THE DAILY NEBRASKAN
Editorials
Commentary
FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 1957
Page 2
The Advisory Boards
Student concern about the over-all ef
fectiveness of tbe academic programs pro
vided by tbe University has given rise to
the development of college advisory
boards the past year.
Although only three Arts and Sci
ences, Teachers, and Agriculture have
been formally instituted so far, they prom
ise to be greatly helpful in promoting
change. The constitutions of these boards state
four general purposes: 1) Curriculum, "to
offer commendations, responsible criti
cisms and Solutions regarding courses,
programs and curriculum within various
college departments;" 2) faculty-student
relations, to "maintain primary responsi
bility for the establishment and improve
ment of faculty-student relations;" 3)
ASUS relations, to maintain active liaison
is order to facilitate communications, gain
political support and obtain ASUX aid in
completing projects that go beyond the
scope of tbe boards; 4) publicity, to com
municate results of their endeavors to tbe
students of the college and the University
at large.
Evidence of the usefulness of tbe ad
visory boards is provided by the Arts and
Sciences group which bat been set up tern-
BOOK REVIEW:
porarily to set a precedent and by get
ting programs in motion for the perma
nent board, which will be elected April
12.
Honors Program
The honors program, for instance, has
come under heavy criticism by the Arts
and Science students. They feel that it
should be greatly expanded to make it a
four-year program which could be en
riched by seminars and other ut-of class
activities.
Inquiries have been made into the
possibilities of setting up extensive fresh
men survey courses and a University de
partment of religion, using the inter-disciplinary
approach to some new courses,
and organizing a "community of schol
ars'" dormitory arrangement. A proposal
for senior seminars whose participants
woutf also review curriculum hat already
bee forwarded by this board.
Tbe possibilities seem almost EmiUess.
Tbe advisory boards could work with the
Student Senate in extending the pass-fail
system, and adding greater depth to the
faculty-evaluation courses. They could
male students more aware of the possi
bilities of obtaining appeal ia the matter
of academic wart.
Instant Ivy League
(EDITOR'S SOTEz Tbe folk in is a
bk review of rwe books, "Harper's Uni
versity: Tbe RegtaBiEp,, by Richard J.
Starr, and ""The Emergence f Hie Ameri
cas University," by Laurence R. Veysey.)
' Tbe period between 1890 and 1919 saw
American society grow and develop ia
many ways. The age of large-scale capi
talist industry's rapid expansion was bead
ing for a eSimtx. Immigrants were swell
ing tbe ranks of workers and city-dwellers.
A new class f loiustaess-minded ""nouveaa
rjcbe" was growing. America's attention
began to turn outward as tbe internal
wounds of tbe Civil War became less pain
faL Americas System
like She chamftkm it has always been,
tee American system of education, too,
changed its appearance. 7ia lunger could
colleges turn out inore-ar-Jess polished
mgx&mm" and ministers. Jiew angredi
ents a touch of energetic, practical
American bnsir.es spirit, a pinch of tra
ditional British snuff, and a dose of tbe
mew scholarship from Germany a! found
their way into the bubbling pet of Ameri
can higher education. ESfferent men com
bined tbam in different proportions during
the early stages of raqwimenlatioB before
the cookbooks were standardized.
By tbe turn of Che century, recipes
called for a! three ingredients, and tbe
cooks were borrowing from each other to
make sure they did act fall behind in the
eompetiiaon for customers. But even with
tbe basic similarities among tbe new breed
of luniversitiet, there were several not
able diS arenoei of emphasis, style, speed
of dwelopmenl and degree of success.
The tw quite conplemenlary books
under discussion, taken together, gave a
good picture of the development of the
university in America. One paints a broad
canvas with scrupulous attention to form
and detail; the other adds depth and even
mare detail to one of the scene's more
interesting liighliEjit.
'Dig Picture
Laurence Veysey, an alumnus of tbe
University of Chicago and currently as
sistant professor of history at the Univer
sity eff Wisconsin, has painted the big
picture'" with skill and feeling in "the
Emergence of the American Universi
ty. T him,
""- . . the moet striking thing about
the American university is its formative
period is the diversity of moid snows ty
the same raea who spurred its develop
ment Although by the end of the century
one can property speak of "the university,
characterteed by a particular structure,
mot even a powerful trend toward jmif arm
ity of procedure could obliterate the pro
found differences of opinion which sub
dTylded the academic population."
Veysey looks at lw types of conflict
flfhat were waged to the goves of American
academe m lb philosophies of learn
ing Which warred for primary In tfoaphg
uu-iuuia after the Crt-.il War, and i2) the
emergence af a new bureaucratic, depart
aentaliaea structure in the auiiversrty af
igr lHSfii, which was not met with unbound
othusiaszD by all tibnerven.
