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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 26, 1950)
Letter to Miss Holmes Dear Anita, It’s yours, Anita—the next 140 issues of the Emerald. You can have it, along with the backaches, headaches, heartaches, and laughs. You’ve got yourself some job. If you haven’t got printers ink in your blood now, you soon will have literally. Because there will be nights when you set your own headlines by hand and cut your finger on a lead. This is the time of the year when most editors wax sentimen tal ; about how if they had to do it all over again they’d do such and such. Well, if we had to do it all over again we’d shoot ourselves first. (Or probably not first, someone would beat us to it.) But don’t get us wrong, Anita. The job of Emerald Editor is really wonderful. The experience you get will be grand- You’ll learn who your friends are; and who aren’t your friends. Some one will be all smiles when you write an edit they like; and when you just hint the next morning at something with which they disagree they’ll call you immature, irrational, emotional, and rabble-rouser. If it’s like this year, you’ll probably be called some things that can’t be printed in a newspaper. But, we know that the Emerald will be good next year. We know the job you do will be fine. You’ll try to be fair, we know. We also know that students will question your motives. We’ve tried this year to be fair. We’ve written what we thought was best and right for the University. And we’ve been criticized because of the drivel we ve printed, because of the attitude we’ve taken, because of our opinions. We’ve tried to be well-informed on a subject before we ve tackled it. Sometimes it’s been difficult; and sometimes we didn’t know all that we’d like to know. We haven’t always been tactful and diplomatic and soft-spoken. Neither have we al ways stated opinions that have been backed up by the students. For these reasons the editor has been accused of being a mouth piece for the administration, and a little boy with too big a mouth. And after the razzing the editor kept on being untact ful and undiplomatic—though trying to learn diplomacy. But it is awfully hard sometimes to soften what you have to say. And sometimes it isn’t wise to soften it. About that “pressure from the administration,’ Anita: You 11 find, as we did, that there is none. No one will believe you when you tell them that the administration exerts no pressure, but it is true. Sometimes there is sharp criticism from faculty or administrators; but it isn’t nearly as sharp as that criticism you’ll get from the students. You’ll go down to breakfast some morning and have some one yell about a typo; you’ll walk to your 8 o clock and some Joe will point out that his name was missing from a list of can didates ; in your 9 o’clock the professor will make some funny jibe about the Emerald that you heard in your 8 o’clock; every one else will laugh, but you’ll just smile politely and wonder if you'll get home before midnight that night. And there will be Sundays when you come to the Shack at 2 :30 to find the place locked up. Around about 3 one more old faithful will show up, and by 4 there will be four more stand bys ready to put out the Monday edition. There will be nights everyone else is at the concert, spring afternoons when the rest of the staff takes off for the beach, winter afternoons when you should be holding staff meetings in the infirmary—only no one from the Emerald can find time to go over there. And there’s the advertising staff—they either won’t have enough ads, or they'll have too many. And by the end of spring term you’re likely to get tired of reading "Emerald ads bring results. You can look forward to the big issues and the stuffing par ties ; the last issue and the whistles; and all spring term you 11 look forward to the SDX edition—for you being a Theta Sig, Anita, can take that day off. Once in a while you’ll drop by the library, grab an arm-load of books, and on your way out curse the studyhounds who have so much free-time; and you’ll wonder, why shouldn’t they all make four points? Some nights you’ll try to study at the Shack, but you can’t because there is always something big breaking, or some work to do. And at the end of the year you’ll look back and see what you’ve accomplished. And maybe you’ll be discouraged because there was so much you didn’t do, and maybe you too will be sentimental and start thinking about what you could do if you had it to do all over again. Though it is tough to measure things up, maybe you’ll feel that you did some little good. We think we did. Though there are many who think more harm was done than good. Take good care of the Emerald, Anita. It means an awful lot to many of us, and we don’t want to see it hurt. Say what you have to say; we know we can trust you to know what you’re talking about. Don, Anne, and Tom 22 TNE Names Listed The following students were connected with TNE in some manner during their college careers. Not all are initiated members, but all attended one or more meetings of the group. Some have dropped their active connection with the group. All these students have been or will be placed on probation by the University for the remainder of their college career. The names were obtained from a reliable source —reliable to the complete satisfaction of the Emerald editorial staff. It is, perhaps, worthwhile to add that no University student or administrative person, officially or unofficially connected with the TNE investigation, contributed in any manner to the securing of the list. The Emerald obtained this information after three days of search, in which proof that these students were connected with TNE and were placed on probation by the University was sought. This proof was finally obtained late last night. This list is printed with no malice; the Emerald merely feels that the student body has the right to know these names. Many innocent students have been implicated with TNE by rumor; 13 students were accused of membership by a well-circulated mimeographed let ter. TNE thrives on secrecy; secrecy concerning the investigation will merely lead to a furtherance of the methods of TNE. If TNE is to be exterminated on the Oregon campus, students must become aware of the dan gers of the organization and the dangers of belong ing to such an organization. Some of the students listed have turned their backs on TNE; it is unfortunate that they are. listed with others who were active supporters of the group. These students who have turned away from the secret group have shown, or will show, by their actions that they no longer believe in the principles of such an organization. To these students, we re gret we must print their names. We only hope that they have already, or can in the future, convince the students of their good faith in turning away from TNE. It is with regret that we print this list; but it is printed with the firm belief that by doing so, re-or ganization of TNE or any group similar to it will be discouraged.