A Strong Majority Report
Students, Faculty Should Support
A Progressive Step For This University
After a year of deliberation, members of
the student discipline committee, four fac
ulty and two students, released a report
Tuesday which could become an important
landmark for the University of Oregon.
We hope the significance of the report
has not passed over the heads of the stu
dents of this University. We hope students
realize how indebted they should be to the
six members who have performed a real
service to this school, and indeed the whole
State of Oregon, for bringing to the atten
tion of faculty, students, and administrators
some of the flaws that have existed for so
long in our policies of student conduct.
To put the matter of our out dated and
Victorian discipline code on the table for
discussion is in itself an important step
forward.
Exactly what questions has the majority
report brought to light? First and most
important, it has suggested that this Uni
versity should get out of the morals busi
ness. It has recommended that a student
should have the right to provide for his
own moral growth; to establish his own
moral code as he sees fit, not as the sup
posedly omniscient moral guardians of
Emerald Hall dictate.
Second, the members of the student dis
cipline committee have wondered out loud
if the way to get students to act like adults
is to treat them like adults. They have
stated that they believe that a code of stu
dent conduct should be “based on the
premise that the development of responsi
ble behavior is not effectively realized by
policies which unduly prolong dependence
and immaturity.”
Third, the members of the committee
have questioned the wisdom of the perpet
uation of the “double standard” of treat
ment of men and women. They have not
said that a double standard does not exist
in our American society. Rather, they have
very justifiably asked the question of
whether or not it is the place of a suppos
edly enlightened University tQ perpetuate
a practice which is detrimental to the nat
ural rights of women students.
Fourth, the majority report raises the
question of exactly what gives the Univer
sity the right to assume the control func
tions of the larger city and state in which
it resides. That is, why should a University
student be any different from any other
citizen when he breaks a law? Why should
he have to answer to both the University
and the City of Eugene or State of Oregon
for acts not directly related to the Univer
sity and its educative function?
Fifth, the majority report has called for
a review of present administrative proced
ures on discipline cases. It has asked that
actions taken by the Office of Student Af
fairs in its administration of the discipline
code be subject to review by a faculty-stu
dent committee, and that this review be
automatic in cases in which a student is ex
pelled, suspended or informally asked to
leave school. It doesn’t take an administra
tive expert to figure out that when one in
dividual administrator makes a disciplin
ary decision, the disciplined student should
have some safeguard against honest error
or inappropriate use of authority.
These major policy recommendations of
the majority report, if instituted as Uni
versity policy, would solve problems about
which students and faculty have been com
plaining for years. The majority report is
worded simply, so simply that one won
ders why these problems were not deline
ated so clearly a long, long time ago.
The majority report should be accepted.
Stanford’s Suggestion
Following is an editorial which appeared
recently in an issue of the Stanford Daily.
It mentions, in a sort of outline form, a
program which would be worth more than
the lip service it now receives on this
x campus—integration of living and educa
tional facilities.
The plan to “integrate the classroom with the
residence” in a new History of Western Civiliza
tion and Freshman English program is very
welcome. It should be considered seriously.
For many of the students at Stanford, their
academic and dormitory lives are quite removed
from each other. For them, learning ends when
they leave the classroom or the library.
Yet, a university must be devoted to providing
more than simply a “class-room education.” Al
most every educational experience can, in many
ways, be related to the non-academic world.
As Dwight Clark, Dean of Freshman Men and
Director of Wilbur Hall, has said, “a melting
together of living and learning ...” is a means
toward this goal. He has proposed a program
in which students on the same floor will have
the same English or Western Civ instructor.
The English themes would be integrated with
the Western Civ topic under discussion. When
possible, the instructor would actually live in the
house. Also, grades would be replaced by a “Pass”
or “Fail” rating and a written analysis of the
student’s work.
This program would greatly benefit the Fresh
men in their attempt to coordinate what they
learn in the classroom with the things and the
people around them.
Footnotes
During campus election campaigns, dis
cussion often centers about the futility or
ineffectiveness of student government. At
this University, as elsewhere, there are
many theories as to why government is in
such terrible shape, but one factor, usually
overlooked, is a purely physical one.
Social scientists feel that the shape of
the meeting chamber of a legislative body
reflects the type of discussion practiced
by that body. The Supreme Soviet meets
in a square room with very narrow aisles
and with all members facing front. The
Russian premier can address this body
without fear of discussion from the floor.
The British House of Lords seats men of
opposing political ideas opposite one an
other so that one never discusses with con
stituents but rather talks to the opposition.
In more democratic bodies such as the
United States’ Senate, the chamber is
rounded to permit discussion between vir
tually all members of the body at all times.