Ch i W ar
What kind of education did men of
that period think Americas students
should acquire Veysey sees one patters
slowly fading out, the traditional .orthodox
viewpoint of "discipline and piety which
bad heiiS away to tbe denominational cloi
sters until the aftermath of the CirH War
and other social changes made it out
slated. Three new concepts on the proper role
of institutions of liigher education arose to
take the place of this old pattern. These
were:
C2Hry, Which stressed professional
training. Varying expression of this gen
eral outiouk came from Andrew IX Slate s
Camel, which pat all courses of study w
am equal looting, and Harvard under
Charles W. Eiiot. which abandoned the"
atrirt rpthrmerGi far s certain set of
courses in favor of the elective rrr.em.
bssearcs insaanoa
Tbe patters of a research anstitn
fian was i1TSfa is America by those whs
brought the seed from Gerxnary. it took
not first SSmorw where Juhss Hcp
kind CnSwrsifey fevsiSsi a sasuca iia rather
institutions, uo2er the frees thumb of
fnaTy, sizable group of educa
tors set Uuersl cuZzurt" as their goal
Humanism, adeaXisre, educatius fur the
weIrBun3ad anas, and eves a amaHer
fcg of oldashiosed rCian found homes
2a fihtus under WawSrsw aYikaa and
bis CalvMsi predecessors, and in corners
of such places as Yale, Harvard and eves
the University of Wisconsin.
According to Veysey, the proponents
of these different p'hfflosophies of educa
tion sever quite became reconciled. Est
tbe clamor of battle muted as a mew
framework for education arose; tbe uni
versity eventually proved capable of bring
ing differing factions under the same
roofs.
T Talent
Perhaps the epitome of tbe Dew uni
versity was aptly named ""Harper's Ea
raar. William Rainey Harper, ia ener
getically designing tbe new University of
Chicago, included plans for a far-reaching
Extension Division and a full-fledged uni
versity press. This democralic effort to
spread learning Harper combined with a
search for the most outstanding scholars
and researchers ia every field. Harper
swooped down on other institutioTis, luring
away their top talent with the promise of
comfort.
Tbe success of Harper's university fces
mostly is Harper's own talents as a sales
man bis ability to make people believe
in him and his nmdarlakiEg. His grand
schemes would have been severely iH-mft.M,
however, iff there had mot been a buyer
with plenty f wherewithal JohnD.
Rockefeller. Rockefellers willingness to
let Harper farm bis own plans and run
Ms own show presented Chicago from the
disaster that befell Stanford Uxuversity.
where Jane LanXbrop Stanford looked upon
the school as "her"' janrersrly, and forced
president David Starr Jordan to Ere fac
ulty imembers too publicly liberal for her
tastes.
Storr's book, "Harper's Universfiy,"
presents a detailed account of only one
side of the story. Starr, an associate pro
fessor of history at Chicago, has dug auto
the University archives for every detail of
the dealings, between Harper and the
trustees, and Rockefeller and his advisors.
The resulting study is much lite a drama,
with the Dionysiae enthusiast Harper
pitted against the Apollonian Rockefeller
and hii bookkeepers who periodically re
volted against the deficits in the Univer
sity's budget.
Dry Drama
21's pretty dry drama, though. Both
antagonists have high zaotives Harper,
is build the greatest center of learning is
toe US, may, tbe world; Rockefeller.
to make sure the infant institution is es
tablished on a sound fisanriai foundation.
The endless cycle ol appeals to Rocke
feller for money to bail out the University
one more time makes for some confusion -How
long ago was that last grant given?
What terms does sD-and-ss want for such-and-such
a grant, and how much is X will
ing to give if Y will match it? Us fxenried
finance indeed.
The curriculum, of course, is as Im
portant as the cash, and Starr devotes
great attention to the courses offered at
each level and the requirements fur each
type of degree. Much space is devoted t
blow-by-blow accounts of faculty debates
over Whether te require Latin for entrance
to the Junior college or graduation there
from. Far all its detailed accounts of nego
tiations for money and discussions of cur
riculum, however, Starrs book fans to
bring the university of any of She peoplt
connected with ft to life, ' are tuld only
the hare essentials of Harper's actions,
lest through first-hand accounts. "Tbe same
holds true for Rockefeller, whs remains
enigmatic throughout the book. The sup
porting cast alas merits mur pe-sonal de
scription than it receives.
Oucags's Place
One of She more critical aspects which
Starr chooses not is trust is Qucage's
place among other universities of the tune.
Harper felt confident his enterprise was
is same wcyt unique is the nation, eves
the world. Inether or nut this was true,
XL it certain that CMcags made a farce
fu? impact os other tosffita&oas. OSher Shss
one brief aHusios f s some other budirg
universities, however. Starr gives ictie s
tertias to tut place of Chicago is the
world of academe.
