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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 14, 1959)
Ttcinpa Bttfy EMERALD "Building a Belter University" To the Gods (Note: Laugh if you will at the editorial which follows, but the one Junior Weekend The Emerald did not run the “Letter to the Gods,” it rained. So not wanting to arouse the wrath of the Gods, The Emerald offers the following prayer for good Junior Week weather. It was originally composed May 6, 1941, and it’s worked ever since. Aaron (Buck) Buchwach is the author. The editor who defied tradition—and was rained on— was Jim Haycox in the spring of 1953.—Ed.) When the occasion demands, and in truth it has on numerous occasions, the Portland Oregonian and the Oregon Journal have re sorted to their editorial columns in an at tempt to influence weather conditions. Now there is no exact procedure for a journalist to follow when he is begging for rain for poor farmers gazing at the sky with parched throats, for verily, it takes a com bination of subtle demanding, varied plead ing and good-natured hoping to achieve such desired results. The Emerald, although of course it 'ado lescently blushes when compared to such time-honored organs as the Oregonian and the Journal, is driven to adopt such tactics, however, by Jupe Pluvius, that old gentle man who loves the Oregon country so well and so much that he delights in spraying it their misty blessings, and the Oregonian and asked by th£ Portland papers. But now, Mr. Pluvius, The Emerald asks you politely, but firmly, to shift your sched ule in such a manner so as not to spoil our Junior Week(end) ... The farmers have had rest on your laurels for awhile, and visit the Journal have received their just due, and the city pavements, too, are washed clean by the sweet Oregon mist. What the Uni versity asks now is for you, Mr. Pluvius, to rest on your laurels for awhile, and visit someone else. There is reason to believe that you intend to scare us a bit. In fact, you have. The rain clouds have washed our baseball teams hither and von, our t^ack meets have been . held in semi-wintry weather, and our golf and tennis have been forced to completely abandon their frolicking. But please. Mr. Pluvius, (or Jupe, for we know you but too well) don’t come around with your clouds and your tricks. Our Moms will be down for the Week(end) festivities, and forsooth—they will be attired in their springiest of spring outfits and their hats will be the kind to bring male smiles. But we want to take them to the campus luncheon to see the cpieen and her court of beautiful princesses, and my goodness, how the rain drops do raise havoc with even a proud mother’s finest apparel. The Portland papers have more important advertisers, and have more influence, Mr. - Jupiter Pluvius, but not even they will praise you with more open-mouthed admira tion if you will but take your vacation. A’nd if you have to take that storm, which is declared bv some pessimistic meteorolo gists to be coming out of Newport way somewhere, perchance you could deposit it at Stanford. California, and even USC. Just for the weekend, you understand. We want you as our permanent resident up here in Oregon, Jupe, to freshen our flowers, to clean our streets and keep our soil rich and red. But not during Junior Week(end), please Decentralization and New Responsibility The problems faced by the fraternity system on this campus are numerous and demanding. But basic to all their dilemmas is the difficulty of remaining a unified and coordinated group. IFC decentralization is a major step towards attaining this needed unity. Decentralization as a means of attaining a unity sounds like a paradox. But on second glanceVits apparent madness crystalizes into a planned method. It Is basically this: IFC membership is composed of the presidents of each fraternity on campus. What it means to decentralize is to take the job of handling IFC problems from the shoulders of the house presidents and instead delegating them to head up a committee to undertake the problems they face. To avoid stagnation among committees which were formerly appointed by heads of houses, all committee members will be re quired to petition for membership on the committee. Some problems the fraternity system must cope with are: Rushing—Is there a definite policy about rush that all fraterni ties follow without deviation? Is there an at titude of mutual trust and cooperation among the houses concerning rush? Public relations— How considerate of chaperones are the house members? How considerate are they of them neighbors? More problems are scholarship, special events, acitvities evaluation, etc. These are all problems es sential to the success of the Greek system and they must be overcome. The decentralization policy is a strong step towards overcoming these difficulties. The new method of decentralization will present the problems faced by the fraternity system as a whole to all members. This wider delegation of authority will give a feeling of unity to the Greek members. If the fraternity system is to succeed in face of growing opposition and dissent with the Greek way, these committees will have to meet these problems rapidly and adequately. To overcome difficulties within their system, fraternity men will be forced to re evaluate and more