Petty Party Politics
' There was an unfortunate display of party-line voting—by
members of both USA and AGS—at Thursday s executive
council meeting. The selection of Homecoming chairman was
lowered from the consideration of an individual and tne job he
could do, to the consideration of his group backing and the
benefits this group could derive from his appointment.
No doubt the representatives will deny this charge, and
call it “coincidence” that the council was split on party lines.
Some members may also deny meeting in separate political
groups before Thursday night; each group deciding which pe
titioner to support. Two or three of these denials may be just.
Homecomipg is the big event of fall term. It rates with
Junior Weekend as a top celebration of the year. It is too im
portant to allow petty party politics to interfere in the selection
of a good chairman. Homecoming chairman should not be
considered a stepping stone to “higher” student offices.
Fortunately most of the petitioners, whether they had pe
titioned of their own volition or had been persuaded to petition
after a meeting in a smoke-filled room, were qualified to handle
Homecoming. It would have been difficult for the council to
make a bad selection, no matter how they voted.
But such is not always the case. This time the^council was
in luck. Next time, if there is another display of this type, they
may not have such luck.
We don’t think the council was particularly happy with
the way they acted Thursday night. We feel the students who
elected the council must also be disappointed in their represen
tatives’ behaviour.
If any member of the council once again considers subordi
nating the main issue in question in favor of potential party
benefits, we hope he thinks twice before taking action—once
recalling the past spring and his promises to the students, and
once in relation to the coming spring.
Well Worn By Decembei
This edit is for wheels and would-be wheels of the female
gender. As these persons know, most petitions for campus
posts and offices must be accompanied by an eligibility slip.
This certificate of diligence comes from the office of the
director of women’s affairs, and states that the applicant has
her two-point.
In times past every petition was accompanied by this slip.
This meant that some steady petitioners would have to get 10
or 12 slips a term from Mrs. Wickham’s office.
To cut down on the ink bill and shorten processes for the
students, women students this year will be issued only one
eligibility slip a term. They are to carry it in their billfolds
and produce it when any committee head doubts their aca
demic standing. Girls whose names turn up on committee lists
are checked for eligibility at the dean’s office, as well as by
committee heads, so there’s little chance of a student sneak
ing onto a decorating committee with a 0.00—if the matter is
worrying anyone.
Men are still allowed to get as many eligibility slips as they
wish.—B.H.
Bob Morris of the Lincoln High School Cardinal, Portland, has le
Shis readers in on a little secret—the new football uniforms to be won
toy Cards this year cost nine cents more than those bought for the Uni
versity of Oregon. He neglected to mention what this signified, if any
thing.
Thanks--For a While
The Sophomores got a break this year, thanks to Les Brown,
Dick Williams, and the Student Affairs Committee.
The plaudits to Les Brown, of course, are for his music and
orchestra’s availability. To Dick Williams because he’s the
man who handles the financial arrangements, and gets ticket
prices down to where students can afford to attend the dance.
The Student Affairs Committee gets their bouquet for
allowing the Whiskerino to be changed to a Friday night, after
it had been planned, as usual, for a Saturday.
In addition they changed closing hours on that Friday
night so the dancers could enjoy the all to infrequent bigname
band-music until one o’clock.
It makes us feel almost kindly toward these people (at least
until we get Joe Paduk for Homecoming.)
Oregon W Emerald
The Oregon Daily Emerald published daily during the college year except Sundays
Mondays, holidays and final examination periods by the Associated Students, University o
Oregon. Subscription rates: $.1.00 a term, $4.00 for two terms and $5.00 a year. Entered a,
second class matter at the postoffice Eugene, Oregon.
Dos A. Smith, Editor Joan Mimnavgh, Business Manage)
Glenn Gillespie. Matt a pin a Editor
Don Fair, Barbara Heywood, Helen Sherman, Fred Taylor, Associate Editors
Cork Mobley, Advertising Manager
Earii.yn Thompson, National Advertising Manager Jean Lovell, Circulation Managet
News Editors: Anne Goodman, Ken Mctzler. Chief Night Editor: Lorna Larson.
Sports Editor: Dave Taylor. Women’s Editor: Connie Jackson.
Wild Wild Notes...
Follow the Leader for ''Shear'Delight
...by Fred Young
Spring blossomed with its peculiar freshness
and the newborn turned their tousled heads as a
strange, tall being moved toward the flock. It
was nothing new for the sheep of Ranch Row
to see the tall one lead a stranger into their
midst. In fact, last winter a handsome thing
was joined who quieted a restlessness in the
flock. But this time more attention was paid
the newcomer, old eyes watched his movements
closely. His attitude Was paramount. For not
long before the cold winter had disappeared
with their balding member, and since that
time there was no range-wise mind to listen
to for guidance and security.
As the year watched their feed grow and
green, then fade and nearly pass away, their
thoughts were growing tense—a sense of sight
and fear was known. The climate which had
made this range dry and desperate before “the
new” irrigation and feed control also plucks at
unprotected sheep.
