We Approve
Last term the exec council voted in favor of a system'by
which students could grade their professors. Although no defi
nite system has been worked out as yet, the council hopes to
have something concrete to present to the campus early this
term.
The Emerald lends its wholehearted approval and support
to the council proposal. The faculty, we believe, would bene
fit by just and constructive criticism just as students benefit
when fairly criticized by a professor.
The question naturally arises “Would students be fair in
their criticism?” In general we think they would. True, a
few would let personal prejudice and last term's grades influ
ence their vote. But a majority, we feel, would answer a care
fully designed questionnaire with wisdom and justice.
The executive council may be in for some rough sailing
(some profs are opposed to the plan, we understand.) But re
gardless of the final outcome we think that even the discussion
of the proposal has had a healthy effect on the University.
The campus has been made conscious of the need for im
proved teaching techniques on the part of some professors.
From Our Mailbag
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
WANTS SOAK
To the Editor:
On February 23 before the fac
ulty of Oregon State College, Dr.
A. L. Strand, president of the
college, gave a 5000-word address
in defense of his firing the two
Oregon State College Progres
sives, Dr. Ralph Spitzer and Prof.
Ray LaVallee.
In his address, after which
neither Spitzer nor LaVallee were
allowed to defend themselves.
Strand presented “part of the
evidence" for his action against
the two professors: this consist
lied of a letter Spitzer had written
to Chemical and Engineering
News. Strand charged that Spit
zer followed the "party line"
when he supported Lysenko's
i theory in genetics.
The fact is that Spitzer didn’t
support Lysenko; the essence of
his letter is a criticism of some
of the American gentists who
i: based their judgments on the Ly
; senko theory from a popular
commentary in the Saturday Re
view of Literature by Prof. H. J.
Muller in preference to the orig
inal documents and studies by
Trofin Lysenko, Soviet biologist.
The following day after Dr.
Strand made his address, the full
text of his speech (17 pages) ap
peared in the administration-con
trolled Barometer. A 2-page let
ter to the Barometer, however,
written by Spitzer in his own de
fense, was refused publication on
tire grounds that “Strand is
news” but “Spitzer isn't."
The procedure of these appar
ent “political" firings of both
Spitzer and LaVallee not only
defy human rights but also ad
ministration procedure. Neither
Spitzer nor LaVallee's depart
ment heads were consulted by Dr.
Strand. Both professors were re
fused a hearing, which directly
involves the State Board of High
er Education since it was that
body that made Strand’s action
official: also, there was alsolute
ly no investigation of their work.
If there were an investigation
it would have revealed that both
f Spitzer and LaVallee were in
I good standing with the college.
Dr. Spitzer had received his as
sociate professorship in three
years, an advancement almost
unprecedented in Oregon State
history; Professor Ray LaVallee's
classes were known for their in
tellectual honesty and were al
ways the most popular with the
students.
Probably the most important
breach of academic freedom is
the violation of our state law
which states that “No political or
sectarian test shall ever be al
lowed or applied in the appoint
ment of . . . professors, teachers,
or employees. ...”
For the above stated reasons,
I feel with many others that a
serious blow has been dealt aca
demic freedom. This trend of
“thought control" in our univer
sities started in the University of
Washington and has now reared
its head at Oregon State College.
It is a growing, dangerous trend
which limits intellectual curios
ity and academic rights.
We, as students, are personal
ly concerned, for we are the ones
who will suffer in our education,
if professors are to be discrim
inated against when their politi
cal views differ from those of the
administration. I beliefe that our
University is above such “she
nanigans." However, I also be
lieve that tliis situation in our
universities is a dangerous one,
and that it is better to speak up
now than take the chance that
this dangerous trend will spread
to other universities.
