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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 25, 1940)
Thursday, April 25, 1940 THE DAILY NEBRASKAN nstHwiMi Article Story Essay Poetry Mick chose an education before college mmn nmmmm Professors shou Id make some a I lowances for those students who have to work their way By Billie Suing. "I Feel So Sorry For Myself." I heard that song and I'm sure that is waht got me started on this attempt to tell you how I feel about those people who make no allowances for students who are compelled to work for their col- lege education. Everyone knows that one mark of an eduacted person ia that he makes preparations for the future, but how can he, without proper funds to give himself that educa- tion ? It is because of this that so many students wish to earn their way thru college. Some do it by Belling, and not always magazines or by working long hours during the summer months, or perhaps by working part of the day, or half of the night during the school year. Did you know that 50 percent of the men and 33 percent of the women students in this university are employed in some office, shop, tore or university office? That makes 41 percent, almost half, of the total enrollment who are part- time employees, yet a great many of the professors continue to run their classes, conferences and quiz sections according to their own conveniences, and seldom making any changes to accommodate the working student. Work vs. college. Some people have said very sar castically that if the working stu dents didn't like the way the school was run, why didn't they go somewhere else. Perhaps they would if they could afford it. If you should substract this large percentage of students. from the total number in the university, which is 6,779, there would be ap proximately 4,000 students left. Just where would Nebraska stand as a state university if there were so few enrolled? Well, I think there are very few professors who care about anyone's standing but tltMr own. It seems to me that their main objective is to get through with classes and the grading of papers as soon as possible and go home. At least that is the way I have found it. Please don't misunder stand me, and think that I mean all of the teachers, but I'm just airing: a pet peeve. Perhaps other part-time employees haven't found it difficult to arrange their classes sni conferences nor found as many injustices as I have. Individual problems. There are thousands of prob lems for each student, I know, but I believe that Dick's case is unique. Pick's father had said that neither of his sons were going to waste hU money by attending college. Both of the boy: thought that he would change his mind and let them go. But Mr. held to hi.s first idea and refused to send the b'.va. Kurthei more, he refused to let them go. even if they did earn their own way, and sinre the biys h id no mother, there was no one to take their part. Mr. was stubborn, and when tin? boys showed a definite desire to enter college, he told them they rould go, but they need not come back home again. The boys l"ft, and they have not gone back. Dick's problem. Now Dick works from twelve midnight to eight In the morning, goes to sc'.iool all morning, reads papers for a while, then tries to get a little sleep so that he can stay awake all night. Fortunately, he has a few hours at night when he does his studying. Perhaps you can't see why I'm telling this llttl incident. Why? Well, Dick wai late for an eight o'clock class sev eral mornings In one week. T&e professor, even after knowing Dick's reasons for his tardiness, refused to excuse him, and re quired him to read three hundred extra pages with a detailed out- line each six weeks, to make up for his tardies. Justice? I won der. Then there is the professor who just couldn't arrange a quiz sec tion at eight in the morning or after four in the afternoon every other week, so that several stu- dents who had to work all after- ioon could be included. It was suggested that we drop the course, or come to the other scheduled quiz sections. Professor said that it was too much to expect his reader to come at eight or stay until five, and it was certain that he didn't expect to. I cut nine classes to go to the scheduled quiz sections. What the others did, I don't know, I want to throw things. I guess it is because that I'm disappointed with all the things that I fail to praise anything, but when an instructor says that we don't have anything to do, that we don t know what real woric is, want to throw things at him. After spending a quarter of the class period telling how he had worked in stock companies all one winter, getting about four good nights of sleep a week, working and re- hearsing from morning until night, I wanted to ask him if he had to worry about expenses, whether he had enough to buy the clothes