Class on Saturday
Three years ago all freshmen were asked
to schedule at least one Saturday class
unless, with their advisor’s approval, their
schedule did not permit this. This plan
was abandoned the next year, but the Sat
urday classes remained, and are still with
us. Unfortunately, there are very real eco
nomic reasons for scheduling weekend
classes at the University. Classroom space
is at a premium with all class space being
used the 30 hours a week recommended by
the State Board of Higher Education. Until
more space is available (and at the rate the
University is expanding construction may
never exceed enrollment increases) stu
dents will have no choice but to take Sat
urday classes. We dream, however, of the
day when students and professors can
work the five day week enjoyed by most
other occupations today.
The prevailing rationale behind sched
uling Saturday classes is the space limita
tion. The present senior class has seen
class schedules change until classes are
now scheduled through the lunch hour and
through the 1 p.m. Tuesday period tra
ditionally set aside for University assem
blies. The seniors have seen schedules mod
ified until a student can very easily have
classes from 8 a m. to 2 p.m. without a
break plus a Saturday class and one or
more evening classes per week.
Apart from the economic need, however,
weekend scheduling also has a philosoph
ical justification; to prevent “weekend ex
odus.” It is difficult to build an academic
environment when large portions of the
student body exit early Friday afternoon,
not to be seen again until Monday morning.
Weekend scheduling of cultural events or
other programs necessary to an academic
community may be curtailed by this ex
odus.
With both of these reasons considered,
however, we feel that the student and in
structor still have cases to build against
the University’s current scheduling system.
Relaxation and an opportunity for uninter
rupted study are both essential for the uni
versity student. For many students, a mid
morning Saturday class means fewer hours
for library research. The library closes at
5 p.m. on Saturday and does not open
again until 2 p.m. Sunday. With current
academic demands offering increasing chal
lenges to students, class preparation takes
longer hours and frequently requires long
periods of independent research.
Current studies have time and again
pointed to the greater pressures placed
upon students to achieve and meet the
challenges of the modern university. These
pressures have taken their toll in nervous
breakdowns, drop outs for emotional rea
sons, and the long list of psychological re
actions frequently attributed to college
life. Each cut into the student’s weekend
means less time to reach a balance between
relaxation and study. For some, it provides
an excuse to play for the entire weekend.
For others, the majority perhaps, college
life is blurred into one long “session with
the books,” broken only by vacations.
The lack of classroom space is a reason
with which we cannot argue. The financial
limitations of the state schools are old
news. We can only keep asking for better
physical facilities. Until more space is avail
able. we cannot hope to change the current
scheduling system. We can, however, hope
that when more space is available better
scheduling will also be available.
After all of this, however, one observer
has said:
The Lord only rested one day. After
all He did . . . why should students
need more?
Letters to the Editor,
Courtesy?
Emerald Editor:
In my two years as a member
of the University Marching
Band, I have had ample oppor
tunity to observe the rally squad
in all its glory. My observations
of them have been generally
favorable until this year’s
Homecoming game. My obser
vations were then shattered.
While our alumni band was
playing, our thoughtful rally
squad then decided to fire up
“Louie, Louie,” completely ob
livious of the alumni band. In
cidentally, this was the only
time any selection (I hesitate to
use the word music) boomed
forth from the loudspeaker.
Soon the sound from across
the way was inundated in the
screaming wave of music(?)
issuing from the cavernous loud
speakers situated in front of
the students. Someone evident
ally temporarily forgot how to
turn off the record player. It’s
funny, though, someone had an
instant memory recall when the
football team returned to the
strain of “Mighty Oregon” and
switched it off. I fully realize
that the alumni band’s music
was not as loud nor as sensuous
as the rally squad’s selection,
but the rally squad at least owed
the alumni band the common
courtesy of waiting until they
were finished, to cut loose.
There was a note of irony in
that situation. The yell king had
earlier in the game cordially
welcomed the alumni band on
behalf of the students. Then
came ‘Louie, Louie,” which
most certainly was not a cordial
welcome, but rather a discour
teous and rude one. This type
of irony has no place at a foot
ball game or any other activity
at which the University is rep
resented.
