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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 23, 1968)
Oregon daily EMERALD Opinions expressed on the editorial page are those or the tmeraia ana do not necessarily represent the opinions of the ASUO or the University. However, the Emerald does present on this page columnists and letter writers whose opinions reflect those of our diverse readership and not those of the Emerald itself. MIKE FANCHER, Editor ASSOCIATE EDITORS Ron Eachus Rick FUch Gil Johnson Linda Melerjurgen Cliff Sandetiin John Sasaki Ron Saylor Sally Sharrard Jean Snider WILBUR BISHOP JR. Business Manager RICH JERNSTEDT Advertising Manager BAKUAKA STUNK National Advertising Manager University of Oregon, Eugene, Tuesday, January 23, 1968 Innocent Little Ones— There's a joke sweeping the Eugene schools in the wake of last week's Kunkle hearing. Some of the kids, according to Eugene teachers, are demanding a flag salute seven periods a day in their class rooms. “We want a flag salute or we'll tell mommy and daddy" say the sharp kids—to the obvious discomfort of their teachers. This brings to mind the words of a current popular song: "Isn't very funny what the chil'run say." The song implies that kids see more and know more than their parents realize, which is especially true because of their constant exposure to the mass media. Could it be that these tender, innocent little grade schoolers. who are too young to be exposed to controver sial opinions, are actually more perceptive than their own parents? How can they recognize adult hysteria—when they are too young to have even heard of Joseph McCarthy ’ Sixth Grade Tutors Who says educational reform and innovation is impos sible? According to the associated press, third-graders at Eliot Elementary School in Portland come to school early to get help with their reading, and their tutors are sixth graders. “They’re learning from each other," says Mrs. Helen Takacs, a consultant who started the program at the school last fall. “The sixth-graders take their tutoring tasks very seriously, and there has been much less distraction and fewer discipline problems than we originally expected,” she said. The 11-year-old tutors learn more about what it is like to be a teacher, she explained. “They have proved ingenious in explaining things to the third graders. Many times they have managed to get through an idea or solution that would have been difficult for an adult teacher,” Mrs. Takacs said. “We feel real progress is being made.” What better proof that with willing, energetic students, faculty members and administrators the traditional sys tems can be changed and progress can be made. iiiiimiliiUiillltlmiiiilil Emerald Editor. iwnmiinniBHiamui! Aggressive Outlet Emerald Editor: It would likely be fair to say that one of the chief failures of this society is a lack of suffi cient channels for the expres sion of aggression. Athletics is one of the few major channels which allows a release of ag gression with a minimum dis tortion of rationality. (Reckless driving and fanaticism are less benign releases.) So even if all students do not engage in ath letics, its high importance to a well-balanced university com munity mu^t not be forgotten. Perhaps we should consider very carefully indeed Fagan’s proposal of transferring $100, 000 of athletic fund fees away from the athletic department. Konrad Lorenz’s book “On Ag gression,” which seems to of fend certain political sensitivi ties, appears to be a major con tribution to the psychology be hind warfare. Although the book is out in Bantam paper back, I’ve found it’s usually a good deal of trouble to get in some places. The suspicion is well-founded that the nonhostile combat of athletics reduces the danger of war. S. Leland Ferguson Philosophy grad. To Quote Thoreau Emerald Editor: In all fairness to Henry' David Thoreau and any who might be influenced by his philosophy of civil disobedience, your writer’s paraphrase—“if a man can be imprisoned for breaking an un just law, then a just man be longs in prison”—is not quite the same as Thoreau’s state ment, “Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison.” Robert P. Friedman Professor of Speech Guidelines for Faculty—Student Participation Editor's note: The following is the full text of proposed guidelines for joint student-faculty participation in the academic community which was released to the Emerald Monday. The sponsors who worked on the draft are Martin Acker, Herbert Blsno, Daniel GoUliich, Aron Novick, Frank Stahl, George Streislnger, l.ee Bollinger, Joe Fashing, Gary Feuerberg, Marvin Feuerberg, and Gerald Selzer. GENERAL PRINCIPLES Students share with the faculty a vital in terest and concern in the educational process and ought to participate with the faculty in reaching decisions concerning this process. There are many areas at this University where improvements in the educational pro cess are needed and students should partici pate with the faculty in bringing about these improvements. The nature of the education a student re ceives is to a large extent governed by the curriculum. While certain areas such as the content of individual courses must be the responsibility of individual faculty members, students should participate equally with the faculty in broad