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University Daily Kansan Wednesday, Nov. 15, 1961
LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS by Dick Bibler
The Discussion Day Plan
A proposal to set aside a day of classes to discuss issues of international importance has been received by KU students with a traditional lack of interest and support.
The plan now under consideration was conceived at Cornell University, where classes will be suspended this Friday for mass meetings and discussions of the world situation. The idea reached KU in a letter sent by a Cornell faculty member to Howard Baumgartel, associate professor of human relations and psychology. The letter said that we should raise the issues of the current condition "as forcefully as we can."
PROF. BAUMGARTEL MADE 50 copies of the statement he received in the letter from Cornell and circulated them among the faculty for comment and suggestions on how this idea could be adapted for use here. Prof. Baumgartel said that perhaps KU could develop a plan of its own. Several other faculty members expressed general approval of the Cornell plan with some reservations about procedure. Thus far, the plan has advanced no further than the discussion stage. No plans have been made, but a student-faculty group is attempting to adapt the Cornell plan for use here.
It is doubtful that the plan will progress much further than its present stage if more support and suggestions are not offered by KU students and faculty. After all, if the plan should be adopted by KU it will require the support of a large segment of the student body if it is to be successful. The administration will probably hesitate to support a plan that does not have wide student support. Large student support will be even more imperative if the plan entails interrupting class schedules.
THOSE WHO ARE STUDYING the Cornell idea have not yet presented a plan for KU. Their proposals could range from a carbon copy of the Cornell idea to something vastly different, created especially for use at KU.
A well conceived plan could conceivably break the barriers of student apathy, and possibly some faculty apathy, and meet with a considerable degree of success. The Model U.N. session is an example of the success a program like this could meet with if it is constructed to draw not only the interest but also the participation of the KU student. For some reason many who normally have little interest in the international scene become involved with the Model U.N. Perhaps it is because it provides a means of self expression, or it could be because it creates a competitive situation, bloc against bloc, that some people enjoy.
WHATEVER THE REASON for success the group now considering a plan for University-wide discussion of international affairs can look to the Model U.N. for an example of a program that has captured at least the partial interest of the KU student.
—Ron Gallagher
Oh Boy, An Investigation Editor:
Boy, oh boy, wuz I glad to hear the ASC is finally gonna git down to buziness and do some 'vestigatin!' I wuz beginnin' to think Congress had a monopoly on that stuff. And I wuz 'specially glad to hear they're gonna 'vestigate Watkins Hospital, 'cause I wuz in ther for three days this fall, and I think some 'vestigatin' needs doin'.
Fer one thing, they got too durn many cute nurses over thar. They wuz obviously planted that by the Comm'nists to jure students away from classes an 'destroy the 'Merican cijicalnational system.' Sides thet, them nurses wait on a body hand and foot — Commries, in'tor tear down 'Merican physical fitness. What's more, the hospital is cleaner 'n a cow's udder after milk'in—thet's probably jist what folks mean when they talk 'bout "our sterile American society."
The best thing 'bout these 'vesti-
... Letters ...
gations is the qualifications of the ASC. I read in the paper tother day that some "Joint Commission of Accreditations" had been 'oprovin' Watkins since 1941, but they're probably a buncha Commies and don't know nothin' any way. I got a lot more faith in that ASC Health Committee.
'Course, may be the ASC ain't lookin' fer Commies, I don't know, guess they didn't rightly say. May be they're lookin' fer cocky-noachies instead. Or could be they're jist lookin' fer publicity. There are some folks 'round here think the ASC's been actin' kinda silly latex, even say they've been creatin' issues jist to have sumbith to make a noise about. 'Course, there ain't no truth in that, but if the ASC does some real honest-ta-gosh 'vestigatin', then people will see how important they are.
'Vestigatin's the thing in our 'American government, part of our traditions back to when the first
legislator seen it wuz a good way to git people to notice him, and I'm right proud that the ASC is finally gonna provide us this fine and useful service. I bet if they put their minds to it they can 'vestigate durnear everythin'. Then they'll really be showin' their stuff!
Rodney Kaufman
Augusta sophomore
Nuclear War and Apathy Editor:
Congratulations to a few interested people on campus who realize the importance of the present international situation and the threat of a nuclear war.
The proposal to dismiss classes November 17 for a discussion on the effect of a nuclear war—if it is realized—will be much more educational and significant than the regular schedule.
