Oregon Daily . _ _
EMERALD
The Oregon Daily Emerald is published Monday through Friday during the college year,
except examination and holiday periods, with issues on Homecoming Saturday and Junior
Weekend Saturday by the Associated Students id the University of Oregon. Entered as sec
ond class matter at the post office, Eugene, Oregon. Subscription rates: $5 per school year,
per term.
Opinions expressed on the editorial page are those of the writer and do not pretend to
represent the opinions of the ASUO or of the I niversitv. Initialed editorials are written by
the associate editors. Unsigned editorials arc written by the editor._
A Walk Before Breakfast
Like to take a brisk walk before breakfast? That’s what
three-hundred odd residents of the N ets’ dorm are doing start
ing this term. That is, if they want to eat.
The Yets’ Commons was closed by order of the administra
tion because it was operating at a financial loss, and because
John Straub hall was not filled. Residents are now eating at
Straub. (The page one story will tell you all this, so we re
not going into the wliys and wherefores again here.)
We agree that the University cannot afford, in these days of
high-cost living, to operate a facility losing $2000 a term. The
Vets’ Commons at Oregon State college was closed at the end
of the 1950-51 school year for the same reason. Dorm residents
there eat in the Memorial Union.
But we think Yets’ dorm residents should have been con
sulted before hand. The closure decision was made on Saturday,
Dec. 15, the middle of final week. Only dorm counselors were
told of the problem. A letter dated Dec. 22 informed the dorm
men of the committee’s action. Nice Christmas present!
The students affected should have had a chance to consider
the problem and possible alternatives to the closure. Their de
cision might well have been the same as that of the adminis
trative group, but they would at least have had a voice.
H. P. Barnhart, director of dormitories, agrees with us here.
He admitted, after the decision was made, that it would have
been preferable to consult students. But he pointed out the
committee did not know until Dec. 15 that there would be so
few men in the dorms. Room reservation slips, due Dec. 10,
were turned in late. The drop came as a surprise, he said.
It seems strange that the possibility of closing the Commons
could not have been anticipated and presented to the students
as an “if” proposition: If enough students didn’t reserve rooms,
what should the school do? Or, room reservations should have
been requested earlier.
The administration has doubtless made needless enemies by
keeping students in the dark again. '1 he fellows hiking down
to Straub for meals would still dislike the three-times-a-day
trek, but they’d be more apt to cheerfully take it in stride if
they knew they’d had a part in the action.
The Useless Jan. 2 Classes
Generally speaking, the first day of January is regarded as a
holiday. At the very least it should be a day of rest for the
common man who has spent the preceding night ringing out the
old and in the new.
Morally, the practice of getting pie-eyed for New Year’s Eve
may be inexcusable, but the custom is widely practiced by all
hands, including college students. This makes hangovers, etc.,
the order of the day for January the Firsts. Unless, of course,
one goes against the mores and spends the number one day
traveling back to the campus instead of recuperating.
Is there justifiable reason for having regular classes the day
after the annual defeat of some PCC football team in the Rose
Bowl ?
We’ll discount the line of thought in our leading paragraphs
as being too weak to stand alone. But many students enrolled
at the University wouldn’t. So they celebrate or recuperate, etc.,
and return to school several days late.
This makes regular classes on Jan. 2 something of a farce.
Even those students on campus have to complete registration
(preregistration notwithstanding) and pick up various supplies.
This may not take very long (depending on the length of the
lines) but it usually kills at least one class period.
Class attendance seems to vary from 25 to 75 per cent. Some
professors will dismiss the class. Others will stubbornly lecture
if only one faithful conformist appears. Most professors will
feel obliged to repeat their first lecture at least once. This either
makes a sucker out of the professor or the students who made
the first lecture.
So why be dogmatic? Why not torget classes tor jan. n
it were declared a Rope Yarn Sunday, students could straggle
back to their respective houses or halls, finish registering, draw
supplies, and just generally slide back into the groove without
shortchanging themselves or their professors so early in the
term.
