Page 2
University Daily Kansan Tuesday, Dec. 11, 1951
Kansan Editorials
Education And Student Understanding
"The student today is not given a broad understanding of a subject by his professor. Instead, in his battle for survival with the grade point, he only learns to parrot the professors' words and thoughts, to echo the text book.
"Instead of being encouraged to analyze and gain insight into the subject, the student has to memorize a series of facts which are meaningless to him. He allows the professor and the text to do his thinking for him and upon leaving the University he is no more able to think for himself than upon his entrance."
This is a statement from the Daily Bruin of the University of California at Los Angeles. If it is true here, it is more the fault of the students than of the professors at KU.
Most of the comprehensive and correlative courses at the University are two and three hour courses. This is especially true on the junior-senior level. It is obviously impossible for much class discussion in the short time which the teacher has to cover the material of the course. So the student takes the easy way out. He memorizes his notes and the text, regurgitates them for the exams, and promptly forgets about the whole thing.
Now, the problem is this. Facts are too cold. They must be correlated with each other. A professor may explain how he correlates them, but many students will find it difficult to accept his explanation. Class discussion is unavailable, and so it behooves the conscientious student to discuss it out of class. Few do.
This situation could be somewhat improved on the teacher's part by giving more essay quizzes with leading questions which would demand original thought on the part of the students.
But who has heard much original thought lately? What has become of the old bull sessions so famous in the college days of the twenties? Students today seem on the whole apathetic toward the issues raised in political science, sociology, economics, psychology, religion or philosophy courses.
The average student seems to be afraid he will be labeled a "long hair" or a "bright boy" if he talks to his friends about anything but the coming basketball game or the new record on the juke box.
We aren't arguing that college should be an ivory tower retreat, where nothing is discussed but Spinoza's theory of substance or the success of
Deemphasis Of Athletics
ancient Greek democracy. But if we students are going to complain that we aren't given a "broad understanding" of subjects and leave school with nothing but a series of meaningless, memorized facts in our heads, we must admit that it is partly our fault. A.LS.
The Big Seven conference, in applying new restrictions aimed at removing overemphasis from intercollegiate athletics, made a move that very probably will be followed, in varying forms, all over the country.
The decisions of the university presidents and athletic directors come as an answer to nationwide criticism of the growing professionalism of college sports.
Many of the basic problems were attacked by the decisions. Whether or not the attack is successful must remain to be seen. We hope it is.
And they were made at an opportune time. The national meeting of the National Collegiate Athletic association is scheduled for January, 1952, in Cincinnati.
By dealing with the recruiting problem directly and simply the conference may have eliminated one of the most dangerous practices in college athletics. No longer can a promising high school athlete personally be visited by members of the athletic staffs or their representatives, including alumni.
Enforcing this latter phrase will be difficult, of course. Who can distinguish between a person acting as an alumni or as a "personal friend" of the athlete. A high school sensation can develop a myriad of close friends, much to his own surprise.
Now that a college athlete may no longer receive more than room and board, and must work for his $15 a month, another source of controversy is removed. We can imagine, though, that all-Americans will find themselves harnessed with an eight-day clock to keep wound.
And all the other points, including freshmen ineligibility, fewer basketball games, tightened eligibility, and shortened spring football practice, have their attributes.
Short Ones
Sending an ambassador to the Vatican will imperil the religious freedom of the United States, according to some people. Probably they are the same ones who argue that increasing the nickel cup of coffee to a dime will destroy the nation's economy.
There is only one ruling we tend to disagree with, and that is the elimination of all post-season competition. This includes football bowl games, the National Invitational and NCAA basketball tourneys, and the NCAA track meet.
A horrified reader said he could detect no clean sportsmanship in a televised wrestling match. He might be equally surprised to learn that apples are seldom found on peach trees.
We can see no serious detriment to any athlete involved if his team is selected, because of its outstanding prowess, to compete in a post-season game. Of course, as it stands now, such competition is merely an added impetus to professionalism, which the Big Seven hopes to eliminate. So why take away from an amateur his brief taste of the limelight?
The NCAA is currently studying its own post-season events. And the Big Seven may be induced to amend its restrictions on the basis of NCAA findings.
Perhaps, when the professionalism has gone out the window, as it surely must, at one time or another, the post-season games will be reinstated.
A Prof Writes Of Hour Exams
-A.G.M.
Dear Editor:
Your recent editorial on requiring advance notice of hour exams impressed me because, as an undergraduate, I advocated much the same solution.
As you say, the idea has some merit. Why then did you clown around with it instead of advocating the plan seriously?
If the proposal is important enough, you could press for student council action. That body could appeal to the University Senate whose functions include regulation of methods of examination. At least one state university has a rule that hour exams must be announced a week in advance and all activities
For my own classes I have found a simple solution. (Two different college polls revealed that nearly all students thought the arrangement was "about right"). All hour exams are announced well in advance, usually at the beginning of the course. Warning is also given that some dozen or so short quizzes will be given at irregular and unexpected intervals. One low quiz score is tossed out, but an extreme in favor of the student is retained.
are prohibited during the seven days immediately prior to final exams.
Robert B. Wentworth Assistant Professor, Journalism.
Norma Strobel
Education Senior
Marge Gulick
College Sophomore
At Last!
We've been following the editorial page recently and think it's time for laurels instead of brick bats. Here's a vote of thanks to a two-fisted editor and his staff who have handled recent controversial issues with an impartiality more of us need.
Dear Editor:
Mai sucription: $3 a semester, $4.50
per semester, or $6 postage). Published in Lawrence, Kens
every afternoon during the University
year and served on university holidays and examination periods
Entered as second class matter Sept. 17.
Kens, under act of March 3, 1879.
News From Other Campuses
An honorary degree to be conferred upon persons of outstanding achievement in service to the public and to mankind has been adopted by the University of Denver. The degree will be that of "Doctor of Public Service."
Research To Aid Congo
Denver Adopts New Degree
Research studies in agricultural economics at Iowa State college are being made by Basil Kotschoubey.
His studies will aid him in designating a system of crop production surveys in the Belgian Congo. He is a member of the staff of the 10 Year Plan of Congo, Belgian Congo improvement group.
Chow And Help Wanted Most
At Tufts college in Massachusetts the college paper asked freshmen what they wanted most in their fraternities. Most frequent answer was, "a good chef." Second in frequency was, "access to the exam files."
AT DUCK'S
Choice Of SEA FOODS FRIED CHICKEN or STEAKS
DUCK'S TAVERN Open From 11 a.m. To Midnight 824 Vermont
Royal College Shop
837-839 Massachusetts
1. 已知函数 $f(x)$ 在 $R$ 上单调递增，且 $f(2) = 3$，求 $f(x)$ 的最小值为多少？