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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 21, 1964)
Education and the Press Oregon Newspapers Have Serious Shortcomings In Their Failure to Report Education s News Not long ago an alumnus of the Univer sity returned to the campus for the first time in 15 years. We encountered him in the Student Union and over a cup of coffee he asked us questions which demonstrated his concern for the University. But at the same time the content of the gentleman's questions fully illustrated his lack of con tact with the trends in higher education. Ironically, the man is quite interested in education, but although he reads two of Oregon’s daily newspapers he rarely comes in touch with news of education. This alumnus is not unlike other citizens of Oregon who are concerned about higher education, but have no physical contact with Oregon's colleges and universities. His problem is that he relies on the Oregon press for news about higher education. The bland news diet which this state’s press offers him features only the most overt events. If the fraternities are hazing their pledges he hears about it. If a professor receives a national honor he hears about it. And if the students demonstrate he hears about it. But outside of the most superficial, easily available news the average Oregon resi dent has no access in the press to the story of trends and new developments in higher education. The state's press, for example, has virtually ignored the development of the graduate education program and its impact on the educational process. Nor has our state’s press illustrated any awareness of the tremendous economic impact of the increasing grants and contracts w’hich some University departments have been receiv ing. Educational philosophy—the changes in the development of policy under new presi dents (Flemming at UO and Jensen at OSU) at the state’s two major institutions—has virtually been left untouched. Some of the state’s papers occasionally mumble about the possibility of Federal aid, but few have surveyed the considerable influence of Fed eral funds at our institutions of higher edu cation. Are they aware that federal monies have completely changed the picture of graduate education, both in enrollment and scope, or that some departments have gained national renown only because Fed eral funds have kept top-quality professors here? Some observers maintain that higher ed ucation in Oregon has a weak base of Sup port. If outspoken legislators accurately represent their constituencies this would seem to have validity. We are not asking that the state press give first priority treat ment to higher education or proclaim un equivocal support for educational projects, but we are hopeful that the press will recog nize its serious shortcoming in this area and endeavor to offer the citizens of Oregon comprehensive educational reporting. Cer tainly weekly newspapers in remote sec tions of the state cannot be expected to send teams of reporters to the campuses, but the state’s 21 daily newspapers have an obligation which they are not meeting. We are hopeful that the editors and publishers of Oregon, on the campus today for their annual convention, will give thoughtful consideration to the criticisms they will hear from students and members of the faculty. They might also utilize some of their time in digging out stories previously unreported. It takes an educated society to lubricate democracy’s machinery and the responsibility of the press to report news of concern in the field of education should not be overlooked. Mark O. and the Logs Rolling logs on Oregon beaches have been quite a problem lately. Several deaths have been reported in the last couple of months. And when accidents of this kind happen the public looks to public officials for answers. This week the citizens of our state received one from none other than Gov. Mark O. Hatfield. The governor has ordered the State Highway Department to burn the logs. Now it isn't any secret that Mark Hatfield is not an outdoorsman, but wje were unaware that he hasn't visited the Oregon beaches. If he had surveyed Ore gon’s beaches from Astoria to Brookings he probably would have come to the con clusion that there are neither enough men or gasoline in all of Western Oregon to han dle the job. In an election year we could have expected a more imaginative proposal such as a log problem prayer breakfast, but 1966 is two years away. The Second Curriculum The Condon Lecture fund and the Eric W. Allen Memorial Fund are providing two outstanding speakers on campus this week. Sherwood Washburn, a University of Cali fornia anthropologist has been the Condon Lecturer. Barry Bingham, editor and pub lisher of the Louisville Courier-Journal and Louisville Times, will be the Allen Lecturer today at 2:30 p.m. in the Student Union. These two funds have brought outstand ing speakers to the campus for several years who are able to discuss topics of cur rent interest in the scientific and communi cations fields. Their talks aid in sitmulating the thinking of students within the speci fied disciplines and augment the education of students in other fields. They are con stituents of the “second curriculum” the University endeavors to provide its stu dents. Anthropologist Washburn has brought to che campus information he gathered while working with primates in Oregon and the Far East. Bingham, one of the distinguished editor-publishers of the South, will discuss the “One-Ownership Newspaper Town,” a topic of increasing concern among journal ists and