PAGE SIX
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
MARCH 5,1947
Kansan Comments
Race Prejudice
The "Big Six" is no more.
With the University of Colorado already admitted to the conference, and the request of Oklahoma A. and M. college to be considered, the association will change its name to "Midwest Conference." Its former name officially was the "Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association."
The reorganization could be a turning point in the question of whether racial discrimination is permitted in athletics.
It would be silly to ask schools favoring racial equality to work out two separate plans of play in order to offer Missouri and Oklahoma all-white opposition. No team is going to try to be less efficient than possible.
Athletic department heads at the University of Kansas have declared their policy of accepting players who qualify in try-outs, regardless of the color of their skin. Apparently the joker in that rule has been that playing combinations worked out with Negroes would have to be revised when competing with the universities of Oklahoma or Missouri.
These schools could enforce that clause in their home games at least; and with their openly-declared attitude it is possible that they might refuse to compete with Negroes on other courts or fields.
But why should two members out of six, or out of the present seven, determine policy for the whole group?
Oklahoma practices state - wide segregation of races, and it is doubtful if the Aggie college could or would reject that in the matter of intercollegiate athletics. By denying her admittance to the conference, the percentage favoring segregation would be only 28.
If Oklahoma A. and M. is admitted, the percentage on her side would be 37. It was only 33 under the old structure.
Now is the time to decide whether the racial equality laws are to work in practice, or whether they are only a theory to which lip service is given.
--strict co-operative consumers' organizations and to subject them to income tax. Passing that bill will be putting the first slash in the tree of the sturdy co-operative movements. Then business interests can keep hacking away, a slash now and then, until the tree is in danger of falling.
Cutting Trees
Once there was a little boy who had a big tree house in his back yard. He asked all the other little boys to come over and play in it, but he charged them a dime each time they climbed up the ladder.
The other little boys paid this for awhile. But it took so much of their allowance that they all got together and chipped in a dime to build their own tree house. Then any little boy who wanted could chip in one dime at the start and play as often as he liked. Nobody had to put in a dime every time he played.
This made the first little boy very angry. Nobody was playing with him any more, and nobody was giving him dimes. So one night he took a big ax, stole over, and put a slash in the other little boys' tree.
It was a big, sturdy tree and he knew he couldn't cut it all down in one night. But every night he could put one slash in it, and if he kept at that long enough the tree would fall. Then he would have no competition.
Silly? Not at all. That's exactly what our Kansas legislature will do if it passes the proposed bill to restrict co-operative consumers' organizations and to subject them to income tax. Passing that bill will be putting the first slash in the tree of the sturdy co-operative movements. Then business interests can keep hacking away, a slash now and then, until the tree is in danger of falling.
-Phyllis Hodgkins
Dear Editor---
Dorm Council Active
The College freshman whose letter was published in the Feb. 28 Daily Kansan is evidently laboring under several mistakes ideas.
He first states that the SSO seat on the ASC was defeated by the PSGL. This is obviously impossible, since there were a good many more votes cast approving the amendment to deny SSO a seat than there were PSGL or Independent representatives present.
The truth, as he so glibly states it, about SSO applying for membership in the IDC is less than a half-truth. The IDC was organized last spring, with the approval of Irvin Youngberg and Willis Tompkins, to represent the residents of University-sponsored men's dormitories The IDC constitution states that no such dormitory shall be denied admittance to the IDC.
When SSO applied for admittance, it was denied for two reasons: First, the SSO is not a dormitory; and second, Sunflower barracks was soon to be discontinued, and the IDC would have to be reorganized completely in a month if the SSO was given membership.
However, it was expressly understood that as soon as the men at Sunflower moved into McCook and Oread halls, we not only would admit them, we very definitely desired their membership. It was not the fear of losing the seat on the ASC that recently prompted the IDC to renew its efforts to recruit the membership of Oread and McCook halls. It was rather the news that there was a misunderstanding between these dorms and the IDC.
The reference to the "dormant" IDC is misleading also. If "dormant" is interpreted to mean that it has sponsored no dances, or that it has been above petty campus politics, the IDC is dormant indeed. However, the IDC has solved a great many of the dormitories' problems that it was designed to handle (more efficient mail delivery, adequate parking space, etc.)
