The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, October 30, 1961, Page Page 2, Image 2

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    An Open Letter
NU Sorority Women
Re-evaluate Activities
Ed. Note: The following
is a letter from thirteen
activities chairmen of 13
campus sororities. Their
views on the activity scene
do not necessarily express
the views of the Daily Ne
braskan., Are you in activities
more and enjoying it less?
Or have you said simply
forget it? The reasons be
hind both questions were
explored at the recent
activity chairmen work
shop during Panhellenic
Week. Is it a coincidence
that thirteen activity
chairmen agreed that Uni
versity of Nebraska cam
pus activities are unbal
anced? There is an activ
ity for every interest area,
but their significance to
the student and the cam
pus rates investigation.
This year a great in
flux of workers hit cam
pus organizations. Which
organizations? Just a cer
tain three or four. Some
committees in the "cer
tain" organizations which
usually have twenty work
ers now have fifty with
the same amount of work
to be accomplished
throughout the year. What
will these workers have to
do? Many of them noth
ing! The areas of public
relations are overflowing.
Only those students
with concrete ideas in this
field will remain while the
areas of dramatics, music,
women's athletics, re
ligious student houses, off
campus service organiza
tions, honoraries, interna
tional students, and surely
others are sadly lacking.
What will be the effect
on the student? The
worker will loose his iden
tity in the mass he will
be just a worker with no
chance to use his own cre
ative power. His chances
for becoming a leader are
so small. His real abilities
cannot be shown. As a col
lege student, he will be a
leader of tomorrow with
out a place to train dur.
ing his college days.
How will this a f f e c t
these organizations? They
wffl be literaHy choked by
the large number of work
ers. They wfll be found in
a position where their pro
gram of activities is not
broad enough to accomo
date aU of these enthusi
astic freshmen. The lead
ers of the group wffl nec
essarily have to be more
organized and aU r o u a d
better leaders. Their re
sponsibility in picking suc
cessors win be a burden
when there are ten equally
good applicants for one
position.
The question remains, if
campus leaders, activity
chairmen, heads of organ
izations, committee chair
men, etc. are aware of
this overcrowded situation
and the effects on the stu
dents and activities, why
do certain organizations
remain crowded? The fact
Is that ambitious f r e s h
men and upperclass trans
fers are encouraged to join
just certain few activities
on this campus. Woe to
the activity chairman's
neck who ignores the po
tential leaders she is help
ing to guide and allows
them to blindly choose
their activities for t h e i r
areas of interest rather
than for their political sta
tus on campus.
At the workshop for ac
tivity chairmen these
problems were discussed.
We were not surprised at
all to find that we all had
the same problem and
complaint about the philos
ophy of activities. We ob
viously do not want to en
courage over of a
pledge class to join the
same three or four activi
ties on campus. The ques
tion is why should anyone
hesitate to encourage a
hardworking, enthusiastic
freshman to join an activ
ity which does not have
as much status politically
as others. The answer is
recognition and reward.
Wo certainly do not mean
by this that individuals in
all activities , on campus
Daily Nebraskan
Member Associated Conefiate Press, Internationa) Press
Representative: National Advcrtfolnc Bervfoe, Incorporated
Published at: Boom 51, Student Union, Lincoln, Nebraska.
SEVENTY-ONE TEARS OLD
14th R
Telephone EE 2-7631 ext. 4225, 4226, 4227
ftafewtriptwa nM ar S3 par semester r W for tiw academic year.
entered as (ton matter M port title tm Lincoln, Nebraska,
Sit the wtm 4, ISIS.
The Dalrr NebrW:aa Is ptibllnked Mnadar, ranter, H'ednnuUy and Fri
tter tftiHnc the whoot rear, except during raeatlona M rrmm period, by
tuAoitta ! the Unlversltx a Nebraska enW authnrlcatioa of tin Committee
mm stnaent affair m aa expremioa etadent oplnloa Pahllratloa under (he
jnrtuttrtioa of the ttalHxwnmttte na Student Pnhllrattoai (hall fee free from
atfitorial oemorahlp on the part of tile Subcommittee or oa the part of any
pin KM evtslie the ralrenltr. The members mt the Dally Nenraakas staff ara
aerwHiaily mimislbls lot what they aay, or , or am to k printed.
Voomary . ISA.
