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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 25, 1963)
An Encouraging Trend Stiffer Probation Policy Will Aid Academic Excellence Twenty-five hundred students is a siz able number to be on probation. As one ad ministrator said, “The professors know how to cut enrollment figures." More than the professors, the University itself seems to be taking a welcome move toward stiffening requirements to stay in school. For some time, upper-class students who are below a 2.0 GPA have been placed ou probation. Now, the records of all fresh men below a 2.0 are automatically review ed at the end of Winter term, and again at the end of the year. If the freshman is between a 1.5 and a 2.00, previously his record was not re viewed to see if he should be flunked out. Now, everyone below a 2.0 is reviewed. This means that several more freshmen will now’ have their records closely scrutin ized. In this process, those persons below a 2.0 and already on probation will have their grade slips referred to the Dean of Men and tbe Dean of Women, who are both members o fthe Scholastic Deficiency Com mittee. The deans go through the non-aca demic information on the student to see if there is a possible explanation for the low grades (such as finances, illness in the family, or living conditions). If there seems to be a good explanation, the dean will re fer these cases to the Scholastic committee who will then examine the reports and de cide whether the student will be allowed to stay. Where no good explanation is avail able. disqualification is automatic. If the significant improvement in GPA from one term to the next is accomplished, however, the student may continue while he is a freshman, even though he is below a 2.0. We are pleased to see the University of Oregon become a little more difficult as far as staying in school goes. Other such at tempts to limit the size of this student body on the basis of academic ability, rather than the abilitv-to-pay, would be equally wel come. — Footnotes — Grades last term were pretty low, and the Emerald women's page editor thinks she knows why. She pointed out that along with the low grades was an unprecedented number of pinnings and engagements. Be ing rather shrewd land engaged) she thinks this is more than a coincidence. Letters to the Editor Anti-Bridges Dear Chairman Teasdale: Via Emerald Editor. We the Young Republicans of the University of Oregon would like to congratulate you on re cently being elected Chairman of the Young Democrats. Since history has shown that a two party system is the key Repub lican success in America, we enjoy having the Opposition rep resented on this campus and we extend to you WITH GREAT VIGOR our heartiest congratu lations on your recent election. In reference to the lead edi torial in Wednesday’s Oregon Daily Emerald, we would like to remind you that in addition to the objective of increasing and stimulating political acti vity and thought on this campus, one of the major responsibili ties of University political clubs is to uphold the reputation of the University of Oregon. Last year the Young demo crats asked the Young Republi cans if they were interested in jointly sponsoring the appear ance of Gus Hall on this cam pus. Our answer then was that we were not interested in in viting Gus Hall as a speaker, but that we did not object to his appearance on the campus. Even though your potential guest speaker, Harry Bridges, is probably more closely allied with the Democratic party than was Gus Hall, we call upon you to urge your club to reconsider this invitation. Whereas, we rec ognize that hotly debated top ics and controversial speakers have provided the impetus for much of the political activity and thought on this campus, we fail to recognize the merit in inviting a controversial speaker simply for controversy’s sake. In a year when all of us are concerned with the amount of money the Democratically con trolled legislature will appro priate to Higher Education, we suggest that it would be less than responsible for your club to invite Harry Bridges on the University of Oregon campus. Tom Hoyt, University of Oregon Young Republicans. Over Generalization Emerald Editor: From all evidence, I would say that Mr. Davis (letter Jan. 23) seems to be suffering from a malady which. I'm ashamed to admit, seems to strike with un usual force among the young Freuds (or young Jungs) on campus: that of over generaliza tion. Psychology, you see. some times has a rather difficult time defending itself as a true sci ence. and perhaps it is because of this lack of science orienta tion that some undergraduate psychology majors have a diffi cult time using reason or logic. I certainly am not above irra tionality at times, but, even at my modest level, it was an easy task to see where Mr. Davis used those two devices so character istic of many amateur psycholo gists: overgeneralization and am biguity. First: Mr. Davis assumes that lack of participation in religi ous forum week means that “many students do not want... or need religion.” This is like saying that a short line at the S.U. cafeteria means that many students do not want . . or need food. There are other cafe terias, Mr. Davis. Consider those who attend one or more religious meetings a week and prefer to use their re maining time for different activi ties. (Not everybody’s interest is limited to one field.) Consid er also those that weren’t inter ested in the specific topics be ing discussed A lack of interest in Beowulf would not preclude an interest in English literature. These are but a few of the pos sibilities overlooked. Second: after Mr. Davis states that many have “no need for re ligion,” he immediately pro ceeds to a tirade against Chris tianity. What do you consider Judaism, Buddhism, etc, Mr. Davis, if not religions? As for Mr. Davis’ views on Christianity, he is entitled to them. Contrary to his belief, not all Christians try to force their views on others. (And, from the evidence of his letter, it ap pears Christians are not the only ones guilty of this practice.) There is, however, one point that I just can’t pass by without a written comment: Mr. Davis states that Christianity “curses all forms of earthly pleasure.” Well, my libido is smiling from ear to ear, Mr. Davis. But tell me . . . how’s yours? Leanne Stallman, Sen. in Psy. also. Clarification Emerald Editor: I would like to say. in reply to Mr Stone, that his strained analogy between military basic training and fraternity hazing begs critical reexamination Having seen both ends of the "stick.” the fraternity and the military, the incomparability