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University Daily Kansan Thursday, Nov. 3, 1960
Complacency in Politics
KU returned to the two-party policital system in campus politics this year after a year of having only one political party on campus. According to all traditional values of politics this second party should greatly strengthen campus politics, but the platforms the two parties have ratified show a lack of study, drive and original thinking as far as KU's problems on campus are concerned.
THERE IS NOT ONE NEW IDEA FOR THE betterment of the student body advanced in either of the two platforms. And most of the planks the two organizations — Vox Populi and University Party are standing on are well worn with use or are simply ideas of improving existing parts of student government.
BOTH PARTIES FAVOR STAYING IN NSA but differ in how it should be operated; both favor clarification of existing administration discipline rules; both pledge an all-out effort to make a "stop-day" before final examinations permanent; and both endorse the Constitutional Amendments for separation of dormitories according to their size. Is there anything new in this to help the student?
Vox Populi, which has dominated the All Student Council during the last year presents a platform that has a tone of satisfaction. It says that student government at KU is all roses and that under Vox leadership, with no basically different approaches, students will continue to receive the representation they deserve. The University Party takes the extreme opposite stand by saying "student government has not faithfully served the needs of the students." Which of the two is the student voting in campus elections supposed to believe?
University Party (UP) believes that the Kansas Union should be investigated as to prices and
service, but this shouldn't have too great effect on too many students' lives. Vox wants to make a student employment service. This is fine but unnecessary as the University operates an efficient employment and placement service now. Publicity is the bureau's only need.
KU MUST BE A NEARLY IDEAL CAMPUS. There are no new policies or changes needed, according to Vox and UP.
What the parties might have considered are such questions as alleviating traffic congestion on campus by banning traffic on Jayhawk Boulevard. Or making a concerted effort to lower parking fines — at least to establish a ceiling.
Library hours have been extended to 11 pm. this year, but is this sufficient? Are faculty members still hoarding books for a semester at a time under their "rights"?
UP says that investigation should be made of the Kansas Union. Why can't a political party make a preliminary investigation itself and set up its platform from there? After reading the two platforms, there is only one basic plank that the two parties differ on — the NSA (National Student Assn.). Here the difference boils down to whether the question on certain subjects the NSA discusses should be brought up in committee before it reaches the ASC floor. Vox say yes, UP no.
THE POSITIONS ON·NSA WILL BE DISCUSSED in a subsequent editorial. With this exception, the campus election comes down to whether the individual voter feels that student government at KU is justly representing and acting for him. On one side Vox Populi says yes, and on the other side University Party says no. But there is no distinct choice as UP only pledges itself to be a harder working group of individuals than Vox has been in the past.
- John Peterson
UDK Neglectful
... Letters ...
The UDK continually seems to commit certain journalistic faux pas which call for comments which are often both critical and warranted. The latest of these events is the presence on the KU campus of Sen. Hiriam L. Fong, "on behalf of the Republican party," and Gov. G. Mennen Williams, "speaking . . . for the Democratic party."
Sen. Fong spoke on Tuesday, October 25, and although the UDK carried one article on Tuesday, October 18 (and possibly others
after that). Monday's paper contains not one word about this gentleman's speech the following day.
The same is true of Gov. Williams' speech. Tuesday's UDK contains a story of 50 words, including the headline. On the day preceding Gov. Williams' presence, only a notice in the "Official Bulletin" on page four of the paper tells that he will appear.
In contrast, may I point to the lengthy front page story on the Prohibitionist candidate for governor of Kansas who will appear here this Friday. The combined articles announcing the presence of a Senator of the United States
and the Governor of Michigan could not compare favorably either in length or in content with the aforementioned announcement.
This seems to be hardly satisfactory reporting or consistent journalism.
Leo M. Schell
Graduate student
LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS
Dinosaur in the Senate?
Editor:
During the heat of the presidential campaign and the state races there has been too little attention paid to a most important race—that of the senatorial campaign between our lethargic, unknown, and inept senior senator, Andrew F. Schoeppel, and Democratic national committeeman Frank Theis.
One of the most important elements of this campaign is that the victor will hold office for six years. If the people of Kansas should return Schoepel to the Senate we will be held up for that much time in furthering our industrial and agricultural development.
OH, HES OUR MOST POPULAR HISTORY TEACHER ALRIGHT, BUT I HEAR MY STUDENTS DON'T LEARN MUCH FROM HIM."
A champion of causes that are not for Kansas—Tidelands oil giveaway, the Benson farm program, economic isolation from the rest of the world—and an opponent to such measures as aid to education, civil rights, and a strengthening of the United Nations. Andrew Schoeppel will continue to cast his vote for retreat and reaction if re-elected.
We need Frank Theis to give us effective representation in the Senate in order for Kansas to expand its economy and to put an end to the decline in farm income.
Anyone who has devoted his life to the fine job of making Kansas into a two-party state deserves the support and confidence of the electorate. Frank Theis will be an improvement over our present senator.
Pat Benson
Fredonia sophomore
Margie Martin
Lawrence junior
Both Using the Same Weapon . . .
By Calder M. Pickett Acting Dean, School of Journalism THE SEA WOLF, by Jack London. Bantam Classics, 50 cents.
One of the most familiar of American novels of the 20th century is Jack London's story of the sea that is a mixture—like "The Call of the Wild"—of fast-moving adventure and philosophical discourse. Where Darwin was the guiding force behind London's story of the North, Nietzsche was the force behind this story of the sea.
NIETZSCHE—WITH A BIT OF HUMANITARIAN IDEALISM. The central character in this work is the brutal Wolf Larsen, captain of the Ghost, whose creed comes from Lucifer in Paradise Lost: "Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven."
"Better to reign in hell than serve i
Larsen is mightier than anyone else aboard his hellship, but he is done in by the forces of good. He is superman, but the weak survive. Like Ahab—and London must have leaned heavily on "Moby Dick"—Wolf dies, and the seemingly weak hero lives.
IT IS A PITY THAT PROFESSORS OF AMERICAN LITERATURE rate Jack London so low, for his combining of so many philosophical ideas, and his fast-moving stories, would be more interesting and probably more valuable to university sophomores than another shot of Dreiser. Jack London is fashionable today only in Soviet Russia. Yet in literary naturalism he probably is as important as the more highly regarded Crane or Norris.
Worth Repeating
Consider public money. Public money for what? In my opinion, we ought to stop building thruways and put the money into schools; but even this won't do any good if the schools are what James Bryant Conant and Edward Teller envisage, cold war apprenticeships. We need old-fashioned progressive schools with emotional and sexual expression, community service on real projects, etc. Paul Goodman
A proposal to eliminate material from a curriculum is apt to be met with about the same psychological resistance as a proposal to remove bodies from a graveyard.-Byron S. Hollinshead
Students who need so much help in English composition should simply not be admitted to law school.—Erwin N. Griswold
Dailu hansan UNIT DEPTT
University of Kansas student newspaper
University of Kansas student no. 1899
Founded 1889, became biweekly 1904, triweekly 1908, daily Jan. 16, 1912.
Telephone Viking 3-2700
Extension 711, news room
Extension 111, news room
Extension 736, business office
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Member Inland Daily Press Association. Associated Collegiate Press.
Represented by National Advertising Service. 18 East 50 St., New York 22,
N.Y. News service: United Press International. Mail subscription rates:
$3 a semester or $5 a year. Published in Lawrence, Kan., every afternoon
during the University year except Saturdays and Sundays, University
holidays and examination periods. Entered as second-class matter Sept.
17, 1910, at Lawrence, Kan., post office under act of March 3, 1879.
KU A1
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