On a basis of numbers, an "Organization for KU students that at some time lived in Kansas City" would have a better right to a seat on the ASC than either the IDC or the SSO, but it is doubtful if the percentage of them with common problems and interests would justify either such an organization or a seat on the council.
The 525 members of the SSO are not fictitious, but their common interests certainly are. The SSO claims to represent Sunflower Village, but such representation is less than 10 per cent of the students living out there. The 300 members of the SSO living in private homes in Lawrence certainly do not have the same housing problems as those living in McCook and Oread. Any common interests between these groups could be taken care of far more adequately through the ISA.
Duane Postlethwaite College Junior
Russian Club Elects
Mrs. Adelaide Marquand was elected president of the Russian Club yesterday. Other officers are Evalyn Honomich, vice-president, and Daniel Kirkhuff, secretary. Thirteen members were present.
Cities, Counties Are Merging Functions
Chicago.—(UP)—Ways to streamline government by merging city and county functions are being studied in an increasing number of localities, the American Municipal association reports.
Miami, Fla., city commissioners have adopted a resolution asking the state legislature to take steps to consolidate the city of Miami and Dade county under a single government.
City officials in Milwaukee, Wis. Atlanta, Ga., and many other cities are calling for consolidation, not only to increase efficiency of government services, but to annex adjacent and unincorporated territory, and thus equalize tax burdens.
The Milwaukee common council has referred three consolidation proposals to the city attorney's office for study. Atlanta commissioners, meanwhile, are studying plans for similar city-county consolidation as a means of providing better and cheaper police, utilities and public works services.
Ogden, Utah, officials and business men also are studying advisability of a single government for Ogden and Weber county. Similar action is under study in Birmingham, Ala., where a survey has disclosed that in one county, 28 units of government operate almost independently.
Always Independent
It was with sincere regret that we read Mr. Robert Campbell's letter last Friday accusing the Pachacamac party of "outright falsehood" and "boldfaced lies." It has long been our belief that political "mud-slinging" is perhaps the greatest single factor in weakening the strength of student government, and the respect in which it is held.
We would like to suggest that Mr. Campbell based his letter on inadequate research rather than on any petty political motives. It is our feeling that the entire misunderstanding could have been avoided, if Mr. Campbell had made some attempt to contact party officers or anyone else acquainted with the facts of the case.
The Pachacamac party has always been, and will continue to be, open to all independent men. At the present time, the party is engaged in a strenuous drive for new independent members.
Donald Ong,
College Senior
The University Daily Kansan
Member of the Kansas Press Assm. Na-
rkansas Assm., and the Associated Collegiate
Press. Represented by the National Ad-
vertising Service City Avenue, New
York City
Student Newspaper of the UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Managing Editor ... Billie M. Hamilton
Editor in Chief ... Alamanda Boliller
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Man. Editor ... Reverdy T. Smith
City Editor ... William T. Smith Jr.
Assistant City Editor ... John Finch
Telegraph Editor ... Michael Jewett
Telegraph Editor .. Wendel E. Young
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The Kansas Press Association
1947
Member
National Editorial Association
A FREE PRESS—YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW
Budget Committee Wonders If . . .
One Head As Good As Four
With three of the four members absent, the University budget committee Monday began a six-week session with school and department heads to determine budgets for the 1947-48 academic year.
The only member of the four-man committee able to attend Monday's conferences was E. B. Stouffer, dean of the University, who is chairman of the committee. He was assisted in the emergency by Chancellor Deane W. Malott.
Two of the missing members remained home with slight illness. They were Raymond Nichols, executive secretary and also secretary of the committee, and J. H. Nelson, dean of the Graduate school.
The third member to be absent was Paul B. Lawson, dean of the College, who is in Boston this week on business.
Each faculty head who has a budget to submit will meet with the budget committee sometime during March or April.
THE TIME—7 p.m. tonight
THE PLACE—Room 9, Frank Strong Hall
THE EVENT—Election of Party Officers
AGENDA (1) Minutes of last meeting; (2) Election of officers-president, three vice presidents, secre tary, treasurer, campaign manager; (3) Committee reports; (4) New business.
EVERY PROGRESSIVE PARTY member is requested to be present in the Psychology Lecture Room. All students are invited to attend.
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