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University Daily Kansan
Mondav. Jan. 18. 1954
Kansan Photo by Frank Jennings
SKATERS—Cold fronts may be bad news to a lot of people but to students they are a blessing. Martha Holmes and Sharon Zimmerman, Lawrence High school students, take advantage of the cold weather to try the ice on Potter Lake. To keep the skaters warm a fire was built.
Study of Sanctions-
On Union TV Sets
Three television sets will be running tonight at the Student Union to bring students a visual account of the Iowa State-KU basketball game.
Union director Frank Burge said chairs will be provided for viewers in the ballroom.
If bread is too fresh for easy slicing, chilling it in the refrigerator will make it firm enough for cutting.
Students Find Ties 'Taboo'
Nine male social science students, in cahoots with a sociology professor trying to hammer home the concept of "social sanctions," wore ties to classes for a whole week as an experiment and learned their lessons the hard way. The results of the stunt were made known today after an appraisal of the students' daily logs which recorded what happened to them.
At most schools in the country, the wearing of ties is virtually taboo for undergraduate students. Anyone, therefore, at KU who does so is simply "not one of the boys." Non-conformity, according to E Gordon Ericksen assistant professor of sociology, is an offense in any society—whether it be campus, town or nation.
"Conventionalization eases tension, saves faces and reputations and makes 'right' those things that would be 'wrong' under other circumstances. The custodians of local conventions serve as judges, keep others in line largely by satire or name-calling. Sarcasm or laughing at others has doubtless been one of the oldest methods of control since it tends to mark off and isolate a person from his fellows, a very effective means of control," explained Prof. Ericksen.
The students who defied the notie rule "risked" everything not long ago—just for science. From their logs, Dr. Ericksen culled some typical remarks which illustrate the point he had dealt with in class. For instance, the students reported that all week long they were heckled by questions as to why the ties were being worn. Most of them declared that their friends asked them "in a nice way" to remove the ties before "it is too late."
"There was often loud laughter.
frequent pointing of fingers by my buddies," one student stated. "When I got to the library, one table of friends even hissed at me loudly."
A sophomore said that while riding to school with several pledges one of them told him to stop wearing ties. "You will give the fraternity a bad name," he quoted his friend. This student's friends dubbed him "Rutgers — the Princeton Boy" and accused him of trying to make his teachers think he was a graduate student.
Another wrote: "One fellow in class acted abnormally cold towards me after I had worn the tie several days to class." Other students reported being called "odd-ball" or a "square" during the week.
Dr. Ericksen's experiment showed that the words have a peculiar power of their own upon persons subjected to them. "Satire, a combination of humor and critical logic, exposes foibles and weaknesses of persons and makes them squirm under a verbal lash," he added. "Thus students conform because, though they are not bodily removed, they can feel lonesome, unattached and insecure if they lose the sense of belonging to the group or participating in common enterprise."
Last semester Dr. Ericksen conducted a parallel lesson with nine coeds. He asked them to put on colored anklets instead of the usual white socks worn on the Hill. The
reactions from fellow students — male and female — were similar in that for those who persisted in wearing the colored socks, a lower social status was in the offing.
"This signified a group concern with a relatively minor rule of etiquette," said the sociologist, who is having a textbook on urban behavior published soon. "Sorotities even have their 'etiquette chairmen' to enforce these minor rules. One of our guinea pigs reported that her etiquette chairman would not recommend her for active status if she persisted in wearing colored socks."
The students who participated in the tie experiment found that "reasonable explanations" for their wearing of the neck appendage were deemed unsatisfactory. All of them are now back to open collars and T-shirts. They are Robert Egbert, and Peter Korth, college sophomores, and Wayne Rader, John Radke, Franklin Reed, Dennis Rickard, James Shobe, Harry Sidman, and Mike Kerich, college freshmen.
KCU to Inaugurate Athletic Program
Kansas City, Mo. — (U.P.)—Kansas City university plans intercollegiate sports competition for the first time in the institution's history. The board of trustees late yesterday authorized President Earl J. McGregor to inaugrate a program Intercollegiate athletics, excepting football
Rumors had persisted here for several weeks that such a program might be forthcoming.
Authorities said last night no coach was in mind yet, but added that the school might play some basketball games yet this season.
Air or dry woolen blankets only on warm, sunny days. Blankets dried in cool air shrink and the fabric hardens.
Kansan Classifieds Bring Results.
for Mildness and Flavor CAMELS AGREE WITH MORE PEOPLE THAN ANY OTHER CIGARETTE!