Although the merit of the proposal is obvious, I doubt that it will be put into effect due to the stagnation of discussion that exists on our campus.
movies
Bv Bill Charles
"The Hustler": with Paul Newman, Piper Laurie, George C. Scott, and Jackie Gleason. Directed by Robert Rossen. At the Varsity, through Saturday.
"The Hustler" is a low-budget film about pool players. It is also one of the best films to hit Lawrence this year.
The story is simple. Fast Eddie (Paul Newman) thinks he is the best pool shooter in the world. To prove this, he must beat Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason) who resides at Ames Pool Hall. Fast Eddie enters Ames, makes the challenge, and loses. At the end of the picture he does the same thing, but this time he wins. Between matches Fast Eddie rooms with a very unusual college girl (Piper Laurie). She and a gambler (George C. Scott) teach Eddie a few things, and through them he acquires "character." He becomes a winner
Why is "The Huster" a good film? Consider the acting. It is all good, and with meatier parts some of it could have been great. Piper Laurie gives what must be her best performance in films to date. In underplaying her part she comes close to stealing the picture. Scott^1
Bert Gordon rivals his fine portrayal of Claude Dancer in "Anatomy of a Murder." He is a pleasure to watch. Gleason doesn't have more than 20 spoken lines in the whole film, yet his part seems much larger. He delivers many more lines without uttering a word, and proves himself a first-rate actor. Newman gives evidence that he may soon cease to rely on his bare torso and hard, penetrating eyes and get back to genuine acting. At times in "The Hustler" one can almost forget Newman and really believe in Fast Eddie.
Robert Rossen's direction is excellent, helping to tell the story without being overbearing. In the hands of an inexperienced director "The Hustler" would have been nothing but two hours of "fiveball in the corner." He must also have had a hand in the musical score, or, rather, the lack of it. How refreshing it is not to have melodius violins screaming a "love-theme" when boy-meets-girl, boy-kisses-girl, etc. Perhaps the budget couldn't stand 101 strings. Perhaps the budget couldn't stand fancy sets and a cast of thousands, either. It's a good thing. More money might have ruined it.
Chuck Menghini Pittsburg senior
We all agree that the students are apathetic. Now we have an opportunity to witness whether or not the administration and the faculty are captured by that same apathy.
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Daily Hansan
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"I UNDERSTAND HE'S UP FOR RETIREMENT NEXT YEAR."
Objectivty Urged
It Looks This Way...
So they are teaching communism in public schools. Sounds great, doesn't it?
Children of 12, 13, etc., can now learn all about communism and contrast it with democracy. Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World." is moving closer all the time. In just a couple more steps, we can have 2 and 3 year olds learning to say "dirty Red" before they say "momma."
Communism is a complex theory of government. It is questionable whether or not it can be put across on an objective plane to young students without the academic background or freedom from prejudice to understand it.
Kansas City public schools are currently "teaching about communism compared to democracy," according to a Kansas City Star article last week.
ONE TEACHER SAID HER SOURCE of material for the course consisted of manuals on communism—one prepared by the House Committee on Un-American Activities and the other a publication of the House subcommittee to investigate administration of the internal security laws.
"It's sickening the way some characters are easily swayed by Communists and can influence others," she said. "It says right in here (the Un-American Activities Committee report) that Communists use teachers, preachers and lawyers."
Another instructor said that for instructional materials he distributed mimeographed sheets about communism to his pupils, taking the information from a pamphlet prepared by a large company.
Obviously this is unbissed material. It is also unimpeachable—"It says right in here that the Communists. . . ."
The attitudes of the Kansas City teachers can probably be generalized as the attitudes of most teachers. This is the problem.
A COURSE COMPARING COMMUNISM to democracy could be a valuable thing for students—if it were objective. Of course, it is much harder to teach an objective course.
You cannot send off for the latest dope from the House Un-American Activities Committee and say, "It says right in here..." You cannot get course material about communism from a large company—who ever heard of a large company being objective about communism?
On the other hand, if good texts were obtained and the teachers were objective, comparing communism to democracy would be fine if it could be put across to the student.
School administrators who allow biased teaching cannot expect the student to live in a vacuum after he has passed the course. Sooner or later, he will be exposed to a relatively objective viewpoint on communism. The shock at having his pat ideas exposed may make him more lenient to communism than he would have been had he known nothing about it.
IF IT CANNOT BE TAUGHT objectively, students would be better off knowing nothing.
G T
Democracy has nothing to lose by an objective comparison with communism. If democracy cannot stand on its own two feet without being shielded by a subjective teacher, perhaps we ought to stand back and take another look.
—Karl Koch