EDITORIAL STAFF
....
do not receive recognition
for themselves and the
organizations or reward
for themselves and the
organization. What we do
mean to imply is that
when students are consid
ered or interviewed for
offices in organizations
and all forms of campus
honors, the amount of
time and work and energy
put into some organiza
tions is not considered
with equal worth with
these same efforts in other
organizations. Granted
that the same officer does
not have the same duties
in all organizations, but
it does not necessarily fol
low that those individuals
in less recognized activi
ties on campus do not do
a particularly outstanding
job for their organization.
The point at hand is that
a job done well, no mat
ter what the organization,
deserves the recognition
that even a job poorly
done in a major organiza
tion receives. Reward for
work in activities has
gone to people who are in
a certain three or four or
ganizations. Because of
this, there has been an
all campus push by ac
tivities chairmen, and or
ganized groups to get their
people "up" in these ac
tivities. Seemingly, a board
position on one of these
coveted organizations as
sures you of a name and
campus prestige. We are
not saying that people who
have displayed leadership
qualities should not be re
spected, but we are say
ing that certain positions,
too few we may add, are
overemphasized. We are
concerned because we feel
that both the students on
campus and the activities
are harmed because of
this.
The small number of
prestige positions on cam
pus explains negativism
on the campus concerning
activities. We believe neg
ativism results from the
fact that our activities
have become political
rather than functional.
Thus many people working
in certain activities are
not there because this is
where their interest lies,
but because these activi
ties are the ones that
"really count". There are
too few activities that are
considered important, or
important enough to be
recognized, and of course
of the hundreds of people
on campus only a few
are able to secure these
positions of "importance".
Other people were inter
ested in working in activi
ties, people that were tal
ented and ambitious, but
the odds for these people
were overwhelmingly
poor. Consequently they
left the activity world
feeling that they hadn't
made the grade in "the"
activities, so why waste
their time in something
that would go unrecog
nized. We have more freshmen
than ever before. They
should all have the oppor
tunity to contribute to
their University if they
desire. What can we do
to help them? We c a n
help by rememebring that
all activities, whether
they are of direct service
to the University or of
service to the community
from the University ARE
WORTHWHILE, and take
work, leadership, and en
thusiasm. We can help
by remembering this when
we are on a board that
is evaluating people for
positions of responsibility
or bestowing rewards for
service. Everyone has a
duty to change the em
phasis in our activity sys
tem from the political as
pect to the functional as
pect. Remember that a
person works best for
himself and the activity
when he is in an activity
because he liked it and
not because someone had
told him the cold truth
that you had to be in this
to get "up".
Thirteen Sorority Activity
Chairmen
.-.. . ., .A arm Beatty
America Not a Nation of Fascists,
But a Country of Self -Scolders
Eric Sevareid
There is not the slight
est danger that America
is going to become a na
tion of Fascists or Com
munists, but a returned
native has
the im
p r e s-
s i o n we
are be
coming a
nation of
c o mmon
scolds.
True to
our tradi
tion of in
novation, we are
Sevareld
origin a 1
even in this. While the na
tionals of most countries
scold other people, we
scold ourselves.
It has become impossi
ble to pass a newspaper
and magazine stand with
out feeling the hot blasts
of flagellation. "Are You
A Good Mother? Take
This Ten Point Test!"
"How to Make Your Hus
band Smile Again." "Is
Your City Dying?" "What
You Can Do About Can
cer" or Juvenile Delin
q u e n c y, Desegregation,
River Pollution, the Melt
ing Polar CPA Atomic
Fallout, Choloresterol,
Bad Breath, Crab Grass,
the Population Explosion,
the Narcotics Racket,
Itching Scalp, Middle Age
Spread, Psoriasis, Greek
Orphans, Neighbor
hood Blight, Illiterate Po
lynesians, Smog, Apar
theld, Body Odor, Protein
Deficiency in Africa, the
Creeping Girdle and Scro
fula Among the Eskimos.
The biggest big business
In America is not steel,
automobiles or telvision.
It is the manufacture, re
finement and distribution
of Anxiety. It is the only
business based on the
maxims, "the customer is
always wrong," "we aim
to displease" and "send
'em away unhappy." Any
one from the age of ten is
a potential buyer and,
once hooked, may be a
customer for life.
It is entirely possible
(Ml
The Dally Nhrkan will piiblhb only tbow letters whlea are slrned. letters attatjilns Individuals mm
earry the author's name, othrm may nae tailtlal e a pea aame. totters should not meeed MS ward. Wnea
letters exceed thin limit the Nehrskan reoerve the rlr t to ennilenne them, retaining- the writer's slew. The opin
ion i expressed these letters do not aeeeMarlly expires th views of the Dally Nebraskaa.
