Co-ed Co-ops Face Trials
Past, Present with Optimism
by Rodney Morrison
Emerald Feature Writer
Has prosperity, Portland State!
and a new approach to financing
education killed cooperative living
for women students on the Uni
versity of Oregon campus?
That’s a question that a group
of student leaders heading three
living organizations have been ask
ing themselves this past year. The
three women's coops, University,
Rebec and Highland houses, start
ed out the school year with several
vacancies for the first time in
eight years, according to Char
lotte Parr, former coop member
and treasurer for Co-ed Housing.
Inc. during the past 11 years.
The cooperative living move
ment, with students doing their
own housework to cut living ex
penses. was born as a result of the
depression of the 1930's.
Inspired by the success of the
men's eoop, which had just begun
on campus, and by a visit to the
student coops which had been or
ganized on the University of
Washington campus for several
years, a handful of determined
girls set out to found cooperative
living on the University campus
during the winter term of 1936.
Rent First House
Aided by Miss Janet Smith, Uni
versity employment secretary, the
girls rented an old house on Uni
versity St. in the block now occu
pied by the Erb Memorial Union.
Administration members scoffed
at the idea and a member of the
University Housing commitee re
fused to be connected with an idea
that was bound to be a failure. But
the girls, encouraged by Miss
Smith, remained undaunted.
Sans cook, furniture, furnace
and funds, the charter members of
University House set up house
keeping that spring. Taking the
problems of running a house and
cooking their own meals in their
stride, the charter members still
had time to win the tennis singles'
championship, make a higher
GPA than any house on the cam
pus and turn out a couple of Phi
Beta Kappas.
The idea caught on and the next
year, in 1937, the coop movement
extended to Hilyard House. The
coops have since grown to include
Rebec and Highland, with Hilyard
closing its doors immediately aft
er the war. The three houses in
corporated as Co-ed Housing, Inc.
in 1942 and have been governed
through a council composed of the
house officers from each member
house, a buyer and a treasurer.
Face Same Problems
Hundreds of girls who have
gone through the University as
coop members since 1936 have
faced the problems of their charter
members—keeping house, a ma
jority of house membership work
USA Tried AGS Plan
(Continued Jrom page rzecj
general election ballot after the
200 signatures necessary for an
initiative measure were obtained.
Both UIS and AGS supported the
open primary plan in their 1953
platforms.
First recent suggestion of an all
campus primary came in 1952
when Virginia Wright submitted
a United Students Association plan
to the senate. Her proposal pro
vided for a nominating convention
for presidential candidates, with
an open primary to be used to fill
other offices.
Senate Was Critical
The senate, according to Emer
ald reports, was particularly criti
cal of the presidential section of
the proposal. Dave Rodway, then
senior class president, said that
the convention would only help
one kind of minority representa
tion, while causing another kind.
The USA proposal for an open
primary was designated to create
more interest in student govern
ment, Miss Wright said. Bill Frye,
then a senator-at-large, replied
that there was more interest under
the existing plan and that interest
must come from within the party
itself.
Miss Wright then cited the di
rect primary as a means of giving
individual students a direct voice
in the makeup of the party slate.
Her proposal was tabled. The pro
posal was finally sent to commit
tee, and no action was taken by
the senate.
USA continued its support of the
primary and held a primary of its
own on campus. AGS followed the
lead and held a primary in the
houses for the presidential nomi
nation. “More democracy’’ was
stated by party leaders as their
reason for adopting the primary
system.
Dignan Disagreed
Bill Carey, then ASUO president,
told the Emerald that “with the
primary in both parties, we don’t
need the ASUO primary.’’ His suc
cessor, Pat Dignan, disagreed, and
called the AGS primary a “big
step’’ .in the right direction. He
advocated a primary where every
candidate would be selected by
popular vote.
Dignan was chairman of the sen
ate primary proposal investigating
committee. Collin, Lally, Helen
Packson and Frye were also mem
bers of the committee which re
ported that “It is desirable to have
an open primary.”
In their report, the committee
recommended that screening of
candidates be handled by the po
litical parties, that the polling
booths be located on campus and
that the ASUO should finance the
primary.
USA, predecessor of UIS, held
a nominating convention in 1951.
A candidate for office under USA
reported that the results of the
convention were not worth the
trouble.
Reasons Listed
He listed as reasons the diffi
culty,. in managing the convention
and the difficulty in keeping out
non-party members. Only those
with party membership cards were
entitled to sit on the floor and
vote, but enforcement was lax, he
said.
Only 275 students attended the
convention which lasted an hour
and 45 minutes. Held at McArthur
court, all students were welcome to
attend the meeting. Non-party
members were to sit in the balcony.
All members of the party were
entitled to one vote. Nominations,
in addition to the slate screened
by the party, were made from the
floor, with 10 seconds required to
each nomination.
Voting in AGS in 1951 was by
direct house votes. Each house was
entitled to one vote for each of
fice, with a majority of the votes
needed for election. A screening
committee approved the candi
dates.
TELEVISION SETS
(Magnavox)
$179.50 I
Just the thing j
for your room
GRAVES
1235 Will.
ing full or part time anil never
knowing where the next term's tu
ition would be found. Coops have
not only provided low cost room
and board for these girls attend
ing college on a limited budget,
but they also have provided or
ganized house living for girls. who
might otherwise have gone
through college working in some
one's home for their board and
room or living alone in an isolated
rented room.
But today coops a.re facing fi
nancial difficulties from three
rources. The regent decision to al
low Portland State to be main
tained as a four year, degree
granting instituions. has cut deep
inroads into one of the most prof
itable sources of membership the
Portland school area. Girls can
save more financially living at
home and commuting to Portland
State than they could in a coop at
Oregon.