I, therefore, call upon the stu
dents of this university to raise
their voices against this threat
of loss of freedom. I suggest that
we. the students, bring SOAR
(Students' Organization for Aca
demic rights, which is active on
many campuses in this fight for
academic freedom! to this cam
pus as an indication that we are
aware of the recent breach of
academic freedom and that we
whole-heartedly join with the
state organization, the Oregon
Committee for Academic Free
dom, in preserving our free uni
versities.
Stephen Talbot
Oregon If Emerald
Tiif Oregon n mi v Emerai.d, published daily during the colleRe year except Sundays,
Mondavs, holidavs, and final examination periods hv the Associated Students, University of
Oreson. Subscription rates: $2.00 per term and $4.00 per year. Entered as second-class matter
nt the post office, Eugene, Oregon. _
1511 I YATES. Editor VIROIL TUCKER, Business Manager
Associate Editors: June Goetze. Boblee Brophy, Diana Dye, Barbara Heywood
Advertising Manager: Joan Minnaugh _
BOB REED, Managing Editor
Assistant Managing Editors: Stan Turnbull, Don Smith
BOB TWEE DELL. City Editor ^
Assistant City Editors; Ken Met/ler, Ann Goodman
Did'ja Get*a
Low GPA?
Prof to Blame
By Vinita Howard
‘‘What did you get last term?”
‘‘What did you get out of that
history course?"
Have you ever asked either of
those questions and had someone
tell you what they really learned
the previous term? Probably not;
if they did they would be labeled
as bookworms and avoided re
ligiously, particularly spring
term. #
Yes, competition is definitely
established in class work, but the
competition is not for knowledge,
it’s for that omnipotent GPA.
First, last and always as far as
the “student" is concerned, it’s
the grade that counts.
In our frenzied effort to crack
an A or B we cram for exams
and fill our minds with informa
tion for finals. It rarely occurs
to us that a professor might ex
pect us to interpret some of the
information he gives us rather
than repeat it word for word in a
test. As soon as the final is over
we then forget 50 per cent of
what was supposedly learned.
OF COURSE, the student isn’t
to blame entirely. The real cul
prit is the professor—and, if ever
there's a time when a professor
is noticed it's during the first
week of a new term.
The rest of the term he is po
litely tolerated in the hope that
we may be able to apple-polish
enough for a B. But, when grades
come out his true character is re
vealed. He’s a villain, bent only
on flunking all those he can, with
or without reason.
Of course, the low grade he
gave has nothing to do with the
fact that we cut classes, turn
work in late, if at all, and exhibit
all the enthusiasm of a WCTU
member at Robinson's.
OH WEI-L, who cares! Spring
term is here and who ever heard
of worrying about grades? Be
sides with the proper amount of
apple-polishing we may crack a
2.5 this term.
Wonder if that history prof is a
rough grader?
Tough!
“AXIS SALLY” (Mildred Gil
lars) says good-bye to freedom
as she is whisked away from
the federal distrlet court in
Washington for a stay of from
10 to 80 years in the jug. The
judge also nicked her for $10,
000. (AP Wlrephoto)
Same Old Stand
Houseboys—Unsung Heroes of Campus
By Tom Marquis
ATO John Brown wiped the
sweat from his sagging jowls and
looked over at me in eager an
anticipation.
w n e n are
you going to
mention me in
your column?”
he queried.
This he's been
asking me ever
since I got back
from my week’s
vacation at the
Melodee Club in
Q Los Angeles.
John is a fellow
slavey at the DZ house where we
put in most of our waking hou*»
over a tub of hot, soapy water.
He seems to think this associa
tion gives him some sort of prior
claim to be eulogized in the hal
lowed pages of the Emerald.
Why, I dont know.
But as I looked at him stand
ing there , vast quantities of soap
suds dripping from his dishpan
hands, it set me to thinking. Our
plight was not an isolated one.
We were not alone with our
pots and pans. Other sturdy souls
had trod the sorority circuit—
and not socially, either. So I de
cided to dedicate this column to
those silent, unsung paragons of
the pots—the house boys.
