Let's Get Our Money's Worth
Cutting down on activities appears to be only one reason,
and perhaps not the main reason, for eliminating the Mortar
Board and the Military Ball.
It’s true that a cut in the activity load has been longly and
loudly advocated by Student Affairs this term—notably by
Mrs. Wickham. It’s true also that a student sub-committee rec
ommended a decrease in the number of major activities, and
that dances in particular are time-consuming projects.
It has been estimated that to put on a successful Home
coming, Whiskerino, or Junior Prom at least 40 committee
men are needed. Each of these committeemen spend six to
eight hours working on the dance. The general chairman
and some committee chairman work practically full time on
the project.
In view of the time and energy expended on the dance, then,
it is reasonable to suppose that the results must be satisfying
to the committee workers and to the school as a whole. A good
dance must be a financial success.
The Mortar Board Ball and Military Ball have decidedly not
been successful as crowd gatherers, and consequently have
more often than not ended up in the red. Financial accounting
of these two dances over the last seven years shows a steady
deficit.
The Military Ball has never made money. In 1949-50 it lost
$800. That year the loss was so great that the University
wrote-off some of its bill to Scabbard and Blade. The event
has never lost less than $150, and in 1952 the honorary was
left with $250 in unpaid bills.
Mortar Board has been luckier, but the trend is against them.
Since 1947 the girl-take-boy dance has regressed from a $600
profit, to a $250 deficit. The last two years it barely broke even.
The Junior Prom and Homecoming lost money only once
during this period, the Whiskerino record just about balances
with this year’s receipts not totalled yet, and the Senior Ball
ended up in the red five years out of the six.
Dick Williams, student union director, said that although
the Senior Ball is a consistent money-loser, he thinks there
should be at least one major dance during Winter term. In
the case of the class dances, Williams said, there is a good
chance that the deficit can be made up.
When a group as small as Mortar Board or Scabbard and
Blade loses two or three hundred dollars, however, the prob
lem of paying the bills takes on major proportions. In the case
of Mortar Board, where proceeds are designated for other
causes, the effort of a money losing dance is wasted.
Oregon is not the only school whose all-campus dances
are failures, according to Williams. He said it was the opin
ion of student union directors all over the nation that there
was a trend away from the big dance.
Although most dances made money in 1946 when enrollment
was at an all-time high, you can’t correlate success with en
rollment, according to Williams. He said the University of
Minnesota has the same problem we have.
The orchestra doesn’t matter either, Williams said. Oregon
pays less for big name bands than larger schools, and a small
band doesn’t mean a small crowd.
Since there is such a trend, and since figures don’t lie, we
feel that the Student Affairs committee made the only prac
tical decision, and the wise decision. The average student
has too little time to waste the major part of three weeks on
an activity that doesn’t pay off. A dance that flops is a dis
appointment to all.
We pay for our dances. And we want our money’s worth
<H.J.)
daily
EMERALD
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DeMott
A New Twist
'Do any of you remember where I was when my lecture was inter
rupted—I’ve given it so many times I wasn’t listening.”
WITCH HUNTS ABANDONED
Legion Backs Freedom
By E. A. Van Natta
The Oregon Department of the
American Legion deserves and
has received considerable praise
as a result of its declaration
against “negative” loyalty oaths
and school investigations. In tak
ing such a position the state or
ganization has served the best in
terests of education and of the
community as a whole.
Also It has set an example,
which if observed by Legion
groups in other states would go
a long way in reducing the
amount of “loyalty” hysteria
which continues to grow
throughout the nation.
Important Role
The American Legion is the
strongest veterans’ organization
in the United States today and
one of the most powerful of the
political pressure groups. By
means of propaganda and lobby
ing it has played an important
role in aiding war veterans to re
ceive such benefits as __ bonuses,
pensions, and rehabilitation for
the disabled.
The Legion has also taken an
active interest in national and
local problems such as foreign
policy, national defense and in
ternal security; problems which
are not peculiar to veterans
alone but which concern the en
tire public. As an organized
pressure group the Legion has
as much right to its interest
in these problems as has the
CIO or the Daughters of the
American Revolution.
