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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 15, 1959)
Wednesday , April 15, 1959 Page 2 The Dailv Nebraskan Editorial Comment: No Man Is An Island: Brooks Increase Boost Informed Action Student Must! Not An Inconsistency Last Tuesday, Gov. Ralph Brooks an nounced to the Legislature through a let ter that any increase in expenses above and beyond those recommended in his budgetary message would be vetoed. About 48 hours later he recommended that the University's appropriation be boosted by an additional two million. Brooks had earlier recommended a two million dollar increase in University funds above that spent last biennium. This brought state senator Terry Car penter to his feet with a cry of "incon sistency." We don't think the governor was being particularly inconsistent. The original two million dollar Increase was recommended on the basis of a study of University funds which did not leave the governor with a true picture of the University financial setup. The estimate that the University could get by on only an additional two million in cluded funds which the University makes from rent on the residence halls, Union services and from the athletic depart ment. However, the residence halls and Union are non-profit concerns and any money realized from room, board or food is plowed back into the dorms or Union. The athletic department uses its cash to support sports that don't pay for them selves and for the scholarship program. When the governor was appraised of this situation he promised to go over the ac counting system with University officials and revise his recommendation if need be. Apparently, the "need be" was neces sary. Therefore, we feel that Mr. Carpenter's "inconsistency" charge was not quite justified. , It is a pretty good administration that can hit everything right the first time. It is such a good administration that we've never seen its like before. The revised estimate for the University, then, is not too surprising and shouldn't be taken as an indication of the weakness of the gov ernor's administrative ability. Rather, it is the mark of an administra tion that is willing to say, "We slipped the first time but we're willing to correct the trouble." That's showing a lot of courage and in the political arena, an attitude of this kind is bound to get slapped around a little. The political "haymakers" will do what they can with such admissions. A big problem for college students now adays is getting accepted, according to Rev. G. M. Armstrong, University Epis copal pastor. Rev. Armstrong made the statement during a recent panel discussion entitled "Emotional Problems in College Stu dents." Some other comments to come out of the meeting includes this one by Miss Ethel Johnston, dean of women at Nebras ka Wesleyan: "a dean of women must be a sort of mother confessor." These attitudes are symptomatic of two phenomena which have come under a good deal of fire from various sources in recent months. One of these is the question of institu tional "paternalism" and the other is the apparent Jack of student "American in dividualism." Disappearing individualism has long been the concern of U.S. public officials. In a study of American prisoners in Korea during the late "police action," army psychiatrists discovered that only one of every 20 American soldiers captured by the Communists showed sufficient leader ship ability or willingness to accept re sponsibility to make him dangerous. This is an appalling statistic. The reason can be found in what the Chinese found to be the average American's lack of confi dence in himself and his ability to survive when cut off from the group. The increasing paternilism of American college administrators leads directly to this sort of attitude. In the old days, stu dents were called to see the dean only in the case of conduct code infractions. Now they see counselors, etc., on the average of once a week. No matter what adjustment problems they are experienc ing, however, the problem can still be solved only by the individual. He can do it only by asserting himself as an indi vidual in the group. from the Sideslines v V Miss Sides It's amazing what little bits of informa tion one accumulates working in a news paper office. One of the staff writers buzzed in the other day, full of enthusiasm and brim ming over with ideas planned to help faculty student relations. One of the ideas con cerned a practice at Ivy League Schools. Class members reward an out standing lecture by a teacher by clapping at the end of the lecture, or if they have enjoyed his course, they applaud him at the end of the semester. But if they don't enjoy a particular lecture they shuffle their feet or make other obvious manifestations of their dis like. This certainly seems like a logical way to indicate to a professor whether or not he's reaching you. Of course, there are certain drawbacks like unfortunately there are a few professors who would be shuffled right out of the classroom no mat ter how hard they tried to make a lecture Interesting. Or the fact