Academic or Proceduralism?
New Student Week Needs Major Reevaluation
Many bright, young freshmen and new
students come to the University for New
Student Week expecting to gain some
awareness of the various aspects of uni
versity life. It isn't long before many of
them find that their experiences during
orientation week gave them a false impres
sion of a university.
New Student Week is almost entirely
concerned with administrative procedures:
checking into dormitories, filling out forms,
finishing placement exams, taking physical
education tests and finally, registering. Stu
dents are getting a false impression of the
University because they are not being ac
quainted with the academic objectives of
the institution. The only contact between
students and faculty members during the
first week are short academic advising in
terviews. This again is a procedural “pain
in the neck” for the faculty member and
certainly does not orient the freshman to
the excitement of the classroom.
We recognize that it is necessary to un
dergo some administrative proceduralism.
Students must register, fill out forms and
participate in a number of dormitory meet
ings. The freshman convocations are an
encouraging part of the week. They feature
talks by administrators and student leaders.
Yet only the address by President Flem
ming presented comprehensive material
about the University.
The week had too much free time. Stu
dents are apprehensive about the class
room and whether they will be able to meet
its challenges. Many of them must have
been asking themselves: how do I select a
professor or a class? What is the difference
between two literature sequences with a
similar-sounding name?
After experiencing the first week of
„ school, the new student is likely to believe
that the University does not have any in
tellectual life to offer. We do not believe
this to be the case. The “second curric
ulum” program features outstanding lec
tures, concerts, dramatic productions, art
exhibitions, and other activities and events.
The most serious omission from an orienta
tion week is the lack of exchange between
student and faculty member. We are sur
prised that the student-faculty dialogue,
the foundation of every university com
munity, could be omitted from a New Stu
dent Week.
The question, which should be posed, is
to what aspect of university life are we or
ienting the freshman and new student? Is
it academics, the intellectual life of the
campus and the concepts which a university
stands for. or is it bureaucratic, administra
tive proceduralism? We believe that the
first week has too much open space and
lacks a formal program concerned with or
ienting the freshman to the processes of
rational thinking, academic freedom, and
the pursuit of truth through the free flow
of ideas. Wre are not criticizing those in
charge of the program. They have carried
out their job much as it has been done in
the past and there were a few minor revis
ions this year.
New Student Week needs a major re
evaluation. It should be of considerable con
cern to student leaders, administrators and
faculty members. During the next few days
the Emerald will be analyzing aspects of
the week and presenting concrete recom
mendations.
Footnote
“The trouble with me is that I can’t be
lieve in anything. On some days I can. but
most of the time I am smarter than that.
I have been taught to question, not to be
lieve, so I never know where to stop. Do I
stop at saying damn in public or do I con
tinue by questioning the taboo against
swearing, which on the whole, is rather
silly? One thing’s certain. I can’t back up.
I can’t say. whoa! This is as far as I go. Mod
ern man, remember, has no taboos except
against the impractical. He is a liberal and
for him there is only progress, which he
knows is illusory.”
—thoughts of a senior on graduation:
Princeton Weekly, June 7, 1963
Phil Sherburne
Why Students Are Responding
To the Threat of Tax Referral
Ed., Note: ASUO President
Phil Sherburne who heads up
the student effort for a Y e s
vote on Balloe Measure No. 1
explains why students should be
concerned about the issue in this
column.
The ASUO is conducting a
strong campaign in support of
Ballot Measure No. 1. Ballot
Measure No. 1 is the tax pro
gram. which has been referred
to the voters of Oregon for an
Oct. 15 election. This tax pro
gram includes $60 million of
revenue to meet the needs of
the state.
Affects To Education
If this tax program fails,
OREGON DAILY EMERALD
The Oregon Daily Emerald is
published twice in September
and five days a week during the
academic year, except during ex
amination and vacation periods
by the Student Publications Board
of the University of Oregon. En
tered as second class matter at
the post office, Eugene, Oregon.
Subscription rates $5 per year; $2
per term.
Opinions expressed on the edi
torial page are those of the Em
erald and do not pretend to rep
resent the opinion of the ASUO
or the University.
Everette Dennis, Editor
Larry Williams, Business Manager
higher education will suffer at
least a $10 million budget cut.
If this happens the State Board
of Higher Education must do
several things to reduce their
budget: 1) Slash the current and
planned building programs; 2)
eliminate one ward in the Crip
pled Children’s Hospital, one
ward in the T.B. Hospital and
two wards in the Medical Teach
ing hospitals; 3) reduce state
system enrollments by 3,000
in 64-65; 4) discontinue much
of the ground services and
building upkeep; 5) increase
tuition at least 35 per cent for
both resident and non-resident
students starting winter term
this year. This generally is how
a defeat of the measure would
affect the higher education.
Statewide Effort
The ASUO plans a statewide
campaign based on informing
the general public of the con
sequences of a No vote. Most
persons throughout the state
are not knowledgeable of the
issues in the Oct. 15 election.
There is very little being done
to inform the public in the Eu
gene area, particularly. Be
cause this program so drastic
ally affects higher education, I
feel it our responsibility to
carry on the largest campaign
that we possibly can.
