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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 11, 1955)
+ EMERALD EDITORIALS + Military Ball In 1953 the student affairs commitee threw out the Military Ball for three reason*: 1. Winter term social calendar was ex tremely crowded. 2. Military Ball had a record of losses ($250 last dance). 3. The committee felt there were too many similar social events. But the student affairs committee only rules on all-campus dances, so this year, the Military Ball is back in the ring dis-* guised as a departmental dance (It’s com pared to the Beaux Arts Ball). How all campus can you get? More than 1000 Ore gon males are enrolled in the ROTC pro gram. Add 1000 dates and you’ve got, po tentially, one of the biggest dances of the year. We can see no justification for re-intro ducing this social corpse. The situation has not changed. The Oregon social cal endar is still overcrowded; there are still too many dances winter term, and for all practical purposes, this is still an all cam pus dance. The only difference is that the Scabbard and Blade and the Air Command Squad would get stuck for any deficit in stead of the student body. It is our guess that had the military real ized the difficulties involved, they would never have attempted to re-introduce this dance. Sure, it’s easy to vision enthusiastic ally a lovely, beaming Little Colonel march ing misty-eyed beneath a gleaming array of crossed sabers; it’s pleasant to contemplate a “visiting dignitary” making presentations in an impressive ballroom draped with color ful bunting and bedecked of military insig nia. It's a pretty picture, but who’s going to build the palace? The men. The same men who have been running themselves frazzled through an activity-choked winter term. The same men who, on the last free weekend be fore finals, would probably like to be clean ing up their outside assignments in prepar ation for the big push. These are the men who are going to be asked to fill in the ranks on the ticket, band, chaperone, program, entertainment, clean up, decoration and Little Colonel selection committees. - And then there’s the big question—How are you going to get people to the dance once it is organized? The military says a good’promotion job will solve this problem. Well, it’s going to take an awful good promotion job to sell this campus on an other dance. This is the campus that has already, winter term, been wooed by the Senior Ball, the Heart Hop, the Frosh Sno-ball, a Lemon-Orange Squeeze, Fish bowl mixers most every Friday night, plus three or four weekends of house dances. At Dartmouth they have an all-military beer bust. This you might sell, but another dance? But don't just take our word for it. We suggest the military poll its students. See how they feel toward a Military Ball on the last free weekend of the term in light of the work it involves, the money it will cost and the time it will take. It’s not a pleasant task to give up some thing after starting it. We ask the military to seriously weigh the good and the bad aspects of the propo:-ed Military Ball. We ask them to give up the Ball for the positive good of this campus.—(D.L.) Letters to the Editor i! m Clarification Emerald Editor: As president of the University of Oregon chapter of the NAACP, I wish to clarify cer tain points regarding your front page story of last Friday which described a panel discussion at a public meeting sponsored by this organization last Thursday even ing, and, by doing so, clear up any misconceptions that may hav^ arisen from this report of the forum. The incompleteness and in accuracies of the report that was printed tended to distort it in the interests of sensation alism to a degree that reflects unjustly on the members of the panel and on our organiza tion which sponsored it. I call attention to the following points: 1. The headline, “Panel Blasts UO Activities,” was not only in flamatory in the worst tradition of journalism, but it was abso lutely false. The facts, which I should be glad to have checked by the panel members and a poll of those attending, are these: First of all, the subject of the discussion was “The Role of the American University in Making Democracy Work.” There was criticism of American colleges in general on the part of Mr. Bisno on the grounds that prevailing tendencies are to restrict stu dent freedoms and exert more paternalistic controls than is compatible with education for democracy. However, he specif ically stated that he was not re ferring to the University of Ore gon, and none of his examples were taken from this university. He gave examples from the Uni versity of Wisconsin and the Uni versity of California where he has been a student. However, in the question period, Mr. DuShane took ex ception to the exclusion from the University of Oregon from the discussion and stated that in regard to the criticisms of American colleges, with which he expressed general agree ment, the University of Oregon ranks well toward the ideal end of a scale of student free dom and self government. He cited examples to support this position. Mr. Bisno did not disagree with this, but asked two questions: (1) Granting the forms of stu dent government and student membership on faculty commit tees, do students in fact exercise these rights or are they over awed by the faculty and adminis trative members? It must be re membered that this question, again, was directed at universi ties in general and not toward the University of Oregon. Mr. DuShane believed that they did, indeed exercise their rights. (2) To what extent do student groups have the right to organ ize and be recognized on this campus even though they might represent unpopular ideologies. “For example,’’ he said, “Do you believe the present Student Af fairs committee would recognize a branch of ‘The Associated An archists of the World.’ (a purely hypothetical organization) or a union of student workers seek ing to bargain collectively?" Mr. DuShane believed that it would. Mr. Tope pointed out that the NAACP, itself, had been recog nized on this campus only after faculty action to overrule the Student Affairs committee. 