newspaper readers. We hope students will realize the educa tional enrichment intent of lectures estab lished by special foundations, and will at tend them with this in mind. Footnote Noting the current beard controversy whisking around campus, and the infiltra tion of “Beatlemania” into our contempo rary culture, one could be led to think that maybe modern homo sapiens not only de scended from the apes but are desiring a return thereto. In the midst of this, we noticed in a recent edition of the Register-Guard that the University’s All-American swimmer, Dick Boyd, has announced possible inten tions of shaving himself, head-to-foot, be fore the upcoming swim meet here. This procedure, as all good swimmers know, enables the body to glide through the water with much less insistence and thereby greater speed. Another swimmer noted that he whacked seven seconds off his time by whacking off his unnecessary hair. So, the bearded ones may conquer the world, but it doesn’t appear likely that they will conquer the swim meets, at least. Herblock m I .V 5 \ / /f / "They Have This Wild Idea That The House Of Representatives Should I5e Representative” ‘Miiutmiiiiii. ...jiat.fl Wonderfill Governor Log Burning Brings New Oregon Industry By LINDA BROWN editorial Board Member Oregon's Governor is a won derful man. He’s hardworking, hard traveling and always eager to bring new industry into Ore gon. Why, just this week he asked the Highway Department to burn all the logs on the major beaches in Oregon I personally think this is tremendous. Tht. simple declaration will undoubt edly have a tremendous impact on the Oregon economy To begin with, more Highway Department men will have to be hired It will certainly take more men to keep up with High way Department duties and to burn all the logs on the beaches More Salaries More men will mean more salaried people. Of course Ore gon taxpayers arc paying this salary, but it shouldn't upset them too much because these workers have to pay taxes so the money w ill all be going back to the original source, where, ever that is. There will definitely be a need for log patrollers who would make sure stray logs don't take it into their heads to come rolling up on the beaches. The log patrollers could busy themselves day after day shoo ing the logs back into the ocean or stacking them for burning, or something. And during critical stormy periods we could have special storm troopers — men who could quickly band together and rid the beadles of its dan gerous intruders. All of these men would of course have to go to a special log patrolling and storm troop ing training school. And right away we increase Oregon's in dustrial capacity. A training school means buildings, teach ers, lawns—all sorts of construc tion. And of course, having training will give prestige and status to the graduates. Log pat rolling and burning could be come a skill. Maybe even an art. And thus contests, critics and reviews will be necessary and this will involve many peo ple and create more jobs. Shelters Needed And what about all those log less beaches? People won’t be able to build bonfires or have wind shelters. There will defin itely be a need for some sort of replacement. Thus Oregon’s re search laboratories could busy themselves inventing an instant ly disposable lag. The market would be tremendous. Little log stands could open up at the beaches and log disposal cans would of course have to he in vented and installed All tlm would, of course, create more jobs. Oregon’s lumbermen should all be behind our Governor’s edict. No longer will people he getting free wood off Oregon \s beaches. They will be forced to purchase it. And instantly dis posable logs would of course use Oregon timber. No longer would Oregon lumbermen be able to complain about the decline in timber sales. other industries would nattir ally develop in the wake of lug burning. For one thing, a special fire corps will probably have to be established ... in case the log patrollers and storm troop ers can't handle the situation Besides, there are undoubtedly enormous complications involved in burning all the logs on the beaches Certainly the patrollers would just want to patrol and others would have to burn 'a union would probably originate - another job opportunity) Smoke Control Needed All that smoke is going to create problems too. There will have to be special committees on smoke and smog control and new devices will have to be in vented to help prevent smoke congestion. Log burning also has serious implications for our nation's de fense. The sinoke could be an ef fective screen against any spy planes overhead. We could be developing rockets and things and no one would ever know And have you considered the amount of fuel necessary to burn the logs? Not to mention the matches. We would have to es tablish our own plants to pro vide the necessary igniters. 1 haven’t yet mentioned one of the most important outcomes of log burning. What is going to happen to all our major beaches while this burning is going on? Where will people go? Tourism I'uaiTected To Oregon’s minor beaches of course. Which will then have to (Continued on paye 3) OREGON DAILY EMERALD The Orcgi n Daily Emerald U published twice in September and five days a week during the academic year, except during examination and vacation periods by the Student Publications Board of the Uni versity of Oregon. Entered as second class matter at the post oflice, 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 opinion of the ASUO or the University. EVERETTE DENNIS, Editor JIM SPEER, Business Manager