Fsr a gssd idas i th dvaii3 a
Americas higher education around the turs
of the century. Vsywf$ bouk is must use
tvL U is hspefl Shst is She firSkwrning
volumes fearr plant os Sht history of Chi
cago, ht wis give some attention to fiedh-ad-Uood
people and to broader social
patterns, both of which have had as in
pertam impact os the Jujversirs story.
Uitrxiate fress tan1t
Our Man Hoppi
Fair Play For Hanoi
Arthur Hoppe
"As erjd.ence xaonsts
that our planes, accidental
ly or not, have been bomb
ing civilians in Hanoi. Dr.
pesfbooe gravely told a
televised press conference,
"onr Committee demands
that the VS. Gsvernmert
yield to the dictates of fair
ptey."
T5"e atscoe. Doctor,
said a reporter with a yawn,
"that your Committee it
pTting for an tomediate
end to the bombing of de
fenseless civilians?'
Oh, no," said Dr. Pstti
bone, aghast A spait of
fair play merely requires
that we declare war os
them frSL"
Several reporters who
bad jotted 'ieftwing dove
in their notebooks scratched
that out to write ia Tight'
wing hawk.
Tair play is fair play."
said Dr. Pettibone. nodd
ing. "The rules of war are
perfectly dear: jva cosy
bomb anyone yoa wish, as
long as yoa have declared
war on him, But to g9
around dropping bombs on
people yoa are cot at war
with is sneaky, infamous
and dnright unfair. Re
member." be added wKa a
trows, Tearl Harbor?
"WeTL" said Dr. PeKS
bone enthusiastically, "as a
first step all we hare to do
is select one Congressman
to stand up and propose
that we declare war on
North Vietnam.
Which one had tbe Com
mittee chosen?
"Oddly enough, he said,
"we've run into a little
trouble finding one. Tbe
doves understandably show
htUe interest in declarirg
war os the grounds there's
enough shooting already.
What about the hawks?
"Well, they support the
President And while they
agree that St is tbe funcrSaB
of Congress to declare war,
they dasl wish to fcactkw
unless tbe President tells
them to.
"He's against Congress
dedarisg it Yoa see. Cut
wosld reowe a spirited de
bate ia Congress. And the
President feels that a de
bate at this time os wheth
er or cot to declare war
would seriously interfere
with the war effort
Dr. PetCbone sqcared fcis
shoulders. Eat we of The
Fair Play for North Viet
cam Committee aren't grv
feg up. Ssrely, out of cur
mart fhss 938 Coagrest
tnea there must be one w3
icg to suggest or perhaps
eves just wp a vague hint
that maybe we ought to
declare war oa these peo
ple we have long bees
at war wiLh. Fair play
wSJI prevail
At this paint, the report
ers scratched est "right
wing hawk," wrote is
"some kind of cat and the
fLASEl. HAH
Gale Polorny's
PII'S PASTS
As members of academia. it Is up to the students
of our era to stop every once and a while and take a
"good critical look at what is happening around us today
using whatever perspective we best can.
Who!!? Alarmed
Then after becoming wholly alarmed, we roust pro
ceed to evaluate our present college environment and the
opportunities and possibilities fior change and self-improvement
herein contained.
On the brink of total pa l point, fcave
the right and obligation to come to some sort of indi
vidual decision as to what elements of the past Nebraska
we wish to retain and what innovations of tomorrow we
will choose to incorporate in our future.
As we walk from one end of campus to tbe other
these days, we become aware of many enlightening fac
tors. First, it is a much longer walk than it used to be.
Irma Sales. Pitch
Secondly if we ever get trie chance to look up from
the blackboard over which we tread, (if you've seen one
Irma salespitch. you've seen them all) we discover that
many of our fellow students are making that crucial de
cision of which I spoke earlier, and it is quite evident
that the only element of past Nebraska that a college
student deems worthy of retaining it tbe beard.
One day last week. I found it necessary to enter
(cautiously) one of tbe local Houses of Prey and while I
was determining which additional textbook I would be
forced to go into (deeper) debt foe, I happened to overhear
a couple of coeds commenting on one of the brothers of
tbe bush that seem to thrive around campus these days.
Said the coed. "Look at bun, I'm sure be s cot an SDS,
(whatever that means) it's gettteg so these days, you
can't tell the good guys from the bad gays."
At first glance this may appear to be a rather point
less quote, but it has certain bidden merits that the poor
girl (ailed to realize. What she oSjvioasly overlooked was
tbe fact that if a good guy wants to exist on campus
these days, be almost has to do it iccognico.
