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University Dahv Kansas Friday, March 23, 1956.
At What Price Learning?
Praise where praise is due—criticism where criticism is due! This is not to enrage or infuriate but to improve and educate.
When personal pride is instrumental in causing an instructor to deliver superior lectures from which his students actually must learn, this is praiseworthy. In this case the ends (benefit to students because they learn) justify the means (the personal pride which caused the instructor to give forth something worthwhile).
However, when this "personal pride" oversteps the bounds to where it is no longer just self-pride, but unmitigated egotism, unfortunate circumstances are inevitable.
On our campus from time to time there are naturally complaints about policies and personalities—some are legitimate, most are not. Of the legitimate complaints, one has been heard frequently and not dispassionately:
"That instructor is so conceited that he actually thinks that his is the only course taught in the University. Sure, I'll learn plenty from his course, but there are other courses which take time too. If I did everything this instructor demands, everything else would have to be forgotten."
Time. What is it? Who can control it? Of course there are no perfect answers, but there are ways in which time can be budgeted so that each thing which must be done receives its proper amount—as long as those who make assignments are reasonable. Perhaps a better word than reasonable is thoughtful.
How and when can a man know when pride within himself is a harmless, but driving force or when it becomes an ugly, self-consuming thing called egotism which only injures himself and those around him? If a man is never introspective, can he know? Certainly not!
More often than not unpleasantries and misunderstandings are results of thoughtlessness and indifference.
Once there was a professor who so wanted his students to assimilate the knowledge that he felt
they would need to truly qualify them for their futures that he gave numerous tedious assignments which demanded long hours to complete. His students learned a great deal—of the course HE taught, but at the expense of not learning what they should have from the other valuable courses in which they were enrolled. Why? Because there are but 24 hours in a day—seven days in a week.
Time can be budgeted so that all things may have their proper allotment-but only as long as the assignments are reasonable.
How much time should be allotted to any one course? A simple answer—any time a student finds he must devote most of his study time to getting the assignments for one course, this is a hint; when the majority or all of the students find the same course takes nearly all their time this verifies that some adjusting and revising on the part of the instructor of that course should be done.
Of course the instructor had the best interest of his students at heart. He wanted them to really know something. Chances are his heavy assignments placed the heavy burden of grading oil on him so that he had to burn much midnight oil to deal properly with them. Probably he felt this extra work on his part was worth it if only his students would learn.
But at what price comes this learning?
If it's at the expense of NOT learning something else, is it justifiable?
The trite old argument that "this is the way I've taught my classes and given my assignments for years" is just as wrong and detrimental as the argument of those who oppose other forms of progress that "it was good enough for great-grandad and it's good enough for me." Don't hamper education when you need to help it.
Taking some of the precious stuff called time and using it to be purely introspective wouldn't hurt anyone. A lot of persons, including you, might be helped. Try it!
Jim Tice
Let's Give The Negro An Even Break
(The second of a series)
Among the reasons given by southern whites for segregated schools is the Negro health problem, and the high percentage of venereal disease.
Of course the health isn't on a par with that of the white population. The conditions mentioned previously are not conducive to health in any society anywhere in the world. As for venereal disease, of course it runs rampant. It would run in any society where there is ignorance of it and inadequate means of stamping it out.
But there are available means of controlling it! Sure there are, but if one doesn't know that or realize the danger of such an infection, how is he going to avail himself of it?
He could be instructed. How, by whom? Such information is in the hands of the whites and will be made available to the whites first. If any is left over, okay, but no self-respecting southerner is going to put himself out by becoming a missionary to see that this material reaches the Negro and is understood.
Well, he could instruct himself. Where? How? Here the health problem overlaps the intellectual status and education of the southern Negro—another reason for the cry for segregated schools among the whites. Perhaps our southern citizens have forgotten that when freedom was bestowed upon the Negro slave there was no one within his race to teach those things that would bring the Negro up to the intellectual par of his former master.
The civilization from which he came was several eons removed from the civilization that had ruled him. He was like a child who had never seen an alphabet, being handed a book and told to read. He had to teach himself. No white man was going to soil his hands to instruct him. He was free by the grace of a white man. What more did he want?
It was fortunate for the Negro that his intellectual capacity wasn't lower than the white man's. The geniuses that were born to his race helped the job along considerably. But even then, 100 years is too short a span, even with instruction for a course in modern civilization—let alone having to teach it to oneself.
Let the Negro build more schools. Certainly—but with what? He pays his taxes to a white municipality to build white schools, and hire white teachers. Those taxes are supposed to
provide a dual school system. But what state can afford a dual system—an equal dual system. Who gets the heaviest appropriations?
We once visited a southern community. The population was practically 60 per cent Negro—a majority—and they persuaded the community and the state to build them a new school if they would put up half the funds. Those Negro parents dug deep for their half. The school was built. It was a magnificent building—so magnificent that complaints began to pour in from white parents who sent their children to an older building. Shouldn't the new building be turned over to them? Soon both the community and the state began thinking so—reimbursing those Negro parents, of course, if they would take the older building. About then we got sick and left town.
Crime? Certainly the crime rate is high. Conditions of ignorance and cramped living breed crime—anywhere, any society—especially in an oppressed one.
—Dee Richards
..Short Ones..
Looks like all that gang going to Mexico could save a lot of money and get the same result if they just bought a few sun-lamps and started working on their tans now.
If Wes Santee and Phog Allen both lose their respective battles to stay in action, Kansans will have nothing at all to brag about, unless someone discovers uranium on Mount Oread.
Daily Hansan
Hope all the delegates to this week's High School Driver Education conference survive the rush-hour traffic on the campus without serious accident.
Too bad the Academy Award committee couldn't wait until after the Rock Chalk Revue before listing its top performers of the year.
It's such a pleasure to walk to class these warm spring days that it's hard to remember there was a parking problem last winter.
Sure is surprising how those picnic coolers which were selling for $2 last fall are now bringing $7.50 in the organized house black market.
University of Kansas student newspaper
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NEWS DEPARTMENT
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REB BARKER
And His Band
EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT
AT THE
TEE PEE
9 p.m. to Midnight
IN KANSAS CITY, IT'S . . .
TO A
YOUNG MAN
THINKING
ABOUT AN
ENGAGEMENT
RING
In the first place, bring your wife-to-be along. After all, she'll be wearing that ring for years and years. S6, bring her with you to help select the ring.
The next thing TIVOL suggests is that you take your time.
Don't buy your ring from a catalog page or from a newspaper advertisement. Take your time and see all the rings you can before deciding—and then, go ahead.
Financing is something else.
A diamond ring is a serious purchase.
If you wish to pay for it
a bit at a time, be sure you know
what the exact terms are.
At TIVOL. payment can be arranged
on a budget plan without
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And finally, come to see the TIVOL collection. We have engagement rings and wedding bands from 90.00. We will be pleased to show you rings in one of the private showing rooms at either our Downtown or Plaza shop. And our very best wishes for your happiness!