many tickets for the basket
rail game available to dads when
hey register Saturday.
Bob Wallace, chairman for
Dads’ day, said that many Eugene
•cstaurants have promised to co
rporate in arranging special cl br
iers over the weekend for st cl
ients and their dads.
A series of vesper services will
regin this Sunday with a special
rrogram dedicated to Oregon
Dads. The student program will
cake place in the music building
it 4 p. m. All students and father s
ire urged to attend. Tickets will
rot be required. These programs
vill be continued every Sunday for
Jniversity students if sufficient
nterest is shown.