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University Daily Kansan
Monday, April 20. 1953
Little Man on Campus
by Dick Bibler
"Naw I don't hate to leave these ivy covered all halls—I just don't know how I'm gonng make a livin'"
Relays-So What
So a bunch of skinny guys in short pants run around on a little circular cinder street until their breath comes in short pants too. What does it prove?
The Kansas Relays—so what.
It proves again that the Midwest is a center of ability and achievement in athletics. Nothing can beat track and field events for sheer individual sport. Brains, training, stamina, and the natural ability that seems to flower so in the Midwest all work together to make the Relays the annual success that it is.
But why get worked up about it. Doesn't it seem a little stupid to run your legs off and your heart out, or to put a shot with every bit of strength you possess, all for a little medal? Maybe, but it is also a little wonderful. Chortle all you want to about flag waving and school spirit, but it is rather reassuring to know that people will work that hard for something they believe in.
So what? So congratulations to every guy that worked to make the Relays the success they were. Congratulations to everyone from the guy with the clipboard and stopwatch and the high school runner who didn't quite finish the mile to the College athlete who won the decathlon.
—Don Nielsen
It was a job well done.
POGO
Politico's Proving Ground-
Higher Wages for Students Urged
Editor's Note: These two articles are the fifth in a series outlining the views of the two campus political parties on current University issues. The series will conclude tomorrow with articles on the philosophies of the two parties.
BY LETTY LEMON
Pachacamac Candidate for Senate
Student wages are ridiculously low. And students lacking transportation to carry them to more lucrative positions or having a class schedule which prohibits any other type of employment are harmed by poor wages.
Why hasn't something been done about this before? A university with as high an academic rating, prominent a national standing, and forward-looking policy as KU should have conquered this problem long ago.
This problem, though painfully obvious to those affected, is not as plain to all. The answer is to arouse public opinion, make plain what needs to be done and why, and then marshal forces behind corrective measures to do the job.
Steps have been taken, but due to inherent defects in the legislation and a lack of student backing, they have not gained executive approval, or have not received consideration in the ASC. One bill—passed after many revisions—has accomplished nothing.
What is necessary, then, is an analysis of past efforts, a removing from those efforts the elements which prohibited their becoming legislation, and the introduction of a new bill to the ASC.
This action would dissolve or alleviate this problem.
How to put such action into effect? One ingredient so far has been absent from legislation of this type—student opinion behind the legislation. This can be supplied by you, the student. Inherent defects in the legislation itself must be corrected by the person introducing such measures.
Pachacamac favors higher student salaries, and will do as much as possible to see that existing faults are corrected.
Hand in hand with this should go a complete evaluation of present wage-paying practices, so that the disparity between amount of work done and salary received is removed as much as possible.
Many methods could be utilized to make this an actuality. Perhaps some kind of student board under the auspices of the Council could review cases brought by student victims of an unfair employment policy.
By JERRY ANN WALTERSCHEID FACTS Candidate for Senate
The winning combination is student support behind sound and constructive party practices. Each will supply the practices—YOU must supply the support.
The first positive action in recent years on the problem of student labor was the campaign by FACTS in spring 1951 to raise wages of student library employees.
When FACTS gained control of the Council that year, these wages stood at a 50c an hour minimum. Within two weeks, FACTS had petitioned the chancellor for and obtained, a blanket five-cent an hour raise.
Feeling there was still much to be done in this area, however, the FACTS-controlled Council established a temporary student Iabor committee in January 1952, to study the problem further.
The committee returned its final report in October 1952, in the form of a bill providing for a permanent student labor committee. The bill also provided that the committee should have these three subcommittees:
A student labor relations board, to be concerned with disputes between students and their employers;
A student fair employment practices commission, to be concerned with the problem of discrimination in employment;
A student labor research division, charged with the responsibility of compiling data on which the labor committee can base a plea to the University Budget committee for a higher allotment for student wages.
Despite a plank in its platform of the previous election which called for "Increased services by the Student Labor Committee," the Pachacamac Inner Circle voted to cripple the bill.
On the final vote in Council, however, five of the Pach representatives—of whom the present Pach presidential candidate was one—voted against it, but it passed nonetheless.
Under the present administration, however, the provisions of the labor bill have been very poorly enforced. Therefore, this year's FACTS platform proposes:
"Responsible effort through the new student labor committee bill to promote higher student wages."
Senior Befuddled By Housing Plank
Editor. Daily Kansan:
It is difficult to feel that the Pachacamac party is sincere in even their mild platform statement concerning student housing. During the times Pach has been in office, it is easy for them to be being in favor of a decent housing program for the independent students.
Two years ago, Joe Wimsatt, the then president of Pach, in attempting to get Greeks to join his party, said that Pach would use all the influence and power it has in control of the ASC to kill independent housing housing.
As a matter of fact, if Pachacamac is now in favor of housing, it has undergone a downright revolution in its attitude.
He said it would do this for two reasons:
1. Fraternity men, since they are fraternity men, should, he said, live better than independent students; and
2. If there were decent dormitories for independent men, the fraternities would have a more difficult time in pledging new students, since the fraternities could not offer better housing as an inducement.
The party stalwarts of Pach no doubt still enjoy parading around like provincial aristocrats, so I wonder if we ought not be somewhat skeptical of Fach's newfound interest in the welfare of the student body as a whole.
I do not have this statement by heresay. I was present when Wim-satt made it.
Donald A. Steinberg college senior.
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Swiss Give Sanctuary To Oppressed Peoples
Editor's Note: The following article, fifth in a series by foreign students, was written by Karl Koeppel, an exchange student in economics from Switzerland.
Also about 40,000 Polish soldiers who served in France after the defeat of Poland fled to this small country in the heart of Europe: remnants of all defeated armies, victims of racial and political fanaticism.
Many GI's remember Switzerland as an island for refugees. They could fly damaged planes there during World War II and remain under little control in beautiful mountain resorts.
During the entire war, Switzerland refused to surrender important persons despite pressure. As the country where the Red Cross was founded and has its headquarters, we were honor bound to accept all those in need of sanctuary.
This increase of population placed a great burden on Swiss economy, because the imports amount to a high percentage in peaceetime and are very much restricted by war.
During and after the war, Switzerland has extended its help into suffering countries.
Because of natural boundaries secluding it from other European countries and a heterogeneous population of German, French, and Italian speaking people, Switzerland has maintained a position of neutrality the last 150 years.
This was not the first time Switzerland has provided sanctuary. Since the 17th century people have fled there to escape religious, racial, and political persecution.
Many of them have been noted political thinkers, writers, musicians, scientists, and technicians. In this way we benefited from European upheavels much as did the United States.
Even today when it seems impossible to be non-partisan between the major powerblocks of east and west, Switzerland tries to pursue neutrality. Therefore it did not participate in the Marshall plan nor in the North Atlantic Defense community.
Toward European attempts of integration Switzerland remains passive. It is willing to take part in international organizations.
Switzerland accepts the principles of a free capitalistic society. This enhances free exchange of goods and currency and makes its a transit country for trade.
Switzerland is the melting pot of Europe.
—Karl Koeppel