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)
