+ EMERALD EDITORIALS +
The Right idea
Phi Theta Upsilon, junior women’s serv
ice honorary, has taken what may be the
first step in removing the numerous "busy
work” projects that have plagued campus
honoraries for years.
The Phi Theta’s have appointed a com
mittee to study possible revision of their
constitution to remove some of the many
projects that Phi Theta's have traditionally
handled.
This we feel is a step in the right di
rection. We have long expressed the opin
ion that honoraries should be honorary
only. We’ve never been able to under
stand why the busiest women on campus
should spend even more time working on
honorary projects.
There will be opposition to Phi Theta’s
action should they revise their constitution.
Any change in an established custom or
tradition brings plenty of opposition.
But we hope the revision takes place and
we'd like to see some of the rest of the
many campus honoraries follow suit. Druids
and Friars have the right idea. Let’s see
Phi Theta join them. — (J.W.R.)
Hell Week Evaluation
This editorial is dedicated to those of you
who have just come through Hell Week.
Chances are you’re doing your best to catch
up on your studies and you’re still a little
bruised and tired. But quite likely you’re
already looking back on Hell Week as
something fun and exciting—and waiting
till next time when you’ll be dishing it out.
Let’s try to be frank and realistic and
size up this thing called Hell Week for
good and for bad. The supporters of Hell
Week say this:
1. It’s a tradition and the pledges look for
ward to it. So what? Some people look for
ward to war, but that doesn’t make it good
in itself.
2. The initiates become more unified with
each other and with the fraternity. You'll
have to judge this argument by your own
experience. But even if it is true, woudn't
most any group experience where pledges
live and work together for a week produce
these results?
3. The physical and mental pressure on
the pledge breaks him down-, makes him
humble. Do you really want to do this? It
would seem by the time a man is ready for
initiation, the fraternity would know- if they
wanted him. So why try to break him.
4. It’s fun. Possibly; the question is; Does
the fun balance off the other part?
5. And probably the most honest rea
son: “I had to do it and, by gar, the next
guy’s going to have to do it, too.”
Objections to Hell Week look like this:
1. It’s physically punishing—especially
when the hack paddle is used. Think care
fully, does this punishment serve any good
purpose?
2. Tremendous physical energy is exerted
for nothing. Think of how much construc
tive good all that energy could do.
3. At its best horse play appeals to the
basest and most juvenile instincts of col
lege men; at its worst it can be dirty and
disgusting.
4. It’s ruinous to the grades. Most ini
tiations seem to coincide with six weeks
tests. To borderline cases that just barely
made their grades the first time this can
be fatal.
5. It can’t be explained to someone who
hasn’t gone through it. This is the clincher.
Try to convince a mature adult that hack
' ing, horse play, no sleep and lack of study
time is something to be desired in a fra
ternity system.
This last point is important because most
people haven’t gone through Hell Week
and can’t sympathize with it. As the United
States becomes more and more social
minded, there is less and less tolerance for
outdated traditions such as fraternity Hell
Week. *
This is important because fraternities are
rapidly becoming expendable. Kverv time a
university builds a dormitory, there's that
much less need for the housing supplied by
fraternities.
No doubt fraternity living can be super
ior to dormitory living, but fraternities have
got to stop living in the past and start their
good side.
So there’s Hell Week for good or for
bad. Think it over, you new initiates. Is
the doubtful pleasure of Hell Week worth
the certain harm to the fraternity system ?
This editorial was not written so much
against Hell Week as it is for the fraternity
system. Think, reason, and come up with
something that will replace Hell Week and
credit the fraternity system. — (D.L.)
The Last Day
So this is how it ends! Two and a half
years on the Kmerald staff, being a part of
every edition on the campus daily. And then
comes the last day, and Monday you will
no longer be a part of the paper.
What do you think of, as you take that
last, long look around the familiar shack?
It’s empty now, and you are alone in the
editor’s office. (It's always empty earlv in
the morning when you write the editorials
—that's the only time you can really get
anything done.)
Perhaps you think of that first day you
applied for work on the Emerald—ages
ago, it seems. You were a rather bewildered
sophomore, transfer from a smaller college,
and the University of Oregon was a strange
place. Would there be any chance of work
ing on the Emerald?
There was a chance, and you spent all
that first fall, pounding a reporter’s
“beat”—Fenton and Johnson and other
then strange buildings that now are fa
miliar as the door to your own home. You
wrote headlines in the uncomfortable
quonset hut, drafty in winter, oppressively
warm in spring. You read proofs late at
night over at the old University Press.
And then Your Name was on the mast
head, and you were a part of the Emerald.
A part of every edition. A part of every
paper for two and a half years. And this is
how it ends.
Xo goodbyes; that would embarass you.
Xo regrets; you haven’t had time for any.
If they ever come (and you doubt they will)
that will have to be later, when there is time.
There have been a lot of disappointments
in two and a half years, a lot of let-downs.
