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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (May 5, 1949)
PAGE 2 THE DAILY NEBRASKAN Thursday, May 5 pg The Halle Nebraskaa M paMlshe . the. students t the lnlvrrnilj aa expression of student nfwi and opinions only. Aecordinc to article II of the II J Iawr governing itudrnt publications and adminlMrred bj the Hoard of I'uhllea tloas: "It In the declared policy of the sorshlp on the part of the Board, or on tne port or any mrnioer 01 nw incimj of the university; but members of the staff of The Itflily Nrbraskan are Per sonally responsible for what tbejr aay 01 do or mum to be printed." Subscription ratea are $2 per semester. f2.(S0 per semester mailed, or $S for the college year; $4 mailed. Mntjle "Py "ve cent, Published daily daring the arhool year except Mondays and Satnrdaya. vacation and examination perlodn, bf the I nlvernlty of NehrusliB nnder the supervision of the Publication Hoard. Knterrd aa Hecond Man Matter at the I'Oftt Office .a IJneoln. Nebraska, under Art of t'onrress. March 3, 1K7, and at apeelal rate of postage provided for la section 110.1. Art of October I. 1017. authorized September 10, . Inutile Meltill Night Neat Kdltor Dear Editor: As a delegate to the Constitutional Assembly I have noticed a tendency I don't know how strong fcwaid making this con vention merely a super amending process. I think that the condi- . . 1 I 1 AU. ....-. 4 I tt tMAATinff flAWlMr 4 V t i V k lions unaer which u.c tu..vci.i-u.. ...ttt...6 ...... ...., .... tt "p-tr-iio-t -nSrt Jllrl, more than that. It should be what its title suggests, an assembly diction naii be free from editorial ceo ... Mraliln on hj nftri At the Hoard, or Ol called to draw up a completely new constitution for student govern ment, using the old constitution not as a foundation but merely as a jumping-off place. The old constitution has, in effect, been abrogated by the actions of the Faculty Senate. The center of the whole constitution, a Stu dent Council elected by the students, has been set aside like the bewildered and aimless figure-head that it was. The heart has been torn out of the old constitution. To try to rebuild it from its present state into a hale, hearty, and vital figure of power would be practically impossible in the short time we have. Why waste our time on it then? Let's build or a new foundation. Let's have a completely new constitution. As I see it, theer are two main problems which the Assembly must solve if we are to create a workable constitution. The failure of the old constitution to satisfactorily meet these problems caused its collapse. The first of the problems concerns student representation. The present system of elections might at first seem to be the ideal, the most democratic method of selection. But a wide-open, University-wide election pre-supposes cither a thoro knowledge of all candidates and voting solely on merit, or a healthy two-party sys tem. On a campus of 9,000 students it is obvious that we can't all know each other well enough to vote according to merit. We have also seen that there is no healthy two-party system. The fraternity bloc has such effective political domination of the campus that we have, in effect, a one-party system. The answer to the representation problem might be found in the mode of selection which has been used to determine the com position of the Constitutional Assembly. There would be a good deal of work in outlining a workable, flexible method of repre sentation by the basic campus organizations, but if the formula could be worked out, this method would eliminate the one-party domi nation of the Student Council which has proved to be its downfall. It would also contribute to a wider and more active interest in campus politics a condition which is absolutely necessary for the successful functioning of a powerful student government. The question of power leads to the second cause for the in effective fight which the Student Council put up against faculty domination. As long as the actions of the student government are completely subject to review by the Faculty Senate, student govern ment will be a mere mockery. So far this year it would appear that the attitude of the Faculty Senate has been to let the Student Council do what it wishes until or unless it steps on the toes of the Faculty Senate. From then on the Council has no powers. This relegates the Student Council to the position of an unwilling tool of the Faculty Senate, suffered to exist only to make Senate rulings more palatable to the student body. , Would it not be possible