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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 30, 1958)
Daily ^EMERALD Campus Changes Tlie State Board of Higher Education Monday approved the final plans for the completing the University's new $1,300,000 dormitory project—so far named after the late George Rebec. The official go-ahead for the final half of the ten-unit dormitory points up vividly some of the campus changes we’ve noticed in a seemingly-short four-year period. When we arrived at the University, John Straub Hall living units were the most de sirable residence quarters. Only the year before men had lived in Susan Campbell Covering the present Rebec—dorm, not house—area were fourteen tennis courts. The foundations of Virgil Earl Hall were a maze of mud. The present architecture building was a hacienda-like affair minus its modern touch es so obvious today. And our own Eric W. Allen Hall had just opened its doors to The Emerald, fresh from a quonset hut. Where next? Within the next four-year period, this year's freshmen might see a fully-restored Millrace. perhaps a new men's pool and undoubtedly the beginnings of more dormitory facilities—with the atten dant problems of naming them. The campus can, it appears, expand only in limited areas. Perhaps the strip of land east of the physical plant, perhaps the pres ent Veteran's Dormitory site, or perhaps someday even across the cemetery area near McArthur Court will be utilized. The University has a problem of where to expand which does not face our northern neighbors at Corvallis. Oregon’s campus at present is something under ,200 acres in size, while Oregon State College, being a land-granting institution, boasts a campus of about 4,000 acres. Noting the World War Two “baby boom-’ now in the secondary schools, we can visualize a University community num bering 10,000 students or more within the next few years. Then the changes on cam pus will come at an accelerated rate. We can hope that, along with the changes and expansion of campus facilities, changes, in line with those presently being imple mented, will continue to raise the Uni versity’s academic standing and value. Hall. College Benefit One of the benefits of college which can not be measured in terms of money (ex cept insofar as time is money) are the many valuable lectures and concerts which are available to students. The mere presen tation of a student body card will, for example admit students to concerts spon sored by the University-Eugene Civic Music Association. Cultural interludes, of the quality pre sented by these organizations would re quire a considerable financial outlay outside the University. Tonight, the Civic Music Association will present (»eza Anda, a Hungarian-born pianist. Anda had earned world-wide ac claim from music critics before his United States concert debut in the 1955-56 season. Two hours spent at such a concert would be well worth the two hours of study or coffee time sacrificed. Gotta Keep Movin’ Transportation problems of literally all sizes and shapes are really choking news paper front pages these days, despite in roads by national defense issues and movie star weddings. On the space scene, the Army is -till fighting weather, bureaucracy and science in an attempt to launch a space satellite via a Jupiter four-stage rocket. In Portland, the city council has been going round and round with the Rose City Transit company on proposed increases 'in city bus fare rates. And the newest free way extension on Portland’s eastside has caused a remarkable traffic jam for hun dreds of autos fighting for a spot on the one ramp. Even in Eugene, gasoline dealers are girding their franchises for the latest gaso line war—though this is not likely to la-t longer than it takes college students to find the lowest petrol supplier. And to stretch the point, even the dry zone issue has involved trasportation—in determining how far University students will have to drive, walk, stagger or crawl for their favorite pause that refreshes. Our Chortle mporariei Lower the Boom and Raise the Standards ir.uiiors r*oie: on dan. 11, The Emerald editorially com mented, in “Harsh Words,” on an Associated Press report of a University of Colorado fac ulty meeting at which Walter Orr Roberts, director of the UC high altitude observatory, criticized modern institutions of higher education. We noted at the time that our colleagues on the Colorado Daily would have some words of comment. The following editorial by Ed Kahn is reprinted from the Colorado Daily, Jan. 17) Walter Orr Roberts hit the nail right on the head when he called for tougher requirements ana tougner courses at the Uni versity. As a state institution, we have too long been plagued with the notion that just about anyone, whether intellectually equipped or not, can and should pursue study towards the bachelor’s degree in Boulder. A direct result of that philosophy has been the creation of ‘‘dumb bell” English and mathematics courses, designed to lift scholas tic pygmies over the hurdle of basic knowledge. While the high schools have been guilty of not pushing stu dents hard enough, the colleges have been satisfied to accept the Oregon Daily Emerald The Oregon Daily Emerald is published four times in September and five days a week during the school year, except during examination and vacation periods, by the Student Publications Board of the University of Oregon. Entered as second class matter at the post office, Eugene, Oregon. Subscription rates: $5 per year, $2 per term. Opinions expressed on the editorial page