I am not condemning the ral
ly squad per se, because their
contribution to school spirit is
immeasurable. My only hope is,
that in the future, they exhibit
more courtesy and respect than
was evident in this incident.
Evan Mandigo
Soph., English
member, marching band
Our Smokeless Industry
This speech, delivered by
Logan Wilson, president of
the American Council on (ed
ucation, was reported In the
ACE publication, Higher Ed
ucation and National Affairs,
published Oct. 23.
Education is becoming an in
dustry which offers a product
for its consumers, the students
One leading educator has warn
ed that, with the demands be
ing placed upon colleges by bus
iness and industry, communi
ties, and government agencies,
"there is a recurrent need to
recall that colleges were cre
ated primarily for students."
The “seller's market" in high
er education which has young
people clamoring for admission
to college makes it ail too easy
for teachers and administrators
to avoid confronting issues in
volving students, President Lo
gan Wilson of the American
Council on Education warned
recently.
In an October speech, Wil
son said, "because others arc
standing in line to take the
places of dropouts, there is a
danger of our becoming indif
ferent, if not callous, to the
sources of discontent and the
causes of failure.”
Fast Expansion
The rate of expansion of col
lege enrollment may leave the
student with less personal con
tact with the faculty and col
lege staff members, Wilson
noted Citing the "faceless ano
nymity," that programmed in
struction. IBM cards and identi
fication numbers represent, he
declared that "the depersonal
ization of the study, if allowed
to go unchecked or unchal
lenged, represents a grave
threat to the very purposes of
higher education."
Among issues deserving at
tention. Wilson said, are the in
tellectual climate of the campus,
including the student body’s
view of extra curricular life and
the faculty's attitude toward
teaching, the personal conduct
of students, and the high rate
of college drop outs.
Re-Examination
A re-examination of the extra
curricular life of our colleges
is needed, he stated, adding, “it
may well be that certain of the
adolescent preoccupations of
nineteenth-century college life
are no longer fitting.”
“With the rising expectations
and standards demanded of stu
dents and, I hope, the increas
ing level of student maturity,
we can afford to drop the^ener
vating and time-consuming ac
tivities that (on some cam
puses) preoccupy the energies
of students and obstruct realiza
tion of the real goals of educa
tion,” he observed.
Wilson also decried the “low
value attributed by faculty and
administration to the effective
and committed teaching of stu
dents” with the resulting infer
ence by the student body that
"such activity is not considered
terribly important."
What About Honesty?
To questions of student hon
esty, integrity, and morality,
Wilson said, "colleges and uni
versities cannot be indifferent.”
However, he pointed out that
the institutions sometimes llnd
themselves between parents who
"do not support the restrictions
which colleges have tradition
ally placed on students" and
other parents who "expect the
colleges to police their sons
and daughters in ways which
they themselves did not or could
not.
“It is no wonder,” he added,
"that the present tension exists
between students and institu
tions regarding rules, discipline,
morals, rights, freedoms, and
responsibilities ”
The continuing high rate of
student attrition in higher edu
cation, which finds only four
out of ten entering freshmen
graduating from college four
years later, presents a picture
of "waste, inefficiency, and prob
ably considerable personal un
happiness,” he said
Some of these students, he
conceded, are outright academ
ic failures, but others find “that
they do not lit a preconceived
mold or are repelled by the
pressures and irrelevancies put
upon them.” Furthermore, he
said, in the collegiate "race for
excellence, too many students
who would have been successes
a decade ago are found in the
tally of casualties."
Letters
All letters to the editor must
be typewritten and be double
spaced. letters not over 300
words in length will be given
preference for publication.
OREGON DAILY EMERALD
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J. Craig Mathiesen, It untie** Manager
Irma Dawn Moar, Managing Editor
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Phil Scma*, Sport* Editor
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Scma*.
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