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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 8, 1940)
Friday, March 8, 1940 THE DAILY NEBRASKAN I? rnrnfi ssfsfteiM9 a'tute? S amends etSvMes Long unenforced, new plan is now most vital on campus By Chrl Petersen. Center of much controversy on the campus is the newly revised and enforced men's point system. No one seems to understand all of its intricate parts. Many advance theories as to its actual workings but few are accepted. The controversies which arise when a man becomes over pointed and the board attempts to straighten the situation out, have attracted much attenion. Changes in the system are discussed in bull sesuons. wen wno are rorcea 10 activities deem it as being unfair. Candidates for positions it would never become a governing worry about their points. But still force on men's activities, the enforcement continues. Faced with the realization that Board goes to Work the point system for men is here It was then that the board be to stay and will be permanently gan its work. Made up of the enforced, this article will attempt president of Innocents, president to explain it in all of its intricacy, of Kosmet Klub, president of Corn Not on innovation The point system itself is not an innovation on this campus. It was set up a number of years ago by the Student Council and ap- proved by a general student vote. At the same time, a point board, consisting of 8 senior students and two faculty members was established to enforce its rules. However, ed out of picture this same failed to hforce its pro visions. Cumin sham. it fad the XT Journal nd Star. The last semester of last year, Howard Kaplan, then DAILY edi tor, dug out the old point plan and started pumping restoratives into it. Graduation cut his work tff before he was thoroughly sCn-ted. To finish However, the cause was picked up by Harold Niemann, last se mester's editor. Through his edi torials demanding that action be taken and the help of the Dean , of Student Affairs office as well as the Innocents, the point system was revised and presented to the men of the university as final. The purpose of the system was . . 1 - j i: :i u JI vu legitime auu umik uic pai uti" pation of male students in extra curricular activities so that more men might have a chance to par ticipate and enable more men to enjoy the benefits of extra-curricular activities. Point provisions To effectively and efficiently accomplish that goal, it was nec essary to establish certain rules. Tribe rules are as follows: 1. Any male student may have any combination of activities which will not give more than the maximum points allowed, and carry, In addition any num ber of non-pointed activities. 2. No man is eligible, as a candidate, for an office or mem bership if election to such posi tion shall make him overpointed. A man may not reduce his ac tivity points to become eligible for 'another activity by drop ping pointed position prior to the expiration of the term of that office of activity. After dropping a position a man may not return to that activity. Points for offices within an rganizatlon shall not be counted separately from membership points. 4. Automatic membership to another organization due to membership in a first shaH not be pointed. Rule annex Supplementing this, the consti tution of the board set up a schedule of points for each activity as well as certain scholastic re quirements. A copy of the points set 'or eacl activity and the scholastic requirements are printed elsewhere on this page, gome students, remembering how lax enforcement had been m previous vears. contended that lt sounded nice on paper but that Cobs, president of the Interfra ternity Council, president of the Barb Council, editor of the DAILY NEBRASKAN, a delegate from the Student Council, and a dele gate from the agriculture college executive board, and two faculty members, it turned its attentions to the straightening up of men's activities on the campus. Taking a survey of all activities on the campus, they compiled the points gained by each man accord ing to the activities that be was engaged in in order to determine whether or not he was over pointed. Give 'em the axe After the survey was completed, those who were overpointed, and some of them were sitting on the board, were called before the board and their cases reviewed. Then these men were forced to drop ac tivities until their accumulated points met the restriction of the constitution. It was at that time that Mer rill Englund, Kappa Sigma, made his famous "Pooh-bah" statement and resigned from the board. The position that he held as president of the Interfraternity Council made him overpointed and at the same time gave him a seat on the board. In short, he was acting as his own judge on his own case. Men Jrop acivjHcs Those men who came before the board dropped those activities of their own choosing which made SCHOLASTIC SCALE. These are the scholastic re quirements necessary for any man to carry a maximum of points according to his year In school. Sophomore above 72 Sophomore below 72 Junior . . . .above 72 Junior ....below 72 Senior ....above 72 Senior . . . .below 72 6 points 3 points 7 points 4 points 8 points 7 points them overpointed. The biggest job of the board was over. Now they have but one problem, that of keeping men from engaging in too many activities. The question, "Why should a governor be put on men partici- patlng in activities?" naturally arises. Activity men argue that there are only a limited number qualities for leadership and is able qualities for leadership an is able to keep in good standing scholas tlcally at the same time, why should he be allowed to partici pate in only two or three activ ities. Justifications The point board's justification for this question is that often times, men end up going to school ACTIVITIES Student Council . Daily Nebraskan Cornhusker Student Union Board. Barb Council Barb IntercluD Awgwan Publications Board . Interfraternity Council Class President Kosmet Klub , Corn Cobs Y. M. C. A... Other Debate Squad Jr.