Neumeister Says . . .
CamDus Beorived 0
Dorm Leadershi
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EDITOR'S NOTE: This is
the third in a series of arti
cles by Jan Itkin concerning
Independent government.
Dormitories house potential
leaders who, for many rea
sons, do not become involved
in campus activities.
"It really is a tragedy"
Kent Neumeister, president
of ASUN, said. "In fact, the
whole campus activity system
is being short-changed by not
utilizing all these available
resources."
Neumeister and Larry An
derson, vice president of the
Residence Association for
Men, cited many reasons and
possible solutions to the prob
lem of developing these po
tential leaders.
"There are several reasons
why more leaders do not
come from the dormitories,"
Vol. 81, No. 63 The Doily Nebroskon Mondoy, Feb. 14, 1966
Students Attend
SDS Conference
Nine members of the Uni
versity chapter of Students
for a Democratic Society
(SDS) returned Sunday from
the first regional meeting of
SDS held this weekend in
Lawrence, Kan.
Steve Abbott, who is not an
SDS member but went as an
interested observer, said that
the meeting consisted of four
workshops. The workshops
concentrated on four different
aspects of the SDS move
ment: community projects,
university reform, regional
association and African pro
grams. One of the primary motives
for the regional meeting, ac
cording to Abbott, was to de
cide whether or not there
should be a regional associa
tion of SDS.
'Paper Organization'
Abbot noted that Carl Dav
idson, president of t h e Ne
braska chapter, seemed to
feel that such an association
would be merely a "paper
organization," able to accom
plish little. Others, Abbot
said, felt that individual SDS
groups should become strong
er before a larger group is
feasible.
However, he noted, the re
gional association workshop
decided that a regional group
should be established to act
as a co-ordinating committee.
The workshop decided to set
up a regional publication to
inform all area groups of up
coming projects and to spon
sor travelers who will visit
individual campuses for spe
cial projects, he said.
Abbot explained that be
cause it was thought that Na
tional SDS was incapable of
understanding regional prob
lems, the Regional Organizing
Committee (ROC) will at
tempt to set up regional pro
Contempory Revolutionist
Defies Religious Traditions
By Julie Morris
Senior Staff Writer
People don't fling the term
revolutionist around without
due cause. In the case of the
Rev. Bruce McSpadden. of
the Wesley Foundation, there
is due cause.
McSpadden, associate pas
tor at the Foundation, is
nearly the personification of
the contemporary revolution
in religious thought and at
titudes. His basic philosophy
doesn't even come close to
fitting into the traditional
ministerial mold and, as
such, he is typical of many
young clergymen today.
"Our job as Christians to
day is to be involved in the
world of today and to forget
what is going to happen in
the future; our concern is to
serve man," McSpadden con
tends. Young, slim, almost boy
ish, McSpadden looks more
like a graduate student than
a minister. He is vitally con
cerned with the college gen
Anderson noted. "For in
stance, the dorms contain a
wide spectrum of people
many of whom are not in the
upper half of their classes.
Also there is a great reliance
on individual participation
people just aren't forced Into
things."
"Two other factors," he
continued, "are that people
often get interested in fields
in which their leadership
doesn't show up, and many
people go into the student
assistant program and then
an't participate in dorm gov
ernment." Neumeister agreed that the
student assistant program oft
en creates a drain on t h e
leaders.
"Leaders usually come into
their own during their junior
and senior years," tie noted.
grams at a meeting next
month in Lincoln.
"To reinforce the idea that .
SDS is more than a move-'
ment concerned with the Viet
Nam issue, the community
projects workshop discussed
individual campus programs
of civil rights," he said.
Abbot noted that the Kansas
and Missouri groups were
actually one-purpose groups
acting in the area of civil
rights and had much to offer
the other regional members
in this area."
Deepen Values
He said that several Negro
members of SDS spoke on
their own community projects
of flood control and schooling,
all of which are for the pur
pose of deepening the Negro's
own sense of values.
Also according to Abbot
the reform workshop
discussed the issue of
hours for university students.
"There was a general disen
chantment with university
procedures," he said.
The Kansas group told of
free universities which had
been set up in that state.
These free schools are com
posed. Abbot indicated, of
students and professors who
meet outside regular univer
sity system and study such
problems as social action.
Abbot said that the African
workshop was the area in
which the Nebraska students
contributed most. This work
shop suggested possibilities
for African programs such as
the upcoming one in March
here at the University.
"This program is meant to
inform students of the gov
ernmental conditions in Afri
ca and to emphasize African
cultural achievements," he
said.
eration and with involving
students in the revolutions of
today's world.
"The college generation of
today is having its effect on
the church and the church is
being challenged by this gen
eration," he said. "One of
my major concerns is to try
to wake students up."
Many Activities
In only a short semester
on this campus, McSpadden
has become involved in many
activities.
He was the behind-the-scenes
man in the birth of the
ASUN European Flight plan.
