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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 24, 1948)
Emerald ALL-AMERICAN 1946-47 Thr Oregon Daily Emerald, official publication of the University of Oregon, PubKshetl Sly dK the college y~r except Sundays, Monday, and final examination pertods. y Entered as second-class matter at the postomce, Eugene, Ore. Member of the Associated Collegiate Press gQB FRAZIER, Editor___BOB CHAPMAN, Business Manager BIT T YATES JUNE GOETZE, BOBOLEE BROPHY _Manag'ing Editor_ Co-New, Editor._ DON FAIR FRED TAYLOR Co-Sports Editor walt McKinney, jeanne simmonds, maryann thielen Associates to Editor__ _ PHYLLTS KOHLMEW WINNY CAHI. HELEN SHERMAN Advertising Manage! Asst. Managing Editor______ DIANA DYE A M JIM WALLACE Assurfant Nws Editors __^_ ,, .Marilyn Turner National Advertising Manager... Billi Jean Ricthmiller Circulation Manager . ___ . _Marge Huston Foster Office Manager .-.- .....—. Editorial Board: Harry Glickman, Johnny Kahananui, Bert Moore, Ted Goodwin, BiU Strattor. Jack Billings._ _____ CUpfied Racial Intolerance Has Become A College Problem, Paper Says (From The Texas A. & M. Battalion) No subject in collegiate realms is more touchy, more inflammatory than 'that of racial or religious discrimination in educational institu tions. North and South, East and West, are all equally guilty. The North condemns the South for not admitting Negroes to state univer sities. The South condemns the North for barring Jewish students. North and South both look questioningly at California and criticize the exclusion of loyal Japanese-Americans. Calling names does no good. We all have our faults. And we only dig in and defend our prejudices when they are attacked from the outside. Therefore The Battalion agrees with the committee of the Associa tion of American Colleges which asks that these problems be solved by education and voluntary action, rather than by “coercive legisla tion” such as has been introduced in several northern states. These bills threaten the tax-exempt status of non-sectarian colleges found guilty of racial and religious discrimination in admitting students. Race-and-religious baiting has reached alarming stages in Amer ican colleges. (Much as it did in German universities when Hitler took over.) A Jewish faculty member was beaten at the University of Illinois. A Nisei Japanese veteran and his family were denied the right to live in a housing unit operated by a California college. Our own problem is somewhat different—we have no Negroes in our white colleges, but we are just now beginning to place our Negro colleges on the same educational plane as the white. But anti-discrimination laws are a doubtful cure. They might slay the discrimination dragon officially, only to create a worse monster which would hide in the shadows. The AAC committee, (headed by Dr. William P. Tolley of Syra cuse University, a Methodist school) says that they are in “hearty accord” with the motives of the groups supporting such legislation, but added "It is our conviction that the problem of discrimination should bo solved by education and voluntary action and not by coer cive legislation. “However well intentioned such legislation may be,” the commit tee continues, “it would place in the hands of the state a threat to the freedom of colleges now independent of political control.” We don't blame any college not founded by a political unit for wanting’ to keep out of politics. The AAC suggests as the most practicable approach to the prob lem the appointment of a national commission to which instances of discriminatory policies can be referred. They say further that this commission should have the authority to investigate, and “establish the facts as accurately as possible.” The group fails to suggest what methods of persuasion might be used in such cases. Whatever action the national group takes, the problem has defin itely moved into the shadow of collegiate administration buildings. VYe agree with the committee that “there should be an active program among all colleges to broaden educational opportunity to qualified youth regardless of race, religion or national origin.” 2Q Years Ago The University of Oregon team went down to defeat 27 to 26, at the hands of the touring Whitman College Missionaries who played a superior brand of ball throughout both periods of the game. Oregon’s Ducklings opened their 1928 basketball season by de feating Commerce high school 35-12. A resolution favoring changing the name of Oregon agricultural school to Oregon State college was unanimously adopted by the as sociated students of the college. The Oregon hoopsters won their second conference game 36-16 defeating the Washington State Cougars. I How to Choose a Good Book What good books should a good-book club study ? That problem is facing the founders of the new book discussion club, which met for the first time last Wednesday. Books suggested at the first meeting ran from Plato’s “Rep ublic” to John Gunther’s "Inside U.S.A.,” from Homer’s “Oddessy” to Jimmy Byrnes "Speaking Frankly.” When the group meets again, probably a week from Tuesday night in the browsing room of the library, a definite program of some type will have to lie worked out. Fac ulty members will then be asked to speak to the group on books in their own fields. The Emerald offers a word of caution in the matter of title selection, and points to a rather tragic example of what can happen if the selection committee gets carried away with this culture business. The general ex tension division has been offering a no-credit “Great Books” course evenings for towns people. The fall term course went over well with “The Brothers Karamazov,” Moliere’s plays, and other titles of equal weight. But a lot of people dropped out