Registration Daze
System Not Perfect, But Better
Another registration day passed Monday
with only minor disappointments and no
reported injuries. Though the University's
present system of arranging 10,000 students
into course schedules of their owrn choosing
is not ideal, things used to be worse.
Students still moan about closed sections
in general psychology discussion or princi
ples of economics. But the seniors can re
member the days when there was no sign
ing up by alphabetical section. Instead,
everyone registered at the same time for
each school and department. Massive herds
lined the sidewalk to McArthur Court, ea
gerly awaiting the signal to storm the en
trances in search of an English class. Stu
dents in the front of the line suffered cuts
as their arms were jammed through win
dows by the swaying, surging throngs
stretching three abreast for two or three
blocks.
Inside the gym floor resembled a politi
cal convention scene complete with a sepa
rate table for conflicts and/or complaints,
staffed by patient and haggard teaching as
sistants.
The rule of first come first served pre
vailed then even more than now. Most popu
lar classes are crow’ded and must be limited
in size; the current methods of registering
by letter groups eliminates the need for
camping out at dawn to wait for a favorite
course. Of course some persons still feel
they are cheated. But the freshman must
realize that he is going to have a fight to
get the composition class he wants while
the senior will breeze through his registra
tion for quantum mechanics.
Persons often point to the procedures
employed by other institutions, such as
pre-regisration methods used at California
or Washington. But in fact, classes close
even in pre-registration systems. The stu
dent is simply offered another alternative
if one exists. And all University depart
ments do not adhere strictly to the alphabet
plan. It would be a bit silly for the religion
department to turn students away from
classes not full simply because they have
not been punctual in their priority times.
At the same time, this method is needed to
keep order in such mobs as those found in
the physical education building.
The system is not perfect. But somehow
everyone manages to complete a schedule
and buy his books and go to class and no
one is heard complaining much by the end
of the week.
Pigger’s Guide
The great wheels of the University ma
chinery apparently bogged down, sputtered,
coughed and finally ground out a Pigger’s
Guide for us at the closing hours of last
term. The annually-published directory of
students and faculty formerly operated un
der the pretense that it was to be published
sometime in October, according to the di
rectory given incoming freshmen. This usu
ally meant that it would come forth in mid
November, still in time for a month or so
of use before the term closed.
The reasons for the delay do not seem
entirely excusable. Typing problems, press
delays or whatever the reasons, a publica
tion w hich is allotted a specific budget each
year and which operates under a virtually
unchanging format should have no trouble
meeting obligations to its readers or users.
And given all the vast data-gathering re
sources employed by the University at the
beginning of each term, we find it difficult
to imagine major setbacks in organization
or composition.
Most publications, be they annual or
daily, cannot operate on a “will be pub
lished sometime” basis. Instead they must
be responsible for meeting stringent dead
lines. We suspect that a sizeable sales mar
ket was lost the guide when it came too late
for students who have now left the Univer
sity. To be sure it is a unique and valuable
directory. But when it is distributed after
more than one-third of the academic year
has passed by. some of its usefulness is cer
tainly lost.
The Last Word
“We must recognize that the young in
many areas of the world today are in the
midst of a revolution against the status
quo. Their anger is turned on systems
which have allowed poverty, illiteracy and
oppression to flourish for centuries.
“We must realize one central fact. They
will prevail. They will achieve their idealis
tic goals one way or another. If they have
to pull governments down over their heads,
they will do it. But they are going to win
a share of a better, cleaner world.” —Rob
ert F. Kennedy, April 14, 1964.
Down With Activists;
Up With Indifference
By EI> SCHWARTZ
Collegiate Press Service
Nothing is more disgusting
than student activism. On cam
puses across the country there
exist small groups of individuals
whose sole function seems to be
to embroil their colleges in
some sort of gigantic cause.
They form political organiza
tions, write for their school
newspapers, and occasionally
run for their student govern
ments. During the last decade,
they have tried to make apathy
seem undesirable to the world
in the most intolerant and mal
icious manner. It's about time
that someone put these people
in their places, before they de
stroy our educational system and
the student's way of life.