and other necessities he needed, whether he had to pay more than half his check for board and room, and a good many other questions that we working stu dents have to answer for our selves. More nervous strain. I'll wager he could even save a little, instead of wondering where he could get another loan. Maybe he spent more hours awake than we do, but I don't think he went through as much nervous strain and worry as do the students who are going to school on just what they earn by working part time and I believe there are a good many who don't have any other source of income than what they get from their part time jobs. I feel sure that this professor has never had to work his way thru school, or he couldn't have possibly said we didn't know what work was. The Whra I, ilnuiw. Wllhla the low T live. Vh were the flnt T. ull IWauae ya had For Mil And, I, aaiary a panipkla You were I he flr( Ya look nie ap Whea ntwa leaked aat Tlial I might iwH A perk of polatora, Bill ya did t eaen When I waa takm III at night Ann. orally died Rrwirn th aaliiatla Workrd. And, Joa did nmi com Whra I torn waa ruiivar Tl I might be rired beraaar I dM Not pat a rertaia rkhenilag paHlieUa Oa the ark. Yaa did mat (wm Warn tank were Aad aU 1 bad wa rlirked away Before 1 had a rhane Ta pay aiy haatat debt, Daa'l aprnd tea eaat Ta bay m Hawar tar aa WhM I am l retched llpaa aama lama, WUk prop wKhta my aat fM ' Grades didn't measure By Frances Cash. The clock struck ten. Nick Held swung his feet off the desk, bang ing the front legs of his chair to the floor. Replacing "The Inter pretation of the Atom beside "Specific and General Theories of Relativity" in the book ends, he snatched up some scattered pa pers and turned to go. The door of the room burst open. A boy with a bush of ma- hogany-colored hair plunged oyer the foot of the bed and lay grin ning up at Nick. The grin changed to a look of comic concern. "For Gosh sakes, Einstein!" he yelled. "Are you skipping class again?" "I was just leaving, Red. For got what time it was." You re going to catch it, Chum." "Don't I know! Old Potts Young ladies and gentlemen, the late Mr. Held. Your name is Held, is it not sir? I sometimes forget a fate If I don t see it regularly, he mimicked. "Aw, what's the use?" Nick slammed his books across the desk and slumped on a chair, his head between his hands. No "F" minuses. "Two percent off grade," Red suggested cheerfully. "So what? They don't give 'F minuses." "Who said anything about Fs?" "A little slip in my mail." "Incomplete." "F!" "Hell! You could bluff that World History with your eyes shut. Quote Potts a little from your inenu Arisioue aim leu mm your theory of the fall of Rome. What's the matter with you?" "There's a notebook three ref erences to an assignment, outlined in full. Busy work! I've got more important things Hah! To hear me sputter you'd think I had brains enough to pass this high school stuff." Take a drink. "What you need, my big shot of fire-water. son. Is a Einstein has been disagreeing with you again. "You can hardly expect a mo ron to digest him." "No, but you seem to manage." "Me? I can't even pass in fresh- Saturday Letter To one I dojjafjove make aame andefihkor I'i d af II hi Doal' aprnd lea reaU Ta tan I he lownapMpap Haw maeh yoa loved nw, Hfrauw I ahall b Watching you pat aa Yonr hypercritical art And I alia II be Krnimiherlng tiie twenty yoa We ta have lived wrlhla ( nrpunil lliulU Of I a Iowa And Ilia I neer ha thai lima YM cared manga U$ mm Within my nana r'nr a vialt la the- parlor Or a frtradly gam at bridge I I n tle porch. rava yoar dime And buy flower r'ur aiMaaj poor fiiy Wha may think .mora Of your poblliily etawt Or a II ta buy Yaurarlf a driak Or aa Imported rvgatc Or a roll pie af chanra On the alot markkas. Have yoar dim Heeaaa I am (ataa; Ta look daw a apaai Pa Aad laugh al Ik the lrrta Uoaancae mi ( heap ftoartah. Tkera ar Mm Man tVUhia th Naa llrawra araaad thai man chemistry. I'm ready to go back to the plow." "For one down-slip? Nuts!" Red flopped over and faced the wall. "Maybe you better go." "One? Three." "Three?" The other sat up. "Now you're kidding. Not even college profs could be that dumb. Or could they?" "Not, but I am. History, fresh man comp, and chemistry." Red screwed up his face and stared then tried again ..You never study those things, Nick. It's always Ein3tein or some other heavy stuff you don't get credit for." "I came here for an education! Since the school won't give it to me, I've got to get it for myself." I'm too good. 