are those of The Emerald and do not pretend to represent the opinion of the ASUO or the University. ALLEN JOHNSON, Editor CARY CAPPS, Business Manager WILLIAM COOK, Editorial Page Editor PHIL HAGER, Managing Editor GLEN GRAVES, Advertising Manager JERRY RAMSEY, JACK WILSON, Associate Editors PEPPER ALLEN, News Editor BOB MULLIN, Sports Editor JOANNE MILLIGAN, Ass’t Business Manager Editorial Board: AJlen Johnson, William Cook, Phil Hager, Pepper Allen, Bob Mullin, Jerry Ramsey, Jack Wilson. Day Editors: Wally Slocum, John Lengel, Don Jepsen, A1 Reynolds, Evie Olsen. Night Editors: Jerry Ramsey, Mike Forrester, Pat Treec, Barbara mediocre specimens oispatcneu from the secondary schools. A significant step in the attempt to raise standards in education would be the tightening of en trance requirements. Both the University of Denver and Colo rado College have announced that they will use College En trance exams to select their freshmen. There is no reason why the University should not follow suit. Just as we tighten standards for entrance to the Univer sity, we should take steps to strengthen the curriculum and throw away those courses that are unnecessary. Such courses as social dancing, outing activi ties, remedial reading, remedial composition and refresher course in mathematics (all found in the College of Arts and Sciences bulletin) have no place in an institution of higher learning. But, as Professor Roberts points out, a major responsi bility remains with the teacher. Just as we must scrap “snap” and remedial courses, so we must also begin to toughen our remaining courses and key our education to the “egghead” raher than the “deadhead.” Try Fencing L -■ '■ ■ ■ •Well.ye*, youk enrollmentcardDOES say •HOMfMAKlKkaf-BUT I'M AFRAID-— * CL,rL WitcU more Campus Service Honoraries Should be Re-evaluated To honorize, according to Webster . . . well, maybe It's just my dictionary that doesn't have the word. But whether Webster knows about it or not, there is a group in the hierarchy of student gov ernment that would seek to "honorize" the campus honor t* him* or whitc-.sweatered individual* who wander about the campus every Wednesday. Now when it eomes time to honorize to make honorable, I suppose the honorartes, there’s one immediate idea brought to mind: abolish them and start over. (This even to some who have been honored by mem bership in all of them the ‘‘triple crown" of University student activity participation). And with a little considera tion of the renovation task In volved in making these organi zations honorable, this might seem the best out. But the re formers’ idea is to make them honorable within their existing frameworks, and this presents quite an interesting problem. I asked several of the more prominent members of the sweater groups just why they thought their colleagues had in vested their time in student ac tivities in the first place which is supposedly the principle cri terion for selection. ‘‘Well, some of the kinds do it for their own glory, I sup pose,” commented one, “and others are pushed into it by their houses, but I think that most of them started into ac tivities just for something to do and because they’re fun.” The other replies were simi lar. * * » And this checks out with my own observations. In all these blue and white illusions of honor (for the reformers admit to a need for transfusions of original meaning into the word) there is extremely little consideration of values represented by mem bership in the group. Spare-time occupation may be construed by some as a value, but not when it reaches the frenzy necessary for admission to sweat erdom. The real valtu-s, according to the University catalog that brought me here, are "formation of habits'* which develop the Individual's "lead ership and civic responsibility" and one I would add called "service." But the first value seems to be diminishing Activities lead ing to the first honorary seem to incite only the realre fur piling the necessary pyramid of titles to get into the next one, and so on until the weary senior status is reached. Then, honor ed and consequently honorable, the Pilgrim looks down his trail up to the shrine and comments on how "invaluable" the climb has been. lie possibly has learned some thing about organization and direction of a committee; he probably has saved himself many boring afternoons arid evenings of drinking coffee with his comrades (or attending ••lass); he undoubtedly has brought glory to his li\ing or ganization. • • • And service? Well, maybe it’s just my dictionary of hon oraries and activities that doesn't have the word. But for people who think in terms of the blue and white clans as "tfervice" . honoraries, these groups have amazing little fa miliarity with the term. There’s more to being hon ored than getting your squeal of delight in on cue at the tap ping ceremony and pulling on a sweater next year. You buy the sweater and emblem, of course, and more than likely you fork over Initiation and dues money—which varies in relation to how much your group can go out and earn that year. And that is the service angle. It's not just that you’re help ing people—serving—in usher ing at concerts or proctorlng at tests or dishing up potato salad. You’re actually not sup posed to Ins doing that at all, or thinking about it anyway; you’re working like blue and white devils (well, that too varies with how honorable you consider yourself) for money so that your group can give its share to scholarship money. I don’t need to go into the question of student-raised schol-^ (Continued on page 3)
