The OiF.noN Daily Emmald i- published Monday through Friday during the college vra
except examination and holiday periods, with issues on Homecoming Saturday and Juno
Weekend Saturday bv the Associated Students of the University ot Oregon. Entered as sc
ond class matter at the post oi5ce, Eugene, Oregon. Subscription rates: $5 per school year, 5
pur terra.
(\ inions (repressed on the editorial page are those of the writer and do not pre>od t
represent the opinions of the ASTJO or of the University. Initialed editorials are written u
the associate editors. Unsigned editorials written bv the editor.
Lots a Larson, Editor Abbott Paine, Bnsirem Manage
Phil Bettens, Managing Editor
Gretchen Grondahl, Bill Clothier, Don Dewey, Associate Editors
Glktchen Greek, Advertising Manager
What We Don't Know Can Hurt
An innocent -sounding phrase in the regulations for th
Student Court went through the ASUO Senate a few week
ago without causing a murmur.
But we submit that there are implications in that littl
phrase which have been overlooked—probably even by thos
who drew it up.
i he section savs that the student court will hold all meet
i 4s open “unless a majority deems it unwise.
The court’s idea in leaving this loophole goes along witl
; ir bid for enlarged jurisdiction, extending from the presen
traffic cases to possible disciplinary matters. Just as a judgi
in a court of law may close the court if he deems that wide
sj read publication of the case would be detrimental to tin
public morals, the court wants freedom to close its doors ii
the event of a delicate disciplinary case—if and when it get
such a case.
Our objection is not to the loophole as such, but to the fac
that the loophole is too big.
We have every confidence in the present personnel of the
st dent court; but it seems' to us that there is a danger thai
- me less responsible group might in the future abuse its dis
cr; tionarv privilege and close meetings unnecessarily. After all
- only thing necessary to discontinue open meetings is for the
“majority to deem it unwise.” A body which, for example, ha‘
c> me in for some public criticism of its procedures might deem
it wise to close its meetings, thus stifling the criticism.
Somethng similar—although admittedly more extreme—ha
’ n going on at the University of North Carolina. A student
cr urt called the Men’s Council has been holding trials in secret
even though the accused students have requested hearings oper
to the student body.
And wnat nas Deen tne result or tne Carolina btuueru uuuy :
being kept in ignorance of the council’s procedure? According
to the Daily Tar Heel, there have been “two notable cases in
volving the student courts where the accused students were
tried, convicted, and sentenced without knowing what the
charges against them were. In one case the student didn’t ever
know he was being tried until he was met on the campus anc
informed of his sentence.”
From where we sit, such a flagrant abuse of the idea o
secrecy doesn’t seem likely on the Oregon campus. But wi
would like to record our agreement with the principles set fortl
in the Tar Heel’s editorial:
“Secrecy is always a deadly threat to democracy and consti
tutionality . . . The American tradition is one of open courts
constitutionality, due process of the law and defined authoritj
. . . What the students do not know, they cannot control.”
It looks like such an innocent little phrase. But we d like
to see the studetjt court’s loophole redefined and more string
ent limitations placed on that body s right to close it s meet
ings.—G. G.
iQh CditoAuU
\ Appreciation Usually Follows Deprivation
I There's probably a largo group (namely tin
undergraduate students on campus) who knov
nothing nbout the Inter-Library Loan set-up ovei
r in the library.
j There’s another group who know a lot about It
They’re the inmates of tIn- Oregon State I’enlten
“ tiary at Salem., The head general reference anc
documents librarulan, Kll/.ahet h Kindly, says tin
" convicts borrow many books from the University
- library.
We’re not going to draw any parallel between tin
inmates of either institution, but it seems some
what ironic that it's necessary to take nearly every
- thing away from u man before lie realizes how mud
just a-part of it was worth.
The Inter-Library Loan is maintained primarily
for graduate students and professors doing theses 01
research. It's a rather informal organization where
C by rare books can be exchanged between libraries
s across the nation. Periodicals concerning othei
countries are widely exchanged. Practically any
book or mazazine in the United States can be pro
: cured through the Inter-Library Loan.
, If a student wants a book that is not In the
University of Oregon library, he can go to the
reference room in the west wing of the first flooi
ai'J see the reference librarian on duty. Information
relative to the hook must be rather complete. Most
of it can be obtained from the Indexes In that
same room.
If information about some particular book is not
readily available, it can be procured by contacting
' the Pacific Northwest Bibliographical Center at the
. University of Washington. The PNBC is supported
by member universities on a pro-rated basis accord
ing to the per centuge of the total operating cost of
1 the library. Oregon's quota is about one-fourth of
5 one per cent. It cost the University $700 last year.
Professors and graduate students merely fill out
the two cards and the wheels start moving to get
thr book. I iKlrr^niclimli- »linl‘‘nlH have a nnir*
more trouble. If they tire working on n term pnpei
or n research project ami need additional ii.fon
motion, they will probably have no difficulty. \
statement from their respective professor recoup
mending the book be borrowed will do the trick.
The University also lends books. Its fiOO.OOO boot i
stiuk up rather favorably with that of most u
versities. Approximately 112 books are borrowed
and the same number loaned each month.
If a particular set of books Is requested throng"
the Inter-Library Loan often enough, the Univei
sity library buys the set. Nosotros, a Spanish pnrt
odical, is now coming to the University beeausi iL,
was borrowed so often.
