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University Daily Kansan
Monday, Feb. 15, 1954
LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS
"Well, she just didn't LOOK like a Phys. Ed. major to me."
Flashbacks in History From the Daily Kansan
In 1944, campus news reflected wartime living. University students were living it up in February of 1929, not anticipating the "crash" that was soon to come.
10 YEARS AGO
University women were worrying about the man shortage. The Kansan society editor told the women where and how to meet their men—"Move near a war industry, frequent the tennis courts, bowling alleys, political meetings, band concerts—and last but not least is the public park."
Approximately 50 coeds experienced a typical day in the life of a WAC. Drilling, military customs, courtesies, movies, and mental tests were part of an army recruiting program.
Raymond Clapper, a newspaper columnist and an alumna of the University, was killed in an airplane crash while covering the invasion of the Marshall islands. Death took Mrs. E. H. Lindley, wife of the former chancellor. William Allen White, the "Sage of Emporia" and a student here in 1890, also died.
Dr. F. C. "Phog" Allen got up from his sick bed to direct the basketball team against Oklahoma, only to see his team lose, 24-23. A woman student, deeply engrossed in studying, squeezed her cigaret out on a bedspread (instead of her ashtray), and a bucket brigade had to be summoned.
25 YEARS AGO
A Russian symphonic choir visited the University. Philosopher Will Durant told students that "there is not more violence in America today—there are simply more newspapers." Kansas Players portrayed "Ten Nights in a Barroom." Enrollment for the second semester totaled 4,448 students.
The House of Representatives approved a bill authorizing a payment of $20,000 to the University for the burning of the Emigrant Aid hotel at Lawrence in 1856 by federal forces. Townspeople, church groups, University officials, and fraternities were debating the pros and cons of "hell week." Determined to place college fraternities on the tax roll, Representative Jacob Hammig, of the House of Representatives, reintroduced a bill to tax fraternity houses.
The University Daily Kansan printed the same story twice, side by side, with different-sized headlines. A thief visited one of the organized houses, took the silverware, and then returned it after discovering that the hardware was marked with the name of a local church.
When the conversation lags and there's nothing else to talk about, someone usually mentions the campus police.
Who Knows? BY SAM TEAFORD
That's the way it was down at the Chugalug when some of us got together one evening recently. We had discussed Marilyn Monroe and her illustrious husband. We had talked about the chances for the KU football team next fall under its new coach. We also had mulled over the problems of two-headed babies.
Someone tried to inject the Bricker amendment into the conversation, but it didn't work. None of us knew enough about it.
Then one of the fellows had a statement to make about the campus police. "Td like to drive right over that man who stands in the middle of the intersection at Mississippi and Jayhawk drive and directs traffic during the rush hour," he said.
Everybody laughed. It was a joke, of course. No one would want to drive over a campus policeman.
Someone pointed out that there was quite a traffic problem at the University, since there probably are more student drivers than ever before.
"You aren't kidding, dad," another said. "Did you ever try to find a parking space around the University?"
Most of us had tried. Also most of us had picked up tickets at one time or another for parking in the wrong place.
"What was that about the fellow getting a ticket for parking in a corn field last fall? What this University needs is one big parking lot," one of us ventured.
One of the sharpshooters had an answer for that, too. "Do you think all our cars would fit in the Hawks Nest? It might be rather difficult getting a cup of coffee, you know."
"Yeah, and where would ya put it, down by the fieldhouse?" he was answered. "If they put one there I'd have to call a taxi to take me to class after I park my car. But here's my idea; why not build another floor onto the Student Union, using the extra floor as a car-park?"
then someone tool, a verbal swing at speed "tries" to up to enclose the University regulation of the 20-miles-per-hour limit. Checks are worn by timing cars with a watch as they travel known distances.
At least we were certain that there was a traffic problem on the "hill." A fellow sitting at the end of the table said ne thought the campus policemen, were doing a pretty good job of handling that problem, parking tickets and all.
“It's ridiculous,” he said. “In no time at all everyone knows where the speed checks are. They slow down just long enough to pass the trap, and then they speed up again.”
"That may be so, but I'm still down on the boys in blue," our radical said. "Do you know that a friend of mine was stopped for driving 23 miles per hour, just 3 miles an hour over the limit?"
This statement did not meet unanimous approval. It was e-­expressed that the mere knowledge of the fact that campus停车位不够 driving served to stop many drivers from exceeding the speed limit.
Not many of us were inclined to believe our radical, even if it were possible that he did have a friend.
"Let's look the facts over carefully," a caler voice said. "They make mistakes, just as we all do. But it's true that these campus policemen are people too."