“Witch Hunts”
All too often, however, the Le
gion, especially when participat
ing in the question of internal se
curity, has either been the ini
tiator or heavy supporter of some
rather notorious “witch hunts,”
particularly in the field of educa
tion.
As a result of its actions in
numerous cases throughout the
United States the Legion has
given the impression, whether
intentional or not, that it has a
corner on “Americanism,” its
interpretation, and preserva
tion.
Furthermore, the Legion, like
Dr. Leland A. Huff
Optometrist
*3 W. 8th Ave Ph. 5-3725
so many other pressure groups
and individuals throughout the
country, has given heavy support
to the paradoxical idea that de
mocracy can be preserved by lim
iting it.
In other words, civil liberties
should be denied those In our
midst who would, If they came
Into power, do away with such
liberties altogether. This was
the reasoning behind the Mc
Carran Internal Security Act
of 1950 which the Legion gave
full support.
No Arbitrary Norms
Such reasoning if carried to an
extreme would only play into the
hands of totalitarian ideologies
while democracy would more
than likely disappear.
Democracy in the United
States cannot be preserved by
setting up arbitrary norms for
“Americanism” and then, either
through legislation or through
the actions of a committee of
vigilantes on Americanism, at
tempt to class as “un-Ameri
can” or “subversive,” every de
viation from those norms.
Faith Necessary
The preservation of democracy
depends upon the faith that all of
its adherents have in it as a posi
tive force and upon their own
ability to judge what is or is not
"subversive” without the aid of
an a priori judgment by any one
organization or individual.
The policy-makers of the
Oregon branch of the American
Legion have shown that they
have that kind of faith in de
mocracy and have acted ac
cordingly.
A South Dakota State college
coed tells of her experience dur
ing registration. It seems things
were going smoothly until she
stepped into an especially long
line. After a two hour wait, she
reached—the men’s washroom.
SUCurrents
'Bowl' Mixer
Set for Friday
There will be a fishbowl mixer
this Friday in the Student Union.
Campus clothes are in order for
the no-date affair. Admission is
free.
Coming up is the Lemon-Orange
Squeeze scheduled after the Ore
gon-Oregon State game January
30. Music will be furnished by
Johnny Lusk and tickets may be
purchased at the dance. Admis
sion price has not yet been an
nounced.
Committee planning the mixer
includes Donna Hill, arrange
ments; Phyllis Pearson, finances;
Jerry Farfow, reservation; and
Jackie Steuart, publicity.
Dancing, Browsing {
On Board Agenda
On the agenda for the SU Board
meeting tonight in Student Union
103 are: a definition of the area |
of the browsing room, discussion (
on publicity by other organiza
tions at SU sponsored events, an
nouncement of the committee of
the whole meeting and re-exami- i
nation of the dance instructions. J
• • •
Roosevelt Story
Showing Tonight
"The Roosevelt Story," the of
ficial film biography of Franklin
D. Roosevelt, will be shown to
night at 7 in 207 Chapman. There
will be no admission charge.
This documentary screen story
covers over forty years of the |
late President's life. It is sponsor
ed by the SU movie committee un
der the chairmanship of Ann Mc
Loughlin.
* * •
Ceraihics, Silver
Featured in Exhibit
"Contemporary Design for To
day's Home," an exhibit now on
display in the SU art gallery, fea
tures imported and American
made ceramics, glass and silver,
donated by local merchants. Also
on display are reproductions of
contemporary paintings from the
school of architecture and allied
arts.
NEED
FORMAL
WEAR? s4
RENT IT!
Whatever the
formal occasion—
wear fashionably
correct clothes, at
reasonable
rental prices*
r -
Fennells
I
MOTOR TUNE-UP AUTO ELECTRICAL
Martin Auto Electric Service
Phone 4-0133
• • •
Calvin H. Martin
7th & Charnelton
Eugene, Oregon