—A.G., T.K., D.S. The list: Ed Anderson, Sigma Alpha Epsilon; Bill Barlow, Beta Theta Pi; Ben Barton, Pi Kappa Alpha; Bill Clausen, Kappa Sigma; Hob Deuel, Sigma Chi; Les Hagen, Sigma Nu; Jim Hart, Pi Kappa Alpha; Earl Heitschmidt, Phi Gamma Delta; Jim Hersh ner, Sigma Alpha Epsilon; Glen Holden, Beta Theta Pi; Bill Lance, Sigma Nu; Walter Lehman, Delta Tau Delta; Herb Lombard, Phi Delta Theta; Dick McLaughlin, Chi Psi; Frank Rauch, Alpha Tau Omega; Joe Richards, Alpha Tau Omega; Art Ross, Kappa Sigma; Gerry Smith, Phi Gamma Delta; Will Urban, Phi Delta Theta; Fred Van Horn, Delta Upsilon; Glenn Walker, Chi Psi; and Bob Welchf" Delta Tau Delta. Another Law Students' Letter Eugene, Oregon U. of O. Law School May 25, 1950 Faculty, and students, University of Oregon Eugene, Oregon An open letter to the Oregon Faculty and students: If what you have taught us is true . . . Secret organizations (as distinguished from rec ognized organizations with secret rituals, etc.) are by their very nature bad. Fundamentally, they are deceitful and basically dishonest. WHEN devoted to political objectives, they become a real threat to any society. The history of totalitarian government forcefully supports this contention. THIS IS NOT TO SAY THAT THE MEMBERS OF TNE ARE EVIL, OR GUILTY OF GREAT WRONGDOING. Perhaps individually, they now recognize the undesirability of their conduct. How ever, a vast number of students on this campus either do not agree that such organizations are basically undesirable (Educators take note), or justify them under the label of “practicality.” Tfee currency of this attitude indicates that TNE will soon return; the University’s expose makes this return a certainty. What do we recommend to pre vent a recurrence ? 1. Publication of the specific techniques used to gain political power. If the membership has done ’ anything really wrong, knowledge of the facts will give students information upon which to base an evaluation of such organizations not only from the ethical view stated above, but from a practical standpoint as well. 2. Publication of the names of the members and a removal of the muzzle that seems to have been clamped on them. If these students have decided that their conduct was wrong, they can do the most to eliminate a revival. If they have done actual wrong, subject them to the criticisms of their fellow students; let them answer to public opinion —the same public opinion and responsibility that their methods and University censorship has cir cumvented. There must be some deterrent to TNE’s would-be successors. Do not let them think that the University will protect them from public opinion. 3. Do not discourage student responsibility towards such organizations. The University under takes to encourage student government, represent AloUa and fyabewell mg' that it is a training ground for an enlightened citizenry. The University has suddenly ended the “training” by the process of censoring information from the students. Will we find another student body president with the courage to expose TNE in light of the University’s treatment of the matter? The natural justice of the situation demands dif ferent treatment: (1) The remaining doubt as to membership pro tects those who were actually members, and casts the suspicion upon those not involved. (2) Full disclosure will reveal the exact nature of the offenses committed and free the accused from the danger of prejudiced speculation. In addi tion, it is likely that participation and responsibil ity of the members varies with individuals. Accu rate information will apportion censure as it is merited. (3) The Student body has a right to determine if former TNE’s are worthy of Student trust. The student body can make this determination if they know what TNE actually has done. Yet the names have not been officially released, and we are in formed that the prohibition against holding student office may be waived. Complete factual information is necessary for effective student opinion. It is as impossible for President Newburn to keep TNE off the Oregon campus as it would be for President Truman to keep communism out of the United States. Unleess the student body believes that it does not v/ant TNE it cannot be repulsed. Such a belief cannot be grounded upon rumor and surmise and' the vaguf disclosures of a University Official. If the adminis tration believes that private policing by paid em ployees can substitute for alert student opinion and interest, it submitted that they are in error. In conclusion we reaffirm our desire for complete disclosure concerning the membership and actual activities of TNE. If their activities involve vicious wrongs, appropriate action should be taken. If TNE appears to have been an innocuous though secret political organization, we ask the faculty to renew its efforts to demonstrate the ultimate folly of these methods. Jim Harrang Bill Byrd Bill Tassock Maurice Engelgau Dean Weigle Ends a Successful Visit It was a brief visit, but pleasant and profit able, from the University’s and students’ point of view. We’re referring to the two years that Clifford F. Weigle was dean of the School of Journalism. Dean Weigle came to Oregon from Stan ford, and he leaves Oregon to return to Stan ford. It seems that California ties are not so easily broken. During the brief two years, Dean Weigle raised the standards of the School of Journal ism by changing it to an upper division level. This was probably a greater change than most students imagine. Journalism students must now get a broad background, so by the time they get into journalism they have something about which to write—and they know something other than proof reading marks. Under the dean, the school has pulled out from the war-time “all women” slump, and gained prestige in the eyes of the faculty. A larger research program was undertaken, a (Please turn to page six)