Many co-eds entering college in
these prosperous post-war years
demand better living conditions
thart the coops can offer. Girls are
not willing to make the compro
mise that must be made to hold
room and board to the low rate of
$45 per month. College, money
and work has a different inter
pretation to this generation than
it did to those girls who founded
the coops back in 1936.
New Trend Hurt'.
A trend for girls to drop oi:t of
school for a year to work, rather
than push through all four years
on a shoestring as coop girls have
traditionally done, alco is evident,
according to Mrs. Golda P Wick
ham, director of women's affairs.
But the University coops, facing
fhese problems, are not willing to
let one lean year defeat their pur
pose, especially when coupled with
the overall enrollment drop at the
University this fall.
The three houses hive tighten d
their financial control by reorgan
izing the old Co-ed Council into a
board of trustees, v/ith commitees
on finance, building and mainten
ance, food and supply, and promo
tion directly responsible to the stu
dent members of the board and to
the faculty and alum members of
an advisory board.
Alums and actives are working
to maintain a growing building
fund to eventually repface the
three old houses now occupied by
the girls. Rebec House is owned by
Co-ed Housing, Inc., and Univer
sity and Highland are rented from
the University. The girls also are
shifting emphasis of coop values
from low cost board and room to
the full program of social events
and college life now offered the
coop girl.
“If we can make the high school
students see they can get a better
education and receive more of the
benefits of college life through
iiving together, we’v« got * the
problem licked,” Carole Wood,
hoard president, says optimis
tically.
FRI.-SAT.
“ALL THE BROTHERS
WERE VALIANT"
Adventure, Drama, Tech.
Robert Taylor
Stewart Granger
Ann Blyth
— Plus —
"SHOOT FIRST"
Drama
Joel McCrea
CAMPUS BRIEFS
Deadline lor Itema for thi* column it at 4
p.m. the day prior to publication.
0 Thoro will hr tin Initiation
service and business meeting of Pi
Lambda Theta, women's educa
tion honorary, this Sunday, begin
ning at 4 p.m. In alumni hull. All
members ate urged to attend by
Acting President Mitzi Aaai.
0 Helen Ib-hUuph, from the
Friendly house in Portland, will
speak at the Newman club meet
ing at 7 p.m. Sunday on "App’A
cation of Catholic Action to Racial
Prejudice." The meeting will be
held at Sacred Heart hospital, ac
cording to Pete Zinsle, president.
0 Canterbury Club will not
meet Sunday because of the
Northwest Province Canterbury
conference at Pullman, Wn.
0 ”Le» Miserable*” will la- the
feature presentation of the Stu
dent Union movie committee Sun
day. The film, starring Charles
Laughton and Frederic March, will
be shown at 2:30 and 5 p.m. Ad
mission is 30 cents, according to
Baibara Wilcox, movie committee
hairman.
HEILIG
NOW PLY VINO —
CINEMASCOPE
"ROSE MARIE"
Ann Hlyth
Howard Keel
Fernando Lainon
— STARTS SAT —
"MA & PA
KETTLE AT HOME"
Percy Kilbride
Marjorie Main
ITU. — SAT.
"SADIE THOMPSON"
Kita Hayworth
— SUN. —
"LYSISTRATA"
FLAME OF SOKOCCO
SELL IT THRU .THE,
WANfADS
Don Wrntl, Cla«»ifie<1 Advcrtialng Mgr
1949 PONTIXC M8M sedan,
Hydra. All extras. Profemor
Robert. Kxt. 303. .VI
For Sale: Halllcrafter shortwave
radio. Excellent condlt i>n $30.
Pho.ie Jeff Davis 5-098-1 ft. 3
Today's Staff
Make-up Editor: Paul Keefe.
Make-up Assistant: Sally Ryan.
Copy Desk Editor: Gloria Lane.
Ni^ht Staff: Murcia Manney.
Held Over
Ends Saturday
THE LONG. LONG
TRAJLEFUg^
"Great Jesse
James Raid"
Willard Parker
STARTS SUNDAY
Captain5
Paradis®
ALEC CUINNESS
YVONNE Do CARLO
CEUA JOHNSON
* iomr r\uti tuuif
Cn>< tv<W il»» UNITED WTriH
RIDE ClEAR
or OIABIO!
■ •—*• rscmucoicR:
' STamjmG
AIM MURfMY'DAW DIMA
SUSAN CABOI-M LANE
AUWVWSW WURNATKMA1 PKlUSt
fH
860 W1UAME1U
tJPLm 4.41S2
imNf.
WVE-IN THEf.rH
I
STARTS
SUNDAY
iNDRTH.END—
l)/wte uttiwhe
M • riloM <3123
_hwv n n . 'j • Mi N d ; * • • 4
•Crazyl.B*"
HAIL BARTLETT
PRODUCTIONS, INC.
Presents
m
mm,
1W "Lov«lyleg
/ ELROY faiylejS HIRSCH
LLOYD NOLAN-JOAN VOHS
A REPUBLIC PRESENTATION
%
ALSO PLAYING
SAVAGE! 0
SINFUL!
Sv COiyMBIA PIUU»fS-pluWoti
LAVES or BABYLON
cdi «. i,TECHNICOLOR
tUrring KICnAKD CONTE •LINDA CHRISTIAN • With MAURICE SCHWARTZ • Story end Screen Play tty OeVAUO*
SCOII • Produced by SAM KATZMAN . Directed by WILUAM CASILC.
With Color Cartoon & News