100044, No.
Page 2 University Daily Kansan Tuesday. May 11, 1954
Poor Losers Lack Necessary Grace
There has been much criticism voiced around the campus concerning the McCarthy hearings going on at the present time. However, it would appear that there has been a rash of investigations and fraud accusations here on the campus that might be worthy of note.
First came the election that was marked by many accusations and counter accusations from both sides of the fence, and wound up with all kinds of appeals.
To many, it would appear that some of the accusations and appeals were justified, and perhaps so. Although the whole situation at times approached the ridiculous, there were still undoubtedly some valid points brought to the front.
And then came the second appeal. This one was over, of all things, the selection of cheer leaders.
Undoubtedly there were some individuals that felt they should have won positions on the cheer leader squad, and perhaps some of them had valid reasons for thinking that way, but after all, it takes just as much strength of character and grace to be a good loser as it does to be a good winner.
This campus seems to be sadly lacking in good losers.
Grantland Rice, a famous sports writer once made a statement to the effect that the important thing isn't whether you win or lose, but what really matters is how you "play the game."
It would seem that many of the participants in the various "games" on this campus think much more about the ultimate objective than the means they employ to arrive there.
If the various students on this campus persist in being such poor losers, the administration may tire of the whole situation and take some of the games away from the students.
If that happened, students would again have to turn to studying,
and that really would be bad, wouldn't it? —Don Tice
Paper Exposes Threat To Freedom of Thought
that it could happen anywhere.)
(Ed. note, Reprinted from the Texas A&M Battalion with the thought that it could have anywhere.)
The college administration, faithfully carrying out college and system regulations, has kept the Young Democratic club from meeting on the campus.
We don't question the legality of stopping the meeting, planned for last Thursday. We do question the advisability of the rule that was being enforced.
Many years ago, a political group on this campus actively backed a losing candidate for governor of Texas. The winner got mad. Shortly after, this regulation came into being.
Once again, we have the authorities afraid that because a thing happened once, it will happen again, without fail. This ruling prohibits the formation of simple discussion groups, as well as the more active political groups.
We are not campaigning particularly for the Young Democratic club. We are, however, in favor of any organization that stimulates thought among the present generation.
Other colleges in Texas, both state and private, allow students to organize political clubs. Why not A&M? Is the A&M system trying to stifle controversial thought among its students, or is the A&M system just afraid of politics?
...LETTERS... UDK Criticized For Omitting Story
This letter is by way of apology to a very considerable number of students on this campus.
To the Editor:
I am frequently asked whether there is ever any opportunity for students who are not enrolled in Astronomy to look at the moon or one of the planets through the telescope in the University observatory. I tell them that we do have occasional "Visitor's Night" at the observatory and that such events are announced in the Daily Kansan. That last point is where I have been in error.
Last Friday evening the observatory was open to the public. Thursday morning I had telephoned the announcement to the Kansan news room. A reporter told me he would "try" to get it in Friday's paper. I remarked that I strongly hoped it would appear since otherwise a lot of interested students would not know of the opportunity. Friday's Kansan had not a single word about the event.
LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS by Dick Bibler
Something like 175 people, who had seen the announcement in the Lawrence Journal-World, came to the observatory. But among the group there were hardly more than 25 University students.
It is an extremely frustrating experience for two of us in the observatory to give up an entire evening to have the telescope open, primarily for students, and then to study objects that were unaware of the opportunity. This is far from being the first time this has happened.
I am very sorry those were uninformed who might have liked to come. We shall continue to have Visitors' Nights at the observatory, bue we shall have to search for some other means of publicizing them.
N. Wyman Storer
Associate Professor of Astronomy
Ex-Student Examines Kansan's Function
Since the April 12 edition of the
"I wish Snarf would seat this guy farther away from th' bell—he gets mad as heck when he waked up suddenly."
