Tuesday, November 29, 1955
Pag 2
THE NEBRASKAN
LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS
Nebraskan Editorials:
by Dick.Bibler
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A Scrap 01 Tin
The Interfraternity Council will consider two
rushing recommendations in their Wednesday
meeting which, if accepted, will inevitably weak
en the fraternity system and its governing body,
the IFC.
The first recommendation, which admittedly
is an experiment, would, in effect, legalize spik
ing. The proposed rule would stipulate that
accepting a pledge pin before Rush Week (spik
ing) in no way obligates the rushee to the fra
ternity. Furthermore, the committee said in their
report that this fact would be plainly stated in
tlie Rush Pamphlet distributed by the IFC dur
ing the summer. It would be publicized, pub
licly and privately, that, until Rush Week, the
pledge pin would be meaningless.
The IFC has recognized a dangerous and all
too prevalent problem illegal spiking. They
are honestly trying to do something about it.
.However, the recognition and the solution of
a problem are two different things.
First of all, the IFC reasons, "there is no
possible way to enforce spiking regulations."
This is obviously fallacious, and, by its very
contention, clearly points up the innate weak
ness of the IFC. The guts of the fraternity sys
tem is the disposition of rushing and Rush
Week; if the IFC can't control rushing and spik
ing within itself, something is seriously, or
ganically wrong.
Instead of waiting for a formal protest, as
was done this year, the IFC Executive Commit
tee should step in each fall where any obvious
or even suspicioned evidence of spiking is de
tected. The entire pledge class could be brought be
fore a judiciary board, composed of IFC and
faculty members, sworn in and asked to testify
whether or not they had accepted pledged pins
before Rush Week. It would be doubtful if
pledges would directly perjure themselves under
such conditions. ,
But this is one method, and there are un
doubtedly many more, which the IFC could
utilize to effectively control spiking. Instead,
because they do not find or do hot seek to find
any other alternative, they propose to recognize
this weakness and legalize the whole business.
This admitted weakness would not be so bad
were it not for the fact that, in advertising of
ficially and unofficially that the pledge pin is
meaningless before Rush Week, the value of
the pin itself will be lost.
Why should a pin suddenly assume, almost
overnight, an importance and a value when it
was advertised, among other places in the Rush
Book, as non-obligatory and meaningless? The
answer is it cant.
Because the integrity of the pledge pin is
impaired, each individual fraternity, and in
evitably the entire fraternity system, will be
likewise impaired.
The second dangerous proposed change con
cerns the first suggestion of the report, which,
in effect, would transfer all Rush Week rules
from the Constitution to the by-laws.
This transfer, under normal parliamentary
procedure, would enable, the IFC to suspend the
rules of the by-laws by a two-thirds majority
vote. A portion of the Constitution cannot be
suspended, thus making it almost impossible to
suspend the present rushing regulations.
This change would make it easy, too easy,
to get around certain rules, make exceptions
and concessions and circumvent important spe
cific rushing rules to facilitate special interests
and circumstances.
Thus far, the IFC has made an admirable
record of defending the integrity of its consti
tution, many times denying boys with 4-plus
averages the privilege of initiation and this fall
prohibiting two boys who depledged during Rush
Week the opportunity of repledging until the
prescribed lapse of time. -
This should not be changed.
For these reasons, The Nebraskan urges the
Interfraternity Council to discard the suggestions
of legalized spiking and transferring rushing
regulations from the Constitution to the by
laws. B. B.
Walls Md Sidesteps
The newly-established Student Council ruling
setting a 5.7 grade average as the minimum
for holding an executive position was by-passed
by the Council in their last meeting.
It was the first time the ruling had been put
to test since its conception last spring in the
now-defunct activities limitation ruling and its
re-establishment three weeks ago.
It didn't stand up to the force of logical argu
ment. The principles behind the 5.7 grade minimum
are sound enough in theory. The idea is that a
person,, to be a leader in a campus activity,
must also be expected to hold such an average.
Thus, our leaders in activities would also hold
high the torch of scholarship.
However, the Student Council seems to have
Changed its mind. It is now apparent that any
organization with a good reason can run a per
son for office, even if he or she does not carry
the required accumulative average of 5.7, as
long as the person promises to bring his aver
age up by the end of the semester.1
A precedent has been established that will
not be easily broken, unless the Council con
tinues to be as inconsistent as it has been re
cently. This inconsistency in the Council is a puzzling
thing. Council members who one wek argued
for the establishment of the minimum grade
requirement voted a few weeks later to allow
two AUF board members with insufficient aver
ages to file for an executive office.
A ruling passed by the Council last spring
lasted only until this fall's edition got rolling.
It was then discarded in a flurry of speeches.
The only thing that survived was the grade av
erage, which is seemingly on the way out, too.
