Ise Slaps Schools, Students, Salaries
By Thomas Hough
John Ise—you know who he is—said last night that he "gets the impression that our schools are really useless or a vicious influence in our society."
Prof. Ise was speaking to a dinner meeting of the American Assn. of University Professors in the Kansas Union.
Setting aside his habitually present pipe for the moment. Prof. Ise thundered away at salaries, retirement pay, curriculum, school boards, and many other subjects
The outspoken liberal said the trouble with education is widely proclaimed as "not enough mathematics and science and English composition and foreign languages, not enough studying and too much athletics, social activities, necking and scheming for matrimony. . ."
He paused to take a breath, then continued:
"... too stiff Russian competition, too much or too little vocational work, too little reading of great books, too little reading of any sort of books, too much going to conventions, too much preparation for juvenile delinquency, and Johnny can't read."
Professor Emeritus Defined The widely known and quoted economist, a youthful 74 years
of age, explained that he had agreed to speak because he was a professor emeritus.
"That means that I have merit, but not enough to teach. I am like the dog that became so accustomed to having tins cans tied to his tail that when he saw a tin can, he backed up to it."
He said that high school education is of interest to colleges.
High School Students Defined
"Most of us have had occasion to note what a motley rabble of ill-trained bumpkins they send us, with—thank God—a sprinkling of able and ambitious students who haven’t been ruined. . . ."
Prot. Ise said many high school teachers are doing a good job, but that many of them do not know enough in their field. He said this was because there were too many courses and not enough training in their major courses.
Pedagogue Defined
"These pedagogues (professors who are always adding courses to the college curriculum) are not an evil influence in all ways. They have sadly diluted the curriculums, but most of them are socially intelligent men, often standing with the angels on critical issues." But curricular obesity or shall
characterizes nearly all departments in colleges, universities, and high schools," he said.
"But curricular obesity, we call it curricular elephantiasis,
John Ise
"If we are going to get salaries up where they belong and invigorate our work, we will have to stop dissinating our money and
energies in frills and worse-than-useless extravagancies."
"I firmly believe that the University could improve its standards, raise salaries, reduce teaching loads, and reduce the amount of needed building space by cutting the number of courses about 30 per cent." he continued.
How To Train Teachers
The salty sage then criticized Kansas high school courses and the training of the high school teachers.
How to Teach Teachers
"Less methods seems the least evil of all possible alternatives. I cling to the Paleolithic notion anyhow—that a very good way to develop teachers is to fill them so full of knowledge of their subjects that they must teach or burst."
Prof. Ise said that high school teachers should be intellectually free and not bound in a moral strait jacket of their community.
He said that present high school teachers "must be—and usually are—judicious, tactful, evasive, furtive, timorous, and scared as rabbits."
"It was reminiscent of Mark Twain's statement that 'First God created idiots. That was for practice. He then created school boards!"
Prof. Ise then quoted one of his favorite authors;
Mark Twain Quoted
Prof. Ise referred to high school superintendents.
Superintendents vs. Slave Holders
"Of course most superintendents are gentlemen-I have the strong impression that Lawrence now has such a one-gentlemen who rule with every possible consideration for the teachers.
"Some slave holders were gentlemen too, but that did not altogether redeem the degradation of slavery. Teachers are people, generally fine and intelligent people, entitled to respect."
Prof. Ise said that every teacher has the right to professional status, adequate time and means, fair treatment, good leadership, and security.
"Teachers should be permitted to live normal lives, or else the preachers should do the teaching."
preachers should do the teaching.' He complained that teachers' low salaries are serious but low retirement pay is worse.
"At K.U., years ago, the Board of Regents, embarrassed by the sight of professor emeriti selling shoe strings on Massachusetts Street, provided a system of retirement allowances which was probably illegal but kept the old derelicts off the streets."
Individual Key In New Party
Jack Salmon, Elkhart junior and a spokesman for the newlyformed independent party, said today that the party is not trying to start a Greek-independent war.
"It (Independent party) will, however, split the campus into two distinct political parties. This is what we want," Salmon said.
But he added that the new party's chief interest is good student government.
"This party is not interested so much in house membership as we are in the individual. We do have a couple of Greeks in the party now. We will welcome any more that would like to join," Salmon said.
The party organizers met last night and elected officers for the year. They are:
President—Larry Blickhan, Prairie Village senior. Vice president—Larry Ehrlich, Russell junior. Secretary—Susan Plagens, Wichita freshman. Treasurer—Larry E. Jones, St. John senior.
Journalist Says U.S. Press Lacking
A Yugoslavian journalist said yesterday in an interview that American journalists are hampered in their reporting of international affairs because they "lack a broad knowledge of foreign customs, traditions and history."
Dusan J. Arezina, journalist, secretariat for information of the federal executive council of Yugoslavia, Belgrade, is studying American news dissemination at the national, state and municipal levels.
He is now observing various journalism schools throughout the nation. He said:
Schools Lack Balance
"Some of the schools I have visited seem more practical in their approach to journalism than others. Other schools do not seem to have enough balance in their programs. They tend to specialize too high."
Mr. Arezina said that he approved, however, of the general emphasis given in American journalism schools to political science, science, economics and other related courses.
