Poge 2
The Daily Nebraskan
Tuesdcy, March 4, 1958
Editorial Comment
ROTC Or Not ROTC?
That Is The Question
The current Issue of Look magazine
contains an article that will give hope
to all University males who periodically
have to trot across campus to take part
la ROTC drills.
The article says that the end of the
ROTC program on the U.S. college cam
puses may be near. The cause for the
apparent loss of confidence in the ROTC
program: "failure to produce a sufficient
number of highaliber officers," a pub
licity release of the magazine says.
Look says that the Army, Navy and
Air Force are all reviewing their ROTC
plans and checking on the value of con
tinuing them. On the University cam
pus, however, opinion by the military
leaders in charge of local ROTC pro
grams seems to be contrary to this
nationally expressed opinion.
Two local ROTC heads say the serv
ices can't afford to discontinue the pro
gram, while a third said he preferred
to withhold comment until he was bet
ter Informed on the proposed changes
or possible elimination.
A review of Daily Nebraskan Letterip
columns clearly indicates that a goodly
number of University males are tired
of the present setup. The complaints
have run all of the way from the time
ROTC holds labs to the fact that the
department heads sometimes s.nd out
notes to the students' parents when the
males decided they preferred a day of
rest to an hour or two of ROTC.
As a landgrant college the University
has no choice but to require undergradu
ate male students, without prior service
or physical disabilities, to take part in
the mandatory military education.
Even a majority of first book psycho
logists can tell yon that compulsion,
especially when the person being com
pelled doesn't see an immediate pur
pose, doesnt motivate a person to get
gang bo about something. In this case
it is male undergraduate students being
forced to take two years of ROTC with
out seeing where it performs any really
constructive service.
During peace time even though daily
newspaper headlines scream about the
cold war and the impending danger of
World War III a college student isn't
likely to get inspired about sitting
through a lecture on the nomenclature
of the M-l. It seems only reasonable
that he doesn't see any reason to get
excited.
First, two years of dilly-dallying around
in ROTC lectures and labs won't make
him much more fit to do battle in emer
gency than watching a John Wayne Ma
rine Corps thriller. Military units are
effective only when they train together
as a unit, only when they have spent
hours together working out numerous
field problems. Even if every member
of a fighting team knew the secrets of
military strategy inside and out it
wouldn't make them an effective fight
ing team unless they were coordinated
this comes only through '"boot camp"
training.
Second, a college student should not
be required to pay double service to
military organizations. A college stu
dent completes his two years of ROTC
work and what happens? He is still eli
gible for the draft. In other words, the
ROTC program unless he chooses to
go into advanced ROTC, which an ex
traordinarily small number do has only
been an extra burden.
The Marine Corps, which has been
noted repeatedly for its esprit de corps,
recognizes the failure of trying to draft
or compel persons to take part in re
serve programs. Leaders are best, the
Marines recognize, when they are vol
unteers. It seems time that the other
services recognize this also.
Theatre Month
International Theatre Month, which has
been proclaimed by Gov. Anderson to be
celebrated during March, gives every
person in the free world a chance to ex
change ideas, art concepts, and acting
techniques.
In some countries the theatre month
celebrations will be limited to an occa
sional play here or there.
In the United States the opportunities
for the cultural exchange through the
theatre arts are innumerable. Greats of
the theatre such as Helen Hayes have
praised the concept of an international
month to celebrate the theatres.
And the little man, too, has a chance
to partake in the theatre months. Here
at the University, for example, every
one involved in the work of the Univer
sity Theatre from the ushers to the di
rector of the participating play Ondine,
which opens Wednesday evening can
share in the excitement, the rewards of
promoting international peace through
the ancient medium of the drama.
Each student, too, by supporting the
University Theatre can do his part to
promote good-will among men in this
International Theatre Month.
From the Editor
private opinion
. . . dick shugrue
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a
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astaane$
Nc exams for seniors?
I va ; shocked when the nervous little
girl a; reached me with the idea. Not
so much because she was nervous (she
had been drinking coffee all evening
at the Cornhusker) but because the idea
saemed so out of character with the
university s ume-tauie mwv
personality. '
Then when the shocks
wore off she smiled and
I smiled and said to her,
"Good idea, Ruthe." She
seemed pleased that
someone did care about
the feelings of seniors.
They are very tired aft-1
er four years of hard
treat just for gradual- Sbngroe
tag.
This idea is not new arouL- here, of
course. It has been an old practice in
P.S. 101 to exempt eighth graders from
taking history and geography exams.
Whether it would work here is, as I
say, another question. If enough seniors
got behind the project, why the student
council could be called on to earn its
bread and butter and present such a
resolution to the Faculty and Admin
istration. t can Just see them fuming, "What!
These young wbippersnappers want
more concession! Huff, puff."
No, really, I have been told that many
instructors would approve the idea whole
heartedly for no exams for seniors would
mean 1,500 fewer papers to red-pencil.