He is giving Indirect assis
tance to the campus-w 1 d e
clothing drive for Negroes in
Mississippi. McSpadden also
works as advisor to the Uni
versity Council of Churches.
In addition, McSpadden di
rects a number of study
groups, counsels individual
students, and is taking a
course in European history.
This is McSpadden's first
experience as a minister on
campus. He graduated with
By then many become stu
dent assistants. They are con
sidered an extension of Ad
ministration and so can't ac
tively particpate in dorm gov
ernment. Also, being a stu
dent assistant is pretty much
of a full-time job and so they
often don't participate in
campus activities either."
"In the past," he con
tinued, "there was a lack of
finding the people in their
freshman year when they
could really become active.
In fraternities and sororities,
the big brothers or big sis
ters could often point out op
portunities for participation,
but in the dorms this does
not happen."
"In other words, there was
a lack of leadership at the
top," he added. "It takes more
than an announcement to in
MILESTONE ... the University's first IFC conference to
Greek students today.
IFC Discusses Campus Issues
By Bruce Giles
Senior Staff Writer
Discrimination, ASUN fac
ulty evaluation and greater
involvement in world affairs
by fraternity members were
among the number of topics
looked at Saturday and Sun
day at the Interfraternity
Council (IFC) conference.
Norman Krivosha, Lancas
ter County Democratic chair
man, and a regional governor
of Sigma Alpha Mu, told the
fraternity delegates that "the
question today that must be
answered is whether or n o t
the Civil Rights Act of 1964
has heralded the doom of the
Greek system and whether
civil rights legislation has
precluded the selectivity of
the fraternity system.
"And yet perhaps even
more important is the ques
tion of whether or not a sys
tem which shivers at the
a major in political science
from the University of Red
lands, Redlands, Calif., and
spent the past two years ser
ving as a minister in Nepal
and Tibet.
McSpadden said he was
"impressed in many ways,"
with the intellectual atmos
phere on the campus, "par
ticularly impressed with
groups like SDS (Students for
a Democratic Society) and
Friends of SNCC (Student
Nonviolent Coordinating Com
mittee), he feels SDS has
done more to liven up this
campus.
"As far as I'm concerned,
SDS is more Christian than
Conservative fundamentalist
Christians," McSpadden as
serted. "The basis of the
Christian faith is love and I
feel SDS and Friends of
SNCC and so forth are much
more effective in expression
of basic love and concern for
man," he said.
McSpadden added, "As far
as SDS is concerned toa
terest people. Upperclassmen
must take the responsibility
to go to the freshmen if the
leaders are to be found."
He explained that this year
an effort has been made to
have freshmen fill out infor
mation forms in the dorms.
Contact is then made with
those whose high school
records indicate they might
be future leaders.
"The problem is compli
cated by the large number
of students, but some pro
gress is being made," he said.
Anderson said, "There's
really no set process to find
ing and developing the lead
ers, but we are trying."
"We've started information
centers to try to promote in
terest," he added. "Also
sometimes If they take a
house office, we can observe
sight of civil rights as a vam
pire would at the sight of a
silver bullet, can justify i t s
existence." he said.
Krivosha said he could
not see how a system that
has lasted so many years and
produced thousands of leaders
in every walk of life "must
be nurtured in bigotry."
"This I cannot readily ac
cept," he said.
Krivosha said that an ex
amination of the 1964 Civil
Rights Act shows that the
prohibition is not against the
voluntary association based
upon merit of the individual,
but rather upon discrimina
tion which predetermines and
preconceives that only an in
dividual conceived in a cer
tain blood line can measure
up to the standards of broth
erhood." In addition, Krivosha asked
how a fraternity system which
requires exclusion based
Church is quite irrelavent and
I think I agree with them."
Younger Church
"There is a growing invol
vement on the part of the
younger church in the prob
lems of our day," McSpad
den said, adding that he ex
pects the church to become
more involved with social is
sues as time goes on.
McSpadden pointed to the
National Council of Churches
Delta Ministry in northwest
Mississippi as an example of
church involvement in real
revolutionary issues. "I feel
the Delta ministry is one of
the most creative things in
the today's church," he said.
McSpadden grew up in
Tempe, Arizona and took a
Master of Sacred Theology at
Boston University, specializ
ing in pastoral psychology
and counseling.
He would like to return to
Tibet and Nepal, but plans to
make campus ministry or the
academic field his permanent
career.
their interest and participa
tion and possibly encourage
them to go on."
"The problem of-a transi
tory population also compli
cates matters," he continued.
"Every year we have to start
reorganizing all over again
and that means the selection
and training of leaders does
too."
"Then there's that great
unknown factor just who is
going to be the student assist
ants?" he added. "A lot of
good people are lost that way.
It's partly a problem of
money. Full board and room
can be more attractive than
the activities."
One problem mentioned by
both was the lack of a drive
stemming from the living
unit to encourage potential
leaders.
discuss problems facing
upon race, color or national
origin on the one hand can
maintain their singular inde
pendence while using state
owned, publicly-financed fa
cilities. "However," he said, "I
would fight to the end for the
Cont. on Page 3, Col. 1
!'.- "
Li
OMAHA SENIORS . . . explore the Union as a part of the University's Information Day.