The last vote by theCounctt on the 5.7 limit
was 14 to 12 in favor of dropping the ruling.
It failed to get a required two-thirds majority
to pass, however. Two weeks ago, the Council
ruled to by-pass the measure. What is next
on the agenda of inconsistency, no one knows.
It would be a most sensible thing if the Coun
cil could sit down in an orderly fashion and fig
ure out just what their present opinion is on
this issue, and what student opinion is. Then,
after careful deliberation and by referring to
what the students want, the Council might very
possibly reach a final, definite decision that
they would abide by. This seems quite unlikely
at the present.
What the Council seems to be doing now is
by-passing a ruling they no longer stand by,
but one they don't seem to be able to strike
from their books. It is like putting a plank
over a hole in the street that you dug to keep
people from passing. The plank isn't as sturdy
as the original pavement, but it serves its pur
pose. The Nebraskan has consistently spoken
against this scholarship minimum, because the
general opinion of those of the student body
who have bothered to form an opinion is against
it.
A body which will vote 14 to 12 against a
measure and which will find a way to go around
a measure is very likely opposed to it, or thinks
it is not doing its job.
It is therefore logical to think that the Coun
cil should stop chasing its tail and sit down to
think things over.
Its course of action is limited. It can either
repudiate the ruling, which the students appar
ently would like them to do, or it can enforce
the ruling with no exceptions. . -
More than the enaction of a scholarship rul
ing rests on further action, of the Council; the
self-respect and campus standing of the body
is also at stake. All The Nebraskan can do is
to hope the Council will be able to wrest itself
from an embarrassing and rather Joolish situa
tion. This can best be done by following the will
of the students, and repudiating this confusing
ruling F. T. D.
Everyone hates to see a vacation period come
to an end, but end they must. The Christmas
Tacation scheduled by the University seems to
end at a less convenient time than most. Mon
day the second is a legal holiday because New
Year's Day falls on a Sunday. Nevertheless,
the University is scheduling classes for that
day. There is nothing precisely illegal about
this, but it does not follow the best interests of
the student community.
If classes began Tuesday this would enable
most students to drive back on Monday, thus
avoiding the worst of the holiday traffic and
a possible addition to the "Fatalities" column.
Students would have a day to rest up from the
rigors of New Year's before driving back. It
should be remembered that during the holidays
many students are driving from longer distances
than on a regular week-end. Many of these
students from further away rarely have an op
portunity to spend a Sunday at home, attend
church with the family and participate in the
usual Sunday afternoon activities because of the
A Slight Request
necessity of starting early in order to get back
for Monday classes.
The University administration probably does
not consider it important whether students get
to spend that last Sunday at home, watch or
even attend the Bowl games and generally rest
up from, the more strenuous part of vacation.
These things are important, however, to many
students' enjoyment of the vacation. The extra
day would help make Christmas vacation a
real vacation in the best sense of the word.
Even if the University is not interested in
such mundane considerations, one would think
that a responsible administration would take
into consideration the safety hazards involved.
Traffic is always heavy the day after New
Year's, people are tired and inclined to be less
careful than usual. Many students will want to
spend as much of Sunday at home as possible
and then attempt to get back on time by speed
ing and taking unnecessary chances.
Christmas should be a happy holiday. The
University could do a great deal Xo make it
more so by allowing students that one extra
day. L. S.
The Nebraskan
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p j f Li
"OFCOURSf I $40 WE WERE GOlM'SKfi'-lfS ffWOUHOO THAW
ft
Ll.Oft
We're Runnina
L al3 Out Of Coaches1
. Bad news.
We're running out of coaches!
Yes, it's true. Every dirty bird
on the streets has felt it coming for
quite a while, but no one mentioned
it. T h e coach-making machines
have broken down all over, so it
would be wise to save your football
coach for the war effort. As Jack
Benny says, "You can't hardly get
them no more."
So Nebraska and Iowa and Mis
souri and Ohio State and every
other football-minded school in the
nation had better start considering
a new policy for coach-saving. Of
course, they can all keep on hiring
and firing at every solstice like
they have been doing, but I imagine
some of these schools will reach a
point of diminishing returns fairly
soon.
Who in their right mind would
want to subject himself to the
abuse and vilification Glassford
suffered from kindest humanity at
Nebraska, or the impossible pres
sure Woody Hayes at Ohio State
receives? About all one could get
out of it (besides a high salary,
and good phone manners) would
be a few nostalgic pictures of one
self trudging about the field or out
of fieldhouses, hanky to nose,
head bowed to the wind, and what
ever else trite news photos are
made of.
Dick Becker says that a coach
should expect abuse from "t h e
faithful." Men, after all, live in
packs, like wolves. And he's prob
ably right. But those wolves
shouldn't bo so influential and pow
erful that they can make or break
a university football coach. And
that's the way it is around here.
