A Rote U a Rote U a Rote
Those Experiences Outside The Classroom
*7hind. Gohutut by Mortal BogaA
(This is the third in a series of ar
ticles discussing campus controver
sial topics written by Mortar Board,
senior women’s honorary. We would
appreciate suggestions by students as
to further topics which we can inves
tigate and present in this weekly col
umn.)
Betty Coed came to the Mortar
Board Smarty Party Tuesday night
—Betty like the other guests, lis
tened attentively to Mrs. Golda
Wickham’s advice to not limit herself
to studies alone, but to give service to
others too.
Ambition in her eyes, she spoke to
a Mortar Board sitting near and
asked the senior how she too could
get into activities.
The answer was the usual one to
volunteer, petition, don’t be discour
aged, come on out, keep trying.
But, to Betty, and to all other stu
dents, Mortar Board has more to say.
Choose your activities wisely!
Choose, yes, but not too many at a
time. From a well chosen activity ev
ery student can enlarge her friend
ships, become an integral part of the
campus, and broaden and enrich her
whole campus experience.
“The most meaningful experiences
of a student’s life are usually outside
of a classroom,” said Professor R.-D.
Langston of the School of Education.
On this campus Mortar Board feels
that too few students have the oppor
tunities to develop their potention
leadership qualities. In an effort to
open up opportunities and have more
students taking a part in the various
activities in departmental, service,
house, and honorary. Mortar Board,
both nationally and locally, is in fa
vor of a ‘point system.’ A ‘point sys
tem’ would apportion a certain num
ber of points to every campus activity
(relative to its importance) and limit
a coed to a certain amount of points
The newly organized Associated
eaoh year.
Women Students Activity Council,
composed of the activity chairman of
all women’s living organizations, has
compiled such a system which is un
dergoing revision now. Beginning
this year too, is the practice of having
no house president take an office in
any major campus group, or duplicat
ing officers within major campus
groups.
We suggest to living organizations
that in selecting their officers they
don’t overlook girls who haven’t had
a chance to prove their capabilities;
and further suggest that living orga
nizations not “push” certain mem
bers, but encourage all to enter into
some phase of campus activities. We
also recommend campus chairmen
try to pass around responsibilities
and not always rely on the old ’’stand
bys.”
The drawback to the point system
is that in some cases girls will have
to choose between house and campus
activities or between several campus
groups. It is regrettable that this di
vision should take place, for a bit of
both seems more broadening to any
student than a concentration in
either.
A definite advantage to the point
system is that students shouldering
fewer activities would perform those
few better, with more interest, and
no possibility of overloading. Many
a Mortar Board has longed for a more
relaxed senior year with time for cas
ual fun which some responsibilities
partially deny. We realize that the
point system will not be a perfect an
swer to this problem but we feel that
it is the best one in sight.
To you, Betty, and to your class
mates, Mortar Board says, “choose a
few activities wisely, portion out
your time for studies, but remember x~
to enjoy every day of your college
career.”
■Member of Mortar Board
Old
Worried About Weather, AGS, Larry Lau, and Beaver Wright
by Steve Jlay
Can’t help worrying a little about
my kicl brother up in the hills. He is
going to KOCK and living in the
same kind of building we are. And it’s
been 25 below. Ask anyone who has
been there if LaGrande isn’t the win
diest town West of Chicago.
Surprising that some loyal AGSer
hasn’t written a blistering letter to
the editor about the unethical move
of putting a polling place in the Vet’s
Dorm. It certainly is going to he con
venient for the disinterested to vote
this year. Might he the occasion for
another issue of the up and coming
Pioneer. Ha!
A Greek friend, (I have three)
■v
/
wanted to know if I would be so kind
as to inquire into the situation where
in Campbell Club may not be affect
ed by the DuShane plan. Since they
pledge, initiate, and rush in a man
ner quite similar to the Greek letter
houses it might be a good question to
ask. The above brings to my mind
the furor, the late and sometimes
great Larry Lau created when he
wrote of the Campbell clubbers initi
ations and pins as an attempt to be
“Just like the big boys.” That inci
dent and Beaver Wright’s two “foo
poos’ ” on Momism and the TNE ex
pose’ were the funniest I can remem
ber in my career at U. O.
Do you know which cigarette is
selling- the best today? It seems the
lowly Camel family finally caught
Lucky Strike in 1948. Is it true that
they are the only brand with a pic
ture of the factory on the pack ?
I have never heard anyone do a
good job of describing a cartoon but
with your kind indulgence I will now
be funny. The scene; the guy has a
badge on his overalls, it says, “sani
tary inspector.” In his hand is the
“stomper”, he is standing in the
“John” (I hate that word) and he is
about to pull the chain as he says,
“Goodbye dear, I'm going to work
now.” Yak.
Qf^Ua^td OltA&ivoiio-nl
Have You Settled Your Affairs Yet?
Tt’s amazing the way people have
taken President Truman’s decision to
build hydrogen bombs in stride. It’s
ironic—and depressing — to think
that the freeing of a battleship from a
mndhank made bigger news to peo
ple Wednesday than did the bomb
announcement.
About five and a half years ago,
when the first bomb was dropped on
Japan, people had a truer perspective
in its horror. What has brought about
a change in that perspective is hard
to say. It may be that their memories
have dimmed a little, or it may be
they have reached a stage of disillu
sionment where it no longer matters
to them; an attitude of “why should
I worry about it? What could I do
about it if 1 did?"
The worst of it is they're probably
right. What could they do about it?
It just seems odd that such a momen
tous decision as manufacturing some
thing with the killing power-of the
.“II” bomb could be met with such
indifference. There seems to be little
discussion or concern about it among
the people here at the University, yet
they could be the very ones most af
fected by it in the end.
One Congressman has tried to turn
Truman’s announcement into a hope
ful note. He says it may be the key
to world peace. It’s a nice statement
until its implication is examined.
What the Congressman means is that
Russia may be coerced into closer co
operation. It’ll be great, won’t it, a
peace based on threat? If it comes
about, it will last for another three or
four years, until Russia gets a hydro
gen bomb of its own. What happens
then is anybody’s guess.
Mankind has undergone a peculiar
sort of a development. The person
who said “We have learned to control
nature before we have learned to con
trol ourselves” hit the nail squarely
upon the head. It’s a tragedy that nat
ural science has so far outstripped the
social sciences. It’s true that we
would still be riding in a horse and
buggy, suffering from the lack of vi
tamins, and reading by lamplight.
by Bill jiatfesii.
But more important, it might have
saved a lot of people from being blast
ed into particles considerably smaller
than a smithereen. When knowledge
of the atom came, we might have
been ready for it.
There is already more than a slight
bit of war hysteria. Concurrently
with the announcement of the hydro
gen bomb plans there was an an
nouncement that new atomic defense
measures were being put into imme
diate effect. Science, supposedly the
most moral branch of knowledge, has
put a new weight on the nervous sys
tems of people and also a new weight
upon their pocketbooks, which is
probably considered as being of more
consecpience by most of us.
There is on ething that is certain:
The atom is here to stay. If we don’t
learn to live with it we’re going to die
with it.