EMERALD EDITORIALS
'Race Restoration
As Wednesday’s deadline neared it looked
very much like the ASUO senate’s new mill
race committee was going to get the money
it needs to carry out a proposed engineering
study of the feasibility of restoring the Mill
race.
Chances look good for an eventual res
toration, better than they have since the
abandonment of the ’Race. Spurred by the
Canoe Fete, the committee realizes that it
can and must get action—that no amount
of talk and study will accomplish what ac
tion will.
The committee has already begun plans
for a temporary anchorage which would open
in the fall. The committee is scouring the
countryside for canoes to be used until such
time as the funds are available for the pur
chase of canoes.
The ultimate goal for the anchorage is for
a structure similar to the old one—where
students could dine, dance, and watch the
activities on the 'Race.
This is the right approach—do what can be
done right now while the study for the com
plete restoration is still just a plan. Where
this Millrace committee looks strong is the
point on which past ones have been weak
(and also at a disadvantage)—this commit
tee is taking the immediate available action,
but still working for long range goals.
Committees in the past have attended
numerous meetings, done a lot of talking,
heard and made numerous proposals, but
have been unable to get action. It must be
conceded to past committees, howevetr,
that they laid the groundwork for the pres
ent proposed study.
When the engineering study (if it is ap
proved) is completed—the committee plans
to take the proposals for the revitalized 'Race
to the alumni. Oregon’s alumni haven't held
or helped in a concerted fund raising drive
since the drive to build the Student Union.
Here’s the place where each of us can do
his part. We can talk to friends and alumni
of the University, and get interest in the
Millrace revived throughout the state.
We’ve got a fine committee at the head of
the stepped-up Millrace drive. For the first
time in years it begins to look like we
might get our Millrace back.
It'll be a long, hard fight, but the chances
for an ultimate victory look excellent.
Footnotes
Oregon State's juniors have held some
thing known as “Grubby Day,” the object of
which is to look as “grubby” as possible—
supposed to build class spirit or something.
Personally, we prefer Junior Weekend. It's
probably all in the point of view.
. * * *
We never thought that it could happen so
perfectly. He was walking down the side
walk from the Student Union and was care
fully staying out of 'range of the sprinkler.
He followed the sprinkling of water as it
moved ahead of him down the sidewalk. Un
fortunately he didn't see the sprinkler on the
other side of the walk whose torrent of water
was about to overtake him. It was beautiful.
THE FRATERNITY PROBLEM
Improvement of Their Own Lot
A Major Task for Fraternities
By Dick Lewis
Emerald Associate Editor
(Ed. Note: This article, the
first of two in a series, comes
after consultation .with mem
bers of the L’O administration,
after correspondence with Ind
iana university, and after the
author served for parts of two
years as IFC reporter. Lewis
is a Sigma Chi and has lived
under the fraternity system at
Willamette university as well
as at the UO.)
Ever try to rationally justify
a fraternity system? It's pretty
hard, especially at Oregon.
- Anti-intellectualism ranks as
the first criticism of fraternities
throughout the nation. Donald
DuShane, national scholarship
chairman for Phi Delta Theta,
admits frequent instances where
potentially superior students—
after joining a fraternity—have
made a below average college
academic record.
Look at the supposedly “top”
fraternities on our campus.
Their system of values usually
goes: athletics, activities, so
cial life. Scholarship follows
somewhere down the line, may
be.
Now I would be the last per
son to say scholarship is all
important at college. But it’s
pretty hard to justify an influ
ence that actually detracts from
scholarship.
Traditionally the “big value”
in fraternity living has been the
grooming, or shaping up process
that supposedly transforms the
country bumpkin into the smooth
fraternity man. This “value" is
rarely worth much at Oregon.
Ray Hawk, IFC adviser, re
ports that he has actually had
complaints from mothers that
fraternity living has untaught
their sons manners learned at
home. It’s a rare fraternity at
Oregon that gets a coat and tie
on its members onoe a week. Ad
mittedly fraternity men pay
some attention to grooming in
connection with dating. But most
men don’t learn enough to keep
from embarrassing themselves
when they go out to dinner.
Rush week is an irrational
thing. Like leading lambs to
slaughter. Fraternity men are
unleashed on the frosh after they
have been on campus little more
than a week.
The frosh are green, con
fused and in need of help. The
fraternity men are cold, cal
lous and intent on one thing—
sticking pledge pins on fresh
men.
Some fraternities on the Ore
gon campus still find it most
effective to get rushees drunk,
and then pledge them. Other fra
ternities prefer to hotbox their
victim, get him cornered in a
room with a half dozen actives
and high pressure him into
pledging.- Most fraternities play
it fairly straight rushing but all
in all fall term rush week at
the UO (as at most schools) is a
pretty negative operation.
The fraternity discrimination
clause is another point that
brings disfavor upon the system.
The worst thing about it is that
this anti-democratic edict gets
handed down from national head
quarters regardless of local feel
ings on the subject. Fraternities
the nation over are forced to
conform to the same archaic set
of prejudices that stagnate the
South.
Fraternities foster immatur
ity. Freshmen will raise whoo
pie no matter where they live.
But rarely do you find upper
class independents (some co
ops excepted) holding Hell
weeks, using hack paddles, and
staging public brawls of one
sort or another.
The reaction to the various
frowned-upon fraternity actives
(mentioned above) has been a
general trend to crack down,
limit and regulate fraternities.
As more and more university
housing becomes available, fra
ternities begin to fill a less and
less vital part of college. The
day that fraternities are no
longer needed and are forced to
stand on their own merits will
be the day of reckoning.
