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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 1963)
Hazing The Questions Are Dis-heartening But the Answers May Be* Worse During fraternity initiation last week, of the houses initiating, only a very few did not use hazing practices. Some of the hazing techniques involved physical violence, per sonal degradation, and in an appaling num ber of instances, outright perversion. Presi dent Flemming's action and the resigna tion of Tribunal Chairman Ken Wilson indicate the extent and seriousness of the offenses. A description of the list of the alleged offenses is both nauseating and un printable. What happened last week raises some serious questions: • Where do fraternities find the people to devise and administer such initiations? Where do they find people who will stand by and let such things go on? And where do they find people who will endure them? e Why has the administration done nothing in the past to stop such practices? Can these things have gone on for decades without the administration finding out about them? Are housing needs at the University so great that these terrible com promises had to be made? Did the Univer sity depend that much on the financial as sistance of fraternity alumni? • How many share the responsibility for such practices? The entire University from Student Affairs to the lowliest pledge? The fraternity system alone? Each indivi dual fraternity? Groups in fraternities too powerful to oppose? Each fraternity mem ber? e Why are people who participate in such practices regarded as the socially elite, as the leaders of campus life? Can sororities absolve themselves of all blame for what went on last week and in years past? Have they shown indifference or even tacit approval to what has gone on? • How many of our good friends have taken part in such practices? How many people who have done these things are pinned? Engaged? Married? • How many parents have taken part in such initiations? How many of our profes sors? Our civic leaders? Our national lead ers? • What sort of standards will these people instill in their children? What stand ards will they bring into business? Into society? Into government? • Do these acts represent the true character of the fraternity system and its members? % Would anything ever have happened to stop these practices had not President Flemming stepped in ’ • And there is. finally, one last ques tion: How many people on this campus really regard such practices as wrong? Pleasant Reversal We are pleased that the University ad ministration did not propose that the fees for Susan Campbell and Hendricks be rais ed $45 so that their charges would equal charges in other dormitories. What with tuition probably going up $30 next year, all dormitory fees most likely being raised $40 and books increasing be tween $5 and $10 per year, the under-priv ileged student does not need any more blows to his pocketbook. As it is now, under-privileged women may request to live in Susan Campbell or Hendricks, thereby saving $45. To take this away would increase prices next year for under-privileged women not $80 but $125. Susan Campbell and Hendricks were purchased with state funds, and have been paid off for a long time, unlike our other dormitories. It should also be remembered that the University has a policy which requires students to live in the dormitory their freshman year if they do not have relatives in Eugene. And then there is the fact that the Eu gene campus has a large dormitory surplus of several hundred thousand dollars, ex emplified by our recent dorm fund contri butions to the University medical school in Portland. Irregardless of what dormitory officials say about sinks in the room, central loca tion, and a new fire-control system. Hend ricks and Susan Campbell facilities are just not equal to those in our other dormitories. The dorms are older, noisier, have more people per room, and have a five-minute walk to eating facilities. We are in agreement with the policy that our dormitory system cannot justifi ably operate in the red. We believe, how ever. that the administration has also wisely decided not to operate too far in the black. Letters to the Editor I Brotherhood Emerald Editor: In the ASUO Senate meeting Thursday evening, Senator Bill Vertrees said, in his speech concerning the USNSA, that all men believe in brotherhood and it they didn't there is some thing wrong with them. From his following actions, we might be lead to wonder if he is possibly the someone there is something wrong with. Brotherhood includes showing consideration for your fellow men. However, when Tad Mc Call, newly appointed senator, began to give a carefully pre pared speech on the NSA issue Vertrees ridiculed him by fla grantly playing the part of a waiter; choosing this time to serve coflee to the spectators. This hardly exemplifies his doc trine on brotherhood. Such conspciuous inconsidera tion w'as a detriment to the dig nity of the Senate, and to the excellent speech about the USNSA which Vertrees had giv en earlier. 