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University Daily Kansan Friday, Dec. 21, 1951
Daily Kansan Editorials Reorganization For The Benefit Of All
A plan for reorganizing student government was presented at the All Student Council meeting Wednesday night. It calls for Council representatives to be elected from and responsible to various housing units, such as the coops or Greek houses or dormitories. Two geographical districts would be set up for unaffiliated students.
The theory behind this is that students are much more likely to be interested in the Council if they know and live with their representatives. The present setup, with the schools lumped into four districts, has both encouraged cut-throat party politics and been the reason for much student apathy.
For instance, the School of Journalism and the College compose District 1. At present all seven of their representatives come from the College. The J-School student never sees his representatives, so why should he care about the ASC? This is true in all districts.
Changing this setup is a good idea. But what is really good about it is that the idea for reorganization comes from both parties.
FACTS and Pachacamac-NOW have awakened to the fact that petty Council politics for the past five years have been constantly hurting students. Members in both parties had seen this for a long time, but they felt that their party alone couldn't change things.
In the last few months the two parties have gotten together. And congratulations are certainly due them for putting student welfare above their own tight-knit organizations.
You will be hearing a lot more about the proposed plan for reorganization in the next month. If the Council puts it before the students, as it should, you will vote on it.
Think about it carefully. Chancellor Murphy has said that if his administration makes any error, it will be because it gave students too much responsibility rather than too little.
If we are to get this increased power in running our affairs, we must be worthy of it. And
We'll Try It Once Again
The house-cleaning by the administration is going a long way these days. Even Dick Tracy has been called on the carpet.
The world's first atomic central heating plant has been installed in Britain. The British seem to know how to keep some sections of the world heated.
A Boston high school full-back pounced on his own kick-off in the end zone for a touchdown. That's nothing. Senator McCarthy has scored more points than that by kicking.
Chicago is undergoing a face-lifting for the visitors attend the nominating conventions next summer. The Sun-Times wonders why summer vacationers aren't considered visitors too.
The U.N. eventually may create lasting peace. That is, if Britain will stop hanging on to a piece here and a piece there.
Massachusetts must have set a new record for automobile pileups, when 14 cars were involved in the same crash. Now surely Californians will try to top that.
Pity the poor bullfighter who was thrown and injured by a bull the other day. Next time he should get some politicians to help him.
Margaret Truman's appearance in New Orleans caused a group of circus animals to be taken out so she could give a concert. There probably were no donkeys involved.
A New York City manufacturer has developed a device which automatically guides machines hundreds of miles away. Maybe he could hook it up in the East, for some of the political machines there don't seem to be functioning.
Truman left his Key West swim in a hurry when someone spotted a school of large fish 15 yards off shore. The New York Herald Tribune said that if they were honest fish, they would have to tell sorrowfully about the one that got away.
The latest Communist proposal is for gradual withdrawal of troops from Korea. Judging by the northward movement of the battle line, the Reds are doing just that.
Lawrence has installed containers downtown so that motorists can pay parking fines conveniently. The next thing they'll think of is license tag dispensers.
the only way to be worthy is to have student government which can handle authority and represent all students, not merely the party in power.
Politics on the hill have admittedly been a little thing in the past, a thing which the average student has shrugged off. But it is in little ways that we learn big things. If we take an interest in our University and run it democratically, we will have had the finest sort of training for running our country after we graduate. A.L.S.
The task of removing snow from campus sidewalks was attacked with great dexterity Wednesday afternoon. The men with the shovels, employees of Buildings and Grounds, did an excellent job of clearing off the worst spots. And we thank them for it.
Off With The Snow At Last
This morning, after a freezing rain had undone their deeds, they returned undaunted and spread sand with an amazing furiousness. It was an effort which all students appreciated. Steps were well sanded and sidewalks were treated equally. All in all, it was an excellent job.
They even went a little way off strict campus limits. Battenfeld steps, a continual sore spot, in more ways than one, were sanded from top to bottom. Several other main off-campus walks were also treated. Should a student still slip, despite these precautions, he has chiefly his own carelessness to blame.
