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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 1940)
Sunday, Janttary 21, 1940 Editorial Opinion Comment Bulletin TTie DAILY NEBRASKAN The School of Journalism . . . and its b est interests "Tin fttnetron of tht pt chronicler, teacher and interpreter has become infinitely more complex and more exacting in the past sev enteen years. The range of Intelligence and knowledge demanded of the men who write news papers and those who direct these policies has broadened tremendously. If that is true and in my opinion it undoubtedly is no further argu ment is needed for special training for a journal istic career." from a recent editorial In Chicago Times. During the past six months those interested in the welfare of the University of Nebraska have seen many administrative and personnel changes. Within the next several weeks, more will probably be an nounced. In the wake of those changes came defi nite improvements in the school of music, now a part of the new college of fine arts, and the college of "dentistry. Improvements remain to be made in many other divisions. Among those divisions where bettermen is sadly needed should be the school of journalism, the accredited position of which has been hanging in jeopardy for quite a while. Like graduates of many other schools or colleges in the university, its graduates leave with little, prepara tion for the practical only a distorted concept of high idealism, and a knowledge of background with dubious value. The idea that journalism can be taught has its believers and non-believers in every field of actual journalistic enterprise. There are those who say much can be learned in schools in preparation for a journalistic profession. There are others who decry journalism as a profession and say the busi ness can be learned only by spending years in practical, actual experience. Here we should not be concerned with the possibilities presented by the latter argument. The very fact that Nebraska has a school of journalism nestling among the clouds of its curriculum gives proof that it recog ? nizes journalism as something like a profession for which classroom teaching will fit the student. ; It is that classroom teaching, then, that needs the improvement, the betterment. Those close to the school of journalism will ad mit that the department's status in the American , Association of Schools and Departments of Journal ism, an accrediting organization which seta up cer tain high principles and standards for curricula of a professional level, has been endangered. Thirty one schools over the nation are so recognized. The school does not rank as outstanding in the eyes of the American Press Society's board of governors. Those schools chosen by 'that society include those ; at the universities of Boston, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Marquette, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, North western, Ohio State, Oregon, Stanford, Syracuse, Washington, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania State col lege. Like other schools, too, it might easily be ac cused of misrepresenting it actual facilities (such as listing professors teaching one or two courses as full-time faculty members) in order to maintain fa vorable position in the accrediting organization. A recent, well-needed addition to the univer sity was a man who had spent four years in va rious capacities on the university paper at Michi gan, and whose father was in newspaper work at Chicago. That man was Chancellor C. S. Boucher, who recognized the need for improvement in the school of journalism as quickly as those in other departments. Though unconfirmed, it is our guess that the survey now being taken by the Nebraska Press association is a direct request of the chan cellor who wishes tangible facts with which to work. The survey, results of which will probably be announced sometime early in March, was sent to all newspapers in the state requesting their ad vice on how the Nebraska, school of journalism could be improved. It is not unlikely that the re sults of that survey will coincide with the opin ions of the great glut of students now in the school. Opinions of those students show definitely that there is lack of actual experience offered, that there is possibly lack of interest, at least to the point of being inspirational, on the part of several faculty members. Experience to journalism students could easily be gotten in the publication of the DAILY NEBRASKAN, but it has seemingly behooved no member of the journalism staff to become aware of those possibilities. It might be interesting here to note that possibly one one member of the DAILY taff next semester will be an enrollee of that school. It is further interesting to note that most students who have "made good" have done o be cause of their work on the DAILY, not because of bare training in the school. Nebraska's school of journalism needs a place ment bureau for the poorly-prepared graduates it turns out. It needs more advanced courses, and more courses dealing with the business manage ment of papers. Most of all, it needs more faculty members faculty members who arc decisive, who have stamina, or whs have self-disclpiii;, the requisites of any professional man. It is In need of moii whs know their field nd who are able to disseminate that knowledge to others. It needs an "attitude" that will make students seek advice and