Page 2 University Daily Kansan Tuesday, Feb. 23, 1954 LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS by Dick Bibler "I check and throw out all the questions every one gets right—One of these days I'll have a test nobody can pass." Political Hay Attempt Seen in 2,200 Firings Administration spokesmen and Republican leaders tried to make much political hay out of the dismissal of 2,200 employees from their federal jobs for "security reasons." President Eisenhower made no breakdown of the list, but in his piecemeal revelation he said the dismissed weren't necessarily subversives. But to show the administration's vigilance in the realm of security, other Republicans have shouted long and loudly to the American people that the 2,200 were fired because of "disloyalty." The tactic would appear to have backfired. Their screams have resulted in an exaggeration. Democrats have demanded a breakdown. This has led to the disclosure that of the 130 persons fired from the Treasury department, only four were tainted with "disloyalty." Proceedings against four employees had been instituted under the Truman loyalty program. Theodore Streibert, director of the United States Information agency, It also has been reported (but not yet confirmed) that of the 534 State department employees dismissed for "security reasons" last year, only 11 were known or thought to be "dis-loval." Short Ones Some "show me" state advocates have been booming Harry Truman for Mizzou U. president. If he continued the same policies that he set up in the stormy days from '45 to '52, subsidies probably would be paid for excess football players, General Vaughn would head the campus ROTC unit, and investigating committees would be established to crack down on Jayhawker infiltrators. There might be a crisis in the football department also. Can't you just imagine HST canning Don Faurot for wishing to extend the recruiting boundaries? There are more automobiles than telephones on American farms. ThoughtfortheDay ReligiousEmphasisWeek "Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his erasn. Or what's a heaven for?"* announced Sunday that 31 persons were fired from that agency but that "there were no Communists discovered." Attorney General Brownell has testified that of those dropped from the Justice department for security reasons, one was a former Communist. The only "actual" Communist exposed so far was fired from Secretary Benson's Department of Agriculture. *—Robert Browning The Republicans are going to have to do better than that. It would seem that they have taken a page from the book of Sen. McCarthy, If the GOP wishes to use the Communists-in-government issue as part of the campaign for fall elections, it had best get busy. So far, on the basis of cleanup program, it has only managed to show that the past administration was much less heavily infested with traitors than has been charged. At any rate, the Republicans have erred. At this stage of the political game, the exaggeration of their case has hurt them as much, if not more, than if they had understated the extent to which subversives have infiltrated the government. -Tom Shannon One Man's Opinion Do grades serve their intended purpose and do they honestly portray a student's ability in a given course? We think the grading system as used by the University is outmoded and serves little or no purpose. Grades have brought about cheating in various forms and degrees and do not accurately record a student's real knowledge. How many times has the reader seen another student beat him out of a grade in a course by such means as outright dishonesty, "brown-nosing," or by having access to a good "file?" How can freshmen in a class loaded with juniors and seniors picking up elective hours expect, under normal circumstances, to compete successfully with the (supposedly) more intelligent upper-classmen? How often does it happen that some students in a beginning college course have much more knowledge of that course than others? Then this student can breeze through the course with minimum effort while others, exposed to it for the first time, must labor constantly to get any kind of a decent mark. It happens every semester. Elaborate methods of carrying answers into a test are being used daily in any school. The old menace, the "brown-noser," is evident in most classes. The person who already knows much of the course is merely cutting the throat of the real beginners. NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL Many students, by taking "pud" courses, can manage to emerge from KU with their transcripts covered with As and Bs, while others who enroll in toughies that may do them some practical good some day may come out with Bs, Cs, or even Ds. Often students hand in the themes written by another member of that person's house or even taken verbatim from old files—at the possible expense of a grade for other students if the instructor grades on the curve. Is this fair? Do grades really mean that much? Is it more important in the long run to be a study hound (at least from teachers' points of view), "brown-noser," or what have you, or to relax a bit, mingle with others, and come out a well-rounded person? We think grades are outmoded; They do not necessarily show what one has learned in a course, but possibly what sort of file, "bull," dishonest