+ EMERALD EDITORIALS +
Uninvited Guest
» Do you have a date with Fire for your
house dance this weekend ?
Fire may be your uninvited guest if proper
precautions have not been taken on the
, decorations.
A Eugene city ordinance requires that
all dance decorations except the floor cov
ering be flame proofed. The local fire de
partment has requested that all basic safe
ty precautions be taken and all exits
cleared.
And Saturday morning they'll check those
decorations. Those which don’t pass the in
spection may he removed. The firemen don’t
want to spend Saturday evening fighting a
campus equivalent of the Cocoanut Grove
fire of some years ago.
The fire prevention bureau has listed two
formulas, one for treating papers, one for
treating cloth, which may be used to fire
pr6of decorations. They have also recom
mended use of fireproof crepe paper.
Whether their recommendations are
carried out or not is up to the houses in
volved. They may find themselves without
decorations for their dance.
At any rate, let’s hope that fire and inade
quate fire precautions don’t break any dates
Saturday night. —(S.R.)
Just a Game?
Oregon students know little and care less
about the activities of student government.
An informal random sample of student
opinion taken by the Emerald and reported
in Tuesday’s paper indicated an appalling
ignorance of the affairs of student govern
ment on the part of Oregon students. Worse
yet. it indicated a general apathy.
True, the sample was of less than 50 stu
dents, but some assumptions can be drawn
from it.
The answers to the question, “Do you
believe that University of Oregon students
have an adequate voice in self-gorern
. ment?” were not startling. The answers
clearly showe^the existence of two schools
of thought on the subject: The “cynical”
group, or that which believes that student
government is a game or a puppet group
with no real power; and the “optimistic”
group, which believes that student govern
ment has the power to regulate student
activities and to assist in the formulation
of administrative policies which affect the
students.
The shocking element of the poll was that
13 persons declined to comment, presumably
because of ignorance of the subject, and sev
en more admitted that they did not know
enough about the subject to make any com
ment
Under an administration as liberal as Ore
gon’s, student government can be much more
than ja game.
Perhaps the strongest point of student
government at the University of Oregon is
the student-faculty committee system,
whereby students have an active voice in ad
ministrative matters which concern them.
•Through these committees, students take
an active part in the formulation of student
affairs policies, exercise authority in -disci
plinary matters, and take part in such activi
ties as the selection of University assembly
speakers. m
The ASUO senate, functioning in many
cases as an investigative body, has consist
ently fought for important campus issues.
The senate has kept the Millrace issue alive
over the years, it investigated last year’s
basketball “inquisition,” and it will soon
review the University athletic recognition
policy. The senate also sponsors, in con
junction with the University, such activi
ties as Dads’ day, Junior Weekend, and
Homecoming.
Another positive value of student govern
liient is tlie role it plays in developing leader
ship. .Many successful politicians got their
start in student government.
But in the long run. student government
can he no more than the students make it.
Through student government, the students
can make themselves heard if they will, and
through active participation in it, they can
make student government one of the most .
useful activities of their college careers and
much more than just a game.—(J.H.)
Still a Friend
Few students recognized him when he
appeared on campus; fewer knew him well
enough to speak to him. Yet, he played a
vital part in the development of the Univer
sity through the last quarter century.
He is William Tugman, late editor of the
Eugene Register-Guard, now editor-pub
lisher of the Port Umpqua Courier in
Reedsport.
Tugman’s .connection through the years
with the University was not of such a nature
that he could become well-known by the
students. True, he was a visiting lecturer in
journalism since 1946. but his real influence
was displayed through the editorial columns
of the Register-Guard.
Under Tugman’s editorship, the Register
Guard has been a consistent champion of the
University—not so much in opposition to
the claims of other educational institutions
throughout the state, but rather as a vital
member of the Eugene community. For Tug
man w as first of all a man of the community
and he realized the important part the Uni
versity plays in that community.
A chronological listing of the contribu
* tions Tugman made toward the University
. through his editorials is beyond the scope
of the present writer—and perhaps this
would not tell the real story of William
Tugman and the University anyway. It
is enough to point to his efforts during the
depression to maintain the University at
Eugene and his recent efforts in behalf of
Millrace restoration.
We’ve heard it said—since Tugman left
the Register-Guard—that the University has
lost a friend. We don't think so. For wher
ever he goes and in whatever capacity he
serves, the long-time Eugene editor will re
main an active supporter of the University.
We won't forget him—we're sure he won't
forgetjis.
A Day Like Wednesday
Almost every Emerald editor, at one time
or another, has probably written an editorial
about the weather. So far, we've resisted the
temptation.
But Wednesday morning- the sun was
shining too brightly, the air was too brisk
and invigorating, the sky too cloudless to
resist any longer (and besides there was an
empty space on the edit page). An editorial
on the weather was definitely in order.
What is it about the weather that can
so profoundly affect a student’s attitude
toward classes and studying?
On one of the gray, drizzling mornings
that confront us so often anytime between
October and April, it is almost sure torture
to drag off to class. Even the most stimu
lating lecturer can fail to cast a spell over
the depressed class. A trip to the library
through the rain becomes a dreaded excur
sion.
The trip up to campus and the walk over
to the library is sheer pleasure. But then
there is the temptation to quit it all—take
off for a long drive in the country, call up
a few friends to plan an out-of-season pic
nic.
Rain or shine—the weather is bound to
affect the student’s attitude toward his stud
ies. And on a day like Wednesday, studies
can definitely lose out to the weather.