The rancher must exist, but is it wise to risk
the barren sheep to early winter? The stranger
was anticipated. Maybe he could lead them out
of the shear’s reach. Maybe this year they could
flourish as nature had decreed, as a strong band
of sheep, not this cottony crew which at aqy
time might be blotted by the common cold.
Stronger sheep which would be more produc
tive for the rancher in the future, although they
might not have been thinking of that. Live as
nature wished!
The time appeared when man and his dogs
would come. The herd thoughtfully turned to
their new gray comrade. He had been left with
them for their security. He seemed wizened—■
he respected the flock’s responsibility. They fol
lowed almost blindly, obediently. Some of the
older, woollier ones turned to one another and
vaguely questioned his advice. He’s new, maybe
that’s why he seems to direct towards the
rancher’s shears. New ideas for evasion! And
it would seem that his ideas were the others’
ideas -since he would only grin at them, then
drop his suggestions carefully. The bigger,
woollier ones didn’t think, just followed. And,
they were sheared.
Crotchety Old Vet...
Doesn't Like Commons, Smells
...by Steve Loy
Bought myself a fine new pipe for ninety
eight cents the other day. The Co-op has a new
shipment of seconds from a manufacturer of
high grade hods. They have slight imperfec
tions which prevent their Sale as first quality
merchandise but they are unimpaired in their
smoking qualities. If any of you are just begin
ning to smoke a briar, you’ll enjoy breaking in
your pipe more if you sandpaper the varnish
out of the bowl, (unpaid adv.)
Speaking of lines, which we weren’t, registra
tion is repeated three times a day at the “Vete
rans Commons.” The place is feeding close to
800 men and they just naturally back up a ways
when it comes chow time. I have often wonder
ed why they call the chow hall a commons. If
you eat there you won’t have any trouble kick
ing that one around.
Inhale. Smell anything? If you haven’t got a
sinus infection from the millrace you will prob
ably sniff something halfway between fertilizer
and the Oakland tide flats at low tide. Source
of this terrific essence is the Weyerhauser mill
east of Springfield. Rumor has it that the people
out there anticipated angry petitions and are
building a filter for the harmless smog. Hope
they finish soon, I can’t hold my breath much
longer.
Overheard one of this years’ beginning law
students expounding his theory for success in
the Dean Hollis’ salt mines. Seems you can re
lax after the first term if you get things down
pat during this all crucial period. I haven’t
heard all the figures, but last years class started
with 126. Fifty five began spring term and 30
came back this fall.
The Fourth Estate and the Three Cats
- The Emerald has become a skicTrow for stray
[ cats. We'll confide this to you at the risk of hav
- ing more cats, kittens, bob cats and miscellane
■ ous felines dumped on our one cement doorstep.
Our first visitor was a bushy, amiable white
beast with a bad case of ear mites. She (natural
ly it was a she) was announced during a Fresh
man class in the ground-level journalism lab
Monday night when Bob Tweedell looked up
at the window and exclaimed, “Ooops ! A polar
bear!” Through the window she came and made
a bee-line for the Christian Science Monitor bin.
Bob Frazier, ex-Emerald editor who was func
tioning in the capacity of amicus journalae that
night was impressed by the cat’s good taste in
papers and immediately named her Mary—af
ter the founding spirit of the Monitor, Mary
Baker Eddy—and took her home. At last report
she is getting along very badly with the adoles
cent Frazier cat, Wayne (named after an Ore
gon statesman,) and is under a veterinary’s care
for mites.
The second cat was a pepper colored kitten
still at the toddling age, who was rescued from
under a beer truck by Barbara Heywood. She
was dumped off at a near-by cafe.
The morning after Mary, the journalism
; school was in possession of another cat much
i younger and much mangier than Mary. She
(there is no such creature as a male cat) was
picked out of a gutter by Gloria Billings, the
school's secretary.
After a day of riding the shoulders of visiting
booksalesmen and professors, (rubbing against
the bristles on the backs of their necks and pur
ring' loudly,) she was presented unceremon
iously to the Emerald. She was christened
Shackrat, after her abode, The Emerald Shack.
Editor Don Smith, who says he detests cats,
bought her a can of very odoriferous cat food
and a half-pint of milk. Seemingly a bottomless
pit, she downed the milk at one sitting.
It was obvious that such a small animal
couldn't hold a half pint; everyone was worried.
Shackrat wasn’t worried. She used the first
available typewriter cover.
It was made clear to her that this practice was
frowned on. From then on she used the waste
basket for a powder-room.
Shackrat had other habits. She paraded back
and forth across the paper on which Managing
Editor Glenn Gillespie was trying to take a tele
phone message, and she would creep up a per
son s back while he was slumped in thought
over a typewriter.
As a matter of fact, Shackrat was becoming
a part of the scenery: As one freshman reporter
said when being read off for not getting a story,
“Well, I came over to ask you about it this
morning but nobody was in but a kitten.”
Now, however, Shackrat has disappeared.
Co-newseditor Anne Goodman passed her
heading for McClure hall yesterday afternoon
—and that’s the last that’s been seen of her.
Anyone who finds a mangy black and white
kitten can use his own judgment about return
ing her to the offices of the local fourth estate.
—B.H.