We are contracting for ra
dio and television time prior to
the election. We are buying ads
in all the local newspapers, as
well as the state newspapers.
We are also distributing infor
mation in Eugene for the bene
fit of the voters. We need funds
for this campaign.
About the Breakage Fee
There have been some ques
tions of how we obtain the
breakage fee. For every card
that is turned over to us, we
spend $5 of borrowed funds.
The average usually left at the
end of the year in student’s the
breakage fee is $7-8. Therefore
using an average of $5 is a
rather safe procedure.
At the end of the year we
will receive the money that is
left in the breakage fees of
those persons who turned their
cards over to us. So you are not
spending additional money if
you sign over your cards. You
are giving us money that you
would normally receive some
time in the summer unless you
used it up during the year.
Donations of Forms
Any donations in other forms
will be used in the campaign for
advertising also. I urge you,
consider carefully the conse
quences of a defeat of this tax
program. I urge you to consid
er how much help yours and
your friends donations mean
to this campaign.
I urge you—sign over your
breakage fee cards to the ASUO.
If you have already registered
Herblock
mM
“It’s An Entirely Different World—Like Birmingham”
Letters To the Editor
Opposes Student Fund
Emerald Editor:
It seems incredible that Ore
gon students have given $10,
000 to a political fund for Ballot
Measure No. 1 It suggests con
siderably more interest in an
election than the students have
ever shown in the past. Two
other alternatives present them
selves to me and both are to be
deplored.
First is the very biased pres
entation in the Emerald and
in the SU. The fact is no one is
sure what will happen if the
measure is defeated For in
stance new taxes may be raised
in other ways. Or services may
be cut back—less staff, fewer
new buildings.
Another possibility, but by
no means the only one, is to
raise tuition, but a 35 per cent
figure is pure conjecture It is
in the students’ interest for the
ballot measure to pass but not
for the reason stated by the
campaign committee. Their pres
entation was completely dishon
est.
Second is the physical manner
in which the campaign was run
The card is an IBM type card
just like a dozen others which
must be filled out in order to
register. The table was just one
of many in line and all one had
to do was sign and go to the
next table. The card did not
state that a signature was op
tional in dark type as the
health insurance card stated
twice.
The card did not state the sum
to be collected. (Everyone has
$15 on deposit at this time of
year!) In fact the card doesn’t
really say what is going to hap
pen to the money. The booth
should have been outside along
with the University Theatre and
Campus “Y” and the cards
should have been much more
clearly labeled.
The fact is that there is a
strong possibility many students
were confused and didn’t un
derstand what they were sign
ing and that it was optional. If
any student feels he was fooled,
he should go to A. L. (Si) El
lingson’s office in the SU and
demand his money back. I’resi
and did not sign the bottom of
the card, you will have another
opportunity. ASUO Senators will
be speaking at all living organi
zations and dormitories on
Tuesday and Wednesday at
which time they will have cards
with them. Off-campus students
may sign their breakage fee
card by obtaining and depositing
one in either room 301 or 311
Student Union.
dent Flemming stated in Sun
day's Register Guard "Students
are entitled to get their money
back if they want it." In the
future such campaigns should
be kept well separate from reg
istration.
Robert O. Garrett,
Graduate in Physics,
Counters Dr. Aly
Emerald Editor:
On page B of the Sept 27 Em
erald this ((notation appeared
from Professor Bower Aly’* ad
dress before the Oregon Press
Conference: "I would say that
it is a great waste and a danger
of education, that a young man
who has the ability to master
theoretical physics should be
taking a course entitled Front
Office Management in City Ho
tels.”
Hear’ Hear'—When address
ed exclusively to a group, which
finds substenance in catechism
and within such a context as
will satisfy the requirements of
allegory But not in a campus
newspaper whose readers might
feel entitled to syllogize from
the two valid premises "Bower
Aly is a Professor at Oregon
who works from facts” and
“Front Office Management in
City Hotels is something less
than theoretical physics" to the
invalid conclusion "Front Office
Management in City Hotels is
in the University of Oregon cat
alogue, so choose your friends
wisely."
No such course is here, and
never has been So for realism
and on-campus context let’s try
Speech 252 "Make Up" or
Speech 467 "Lighting for Stage”
—perhaps Speech 469 "Lighting
Television.” Any of tbhse will
do for allegory, on or off cam
pus. Personally I prefer “Make
Up” or “Lighting for Stage"
but, either would double the al
legorical power of Professor
Aly’s statement. And all of them
are more clearly within his area
of expertise. They do miss the
parrot requirement of catechism,
but sufficient repetition will take
care of that
Dale 8. Harwood, Jr.,
Associate Professor of
Business Administration.
* * *
Parking Tags Continued
Emerald Editor:
We don’t have time or the
technical equipment to cut the
car sticker as the science fac
ulty types are doing. Therefore
we will use the sticker as is.
Richard W. Lindholm,
bean, School of Business
Administration.
P.S.: We couldn’t find a grad
uate assistant with a free hour
to circulate a note so only my
signature is attached. RWL.