that a few students couldn't like a lecture by anyone and might see this as a way to just cut the lecture off entirely and escape to the great outdoors in order to pursue other more carefree endeavors. But it has potential. And it might help to bridge the present gulf existing between the students and faculty members at NU. Not that there is an enormous gulf things are hardly that dramatic. I have not noticed any armed students stalking a par ticularly unpopular professor, no bomb ings have been recorded lately and actual ly few bitter words have ever, exchanged between the two groups. But there is a line, compounded of mu tual distrust and perhaps dislike. Before I came to school I had certain conceptions of .how the whole thing was By Gretchen Sides going to be. You know the Ivy covered walls, teas at faculty member's houses, that great big happy family sort of thing. But I was disillusioned soon after arrival with numerous warnings that professors didn't care if you flunked or stayed, they would not be willing to offer help to any one, and they would run the course any way they pleased, giving no heed to any possible requests you might have. And with this philosophy was joined a hidden belief that anyone who did happen to at tempt to establish a friendship with a pro fess was doing it with his eyes firmly fixed on a higher grade. I found that most of this wasn't really true at least not to the degree to which some consider it to be. But I'll bet it took about a year and a half before I could even get up the courage to talk to a profes sor as if he were a person and not a Great White Father. I suppose it is being very idealistic to suggest that everyone could be big bud dies. After all, this is a big school, a state university. But sometimes that is just an excuse. Some professors do make an at tempt to get to know their students, to respect their opinions. Of cour;e, this is partially dependent on personality. Some men may be marvelous professors but they just plain may not like people. I real ize this. But I do think that student's opinions are ignored. ( I have seen too many papers marked excellent answer, but not what I wanted " or "excellent answer, but I disagree," aiid also marked with an extremely low grade And I have seen too few attempts on a teacher's part to objectively evaluate his work and to discover what the students think of his lectures and what they are get ting from the lectures. Perhaps such an attitude would hamper a teacher, would prevent him from doing his best for fear of displeasure. I don't know-I do not claim to be an educator But I think the scales could be tipped a little without hurting the independence of any professor. Daily Nebraskan SIXTY-EIGHT TEAKS OLD aonarty feepoiulhla for what they nr. o, do or ... Member: Agisted Oo.Iefiate Pre A. '.T mmMm ? erefiUtiv: National AdTertliinf Service. uuUSTVSr tT Vt lV".".?, Incorporated EMm bditobui. staff fc PabiliJied at: Room 20, Student Onion 5" '" -V.V.V.V.V."V.V.dSSSI,m2?I Lincoln. Nebraek. Zr: --S? Ta Par HeMwIuM M iWMIiaee Moaaar, TatK, c7nd 2. Carroll Kraai. Sandra Kull Wedaeaca aa Tlda, during tat Mbool year, except tr. riljvJluL farina eaeatioaa and Ham aertode. by etaoenta af Mm itaff Writere Mri "'"J1, T"m D" talT(j of Nlrae erwer Uw authorliatlaa at th ""ha HoTrnw Marilyn Coffey, Sonrira Waalen. Commit ue aa Student ffalre ai aa expression af ito- staff Photnmiih., u. ... m ..!. rohlteaf aadet the larladletloa of tha BI'Sira tto ' ' Mlnet Taylor ubeonunlttMt on Htaarnt Publication, ehall be free from BnilneM Minaret STAFF editorial eeaeareWa aa U aart af the Hukeommlttee af AeMatant Bnslneu Manama g"!"1l . V p- of a-r Member of U faculty at the Od- Chart, OraaS? Nora Rohlflnr'- 8"n waits. Tha aaambe-.a af aba Meoraakaa tafl an PC- Clarified llana ou 0rmilT Editor Nete The Dillr Ntbraikaa U coatinu'u Hi url el "Leatea Nelee" from Inivrr.lly raaelalai oiler (he keadlBf at "Ne Maa le Aa Ulead".) By Rev. G. M. Armstrong Episcopal Chapel The talk around the cam pus is that students do not want to be told what to do. This means that they refuse to accept exterior discip; line, coercive decisions mada by others. Individualism Where? And this refusal then brings a confrontation: eith er self-discipline or chaos, since, if there be no con trol there must be anarchy, and anarchy results in chaos. Let us suppose that self discipline is rejected. It fol lows again that chaos will result, for every man will be a law unto himself and laws will conflict the one Porcupines 1 " - J J I fit - ml How competent do y o u think the graduating classes of 19'9 will be? The first answer one would receive from the ad-minis- t r a t i o n ' is that tne classes of 1959 are equal to or above the v stand ards of the of our coun try. H o w- Prokop ever, can we be sure that this is the case? During the course of the year one encounters a great deal of cheating in our University. Many of our professors are too trusting with their so-called honor system for examinations. During an ex amination under such a sys tem some students take ad vantage of many more by cribbing. What