of the two is obvious. It is need less to go into the functions of the military, but one must at first note that the function of the college fraternity is primar ily social in nature, having lost its historical military signifi cance. Perhaps the hazing tra dition is a carryover, a cultural lag, from this former military tradition. If Mr. Stone, the accounting student, will grant the frater nity’s social function as today being primary, then the unify ing basic training program of the fraternity should be social ly oriented as well, not an em bodiment of the anachronistic militarism. mere is much to he said for fraternity hazing as being a parallel to the “bush schools" of many sodalities in some areas of the nonliterate world. The parallel breaks down, however, when one finds that the non literate “bush schools” serve an overall integrative function to the society of which they are a part, usually a society which requires that its male members be able to endure the harsh conditions of their day to day existence. I therefore submit that haz ing in a soladity of a modern culture is representative of a test of devotion which was re quired during the incipient stage of the sodality’s growth. When the primary function of the sodality changes so must its corresponding test of its member’s devotion. The problem exists, as Mr. Stone points out, when hazing provides an expressive outlet lor persons who are not prop erly devoted to an ethical so cial cause which would be bene ficial to their fraternity’s and the university’s continued exis tence; and for persons who get their “kicks” out of being a power figure for perhaps the first and only time in their lives. Hazing, possibly a universal characteristic of human social interaction, requires controls over its forms which may be r. rsfv KjNi* » THE COMt^A^K K't> Letters to the Editor Reply to Stone Emerald Editor: In reference to Mr Stone', rather emotional letter of the twenty-third, 1 should like to compliment him on using some of the one-sided publicity that he so eloquently derided. There are, however, some minor points with which I disagree His argument that the Artny uses some of the same methods of hazing as the fraterniu-s with the same goals in mind makes one examine the purpos es of the fraternities Certainly young Clyde Bubhlegummer, fresh from high-school, does not need the espirit de corp» of the Army He is not being tram ed to have discipline under fire, not initiated with the idea that he will be trained to kill. The need for such hazing in the Greek system is beyond rea son, unless fraternities fear something of which I am not aware There is also the fact that Army conditioning is done under the direction of fairly mature, experienced officers, rather than fresh faced college boys with a touch of perver sity. Granted, such an initia non aoes produce a teeting ot unique accomplishment lr turns my stomach to imagine the sense of accomplishment feit by those initiates that had to engage in those activities Hack ing may be physically painful, but it has none of the moral psychological or emotional im plications stemming from some initiation practices. The fact that no one was too sure ju>t what constitutes hazing is no excuse for suspension of mor als or good judgment. Mr. Stone also felt that the President’s Council did quite well by themselves to conde scend to public opinion He permanently injurious to the hazed and to the society of the hazed Even the military pro vides such controls. Another problem exists when jealous dissident factions jump upon a moral bandwagon to banish the likes of fraternities. Fraternities, now suffering the brunt of attacks against discrim ination and hazing, are often prejudiciously categorized as moral abominations by the ever present reductionists. Fraternal organizations can and very often do provide a social education to their members, something which is badly needed in this all black or white academic sub culture. There is no “fence straddling” intended herein, only a plea for clarification of the position of the moralists on each side of this issue. T. C. Hogg, Grad, in Anthrop., 1st Lt. USAK. might do well to reflect on the validity of the public opm ion in a democracy as well a.-i its power As faf as giving the frater nity system a chance, he for gets that it has already been given chance after chance, with the result that conditions kept worsening until the present condition has been reached. Asking to let the system ad just to having "the beliefs of others forced upon it" makes one ask just why the establish ed morals, beliefs and customs of American society are so alien to fraternity men Surely, as Mr. Stone states, fraternity men cannot 1m- so wicked now ’ What exempts the flreek system from standards of good taste, physical and mental comfort, and personal freedom’’ Mr Stone might do well to concern himself with one aspect of the problem which might in volve an injustice. That is, the fact that some fraternities which limit their initiation to an im pressive formal initiation, with little in the way of informal ac tivities, are going to he ranked in the public eyes right along side those who have used some of the worst judgment possible. A fraternity which uses an oc casional hack paddle will be lia ble to the same penalty as that house which uses the basest of initiation methods. He might also contemplate the overall publicity, both good and bad (or true or untrue) given to (he whole fraternity system Mike Powell, Soph, Speech. OREGON DAILY EMERALD The Oregon Daily Emerald is published •even times in September and five day* a wreck during thr school year, except dur ing examination and vacation periods by the Student Publications Hoard of the University of Oregon Entered .** second class matter at the post office, Kngetie, Oregon. Subscription rate*: $5 per year; $2 per term. Opinions expirssrd on the editorial page a nr those of The Emerald and do not pre tend to represent the opinions of the ASL’O or the University. HON BUEL. Editor MAHTY KI ’THUS, Business Manager TED MAH AH, Managing Editor EVKRETTE DENNIS, News Editor HIDE COGSWELL, Editorial Page Editor LARKY WILLIAMS, Advertising Manager LA It K Y (I H A V ES, Sports Editor Dl LCY MORAN, Assistant Managing Ed tor DAVE SANDS, JIM FRAKE. JANET GOKTZF, Assistant News Editors GEORGE BIGHAM, Photo Editor LI NIL* BRC WN, Entertainn ent Editor HON COWAN, CATHY NE /ILLK, THORA WILLIAM:1., Associate News Editoi 4 EDITORIAL BOARD: Hon Duel, Phil Cogswell, Ted Mahar E oette Dennis, Davt Samis I ulcy Moran, Linda frown I al Carpenter, Boh F jrayth Gra t Ledgerwood, Dot ( Hagen Jan i Ccetze, and f ill H itehison
