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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 1950)
The State Board And Higher Education As any history student knows, the past and present often foretell the future. For this reason, sincere friends of higher education in this state are justly concerned about the State Board of Higher Education’s decision to grant Oregon State College a major in physical education. The question is not the wisdom, or lack of wisdom, in grant ing Oregon State a PE department. The question concerns the wisdom in making the second major break in two years in an educational system that has been applauded by educators all over the nation. Granting Oregon State a PE department represents in fact a junking of the basic principle of higher education in Oregon . . . allocation of funds and functions. This allocation prevents duplication and assures the highest possible educational qual ity in a state that can’t afford unlimited spending. Two years ago. Oregon State College asked the State Board for a full school of business. They were repeatedly turned down, but the requests continued. Eventually the State Board was swayed and two schools of business were set up in the system. The same pattern developed concerning the physical educa tion request. Last year, Oregon State’s request for a PE school was turned down by the State Board. More than that, the school was told not to ask again. But again persistence proved its value. By the State Board’s action there are now two competing schools of physical edu cation in the state. As in 1948, the real issue was ducked. Ra tionalizations were put forward to show that there are not two competing schools. By their very existence, however, the schools compete in fact if not in theory. Now, there’s nothing wrong with competing schools within a state ... if the state can afford them. At the present time, and for the forseable future. Oregon cannot afford the luxury of educational competition. Such competition sends school catalogs spiraling as course after course is added, always with the purpose of keeping two offerings ahead of the someone else. In such a situation, quality of education goes into a spiral, too. It goes into the tailspin spiral, and is checked only when the ruinous competition and duplication is stopped. The allocation and unification principle was set up during the depression to keep Oregon’s higher education from going completely bankrupt. Unlike many stop-gap measures, the idea was a success. There were scoffers at first, but the effective ness of the plan in improving Oregon s schools brought more and more acclaim. Adjustments were made when and where necessary, but only when clearly required by sound educational policy. Until 1948 there were no professional school “grabs. Moreover, the pro fessional schools were recognized as the last area where dupli cation would be excusable. It seems strange, then, that the two major breaks in the system have been in the professional school area. The PE re quest was unusually brazen. One of the chief reasons given for setting up the PE department at Corvallis according to a news service quoting a college spokesman was ... to attract athletes who want to train for high school teaching and coach ing.” One wonders what sound educational values can come from such an attitude. But PE arguments are a thing of the past. The question be comes; where will it stop? Oregon State has already been turned down once on its request of a school of journalism. There are indications that art and architecture are next on the list. A certain amount of duplication is necessary. All students need background courses, but the elusive “background ex cuse can’t be given for duplication in the professional school area. In those schools, quality demands concentration and uni fication. The State Board’s most recent action is another step toward destroying that unification. In the matter of the PE request, the past accurately fore told the present. For the well-being of higher education in Oregon, we hope it doesn’t foretell the future.—Jim Wallace. m Daily EMERALD The OREGON DAILY EMERALD, published daily dunjng the college year except Saturdays, Smidavs, holidays and final examination periods by the Associated students. University of Oregon. Subscription rates: $2.00 a term, $4.00 for two terms and $5.00 a year. Entered as second class matter at the postotlice Eugene, Oregon. Opinions expressed in editorials are those of the writer, and do not claim to represent the opinions of the ASUO or of the University. Initialed editorials are written by associate editors. Unsigned editorials are written by the editor. . , , . , , Opinions expressed in an editorial page by-lined column are those ot the columnist, ana do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editor or his .associates. Don A. Smith, Editor Joan Mimnaugh, Business Manager Barbara Heywood, Helen mieiman, associate nauors. Glenn Gillespie, Managing Editor Don Thompson, AJtcr*ising Manager Sojilutmasie lAJi&dojft Spring is Just Around the Corner by Balt- tf-iwJz \A L £ ) . I £ a o 4 Spring is almost here. We saw a robin. In fact, we have seen a great many robins lately, and other kinds of birds, too. Either