Reaction Without Evidence
Another Senate Report Without Documentation or Qualification
Although it is always encouraging to see
the ASUO Senate take an interest in aca
demic affairs, the recent Senate proposal on
academic advising was not only meaning
less but also ill-advised. As long as propos
als to the faculty from the student Senate
continue in this vein, the student commu
nity will have no real influence in signifi
cant decision making at the University.
At first glance the Senate proposal in
troduced by John Luvaas of the Academic
and Cultural Committee sounds reason
able. It asks for improvement in the aca
demic advising system. The proposal be
gins with the statement: “students are dis
satisfied with the quality of advising in
many cases.” It is followed with the flat
assertion that “advisers show no interest in
discussing programs with their advisees.”
The appalling aspect of this proposal is
the lack of a substantive report document
ing problems in the adviser-advisee rela
tionship. The report poses solutions in
rather dogmatic tones without substantiat
ing the original statement that advisers are
uninterested in student problems.
Certainly there are problems in the aca
demic advising program. Surely there have
been students who have failed to meet the
proper sequence requirements and have
found themselves on the short side as they
approached commencement. It is most con
venient to blame the problem on their ad
viser. Perhaps an uninformed adviser did
not give them proper guidance. What they
are forgetting is the student responsibility
in this matter. There is no reason why a
student must depend upon a faculty mem
ber to tell him what course to take in order
to fulfill University requirements. These in
structions are available in the University
catalogue. It is certainly a disservice to
imply that all advisers are uninterested in
students.
We hope the Academic and Cultural
Committee was not overlooking the im
portance of student initiative. Advising is
a service provided by the faculty. The
Senate proposals imply that individual fac
ulty members must take the initiative: “if
advisers showed interest students would
be anxious to discuss their schedules, plans
and academic problems.” If a student wants
advice from faculty members he should
have no problem finding it. If he is waiting
for the faculty member to take the initia
tive and probe into his future plans and
current campus interests, that student
probably does not belong at a university.
If anything, we should seek less regimen
tation and formal proceduralism. This Sen
ate proposal does not recognize the student
as a mature, responsible individual. It cries
out for more in loco parentis. We doubt if
faculty members will look with favor on
the Senate proposal to provide them with
formal instruction in the art of advising,
nor should they.
Proposals of this nature damage the at
tempts by many responsible student lead
ers to allow the student to participate more
fully in the life of the University commu
nity. Student government can only expect
cooperation from the faculty when it be
gins to present evidence and follow that
evidence with respectful recommendations.
We would like to see an exhaustive report
on the academic system for it may need re
view and revision. The beliefs of the Aca
demic and Cultural Committee might be
accurate, with evidence they might advance
an effective argument and could expect
faculty cooperation.
Stalemate In Washington
'Unless the stalemate between House and
Senate leaders in Congress is resolved
hopes for passage of federal aid to educa
tion may die and the state of Oregon may
be plunged into an even more serious edu
cational crisis. Both sides in the House
Senate squabble are accusing each other of
congressional blackmail. The heart of the
controversy is a split over a compromise
version of the Vocational Aid Education
bill. As a result Senate education leaders
are keeping the $1.2 billion college aid bill
from reaching the floor and final approval
until House members compromise along
senate lines on the vocational aid bill which
also contains extension of student loans
and grants under the National Defense to
Education Act. (NDEA)
Joint conferees hammered out a compro
mise version of a bill to aid colleges and
universities with loans and grants over a
five year period to build campus facilities.
The bill only needs quick Senate approval.
The education conferees haven’t met since
Nov. 8 and there is still no compromise ver
sion of House and Senate vocational legis
lation. While there are many points of con
tention on the vocational education bill the
chief stumbling block in a controversy over
a formula based on per capita income vis a
vis a proposal based on population. The
Senate proposal would favor poorer states
in the South while the House plan would
help Northern states with large popula
tions.
We are hopeful that our Senator Morse
and Representative Green, both influential
on higher education affairs in Congress will
move quickly to achieve an effective com
promise. If there were ever a time when
Oregon colleges need the aid bill it is dur
ing this biennium of budget cutting.
Loss of Chief Executive Unites America
Editor’s Note: This is the
eulogy given by Supreme
Court Chief Justice Earl War
ren at the capitol as the body
of the late President John F.
Kennedy lay in state.
* * *
There are few events in our
national life that unite Ameri
cans and so touch the heart of
all of us as the passing of a
President of the United States.
There is nothing that adds
shock to our sadness as the as
sassination of our leader, chosen
as he is to embody the ideals of
our people, the faith we have in
our institutions and our belief
in the fatherhood of God and
the brotherhood of man.
Such misfortunes have befal
len the nation on other occa
sions, but never more shocking
ly than two days ago.
We are saddened; we are
stunned; we are perplexed.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, a
great and good President—the
friend of all men of goodwill—
a believer in the dignity and
equality of all human beings; a
fighter for justice; an apostle of
peace has been snatched from
our midst by the bullet of an
assassin.
What moved some misguided
wretch to do this horrible deed
may never be known to us, but
we do know that such acts are
commonly, stimulated by forces
of hatred and malevolence, such
as today, are eating their way
into the bloodstream of Ameri
can life.