Bearded Wesders
Bet tbe bearded wonders did cot choose the bush
solely as a means of disguise, they serve other purposes.
They rank high oa the list of safety precautiocs.
For example the other day wJxHe walking to me of
cy dawn daises. I spotted another hapless sort likewise
trudging along the sidewalk. For jest aa instant his at
tention was cazght by one of Iron's ads describing ber
qsestjoxsable qualities and it was am over for him. A".
be didst rush over to the Union to buy tickets. He
tripped. Ia fact he caught Ms shoe on a break ia the
sidewalk asd sailed forward not wi&e Chickenman earn
ing down os his chia and knees.
His beard then proved itself by performing two tasks
at once. First it cushioned the imrect and CMckenman
only lost a few teeth crrpared to the damage that ragbf
have happened. Secondly be came drain on the next Irma
ad dowa the line and his beard totally obliterated it mak
ing the area somewhat safer tar th&se who were sure to
kiBsm later on in the day.
Exteashe Booagli
A eke beard caa also be qnite instrumental ia tx&w
tairacg ones health too, provided of coarse the beard is
extensive enough. With sufficient faciei coverage, one can
wander anywhere ia the dty quite cbiiiioms to fxAsrr
smoke, exhaust fames, Avery odors aad other assorted
eocsgestants.
The S. Cans beard serves as a boOt in gas mask.
Gives this fact, it is surprising that oce doesn't see rave
of such beards around is perilous tcias such as these.
(One never can be sure of what those sneaky reds are gsxzg
todoiaext).
And kt cs urA ignore the more practical aspects of
the facial fchage either, ft keeps yw warm ia the wister.
(bw many gays do you know with beards who walk
around wi2i blue chins) it allows you to keep your record
coEectwn free of dust, gtli you into all the local colfee
buuses and provides you with cnasfant es 'erase (hey yam,
job imJk like s boat, g 9 os get mating).
All totalled, the attributes of a beard are hard to egsa!,
but fortunate? we hare those who try.
bib tKimuuiunmawiiiHiiip;
Campus Opinion I
A A I
Doerr Commended For Work
Dear TSStmi
tffe think w caa speak for the whole Senate ia cms
jseadmg Roger Doerr tor his ewn-UeBt work at thairmar
of the lengthy Senate meeting oa the BJ1 of Bights.
He is always fair is recognizing speakers, aed main
tains order at a.1 tsmes. Thank yoa ItSr. Doerr.
Al 5vwfVr
SimtlAkxtt
Desr&t Bariif
Congratulations To IDA Winner
Dear Editor:
We woe14 Eke t9 eeegrstdata Mr. Fryar and Mm
Uartsos os their saccts is the recent IDA dmXJ.'XL The
large voting turnout assures the IDA of a fcrsn basis of
support, at it insist have to be successful.
The IDA, toder Jit very capable leadership, jmeU
treaty eoatribtrt to the welfare of every mMwL Fm
ally, we would like to thank Chose people whs wmttd
t hard ftr ttt during this cainpaAgx Their efforts and
Cms, S caa on'y be said, have bees gxexHy appreciat!.
Jim AnmM
Paid Cusmty
DaOj fithntkin
SmiMUtHMr fiamm fat at tunti,
thaxruoua dm m wmw m M tm m gmrftartr Mr r
mmt Mmtm. Witi 1 1 urn. nmatm 9mm do em m m, mumt
im wmkIom mi mam vim, tm fc mtOnsim ma CMmoMt ttntaemm
mmr mm mmtmm m mm fmU! uhwicuuim m ftaMI rHfenwi.
it it Mr tattnmt CulMCM rmrnt, Smhmm tanim, kn
8. rmwmmt at mmm Sb ir i Uaa, UrnuVm. M. flam.
tMIMttt eun
tutor Wmm SiHurj M rim SSw mrma Oltmt mam txt m
mmm BWam M lamuanu MM h lit taoqr ftMuti
SMI MM. Mm StaKM. OM the. tmmw mt Mmm mm mivm.
imam tmm, tmat , Bum tarn. Mm eimm. ttm IMw, tm tmm.
am mommy, tmm tmrtam mmm mamma mtnm Wrmt fmimmm, M.'lm
mmmm. tmm tmmawt Cmm Mmmm Sww SiihwC tarn mm OiOMmlk,
Mmm Umnat. Mmm OmmI Oam 9kama Umm luliii mm mum
KWIM SfSfW
Mm Mtmmw mm Cmm Until l MawSam Mmumm mmm mmmj
Sum, tmm numwii mmmmarr mam mmmmi trniii a mmmtmm mm
UMCM
remits, mum talm, CUa Vmmm. mmm mmmmm. Umm tammt