Friday. Oct. 30, 1953
University Daily Kansan
Newsweek 'Knows All, Shows All' In Latest Article on U.S. Students
Students of the country, arise! Man the man-
parts, top the topsails, batten the hatches, or something or other—because we're in for another probing of our innermost souls by a national publication.
Through "an intensive study of seven institutions of higher learning which are essentially different" Newsweek has come up with nine columns of omniscient type purportedly revealing us to the world.
See next week's issue of Newsweek for this latest psychoanalysis of today's college student, entitled "U.S. Campus Kids of 1953: Unkiddable and Unbeatable."
Samples: A Vassar girl says, "We're a cautious generation. We aren't buying any ideas we're not sure of." And a Northwestern coed: "You want to be popular, so naturally you don't express any screwy ideas. To be popular you have to conform."
The nature of the "intensive study" is not disclosed. Presumably individual students and faculty members were interviewed on the campuses of UCLA, Northwestern, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgetown, Howard, Princeton, and Vassar.
According to Newsweek, current students give "little thought to politics or international troubles," accept McCarthyism "although a goodly number in all institutions questioned its methods," and "across the country there was little urge among college students to set the world on fire—or even change it much."
Yet, sums up the magazine, today's collegians are "shrewder, more mature than their grandfathers, more cautious than their fathers, (work) harder and (are) more likely to think things through." And "though they wanted to conform, they were thoroughly and solidly American."
Apparently we "unbeatable kids" should be flattered. We're not.
First, we think it's ludicrous to go out and ask a comparative handful of students leading questions and then sit down and neatly dissect current youth. And it's our opinion that, on the face of the article, certain basic conclusions had already been reached before the questions were asked and were kept in mind while the answers were being evaluated.
Secondly, we think that every generation of college students has had all levels of outlook represented, and that anything which could be tied to the whole is of its nature superficial.
The article continues with pat comments on the questions of liquor, sex, and religion and gives the usual run-down on fads.
We wouldn't hazard a guess on the general outlook of today's college crowd, if such an outlook actually exists. But—from observations in our immediate vicinity—we don't feel that it's reasonable or fair to conglomerately classify us as a vast, docile, herd of sheep diligently chasing the dollar sign and security.
Perhaps we are.
But to compliment us on the basis of this profound observation is adding insult to injury.
Jerry Knudson
Letters:
Student Politics. Court Under Fire
To the Editor:
I suppose consistency is too much to expect from a politician, but it has been a veritable education in political double-talk to watch the antics of Pach wheel Dana Anderson as he tried to straddle the fence while keeping both ears to the ground regarding the proposed banning of Freshman queens. The Daily Kansan of Sept. 30 opened the escapade with an account of Anderson's support of the proposal at an ASC meeting the night before.
The Daily Kansan of Oct. 5 reports that FACTS party "voted to instruct their ASC delegates to table the bill until freshman members were elected to the council so that their opinion might be heard."
The next ASC meeting found Anderson hopping to the other side of the fence. "Dana Anderson," the UDK reported on Oct. 7, "said postponement on the bill until after the freshman elections, would give freshmen a chance to voice opinion on the matter." What have we here? Pach Potentate Adopts FACTS Party Line!
But it was at the ASC meeting of Oct. 13 that Anderson really demonstrated his ability as a political contortionist. He first re-reversed his original position by moving to remove the bill from the table. Then upon hearing the report of the presidents of the four freshman women's dormitories that three of them were against the bill, he again expressed concern for the rights of the freshman women (who, incidentally, will elect ASC representatives next week.) Then after the freshman
women had left, Anderson moved to put the bill to a vote, voting in favor of it when this was done.
Attention, ye would-be politicians learn well this lesson in political hop scout.
To the Editor;
ronald Denchfield College sophomore ASC Senate member
The charge which Pach levied at Student Council president Dick Sheldon in last Monday's Kansan is indeed a serious one. Would it not be in the interest of good reporting if the Kansan reporter would request that Pach produce the letter which Sheldon allegedly wrote for publication?
Since they gave direct quotes, it is logical to assume that the Pach leaders still have the letter on file—if there was a letter. If Sheldon did make a deal, then it is in the interest of better student government—which Pach says they favor—that the student body know the nature of the deal.