What a price we pay for this
fanaticism!
It has been said that the only
thing we learn from history is
that we do not learn.
But surely we can learn if we
have the will to do so. Surely
there is a lesson to be learned
from this tragic event.
(Continued on pnye 3)
Herblock
T
“It’s Terrible How Intolerant People Are Getting”
Letters To the Editor mmmmm
Human Rights Day
Emerald Editor:
On Dec. 8 people here and
abroad will observe the four
teenth anniversary of the adop
tion of the Universal Declara
tion of Human Rights by the
United Nations’ General Assem
bly.
There will be those who will
relate the magnificent efforts
already made, while others will
bring up the many problems still
unsolved. The purpose of this
letter is to point out some new
influences that are causing us to
review our ideas of human
rights that others may find val
uable to consider.
First—The people of the
world are fast becoming a world
community, or state, as the po
litical scientists would say. Our
sciences of intercommunication,
transportation and distribution
are making it so.
Second—Nations which have
for centuries been sovereign
powers are losing a part of
their sovereignty beyond recall
Whether we fully realize it or
not, this includes the largest
as well as the smallest. No na
tion today can live unto itself
or can alone protect itself from
the stresses and hazards of in
ternational tension and the
threat of rapidly evolving atom
IC puwci.
With the first process we are
approaching a universal recog
nition of the oneness or like
ness of all human beings. We
see ourselves more and more as
“we, the people of the world.”
Human needs, aspirations, tal
ents and inherent worth cut
through barriers of nation,
race, class and creed. This is
a moral step in our evolution.
The Declaration of Human
Rights is a statement of this
moral idealism. It is more than
another historic endeavor to
preserve rights against an inva
sion of individual freedom and
integrity; it is a non-sectarian
effort to apply the Golden Rule
on a universal scale. This is a
beginning of a process of
“sharing social status with all
mankind.”
For this standard to become
fully effective in world affairs
we must employ the most po
tent of all agencies, that of true
religion — the spirit of unity
which knows all men created
with potentialities in the image
and likeness of the one God.
With the second process (loss
of absolute national sovereign
ty), we are approaching, by
will of the people of the world,
the establishment of a world
federation in which no nation
can endanger the rights of the
citizens of two other states or
engulf the world in catastro
phe. A world commonwealth
backed by force strong enough
to maintain an environment of
peace and order is the logical
administrative aspect of world
brotherhood
Thus, the new human rights
now emerging as necessary to
the maturing of civilization on
this planet, in addition to the
older ones, are 1) the right to
world peace; 2) the right to
world order; 3) the right to
world citizenship; and 4) the
right to world faith
There is one world community
of people working toward all
these objectives . . the Baha'is
As stated by the Founder of
their Faith a hundred years ago,
"The Tabernacle of Unity has
been raised; regard ye not one
another as strangers . . Of
one tree are all ye the fruit and
of one bough the leaves
The world is one country and
mankind its citizens ”
Ifoushang Toloui,
Chairman and Karen
Howe, Secretary Baha'i
Campus Fellowship.
* * *
Game Comments
Emerald Editor:
Congratulations to the head
coach of the University football
team! The Ducks won two
BIG’ football games.
True, we only beat the last
place eleven of the Big Ten—
without the two point conver
sion (does anybody remember
the Washington State game
three years ago?) and another
ball club that ended the sea
son with a five and five won
and loss record. But we won
two BIG’ ball games.
Now let's beat Pittsburg, Penn
State, Washington, and Oregon
State next year—along with the
other six.
John Bassett,
Second Year Law.
OREGON DAILY EMERALD
The Oregon Daily Fmersld ia pi blished
• twice in September and five days a week
during (he academic year, except during el
imination and vacation period* by the Stu
dent Publicaliona Board of the University of
Oregon. Filtered aa second class matter at
the poet office, Fugene, Oregon. Subscrip
tion rates 95 per year; 92 per term.
Opiniona expressed on the editorig] page
are those of the Kmerald and do not pre
tend to represent the opinion of the ASLO
or the University.
EVERETTE DENNIS, Editor
JIM Sl'KKR, BuiinMK Manager
JANET COETZE, Managing Editor
MARIE FORREST ER,
Advertising Manager
HON COWAN. News Editor
DOUG HAGEN, Editorial Page Editor
CATHY NEVILLE, Academic Affairs Editor
DICK HIC1IAHDSON, Associate Editor
JIM FRAKE, Assistant Managing Editor
HAY MAST. Sporta Editor
JOE BERGER, Assistant News Editor
GEORGE HIGH AM. Photo Editor
THOR A WILLIAMS. Feature Editor
CHUCK BEGGS, Entertainment Editor
IRMA DAWN MOAR, Women’a Editor
PHYELIS ELVINC, Aaaociate News Editor
Editorial Board: Everette Dennis, Ron Cow
an, Junet Coetze, Doug Hagen, Dick Richard
son, Dave Sands, Jerry Utti, Hay Mast, Pam
Pashkowski, Cathy Neville, P-.t Holt, Simeon
Crowther, Doug Coin*-* lo« Berger Jim
Frake, Linda Brown.