-Sr. Prom Committee . . Honoraries Professional Departmental N Club Athletic Board of Control. Athletic Managers Cheer Leaders Football Team Basketball Team Baseball Team Track Team Swimming Wrestling Golf Tennis Gymnastics Pershing Rifles Social Fraternity Juntor Mgr. Assistants Jr. Sc Sr. Farmers Fair Bd. Ag. Executive Board Coll-Agri-Fun Board Cornhusker Countryman . . Member Associate Bus. Mgr. . Circ. Mgr. Group Chm. President Member Ag. Y. M. C. A. Hobby Group . Social Council . Judging Team . Engineers' Week Engineers' Executive Bd. Nebraska Engineering Blue Print for activities alone. Other refuta tions are that often times men overwork, trying to stay ki school and ten or twelve activities at the same time. Every man, regardless of abil ities, will eventually reach the sat- uration point where he will be in more activities than he can han- die. It is perfectly logical that the point board feels that it is better to have a man really working In two or three activities than to have him dabbling in eight or ten activities. Their final argument is that there is no excuse for one man or a small group of men to dominate all activities on the cam pus. They say, let more men have a chance at being in and enjoying the benefits of activities. Present membership Members of the point board at present consist of Roger Cunning ham, president; Dick DeBrown, vice president, and Arthur Hill, secretary-treasurer. Making up the rest of the board are, Ralph Reed, Manley Hawks, Ed Rousek, Roy Proffitt, Erie Constable. Faculty adviser is Dean Harper. The other adviser has not yet been chosen. A typical case The manner in which the point board operates can best be ex- plained by giving an example, Let us suppose that a junior man is a news editor on the DAILY NEBRASKAN, is a mem- ber of Corn Cobs, and is a mem ber of the Student Council. The news editor's position will charge three points up against his ac Cobs, he will be given another ad ditional three points as a member of the organization. Tho Student Council position will give him an additional two points. Being a junior he is allowed only seven points in view of the fact that he By the way, are you over-pointed? POINTS 2 3 Member Judiciary Circ. Mgr. News Ed. Sports Ed. Assistant Society Ed. Bus. Mgr. Staff Assistant Member Bus. Mgr. Eds. and Staff Eds. Bus. Aids Member ' President Comm. Chm. President Member Staff Ed. Mng. Editor Assistant Bus. Mgr. Member President Member Worker Member Worker President Member Co-chairmen President President President President Member Sen. Mgr. Head Member Member Member Member Member Member Member Member Member Natl. Pres. President AG COLLEGE. Member Member President Bus. Mgr. Bus. Mgr. Editor President Genl. Chm. Reporter Member Worker Officers Member Treasurer, Steward ENGINEERING COLLEGE Chairman Sec.-Treas. Member President Bus. Mgr. Editor is in good scholastic standing. His total activity points are eight. This is one over the amount allowed to junior men. To the board His case is brought before the point board. He presents his side of the question and the problem goes to the consideration of the members. His case Is perhaps a strange one for he is but one point over the allotment and his aver- age is well up in the eighties. However, the members decide that to make one exception to their rules would bring about Journal and BUr. Hill. d Brown. other cases which would also want the consideration. This would ul timately kill the purpose of the entire plan. As in the past, tlie decision handed down by the board would be that the man would have to drop one of the activities in order that he conform with the provisions of the consti tution of the point system. He would be given his choice of the activity which he wished to drop. Big man members Members of the point board are the big men in activities on the jcampus. They are thoroughly fa miliar with all the ins and outs of ' -i 1 ' v ! s mm- - A President Editor Mng. Editor Bus. Mgr. Bus. Mgr. Mng. Editor Editor President Editor Bus. Mgr. President President President Manage the game. For that reason, uni versity authorities and the Stu dent Council felt that they would be best fitted for membership on that board. Perhaps there is room for some revision in the stipulations of the constitution. Many men have sug gested that the number of points allowed should be more flexible. They use as their argument the fact that the main purpose of the entire system is to check men from neglecting studie for activity par ticipation. Be more flexible On this argument they suggest that the board should allow thoM men who have high averages, a one or two point leeway on the maximum. Men who do not have the 72 average are docked points. Why then can't those who have averages, say above 75, be al lowed to carry one or two extra points ? Another suggestion Is that there be changes in some of the point ings given to certain activities. Perhaps the best example of this argument would be either Corn Cobs or Kosmet Klub. In both of these organizations, workers are charged as many points as mem bers. Since there is a decided dif ference between the two, many men feel that a worker should not receive as many points as a member. However, not everyon can be satisfied. After the last few hectic years, when men were in eight or ten ac tivities, the change seems unusual. That's because we didn't grow up with the new system. However, those men who are now entering University will be able to recognize and appreciate the new system. TKy will not be "activity wrecks" trying to make the high and mighty "thirteen." i"