To the Editor:
Daily Kansan has just come to my attention, I would belatedly like to laud Mr. James Wright's observations on the parallel functions of University dramatic productions and the UDK.
Mr. Wright has succinctly stated one of the cornerstones of the Kansan's operating philosophy, one that so many persons on the Hill—faculty members as well as students—rarely recognize. In their often quickly formed criticisms of our newspaper, these individuals fail to realize that the Kansan is a student publication prepared by students with other student demands.
All Kansan staffs have made errors, some trivial, other serious, but never to my knowledge has a malicious "error" been perpetrated. The old saying goes that "a doctor buries his mistakes, an editor publishes his." But out of the never-ending experience of publishing the Kansan evolve basic patterns for future careers in the field of communication. Likewise, out of the trials and errors of student dramatic expression grows the acting talent of tomorrow.
Speaking from experience, it would gratify this ex-newsroom squatter if it would be possible to tape record Mr. Wright's paragraph and automatically answer all indignant phone calls with his statement.
Cpl. Jerry Knudson Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.
Racial Freedom on Upswing in U.S.
It appears that the U.S. finally is waking up and is going to face the racial discrimination problem.
President Eisenhower is continuing the fight for equal rights, but his is an under-publicized program—purposely. Instead of making a definite political issue of the program, the President is going about it quietly but efficiently—opening jobs in government installations and offices to Negroes that have never been open to them before.
The President has realized that if the issue is too well publicized the southern representatives must of necessity take a firm stand against his work. Their constituency would demand it.
On a national scale, churches are working on the problem in a concerted effort to bring understanding between the two races, and some of the effects have become apparent on the Lawrence level.
Probably the most outstanding example was the presentation of the brotherhood award to Veryl Switzer at the brotherhood banquet in February. More than 575 persons of every race and color attended that banquet, ate side by side, and talked as friends.
A few years ago the banquet could not have taken place—even in Kansas. Until recently, Switzer could not and would not have received the award—no matter how great his exploits on the gridiron or how much his personal qualities had done to improve relationship between the two races.
On the University campus, the program is having its effect, too. Here, once again, a change in strategy has proved beneficial.
In the past, campus organizations dealing with the discrimination program have been slightly over - zealous. Their too - militant attitude has probably done the program as much harm as good.
The new policy is one of determination without pressure—hard work without bitterness. Its effect has been felt among campus organizations and several business houses in the city. Many students seem to be looking at the problem seriously for the first time.
Some Negroes have been happy with conditions
The same student adds that he realized that Negroes are going to find some prejudice no matter where they go, but that he didn't expect to find as much as he had found here.
as they have found them on the campus. Some, quite frankly, have been disappointed. Some have said they felt fairness and equality as KU students, and some have said they have found little equality on the Hill.
It is not surprising to find that some Negro students face the discrimination problem here just as in their home towns. It is surprising—and heartening—to realize that others feel equality as students.
The bad feelings between the races have been building for hundreds of years. Many times during those years various groups have tried to alleviate the situation, usually with little result because of lack of popular support.
Undoubtedly, the war gave great impetus to that feeling. Negroes and whites fought together on the battlefields, worked together in the factories, and lived side by side in many housing areas.
Both sides found there are few differences between the two races—only the differences built up by years of misunderstanding and prejudice and passed on from generation to generation.
Many of those people are now taking their stand on racial prejudice—perhaps not working actively for dropping all prejudice between races, but certainly not actively supporting prejudice.
Their children—the next generation—will grow up without many of the usual prejudices being instilled in their minds, and they in turn will pass a more understanding attitude on to their children.
Racial prejudice will not end tomorrow—nor the next day. It will take many years to subdue the unreasoning attitude that has been passed down from generation to generation for centuries.
Both sides must accept that fact.
However, for the first time there is real hope for an end to the situation. By cultivating reason and passing it on to our children, each of us can take an active part in correcting a problem that must be solved in the near future.
—Clay Brandon