to set up a two-house system of gov ernment, with a representative Student Council as the lower house, and the Faculty Senate, on occasion, meeting as the upper house the lower house being able to override a veto by the upper house by a or 3,i vole. This would enable the Faculty Senate to give their advice, which would no doubt generally be accepted, but it would give the students the final voice in their own' government. In line with these suggestions, I think the new constitution ought to be ratified nto solely by the Faculty Senate, but chiefly by a University-wide election at the time of registration for the "spring term voting on the constitution bein.? made one of the requisites for an appointment number. This would not only assure a democratic election on a 100 basis, but it would also set the constitution up outside the power of the Faculty Senate to destroy it at will. Chuck Swan Ffi'ea Pasrhsmi, YOUR PARKING PROBLEM IS SOLVED BY LEAVING YOUR CAR AT VAN HORN'S FOR SERVICE. WHILE YOU ARE SHOPPING! There If JVo Charge For Parking 9 van mm "66" SUPER SERVICES ..DOWNTOWN- IT IS TIME TO BE GETTING YOUR CAR READY FOR THAT SUMMER DRIVING. WE ARE EQUIPPED TO GIVE YOU THE BEST OF SERVICE AT EITHER 14th & N Phont 2-7811 or 12th & Q Phon. 2-53)1 jfvi07MAaAJuuiMB's, Innocents-Nuts! . Ml- MB Kit Intercollegiate Press lOKTV-NKYKNTII VICAR Campus Debate Contest Will Begin Tuesday Delta Sigma Rho, national hon orary forensic society at the Uni versity, will sponsor an intramural extemporaneous speaking contest next week. Letters of information have al- already gone out to the organized houses, and the society is now trying to solicit entries from the independent students. The deadline for these entries is 5 p. m., Friday, May 6. Drawing for topics by the students will be held Monday from 4 to 5:30 p. m., and the debates will begin at 7 p. m. Tuesday. Winners of this round will con tinue Thursday evening at 7 p. m., with the final round scheduled for Satuday morning, May 14. Last year, Sigma Alpha Mu won the team title, while Don Farber, Sigma Alpha Mu, and Dale Ball, Ph! Kappa Psi, were named out standing speakers. Don Kline, director of univer sity debating, will serve as contest director. Mattingly Speaks At, Vespers Today University Vespers will feature Dr. L. E. Mattingly, director of religious life at Nebraska Wes leyan University, as guc. i; speaker at the 5 o'clock service this after noon. His topic, "On Achieving a Christ-Like God," is in connec tion with he main topic of dis cussion this semester. Besides being director of reli gious life, Dr. Mattingly is also personnel counselor at the univer sity. He received his AB degree at Kentucky Wesleyan, his BD de gree at Emory University at At lanta and his STM at Yale. Classified free liour per day to sell home improve ment product to home owner. Average commission runs tlO.OO to Jl.VOO per sale. Averape man can easily make 3 or 4 sales per week. Selling experience helpful hut not necessary. Must have car and he abel to handle occasional evening calls up to ah.iut 8:00 p. m. Apply 2413 "O." KOR SALK '31 Chevrolet coach. 5 new tires, sealed beams, fan, etc. F.xcclletit shape. J. Murillo, 2-7G31. Ext. 3154 or o-;tR56 evenings. FOR SAI.K '49 Green Mercury converti ble. 2fi00 miles. Asking $2,600. See Boh Havis Athletic Pept. CASHIER WANTK.IJ Need attractive girl ace 17 2.r. No experi ence nc-essnry. Apply 32.r Stuart PldK. KUt 8ale"2 ft. Spartan Manor trailer house. Has Mr front window, ele.trlc rerrU:er:itor, bottle Kas stove. Perfect condition, big discount. Can he seen after 4 p. tn. Ka Van Dover, 1201 West O St. IJ.ST Bl.UK FARKKR M pen in vicinity of Administration KulldinK. Call Law rence Wledmaler, 2-76.M. Reward. With the approach of Ivy Day, the occasion on which the senior activity honoraries gawdily reveal their new out inns of "are senior honoraries necesir sary?".and "do they fulfill a need on campus?" While we realize that the greater share ot the student v.,t hoc hhIa intprpsr in the matters of Mortar Board and Innocents, we would like to discuss the organizations .i . . : 1 1 : i i from a viewpoint 01 me present spirit aim auiiuuc wnicn prevails in and towards campus activities. We find that after three years our thinking is right back where it was when we were a sophomore; we are convinced that honoraries are characterized by more evil than good and, furthermore, that the campus situation would be greatly improved if these honoraries were abol ished. Tho ovidncp nf Mortar Board and Innocents. desnitft i. 11V v i vv -j m. - - r their aims of leadership, scholarship and service, results in - . 