winter term when they saw the “list”. Here are a few of the titles which may have scared away some normal burgher who would like to have become learned, but would not go through all the agony indicat ed : “The Summa Theologica,” St. Augustin’s “Confessions,” Spencer’s "First Principles,” Adam Smith’s “The Wealth of Nations,” and fohn Dewey’s “Reconstruction in Philoso phy.” Now that’s a pretty steep list for a group of people who want to pick up culture nights, but who feel they can’t quit work in order to do it. The scheme is that one book will be discussed each week. Learned is the man who has read even half of these works, and the one week between discussions is not time enough for the ordinary ambitious peasant to wade through them. This problem is one that is bound to arise if the group goes at its study chronologically. It might be wise to skip around from modern to ancient and back without particular re gard for chronology. After all, this book club is supposed to be a voluntary thing. Students will read books, attend the meetings, and dis cuss their reading only so long as they are in terested. They will not keep it up if they feel the club has turned into another class in “lit erature.” What’j wrong with starting with some readable, but nonetheless worthwhile, mod ern such as Thomas Wolfe? A generous dose of writers of our own day would serve to sugar coat the pill, and woud offer a cushion, for the discussions of Justinian’s “Digest of the Roman Law.” They Have a System in Berkeley All we know is what we read in the ex changes, but it would appear as if the Un iversity of California has a system. Exams are looming down in Berkeley, and the last pre-final issue of the Daily Californian which arrived in Eugene Friday carried a half-page ad for “seminars”. The system is not completely self-explan atory, but apparently works like this: The student pays $2 for a two to three-hour sem inar in almost any subject of his choosing. The groups are conducted by “experienced graduate tutors.” some with Ph. D. degrees. The ad explains that “Everything for which you will be held in finals will be ORGAN I ED, SUMMARIZED AND ILLUSTRAT ED by probable examination questions an swered in acceptable form by tutors”. The system is almost guaranteed to help the student toward better grades, the ad ex plains, and urges students to buy their tick ets early because attendance is limited to the available space in the University buildings where the groups are conducted. At first glance such a system would seem to put too lhuch emphasis on the grade as pect of education, an aspect that is already way over-rated in the majority of American schools. On the other hand the plan seems to pro vide a concise, boiled-down view of the term’s work, and the student who attends such a seminar will surely learn something, and even the better students should have an op portunity to sharpen their thoughts. A well run bull-session over the term’s work is a great help—even to the faithful student who has been to every class and who has read all the books. Of course the seminar is not a strange thing to this campus, either. Every exam weak the bistros on the campus periphery are filled with seminars on a co-educational basis, and living organizations are host to stag sessions. But they lack the direction that the California plan offers. It is possible that the plan could not win University approval, and could not be carried on in the official way it is handled down south. But it does seem like a neat way for some indigent grad student to pick up a little loose change. No Husband-Hunters, They 1 o 25 per cent of the freshman women, con gratulations. To potential Pho Betes, honor scholars, or just plain educated citizens, con gratulations. To the 75 women who received 3 points or above in their first grades received from the University of Oregon, congratulations cer tainly are in order, for it’s been said that the first is the worst, and if one can complete successfully and happily his freshman year, he's of college caliber. And just one-fourth of the girls who matriculated fall term have already shown their college merit bv above average grades. Mortar Board, senior wo men's honorary whose membership require ments emphasize scholarship, will salute the 3-pointers plus Tuesday evening, when they stage their annual Smarty Party, designed to recognize and honor scholarship. Frankly convinced that learning (intellec tual achievement) is a university’s aim. The Emerald is proud of these freshmen who so adequately refute the cynics of the modern - college generation. The skeptics, if they be milder than the cynics, are convinced that - students, particularly women students, are coming to college merely to fill in that time gap between high school and marriage, and to avoid the buffetings of the business world. “The girls fritter away their time,” they * scoff, "and learn nothing, for they have no interest in learning.” 1 he 25 per cent don’t agree. We’re proud of a fourth of the frosh women. Their 11 and better averages, above the traditionaLcol lege mean ought to be indicative of the serious - minded interests of a great many of the ■ “younger set". __ J.B.S. We Pray We Are Not Being Too Previous Maybe it's a little early to say anything, but so far it looks good. The Emerald has not re ceived a single irate letter about the Hold ridge speech Thursday. There must have been people in his audience who disagreed violently .with Uie.r.etirgT E. Gda stand again- . st universal military training. But thus far there have been no squawks. it would appear that the ancient Ameri can principles of tolerance, freedom of speech, and freedom of thought have crept out to the Pacific Coast. It is all so welcome after., . tlje. A.djiyiic speech last fall.