It might be argued that the same sort of situation would have
to be faced regardless of when classes started. '1 hat might he
correct to a certain extent (we won’t be dogmatic) but a con
siderable segment of the campus population would appreciate
the opportunity to draw an extra breath before the bell rings
for the next-round.—B. C.
< » • ♦ i C i I ] I 'l f. / .
On the /lib. . .
Two 'Hits' Slighted
By SU Juke Box
By Don Collin
Of the "Hit Parade’s” big three,
how come only "Undecided" on
Student Union Juke? Where's
"Slow Poke” and "Down Yon
der"? The story of how "Down
Yonder" written in the twenties
achieved fame in the fifties is in
Newsweek of Dec. 31.
For the Sunday early birds,
two outstanding; news commenta
tors are Howard K. Smith and
Charles Collingwbod (aired on
KERG at 9:30 u.m. und 10:45 a.in.
respectively.) Smith Is chief Eu
ropean correspondent for (’IIS
news. Broadcasts orglnatc in Eon
don or on the Continent. It’s on
the scene reporting by a brillunt
analyst. t'olllngwood is top Wash
ington reporter for CBS.
Speaking of Washington re
porters, Fulton Eewis Jr. |4 and
10 p.m. Monday thru Friday on
KORE) got commendation for
being on the same network at the
same time for 15 years —a sup
posed accomplishment. Off the
cuff comment of Lewis’ long
reign due more to the stock he
owns in the network than to the
quality of his work.
Football over (Dick Patrick got
Hoffman award; and basketball
taking a breather before the sea
son. Not much in the way of
sports this weekend except for
wrestling on KORE Saturday at
9:30 p.m.
If you haven't stepped nut by
8:30 p.m. (Saturday) give a listen
to Kl'GN’s last broadcast of a
series of four documentaries on
the Soviet Union. .Mrs. Ada Sie
gel, daughter of a non-Bolshevik
Mininster of Justice in Lenin's
first coalition cabinet, narrates
the series, entitled “USSR." Sat
urday’s broadcast is on "Russian
Humanitarianism vs. Marxist
Communism.” Others dealt with
nationalities and minorities in the
Soviet Union, the economy and
the evolution of a new Soviet
man.
A map showing the forced labor
camps is available at following
address: USSR, American Broad
casting Company, New York 20,
New York. Will report later if
scripts are available.
Comments of the week: Ed
Murrow (KERG 5 p.m. Monday
through Friday) on Stassen's list
of presidental advisors including
Baruch, MacArthur, Eisenhower,
Harry Byrd and Jim Farley. "The
sum total of this advice will be
confusing”.. . Charlie McCarthy
(KERG Sundays at 5:30 and 9
p.m.) on superstition that a kiss
takes ten minutes off your life.
“I’m going out and commit sui
cide.”
KPOJ’s Ted Hallock .(ex U of
O) wants to sell his record col
lection for a price with four fig
ures ... Band for Military Ball
January 19 will probably be K.P.
... A University student is trying
to get a 15-minute spot of the
local air for a “Student Views of
Politics” series. Now that an elec
tion year is with us, many stu
dents will bo first-voters. Pur
pose will be to review and dis
cuss issues and candidates with
occasional guest experts and the
candidates themselves.
KASH’s Dinner Hour Concert
(5 to 6:30 p.m. Monday through
Friday) now announcing name of
selections, helps those who know
themes but not titles. KASH bare
ly keeping head out of water fi
nancially . . . NBC’s expansion of
stations may by-pass Eugene or
to get it another network may
have to be dropped.
fyn&m Ma^ue...
15 YEARS AGO
Jan. 4, 1987—Oregon’s new
$365,000 physical education build
ing will be opened for public in
spection tonight. The building,
which is almost entirely artifici
ally lighted, will be open for stu
dent use Tuesday.
