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About Hesperian student / (Lincoln [Neb.]) 1872-1885 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1882)
THE HESPERIAN STUDENT. ft" - y Anglo-Saxon is not down as a required study and Latin and Greek will no longer trouble the Seniors. The classical Senior must hereafter take Geology and Astronomy. It would be well for all students to care fully study the pamphlet. Some of the energetic youth in one of the societies have formed a new club. It will meet every Satur day evening, make parliamentary drill, debating, and extemporaneous speaking its work and will, h'6 doubt, draw into its circle the most active 'and progressive undergraduates. If the members of this new club stick to .the work they can make it the most profitable of any exercise in the college year. The Student is glad to note the move and predicts a successful continuance. But a word of warning do not let anything, excepting disablement, prevent any member from being present at every meeting and exercise great care that witty or humorous efforts receive less attention than the sober work. - The Student indulges in considerable pride and satisfaction over the stand to be taken "from hence forth and forever" in the matter of standard for admission. Teachers' certificates will no longer be received as evidence of sufficient advancement for matriculation. Examinations are to be made more searching and rigid. This is as it should be. It is in direct line of progress toward cutting off the pre paratory school and making the State University what it should be, viz.: a professional and collegiate insti tution and not a high school. In the matter of teachers' certificates we think the Faculty especially justifiable. This editorial "we" knows of too many certificates granted incompetents through favoritism or carelessness of county superintendents. The scholarly and able teacher will not shrink from examination, and the anomaly of our State Univer sity accepting credentials of fitness for admission from county superintendents all over the state of whose qualifications as examiners it knows nothing, will be done away with. Let the good work go on. A new "revised course" has been issued by the fac ulty during the summer which is a decided improve ment upon the former one. First comes the announcements of the various feat ures of the University as to departments, advantages and requisites of students. The 6cheme giving the courses of study includes those of the Latin school; the former ones giving only those of the college course. Two new courses are also laid down not giv en in the old; viz. "Engineering" and "Agricultur al." After a year's experience with two semesters the Faculty have decided to return to the former three term system. Saturday recitations are also done away with after a year's trial. The most important change, however, is the with holding of the electives until the Junior year; the for mer system beginning them with the Freshman year. This, we think, is as it should be. Few students are competent to select their studies judiciously until they reach the latter part of their course. They need con siderable mental training and discipline before they really know for what class of studies they are best fit ted. Moreover, whatever course they pursue, most of them need the same elementary drill. To compel a stu dent to elect part of his studies during the first part of his course only bewilders him as he has not been at school long enough to know what he does want; hence it is better that those more competent than him self should prescribe for him such studies as in their judgment will best fit him for whatever course he may pursue. Another new feature is the holding of after noon recitations. 1 his has been rendered necessary in order to carry out the elective system with the pres ent teaching force. It is a new experiment, but we hope it will prove satisfactory. While we look in vain for many of the faces that were once familiar in the University we find their pla ces more than filled by new and strange ones. To all these who have just decided to cast their- lots with us the Student bids a hearty welcome. We extend to you the right hand of friendship and fellowship. We invite you to join hand and heart with us in our work and trust you will not wait for a more formal invitation. You have come for a good and noble pur pose,and your coming makes us better and stronger. The Societies need you and their doors are open wide to receive you. May you not long delay to avail yourselves of the excellent opportunities they afford you. Opportunities for improvement in thought and speech which only this thorough self-drill can give should be grasped. A broad field is before you in which only those who sow can reap. Many students come to the University without any definite plan of action. They intend to stay for only a term or so, or perhaps for a year, and think it use less to start in on any of the regular courses since they have not time to complete them. Thus, having no particular end in view, their work is apt to be des ultory and without much profit. It is well to decide early what end you wish to accomplish and then lay out a definite line of studies leading thereto and make all your general reading tributary to it. In this way you will economize both time and energy. Then in stead of leaving at the end of the term or year we hope you will decide to stay until you can take with you the honors of the institution. A word farther. Remember that the Student is not an organ of any society or faction. It is solely I w aagagsaa
