Random action
A month ago the ASUO Senate recom
mended that the Associated Women Stu
dents investigate the desire of women to
have a more liberal system of closing hours.
At that time the Emerald raised the ques
tion of whether AWS would carry out the
Senate’s request or simply continue to echo
the conservative desires of the administra
tqm. *
AWS DID CARRY out the Senate’s re
quest, but the manner in which they did
seemed to exhibit either carelessness or
reluctance in sampling University women’s
opinion. Apparently they are leery of
opinion that is not originated in and run
through the already established channels of
AWS and perhaps the administration.
The questionnaire in its pro-status quo
wording lacked any satisfactory concept of
objectivity. And even the faculty question
naire was administered in a slipshod way.
Through Heads of Houses 1.000 question
naires were distributed. And of that number
only 430 were returned, far from an ade
quate number to insure the representative
sample Senate requested.
THE RESULTS, therefore, could prove
nothing more than that more study is still
required. That is to say, the results indi
cated more than a casual interest in chang
ing the system of closing hours. More than
half of those answering expressed dissatis
faction with the present closing hours. Ap
proximately three-fourths supported the
idea of a quota system of closing hours. Ap
proximately two-thirds supported the idea
of the senior keys system.
Despite those returns, however, the
AWS officers have said that they will not
investigate further. They complain that the
quota system cannot he legislated without
imposing impossible hardships on those
doing the legislating, and that senior women
are not responsible enough to operate under
a key system.
AND TO OUR surprise and dismay, the
ASUO Senate, once again seeming to re
verse a decision, decided to ignore the re
sults of the questionnaire they requested.
We are disappointed that the AWS offi
cers and senators refuse to acknowledge
the wishes of their constituents by refusing
to follow through on what so obviously
calls for further study.
Because this question deals with a Uni
versity ruling, and because the matter was
dropped at such an inappropriate time, we
cannot help but wonder if the administra
tion does not have more influence on stu
dent government than appears on the sur
face.
Editorial Sovereignty
A responsible newspaper is always ready
to accept suggestions. A good newspaper
always wants to know how it can better
serve its readers. If for no other reason
than to preserve what's left of our sanity,
we like to feel that we are a responsible
newspaper. Despite our feeling of responsi
bility, however, we do not take all sugges
tions offered us.
ONE OF THE T^ROBLEMS with mi
nority groups is that they are so minor. We
get people from various clubs on the cam
pus who ask us to be sure we get a bold
face box on page one about their little or
ganization. We get publicity chairmen from
various events and activities who ask us
three days in advance to reserve so much
space on page one for their big story. Quite
frequently people in student government
ask us to play down stories and de-empha
size certain news events. And well they
might.
But that is beside the point.
One filing our student advisors fail to
realize is that there are more people on
campus than them, more clubs on campus
than theirs, and news events of importance
to people they don’t even know.
PEOPLE ALSO DISAGREE with our
editorials from time to time. Many of them,
however, rather than write a letter to the
editor, will come into the office and try to
argue with us for half an hour. They invar
iably fail to win our sympathy.
We are tempted to tell people that if they
really feel so strongly about things they
can ask to be on the editorial board. And
if they’re really seething with ideas, they
can petition for editor. After all, someone's
bound to make it.
And so, while we are always open to sug
gestions, we do not always accept every
single one. You see, we’ve been at this job
longer than other students on the campus,
and we like to feel that experience has
taught us more about campus newspapering
than intuition has taught most everyone
else.
Right to privacy
(The Emerald reprints here portions of an
editorial recently run in the Michigan Daily. The
problem discussed is specifically somewhat dif
ferent than any we have here. But we feel it
makes an excellent point—that everybody has a
right to privacy—and it’s sometimes hard to come
by on a college campus.)
Perhaps some day we will hear an explanation
of the unique mental infirmity which makes a
freshman girl incapable of formulating and fol
lowing a personal code of ethics. . .
Or perhaps some day the administration will
open its eyes and see that eighteen years of fam
ily life may provide almost as sound a guide to
action as a year’s exposure to the sterling code
of values of the University community.
BUT PROBABLY NOT. Freshmen women have
always been denied the right to cross the thresh
old of a boy’s apartment and they seem about
to be denied privileges of visiting rooms within
the quads.
It is interesting to try to exact an answer
from someone in authority as to just why fresh
men, who have usually been quite unrestricted
during high school, are suddenly herded into the
harem on the hill and guarded jealousy lest they
stray from the straight and diagonal into an
apartment or quad.
“WELL, THE FRESHMEN need time to learn
the way we do things on campus so that they
don’t get the wrong idea.” This is as far as the
polite discussion with the authority will go and
the unspoken meaning is left vibrant in the air.
As one of the best professors likes to put it,
“sex rears its lovely tousled head.” The "local
parents” do all they can to see that the wide
eyed fragile freshmen girls are not left alone
for a moment in a situation that might allow
for any real physical intimacy with a boy!
THE DEFENDERS of the faith must realize
that their efforts would be unjustified even if
they were not in vain. They must realize that
mortality is a private issue and that they, by
their narrow suspicions and militant vigilance,
are offending the laws of decency far more
than any of the moral culprits they seek to re
strain.
But the basic issue is more than a right to
moral self-determination. There is such a thing
as an inalienable human right to privacy which
is systematically denied by the very nature of
the University.
