*T[ understand he was just abcut to graduate—and the veterans
office made him take a vocational aptitude test/'
Honorary Masquerade '*
Skull and Dagger, sophomore men’s honorary that has been
termed nothing more than a group of “house representatives
by Emerald editorials for several years, took a tiny step aside
this year concerning membership.
Membership in the honorary is based, supposedly, on activi
ties service to the University, and scholarship. (Scholarship,
in this case, meaning a 2. GPA which is necessary if you care
to remain at the University). Members are picked from the
freshman class, to serve as Skull and Daggers when they are
sophomores.
It so happens that membership has been limited to 26 mem
bers in the past, 21 from fraternities, 1 from Campbell Club,
(men’s cooperative), and 4 from the dormitories.
Naturally many active freshman are overlooked; frequently
a freshman a house is “pushing” is selected in preference to a
freshman who has proven himself and needs no pushing. Often
the second best of the Chi Chi Chi’s does not receive the hon
or of membership though he be superior in activities, scholar
ship, and service to the first choice of Beta Beta Beta.
This year, however, Skull ahd Dagger announced an out
line for a revised method of selection. From each fraternity,
and from independent groups, these petitions will be solicited.
(In the past, one name was submitted by each group). From
each of the 21 fraternities, one person will be chosen for mem
bership; trom the independent groups 11 members will be se
lected (probably one each from Philadelphia House and Camp
bell Club, and 9 from dormitories).
Now, this is a very meek step. From a group supposedly
composed of the strongest and most active male members of
the class of ’52, it does not speak too well for their courage. Or
it could be, the honorary feels that it should be a group of house
representatives.
But the point we bring up is this: If it is an honorary, let it
be an honorary that selects members on the basis of service,
activities, scholarship and what ever other qualifications the
group has formed its membership. If it still remains house
let them call themselves house representatives, and let it be a
known and open fact that it is not necessarily composed of the
most active members of the freshman class, but in some cases
the members who must actively need to be pushed.
There seems to be some great horror at the prospect 01 hav
ing two Skull and Daggers selected from the same fraternity.
This would arouse jealousy, and would spoil the beautiful bal
ance of the group, some people fear.
There is something to the desire of the group to have a wide
representation of the freshman class; but this broad represen
tation will usually be secured naturally—it is seldom that one
house will have 32 freshmen who happen to be the cream of
that year’s crop.
The change made this year is something, but not much. It
sounds a little better, but in actuality it is not much better. The
group has increased its membership, but it still remains house
representatives masquerading as an honorary.
Now that the group has made this little beginning, is there
some Skull and Dagger who would be willing to go a great deal
farther and make membership in his group a real distinction
which outstanding freshmen may feel honored to accept?
6*1 -Ai/i
Emporium Reflections... r.
Gone Are the Days ;
Ay Malty
The other day we were sitting comfort
ably in a booth in one of the local beer em
poriums. A couple of young people came up
to the counter, ordered a couple of cokes, and
took them to a nearby table. One of our com
panions, a recent graduate of the University,
shook his head sadly.
“Things sure have changed around this
school,’’ he lamented. “Gone are the days
when nobody knew what stunt would rock
the campus next.” Our bleary eyed friend
went on to regale us with tales of week-long
California trips, midnight swimming parties,
and wild football rallies, all staged in a day
now only a distant memory. “No,” he wailed,
“the place isn’t the same.”
We don’t totally share the gentleman’s sad
outlook, but we can see that things certainly
have changed. There is a lot more serious ap
proach to college than that which we had be
fore the war. Professors worry whether they
will have to face a loyalty oath in order to
teach. They wonder whether the subject mat
ter of the notes they repeat term after term
has not become subversive. We heard an in
structor merely mention the name of Owen
Lattimore, and three people on the verge of
sleep almost bounded to their feet.
The student body has a different approach.
They still retain that devil may care, Joe and
Jane College attitude, but underneath it all
there is also a new drive behind most of them.
They now know that there are more college
graduates in the nation than ever before. Just
mention “job” to a senior and watch his ears
wiggle. In years gone by his answer was
“Well, I’ll dodge it another year by becoming
a five year man.” Now he petitions to drop
hours, requirements, or anything else that
keeps him from getting out a term ahead of
his class. Unofficially, Oregon used to be a
five year University. Now there are people
working on angles to cut it to three.
In line with this, the various departments
of the University are concentrating on repu
tation. Many a senior who long regarded him
or herself as a “wheel” in one of the various
departments has found that it is now harder
than ever to get places on reputation. One in
structor answered a protest with, “We have a
reputation to establish. You want your de
gree to mean something when you get out of
here don’t you ?”
In its post-war life, the University has set
its sights on new goals. It is on the road from
country-club to an institution of higher learn
ing. We think the choice is a good one, and
the new idea of looking on some pre-war ’’cus
toms” with disfavor shows the right attitude.
But just as we often play too hard,we can work
too hard, and both have the same disastrous
results. Our intellectual reputation will
spread, but it is a slow process of evolution,
not an overnight accomplishment of decrees
by an administration or self imposed abstain
ance by a student body.
Ritut' at Randam
Concerning Pig Latin Or-- (
Shulman Sans Spontaneity
(up jjo- Qil&esit
Would advise all high schoolers to take
Latin or French either in high school or their
first year of college. By the way, include Ger
man in that list. The reason? I have been un
happily struggling through a book in which
every other word is in English, yet! In the
first place, it takes half an hour to read a page,
even with the aid of Webster’s section on for
eign words and phrases (and not all of those
mentioned in the book are included in the
dictionary). After* completing the page, I
again read the material hoping to discover
what the author has said. Then advance to
the following page, using the same method.
The discouraging thing is. when I gaze upon
these pages the next day, I recognize nothing.
Ah, such is life in the Far West.
As a result of this tedious studying, I turn
ed to Max Shulman’s newest epic the other
night, the name being SLEEP TIL NOON
(fine advise to all enrolled in eight o'clock’s).
Conclusion: Mr. Shulman has for the third
time, re-written BAREFOOT BOY \\ ITH
CHEEK. He tries too hard to achieve humor
throughout the book and none of the spon
taneity of his first writing is evident.
The story is one of Harry Riddle, who is
told by his Pa to “get rich, boy. Then sleep
til noon ..Harry is all for this, but wonders
if wealth will corrupt him. However, he de
cides he still will stay pure and undefiled,
and so marries one Esme Geddles. The mar
riage results from an all night drunk on the
part of Miss Geddles and her wealthy father
leaves the country at the sight of his new son
in-law, Harry, and his parents.
Dumb, stupid Harry enjoys his money,
even though not allowed to enjoy his wife—
she sobered up. Finally, through the kindly
agencies of Payson Atterbury, he bankrupts
his best friend, George. But all is well, for
money had corrupted George anyway, and so
really Harry has done him a favor in return
ing George to poverty—for George once
again has his integrity. Of course, Harry is
still uncorrupted, rich, and loaded with integ
rity. and his wife has finally realized Harry’s
hidden worth. She now loves him and the cur
tain falls.
All in all, it is okay for an evening’s reading.
Highly recommended for BA majors. Shul
man gives the impression at times of trying to
bring into the melee a message—it doesn't
reach me.
A