American schools concentrate on the subjects necessary to a well educated journalist with one exception, he said. "The customs and history of different peoples are not taught enough. These subjects are necessary to acquaint the journalist with the background needed to more easily understand people.
Not Enough History
Some of the universities Mr. Arezina has visited are Syracuse University, Northwestern University, University of Washington, University of California at Los Angeles, University of Southern California, Princeton and Columbia.
"Everything is black or white to the American journalist. He tends to judge foreign crises by the values he has established in the United States. These values can cause the American journalist to make errors in judgment," he said.
"What should be classified and what should not in regard to government functions is a world problem. But news dissemination by the United States government is highly developed and efficient. The journalists who work on government jobs are qualified and professional."
impression with efficiency
Mr. green said that he is impressed with the efficiency of government news dissemination. "He said:
Impressed With Efficiency
"The United States government is well organized to supply the press, radio and TV with news.
Mr. Arezina said that he found similar organization for releasing news at the state and municipal levels.
"The same principal exists at these levels as at the federal level. There is not a central office controlling news. I sometimes did find the need for coordination," he said.
57th Year, No. 57
LAWRENCE, KANSAS
Vox Says It Is Ready For Political Warfare
The president of Vox Populi told his party last night that he was "ready for all-out political warfare" to meet the threat of the embryonic Independent Student Movement (ISM).
During a meeting of the Vox general assembly, George Schulter, Prairie Village senior and president of Vox, said:
"We don't want to punch people in the nose or set off bombs but we should be ready for all-out political warfare. We don't know exactly what we are fighting other than that they are planning to exclude the Greeks.
ISM Bars Good Government "My feeling is that they (ISM) will bar good government and mutual understanding between living groups."
Many of the 24 representatives of living groups present agreed with Schulter and pointed out that a political group for only one student faction would tend to break down coordination and cooperation between the Greeks and Independents. "The party will tend to split the Greeks and Independents apart. For this reason I'm not in favor of an Independent party," one representative said.
ISM A 'Social Kick'
The representative explained to the assembly that he felt that it wasn't a function of a political party to attempt to try and encompass all facets of sudent political and social life.
A Vox representative of an independent living group said:
"It seems to me that the ISM is on a social kick and is not concerned about student government. This (social inequality) is an old cry of the independents."
Schulter summed up the feelings of the assembly by pointing out that student government at KU is looked up to in the Big 8.
Friday, Dec. 11, 1959
Cooperation Established
"We have established a mutual cooperation between the Greek-Independent student. We should be concerned in preserving this," he said.
Committee members reported that they had found only isolated instances of attempts of the ISM to organize their living groups.
"While it is true they are not a recognized political party they are a potential foe and we should recognize them as such." They have a direct appeal to men in the new dorms and they have men who want to work." Schulter cautioned.
ISM Must Solicit
Schulter said that the ISM would have to solicit about 850 names (ten per cent of the student body) in order to be recognized as a political party. He said that gaining the signatures is a hard job.
"We can't be lulled into a sense of complacency that's not an impossible job." one member asserted.
The assembly agreed and recognized that the ISM has "a power and force behind it and is driving hard."
Schluter denied charges made by Dan E. Turner, Newton senior and an organizer of the ISM. Turner charged that Vox has "persisted in representing the minority—the fraternal organizations on the hill."
Schluter said:
"We have run Greeks and Independents for the ASC. According to the ASC regulations representation is proportional to the vote turned out by different living districts.
"If an unorganized group wants to be represented by Vox Populi they have to obtain 60 signatures and send a representative before the assembly.
"If the group seems sincere in its desire to become active in the party, their representative will then have a seat on the general assembly. Candidates from that group for ASC positions will then be reviewed like any other candidate."
He said that from there on it was up to the voters to decide whether independents or Greeks sit on the ASC.
Confusion Apparent
Schluter told the assembly that he couldn't figure out what the ISM was after in the way of representation.
"Dan Turner said in the article (Wednesday's Kansan) that 'there will be no greeks in our internal
"People who vote get represented," he said.
"This shows that the party really doesn't know what it is trying to accomplish." Schluter said.
organization.' A paragraph later he said 'Our aims are to represent the members of the student body whether Greek or independent.'
Amazed At Accusations
Schluter expressed amazement at charges made by Lawrence W. Blickhan, one of the organizers of ISM.
Blickhan charged that Vox was "unprogressive and stagnant" and that such campaign promises as lower parking fines, longer library hours, and curriculum committees never materialized.
"I can't understand this. He's been on the council (ASC). The traffic office said reduction of fines wasn't possible and the fines couldn't be lowered without going to the Kansas Board of Regents.
"The director of the Library said that the library couldn't be kept open longer due to a lack of funds. They simply don't have enough money in the budget to do so.
"As for the curriculum committees, they are in the pilot stage. It's up to the ASC in conjunction with the faculty and schools to determine if they have been effective.
"I just can't see what Blickhan was driving at. He was on the council and knows what has been done," Schluter said.
Unemployment Up By One Million
WASHINGTON — (UPI)— The government reported today that the number of Americans holding jobs dropped by 1,191,000 last month, partly due to layoffs in autos and other industries hit by strike-induced steel shortages.
However, under the government's formula, the number of persons actually counted as unemployed increased by only 398,000- or 300,000 less than normal for November. Total unemployment stood at 3,670.-600 and the number of employed persons at 65,640,000.