is the advantage of obtaining a course grade of.. 5 when in truth one ' has " failed to obtain the knowl edge the course is intended to convey? A cheater cheats not only Conservative Estimate With a wide open Student Council election this spring, the campus may get to see just who they are voting for and why. This will be the test ing time for the boys from the 1FC slate and their I n depend ant counter parts across the way. This too will be the Hoerner opportunity for the free lance candidate with a good idea. Let's hope the Student Council carries through with their initial idea of an open campaign. Let's have discussion forums, rallies and name calling if neces sary. When I walk into the polls this May I want to look down the ballot and say to myself, "Aha, that's the boy who wants beer in the Union," or "He's the one who feels the Tribunal should be abolished." The Student Council of ficially consists of 33 mem bers, both from organiza tions and colleges along with five holdover mem bers. The present Student Council consists of about 15 representatives. In my mind a representative is one who will stand up and say what he thinks about some thing and have reasons to support it. He is one who will take some of his extra time to find out what the students who put him there want. It won't take a lot of money either. Under the new rules nothing is barred but a speaker on automo biles and posters bigger than a certain size. Nothing says you can't mount your low cost loudspeaker on a roof or build a bandstand in front of the Union. Issue an open challenge to your opponents to come out and speak on the issues facing the Council in the coming year. If you don't know what these issues are, stay at home and be de- f6at6Ca ' Most important of all, let's have more than 1,908 students dropping by t h e polls. I hope candidates of fer baby sitting service! I hope they haul people out of the pad! ' As an eager reporter" with pencil poised, I am looking forward to the end of the days when it falls lifelessly to the paper as silence reigns when the Student Council president calls "New Business?" himself but soc'itv. He do3s not cheat the Instructor or the rest of tha cl?ss. At p r e s e n t, America's need for well-trained psr sonnel in all f i e 1 d s is vital. The need is for peo ple with a solid educational background not based on crib sheets. At the same time, univer sities are becoming more crowded. It is reasonable to assume that at least some honest and capable -students are deprived of a place in our colleges by students who are staying in school only by cheating. In this way, the cheater also cheats sotiety. Have you ever wondered what becomes of the indi vidual who cheated his way to a degree? What happens is that when one is on a job for a short time, the facts on the crib sheets are forgotten. A lack of initiative stemming from lack of understanding begins to hold back prog ress. Eventually the cheater is turned back to the ob livion of less rewarding jobs or to a reeducation program in which a company must educate a person it has al ready accepted as being educated. Imagine what a physicist would be without a b a c k ground in differential equa tions! His calculations might send a moon rocket to New York City via Cape Canav eral. A doctor who admin isters drugs could kill peo ple instead of being an an gel of mercy. Far-fetched, perhaps, but not impossible. It is not a , disgrace to find out that one is not suited for college work. An individual may have a higher aptitude for another kind of education and may earn his way to the top more quickly if he abandons a fruitless effort to stay in college by cheat ing. The next time you hear the little men on campus say, "I really showed that prof, my cribs answered his questions perfectly," re member, he who cheats oth ers ends up by cheating himself. oh.' mm WEDDING DAY IS? m Exquisite Rings for the Bride Whether the wedding is soon to come, or mellow memory, these lovely rings will be a cherished symbol. Thrilling new design, displaying nine diamonds in radiant beauty! J200 CONVENIENT TERMS "QtolMr Telle" I ) '5 W Mi , WOC tC Street ' with the other. But disorder will soon be come order of a kind, for the strong will compel the weak to submit or the wily will beguile the simple into submission. Human beings cannot live in community without order; being human they will not do so. Despite their protestations some welcome compulsion; some, on the othor hand, insist on hading, on dirs'tin;, on giving orders, either be cause they ?re altruistic or t"!2euse t'i3y ssek thoir own advantage. Nw ' Ordsr And now the circle is com ptets, except that a new ord2r, a r.aw discipline, has imposed itself on the com munity: the order of the strong, the discipline of the wily. So then, if students do not want to be told what to do they must tell them selves what to do; they must impose a discipline on themselves. Each must, in . the nature of things, decide . that he will act for the good of all. However, he must first discover what that good is and how to further it in small matters as in great. In so