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