interest. Its more advanced courses must deal with fields of political science, economics, and history. Students are only as good as their pro fessors. And as J. N. Darling, of the Des Moines Register and Tribune says: "Journalists need bet ter brains and deeper understanding." The Ne braska school of journalism is sadly in need of re-awakening. No greater proof of this necessity is needed than citation of the repute and quality of some of its courses, this nation's press of today, and the success attained by those graduates of other schools where serious training has been provided. UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA OFFICIAL BULLETIN This bulletin Is for the use of campus organizations, students and fac ulty members. Announcements of meetinos or other notices for the bulletin may be submitted at the NEBRASKAN office by 6 p. m. the day before pub lication or at the registrar's office by 4 p. w. on week-days and 11 a. m. on Saturday. Notices must be typed or legibly written and signed by some one with the authority to have the notice published. The bulletin will ap pear daily, except Monday and Saturday, on page two of the NEBRASKAN. Wf TkwA. 1 RoiutdupL Davis, Loos, Mahnkcn)) GI.EE CIXB SINGKRS. Applications for tryonts for the univer sity singers and the men's (lee dab may be me this week at the oftlee of the school of masle. FACVl.TT SCHOLARSHIP I.ECTVRE. Dr. Theodore A. Klessrlbaeh, department of agronomy, will tflsrnss "The Mode ef Agronomic Research" nt the Faculty Scholarship lecture pro (tram today In the t nion. The address will follow n din ner to be held at 0:15 p. m. Dean O. J. I'erpison la In charge. wlH not be considered ant II Monday, Feb. t. SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA. Students may listen to the New York Philharmonic OrrheMia broadcast this aft ernoon In the faculty lounge of the I'nlon. TOWNE CIXB. The Towne club will meet at ft . m, tomorrow ka Parlor A of the Inken. TASSELS. Tassrta wlH meet tomorraw it I ), n. ' hi Inloa SI3. PHI ALPHA DELTA. Phi Alpha Pell will meet tomorrow at :S0 p. m. ha Parlor X of the Vnioa. BVRNS LECTURE. Ir. Whitesmith win lectwe on Robert Burns at 4 p. an. tomorrow ka lma Par lors X M Y. UNION BOARD. The Student Union board of raanagom will meet Taesday at 1:3 p. m, la taw faculty lounge. SIGMA FT A CHI. Sigma Eta Cht pledge wHI meet Tnea day in I'nlon SOS at 1 p. m. Actives are to meet la Union 313 at 7 p. m. PHALANX. Phalanx will meet Tore day at T:M f. av ka I ntoa 316. EVANGELICAL STUDENTS. The l-raimc of Evangelical Students wMI meet at 7 p. m. Tuesday in Union 31. GAME LEADER CLUB. Members of the Game leader dub w meet lueaday evening. IW CHOIR. Y. W. Vesper ehatr wiH ami reWtte Monday. CORN COBS. Corn Ctrt worker will meet Ed Dosek ka the DAILY office trmarraw at S p. m. SACRIFICE FOR WAR If the European war suddenly breaks out with increased intensity in the next few weeks, calling for more sacrifices from the populace of the bel ligerents, at least the British can't say that they haven't been warned. Viscount Halifax, British for eign minister, today prepared and called upon tlje British public, in an address in London, "for greater sacrifices than you have yet been called upon to make." This address follows closely upon the heels of the Prime Minister's address of two weeks ago, and restated precisely the same warning. The two speeches were received by the public in very much the same manner. In both cases the public was dis appointed that more official news of the war and its progress had not been forthcoming. Both speeches were mainly an appeal to the patriotism of the public, and were cheered lustily when references were made to the might of the British Empire. Halifax answered no more definitely than Cham berlain the vital issues that faced the cabinet. The Hore-Belisha incident was ignored. The question of how material aid would be supplied to Finland was equally vague. The method that Britain h&a found to render the German magnetic mines ineffective was carefully concealed. The question of British diplomacy in the Balkans, and particularly in Ru mania, was not mentioned; neither was there any declaration of any British offensive by air against the German naval bases. Yet the speech was re vealing for what it implied and for what it did not precisely say. In the first place, it showed that the British were fearing a very severe attack by Germany in the near future, and that they were making rapid preparations to meet this. This is further corrobo rated by reports seeping in from Belgium and Hol land to the effect that German troop concentra tions on their borders indicated a new movement of some kind on the western front. Second, recent events rather tend to prove that the British blockade is being very keenly felt in Germany. Third, the speech today pleaded for united effort on the part of all Britons in the sacrifices which such an attack would need. It was a plea to forget party lines, past blunders' and miscues of the government, and pull with the government for a victory. JAPAN'S COURTSHIP Japan's predicted wooing of the United States has begun. Last Wednesday the Japanese foreign minister declared that Japanese-American relations "must be normalized," and that in this connection he was planning suitable measures to put in effect on expiration of the Washington-abrogated American-Japanese trade treaty which lapses Jan. 26. Today an indication comes of what the first of