Just been to the pep rally, ft was sur
prisingly well attended. No. That's an
understatement. It was wonderfully at
tended. Jerry Bush, the chancellor, the
team, the band, the noise ... all those
tfcirgs went into making up for the
small attendance at the rally for the
track team which was so pitifully at
tended. Maybe it's the time element which is
important to a good rally. Maybe it's the
weather, or the cause or the organizers.
But whatever it was, all the elements
added up to making the most spontane
ous, well-managed rally of the present
year . . . bar none, in my estimation.
The K-State Collegian representatives
to the game last evening dropped in to
the office Monday afternoon.
They were the opposite of Daily Ne
braskan staffers. Here they sat wen
dressed, clean-shaven, hair combed,
smiling, refreshed after traveling 130
mfles to watch their team play.
And here I sat unshaven, unkempt,
feeling like a rat in the cage ready to
spring on any Mortar Board who hap
pened along. From the description of
me in the little letter from the girls you
would think that my fangs were droop
ing as I searched the office for innocent
prey. You'd think I was concerned only
with causing trouble, not with listening
to the problems of the staff (whose word
I accept as truth, by the way) or with
aiding worthy organizations.
Then the ex-K-State editor told me to
relax. "Personal accusations always flew
my way," Roger stated. I sighed a
breath of relief. I'm not alone and un
sheltered from the charges that I run
the newspaper like the Irish counter
part of the Mafia.
Boy, if there weren't fellow newsmen
who happened to come along at the right
time, I might think that just because
I'm charged with being power-mad, I
couldn't stand up for the staff in the
face of the challenges of the Smart Set.
"It is far better to suffer the slings
and arrow ..."
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Buck Shot
By Melvyn Eikleberry
Now Hollow Flames
By Dave Rhoades
"Other than that, how did
you like the plav, Mrs. Lin
coln?" joke told by an NU stu
dent. Even were my column for
serious purposes only, I would
have to tell jokes: Nebras
kans, especially, have to be
ia a good humor before they
can think straight.
It can happen to you. You
might be charged with a
crime you didn't commit, and
your mail could be censored
while you were in jail await-
1 n g trial.
Caril Fugate,
for example,
has been re
ceiving her
mail only
after censor
shipand she
hasn't even
been con
victed! I
don't know
w b f t her or
not this censorship
but it is being done.
This is serious because
freedom of expression is vital
to free government, and when
individual rights are abused,
every last one of us is threat
ened "It's not serious," you
may say. So what are you do
ing, waiting until it is too big
for you to handle? Nationally
respected magazines have
lately carried articles which
advocate censorship to "clean
up" macazines and books.
After that, what?
4
"Being an Intellectual
means smoking a pipe."
an NU student
Did you know that the U.S.
Constitution prohibits those
who have been convicted of
felonies from voting? After
a felon has been released
from prison, he certainly can-
Eikleberry
legal.
is
not be expected to obey the
law if he has no part in mak
ing the law.
Here in Nebraska, our rep
resentatives recently failed to
repeal a state law prohibit
ing racial intermarriage. If
all of us wore a Nebraska
uniform, we would all have
to wear a spot of mud, for
that spot of mud would have
to be part of the uniform.
What can you do about
these unjust laws and prac
tices? In the first place, you
can get angry. They you can
sound off. Write home, write
the newspapers, write your
representative in the state
legislature. Ask candidates
how they stand on these is
sues, and then put your al
mighty dollar where it will
do the most good in cam
paigns. When you're old
enough, don't be afraid to run
for office, or find someone
to run for you. History is full
of minorities who gained sup
port for their issues through
their determination. Estab
lished politicians often win by
taking up minority issues.
Slavery requires work.
Freedom requires work and
concern. Both have their re
wards. Take you pick.
t? 4
"Even pornography gets
sickening after awhile."
an NU student
-i
Three days before the K-State-Nebraska
game, tickets
were still unsold to see the
nation's number one team.
Lots of school spirit, ay?
4 -ft
"When in trouble,
When in doubt.
Run in circles.
Scream and shout."
U.S. Navy proberb
Don't worry. Navy, Ne
braskans will just sit calmly
while the ship goes down.
s
Nebraskan Letterip
MB8 Reply
Feeling powerful. Editor
Shugrue? Rage around the
Union like a wounded dictator,
because the Mortar Boards
collected a measly dollar from
timid, ill-trained Rag report
ers who failed to tell anyone
they were reporters in the
first place.
Maybe you should pin press
badges on your representa
tives of the Fourth Estate
so that we can recognize
them, as they seem to be
afraid to introduce them
selves. We intended to admit, in the
true spirit of the First Amend
ment, any representative of
the press to our news confer
ences for Ivy Baker Priest,
We thought we did this, but
it is claimed that we denied
the press free access to news.
We are sure that your staff
members do not recognize
each Mortar Board on sight
unless they are in uniform.
Nor can we be expected to
recognize on sight each mem
ber of the Rag staff.