The function of a college is
not to educate, but to train The
former concept is too broad. It
involves more than the memori
zation of factual data. It de
mands that fact be synthesized
in the form of opinions. It sug
gfiests thoroughly erroneous
proposition that classroom
learning can be applied to the
"real” world. In short, the term
"education" means thinking,
and thinking, as we all know, is
a useless, taxing, and even dan
gerous occupation
Contrast this gibberish with
the precision of the word,
"training.” To be trained, tin
student can assume that he is
unqualified to think, as any col
lege administrator knows. All
he must do is to attend classes
five or six days a week, copy
verbatim the pearls of wisdom
emanating from the sage at the
front of the room, and repro
duce them on the exam. He
needn’t try to relate the data
of one class with that of an
other. He needn't discuss any of
it with his friends. He can ren
der it as irrelevant to his life
as it really is.
The trained mind is the happy
mind. It has learned to accept
authority, to adjust to its en
vironment. and to filter all un
pleasant sights or sounds from
its receptive organs. It knows
that no problem is serious
enough to demand solution, par
ticularly problems miles away
from the student's dormitory
room. It recognizes that original
ity is merely an excuse for ego
tistical arrogance. It is com
pletely attuned to the demands
of a bureaucratized society and
will be rewarded upon graduat
ion with a good job, fast pro
motions, and piles of money.
Under the circumstances,
why should anyone listen to an
activist? His position is anti
thetical to the demands of uni
versity life. In choosing to act,
he must decide. Decisions in
volve thinking, which by its
very nature impedes the pro
cess of memorization essential
to learning. This means that
the activist is fundamentally an
anti-intellectual, although he
often couches his arguments in
the most scholastic terms. It is
little womler that so many activ
ists Hunk courses or leave
school, completely unable to
adapt to the healthy environ
ment of the campus.
There are two kinds of activ
ists: internal and external. The
former protests c u r r icular
structure, social rules, dormi
tory facilities, and other so
called “atrocities" of our edu
rational system The latter reg
isters voters, pickets for civil
rights, and demonstrates against
the House Un-American Activi
ties Committee. Some engage in
both varieties.
Neither brand should be con
doned, by the student or by a
college administration. Inter
nal activism violates the sacred
maxim that only a Hoard of
Trustees knows what’s neces
sary for a successful college or
university and that the student
who disagrees should leave if he
cannot recognize the wisdom
of their decisions.
External activism creates bad
relations with the community,
blocks necessary alumni con
tributions, and gives the impres
sion that all students are imma
ture cry-babies But the main
sin of both groups lies in the
assumption that there are prob
lems to hr- solved an assump
tion deliberately calculated to
encourage unhappiness.
Activisim is the blight of our
educational system. It demands
thought at a time when think
ing is dangerous. It requires
choice at a time when neutral
ity is necessary for success. It
makes noise at a time when si
lence is golden Let us cleanse
ourselves of this social rot,
wherever and whenever we find
it.
OREGON DAILY EMERALD
The Oregon I J uly Emciald i* pub
liOint five limn in Nrptetnlxrr at.-I five
day* a *ftk during the academic year, ft*
crj»? during r garni nation period*. by the
Student Publication* Hoard ot the t'niver*
*ity oi Oregon Kmrred a* *cc*»nd cla**
matter .\i the j> .it E*igrn«». Ot*-g n.
Sub«cr iptiutt rate* $ > per year, pet
term
Opil !*m* ent ree P-! an the rdi* r;*l
page ate tho*e of ftp EnteftW and do
t. t represent the opmv.n* o» the ASl’O
or the I'nivmitjr.
Cathy Neville, Editor
J. Cr.i g Mathir -eu. Hustite** Manager
( hut k Retgi, Managing Editor
Kenneth K. Kappel, Adverti*ing Manager
Stephen (irrrn. New* Editor
l)a\e Jordan, Aogicitte Editor
1'i il Senia*. Si**»rt* Editor
Phyllt* hiving, Aotociatc New* Editor
J‘»e Era/ier. Kich HaboW.
AftftUtant New* Editor*
Inna Dawn M >\r,
A**»'#ciatc Managing Editor
Bob f arl, A**i>:tant Managing Editor
Boh I)er.ui*toti md Itruce McCurtatn,
Co- Fhot/3 Editor*
Mary Stamp, Feature Editor
Editorial Hoard Fun Hladine, Clifford
Kaufman. Fat lldt, Stephen (ireen,
Irma Dawn M ...i, Steve Cohl»chinidt,
Chuck Hrgg . Dave Jordan, Phil
Setna*. Karen Winn, Hob Carl.
Jules Feiffer
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