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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 2, 1949)
Five Bucks Not Enough Starvation pay makes our state legislators easy marks for chiselers. At least, that’s the contention of Richard L. Neuberger, a former Emerald editor and now a state senator from Multno mah county. Writing in the Sunday Journal magazine section “This Week,’’ Neuberger last Sunday lashed out at states (Oregon included) which allow the people who set policy for their schools, highways, courts, and welfare institutions to work for lower pay than a baby-sitter or a caddie on a golf course.. According to Neuberger, for every member of the Oregon state legislature there are a half-dozen lobbyists crowding the capital cloakrooms and hotel corridors.'These persons, armed with liberal expense accounts, can often influence legislation in return for picking up a legislator’s dinner check, providing him with a bottle of liquor, or furnishing hinvwith a car and driver. The senator or representative, struggling along on wages most unskilled laborers would spurn, is too often an easy mark for such forms of bribery, claims the writer. Neuberger paints a black picture. Many state legislators, we suspect, are not susceptible to the blandishments of lobby ists, nor do they allow low pay to undermine their personal integrity or devotion to public service. Nevertheless, we believe that every state legislator in Ore gon deserves a salary high enough to at least furnish him with the necessities and essential comforts of life during his stay at Salem. At present, our legislators are paid approximately five dol lars a day. This is not enough. Marching Ahead Significant indeed was the news from the president’s office that Dr. Harry K. Newburn will not recommend the adopting of the semester system. But the lack of recommendation was not in itself the im portant thing; instead it was the accompanying announce ment that the board of deans will make a careful analysis of the present term organization to improve its effectiveness. Right now this looks like the best way to solve the expand ing University's problems. The University has so grown dur ing the past four years that it has left the category of small colleges to move up a notch. Undoubtedly many of the practices that grew up while the school was in its growth will have to be revised or dropped in favor of more effective methods. Changes are in store, whether we like it or not. It is only to be hoped that unnecessary changes will not be made. There is a certain homely friendliness in tradition that should be retained—as long as it doesn’t make the school downright backwoodsy. To prevent this backwardness is the intent of the probing into the term system. What could be more healthy than to clear out all the underbush that has grown up throughout the years, cut out the dead wood, and take a good look at the for est? With all the interest the faculty and administration are showing in keeping the school up to date, the University is in for still better days. J.G. The bigot is not he who knows he is right; every same man knows he is right. The bigot is he whose emotions and imagi nation are top cold and weak to feel how it is that other men go wrong.—G. K. Chesterton. * * * No man shall drag me down by making me hate him.Book er T. Washington. Oregon If Emerald The* Orkcon Datt.y Emfraid, published daily during the college year except Sundays, flfondavs, holidays, and final examination periods by the Associated Students, University ot Oregon Subscription rates: $2.00 per term and $4.00 per year. Entered as second-class matter ■t the postoffice, Eugene, Oregon. Bil l. YATES. Editor Bob Reed, Manasim; Editor VIRGIL TUCKER, Business Manager Tom McLaughlin, Ass t. Bus. Mgr. Associate Editors: June Goetre. Bolilee Brophy, Diana Dye. Barbara lleywood Advertising Manager: Joan Minnaugh ippkw XKWS STAFF I?tan Turnbull, News Editor Tom King, Sports Editor Dick Ctanior, Sports Editor Tnm Mannus. l\ idio Editor Don Smith, Ass t Managing Editor Ann Goodman, Ass’t. Aovs Editor UTFEK BUSINESS STAFF Helen Sherman. Cireu».ition Mgr. five Overbeck, Nat’l Adv. Mgr. Jtill l.emotii. Sules Manager I e-ilie I'oo.’o. A^i^tatit A i. Mgr. jCovk MoV.c>, A»Utuut Adv. Mgr. Virginia Aianon, Assistant Aav, aj.gr. Donna Brennan, Asst. Adv. Mgr. Jack Scimaidt, Asst. Adv. Mgr. -Raising Kane " Goeds Banish John Straub Austerity By Hank Kane The best free show on the cam pus is seen daily in the John Straub cafeteria. Members of a prominent men’s Hall are usually the first ones in line before the cafeteria opens so that they can | enjoy the enter tainment. Some say these men are chow - hounds, others that they are in a hurry g to return to their chess games. But the real reason they eat early is that they can sit in the row of tables paralleling the line and study the coeds as they pass by. This can be considered a lab course in how to judge beauty contests. The men are well-quali fied on this subject because so many of them are majoring in ar chitecture and allied arts. There are ample subjects for contemplation because the sweet young things prefer to use the line on the men’s side although the women’s line at the other end of the cafeteria is shorter. An immediate impression formed by the novice beauty con test judges is that manufacturing women’s sweaters is a good way to make a million, for a coed seems to feel undressed if she wears anything but a sweater. As proof of their contention they say Sunday is the only day a coed-wears anything but a wool ly wonder. For Sunday breakfast she ap pears at the last minute in big brother’s discarded fatigue shirt and tight jeans. If her hair is a mass after Saturday nights tri umph it is hidden in a gay ban dana at variance with the wear er’s morning after expression. What a change at Sunday din -Footnotes Some Lectures Too Boring Even For Our 'Special Students' By Michael Callahan It’s about time someone real ized that the life of a student on this drab old campus can be darn interesting at times. Take, for example, the matter of spe c i a 1 students and their