Not one of us disagreed.
Civilization Course Has Many Critics
"Western Civilization Schedule Slips Ready" a page one Kansan story informs that portion of the student body affected, and Western Civilization study has begun again.
It is vital, interesting, and well-presented. Those affected should make the most of the opportunity afforded. What that opportunity may be, however, has been kicked around as long as we have attended the University and probably longer. Not every student would immediately agree with the opinion expressed in the first sentence of this paragraph.
Criticisms of the course abound—such as the often repeated complaint, "I've known students who spent a whole year on Western Civ and they didn't get any better grade than Joe here who spent three days on the eram course."
Yet that can hold true for almost any course. And it might be stated that grades never accurately reflect knowledge, and knowledge is what we're concerned with, or should be.
Some critics attack the examination itself. It is virtually impossible to determine how the answers should be answered, they say. And that would seem to have particular merit in regard to the multiple choice questions. This writer found it simple to rule out two of the four choices, but extremely difficult to determine which of the remaining two was "rightest."
Essay questions—rumored to be given more weight in coming examinations—unnecessarily penalize those students who struggle for self-expression on paper. But again, this is a criticism that could be applied to any quiz.
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be applied to any quiz. A more valid argument seems to be that it should be an upperclass course, and it would seem to be true that those taking it after classes in American People and Modern Europe have a better chance of mastering Western Civilization. Further, the upperclass student should be more responsible and have more initiative in studying the materials. And, it is argued, some of the concepts are simply too complex for freshmen and sophomores.
The solution to the latter controversy would seem to be making the course necessary for graduation, but not for entrance into the junior year.
But the converse also is true. We found such courses more meaningful after taking Western Civilization, just as a survey course enables understanding of a field as a whole.
The course is forced upon students before completion of the sophomore year. It is study according to initiative—but six hours of "F" are neatly marked on the student's transcript unless he passes the exam by his junior year. —Letty Lemon
Those21Americans-AreThey Nothing But Social Misfits?
It has been easy to condemn the 21 American soldiers who chose Communism, and it's been easier yet to dig up sordid reasons why they didn't return to the U.S. as any normal, red-blooded, young man would be expected to do.
Case histories of all 21 appeared in Newsweek magazine last month. The reports listed only 2 with college educations, only 3 others who had finished high school, and 14 who came from broken homes. Most of the men came from families with low income.
Let's make a theoretical study of
What does all this pro,
Maybe it proves that these 21 were maladjusted, unhappy fellows who were destined to go Communist, sooner or later. Maybe it does, but we don't think so.
Take a look at what the individium histories show: Sgt. Andrew Fortuna, 27, Detroit, Mich., was born to a "teen-age Kentucky farm girl" and an "unidentified father." Pfc. Arlie H. Lie, 32, Carbondale, III, is the son of an epileptic. Capt. William C. White, 23, Plumerville, Ark. is a Negro, "whose parents were divorced when he was very young."
Six of the men were said to have suffered from severe illness. Only three were married, and only a few had steady girl friends. "At least four had virtually no interest in girls," the report states.
these prisoners of the Chinese who did come back. It should be simple to find more than a few who were born to "teen-age Kentucky farm girls" or were sons of epileptics or "whose parents were divorced when they were very young."
The point, as most politicians find out when they try to smear other politicians, is that there's little difficulty in digging up something sordid in anyone's background. It's also easy to emphasize those sordid attributes.
As a matter of fact, if Newsweek magazine were inclined to investigate us, they would find sufficient evidence to brand us as a potential Red. The fact that we have not advocated overthrow of the government probably would be dismissed as trivial on the grounds that we haven't had the opportunity.
We don't propose to defend the choice of the 21 prisoners who remained with the Communists. But it doesn't seem right to dismiss them as social misfits who couldn't adjust to our way of life.
-Sam Teaford.
Daily Hansan
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 Assn., Associated Collegiate Press Assn., Represented by the National Advertising Service; 420 Madison Avenue, N.Y. City, Mail Subscription Box; St. Louis School in a semester if in Lawrence). Published in Lawrence, Kan., every afternoon during the University year except Saturdays and Sundays. University holidays and examination periods Entered second class master's Sept. 17, 1918 at Lawrence, Ill., under a order of March 3, 1879.
EDITORIAL STAFF
Editorial editor Chuck Morelock
Assistants Sam Teaford, Don Tire
EXCELLENT IDEA...WE
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THAN CANADA'S BEEN
SENDING US...THEIR
EXPORT WEATHER 10
SHODDY! SHODDY!