1 do give Tad McCall my ad miration for being responsible enough to prepare his arguments on the USNSA issue. The “si lent” senators from each class could do well to follow his ex ample. Missy Schmid, Freshman, Literature. Pro Shelter Signs Emerald Editor: For several days on this cam pus it has been fashionable to damn bomb-shelter signs. This seems to me perfectly absurd for two reasons. First, no one knows if shel ters are really effective, since we’ve not had a chance to test them yet. Thank God. People who are optimistic say they might be; pessimists say they aren’t. I side with optimists (it is an American tradition), and if that day really comes so will you wc will both be head ing hopefully to the safest place, following the signs. (You may be muttering under your breath "This is an illusion! Hopeless!” but you will be by my side, nevertheless.; Secondly, the notion that the signs suggest a breach of faith in this nation’s struggle for peace, or that the signs may in duce the citizens to complac ency, is perverse reasoning, re ductio ad absurdem. The signs signify nothing more than this nation’s awareness and prepar edness—a condition that lamen tably did not exist on Decem ber 7, 1941. IWe were at that time, historians say, seeking a settlement with Japan.) 1 am gratified that we have benefit ed something from that experi ence, that we are today some what less naive. For two points remain clear: morality between nations is still non-existent, and / "till more n Tho5£ Pj.a4tt> whterJ im Tut ao ww/ Letters to the Editor Shutout Sky kmerald liditor: Whom can I thank for the perfectly made, eiegantl) con ventional machine-pleated drap erics that now hang in the Stu dent t nion Annex'’ The sun is finally obliterated, the sea gull sculpture hidden, tin squir rels and the trees are beyond distraction Along the pathways outside, one of the shrubs was beginning to bud, and it isn't even Spring! At last the sky is shut out -clouds scud across it in totally unpredictable pat tern,, anyway- and the bomb shelter is padded; it seems so much more secure, - oinehow. Perhaps ome imaginative rest aurant supplier could be pre vailed upon to supply those nice, plastic-shaded, pastel candles for each table This additional touch would create an atmosphere con ducive to more innocuous ideas and soft, pale shadows of thought, a veritable haven from the crudities of prostitution and pretease Not only c-jii students eat in .secluded groups in this room now freed of nakedness and vision, but soon, ! understand, they are to be intellectually fed a.s well. Little placards will be placed on the slightiv bizarre tables (round in a square room, but some incongruities can be overlooked), suggesting some thing to think about, iniorming ail alike of the topics currently being discussed by those who realize the value of words, the necessity of involvement in all the popular issues. For instance, 1 hope one of them deals with how to spell aesthetics- with or without the "a"?—because I think its important to know how to spell it; otherwise, people just imagine, or just feel their way, with no established norm to guide them. Overly enthusias tic excham -s will he subdued by the yards and yards of ex pensive fabric, this, avoiding the sparks of free will which might otherwise be ignited into action. Thank goodness 1 will no longer have to eat my sand wiches by the Millrace It is cluttered with tourtured re mainders of a violent storm, broken trees wliich would re quire much too much time and money to remove. Now 1 can spend that hour of respite, heretofore wasted in contem plation, in the comfortably ac coutered diningroom, protected from external threat. This is a modest appreciation. Jane McLean, Eng. Grad. unpri pared ness is an invitation to disaster. Will Strong, Graduate, Interdisciplinary Studies. Too Much Money? I-hm raid IltlUor: •la;. 1 be permitted to <-\pr< s doubt about the wisdom of ■ j.t .udinj' $300 of undent iilor ou the free speech platform'’ It is a part of lay knowledge if not a formal sociological axiom that the more money that is spent on physical installation-, the greater becomes the dill enlty in using the facility ! can foresee that any student who wishes to use the propo** 1 platform will have to clear with Student Union authorities at least a week in advance i that their "free" speech will not conflict in schedule with 1 11 day at Four or the annual Mushroom (Soiling Conte*-! of the Signify Nothings. Such is the marginal disutility of pi * nisnent investment. (orrest It. Pitts, Assoc. Prof. «f (ii-o graphy. About Dropping ATTENTION Al b .MICKEY MICE: Hope you heeded (he E:<u aid's urgent announcement la ’ Friday concerning the drop date "withdraw now and avoid the grade." After reading the Emerald's warnin’ to grade seekers. Dr. Stephenson (hi tory dept.) wittily quipped, "all mice drop now and save the tax payer money!" This makes sense Heal sense Time out for self • evaluation Ask yourself what you're really here for. Meanwhile rest assured that occupants of those now empty classroom chairs have squeek ed ofl to the SC for a cheese burger and coffee. Patricia Anderson, Soph in Pre-Law. OREGON DAILY EMERALD The Or«*K 1 I > * if Emerald T | t»c »*ii times 1*1 Sept*-tr»her and five da t week during tlu < Ikm.| year, except iltir i»»K cxaimnal.on ami y.m :tiui peri t l.y the Student Publications Hoard «»f tTic I’nive; ,tt> id Oregon Entered a* . I class matter It the p sf office, Kugn.e, Oregon. !*tib: 11 iptit n !.«!<• $5 p*: y.; $2 per tciin. (Tpiniutis e> pie < d • »n flic editor ial • »• those of The I. in mu Id .md <lo n< t \ i> tend to repp sent tl < pinions .,i the ASl O or tin l invi i it . RON lim, 7'lditor -VIAK'fY KLTELS, Hti-ine>s M..nayp r I Kli M AH A it, Managing I* • l»t«»r EVERETTK Dh\M>. New Editor Hi i, ( (x; ;\\ ell. Editorial I' t> c I*l«li»■ i> LARR S VVI I.UAMS, Adterii ng Manages LARRY CRAN KS, Sports Editor m L< Y MORAN. A'-ishnt Man.i.pny Ed tor LAVE SANDS, JIM KRAKK, JANET C ) KT/.K, Assistant Nevss I 2 i tors CKORCK UCH AM, Photo Editor LINDA HR( \VN,1t!i crtaiimieiit T*A1 it• ir RON ( OWA V, CATHY NEVILI K. I 11 ORA NYU LIAMS, Ashociatc New ** Kditols