work, or "brown-nosing" a student used in his four years of college. If grades must be used, why not turn to a 10-point system, thus making it possible for the student who earns a C-plus to get credit for the same, not forcing him to take the same grade as one who made a low C-minus. Teachers repeatedly are asked by the administration not to mark plusses and minuses on grades—yet they do. Let's make it possible for students to get the benefit of these "split" grades. -Stan Hamilton Daily Transam University of Kansas Student newspaper News Room KU 251 Ad Room KU 376 Member of the Kansas Press Assn., National Editor Assn., Inland Daily Press Represented by the National Advertising Service, 420 Madison Avenue, N.Y. City, Subscription fee = a semester or $4.50 (depending on service duration). Published in Lawrence, Kan., every afternoon during the University year except Saturday nights and examination periods. Entered second class matter Sept. 17, 1910, at Lawrence, Kan., Post Office under act of March 3, 1875 NEWS STAFF Executive editor Shirley Platt Managing editors Tom Sorey, Mary E. Marvay Associate Velma Gaston, Mary E. News editor Tom Shannon Assistant Letty Lemon Sports editor Betty Benson Associate Dana Lebenberg Society editor Elizabeth Wohlgemuth Assistant Karen Hilmer Managing editor Chris Hunt News副刊 C. M. Pickett EDITORIAL STAFF Editorial editor Chuck Morelock assistants Sam Teaford, Don Tice BUSINESS STAKE Business mgr. Jane Megafan Advertising mgr. Ann Alnsworth Nat. adv. mgr. Susanne Berry Classified adm. mgr. Wendell Sullivan Circulation mgr. Robert Mallon Advertising mgr. Ed Bartlett Advertising adviser Gene Bratton Economic Crisis Hits Youthful Indonesia Indonesia, an independent nation only since 1949, is faced by a severe economic crisis. Statistics released by the prime minister of the former Dutch colony reveal that in 1953 the republic has a budget deficit of $250 million and an unfavorable balance of trade of $150 million. Those figures, however, were much better than in 1952. As a result of the unfavorable trade relations, gold reserves backing Indonesia's currency have dropped from 80 per cent to 24 per cent. Boyd R. Compton of the American Universities Field staff, who lectured at KU last week, said the financial crisis largely has been due to a drop in price on the world market of all the products Indonesia has to export. Rubber, one of the more important exports, sold at 20 cents a pound in early 1950. Mr. Compton said. Then came the boom in prices caused by the Korean war, and rubber sold at 70 cents a pound. Now the price has dropped to 19 cents a pound. Other products produced for export-oil, tin, sugar, copra, and spices-have fallen in price. Indonesia's economy is "tied directly to world prices," Mr. Compton explained. Much of the nation's revenue comes from exports. In the first years of independence Indonesia has had to import large quantities of rice from Siam, Burma, and California. Mr. Compton said the amount of money spent for food products in 1952 was greater than the amount spent for machinery. Why is it that a non-industrial area should have to import so much food? Mr. Compton explained that a population increase of 10 million since 1940-Java now has a population of 53 million created the problem. The period of population increase was also a period of war and revolution, and farmers were not able to extend irrigation systems or even maintain the ones they had. Consequently, rice production did not increase to match the population increase. This year Indonesia may have enough rice for her own needs allowing the purchase of machinery and other capital goods in foreign exchange. Indonesia has been trying several remedies to achieve a more stable economy. The country has been attempting to produce more products for export, Mr. Compton said, adding that a decrease in the cost of government also would improve the situation. New to the ways of government, Indonesia's officials often have been inefficient in administration. Threats of rebellion, on a minor scale, have made it necessary to maintain a strong army, further adding to the cost of government. Finding new markets for raw materials may be a solution for Indonesia, Mr. Compton said, pointing out that Red China imported a large amount of low grade rubber from Ceylon recently, a fact that has intensely interested the Indonesians, who have a surplus of low-grade rubber. An embargo by the United Nations is in effect on trading strategic materials to Red China (Indonesia is a member of the UN), but a trade agreement was formed with Red China last November. The Indonesian parliament has yet to ratify the agreement. The republic also has made trade agreements with the Red satellite countries of Hungary and Czechoslovakia. Such agreements are in line with Indonesia's middle-of-the-road stand on international politics, Mr. Compton explained. The country prefers to be independent of the "cold war," conducting trade relations with both East and West. There is no starvation in Indonesia,Mr. Compton said,and the nation did import many American goods during the Korean war boom.The standard of living is much higher than in China. Sam Teaford I'll GIVE THE COIN A TEST... AOUGH! IT TASTES TERRIBLE... I NEVER HAD NO INTEREST IN THAT BUILDING ANY WAYS...PREFERRED A THEATRE DOWN THE STREET-SO THERE.