The free education
Every KU student knows that his education is free. Sure, one has to pay a certain amount of fee$, but at least tuition is not paid.
Since the education is "free" most Kansas high school graduates are expected to attend an institution of higher learning. After all $332 a year (next year's KU resident undergraduate fee) is not too much to pay for this free education.
If the student does not have the fee money, he can always borrow it. Of course, he had not better have any objections to signing loyalty oaths, such as are required for NSDA Loans.
One time-honored way for a student to solve the fee problem is to work during the summer. Then, upon his triumphant return to the university, fees and the cost of books gobble up the small pittance the student was able to make and save.
The student is then forced to work while attending the university. While the university does discourage this, it does maintain a work placement service for students.
At KU, approximately one out of four students works at some type of part-time job. They work on an average of 15 hours a week on campus. The average is higher for off-campus work. For their labor, these students earn an average of $1.15 an hour.
To become educated is the reason students attend a university. Education is a full-time job. Time spent pushing a broom at Joe's Bar or whipping up a super chocolate soda for someone, is wasted.
The important point, though, is that the student should have time to be a student, not a combination wage-earner and part-time student.
Kansas boasts that it has a free college educational system because tuition is not charged. This is hypocrisy considering the amount of fees students must pay.
Perhaps there really should be some system of free higher education. . .
By MAURY BREECHER
The great, devious light bulb conspiracy
Prof. Harry M. Buchholz, dean of the School of Buildings, Grounds and Janitorial Sciences, who recently told a UDK photographer that no one was to go climbing around on His buildings without His permission, announced Friday that over 100 Christmas light bulbs have been stolen
from the campus decorations, including 20 from the Chancellor's porch.
We'd like to know what he expected would happen, with all the noise he's made about it. Sounds about equivalent to running an ad in the paper saying, "We request that the telephone pranksters please stop calling our number, which is AD-4-1212."
KANSAN TELEPHONE NUMBERS
Newsroom—UN 4-3646 — Business Office—UN 4-3198
The Daily Kansan, student newspaper at The University of Kansas, is represented by National Advertising Service, 18 East 50 St., New York, N.Y. 10022. Students may register for classes or postage paid at Lawrence, Kan., every afternoon during the University year except Saturday and Sundays. University holidays and examination periods, accommodations, goods, services and employment advertised in the University Department are offered to all students without regard to color, creed or national origin.
The opinions expressed in the editorial column are those of the students whose names are signed to them. Guest editorial views are not necessarily the editor's. Any opinions expressed in the Daily Kansan are not necessarily those of The Universi y of Kansas Administration or the State Board of Regents.
EXECUTIVE STAFF
Managing Editor Robert Stevens
Business Manager Grant Gartin
Manager Editor Jack Harrington, Eric Morgenthaler
Jack Harrington, Eric Morgenthaler
NEWS AND BUSINESS STAFF
Assistant Managing Editors
Judy Faust, Joan McCabe,
Barbara Phillings, Shige Russell
NEWS AND BUSINESS STAFF
City Editor ... Emory Gord
Feature Editor ... Nancy Painter
Sports Editor ... Jerry Klein
Wire Editor ... Cheryl Hentsch
Photo Editor ... Bill Mauk
Asst. Photo Editor .. Earl Hachl
Advertising Manager ... Tony Chop
Nat'l. Adv Manager ... Gayle Schooler
Promotion Mgr. ... Robert R Bassow
Cireulation Mgr. ... Howard Pankratz
Classified Manager ... Joe Godfrey
Merchandising Mgr. ... Steve Straight
Official Bulletin
TODAY
GRAD. PHYSICS COLLOQUIM.
4:30 p.m. Dr. Prosser, KK 155 Malott.
Student Peace Union Open Meeting.
7:30 p.m. Kansas Union.
Senior Recital, 8 p.m. Susan Kelly,
soprano, Swarthout Recital Hall.
7:30 p.m. Polish Academy of Music.
Polish Academy of Sciences "Types
of Agriculture in East Central Europe."
Forum Room, Union.
KK Udames, 8 p.m. Watkins Room.
KU Dames, 8 p.m. Watkins Room,
Union.
