Page 2 University Daily Kansan Wednesday, Nov. 3, 1954 Midsemesters Meant To Teach, Not Punish As midsemester exams again become the general topic of conversation around campus, a weird and we think illogical philosophy spreads like contagion among many of the students, voicing itself everywhere in the violent exclamations against the "unnecessary evil." Faculty members take on all the more unpleasant aspects of chuckling demons, conspiring to arrange their test schedules so that every student will have four hour tests on the same day, preferably in subsequent periods. A rational study of this theory would show that such an attempt would be more difficult than a wide spacing of exams, but few of us stop to consider such a possibility. Coffee hours become nightmares of contests to compare exam programs, and each student is convinced that his is the worst schedule of all. Threats are tossed to the wind, and to any available audience, against all faculty members in general and those who assign projects in particular. Houses become a mania of frantic students cramming seven weeks' assignments into smoke-filled all night study sessions. For one week this midsemester deluge, to many students, will reveal only the sinister nature of plotting faculty members whose only desire is to overburden the poor, desperate scholar. But come, isn't this all a little ridiculous? Incidentally, we aren't gluttons for punishment either. But an examination of the reasons for having midsemesters might leave a little better taste in our mouths, when we can see that after all they aren't solely designed for punishment. On questioning one faculty member we learned these enlightening facts to explode, we hope, the theory previously stated. First, midsemesters can't be spaced several weeks apart. And here's the reason why: The University requires that grades for all students below passing be turned in before Nov. 8. This is a service to the student, who deserves a fair warning if he's in hot water in any of his classes. Giving tests any earlier in the semester wouldn't accuracy indicate a student's ability, as he might well change his level of work in the ensuing weeks. Therefore, these tests must come within, at most, a ten-day period preceding Nov. 8. Secondly, evaluations cannot be made from a student's daily work unless that is of considerable scope. Classes in which written papers and weekly tests are assigned do, of course, indicate a student's ability. But the average class recitations are not usually a fair scale for grading. And in further argument, teachers don't get any pleasure from exorbitant testing. After all, they've got to do the grading of all these tests and projects. It's logical, then, that the tests serve a good purpose in warning students if their grades are low and in reviewing for those who are passing. What, then, can we do to lessen the wild cramming which precedes and denotes this week? For the students' part, we would remind ourselves that midsemesters have been assigned weeks beforehand, and the studying can be spread out even if our tests are not. Cramming is never necessary if the student has done his daily work. Projects especially can often be prepared beforehand. Faculty members who give several tests and projects throughout the semester can, and generally do, avoid this week. And best of all, a little less chatter about the amount of work and a little more time spent actually studying might possibly get us prepared for these tests. So excuse us please, and we'll be off to the books. Amy De Yong It can be done! In fact, the K-State Wildcat was successfully "cat-napped" four years ago. And the "cat-nappers" didn't have to use brains or brawn either—just a little common sense. Here's how they did it: ... Letters ... LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS by Dick Bibler Ten students in five cars (the importance of five cars will be pointed out later) left for Manhattan late Thursday night before the K-State-KU game in search of the "cat." The "cat" wasn't hard to find—he was right in his cage on the campus. One of the students was old and toothless) and lured him into his traveling cage (conveniently left in his regular cage by the K-Staters). Then the students put the "cat" in a car and the caravan left for Lawrence. They drove slowly, obeying all traffic laws (including stopping at stop signs and not disturbing the peace). It's hard for a cop or a highway patrolman to stop a caravan of five cars if they accidentally break a law. Also, although one of the cars developed trouble, the completion of the mission was insured. After arriving in Lawrence, the "cat" lodged over night at a local house. Then he was taken to the pep rally the next morning. This was when it was first discovered that the "cat" was "cat-napped". The "cat-nappers" planned to present the "cat" to K-State at half-time ceremonies, but they had to give the "cat" back before the game. Nevertheless, it was successful and the loyal ex-students