these "suitable measures" is to be. According to & Tokio journal, the Japanese government next Wed nesday will issue a decree providing for continua tion of existing duties on American goods after that date. Thus the Japanese hope to put the issues squarely up to the United States. In the event that our nation should take action of any type against the Japanese, the island leaders will be able to justify themselves before the home folks, by point ing to the "hostile actions'' of the western power. At first glance it would appear that it is the hope of the Nipponese that the United States will respond in, the same way and continue, at least temporarily, the termi f th present agreement The probability of such action is, however, ex tremely slight. Student Pulse . . . Students and faculty member are invited to write letter to this column. Letter should not be longer than 300 icords and must be signed. Sociology majors clo they get a square deal? (FA. Note: Ii is likely that these letters were prompted by reference several days ago to jealous friction among members of departments? They, at least, suggest this great question: "Should advisers, who for some reason doubt the abilities of some of their colleagues, steer students toward those courses because of certain curricula requirements?) To the Editor: Do the university departments exist for students or the faculty? I am a senior with a major in sociology. What chance do I have for a job after four years of scrap ing together enough money to go to college? My professors tell me that there are no chances of a job unless I take from one to three more years of college. Then I see on the bulletin board the an nouncement of a civil service ex amination for a sociologist at $2,000 a year. The requirements are: 1. Four years of college and an A. B. degree. 2. Twenty semester hours of so ciology with six hours of rural so ciology. After four years of college, where am I? I have not been ad vised to take any rural sociology because the arts and science pro fessors had to fill their classes. Last year when I suggested taking a course on ag campus I was told that "it is not a worth while course." Worth while? at least to have a chance at a job? Per haps it wasn't worth while to the professor who had the job. Would it not be worth while for the sociology department to for get a fascist sort of self suffici ency to the extent of co-operating with the ag college or any other college which can help prepare its students to make a living? This letter may sound bitter but bear in mind that it will do me no good. I write it only in the hope that those who are following m may be better prepared. Because I do not graduate I can only sign this X marks the sec senior o. tKa spot. To the Editor: This letter pertains to all stu dents majoring in sociology. As a graduate of the university, with a major in sociology, I recommend that those students majoring in that department include a few hours of rural sociology in their class schedule. I have found the employment situation very acute) for graduates from the university. If I had been properly advised to include a few hours of rural so ciology in my sociology major X would have readily found employ ment in the social field. I hop students in sociology will adhere to this warning and include rural sociology in their class schedule, A Graduate, Dale Meyer Psychologists write paper Dr. W. E. Walton of the depart ment of psychology and R. W. Bornemeier, who received his master's degree from Nebraska in 1937, are authors of an article "Color Discrimination in Rats," which is published in a recent number of The Journal of Com parative Psychology. Ferguson asked to meet Dean O. J. Ferguson of the col lege of engineering has been in vited by the president of the En gineering Institute of Canada to attend the annual dinnei Jf the organization in Toronto Feb. 7. Other engagements, however, pre vent his attendance. fh DailyMebmskan 0.cia Newspaper 0 Mart Than 7.000 Wee THIRTV-MNTH YEAR Offices Union Building Day 2-7181, Night 2-7198, Journal 83338 Menibei Associated Collegiate Press, 193956 Member Nebraska Preit Association, 1939-40 Represented for National Advertising by NATIONAL ADVERTISING SERVICE. INC 420 Madison Ave., New York, N. V. Chicago Boston Lot Angeles San Francises Published Daily during the school year except Mondays and Saturdays, vacations, and examination periods by students of the University ef Nebraska, tinder supervision of the Publications Board. Subscription Ratea are $1.00 PerSemester or TT.50 for the College Year. 12.50 Mailed. Single copy, S Cents. Entered as second lai matter at the postoffice in Lincoln. Neh-aika, under Act of Congress, March !, 1879. and at special rate of postage provided for in Section 1103. Act ef October . 1917. Authorized January 20, 1922. . Editor-in-Chief Harold Niemann Business Manager..... Arthur Hilt Sports Editor June Bterbower Ag Campus Editor Rex Brown Radio Editor j0n Ptuden Fashion Editor Margaret Kraua Society Editor Mary Kerrigan. Lou Benson tOllORlAL DtPAH I M.N1 " Managing Editors Merrill Englund, Richard deBroww News Editors Norman Harris, Ed Wittenberg, Lucile a-m-iis i VIm""1"' Clytl Martt. Chris Peterson. BUSINESS DEPARTMENT Assistant Business Managers Burton Thlel. Ed Segrtat Circulation Manager Lowell Michael AM DAILY anslrnea' editerist. are the eplnioa ml Its eiMars. Their views I a !' la ae ey rcflael the auUaee the a4aMras ef the asaversMy. I