'Now understand, Chum," said Red grinning wryly, "I don't ob- ject if you want to go and get an education, but you don't want to let it interfere with getting your degree. Nick suppressed a smile. "I'm serious, Mug. Look here. In high school I got A's in chemistry. All summer I read and experimented on my own. I know this elemen tary material. I'm ready to take analytic and organic chemistry, but where does it get me? The registrar is kind. He excused me from taking five hours of work over the same ground. I only have to waste my time on three. I got good grades in English, and I like to read. You can't take everything in college, but I thought I'd like a course in modern literature. No go. All that l can get tnis year jS freshman composition required. Too busy to read. "I earned my A's in history and in Ec and Poli Sci. I used to keep up on the news until I got too busy writing outlines and doing silly themes; so I tried to take Political and Economic Back grounds of the World War. Noth ing doing. Pre-requisite, twelve hours in social sciences, restricted to majors and minors in the field. And they were right. That's what gets me. I can't even pass their prerequisite courses, much less the ones I want to take." "The hell you say! If you'd just work a little at them " "Do you mean a little or all night and day? Well. I won't have (iaograpMcal apag I'paa aa af taa Planet la tfca H4ar Syaient Wha aept wHk naa la my aarraar Aad laughed with aa la my joy Aad who IH hava A lanraama leeliag Wheat I give ap aay f Itlfteimhip. Aad, Iheae will aut lie eii(tiii( diniea l'i,r pretty flu war To Inipreaa the paaflag tkeanc Hut will Inalead He lifting up my burden Aad giving atraagla k My anfiaiahrd pmkwa. No, llon't aprnd Um oonu To buy a flawer Ta allow the neopkt Oa the alreet Haw aad yaa feed, Herauaa I'll hauat Yon la th night And walk with hoary atnp Arm th attic flaar Jaat la help yoa remember That yoa are a Meaa, aalflab, eraed IJtll dried ap ah raw. Sava yaar dan aad bay ttaffvfjggf f aaaawgrt aaaa9VMaaattaJB) C Vary Iraly, BayoMMkl Et aTaUawlgBara his ability this to gripe about for long. I'm only waiting for the registrar to "Recommend" that I be suspended from my job. Then no two ways about it I'll have to pull for home." Don't give up. "Good Lord! You can't give up like that a smart guy like you. You got to rassle 'round and make up your work. Don't think you're the only rat in this trap. You must happen to bigger. We all have to play along with the sys tem. There isn't any other way. A fellow can't get any place with out graduating, and They," he gestured vaguely toward the cam pus, "are the ones to say who gets the skins." "Oh, I may as well go in and see them while I wait. The chem istry is just an incomplete, and I might even be able to strike a deal with Carter about the English if I didn't decide to smear his pudgy puss. It would be too bad," Nick mused, "for them to flunk me out of here without ever knowing which of the sea of stupid faces belonged to Nicholas Held." Nick Held pushed open the door. A soft little man was seated at the desk. The boy approached him. "You wish to see me?" ventured Professor Carter. "Yes, sir, about a down-slip." "Oh, a down-slip." He straight ened some papers at the side of his desk and eyed a pigeonhole full of grade books. "Well, in which courses?" "Freshman composition, sir. The one-o'clock class." Prof. Carter opened one of the books and looked up questioningly, "Nick Held." said Nick. "Held? Held?" He looked at the cover. "There is no Held. You are sure it is the one-o'clock section." "Quite sure. You've been calling me 'Helm.' " "Oh, yes, Mr. Helm. Here it is. I turned in a D for you." The professor accused him over his glasses, "Your attitude is not good, Mr. Helm. Here are two, three, five assignments for which we have no record. Why is this?" "Three of them were rejected, and two I never wrote." "You were expected to rewrite all rejected papers." "I rewrote two and got them back again." "I do not suppose you have the papers." He didn't understand. "As a matter of fact. I brought two with me," said Nick, handing them to the older man. Carter frowned at the titles. "For what assignments were these written?" "The one on the structure of the atom was for a free choice of sub jects; the other was supposed to be an account of on exciting ex perience during the summer." "It looks like a scientific treatise to me." "It's about an experiment I per formed in" "An experiment! This was sup posed to have been an exercise in narrative writing, Mr. Helm. How do you expect me to give you a grade on a chemistry paper? As for this other, the structure of the atom! You have obviously failed to grasp the first principle of our work, that written expression is intended to be read. Who, outside of a science class, cares to read about the structure of the atom?" Nick stood in silence, clenching and unclenching his fists, his jaws clamped shut. Too busy for him. The little man looked at him a moment and turned to his desk. "I am extremely busy, Mr. Helm. I think you understand, your diffi culty now. You may come In if you have any questions. If not, I shall expect to see you when you have (See COLLEGE, page 6)