should be congratulated for their 'impossible' feat. Richard L. Roach business senior A total of $143,574,952 in postal money orders was sold at overseas Army post offices last year. Fees totaling $803,712 were collected for the United States Post Office department as a result of these sales. CAR TUNES YOU WON'T BE STICKING YOUR NECK OUT IF YOU KEEP YOUR DEFROSTER AND WINDSHIELD WIPERS INWORKING ORDER "MATERIAL MARK BUILD." Daily Hansan University of Kansas Student Newspaper News Room, KU 251 Ad Room, KU 768 Member of the Kansas Press association, National Editorial association. Inland City press association. Associated College Press. Press by the National Advertising service, 420 Madison avenue, N.Y. Mail subscription rates: $3 a semester or $4.50 year (add $1 a semester if in Lawrence). Published Lawrence, Kan., every afternoon during weekdays. Subscribed to Sundays, University holidays and examination periods. Entered as second class matter, Sept. 17, 1910, at Lawrence, Kan., post office under act of March 3,1879. NEWS STAFF Executive Editor ... Dan Hamilton Leibnitz Elizabeth Managing Editors ... Wohlgemuth Dana Leibnitz Good Pat Levine News Editor Amy DeYong Asst. News Editor Ron Grandon Journalist Jacon Lomys Asst. Sports Editor Tom Lymons Society Editor Nancy Neville Telegraph Editor John Herring Telegraph Editor John Herring News Advisor Calder M. Pickett EDITORIAL STAFF Editorial Editor Court Ernst Editorial Assistants Karen Shunk BUSINESS STAFF Business Manager Dave Riley Advertising Mgr. Audrey Holmes Nat. A.I.V. Mgr. Martha Chambars Circulation Mgr. Dave Conley Music Mgr. Kevin Wade Promotion Mgr. Bill Taggart Business Adviser Gene Brawton "The only clue I'll give you is that it came from the student cafeteria." Going Home-the Pause In a Week's Education Going home—two words that ring a crystal clear bell in any student's mind. "I'm going home," he says, and once he's said it, not even a winning football team could keep him on the campus. He isn't going just anywhere—he's going home, and nobody (not even a Saturday morning professor) can keep him from it. So it's home again—away from classes, away from books, away from chaos, away from ivory towers. But most of all, away from campus conformity. Probably going home is going from one conformity to another. But the conformity found back home is so different it almost seems like passing into another orbit, like throwing oneself down a "Hill" and finding something strange at the bottom. At home people carry the oddest things—hammers, sacks, groezy baskets, babies—but no one carries a book. No one at home has stayed up the night before cramming for hour exams and writing lengthy papers. No one at home is rushing to the tempo of a whistle and a tight schedule. No one worries about the last exam, long since ripped into tiny pieces to hide the glaring "F." People at home have more important things to worry about. But they worry more slowly and are given enough time to find an answer, right or wrong. Getting away from suede coats, white socks, leather jackets, charcoal suits, and crewcuts is part of the beauty of going home. The superficial conformity, the false sophistication of College Joe is no longer important. People seem just as happy in work clothes, just as confident wrapped in something not quite so smart, maybe, but comfortable and serviceable, nevertheless. Even getting away from the slick beauty of the campus is refreshing. Everything on the campus, trimmed and manicured like a golf course, loses its luster to things back home which are not nearly so perfect, but far more real. Unkept yards, dusty roads, dogs, cats, boys riding bicycles, braces on crooked teeth, old strawhatted men, and even trash cans bring back realities hidden from campus life. And sleep. Nowhere in the world is there a drowsier looking bunch than college students. But give a student one week at home and he begins to look like other human beings again. Give him another week, and he begins to act like one. And the conformity of campus speech, carefully trained to omit "ain'ts" and split infinitives, loses its intellectual appeal to the warmth and vitality of a few double negatives. But since education is as education must be, campuses are as campuses must be, home is as home must be, and conformity evidently must just be, the important thing is to try them all and let going home be the pause in a week's education. —Gene Shank ... Short Ones ... Now that the cold weather has set in the merchants downtown have noticed a decline in the sale of girl's sweaters. Funny, isn't it, that the end of the fad and the wearing of coats happened to start at the same time. Speaking of sweaters, the ball game out in front of the Business school at 1:00 MWF has been lacking in attendance lately. Is it the same cold weather or has Merle cut the rest of the boys_out? It's read in the paper that Nixon has now denounced NBC. Nixon in line for examination is, in the following order, "Motherhood," "Flag," and "Country."