The only authorized news
conferences for Mrs. Priest
were held at the airport when
she arrived and at 10:30 a.m.
the day of the Women's Con
ference. Many persons came
into the Union Saturday morn
ing, and unless they an
nounced themselves as report
ers, we assumed them to be
persons attending the confer
ence. These persons were
charged for the conference,
which was not and could not
have been free. The confer
ence was put on at consid
erable expense to the Mortar
Boards.
Anyone who introduced him
self or herself as a member
of the press was admitted free
of charge to the news con
ference. Several students came
through the doors announcing
that they were covering the
conference for a class assign
ment. Anyone can say this;
the Mortar Boards could not
afford to let innumerable and
unauthorized persons into the
entire conference for a "class
assignment." It is also our
understanding that professors
made such assignments with
the stipulation that students
could do an alternate assign
ment if they did not want to
attend the conference or pay
a dollar to do so.
Editor Shugrue, we do not
know what you're yelling
about, but it sounds L'ke rath
er immature and unreason
able yelling. I'm sure you will
find that anyone who intro
duced himself or herself as a
reporter for a publication was
admitted free.
Marilyn Heck
Bev. Buck
Shari Hall
Bobbie Holt
Barb Sharp
ft 4
Petty Slander
To the Editor:
I hate to see so much space
devoted to Dick Basoco's
petty slander of A Farewell
To Arms. Why not point out
such things as "the terrific
comedy; the scenes which
made the viewer feel that he
was almost participating in
the story?
He cuts down this movie
for such important reasons:
because the picture was out
of focus several times; be
cause he didn't think it rained
at the right time. It takes a
cynical attitude to condemn a
movie as great as A Farewell
To Arms for its minor faults.
RAY TRAUDT
At the end of the 13th Cen
tury, the University of Bo
logna formed the following
rules restricting their profes
sors: "A professor might not
be allowed
absence with
out 1 e a v e,
even a single
day, and if 1
he desired to
leave town
he had to
make a de
posit to in
sure his re
turn . . If he
failed to se- Rhoades
cure an audience of five for a
regular lecture, he was fined
as if absent. He must begin
with the bell and quit within
one minute after the next bell
. . . He was not allowed too
postpone a difficulty until the
end of the hour . . No one
might spend the whole year in
introduction and bibliogra
phy." One of the reasons college
institution at least in a few
of the above respects is the
institution on many cam
puses of student evaluations
of teacher instruction al
though such evaluations have
been discussed on this cam
pus, ii is only recently that
the Student Activities com
mittee of the Student Council
has undertaken the prepara
tion for these surveys. Soon
the evaluations will be brought
before the Council for formal
approval and later made av
able for all University instruc
tors. There are teachers who
claim, as does an article I
have recently read on the
subject, that these question
naires are anonymous and
hence irresponsible; that some
of them are colored by a de
sire to shift responsibility
from the student's own short
comings; that some confuse
teaching with entertainment
and kindness of heart.
I can remember a profes
sor commenting that every
freshman class revives his
own strong personal convic
tion of the worthelessness of
student-instruction evalua
tions. He was once a victim
of such scales (and there's
the rub, as Hamlet would
say.)
I do not believe, however,
that one can discount the opin
ions of college students
merely because they are not
endowed with infallibility.
Here are a few areas in which
student-instruction evaluations
have proved useful: 1) in
measuring student opinion of
the total teaching effective
ness of a professor; 2) as a
scale in determining relative
points of strength and weak
ness of instruction in depart
ments or staff members; 3)
as a scale in evaluating teach
ing effectiveness in various
course levels, such as begin
ning and advanced courses;
4) as data which might bo.
presented as evidence support
ing recommendation for pro
motion within the department.
The Department of Speech
ai this University has, under
the direction of Dr. Leroy
Laase, conducted some inter
esting research on this subject
which proves almost without
doubt the validity of these
measurements.
Since 1949, individual speech
instructors have been rated
on 25 items ranging from
"knowledge of subject" to
"fairness in testing." Of the
eight faculty members who
were on the staff in 1949 and
still there in 1955, a compari
son was made of their evalua
tions. It revealed that the
average score improved in all
of the items on which they
were rated and that the great
est improvement in instruc
tion came in those items orig
inally marked lowest. Dr.
Laase reveals that student
opinion can measure teaching
effectiveness and such scales
can be helpful in improving
instruction.
Unfortunately, many facul
ties view student relations as
camped, as Matthew Arnold
said, "on darkling plains
swept with confused alarms of
struggle." Most students
would welcome the responsi
bility of evaluating a profes
sion which is now subjectively
graded on the professor's re
search, committee work,
publishings, and lectures be
fore the Rotary or PTA.
If students respond because
they believe the professor has
something to offer them, no
matter what his collogues may
think of him as an administra
tor or in research methods,
he must be a good teacher.
afrnir" ailaaaVL'ai
Tnm Rraa "Ptaale Maaj mm in miP
In all races of mankind, mot
boys than ifirli are born; penetw
ally life ipsa of men ia aoorur
than that of women.-
1
arnold
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