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Letters to tbe Editor
Graduate Student Examines
ASUO’s ‘Rotten Borough’
Emerald Editor:
I read in the Emerald that
some revision in the student
government set-up is currently
in the works. To me, the matter
of the graduate student senator
seems ripe for discussion. Ver
trees, the incumbent, a central
figure in the offensive “Dump
Buel” affair, was elected by
around 1.7% of the eligible
voters, thus holding his man
date from a kind of “rotten
borough.”
The unfavorable reaction to
Vertrees’ behavior during the
Buel controversy involved more
graduate students than voted
in the fall election, but still
only a small fraction of all grad
uate students. My conclusions
are: a) very few graduate stu
dents feel impelled to partici
pate in students government,
either as organizers or voters;
b) only slightly more are moved
by the issues and struggles
enough to inject themselves into
pressure activities.
WHAT SORTS of proposals
for reform can one make from
these conclusions? The most ob
OREGON DAILY EMERALD
The Oregon Daily Emerald is published
seven times in September and five days a
week during the school year, except dur
ing examination and vacation periods by
the Student Publications Board of the
University of Oregon. Entered as second
class matter at the post office, Eugene,
Oregon. Subscription rates: $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.
EVERETTE DENNIS, Editor
LARRY WILLIAMS
Business Manager
JANET GOETZE, Managing Editor
RON COWAN,* News Editor
DOUG RAGEN,
Editorial Page Editor
JIM SPEER,
Advertising Manager
DICK RICHARDSON,
Associate Editor
JIM FRAKE,
Assistant Managing Editor
RAY MAST, Sports Editor
CATHY NEVILLE,
Assistant News Editor
GEORGE BIGHAM, Photo Editor
JO GRISWOLD, Women's Editor
CHUCK BEGGS, JOE BERGER,
PHYLLIS ELVING,
SHERRY LUCAS
Associate News Editors
ALENE SHARFF
Entertainment Editor
XOMI BOREXSTEIN,
Exchange Editor
EDITORIAL BOARD:
Everette Dennis, Ron Cowan, Janet
Goetze, Doug Ragen, Dick Richardson
Jim Frake, Jerry Utti, Kay Mast, Larry
Williams, Pam Pashkowski, Doug Combs,
Linda Brown, Cathy Neville, Pat Holt,
Simeon Crowther.
vious is to abolish the “rotten
borough” and thus deprive the
likes of Vertrees their irrespon
sible, and probably obstruction
ist, role. The tritest and vainest
proposal would be to thump the
democratic myth and castigate
the graduate studentry for un
American behavior, and perhaps
add a few more populistic mech
anisms, like a recall procedure.
This will lead nowhere—pop
ulistic democracy is like the
Dodo (or perhaps Griffon, the
Dodo at least existed at one
time). The problem is, how
ever, not what is wrong with
the graduate students as an
electorate, or with a faulty for
mal governmental structure,
but the whole system. Students
of Russian history may well
note, as I do, the parallel be
tween the 1905-1914 period and
the University of Oregon.
There is an intransigent and
obscurant bureaucracy, an oc
casional brilliant higher admin
istrator, an authority principle
which legitimates suppression
of student rights—cause deter
mined by the bureaucrats, a
“Little Father” complex where
in moralistic paternalism casts
its not-so-tender control over
private life. And then, we have
the organs of students govern
ment— existing on offcial suffer
ance, ignored when critical, non
representative, internally frag
mented and most times confus
ed, operating in an unreal at
mosphere.
ir i ms picture is vanu,
either we should return to ben
evolent despotism (it really
would be no worse, and probab
ly better, given a good despot),
or seek a new authority struc
ture. Since benevolent despot
ism is no longer in style, and
since the Oregon legislature
would have us all escorted to
the state line for advocating
“real change,” what is there to
do?
My own creed of conservative
anarchism tells me to sit back,
open my Emerald and get a big
laugh. Student politics, to pilfer
and pervert a Menckenism, is
“a canoe-fete of Buncombe.” My
ultimate endorsement, therefore,
goes to the doctrine of inactive
spectatorism, which embodies
the particular categorical imper
ative of the zoo fan. Whatever
reforms are made, let us hope
they don’t spoil the show.
Charles A. Powell
Graduate Assistant
Political Science
NS As Future at Oregon
A Strong\ Articulate Delegation Will Determine
What Oregon Benefits and Contributes
A strong structural framework at the
campus level staffed by competent officers
will determine whether the University
reaps benefits from its affiliation with the
United States National Student Associa
tion. Campus interest in NSA ran high
during spring elections when the issue was
the topic of spirited debates, but in recent
weeks the NSA interest has fallen fiat.