Always are in this newspaper business. Hut
there has also been a lot of fun to counter
balance anything on the bad side.
You’ve made a good many friends in two
and a half years, and no real enemies (you
hope). Real teamwork is needed to make
any campus paper a success, and you’ve
had that teamwork, that cooperation from
everyone on the staff.
A great big chunk of your life has gone
into the Emerald in two and a half years.
And that’s what you’ll remember about
the University of Oregon. Not the rallies,
or house dances, or term papers, or exam
weeks—but the Emerald.
Your last day on the Emerald, and you
finish this last editorial. And the Emerald
“belongs” to someone else now—you wish
him luck.
There’s no one here to notice you walk
out the door the last time. And that's exact
ly as it should be, because this is how it
ends.
Footnotes
Convertible tops—rolled down Sunday for
the out-of-season weather—have put in a
sudden reappearance to meet the present
cold snap.
INTERPRETING THE NEWS
Red China Issue
Seen As Deterrent
By J. M. KOBKKTS
Associated Press Ni'hh Analyst
There are occasions when the
American political system, which
frequently requires the execu
tive branch to be more specific
about its intentions than is good
for its relations with other coun
tries, actually produces infor
mation of benefit to an enemy.
One of the things the Eisen
hower administration has been
trying to do is retain its flexi
bility in dealing with the Far
Eastern situation. It is trying
to go as far as necessary In
warning the Chinese Keda with
out tying itself to too many
automatic actions in the future.
This time, however, the cause
of eventual lessening of the ten
sion over Formosa may be served
by the Senate debate which
forced clarification of the pre
ventive war issue.
Ked propaganda has Item
playing that angle, trying to
make it appear the I’nlted
States, instead of merely in
tending to defend Kormoau, Is
preparing warlike positions.
This occurred before the sub
ject was raised in the senate.
The explanation that no such
idea is entertained -even that
retaliation against the Chinese
mainland is still not to be an
automatic reaction by field com
manders but remains strictly un
der presidential authority was
needed.
It would have been better, of
course, for the cause of a unified
front, if the doubtful senators
could have gained publication of
the information without flint
making it a point of open attack.
There has never been any
great danger that f'hlang Kai
Shek or Hyngman Khee, or
taith, would draw the t'nlted
Staten into war against her
will. They are too dependent,
and even their eomblned forced
would soon stop rolling if they
sent them ngalnat the Med*
without prior guarantees that
the I'nlted Staten would hack
them up.
One of the major point* in the
present American position, how
ever, in that Formosa and South
Korea do have forces in being
which, if the Reds make a break
demanding American interven*
tion, could make important con
tributions.
The British government’s sup
port of the American stand,
though not without strong oppo
sition in Parliament, also is high
ly important to the new position.
Although there is no commit
ment for any participation, the
end of long-time British toler
ance of Red China’s actions
would add considerably to the
deterring power of the Kisen
hower program.
Today's Staff
Makeup Kditor Dorothy Her.
News Desk Bob Robinson and
Jerry Harrell.
Copy Desk Kathy Morrison
and Robbye Harris.
Night Staff Moilic Monroe
and Mary McCroskey.
G rant-in- Aid
“Vou can’t flunk me—I’ve got a CONTRACT.”
The Oregon Daily V.
examination and \acatibfi
Entered a* aerond rhnm
Rcliool year; $2 a term.
tnrrald la publjahed live .lava a week during the arhnol year rare,it
iwnode, by ilm Student FuliU.ailuaa ll..«r.l of the Univrr.il> Oregon,
matter at the po«t office. Kugene, Oregon. Subacrlpllon late. : IS |,rr
“f «>« *»d do not pretend to repre.
“ lie opinion, of the ASUO or the Urturmlty. Unalgtird edit.,rial, ate untie,■ by the editors
initialed editorial* by member* of the editorial board. y *
JOE GARDNER, Editor
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JEgKY HARW[gLLvN«w» Editot__ 1X >kIXJN KICK. Sport* K.l.tor
tSSa4Jr£S^Jmr IIarreii’ ***■■ 5® fcfer—
■ .nier uesk Editor: Sally Kyan
Chief Makeup Editor; Sam Vahey
Feature Editor: Dorothy Her
Ass’t. Managing Editor: Anne Ritchey
Ass t News Editors: Mary Alice Allen,
Carol Craig, Sam Frear, Anne Hill, Hob
Kobinson
Chief Night Editor: Valerie Hersh
Ass’t. Sports Editor: Buzz Nelson
Photography Editor: Dale Turner
M.ln.iKc r: Hill Mainwari’ng "
Nat I. Adv. Mgr.: Mary Salazar
( ireulation Mar.: Rick Hayden
Ass't. Office Mar.: Marge Harmon
Layout Manager: (tick Koe
< lassified Adv,: Helen R. Johnson
Morgue Editor: Kathleen Morrison
Womans Page Co-editors: Sally J«
Marcia Mauney
Greig,