Everyone needs 'privacy—and not just when
he is planning to subvert the University’s glow
ing moral code. People need to know that there
is some place where they can be absolutely
alone—not alone on a bench on the diag with
people milling past, not alone wandering in and
out checking to make sure all feet are on the
floor and all hands on deck, not alone in the
Arb with other students straying by but alone
in a place where they can close a door and be
certain that no one will enter uninvited. It means
that no one has a right to ask any questions
about what you are doing or even to care.
YOU DO NOT have to be doing anything im
moral behind the door to want it closed. A closed
door can provide a comfort and relief from ten
sion that all students need, and freshmen most
of all.
Everything in the University is enmasse. Eat
ing or studying, going to class or buying books,
the student never forgets for a moment that he
is a bit player in a mob scene which runs on ad
infinitum without a break. Wherever you turn you
are surrounded; from vacation to vacation there
is no escape.
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Letters to the editor
Skipped history
Emerald Editor:
Your witty editorial on t h e
“symbols” in Commonwealth
Hall failed to mention the His
tory Department. Numerous
sources. Journal of University
Antiquities. XVI (193-1). pp. 211
213; and Red Brick Encyclope
dia (n.p., n.d. i prove that the
History Department does occupy
space in Commonwealth Hull.
Now it may be that your symbo
lism did subtly convey its pres
ence a) by hinting that the
unseen and the unmentioned is
the most real; or b) for want of
an ideology to classify history.
Points a) and b> are logically
complementary. Less logic at
tends the supposition that the
phrase "an empty passage
through which the wind blows”
really refers to the History De
partment. Textual criticism
proves that the association is
inconsistent with the author's
keen intelligence and ruthless
logic.
William O. Shanahan,
Chairman, Dept, of
History.
• *
Offers help
Emerald Editor:
Ah, alas, Mr. Starr, alas! You
have been rebuked and scorned
by mankind. Everyone has dis
dained your request, and now
you lie there, crumpled in the
dust, trampled by the very
masses whom you sought to
save with a simple equation for
life. What future is there for
a meek man in the onslaught of
cruel Mankind?
"Blessed are tne meek, for
they shall inherit the kingdom
of heaven."—Christ
What philosophy may I grasp
with which to guide my life?
. . NOT TO RUN after this
school or that, but to love, and
seek, and pursue, and clasp,
and never let go Wisdom her
self wherever I found her . . ."
— Cicero
"Then let thine aim be to ex
alt the Lord, in all thy work!
Yet ev’ry man is free to make
the most of what is best in him,
if he hut does what is ordain’d
by Love.” Petrus
"... .the real normal man . . .
I envy such a man till I am
green in the face. He is stupid.
I am not disputing that, but
perhaps the normal man should
be stupid, how do you know ?
Perhaps it is very beautiful, in
fact.’’ F. Dostoevsky.
“IF YOU have food in your
jaws and you have solved all
questions for the time being.”—
F. Kafka.
But, is there a God? you
say.
“Who asks the twitt’ring bird
of what it sings.
If it but charms us with Its
tender song?" I. Madach.
"I have always strenuously
supported the right of every
man to his own opinion, how
ever different that opinion
might be to mine. He who de
nies another this right makes
a sjave of himself to his pres
ent opinion, because he pre
cludes himself the right of
changing it.” T. Paine.
AND WHEBEIN lies the sal
vation of Mankind ?
"How wondrously in woman
we find
The base and noble mingled -
gall and honey!" (Adam i
"I am a mother, Adam!"
(Eve)
*. . . Woman, th’ideal human
poem . . ." (Adam)
(The above three quotations,
not in sequence, from Imre
Madach's "The Tragedy of
Man")
AND FOIt MYSEI-F: What
good, existence, devoid of love
and strife?
I hesitate to add a base note
to this otherwise noble premise,
but I’m somewhat perplexed
by that peculiar rationale of
Mr. Starr. If you are really
this lost child, this ‘voice in the
wilderness," you would do bet
ter to ask the policeman for a
philosophy of life and the phil
osopher to show you the way
home. For I would suppose there
are many contented policemen
and few contented philosophers.
And if you still find yourself
in a quandry, I refer to an
ad which appears daily in the
Portland Oregonian: “Why wor
ry? Consult Shelly. Gifted Psy
chic tells, names-dates-true
facts without question-advice
help on all problems satisfac
tion or no charge. CA 3-9711."
And yet another: "Anyone in
need of a friend, contact the
Salvation Army . ,
Keith Jellum,
History Junior.
OREGON DAILY EMERALD
'I he Oregon Daily Emerald is published
seven times in September ami five clays a
week (luting the school year, except dur
ing examination and vacation periods by
the Student Publications lizard of the
University of Oregon. Entered as second
class matter at the post office, Eugene,
Oregon. Subscription rates: $5 per year;
%-Z 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.
DAN PEAKE, Editor
LEE TURNBULL, Business Manager
RON BUKL, Managing Editor
1< 1 ( K MILLER, Advertising Manager
KEITH POWELL, News Editor
'I I*.I) MAHAK, Editorial Page Editor
PHIL COGSWELL, Asst. News Editor
YVONNE KGGKRS, Assistant
M imaging Editor
DAVE SANDS, Photo Editor
JOE BERGER, CHRIS CHURCH,
Co-Sports Editors