policy decisions concerning the curriculum and academic requirements in both individual departments and the Uni versity. In addition, students should be given the opportunity to contribute advice concern ing such areas as course content and class structure. The quality of the education a student re ceives is to a certain extent governed by the quality of the faculty. Faculty members ought to be good teachers as well as creative schol ars. In order to insure such a balance, stu dents should share with the faculty a role in decisions concerning the promotion and ten ure of faculty. Students’ lives are greatly affected by the rules governing their conduct during their stay at the University, by the grades and rec ords that assess their academic accomplish ments and by scholastic sanctions that may be imposed upon them. While some functions, such as the assignments of grades, must be the responsibility of individual faculty mem bers. students ought to participate with the faculty in setting general policy concerning grading systems and procedures, and scho lastic sanctions IMPLEMENTATION Responsibilities The law providing for the organization of the University of Oregon establishes areas of faculty responsibility. In broad terms, the faculty operating in assembly or through its committees is responsible for the University curriculum, academic requirements, scholar ship requirements, student activities, and stu dent discipline. In order to bring about joint student-faculty participation in these areas r the fat uity should regularize student partici pation in its regular committees in all perti nent areas. University Committees Committees presently responsible to the faculty fall into three classes: a) elected com mittees, b) appointed committees, and c) ap pointed special committees. Committees shall be composed of equal numbers of faculty and students with the procedures for operation to be determined by the individual commit tees. • Elected committees. 1) The Advisory Council. Faculty members will be elected as at present The student members will be elected by the student body at large each year prior to commencement, according to procedures to be approved by the appropriate body of the ASUO. A suf ficient number of alternates will be elected to assure the seating of the appropriate num ber of student members the following year. Questions relating to the promotion and ten ure of individual faculty members will be considered separately by two subcommittees, one consisting solely of the student members, the other solely of the faculty members of the Advisory Council. The two subcommittees will construct separate files on each case and will make independent recommendations. The Advisory Council as a whole will con sider questions relating to University policy and general questions relating to promotion and tenure. 2) The Academic Senate. The present fac ulty senate will be renamed the Academic Senate. The student members will be elected by the student body at large each year prior to commencement according to procedures approved by the appropriate body of the ASUO. The procedures will be such as to assure equitable representation with respect to class standing (with the exception of fresh men) and school. The functions of these committees will re main as described in the Faculty Handbook • Appointed Committees. The following committees are included: Academic Occasions Committee, Assembly and University Lec tures Committee, Committee on Broadcasting, Campus Planning Committee, Committee on Committees (see below), Committee on the Curriculum, Distinguished Service Awards Committee, Educational Innovation Commit tee, Federal Aid and Academic Freedom Com mittee, Festival of Arts Committee, Graduate Council, Committee on Intercollegiate Ath letics, Library Committee, Off-Campus Schol arships and Grants Committee, Committee on Scholarships and Financial Aid, Scholastic Deficiencies Committee, Student Activities Committee, Student Conduct Committee, Stu dent Health and Accident Insurance Commit tee, Student Loan Committee, Student Pub lications Board, Student Union Board, Stu dent Union and Educational Activities Budget Committee, Teacher Education Committee. It Committee Members. Assignment of stu dent members to the various committees will be by a Student-Faculty Committee on Stu dent Membership. Student members of the latter committee will be appointed by the appropriate body of the ASUO. The Commit tee on Student Membership will have a stu dent chairman and may invite applications for the various committees by petitioning or any other means that they choose. Faculty mem bers will be appointed by the Advisory Council. Appointment of faculty members to the various committees will be by a Faculty Student Committee on Faculty Membership. Faculty members of this committee will be appointed by the Advisory Council and Stu dent Members by the appropriate body of the ASUO, and this committee will have a faculty chairman. 