fully comprehend the principles on which their system is based. As they come to fully understand these prin ciples and even more important, abide by them, they will meet and overcome what ever problem arises. Same Old Worry ODE TO THE CANOE FETE (FROM 1940 OREGANA) Let the Junior Prom be corny Let all the floats run wild Let us even lose our baseball game Let the Dean of Men be riled. Let the Campus luncheon food be bad Let our trackmen try in vain Let almost anything else go wrong But please don’t let it rain. Footnotes We suppose you are going to hear about it sooner or later so The Emerald will pass along the fact that it has “arrived” as far as national publications are concerned. Un fortunately this arrival was not for a piece of brilliant writing or a sweeping “expose” of some vital campus issue. Instead this month’s issue of Playboy Magazine is pub licizing in its “After Dark” section a goof which occured in our editorial columns a few months ago, due to an extremely unfor tunate similarity between two words. We’ll leave it at that and take refuge her hind the fact that “to err is human, to for give divine” (administration please note). Sympathy "But this is Junior Week and The Role of Panhcllenic on the Oregon Campus By BUNNY BKISSKNDEN To many proplr the word I’an IH-Ilrnk halt the stereotyped eon notation related solely to the various rush period* occurring during the academic year; it is the counseling body which func tions throughout the period, planning the rush procedure and counseling the girl*, when neees sarv. True, this is one of the main functions of Panhelletiie, hut only one. In its position as one of the leaders of over fh)0 girls, Its responsibility to them, their sororities and the campus in general does not cease with the culmination of a rush period, rather, it just begins. Though the Panhellenic group one is most familiar with is the small one composes] of the Council and representatives, Panhellenic it self is the large body of organ ized women under the Greek sys tem. As stated in the constitution, the purpose if the organization is to maintain both a high plane of fraternity life, and intellectual accomplishment, and sound scholarship. The rules which Panhellenic makes pertaining to various questions concerning the women on the campus, are made with these goals in mind; It is the prime desire of Panhellenic and the Greek system to main tain a position of respect on the campus in the minds of the ad ministration, faculty and stu dents. As a sounding board and forum for discussion for various problems which arise, Panhelle nic is able to keep abreast of the feelings of the students and offer, when possible, some snln. tions of mutual benefit. To return to the area of rush which Is the area of greatest familiarity one finds himself |n a rather controversial position. The recent topic of conversation on the campus has centered with many, on the problem of pre school rush and Orientation. As advocates of the pre-school rush program, Fanhellenic has been asked several times to defend its position, which it has done after considerable thought and planning. We are confident that the plan which has been pro posed will be workable and prove satisfactory and beneficial to all concerned. We are aware that a groat deal ot organlza tlon and planning, a great deal of working together with the other parties roneemed. Is in the offing. We feel that the final result* will justify the extra work. Dirk Kagen of the Oregon Journal recently commented that "The water bureau la painting all the fire hydranta. They atarted to point them orange and black which are the Oregon State color*, but loyal Oregon university fan* objected. So a com promiae waa made. Now they are oelng painted orange and green, using one color from each of the univcraltiea. There ia one crew doing the palntinga. and they're going to get mighty nick of thoae orange ar.d green colora before they are through aince there a* 7330 fire hydranta in the city." The Pitt New* from Pitta burgh University atatea that the library ia noiay . .. "stuffy and uncomfortable." They ahould try the "little atudent union" on the third floor of our own book bear ing institution. ones OREGON DAILY EMERALD The Oregon Daily Emerald i* published four time* tn September and five day* a week during the school year, eserpt dur ing examination and vacation period*, by the Student Publication* Board of the University of Oregon. Entered a* cla*» matter at the poet office, Eugene, Oregon. Subscription late*: $5 per year, $2 per term. . . Opinion* expressed on the editorial page arc those of The Emerald and do not pretend to repre*rnt the opinion of the ASUO or the University. DON JKPSEN, Editor WARREN RUCKER. Business Manager PEPPER ALLEN. Managing Editor JEFF WILLIAMS, New* Editor JOHN R GUSTAFSON. Editorial Page Editor SUE CLARK, Advertising Manager KAREN MAUNEY, ELLIOT CARSON, Associate Editors DICK MCKINNEY, RANNY GREEN. Sport* Editor* MARY JO STEWART, Women’s New* Editor LARKY KURTZ, Assistant News Editor EVKKKTT CUTTER. Entertainment Editor JOHN RUSSELL, Photo Editor Editorial Hoard: Don Jepscn. John Cus taf*on, Pepper Allen, Jeff Williams Karen Mauney, Elliot Carlson, Kan nv Green, Mary Jo Stewart, Larry Kurtz, Everett Cutter. Nat’l Adv. Manager: Steve Milbkin Classified Adv. Manager: Hob Richardson