doing, unless he is by nature a saint, he will soon esteem his private highest good to be the pub lic highest goocj, Jr each is by nature self-regarding and selfish. On the other hand, unless he is exceedingly wise, he will not know, nor can dis cover, what is the highest good for himself or for the group. But no man is altogether selfish, -or . altogether fool ish; nor does he live in iso-' lation, he is a social being. By combining his insights with those of others, by ac cepting compromises, by substituting the will of the ' group for the will of the In dividual, he can achieve a working discipline. Never theless these questions must still be asked and still be answered: on what grounds shall the decisions be reach ed, the choices made? What guida shall be followed by th3 group, "what standards accepted? Shall the group repeat all the mistakes of tha past or shall it learn from the experience of oth ers? Shall it rely only on the uninformed opinions of its members? No Time There is no time in the University career of any in dividual for repeating, arid so learning from, the mis takes of others. The unin formed opinions of many can hardly be said to be better guides than the unin formed opinions of one. Therefore each, and all, must learn from the experi ence of the race. There is no escape from the dilem ma: whichever horn is sharper, man is impaled on one or the other. He must accept the discipline im posed by "authority" or he must accept as his own that created by, and enforced by, the community. If he chooses the latter then he must act to become informed, and his act must then be the act of the informed con science. He must study; he must reflect; he mu t decide. He must act, and he must refrain from acting. On Campus Kith By the Author of "Bally Hound the Flag, Boy!''mw "Barefoot boy wth Cheek. ) THE CARE AND FEEDING OF ROOM-MATES Room-mates are not only heaps of fun, but they are also very educational, for the proper study of mankind is man, and there is na better way to learn the dreams and drives of another man than to share a room with him. This being the ca.se, it is wise not to keep the same room mate too long, because the more room-mates you have, the more.. you will ,knowalout the dreams and drives of your fellSw'man. So try to change room-mates as often as you can. A recent study made by Sigafoos of Princeton shows that the best interval for changing room-mates is every four hours. How do you choose a room-mate? Most counselors agree that the most important thing to look for in rooni-inates is that they be ieople of regular habits. This, I say, is arrant nonsense. What if one of their regular habits happens to be beating a Chinese gong from midnight to dawn? Or growing cultures in your tooth gla$s? Or reciting the Articles of War? 11 en 1 He 'iAd iL. 1 4 -i i Regular habits, my foot! The most important quality in room-mate is that he should be exactly your size. Otherwise you will have to. have his clothes altered to fit you, which can be a considerable nuisance. In fact, it is Bometinies flatly im possible. I recollect one time I roomed with a man named Osage Tremblatt who was just under seven feet tall and weighed nearly four hundred pounds. There wasn't a blessed thing I could use in his entire wardrobe-until one night when I waa invited to a masquerade party. I cut one leg off a pair of Trem blatt'a trousers, jum)ed into it, sewed up both ends, and went to the party as a bolster. I took second prize. First priie went to a girl named Antenna Radnitz who poured molasses over her head and went as a candied apple. But I digress. Let us turn back to the qualities that make desirable room-mates. Not the least of these is the cigarette they smoke. When we bum cigarettes, do we want them to be shoddy and nondescript? Certainly not! We want them to be distinguished, gently reared, xestt;ul and iingy. And what ciga rette is distinguished, gently reared, testful and lingy? Why, Philip Morria, of corris! Any further questions? To go on In selecting a room-mate, find someone who will wear well, whom you'd like to keep as a permanent friend. Many of history's great friendships first started in college. Ar you aware, for example, of the remarkable fact that Johnson and Boswell were room-mates at Oxford in 1712? What makee this fact so remarkable is that in 1712 Johnson was only three years old and Boswell had not yet been born. But, of course, children matured earlier in those days. Take Mozart, who wrote his first symphony at four. Or Titian, who painted hie first masterpiece at five. Or Hanso Felbgung, who was In many ways the most remarkable of all; he was appointed chief of the Copenhagen police department at the age of six! It must be admitted, however, that he did badly. Criminal! roamed the city, robbing and looting at will. They knew little Hanso would never pursue them -ha was not allowed to crow the street It you are allotted to crow the ,tmt, hie yourself to a to. baccowt and stock up on Philip Morris, outstanding among on -Rite, cigarette, or Marlboro, the niter cigarette with better "makin's." Pick your pleasure.