Extension students derive considerable bemlif
from the exehunge. In a way the exchange extends
the library facilities beyond the bounds of the earn,
pus. A lot of off-campus people appreciate ll ■
service. A lot of on-campus students could. j
Now we re not advocating that everyone ru.-’j
over and try to get a book from the Library
Congress or Harvard University, Just b* * i
seems like a nice idea. The exchange wmii t ■
signed for that. And you might get tossed out |
your ear. "
But It’s a sail fact that many students c.u <
plctc four years of college and receive a »’ :.
without ever having gone to the library cm > ,
get out of the house or to digest some Bsslg 4
reading on the open reserx e.
There may be others who consider th< j
terested in a certain field but shrug off any .
of research on the subject because "there's noth |
in the libe about it."
You're wrong, Mac. There’s anything In t) •
brary In which you might be Interested If i 1
there now the Inter-Library Loan can get it f r
you. *
Ask the convicts in Salem. 1! C.
-A fit thv Zoo
Now Well All Join Hands and
Circle Right-Funk Flunks PE
__—-—- By Bob Funk
Lately we have been spending
small portions of our time up at
the east activity court Indulging
in a couse know as square dalle
ins'.
Places that j
have not been ^
bent since we f|
were a fresh
man have been
bending, and
several rather
painful places
become sprung,
or something.
There Is a
great deal of
method behind
square danc- BOB FI N K
ing, but so far have not
caught on to too much of It. For
us, the course consists mostly of
being pushed and pulled various
places around the floor by a
strange young lady who keeps in
sisting she is our partner.
Many happy and exciting
things happen during a square
dance. There is the time, for in
stance, when everyone runs into
the middle of the floor (not quite
everyone; you have to know
which are the runner-inners and
which are the stayers) and shouts
— Letters to the Editor—
Save Our Bonfire
Emerald Editor:
All that we who are working to
make the 1951 Homecoming a
success have heard since the date
of the event was announced can
be summed up in one word- com
plaints. We realize what an in
convenience it is to all of us that
Homecoming should coincide with
Thanksgiving. It’s a hardship to
Chairman Francis Gilmore; it's a
hardship to the students, faculty,
and maybe even the alums. But
let's face it . . . Homecoming will
be November 23, 24, and 25, and
there’s nothing any of us can do
about it. What I mean is, there’s
nothing any of us can do about
the date of the event. We can do
plenty about Homecoming itself.
From what I have heard
around campus it seems that
most of the students are not
coming back until Saturday noon
before the game. That means
you’ll gat lone more night of sl#op 1
in your own bed; one more chance
to nibble at the Thanksgiving
left-overs; a Friday night with no
closing hours other than those
designated by your parents.
That’s fine, but in the meantime
there are going to be some of us
right here on campus Friday
night of Homecoming who aren’t
going to be so lucky.
There’s going to be a bonfire
Friday night, and Jack Beyers,
chairman of that event, is going
to be working right up to the
end to make it one of the best
we’ve ever had. Jack would like
to see it remain standing until an
Oregon student sets it off. If
enough of the fellas pitch in to
help defend it, it will remain
standing. Otherwise, while you sit
home eating a turkey sandwich
OSC will succeed in doing to our
bonfire what we did to theirs.
This is not just a supposition. It
is a definite strong and pressing
rumor reported from more than a
few ‘Oregon stbdents who have
visited the OSC campus in the
past few weeks. If this rumor,
which in effect means that a
rather strong movement and or
ganization is under way to burn
our bonfire, is true, then it shows
me only one thing. If Oregon
State students can break up their
Thanksgiving vacation to at-,
tempt to burn our bonfire, why
. can’t we? It's our bonfire and we
should have enough pride, if not j
school spirit, to be there our- ]
selves.
Most of you are coming hack
for Saturday's events. Why not
come back one night earlier and
help with the bonfire rally and
dance? If the Aggies can take
time out to give us*trouble here,
certainly the Oregon students can j
take time out to come hack early i
to celebrate their Homecoming 1
and to make it a success.
Sincerely,
Donna Hart
Sally Thurston
Homecoming Publicity
wheel nr something untnhi.m.-.l
like that.
There is one call where every
one links right hands. There is
usually an embarrassing delay
while everyone carefully sorts
hands to determine which is right
and left. This call has been large
ly abandoned for the sake of con
tinuity.
At the last meeting ot square
dancing we learned a new one
called a grape vine (or something
like that). First you are dancing
frontwards, between two people,
and then suddenly you are in a
long ehairi dancing backwards. If
you arc on the end of the chain,
you arc also playing erack-the
whip and arc about to he shot off
into space. This is not supposed to
happen, hut it is very Interesting.
30 \ EARS \GO
Nov. 7. 1'J'M—The faculty
lev Imll team hits se|n ill.'
scries nf games tilth tin- '!" ^
town business men's U»n:
faculty team lias Ims-ii pr i
regularly on Monday, Tu
ami Thursday afternoons.
20 YU \Its AGO
Nov. 7. 1031—Tonight. t
first time tills term. Ilbr.r!
wilt lie o|M'n mi a Friday n ■*
Closed previously bccau ot .
eut in operating expeii's I
libraries will now lie open v.u, ^
9 p.m., due to u isunpus-wlib stu-,
■lent demand.
St nden I s' association w as - »
official sanction by the stn at’
affairs committee. The gro.iji will
try to bring persons living •nt't
side eainpils living organi/.. ic
closer to campus activities.
5 YEAlt-S AGO
Nov. 7, lOttl—Gradual leveling
olf of registration has now made
housing winter term to -f-: '■
who were forced to live off c. : :p
tis this tenn. .
10 YEARS AGO
Nov. 7. Mill—Tin- Indcp -n
at
Inter-library Loan Candidate
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“Tli’ boys whipped up a li’l parly for ya, Worthal—I’2cl opened yei
letter from the probation board.”