Rebel Questions
ROTC, Liberals
To the editor:
I am exercising what is
quite likely the greatest
privilege of democracy
available to us common
folk. I am writing a letter
to the editor.
It regards ROTC. I find
it difficult to go wild about
preparing myslef to fight
to preserve a society in
which the people, led by
"crusading liberals," al
low the government to
confiscate an ever increas
that Khrushchev need not
spend his money and en
e r g y on alternating
threats and promises in
his Pavlavian attempt to
induce the ultimate state
of nevolya will-lessness
in the American people.
We can do it to ourselves
at our own expense. Our
large, economy size do-it-yourself
Anxiety kit con
tains a book of instruc
tions which begins with
the reminder that Ameri
cans are personally and
collectively responsl
ble for each and every ill
of mankind and can recti
fy all of them if the tools
in the kit are properly
used.
Logically extended, this
process can only termin
ate in a mass nervous
breakdown or in a collec
tive condition of resent
ment that will cause
street corner Santa
Clauses to be thrown
down manholes, the suf
fering to be left to pain,
and aid delegations from
Ruanda-Urundi to be ar
rested on the White House
steps. Either result would
be marked on the credit
side of the ledger for the
next Congress of Com
munist Parties.
Anyone, for any cause,
may now deal in the
open market of the Amer
i c a n Conscience and
make his profit.
We stand in the world's
dock, convicted of the
double crime of success
and stability and, having
testified against our
selves, discover that we
are sentenced to the Guilt
Complex for the rest of
our natural lives.
The American convicts
suffering the most are, of
coarse, many of our finest
citizens the sensitive,
the imaginative, the lib
eral minded, the men
and women of conscience
who wear not only heart
but liver and lights on
their sleeves. It happens,
or so certain psychologi
cal studies inform me,
that the liberal has a
deeper personal sense of
Nebraskan Letterip
ing percentage of t h e 1 r
incomes and properties in
order to provide "wel
fare," a society in which
the people acquiesce to
more and more diminua
tion of Individual social
freedom. (Witness the rise
of union sophs for exam
ple.) The. thought of helping
make the world safe for
democracy when it ap
pears that democracy will
eventually usher in the
far out "liberalss" wel
fare state leaves me
less than aglow with en
thusiasm. I don't relish
insecurity than the con
servative, the lunatic
fringe aside. He suffers
more for others partly be
cause he suffers more
with himself. He has an
inborn, unjustified sense
of guilt and vainly seeks
to work it off. I do not
belittle this; without this
trait in our society, life
both here and in many
places abroad, would be
considerably worse than
it is. The American Hair
shirt has kept a lot of
bodies warm from the
Arctic to Bengal.
Yet a mass breakout
from this suffocating pris
on into the clean air of
common sense is long
overdue. The great Guilt
Complex, exploited for
gain both commercial and
psychic, is unnerving and
distracting us, breaking
stride, wounding our na
tural pride and confid
ence. Our strength ought
to be, but is not as the
strength of ten, because
we think our heart is
impure.
In nature the weak are
not permitted to weaken
the strong, for then the
weak are lost. But it
seems to be news to
many among ns that
sensitivity, generosity and
compassion are possible
without neurotic self-flagellation.
The latest noxious weed
to grow from the compost
of American neuroticism
is the reation in other,
less privileged countries.
This is one respect in
which we are most defi
nitely winning "the battle
for men's minds." We ar?
convincing their more
alert citizens that Ameri
ca is guilty, responsible
for their troubles.
This comes in very
handy for their politi
cians, intellectuals and lo
cal Communists, It re
moves their own guilt. As
things now stand, our
self-guilt and their self
pity fit perfectly, hand in
glove. The fist is theirs,
ours the chin.
fighting just so I can pull
a lever in a voting booth
occasionally or call the
President of the U.S. a
mushead. I want some
hope that my individual
freedom won't be hacked
away every time Congress
convenes. Republi
cans, nominate a true con
servative like Senator
Goldwater for President
and I will nevermore
grumble about ROTC.
Elect him and (when I
come out of the shock) I'll
fall in love with my drill
instructor..
Rebel
Staff Views
Chips
By Cloyd Clark
Just so this column is ag-oriented as an ag news re
porter's column should be, I am going to mention that in
Russia there are pigs and cows and all those other things
which characterize the farm Just like over here except
maybe for castorbeans.
Macabre and horror similar to that of Dr. Frankin
stein's basement laboratory were related by a recent
visitor to Russia. According to this gentleman, he was
shown the Russian accomplishments in the field of medi
cine. He toured a laboratory in which recently dead in
dividuals were hanging on hooks on the wall while their
blood was being drained for the blood banks, the hair
for hair banks, the brain for brain banks, the bone for
bone banks and the eyes for eye banks.