A DAY AT THE ZOO
Education Turnabout
By Bob Funk
Em«r*l<l Columnit*
Onc*> upon a time there was'a
bunch of ol’ Indiana that lived
beside a'rippling branch In the
Far West and spent their time
drinking branch water laced with
algae out of tin cans. They were
actually DP Indians, having
slunk west after having suffered
a terrible defeat at the hands of
the Ules or the Ptules or the
Zutes or one of those tribes,
they never could remember.
Anyway, all they did was refill
their tin cans and sit around
rassling and swearing and barbe
cuing people like Marcus Whit
man, and col
lecting uncm
ploymentcom
pennation.
Their leader,
Chief Brave
,1 y- a a-the-f i
hrous-p u m a
g U t, decided,
after having
seen a movie
in San Fran
cisco about
what Indiana do, that his In
dians should scrounge up some
visible means of support. First
they drilled for oil. like the Okla
homa Indians, but that was too
much work for a naturally, in
herently, inborn, just plain cus
sediy lazy tribe.
At last, after everyone had
about decided Hint all means of
support which were visible were
too much work, Chief Bravely
suggested that they set up an
educational institution. The tribe
had not brushed frequently
against education, being com
posed mostly of self-made rnen;
but from what little experience
they had had, they knew that
education was a snap, if you
were on the teaching end of it.
You just talked all day, and then
had your evenings and summers
to pretend you were doing re
search.
A Founding of the Educational
Institution dance and branch
water luau was held in the H« ap
Big Medicine and Marshmallow
Bonfire Circle. Everyone received
honorary LLD and LLH degrees
so that the catalog might pre
sent the faculty as being learned
(Lillian Mud-in-the-Slough. LLD,
LLH, Branchwater Seminary,
1945; at Branchwater since 1945
and a long time before that, too i.
The new institution was chris
tened, with new tin cans full of
double shots of algae, Branch
water Seminary. And a few pros
elyting raids on neighboring
tribes drew a student body to
the campus.
Branchwater Seminary of
fered majors in Pioneer Bar
becuing, Hassling, Swearing,
Pot latches, Retreat from Bo
feat by Utes, Technique of be
ing Movie Extras, and for the
more creative, War Whoop
Union (a cinch A) and War
Paint Design (no grade).
For some years everything
went smoothly. Occasionally, the
students spent too much time
drinking branchwater with the
faculty; but in order to alleviate
this condition, a Code of Conduct
was composed, which in effect
made it all right for the students
to do anything except the things
the faculty could do. Student re
action to these rules was un
friendly. They had a student gov
ernment, but what was it against
tin' Cod* of Conduct? "Ugh,"
commented tin- Daily M m o k <•
Signal, a student publication.
"Hmmph," said the student body
president incisively. “Hoowah,"
said several campus leaders si
multaneously.
Chief Bravely, who had seen
another movie in Han Francisco
about how the student and facul
ty at some Technicolor institu
tion had worked together and
sung, as a finale, “It’s You Who
put ihe IJ into tiio "U," decided
that there ahould be more free
dom for students. He put them In
control of student funds, and per
mitted them to choose the J’m
neer Massacre Coach.
The students held u forum to
decide how their freedom was
coming along. They convinced
each other that things were t<-r
rlble. Their c o m m e n t s wen
printed. or rather smoked, by
the daily smoke signal. Ho Chief
Bravely. Who was spending a
great part of his time in Han
Francisco seeing movies, sent u
telegram telling the faculty to
go emeritus, and handing every
thing over to the students, pro
vided they stayed away from
Han Francisco.
The students took over ihe
seminary and awurded them
selves 1.1.Its and n few l.l.lts
so they would l>e qualified to
teaeh. Since there was no one
to uttend BruneIt water Sem
inary at this polut, the emeri
tus faculty decIdi-d to go lan k
to college sinee here was a
good chance to get some lioita
fide degrees in the courses
t hey hud previously been
teaching.
Things somehow did not work
out too well. The emeritus fac
ulty. now the student body,
stayed down at the branch drink
ing water late at night, and
slept through their 8 o'clock Sur
vey of American Drumlx-ats,
which was a required course. On
Friday afternoon. 65 per cent of
them skipped Torture Lab. They
had some idiotic idea that they
should be able to hire and fire
the War Dance Coach, like the
students at Cal did.
The new faculty m-nt an emer
gency smoke signal to old Chief
Bravely in San Francisco, but
he was seeing Cinerama for the
fiftieth time and refused to an
swer. ••Fellows," said the ex stu
dent body president, who was
now directing War Whoop Union,
"teaching is no fun."
"But w»e have so much free
dom." someone else said.
“What good Is freedom," some
one else (quite a crowd had gath
ered) said, "when you have it."
The only time freedom is good is
when yon have enough to com
plain about the government with
out getting scalped, and not
enough to be in a position to be
complained at."
And so the new faculty
I r.issed a resolution to hire
hark the old faculty, but the
old faculty, which was having
a forum entitled “How Free
Are We, Now Really,” was
hav ing too much fun being op
pressed to take up the offer.
As for old Chief Bravely, he
died eventually from whirling
around in his theater seat in San
Francisco after they invented
that new kind of Spinimascope
where the screen goes all uround
the room.
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initialed editorial, by mewb“° “(til” ^“ilor”!'J “,l wri"»“ *,y
JOE GARDNER. Editor
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DICK LEWIS, JACKIE WAKDELL, AilocUte Editor*