2i Special requests to the Committees on Committee Membership. There should be a procedure by which the student members or faculty members of any committee may com municate to the appropriate body for possible remedial action any dissatisfaction with any or several student or faculty member(S) of that committee. One such procedure would be. for example, that one-third of the faculty members of any committee may communicate to the ASUO president any dissatisfaction with any or several student member(s) of that committee. In such cases the ASUO presi dent may wish to consider remedial action, but such action will be under the exclusive jurisdiction of the ASUO president. • Special Committees and New Commit tees The following committees will be formed: li A Committee on an Academic Legisla ture. This committee will be charged with exploring plans for a legislative body at this University that deals with all matters now delegated to the faculty, and which shall have equal faculty and student representation. This committee will present a preliminary report to the faculty and to the students through the Academic Senate and the ap propriate body of the ASUO respectively with in a period of a year. It shall present a linal plan within a period of two years. In the interim present student delegates to faculty meetings shall have the same privileges as faculty members. 2) An Academic Review Board shall be created and charged with hearing petitions concerning changes of grades of students who claim that a grade was awarded on the basis of considerations not related to performance in connection with class work. The commit tee shall have the power to render decisions and change grades. 3) An Educational Policy Committee shall be established to deal with broad questions concerning University policy and philosophy. Departmental Committees At least four committees with joint faculty student participation shall be established to advise in each department: a) a Departmental Curriculum Committee, b) a Departmental Re quirements Committee, c) a Graduate Student Policy Committee, and d) a Departmental Personnel Committee. These committees shall consist of half student and half faculty mem bers with a faculty member as chairman. The student members of the Graduate Student Policy Committee shall be class 6 graduate students. The chairman of these committees shall report to the faculty of the respective departments. Individual departments shall be responsible for calling the first meeting of departmental majors for purposes of es tablishing a procedure for electing student members to departmental committees. The functions of the Departmental Re quirements Committee and the Departmental Curriculum Committee shall be to deal with those functions of the undergraduate pro gram suggested by their titles. The Graduate Student Policy Committee shall consider pol icy and procedures for graduate student ad mission and qualification, as well as policy with respect to requirements for degrees. The student members of the Graduate Student Policy Committee shall not concern them selves with decisions concerning the admis sion or qualification of individual students. Compensation for Service by Students In order to make it possible for the ASUO executive branch to deal with the increased work load imposed by the program described here, the appropriate ASUO officers will be allowed to reduce their registration in Uni versity Courses to nine hours and still qualify as full-time students. These students and all others participating on University commit tees may receive University credit for Uni versity service and related activities through appropriate departments. Student may re ceive appropriate compensation for time spent on University business. It is understood that in some cases students occupying these offices may not be able to complete the usual course of study at the University in the usual four years and may have to attend for an additional year. In such cases all efforts will be made to prevent any loss to the student of scholarship, aid, draft deferment, etc. All of the provisions herein shall be sub ject to constant review and refinement. The Draft, Law, Science—The Conrad View ^I ■CHlilHJ . . Hell Hershey . . . !” “I can remember when all a Supreme Court justice did was sit on the bench!” “Please, God! ... I’d rather do it myself!” Emerald Editor: All letters to the editor must be typewritten and triple spaced. Letters must not exceed 300 words and must be signed in ink. giving the class and ma jor of the writer. Those dealing with one subject and pertaining to the University or Eugene community will be given pref erence. The Emerald reserves the right to edit letters for style, grammar, punctuation, and po tentially libelous content. Let ters not meeting these criteria and those which are mimeo graphed or otherwise obvious duplicates will be returned. Support Initiative Emerald Editor: We feel that Tom Fagan has raised an extremely important question. Do the students of the University wish to have part of their incidental fee money spent by the athletic de partment? Since the ASUO Senate has refused to place a referendum on the ballot for this term, the only alternative left is to sup port the initiative. We feel that this question is one of concern to many students and should be decided by them rather than by a few committee men and bureaucrats. Many both for and against the proposal have signed the initiative pe tition, because they also believe that this issue should be decid ed by all those students inter ested enough in the University to vote. In order to get this meas ure on the ASUO winter