We hope that when the next storm hits, the same effort will be expended. Only this time, let's make it a little earlier. —A.G.M.
An old question came up again this week: should we organize campus political parties on a Greek- Independent basis?
Are Politics Necessary?
It's a pretty good question, but we've got a better one.
Should we have campus political parties at all?
As it exists at Kansas State, the Greek-Independent arrangement is useful in preserving the identity of the parties when there are no real issues to keep them apart. It is of course a meaningless separation because your political views aren't, or shouldn't be, affected by where you happen to live.
The idea of the two party system is to give the voter an alternative. If there is no difference between parties, there is no need for them.
So if you have to separate parties into Greeks and Independents in order to tell them apart, why have them at all?
If, as SPC has recommended, another way were found to divide campus political parties, each party would be forced to take up specific issues to maintain its identity; it would have to stand for something in order to exist at all.
But to resort to the fictious Greek-Independent conflict is to admit that student politics is without genuine meaning. —Kansas State Collegian.
Kansas is named by the American Automobile association as one of the safest states in the nation for pedestrians. Have any AAA representatives ever tried crossing Jayhawk drive at about 11:51 on a week day morning?
Daily Kansan
News Room Student Newspaper of the Adv. Room
K.U. 251 UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS K.U. 376
EDITORIAL STAFF
Member of the Kansas Press Assn., National Editorial Assn. Inland Daily Press Assn., and the Associated Collegate Press. Represented by the National Advertising Service, 420 Madison Ave., New York City.
ELECTORAL STATY
Editor-In-Chief ... Alan Marshall
Editorial Associate ... Anne Snyder
NEWS STAFF
Assistant Managing Editors ... Nancy Anderson
Benjamin Holman, Lee Shepeard, Ellsworth Zahm
City Editor ... Joe Taylor
Sports Editor ... Charles Burch
Telegraph Editor ... Den Tetsunich
Society Editor ... Katrina Swantz
News Adviser ... Victor J. Danilov
Managing Editor Charles Price
Assistant Managing Editors Nancy Anderson
Architecture Argument Rages
BUSINESS STAFF
Iowa State Chooses Theme
News From Other Campuses
Business Manager Bob Sydney
Advertising Manager Dorothy Hedrick
Assistant Adv. Manager Dirk Hale
National Adv. Manager Bill Taggart
Circulation Manager Elaine Blinder
Promotion Manager Ted Barbera
Business Adviser R. W. Doores
"Our Strength for Years to Come" was chosen for the theme of "Religion in Life Week" at Iowa State college. The annual event will be held Monday, Jan. 7, through Sunday, Jan. 13, with a number of Ames, Iowa, ministers addressing the students.
The argument over architecture rages loud and long at Kansas State college. Five more letters-to-the-editor appeared in the Dec. 12 issue of the Collegian concerning the students' right to give their opinions on the subject of architecture.
Young Council Head Elected
The student body at Kansas State Teachers college, Emporia, elected a sophomore as president of the Student Council. The youngest council president in history, Don Madole fills a vacancy caused when the former prey resigned.
AP Misquotes A&M Senior?
Alan Thomson, Oklahoma A&M senior recently charged with draft evasion, refuted statements attributed to him by the Associated Press. He was quoted as saying, "I will obey the laws of God rather than the laws of man." Thomson insisted he never said it.
Debaters Arque By Mail
Iowa State debaters participated in a debate by mail. Programs are recorded on tape and sent to the University of Illinois where they are judged against other college teams. The teams are judged on amount and quality of information, originality and accuracy of thought, organization, interest and delivery.
Mall subscriptions: $a a semester. $4.50 a year. (in Lawrence add $1.00 a semester postage). Published in Lawrence, Kans. every afternoon during the University year except Saturdays and Sundays. University holidays and examination periods. Received by the University in 1910, at the Post Office at Lawrence, Kans., under act of March 3, 1879.