2. The characterization of the discussion as “heated” is, in my judgment, an exaggeration. I be lieve that it was amicable and rational throughout and that tempers did not flare nor tem peratures rise. That there were differing points of view ex pressed and direct questions and response among panel members rather than merely formal speeches made the discussion lively and interesting. I believe IB the term “heated" was as un justified as the "Blasts UO Ac tivities" in the headline. 3. In the interests of develop ing a “heated" controversy be tween Mr. Bisno and Mr. Du Shane, the very significant con tribution to the panel by Mr. Tope was completely ignored by the Emerald. 4. The final paragraph furn ishes an example of the unjust distortion which appeared in the Emerald article: “Bisno, however, despite DuShane’s de fenses, felt, etc.” The implica tion that Mr. Bisno had “blasted” at the University of Oregon and that Mr. DnShane stoutly defended it Is implied in this wording. It Is, however, a false inference, as the above material indicates, (point one). Actually Mr. Bisno said cer tain things are characteristic of American universities and colleges. Mr. DuShane was saying that this doesn’t apply to the University of Oregon and that we are better than most colleges and universities so far as the practice of dem occracy is concerned. I think the panel discussion was an intelligent, honest dis cussion on a high intellectual plane of a very important topic. It was in no sense an ill-temp ered exchange of accusation and defense, as your story implies. The discussion was not of this university, but of universities generally. The University of Ore gon was brought into the discus sion only during the question period and I believe what was said about it on the part of the panel members supported the po sition that though we, like others, are not ideal, we are freer than many universities of the characteristics which Were criti cized as not conducive to educa tion for democracy. Lawrence T. Schwartz President, Oregon Chapter, NAACP Comedy Team Scores In Current Hit Film By L«n Calvert Emerald Columnist The “don’t pronounce it, sec it” movie has finally come to Eugene with enough laughs to make even the soberest persbn smile. I’Pl^fft,” the sound of a mar riage breaking up and trying to pull Itself back together, ex ploded across the Heillg screen in a burst of laughter Saturday night. Judy Holliday has once more proved that as a comedienne she's one of the screen’s all-time greats. As the wife who got a di vorce and then decided she didn’t want it after all, Miss Holliday gives one of the top perform ances of her career. "t’hffft" may also prove that the team of Holliday anil Lemmon, her long-suffering husband In this vehicle, are here to stay with American movie-goers. Lemmon morr than holds his own aguinnt the Comedy Queen. Over and above the fine per formances turned in by the "Phffft” cast shines the sharp dialogue from the pen of George SI Letters.•• ■ •. • to the Editor j ■1 s Misrepresented Lmerald Editor: The meeting which was held last January 5, to study the pos sibility of a campus literary magazine was formed merely for organizational purposes. Mater ial foe the magazine was dis cussed, however, nothing was suggested to be presented to the publications board as the Emer ald apparently believed. This led to an editorial last Friday which was a poor representation of the material we have so far accum ulated pertaining to our project. Elliot Carlson Anion Milken — -.a,_ Axelrod, author of the current” * Broadway success and soon-to be-movte "The Seven Year Iteh." HIk many well-turned phrases said at Just the right momenta” * are glittering apota in the cellu- ' loid epic. ‘ * We particularly enjoyed his lines satirizing Reno divorce*, j Of particular note waa hia Ne vada lawyer who tells Mias Holli day that "I ulwaya cry at di vorces.'’ Old atand-by Jack Carson also, appears mugging hia way through as a middle-aged wolf who prefers girls young enough to be his daughter. Instead of his usual repulsive self, Carson turns in a good Job in this picture Newcomer Kirn Novajt, one of’ the hottest things in the movies, is also there displaying her wares. In "Phffft," her second movie, Mian Novakt plays the part Of an affectionate college, age girl. Some of the funniest scenes In the movie are when Lemmon tries to make love to Miss Novak without enjoying it. Another outstanding scene ! In the crazy matnbo which | Miss Holliday and Lemmon do. The scene is one of the funni est dance sequences we have seen in recent movies. ‘T'hffft" stacks up as one of ■ the top-ranking comedies of re*, cent time. A thoroughly enjoy- . able movie, the sharp dialogue^ an<l good acting add up to a well-spent two hours. This is the season that every-, one is picking their "ten l><--t movies" for 1954. We happened, to sec the New York Times se lection the other day and thought, them worth repeating. On the; "best" list of the Times w< such films as "The Glenn Miller - •Story,” “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," "Genevieve," "Romeo and Juliet," "On the Water front," “Country Girl" and* "Knock on Wood." Sense of Importance “He told me he watt guard for the teuin—do you HUppo*e he meant the equipment?” or,ec)ot7p “iPiECOLO Tho Oregon Daily Emerald ia published five day. . week during the .cl.I ynn .-x. -ft V‘—’n “ Ta ,on I'V th« Student Publication. n.mr.l „( the University .,1 Oi tntercl a. second ela.a matte, .1 the po.t oil,,,, Eugene, Oregon. Sub..-option rain: IS school year; 92 a term. Opinion. cilj>rc»»ed on tho editorial page. are tho.e of the writer and .ent the opinion, of the ASUO or the Univer.ity, Un.igned cdito.ial. initialed editorial, by niemhera of the ediloiial hoard. per lo not pretend to repra* , are written hy ti,e editor; JOE GAKONER, Editor_ _PICK LEWIS, JACKIE _ JEAN SANDINE, Uusinctait Mutiager \VA RlJKl.l., Agfociatc- Editors