Next Monday and Tuesday students will
go to the polls to select delegates to rep
resent the University at the national cong
ress, which will be held in Indiana during
August.
When ASUO offices closed, Friday
only six candidates had filed petitions for
the five NSA delegate positions. Students
should be offered a wider choice of quali
fied candidates. ASUO President Phil Sher
burne reopened the petitioning last week
in order that more candidates could file.
Today is the last day to file petitions. We
urge students who are interested in a na
tional exchange of ideas with top rank
student leaders to fully consider the possi
bility of petitioning for NSA delegate posts.
The NSA summer congress offers a
unique experience in debating significant
national and international issues, analyz
ing student governments, their framework
and operation, and applying the good as
pects of them to ours. Although it also con
stitutes a two-week sacrifice from work or
vacation, the congress also provides a stu
dent with an opportunity to meet leading
national student leaders who will influence
the course of this country during the last
half of this century.
The University has much to gain from
NSA. NSA affiliation can put us into the
mainstream of American collegiate life,
but only if intelligent, articulate delegates
are sent to the national congress. The most
important benefits from NSA must not stay
with the University’s six delegates who at
tend the congress, but must be communi
cated to the student body by a strong cam
pus structure. NSA can guide campus acti
vities with a focus on significant, meaning
ful issues which are a part of real life. We
have seen the development of the ASUO
presidential committees this year on Civil
Rights, Mexico and migratory labor. These
groups have much to gain from contact
with similar groups on other campuses.
NSA is the channel of communication.
We are disappointed that more candid
ates have not filed for these offices which
can mean so much to the long range de
velopment of student activities on this cam
pus. We are hopeful that in the few hours
remaining to file, student leaders will per
suade qualified students to run. More than
anything we see this as a student leader's
responsibility. The same persons who cam
paigned so hard for NSA affiliation should
now come forward and help the University
in sending a good delegation to Indiana.
As stated before, it is our conviction that
ASUO Senators should not be candidates
for delegate positions, because the work of
organizing NSA on the campus will in it
self be a full-time activity position. No
senator should shortchange his constitu
ents by seeking another office.
Both the benefits which the ASUO can
gain and the contributions we can make to
NSA will be determined by the makeup of
the University’s delegation. We urge quali
fied students to petition.
Importance of Research
Terrill L. Hill, professor of chemistry
and Marshall Fixman, director of the Uni
versity’s Institute of Theoretical Science,
explain the importance of research to a
university in this article which appeared
first in the Portland Oregonian.
There has been some discussion in the
press recently concerning the role of re
search and the support of research in the
universities of the State System of Higher
Education. We have obtained that the gen
eral public, rather naturally, thinks of
teaching as the only important duty of a
university faculty.
Actually, the faculty has the additional
obligation to attempt to extend the fron
tiers of basic knowledge, through research.
But even if this point is ignored and one
is concerned only with the quality of stu
dent education offered in the state system,
then there are still some simple facts of
life, probably not generally appreciated,
which lead to the conclusion that research
cannot be slighted. These facts are:
1. The quality of the education received
by the students of a university is deter
mined by the quality of the faculty.
2. Outstanding faculty members are in
terested not only in teaching but in re
search, because research is creative, intel
lectually stimulating, and even, at times,
downright exciting. Furthermore, good re
search men have a real advantage as teach
ers because they are expert and up to date
in their subjects, and often can transmit
to their students some of the enthusiasm
they have for their respective fields.
3. Consequently, the better universities
in the United States provide adequate re
search facilities (with the help of federal
and other grants) and low teaching loads
so that their faculties can be active in
research.
4. Because these desirable conditions
are available elsewhere, superior faculty
men in this state will simply move out of
state if research is not encouraged suffi
ciently here.
5. The inescapable conclusion is that
the State of Oregon must recognize, en
courage and support research, as well as
teaching, as a legitimate faculty activity.
If it does not do so, the best of the faculty
will in due course be lost to other institu
tions, and the quality of education received
by the students will, as a result, deteriorate.
6. Finally, it should be pointed out that
the institutions of this state have nothing
to be complacent about. There are some
areas of excellence in the state system but
also many of weakness. Compared to the
very best state universities, we have a long
way to go, despite recent impressive im
provement. When there is still so much
room for improvement, the state can ill
afford to go backward rather than forward.