they have their signals all fouled up (and we do NOT believe in puns) and are under the impres sion that this is Carmel-by-the-Sea, or spring is coming. Just any day now the temperature will soar up to some unearthly heat like sixteen above, and the crocuses (or croci, if you think this comes from some old Latin root—again, no intended pun) and tulips and other bright and fresh things will be pushing their little green heads up everywhere. Love may again gain some of its lost popu larity. As of now, a snowdrift by the Ol’ Mill race or an icy plot in the cemetery are not too appealing, and romance is on the decline. However, barring unnatural decisions by the groundhog, the weather man, and the Office of Student Affairs, both spring and love should be right around the corner. After all, we saw a robin. Yes temperatures will rise again, glands will begin to do whatever glands do in the spring (and this seems to be quite a bit) and by June even our little toes may be thawed out. Maybe we are being overly optimistic. We think not. It isn’t really cold outside; just crisp. And its such fun to watch people fall with resounding thuds upon the ice. It is a time for great gaiety and celebration, for spring is coming. All those icicles that people keep trying to stab each other with will melt. It will be pos sible to walk up Alder street without feeling like someone being hunted by the Royal Mounted Police. As one of those people in the English Lit book said, “O west wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind ?” Remember, we saw a robin. j*t the fsafy Block Out the Circle /I Jlettefi January 30, 1950 AN OPEN LETTER Student Affairs Committee University of Oregon Dear Committee Members: It has been the hope of the Young Progressives to pre sent on campus, to the stu dents and faculty of the Uni versity, a non-partisan dis cussion of the timely ques tion, “Should We Recognize the New China?” Despite the fact that three faculty mem bers, representing divergent opinions, were to speak, the University Administration de nied us the use of campus fa cilities for the reason that the Young Progressives are not a recognized campus organi zation. Over three months ago, Young Progressives com plied with all procedures set forth by the administration as necessary to obtain recog nition. After this was done, the Student Affairs Commit tee decided that recognition was not necessary as a fondi tion for the use of campus fa cilities. Whereupon, Young Progressives asked for a room in which to hold a pub lic meeting. This request was denied on the grounds that Young Progressives was not a recog'nized campus organi zation. Clarification of our status was requested. We were informed that the Stu dent Affairs Committee again took up the matter, but came to no definite conclu sion. However we were told by Mr. Dushane, Director of Student Affairs, that upon re quest of our faculty adviser we could obtain a campus room for non-political meet ings. On the basis of this, our faculty adviser requested a room for a non-partisan dis cussion on the subject of Chi nese recognition. This re quest was denied on the ground that Young Progres sives are not a recognized campus organiztion. The cir cle is complete. We think that the Admin istration owes it to the stu dents to decide, as soon as possible, the status of polit ical clubs on the campus. (We were informed that, as yet, no political clubs are rec ognized, and thus can not use campus facilities even for nom-political meetings.) Since it is the function of a (Please turn to page three) Off to a Good Start Voting booths in the Vet’s Dorms have been the aim of dorm men for some years, but because of objections of one kind or another the booths were never placed there. One of the main objections in previous years has been the impossibility of getting poll books for more than the usual (year before) number of polls. This problem has been neatly taken care of this year by use of IBM machines, which ap parently do have some good use besides punching up registra tion cards to the point where they are unreadable. The Executive Council took the very practical and thought ful approach to the setting up of polls this year for freshman elections. By putting them in three different locations, it is hoped that voting will be so convenient that no student will feel the polls are inaccessible. If Freshmen learn early that the actual process of voting can be painless and does not entail registration-like lines in some building a mile from nowhere, they will be more inclined to take an active participation in every election. (We do not intend to imply that voting is easy in all its as pects ; for the conscientious voter must study the qualifications and platforms of the candidates if he is to vote wisely, and this is not always an easy task.) But this year’s freshmen are certainly gettting off on the right foot, by all pre-election evidence. If wre may be allowed a comment on the candidates—all four seem especially well qualified on the basis of past activities; whether or not their platforms are as insipid as usual we do not yet know. With seemingly good candidates and accessible polling booths, the election would be complete with reasonable plat forms.