Evidence of the trend to take
responsibility from the fraterni
ties is clear at Oregon. One of
the big justifications for de
ferred freshman living was that
fraternities weren't providing a
satisfactory environment for
their freshman members and
pledges.
At OSC fraternities are being
required to take in housemothers.
This is a clear example of the
administration believing the fra
ternities can not take care of
themselves.
The discrimination issue is
becoming a real threat to fra
ternity existence. Many of
America’s leading universities
have already forced fraterni
ties to drop the clause or get
out.
And the general academic feel
ing towards fraternities is nega
tive. In fact DuShane ranks the
prejudicial attitude of college
faculty members as the number
one problem with which frater
nities must contend.
Complacency, in my opinion,
is the most basic ailment afflict
ing the Oregon fraternity sys
tem. The fraternities don’t seem
to realize there is a problem; or
that they could be better; they
seemingly have no tradition that
points the right way; in general
they just don’t seem to “give a
damn” about improving their
lot.
My attempt has been to point
up the problems and deficiencies
of the fraternity system in gen
eral with emphasis on Oregon.
Tomorrow, I will offer some
steps that might lead in the di
rection of a better, maybe even
a top fraternity system.
A DAY AT THE ZOO
Tomorrow The World,'
Quofh The Aged Senior
By Bob Funk
Emerald Columniit
He was thinking, aa they sat
Phi Belch sweat shirt to Quad
ruple Kta sweatshirt along the
river, that he had probably never
been on a picnic where he had
not sat on a rock or a stick or
something. He could have shifted
but that would only mean that
the Quadruple Eta would be sit
ting on the sharp something he
was sitting on; and he had a sort
of intuitive feeling that Quad
ruple Etas screamed when they
sat on sharp things.
"What are yon
going to do
when you get
out of school?"
she said in a
voice like the
voice she prob
ably used on
a rushee.
"I'm going to
become a pro
fessional blood
donor," he said.
sne wan not listening. I nave
type Z blood and it’s very valu
able since they transfuse it into
Zebras with Rh factors, and they
pay me $000 a dram for it.”
“I’ve always wanted to. too,"
she said, smiling brilliantly at
him.
"And what are you going to
do." he said. He decided to be
reciprocal about this; you ask
me a question, I ask you one.
happy-happy-happy.
She stared dramatically Into
the fire. "I'm thinking of going
to Europe," she said. "It Just
excite* me to think about being
over there eating—”
“Fried slugs,” he sai<!.
“Yes, and clftnbmg the Eiffel
tower—”
“And plummetingao the street”
he said.
"Well—" and instead of tell
ing him to go to hell like any
red-blooded girl would do she
smiled professionally and turn
ed to the gentleman who was
rubbing aginst her right shoul
der with his Tri-Flineh fra
ternity sweatshirt.
The Tri-Flinch people had been
obnoxious all evening. They had
sung several songs telling about
Tri-Flinch and how' keen it was
At Eta of Ohio chapter; and then
they had sung something about
being a Tri-Flinch until you
dropped dead, and then they had
been so excited she had thought
they were going to burst into the
initiaion ritual and take every
one in right there.
He was not a Tri-Flinch. He
was a Phi Belch, soon to be
someone who was asked to be
come a lifetime member (only
$100 and a lifetime subscription
to the Turtle’s Voice of Phi
Belch) and a person who propa
gated future pledges.
"How <lo yon about being
ii senior," she said.
"Thrilled.” he said. They were
saved from further conversation
by several songs one about
down by a river which had to
stop suddenly In the middle since
everyone remembered themselves
and then the sweetheart song
of Mu Mu, which went sort of
like:
" \h love, you are u tricky one;
I love you very truly.
Ton make me feel flred-tip and
i|ilite
Adrmallned and drooly.
But when you saw me, Klearn
ing eyes,
t ome subtly klssward drifting
Vou smiled eome-hllher-l-aiii
thine.
Then did some speedy shitting.
“So when I bent to kiss your
lips
>\lth eves closed; ach, alas.
Vou laughed a gut-split laugh
to see
Me warmly kiss the grass.
"But grass, alas, Is erass, my
love;
.'lay fate come to my rescue.
And give me something more
to love
I hull arras of fi'Hi uc."
All the Mu Mu'* gave each other
the grip He could not. fee ahy
brother Phi Belch around to give
the grip to: he thought of giving
the grip to the neighboring
(Quadruple Ftn, but refrained. He
had a feeling that apring-term
aenior girls probably felt that
anyone who even shook hands
with them should go to the altar
to make them honest women.
He sat there for a white longer,
thinking, this is a picnic have
fun, sparkle, get up and do
dances and things. But it wasn't
in him. Maybe, he thought, it s
the horrible spectre of the wide,
world ahead that is dampening
my spirits. Maybe I'm getting
old.
And so, he thought. end. the
last picnic (although he was se
cretly thinking, if you can think
secretly, about going on still an
other onei; I am not drunk. I
am not pursuing any giil madly,
and 1 am not trying to swim in
the river.
They began singing Coney In
land Babe. He always had trouble
with that one because he could
not remember whether it was
“Good-bye, my Coney Island,”
nr ‘‘Farewall, my Coney Island,’’
nr "So long, my Coney Island'';
or whether it was all three.
But this was, after all. prob
ably the lust lime hi- would
is* cast upon the horns of this
particular dilemma. And he
joined In, with morr-than
sprlng-term gusto, on the last
“Good-bye, my Coney Island
baaaaaaaobe!'*
‘'Tomorrow.” he said to the
girl beside him, "the world."
"I've always wanted to,” *he
Baid.
or'ec^or?
garuq
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