Eight students made all A
grades fall term, the honor roll
reveals. The School of Business
Administration ranked highest
with 19 students on the honor
roll.
i
So TMMMS Ms Oregon *
Silence and Disinterest Slow
Progress of UO Student Senate
--By Jim Kaycox---4
Depending somewhat on indi
vidual opinion, tiie A8UO senate
either ran or stalled its way
through fall term and its first
12 weeks of ex
istence. To me
it cluttered a
word I’ll define
as halting but
hopeful motion
in a more or
less straight
line - toward
success, we
hope.
But that,
many senators
will agree, is
no real com
JIM HAYCOX
piiment. Nor was 11 sc micnucu.
I^ots of things went wrong
which shouldn't have. Most could
and should l*> explained as fol
lows: It was a new organization
somewhat undefined in spite of
a constitution and made up of
students inexperienced in the
roles they were to play. Most, I
said, but not all.
The thing that really stuck out
like a sore thumb, at the first and
at the last, was the Indolence, In
difference, and Ignorance of some
of these so-called “senators.”
Koughly half a dozen of the group
did most of the talking and seem
ingly carried all the weight of de
cision. Why others even bothered
to Interrupt their Thursday
nights is a mystery.
Granted, it got slightly better
near the last. But just a few of
these silent-senators arc still a
few too many.
Apparently, nobody ever told
these sheep why they were there.
Nor did they stop to ponder the
question themselves when they
petitioned.
Back in PS 201 and 202 they
try to impart the idea of a na
tional senate and house of repre
sentatives. As our group is uni
cameral, its duties may in some
ways differ from those we hear
about on the national scene. But
the great duty of any senator, be
he or she here, in Washington or
Timbucktoo, is a constant one;
that of representation. It can't be
done by sitting back in your
chair and picking your nose.
Which brings us to a second
sticker. Tou can't muke much
noise if you don't know what’s
going on. Tou can't be much of
a senator if you begrudge the
student body three hours of a
Thursday night, stay fogged in
through most of thut, and then
fork'll tin' whole ivorliN till |
next Thursday nlkl>t. Being
senator In a juli In Itself. Thd
are more Hum a few In this cut,
gory, t««.
But the«C two things, the i
lence of some of our cistwht
senators and their apparent dv
interest, are the only two chargt
of any consequence J can male
Other points of confusion cun
up but as often us not provided
welcome comic relief.
For example, hardly u meetli
went by without some tangle w>
parllumcntury procedure. Mo
than once the group passed som
thing, went on. then wondered
they passed It legally or nc
About thin time somebody lab
off both shoes and la-gins
Count. Several times the vote wi
insufficient, so another vote
taken. On one memorable occ
sion they couldn't scrape up t|
extra ballot and a motion tfj
would have passed by nif.
was vetoed.
The record, thus far. 1» ii
what one would call Imprcssiv
unless you eonNlder that tin \,'j
onlj been at it this one term, j
will not Is* time to retillv jinti
this group until |M-rhups the n
of school.
But there is a chance that wi*
in the next couple of months tl
senate will have u chance to siu
itse lf as the powerful and r«-pt
sentative body It should be.
The Issue may well be the hoe
code. Talk from honor code cot
mittee members, all but a couj
of them senators themselves.*
encouraging. Before the end
the term that committee mayj
port tack with a workable pi
of operation.
Hilt here’s the hitch. If rt)
smalt group of ‘‘silents’’ with
the senate refuses to get on tj
stick and goes on playing Its lit!
game of boredom, the honor ecu
will prolmhiy go down the lira
Just as NSA (National StudeT|
Association) did. And you slum
have heard that debate ... It w
sad.
1 doubt if more than three I
four senators knew anyth!)
about NSA. The rest showed"'
either by saying rather sensclq
things or, as most of them (j
by saying nothing at all.
Let's just hope It doesn’t h/
pen again. Let's hope this i»
year has brought new vitality i|
to this organisation, Oregoi
greatest experiment In stmjr
government.
“Gosh, what a Christmas list. You must 1m> sending ‘Noel -
to thV If 'e faculty!’’