Oregon daily emerald., February 21, 1956, Page Two, Image 2

+ EMERALD EDITORIALS +
Until It Happens Here
Do we have to wait until it happens here?
Rack at MIT last week, an initiate of a
MIT fraternity was drowned during part
of his fraternity’s hazing procedure. He was
taken on a ride of considerable distance from
the campus, let out of the car and told to
make his own way back to the campus. Late
at night he made one request for a ride hack
from a farmhouse couple who turned him
down because of the late hour. Evidently he
then started walking back, ami mistook an
ice-coated reservoir for a field. His body
was found in the reservoir this weekend.
National officers of Delta Kappa Epsilon
took speedy action this weekend to forbid
any future hazing by members of their chap
ters. The Deke’s don’t have a chapter at Ore
gon. We wish now that they did, for the
example they would set.
We're afraid that the death of the Deke
pledge at MIT will be regarded as far re
moved from anything that could happen
here. After all, 3.000 miles is a long way
from Oregon, despite any psychological
proximity which may exist in the minds of
some fraternity members.
Actually, we are lucky that the death was
not that of an Oregon pledge. There is
nothing substantial in the line of all-fraterni
ty regulations to prevent it. The current
by-law of the Inter-fraternity council for
bids any form of initiation which subjects
the initiate to public ridicule or reflects dis
credit upon the fraternity system.
IFC is now considering a by-law which
opposes hazing and Hell Week, as it well
should. We don’t want any dead initiates
here, or ill ones, or ones who are at least
a week behind in their studies—all because
of initiation practices.—(S.R.)
All Hail the Women!
All hail the momen! By order of the vari
ous women’s organizations, which evidently
think that Oregon women need to be recog
nized, have proclaimed that this is women's
week.
Now this is all fine and good. In fact,
never underestimate the power of women
to get such things through the student af?
fairs committee and whatever other powers
that be.
Who else could get faculty members (in
cluding an acting dean, the head of a depart
ment, and two members of the office of
student affairs staff) to wear white jackets
and serve coffee to students? We must ad
mit that the faculty members involved are
pretty good joes, anyway.
Who else could get freshmen women ex
cused from the dormitories to attend a talk
on “The Woman’s Place?” Who else would
sponsor a panel called “The Marriage
Trap?”
Only the women. That they are a force
to be reckoned with is shown by the way
that the women’s organizations have united
this week. Under the general sponsorship of
the Associated Women Students, the
YWCA, the WRA, Mortar Board, Phi The
ta, Kwatna, and Heads of Houses are all
united to promote the cause of women.
And they must have a pretty good cause,
if the men were willing to pay $140 for their
company at the rate of a penny a minute
Saturday night.—(S.R.)
Ideals and Time Machines
If we had a time machine on campus, a
ten-year journey into the future would
startle you. For in just the small period of
a decade, the University’s enrollment will
be double. So will enrollment in all Amer
ican colleges and universities.
Historian Henry Steele Commager doesn’t
have any time machine, but he does
possess the perception of a {Treat scholar.
And he recently examined the problem of
expanding enrollments and emerged with
some thought provoking results,
Planners todav, Professor Commager has
concluded, are too much concerned with
hricks, not enough concerned with brains.
The bricks—additional plant facilities—can
he provided with relative ease in a nation
this prosperous. The brains — additional
teachers—are not so easily obtained.
Right now educational institutions aren t
turning out enough trained scholars to take
care of even current needs. Meantime, com
petition from research groups, foundations
and business swells. \\ hat are colleges and
universities going to do?
Professor Commager, in the New <>rk
Times Magazine, suggests a reconsidera
tion of the lecture system :
One very simple way to meet the short
age of teaching talent is to cut down on
the lectures and therewith reduce the num
ber of professors that lectures call for. From
the point of view of the student, the time
spent going to the lecture and preparing
course examinations can be more profitably
spent in the study or the library. From the
point of view of the scholar, the time spent
in preparing and delivering lectures, and
attending committee meetings can he more
profitably spent on conferences with stu
dents, or on study.
N’o naive dreamer, Professor Commager
knows such a sharp revision in the educa
tional pattern would be difficult. It would
“put a far larger responsibility upon the
students than we do now.” And it would
require the proper atmosphere—one which
naturally encourages academic endeavor and
discards the fringe activities. The public,
more than ever, would have to encourage an
academic atmosphere.
Students, under >uch a system, would be
given comprehensive examination after their
third or fourth year.
The public, under the Commftger plan,
“would have to show that it prizes anti
rewards things of the mind and spirit.”