Biff Jones wouldn't come back
here. And if Glassford were to be-
Quick
Quips
"Mommy, mommy," bawled the
little girl, "Daddy just poisoned
my kitty."
"Don't cry, dear," replied the
mother, sympathetically. "Maybe
he had to."
"No, he didn't," screamed the
heartbroken child. "He promised
me I could.
The mayor of Reno states that
the new liquor laws must be en
forced. He said that a city ordin
ance states that no saloon shall
be located nearer than 300 feet
from a church. He is giving vio
lators three days in which to move
the churches.
tut ADM VATWIM DEADLINE FOft
PENTAL TREATMENT DOES NOT
APPLY TO VETS WHOSfr DENTAL.
DISABILITIES RESULTED FCOM
COMSAT wounps or
SERVICE iNJueiE5oR to
FORMER PRSIONECS-OF-WAJt
wuiKf DFNTAL DISABILITIES
ACF SFRVlGg-CONMECTEP J
Per fn nfnMw " '
- VETERANS ADtUJi Wl BATIOH .
' Sr.:stc! fcr.:-.
Special
S10.es i, tpMlal at i 1 tS
$11.85 pin, SpmUI at $ Ml
$13.50 hi Sptoial at SIMS
$11 SO -m. SpMiil at $15.85
Seta comparably priced.
nSOEIITS
EoaitsTcns1-
Jutt North of Lovb Library
come another Tatum or Wilkinson
or Leahy oisBlaik or Bryant, he
wouldn't come back here.
And why? Because this univer
sity, and all other Midwestern and
Western colleges in football-hungry
(and thus, goat-hungry) states
haven't taken a valuable lesson
from the Ivy League schools and
some Southern schools.
Lou Little has been at Columbia
for years, and he's hadsome mis
erable seasons. Cardwell has had
My Bootless Cries
more ups and downs at Princeton
than the thermometer at Chadron,
but he hasn't been pressured or
asked to leave.
He's a university employee who's
got a job to do, and as long as he
does it, he stays. And his job isn't
to beat Oklahoma, it's to field the
best football team he can with the
material available. If he has a win
ning year, huzzah; if he has a los
ing year, forget about it.
There has to be some stability
in the coaching profession as in
other types of teaching. You can't
start all over again every year or
even every three years.
Oklahoma has begun to build up
that kind of program, and if Mis
souri keeps Faurot, they'll be doing
the same thing.
It's just about Nebraska's turn.
Since it appears that the Univer
sity has already selected its next
coach, now would be a good time
to start.
I riff 'lamii iiiT 'ri""r i
i eiu -w
Tar
aifWaataiaii,
Education Not
Bought Or Sold
.it i
LL.J
While my fellow-columnists,
whose sensitive fingers are ever
tuned to the fluctuating pulse of the
campus and the outside world,
carry on their judicious considera
tions of timely and possibly mo
mentous problems, I should like to
consider the somewhat stale ques
tion of the purpose of a university
education.
The objectives of a university
education tend, I suppose, to vary
with each student and instructor.
Some Instructors are here to teach,
others to indoctrinate.
Some students consider the uni
versity as a grand-scale, scarlet
and - cream decorated m a t In g
ground, others as a football field
of the same dimensions and dec
orations. Some are here because
there is nothing else they wanted
to da, others because there is noth
ing else they were allowed to do.
Many, many students are m col
lpge in order to earn a degree,
which will, in turn, assure them
of a "better" job after graduation.
To these students, most of the ed
ucational aspects of university life
are simply details which must be
endured, the penalties which one
must pay for a degree. And there
are a few who came to learn some
thing vital.
We are continually running into
the controversy of a practical ed
ucation versus a true education.
The controversy is nebulous, be
cause the terms are seldom de
fined, and one is never sure just
what he is arguing against..
But generally speaking, in my
mind at least, a practical educa
tion has "as its objsctive "to earn
a living," while true education has
as its objectives the realization of
such elements as goodness, beauty
and truth.
No one will deny that if one
wishes to eat, he must earn a liv
ing. But the university is not tha
Given' 'em Ell
place to emphasize practical edu
cation. Our universities are soma
of the few places left in the coun
try Vhere onj may pursue the
study of something for its own
sake, rather than for the sake of
MONEY.
True education, then, is neither
practical nor necessary, becausa
one cannot sell it ... or buy it.
One cannot purchase an apprecia
tion and understanding of a great
work of art, or of the human brain,
or of a molecule. Goodness, beau
ty, truth, wisdom . . . they won't
feed us, clothe us, house us or af
ford us television and a Cadillac.
They can't be bought, they can't
be sold; they usually can't even be '
taught. You can forget about them,
graduate and get rich.
Go ahead. Have a good time.
Si!
I
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