Story on page 5.
Morrison Candidate For Senate Seat,
Observers See 'Spectacular Contest'
Gov. Frank Morrison de
clared himself a candidate for
the Senate seat held by Rep.
Carl T. Curtis, Friday after
noon. In the announcement of his
Senate candidacy, Morrison
said, "President Johnson
never at any time suggested
I run for the United States
Senate . . . and he never of
fered a position as district
judge or any other political of
fice in the event of defeat."
Politicians, mostly Republi
cans, have suggested that
Morrison decided to run for
the Senate because the Pres
ident had promised him a fed
eral court position if he lost.
Observers had been guess
ing for many months if Mor
"None of us really have
s e 1 f-confidence," Anderson
uiad. "Possibly because
there's no strong tradition or
strong house behind us. A
person pretty much does it
by himself and it can be
rough going."
Neumeister noted that the
individual succeeds "quite a
bit by himself he's not at all
pushed."
"Sometimes friends outside
the living unit provide some
help," he added, "but its hard
to make generalizations
with so many things in dormi
tories there are no hard and
fast rules."
An inter-dorm council could
help develop leaders by con
centrating energy and experi
ence, they said.
"An even greater number
Friends of SNCC Push
Campus Clothing Drive
A campus-wide drive to col
lect used clothing and send it
to impoverished, unemployed
Negroes in Mississippi's Del
ta region is underway.
The drive is being sponsored
by the Friends of the Student
Nonviolent Coordinating Com
mittee (SNCC). The group
will be collecting clothing in
all residence halls and or
ganized houses and will have
a box for contributions in the
Nebraska Union. The drive is
scheduled to last two weeks,
according to Gene Pokorny,
Friends of SNCC president.
Pokorny said the clothing
will be sent to the National
Council of Churches Delta
Ministry with headquarters in
Greenville, Miss., along the
Mississippi River in the
northwest area of the state.
The clothing, Pokorny said,
will be distributed by the
Delta Ministry to unemployed
Negroes living in a "tent
city" at Tribbett, Miss.
The Negroes, largely farm
hands who worked on a share
cop basis raising cotton, lost
their jobs for one of two rea
sons, Pokorny explained. He
said some of the men formed
a Freedom Labor Union last
year and struck for higher
wages this fall. They were
fired for striking, he said.
Others, Pokorny said, lost
. :0J (
rison, who will be finishing
his third term as governor of
the state, would seek the gov
ernorship for a fourth term
or would run for Senate.
Most political observers
agree that with Morrison and
Curtis, both outstanding vote
getters in the past, running
against each other, the Sena
torial election should be o n e
of the most spectacular con
tests in at least a generation.
Asked at a press conference
if he would support the intro
duction of more U.S. troops
in Viet Nam, the governor
said he doesn't "know enough
about the tactical situation
there to form an opinion."
Morrison said the Bobby
Baker case cannot be made a
of people could contribute a
wider range of experience,"
Anderson said. "Experienced
leadership can usually help in
developing leadership."
Neumeister added, "I don't
exactly know how it w o u 1 d
help, but lots more could be
done with a concentration of
energy and an inter-d o r m
council could be helpful in
providing a means for this
concentration."
He also added that he fore
sees a shift in campus lead
ership whereby the "d o r m s
will provide a larger share of
the leaders than they have in
the past."
The problems of student
assistants in relationship to
student government will be
discussed in the next article
in the series on independent
student governments.
their jobs because they regis
tered to vote.
Before they were fired, the
Negroes were making approx
imately 30 cents an hour,
Pokorny said. He added that
most of the men worked only
on a seasonal basis and were
not employed in the winter.
According to Pokorny, the
average income of these Del
ta region sharecroppers is
about $300 a year, far below
President Johnson's designa
tion of a $3,000 a year fam
ily as a "poverty family."
Last week, Pokorny said,
some of the Negroes living in
the tent city attempted to
move into an abandoned Air
Force base near the town,
where 200 buildings stand un
used and not presently des
ignated for future occupancy.
The people were removed by
troops, he said.
"By collecting old and used
clothes, we can in some small
way help alleviate one of the
cruelest situations existent in
our society today," Pokorny
said.
He said it is important for
the Negroes to be able to stay
in the tent city and continue
to petition for better wages
and working conditions be
cause "they can't keep run
ning away from their prob
lem." fi i
morality issue In the Nebras
ka race since "Curtis is an
honest and very moral man."
He defended the Johnson
Administration domestic pro
grams which the governor
characterized as making peo
ple "less dependent upon
government," more willing to
work, more skilled and more
self-reliant."
Morrison noted that Nebras
ka has experienced "one par
ty control of its representa
tives in the United States Sen
ate since 1940."
This fact, he said, has de
nied Nebraska a voice in the
majority leadership and "has
cost this state millions of dol
lars in federal contract."