A houseboy's lot is a sorry one.
Perhaps you have noticed those
shadowy figures lurking near the
service entrance to one or anoth
er of the sorority houses every
day about meal time. Well, chanc
es are its one of the house boys,
reluctant to enter the dim recess
es of his own personal salt mine
until the last possible moment.
Inside the scenery is all too
reminiscent of the sordid atmos
phere of an army mess hall. How
many hardy individuals who
swore never again to attempt
anything resembling KP if they
ever got out of the service have
broken that solemn vow due to
extreme economic necessity is
conjectural. But it is all too true
that mnay of those who took the
pledge are back at the same old
stand.
The pots and pans look just the
same and they are just as hard
to get clean as they ever were.
Brothers in arms of the kitchen
lackies are the boys who wait ta
bles. It’s debatable as to who has
the worst job, but having to meet
the public day in and day out,
good days and bad, is no prize
position.
Of course there are ways and
means of making the job easier
and more pleasant, but I’m the
last guy in the world who would
put such information in a place
where the all seeing eye of some
house mother might run across
it. One or two of them can prob
ably read, and I have to go back
to work tomorrow. I HOPE.
I forgot to sa ylast time that
if any of you don't like the name
of this column you can do some
thing about it. Think up a better
one. Just send it to Marquis at
the Emerald. There is no prize of
any sort connected and unfortu
nately (as Professor Kleinsorge
is wont to say) I am the sole
judge of what a better name
would be.
* * «
I no sooner get through men
tioning wliat a great year it
might turn out to be when the
rains came. I tel you this lousy
weather has got to go.
I am working on plans now for
enclosing the world in a plastic
bubble to preclude such unfortu
nate happenings, but more of
this later.
Column Written Twenty-One
Year's Ago Proves Prophetic
(Editor's Note: Twenty-one
yearts ago DeWitt MacKenzie
wrote his first column for the
Associated Press. It, or at least
one of his earliest articles (his
carbons lack dates) follows. It is
historically interesting today as
it tells of a young man destined
to be king.)
LONDON —(1928— England's
class barriers are undergoing a
pretty vigorous and successful
assault. Not only are they being
hammered from without, but
there is mutiny in the ranks of
the defenders.
Class bulwarks, which were
considered impregnable not so
long ago, are displaying breaches
which never can be repaired. The
mutineers from within and the
attackers from without are fra
ternizing through the gaps.
The real though unavowed
leaders of the reform crusade,
whose slogan is that all men are
created equal, are the members
of the British royal family. Quiet
ly but persistently they have been
setting a striking example of de
mocracy.
King George has made it amply
clear that he considers it is the
“man” and not the “blood" which
counts. This is a terrible shock to
some people. They don't quite
know what to think about the
king-emperor making real friends
of laborites.
Queen Mary agrees with the
king. The royal children are chips
off the old block. Because all the
members of this family are work
ing for democracy it seems al
most unfair to speak of the ex
ploits of the individual. Still, per
haps you will be interested in a
historic campaign which is being
waged by the Duke of York, the
king’s second son, to break down
class barriers. The Duke is work
ing so quietly that fey people
even in England realize what he
is trying to achieve. But just a
word before I tell you of his
scheme.
The real problem facing the
workers for democracy is sno
bocracy. Snobocracy is fairly
strong in England, it is fairly
strong in most countries, for that
matter. America isn’t like Cae
sar’s wife in this respect.
But snobocracy should not be
confused with aristocracy. An
aristocrat may be a snob, just as -
may a member of another class of
society, but he may be quite the
reverse. England’s aristocracy
includes some of the finest demo
crats in the world.
To get back to the Duke of
York. This is the way his royal
highness has gone about his cam
paign:
He is head of a summer camp
for boys at New Romney. His
organization has several, hun
dreds of them there at one time.
And this is the point: they are
drawn equally from the working
classes and the aristocracy.
(Please turn to page seven)