1 f lLf A A . the promotion ot a baa kina 01 campus pontics. Activity Tvr.r.l n cor tr P-ot into these organizations of prestiee. find that eetting an office or position is of more important . . ... l i i consequence tnan in seeing mat fitxuuns aic iiuuc-i that the deserving people win. The individual alone is not to be blamed. Fraternities, sororities and other social groups feel that they must have representation in these f. v, c.lo nf ihnir nrpcticro Sn thpsf. frniins. SUVlLU.a IKJL Hit oaiv- v . ...- J'- o 1 too, become more interested in good deals rather than in fair ones. Tho coninr r.r.nnr:.ri.s rmmort to encourage leader- A 11V kJV awNSJ- iiiw.H. I t - ship, but we are not at all sure that they have succeeded in doing this. The existence 01 activity nonuranes stems tu encourage submission of junior activity men and women to the ways and workings of seniors who are members of these organizations. The Nebraska junior "type" is well known and well ridiculed. If one observes any of the h.u.i.nr and sr-rnninf manv underclassmen are jriven to 40 . 0 to members of the groups, one is convinced that the exist ence of honoraries discourages, rather than encourages, underclassmen to be assertive and work from conviction rather than from political motivation. Creating an unwholesome attitude on campus i7.pf houses into unnecessary competition andY promoting students to go into campus activities for ques- tionable motives are not me oniy tnings mat result num trm ooninr artivitv honnrnries. Because the membership tllV UVillUl V- . wj " - --.- . of these groups is limited, the individual who belongs may become as concerned witn "getting nis man tor wumaui in" a human tendency certainly as he is with seeing that the most deserving are recognized. Usually the bn sis for this concern is one of fraternity or sorority affiliation, or one of non-affiliation. Naturally this attitude is one that will lead the student to operate in a political manner instead of one of ethics and objectivity. This, we are sorry to say, is no mere speculation. The examples are almost as numerous as the number of elections held on campus each year. In defense of the honoraries, no one can deny that Mortar Board and Innocents have done worthwhile things. Usually their members are students who are heartily in terested in the welfare of the university and will gladly render time and effort in service to the university. There is one argument, which we have heard applied more to Mortar Board than to Innocents, that the honoraries serve to make activity people act in an ethical and honest way as candidates for these organizations who might be elim inated if they did not act in such a way. It is difficult to know which aspects, the good and the bad, outweigh the other. Senior honoraries at Nebraska are steeped in tradition, and many a howl throughout the state would undoubtedly arise if the organizations dis banded. The action, as one Mortar Board has pointed out, must come from the organizations themselves. An Innocent has stated that the bad aspects ot senior hp trip fault of the organization and not the fault of the existence of the organization, if one will a. . T X 1 ! ll A. lli- realize the aiiierence. nis conclusion was ti.au auuiitiun of the honoraries may be just an easy way out. What should or should not be done is hard to say, and in all probability we vastly over-rate the importance of the matter. However, we do feel that it is a matter which can be discussed openly and merits thinking on the part of all activity people, especially the present members of Mortar Board and Innocents and the new members who will be announced Saturday. Our own feeling is simply that in view of the hard feelings often created by the honoraries and the bad poli tics that too frequently revolve around elections which may determine future membership in these groups, we are con vinced that the entire student scene of the University of Nebraska would be improved if there were no senior activity honoraries. Picnic Climaxes 411 Club Year The annual 4-k Club picnic, heaped with fun and frolic for all, will be a must on your social cal endar for Wednesday May 11. The lower Ag. Campus, just wesC of Love Hall, is the spot, with1 games commencing at 5 p. m. and the feeding getting underway at 6 p. m. . . ' ; IubHcity chairman, Ralph Hild, announced that all active, as well as inactive, 4-H members are in vited. You are urged to "sign wr for the affair at Ag. Hall Flowers For Mother's Day SUNDAY, MAY 8th WE WIRE ND SHIP FLOWERS ANYWHERE. . DAHI1LS0U FLORAL GO. ... ....p. r