Perhaps it may sound utopian to some,
but Professor Gotnmager’s idea of a univer
sity sounds perfect. To those who view it as
impractical or over-idealistic, we might point
out that the idea of any growing, inquiring
and stimulating academic community i» an
ideal.
And the effectiveness of education de
pends upon how near our universities come
to the ideal.—The University of North Caro
lian Daily Tar Heel.
Footnotes
It must have been a twinge of conscience,
Millrace >pirit or something. The chairman
of the Canoe Fete, also a member of the
Millrace committee and the president of a
Millrace house, technically qualified for Tree
admission to the Millrace benefit dance Sat
urday night. Challenged for a contribution,
he donated a dollar for the Millrace.
* * * *
We couldn't help but notice the absence
of two personalities at the Senior Millrace
benefit dance Saturday night. Missing were
the chairman of last year’s Canoe Fete and
the chairman of the current ASUO Millrace
committee.
* * * *
We have it on the reliable authority of
our research assistant at Fort Ord: some
where there is coffee like that served at the
Student Union—at Fort Ord.
The Daily E
... to Sigma Chi, Tail Kappa Epsilon and
Phi Delta Theta for their recent community
projects in a program to replace “Hell
Week” activities with helpful activities.
Forewarning
"Now don't worry uhout thioo* <-liapt<*r» wr'v#* nJJ|ijn-tl, «•!»
I IN«* r«vcri*d thrm iiil<<|iiuti-ly In ihr final."
Letters to the Editor
Kmeruld Editor:
I have seen your editorial of
Januaiy 30, in which you criti
cize my masons for preferring
the Democratically - sponsored
Kelley school construction hill
to th•*t proposed by the Kls<*n
howt r administration. As you
correctly state, the Kelley bill
would provide $15,432.3114 for
Oregon schools in four years, as
against $11,600,000 in five years
under the administration bill.
You then leap to the conclusion
that I "took one look at these
two figures and started yelling
that 'we wuz robbed’."
Now I appreciate the credit
you give nie for standing up for
the interests of the state I rep
resent, but I would like to cor
rect your mistaken suggestion
that my reaction is quite that
automatic.
The fact is that 1 have two
separate criticisms of the ad
ministration program, the first
of whic h is that it is too small
in total grants. The Kelley
proposal of $400,000,000 for
four years will simply come far
closer to doing an adequate Job
than the administration’s $250,
000,000 for five years. Thus,
Mr. Rex Putnam, Oregon's sup
erintendent of public instruc
tion, has written me: “I feel
that the Kelley mill will more
nearly meet the needs in this
area so far as Oregon and most
other states are concerned and
I am glad to learn that you are
supporting it.’*
As for the formula for distri
bution, the declining federal tax
collections in Oregon in recent
years is one, but not the only,
evidence that Oregon is a long
way from as wealthy a state
as the administration formula
would have it. For one thing,
our wealth comes largely from
th«* Hal<* and ”ex|>orl'' of our
chief natural roiourct limb*:
at a faster rati- than we ran
replace it. Our unquestioned
hui’cih in maintaining a goo<l
school system has tH*en paid for
with Mime of th<* highest slate
and local tax rate* in th»- nation.
You agree with the administra
tion that our good school sys
tems should bar Oregon from
receiving a proportionate shaie
of the Federal program; y**t, in
the words of your fellow Ka
gene newspaper, the Hegi-ter
Ouard: "I* it fair for the state*
which have done n commendable
job. such as Oregon, to pay for
the needs in states which have
not met their responsibilities ?"
I think the answer is no. not
lieyond the degree to which even
th<* > hool population" formula
already redistributes Federal
tux revenues from the wealthier
to the poorer states. This is .an
other factor which you might
have mentioned in your edi
torial, before charging that I
arn "trying to play polltlcH'' by
"going to bat for more money
for home.''
Let us recognize that there is
room for legitimate disagree
ment over the beat formula for
matching the states' Federal tax
contributions to school-con
struction needs. While I think
it dogs not go far enough, the
administrations election-year
proposal for aid to schools is so
far bi-iin than its worthless
"bankers' bill” last year, that
I hope to be able to support
some adequate school-construc
tion bill this year. Do you re
member the 1954 campaign In
which I was criticized by the
Republicans for my support of
the basic principle of federal aid
to education ?
Richard I,. Neuberger
I'nited Slates Senator
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UORDOX K1CE, Editor__ JqA>TkaINVYiXE. Husineis Mi nager
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J AM VAHEY, Managing Editor Co-Advertising Manager*
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