TOMORROW
Christian Science Lecture, 7:30 p.m.
Herbert Reliko, Pine Room, Room I
Business Wives Annual Christmas Bazaar, 7:30 p.m. Hostess; Margaret Tarr, 524 Frontier Rd., Apt. 9a, Ridgelda Apartments.
Basketball 8:05 p.m. University of Pa-
tine Allen Field House, Freshmen at
12th Street
Experimental Theatre, 8:20 p.m.
"The Rogue's Trial."
Monday, December 12, 1966
Daily Kansan
DECLARATION!
2
The Mediocre Generation—Part II
If ours is, as we have maintained, "The Mediocre Generation," we are immediately confronted with two questions: How did we arrive at such a position? And Is there an escape from mediocrity? Any answers are not simple and we certainly cannot provide a panacea. We can, however, offer some observations and suggestions in the hope of stimulating your thought.
Our political mediocrity stems from an indifference toward freedom, which, in turn, arises from a preference for a false sense of security over a love of freedom. We humbly beg for government assistance out of expedition. And, as expedition is always defined in terms of some goal, our goal is merely a comfortable material security.
Our intellectual mediocrity, as we have indicated earlier, stems from our worship of the image of the IBM machine. Originally we modeled computers after the human mind; now we are engaged in modeling the human mind after the computer. We are trying to get away from the blurred distinctions of reality which only humans can think by attempting to put all things in the black-or-white, yes-or-no concrete terms of animals and IBM machines. We search for Truth much as these proverbial blind men sought the description of an elephant.
OUR RELIGIOUS mediocrity stems from the same preference for comfortable security. Rather than coming to grips with reality, we choose the comfortable security of indifferently holding vague and undefined notions of what we believe, and not risking any jarring confrontations with concepts which might cause us to do some serious thinking.
We then find our technological progress,coupled with its resultant glorification of comfortable security,has led us to this desolate plateau where we are afraid to think in any philosophical or
general way. It is in a barren intellectual desert that we seem destined to remain for the foreseeable future.
The road off of this plateau into the land of challenging ideas that is potentially ours lies in thinking—not the trivial cause-effect "thinking" of the lower animals and the IBM—but the deep, philosophical thinking that grapples with reality and seeks truths.
BECAUSE OF THE availability of resources for creative thinking, students must necessarily try to remain in the University. This, of course, requires that we "learn" the trivia that our technologically-oriented professors demand, in order that we might, at the appropriate times, regurgitate it in class and on tests.
But, in addition to the trivial necessities of University life, we should utilize the rest of our time here in the honest search for knowledge. We should spend as much time as possible in reading about, thinking about, writing about, and doing that which makes man potentially great. We should read the works of the Greeks, the various religious teachers throughout history, the deep and philosophical political thinkers. We should think about these, by ourselves and with others (as in those philosophical "ball sessions" which can be rewarding). Then we should apply these thoughts in a rational attempt for the greatness to which so few now aspire.
This may be one road out of today's desolate plateau of mediocrity. We can point it out; however, we can't make people take it. We can just hope that, for their own sake, for the sake of their generation, and for the sake of the world, people will begin to move. The way is there, but the rest depends upon all of us. But it particularly depends on you.
Phyrrus & Cineas
FEIFFER
"POVERTY IN AMERICA AFFECTS OUR NATIONAL SECURITY BY ITS APPALLING WASTE OF TALENT."
"THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT TODAY IS THE LARGEST SINGLE EDUCATIONAL COMPLEX THAT THE WORLD HAS EVER POSSESSED."
"WE ARE THEREFORE IN THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR GOING TO ACCEPT 40,000 MEN WHO CURRENTLY FALL INTO THE DISQUALIFICATION CATEGORY."
IT IS THE EDUCATOR'S RESPONSIBILITY TO CREATE THE MOST FAVORABLE CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH THE STUDENT HIMSELF CAN BUILD ON HIS OWN LEARNING PATTERN -
"ITS FINDINGS AND ITS PHILOSOPHY, ARE MAKING A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO THE MODERNIZATION THAT IS SWEEPING THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE AMERICAN SCHOOL SYSTEM."
©1966 NUS FORCE