I suppose this type of thing is to be expected, after
all, it's your duty and responsibility to build a strong
Russia, so go ahead and take mom or sis or me and
use whatever you need hair, blood etc., just leave what's
left over for the family.
But tone this thing down ag reporter! This thing is
just in the experimental phase and too many families
have had to sacrifice for the people like this. More than
likely not families but individuals.
The point that the gentleman visitor was trying to
make wasn't that the Russians were chopping the hell
out of the people, but that they are no longer afraid that
the United States was ahead. No longer do they have to
boast of their advancements and then keep them in
secrecy because they either don't exist or they aren't up
to the boasted standard.
Dr. John H. Pazur, the acting chairman of the Uni
versity bio-chemistry department, has just returned from
an international bio-chemistry symposium in Moscow.
Dr. Pazur, although he didn't bring back any spine,
tingling tales of a nation of cadavers, tells of complete
freedom in touring the Soviet capital and bio-chem facil
ities. One time he and several other scientists all jumped
into a car and took a tour of the Russian country side
minus their guide and interpreter.
This "you bet you can look around" confidence, al
most cockyness, that Communism would develop a way
of life superior to all others, frightened California bar
rister, Melvin Belli.
Belli, one of the nation's foremost criminal lawyers,
was more startling and convincing that Dr. Pazur be
cause of his training, courtroom elegance and speaking
ability, but both carried the message that the Russians
believe that Communism will win and they are ready to
sacrifice anything for victory.
Dr. Pazur told of an all-day parade in which the peo
ple of the fields and industries marched and enjoyed
marching. He, himself, was "dead on his feet" from
Continued on page 4
(Author of "l
Love
HUSBANDS, ANYONE?
It hag been alleged that coeds go to cortege for the sole piaTpast
of finding husbands. This is, of course, an infamous canard, and
I give fair warning that, small and spongy as I am, anybody
who says such a dastardly thing when I am arormd had bcttuf
be prepared for a sound thrashing!
Girls go to college for precisely the same reasons at men doc
to broaden their horizons, to lengthen their vistas, to drink at
the fount of wisdom. But, if, by pure chance, while a girl is
engaged in these meritorious pursuits, a likely looking husband
should pop into view, why, what's wrong with that? Eh? What's
wrong with that?
The question now arisen, what should a girl look for in a
husband. A great deal has been written on this subject Soma
say character most important, some say background, some
say appearance, some say education. All are wrong.
The most important thing bar none in a husband is health.
Though he be handsome as Apollo and rich as Midas, what good
is he if he just lays around all day accumulating bedsores?
The very first thing to do upon meeting a man is to make
sure he is sound of wind and limb. Before he has a chance to
sweet-talk you, slap a thermometr in his mouth, roll back his
eyelids, yank out his tongue, rap his patella, palpate his thorax,
ask him to straighten out a horseshoe with his teeth. If he fails
these simple test, phone for an ambulance and go on to the
next prospect.
If, however, he turns out to be physically fit, proceed to the
second most important requiremrnt in a husband. I refer to a
serine of humor.
A man who can't take a joke is a man to be avoided. There
are several simple tests to find out whether your prospect can
take a joke or not. You can, for example, slash his tires. Or burn
his "Mad" comics. Or steal his switchblade. Or turn loose hit
pH raccoon. Or shave his head.
After each of these good-natured pranks, laugh gaily and
shout "April Fool! If he replies, "But this is February nine
teenth," or something equally churlish, cross him off your list
and give thanks you found out in time.
Rut if he laughs silverly and calls you "Little Minx!" psst
him to the next test. Find out whether he is kindly.
The quickest way to ascertain his kindliness is, of course, to
look at the cigarette he smokes. Is it mild? Is it clement? Is it
humane? Does ,t mmistor tenderly to the psyche? Doss it
coddle the synapses? Is ,t a good companion? Is it genial? Ii
.t bnght and fnendly and filtered and full of dulcet pleasure
from cockcrow till the heart of darkness?
Is it, in short, Marlboro?
If Mlboro it be, then clasp tl man to your bosom with
hoops of steel, for you may be sure that he is kindly as . sum
mer breeie, kindly as a mother's kiss, kindly to his very marrow.
Jh !Tng Unl' man Wh0 kindy na nWif
and blessed w.th , sense of humor, the only thing that remain".
to make sure he will always ern a handsome living. That,
fortunately, is easy. Just enroll him in engineering
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