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