hatred of dull lectures. ^ Simply he- | cause these spe c i a 1 students happen to come equipped with j four legs, a tail, | and other doggish accessones, their true wisdom is often unap preciated. There are a lot of stor ies to tell here, but a few of them are truly legendary. . . . It must be said that this par ticular econ class had gotten off to a roaring start. A complicated series of hot water pipes, which usually are the picture of docil ity, had suddenly begun to rattle and gravel as the class opened. For a few moments it was like some thing out of Abbott and Costello. Back and forth between his black board and the pipes the professor ran, twisting valves, juggling pieces of chalk and notes, sketch ing charts on the board, and try ing to carry on a technical con versation with a student. At the height of the bedlam, with the .pipes pounding madly and professor and students alike weak from laughter, a newly-ar rived special student took a hand in things. From his spot beside a chair, a brownish little pup, “Tojo” by name,- suddenly rose and began a methodical march down the aisle. At that moment, the pipes sputtered silent, as if sensing the drama of the situation. Straight down the aisle the pup stalked, paying no attention to coaxing whispers from the side lines. As he reached the lecture stand, “Tojo” hesitated a moment (Please turn to page eight) ■ °lh ner when the coeds return ffoif" church in their Sunday finery. Miss Miss Fancy Free . Saturday night has meta mori phosed into Lady Sedate. She hajfj added three inches of height thanks to her rarely worn highj^ heeled shoes, a dignified blacl dress, and a facial expressloi which may indicate a resolve to er last week’s studying instead. li. going to a Sunday afternoon rao^ ie. Coeds like to sit on the mffi i side of the cafeteria since the?! know from past experience it il impossible to find vacant tableT in the women’s half. Judging from the amount- ot cigarette smoke produced bet tween bites of food and snatcheL of gossip one has reason to ^>eF lieve they are signaling Indiaatj fashion to their cohorts in the Jfais distance. | Tne men sometimes lorgei-; there is a tableload of coeds -be| hind them because they suddenJAj quiet down to better overhea the men’s conversation. The coeds then find it difficut to control their facial expressions of elaborate unconcern or to sto drinking coffee with their chi instead of their mouth while he&rl j ing topics usually confined tjpg “bull” sessions. This is especially true of th^ scurrying, eager beaver fresh‘d men coeds who do their best* tij act as if they know what it is a] abount and similar signs of sq^ phistication. . When the men notice their taUt is being overheard they do on| of two things. The first is to deliberately lowt er their voices at the most inter? esting point to leave the eave.sfj. droppers in suspense. *_ The other method is to string they along with exaggerated aeij counts of exploits which are $e! r signed to make all but the mos|~ blase coed’s eyebrows rise he&v^j enwards. 'Pi Among the outsiders eating, ai Straub are refugees from frater-^ nity and sorority food who lack, intestinal fortitude or simply cfid^ n’t get enough to eat. Another group consists of mgr ried couples because the husbanc is frank enough to prefer cafete (Please turn to page seven) From Our Mailbag Letters to the Editor To the Editor: A FEW COMMENTS If you are not too heartily sick of the subject, I would like to add a few comments on Mr. Kane's recent columns. Some of his state ments carry connotations which even “Cautious” Kane would be hard put to defend. Item: “When a professor par ticipates in minority organiza tions the community associates his views with the institution of which he is a member.” Are we to infer that the ideal professor is one who “never thinks of think ing for himself at all, but always thinks according to the trustees’ call?” Is an intellectual vacuum the prime requisite for a cultural leader? Does an uninquisitive, un critical mind serve to aid a na tion's progress? Item: “The U. of O. doesn't re ceive unfavorable publicity of this nature (campus political disturb ances) because campus leftist groups are so small that they don't dare to show their colors because of the conservative ma jority’s probable retaliation.” Come, come, Herr Kane! You are speaking of a university campus in a democratic nation. That statement is not only disturbing, but a wee bit inept. Retaliation upon a minority because of a vo cal demonstrattion of political beliefs? Are minorities supposed to be silent in a democracy? Isn’t the great source of demo cratic strength the fact that de mocracy need not fear, but can of ten profit from, criticism? Is the admittedly conservative majority on this campus so fearful of the clash of ideas that retaliation would be in order? Like all those who inhabit one of the extremes you tend to group all ‘‘Leftish” activity as “Communist or Communist-in spired.” One must be entirely for you or entirely against you. Per sonally I find disagreeable as pects in both extremes; it is un fortunate that the middle position is subject to abuse from both ends. It is possible that there are some good features in each ex !* treme and that there must evfjn-L tually be a reconciliation betweerr them. Dr. James B. Conant (just chi him “Red”) recently made statement which is fitting. Indeed! if you take your foot out of you: mouth long enough to try it on! you’ll find it very fitting. “Red’ said, “Those who worry aboul radicalism in our schools and col leges are often either reaction aries who themselves do not betf allegiance to the traditiona! American principles or defeatist who despair of the success of ou: own philosophy in an open coni petition. The first group are conscious ly or unconsciously aiming at th. transformation of this society perhaps initially not as revolu tionary or violent as that whic' the Soviet agents envisage, but? one^ eventually equally divergentf from our prehistoric goals. ’iW others are unduly timid about tl? outcome of a battle of ideas.’ Does the brogan pinch? Richard Smurthwaite]