What we are getting at is that the ASUO
Senate has one of the most unique physical
structures found in government. The Sen
ate is seated in a U-shape with virtually
half of the members seated with their
backs to one another.
Our Contemporaries
The University of Washington
conducted a survey to see if lo
cal republican and conservative
groups were being infiltrated by
John Birch Society members
Presidents of both groups said
they had no Birch members and
neither knew of any such on
campus.
An ex-Bircher felt that the so
ciety was “just a group of peo
pie who meet to discuss political
views” but felt that extreme
public reaction against the so
ciety was the reason for the Uni
versity having so few Birchers
“Many members of the Socie
ty have very radical views," the
student continued "These are
the people who give the Society
a bad name "
A former Bircher once called
the Society nothing but a group
of politically oriented pen pals.
• • *
WOMEN undergraduates at
Columbia University in New
York will be allowed to visit in
mens’ dormitory rooms begin
ning this spring term The pro
posal agreed upon by Columbia
administrators will permit wo
men to visit the mens’ dorms
every other Sunday from 2 to 5
providing the doors to rooms
entertaining women guests are
left open.
Students at Columbia have
had the women-in-dorms propos
al before the administration for
some time. One of the stipula
tions accompanying the propos
al was that night rioting stop or
the new privilege will be discon
tinued. Students have been us
ing night demonstrations in an
effort to change dorm policies.
The Columbia Spectator
called the night riots “an occa
sional Columbia pastime that
may involve irresponsibility but
should not involve the women
in-dorms plan.” The paper also
felt that the stipulation to end
rioting made the new policy an
administrative tool against riots.
An editorial in the Utah
Chronicle had this to say:
‘‘The Utah Legislature has de
cided to try its hand at running
the state’s schools, setting the
universities’ and colleges’ re
quirements for graduation. It is
a rather strange aspiration when
you realize that there are very
few if any educators in the
House and Senate.
“Be that as it may, the legis
lators have decided, according
to Senate Bill No. 39, that Any
student receiving a bachelor’s
degree or teaching credential
from any tax supported univer
sity or college within this state
shall, before receiving such de
gree or credential, demonstrate
reasonable understanding of the
fundamentals of the history and
the principles, form of govern
ment, and economic system of
the United States as a basis for
responsible citizenship.’ ”
• • •
THE WASHINGTON State
Legislature tabled a bill which
would have praised officials at
the University of Washington
for banning speakers such as
Gus Hall and Benjamin Davis
from the campus The Washing
ton Daily cheered the fact that
the bill was tabled and called it
‘a step in the right direction,
however small Eventually (let
us hope) there may be an ac
tive, forward looking group lead
ing the legislature which will
take the positive steps needed to
bring about a change in the Uni
versity's speaker ban policy.
Democrats attacked the reso
lution which would have com
mended University president
Odegaard and the Board of Re
gents for accepting "their ad
ministrative responsibility" by
refusing to allow "avowed mem
bers of the Communist Party to
use their facilities as a public
forum."
• ♦ •
VOTING IN the Kansas State
student body elections was so
slow that it threatened not to
elect three representatives to
the student senate.
By 11 o’clock Thursday 2,430
students had voted. The school
constitution requires at least 75
ballots to be cast for a represen
tative in any of the school’s aca
demic districts. When the ppper
went to press 27 votes had been
cast for the representative from
the School of Journalism, 48 for
the School of Pharmacy, and 38
in the Graduate school
OREGON DAILY EMERALD
The Oregon Daily Emerald i* published
•even timet in September and five days a
week during the achool year, except dur
ing examination and vacation periods by
the Student Publications Board of the
University of Oregon. Entered an second
clast mater at the post office, Eugene,
Oregon. Subscription rate*: $5 per year;
$2 per term.
Opinions expressed on the editorial page
are those of The Emerald and do not pre
tend to represent the opinions of the
ASUO or the University.
RON BUEL, Editor
MARTY KETKLS, Businesj Manager
TED MAHAR, Managing Editor
EVER LTTE DENNIS. News Editor
rim. Q0GSWELL,
Editorial Page Editor
LARRY WILLIAMS,
Advertising Manager
JOHN BUCHNER, Sports Editor
DULCY MORAN,
Assistant Managing Editor
RON COWAN, JIM FKAKK,
JANET GOETZE,
Assistant News Editors
GEORGE BIGHAM, Photo Editoi
LINDA BROWN, Entertainment Editor
CATHY NEVILLE,
Associate News Editor
EDITORIAL BOARD:
Ron Buel, Phil Cogswell Ted Mahar
Evcrettc Denr,is,
Dulcy Moran, Lind; Brown
B<d) Forsyth, H?d snow,
Grant Ledger wood, I)< ug Ragcn
Janet Goctie, and Bill iutchison