If Sheldon did write the letter but did not make a deal, then it would also be well if the facts of the case were made clear. Publication of the text of the alleged letter would enable the students to judge for themselves whether their president betrayed their trust, as Pach asserts, or whether the whole issue is just a smoke screen laid down by Pach to
obscure some of their own shenanigans.
Eleanor Adams College junior.
Page 2
To the Editor:
Why, out of 32 traffic violations appealed and submitted to the Student Court, did only 5 of those who appealed show up in court? At first I thought the reason was that the other 27 didn't think it was worth the trouble. Now, after attending the first session, I know the real reason. The other 27 were not stupid enough to think that they would get any real justice from the decisions made by the court.
This Student Court, which would be better named Anti-Student Court, certainly accomplishes its objective of making impersonal decisions. As a matter of fact, its decisions are so impersonal that the court forgets all about the situation in question and looks into the past and future to see the results of their decision. Is this justice? I say it's ridiculous.
Maybe be the justices would forget about their courses at the Law School and be honest with themselves, they would arrive at fair decisions. Maybe not.
If you think I'm unfair in criticising this organization, attend the session next month and see for yourself; if you can afford to waste the time.
What happens in a split decision?
Is the defendant innocent or guilty?
The Student Court says he's guilty.
Richard W. Wallace Engineering Sophomore
Publick Occurrences BOTH FORREIGN AND DOMESTICK
CAMPUS
Expect a new group to be organized to fight segregation on the campus. The group should represent all of the major campus organizations and would do a lot this semester to ease the problems of Negro students on the campus.
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Although the Army says it will cut down its forces in the United States, don't expect this to affect the University draft situation, which will have to get a lot better before the Selective Service office will give out any more student deferments.
The freshman elections to be held Nov. 4 probably will go to the Pachacamac and FOR candidates. Pach has been doing a hustling selling job in the freshman women dorms, while FACTS has done practically nothing to arouse interest.
The Campus Chest will have its most successful campaign since its organization as a united drive. New and clever publicity is being planned and the importance of giving to the cause is being stressed. The IFC-sponsored dance should help considerably in raising funds to reach the $5,000 goal.
NATIONAL
The State department should reduce personnel steadily for the next few months. This will apply particularly to offices in foreign countries and in our possessions.
- *    *
Eisenhower says he won't help Republicans fight for reelection in their various districts. This should be enough of an incentive for the Democrats to split the Republican party within itself.
Look for the newspapers of the country to play up all crimes of kidnapping nature now that the Greenlease case is solved and the guilty parties are brought to trial. A good part of the so-called crime wave can be attributed to the newspapers for their desire for sensationalism.
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Children all over the nation will remember Dr. Merrill J. Reeh, and they'll quote him frequently, particularly at bedtime. He's an expert on eye diseases who says watching TV does no actual damage to children's eyes.
INTERNATIONAL
Expect the Indian delegation to the United Nations to suggest that some other nation take over watching prisoners of war in Korea. India is getting into a lot of trouble from all sides on the matter, especially now that there have been several prisoners murdered by fellow inmates.
The Japanese people will oppose formation of a Japanese army. They think that since the United States disarmed their mighty industrial machine and their army that the U.S. should defend them. Japan's defenses are extremely weak at present.
Russia will concentrate on France in the future as the weak spot in the Western alliance. The Reds will play heavily on French fears of revived German militarism in a final effort to block the forming of a Western European army.
- * *
If letters from home don't influence the 22 American POWs who still refuse repatriation, then the explainers might as well give up before they start. Indian guards have delivered 279 letters from the United States to the prisoners.
STATE
The drouth is affecting more and more people in the state, and will have long-reaching effects. This week a Kansas buffalo rancher was forced to sell a third of his herd, because government drouth aid doesn't cover buffalo.
The George Washington Bridge, across the Hudson river from Fort Lee, N.J. to New York City, is second in length of U.S. suspension bridges only to the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco. Its 3,500-foot span rises 260 feet above the water.
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Member of the Kansas Press Association, National Editorial Assn., Inland Daily News, Representation by the National Advertising Service. 420 Madison Avenue, N.Y. City, Sub Subscription rates: $3 a semester or $6 per month. Lawrence, published in Lawrence). Published in Lawrence, Kan., every afternoon during the University year except Saturday and Sundays. Unpublished. Entered second class matter S持, 17, 1910, at Lawrence, Kan. Post-Service
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