term general election ballot, the pe tition must be signed by about 700 students before Wednesday morning. We believe students at the University hold deeply the principles of democracy and will sign the petition in the numbers necessary to place it on the ballot. Dan Allison Phil Barnhart ASUO Senators Tom Nash EMU Board Chairman « * * Athletic Manner Emerald Editor: After reading Rick Fitch’s article, "The Duck Puddle," of Jan. 16, I feel I can no longer remain silent concerning the Emerald's viewpoint. I would like to know the reasons why Mr. Fitch, a person who ob viously has little understanding of the mechanisms of and rea sons for athletics, is in charge of a sports section of our cam pus newspaper. I would like to know why he insists that athletics be ap proached in a manner similar to politics or a discussion on the Vietnam war. Of course, there are some points Mr. Fitch made that are correct. True, emotionalism is a prominent part of athletics, particularly on the part of the spectators. However, this would seem to be a positive influence helping our society remain ra tional and peaceful in other areas. A person can study and intel lectualize for only so long be fore his natural, unconscious impulses of aggression build up. An uncivilized person might try fighting with his roommate or the dorm counselor to relieve the pressure, or if he lacked this ability he might turn to sex. On the other hand, a person with a taste for responsible civi lity goes to a football game or some athletic contest to give vent to his emotions too long suppressed by his rational mind. Mr. Fitch also printed the truth when he claimed that most people seek to win in ath letics. Victory is a goal on which sports are based and it is part of the game for the play ers to seek that goal. The spec tators seek victory for their team, too. After all, much more emotion is released and a great er peace of mind attained in victory than in defeat. In this letter I am not trying to say that athletics is only an outlet for aggression. Sports are much more than that and the players are thinking, rational men, as evidenced by men like George Dames and Jim Smith. Granted, there is a great de gree of emotionalism in athlet ics, but this is not to be con demned. This should be accept ed for what it is—an occurance of human nature and a release of emotion and aggression in a way least harmful to our soci ety. If Mr. Fitch and others like him still cannot appreciate this value of athletics, let them stick to hopscotch and leave men’s games to those who can understand them. Bob Spencer Junior, Psychology Impolite Emerald Editor: I would like to remark some thing about the manner in which Robert Welch of the Birch So ciety was received here when he spoke the other night in Mc Arthur Court. Even though it was a bit long and repetitive, the general audi ence was most impolite. I’m rather apologetic my self when it comes to taking definite stands as to what is right and what is wrong. He could be right. He could be wrong. He could be a Commu nist himself (with a big C), making people laugh at the idea of a Communist Conspiracy. Anyway, what I’m actually trying to say is that You (with a big Y) should look twice be fore calling anything truth or freedom. After all You do learn things today that you didn’t know about yesterday. Margaret Cooper Freshman, Liberal Arts Apartment Life Emerald Editor: Us apartment dwellers are getting just a might bit p'd-o by the continual slams made at our apathy by those Greek guys. If we had more gumption we d do something about it, by God. Bill Killingsworth Tom Larson Mike Brauser Jeanne Plinski » * * Token Gesture Emerald Editor: The group of panelists for the Greek Focus program, “Civil Disobedience,” was exceptional ly well chosen and the aspects of the issue well represented by them. However, the scant hour and a half allotted the program was grossly inadequate, especi ally in view of its inconvenient 6:30 starting time. There was only time for a short speech by each of the five panelists and then five or six questions from the audience be fore the Ballroom was cleared for the next events, also spon sored by Greek Focus. It is not unusual for such a panel and its audience to bene ficially discuss an issue for sev eral hours, especially one as controversial and relevant as civil disobedience. The event following this pro gram, a film, obviously held priority over the panel program time-wise. It is interesting to note that this film was shown two nights in succession and that admission was charged. Of course Greek Week must be financed. Unforutnately, in this case, careless, or perhaps intentional scheduling (wasn't there really any other place or time at which either program could have been held?) makes the program on civil disobedi ence little more than a token gesture, and ironically destroys the broad-minded image which Greek Focus tries to promote. Kathryn Stalker Senior, English Defense of Chauvinism Emerald Editor: Ronald Kunkle’s mistake came not in "overestimating the sophistication of the people of the Eugene school district — teachers, parents — and the school board in particular,” but in overestimating the sophisti cation of his fifth-grade pupils. He instructed his underlings in the fine art of “erosion” be (Continued on page 1)
