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University Daily Kansan Monday, March 29, 1965
Party Platforms
A University Daily Kansan headline last week read "Rights Stressed in Party Stands." The story below the headline pertained to the platforms and candidates for the spring election.
Well, if student rights were stressed in the two platforms of the political parties, they were stressed in the vague and noncontroversial manner which is in keeping with the tradition of political platforms.
One of the more significant issues on campus is the status of fraternities and sororities, and racial discrimination within these institutions. This issue was neatly side-stepped by the politicians who seem unwilling to assume any leadership in this area.
THE UNIVERSITY PARTY PLATFORM comes out for "student rights," but there is no mention of the civil rights issue or racial discrimination. There does seem to be some effort on the part of UP to deal with the much-criticized (and rightly so) University Disciplinary Committee. One section of the platform would provide the right of counsel, the right of cross-examination, and the right of appeal to the Student Court for students charged with violating prescribed procedures of conduct.
THE VOX POPULI PLATFORM SUFFERS from the same weakness. There is, at least, direct mention of civil rights in the platform, which illustrates some awareness of the problem. But this is nothing more than a "rubber stamp okay" on the steps the administration has taken. Vox very boldly pledges its "unconditional support of the University Human Relations Committee," recognizing this committee as the "only possible common meeting ground for all groups to air their grievances."
The UP platform is good in this respect, but the politicians could have "stuck their necks" out a little farther and tried to deal with more specific problems, instead of evading some of the issues.
It looks like the Vox platform plank dealing with civil rights was thrown together over a casual cup of coffee at the Holiday Inn, if that is where they still congregate. Vox advocates such noble proposals as;
- "Vox Populi will encourage all students
- "Vox Populi will further work to see that action is taken to investigate the discriminatory practices of the community as well as the university."
who feel they have been discriminated against to take their complaints before this committee.
ALL THIS SOUNDS REAL GOOD—that is about all one can say for such statements which no one can really disagree with. Yes, Vox, we are all for motherhood, the flag, and apple (or blueberry) pie.
Actually both UP and Vox platforms may contain some proposals which should be commended. However, these proposals will probably take years to accomplish, if at all, or they are of little interest to the average student. But I guess they sound good for party platforms.
It is a sad commentary on student politicians when they praise the actions of the administration and the Civil Rights Council for taking action on specific issues, and yet they fail to have the courage to assume leadership and initiate significant programs when they have the opportunity.
If the student voter is supposed to vote on issues in the spring election,why not give him some strong issues on which he can vote.The politicians have given us no burning issues to vote on this spring,and I do not think this is because there are no burning issues.
THE ISSUE WHICH HAD THIS CAMPUS in the spotlight a few weeks ago is still with us, and it will not disappear by ignoring it. Both political parties realized this when they were drawing up their platforms. One party politely skipped around the issue, and the other party made a complete farce of it.
It seems that the main interest of both parties is to avoid controversy so as to not upset the equilibrium of political representation on the All Student Council.
Maybe it is time for a third party to stand up and speak out forcefully on the issues. This might stir the present parties out of the apathy which seems to prevail. If student government doesn't mean anything, as most students think today, it is because student government lacks leadership and inspiration. The popularity contest held each semester is getting to be a little dull.
Gary Noland
Viet Nam War Enters New Phase
By Charles Corddry
The war in Viet Nam has entered a new and possibly climactic phase.
Its original dimensions as a guerrilla war staged by the Viet Cong and an anti-guerrilla campaign fought by U.S.-aided government forces are expanding almost geometrically.
North Viet Nam is charged in a U.S. white paper with aggression against the south "as real as that of an invading army."
U. S. Marine battalions have been landed in South Viet Nam. U.S. Air Force and Navy planes have been waging a bombing campaign against guerrilla forces in the south and selected targets in the north.
American involvement now has gone far beyond this country's original goal of simply arming and training South Vietnamese forces to put down Red insurgency.
There are now 27,000 Americans involved in the war. Well over half are U.S. army troops assigned to train South Vietnamese forces both in counter insurgency and more conventional tactics involved in brush-fire wars.
It is likely that more ground units will be sent to Viet Nam. And U.S. navy patrols may be ordered into action against sea-borne infiltrations of men and weapons from north to South Viet Nam.
All this is a far cry from Oct. 2, 1963, when the White House issued a statement saying that Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara and Gen. Maxwell D. Taylor, then chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and now ambassador to Saigon, believed "the major part of the United States military task in Viet Nam can be completed by the end of 1965." It said there might be a continuing need for U.S. training personnel but that this would be limited.
cy. But the fact remains that it was not the original U.S.intention to commit organized military units to the struggle.
The reverse has happened. There were 16,000 Americans in Viet Nam at the time. Now an additional 11,-000 have been sent in with the end not yet in sight.
When U.S. jets were thrown into the fight, Washington said the decision represented a change in tactics and equipment but not in poli-
Plainly, this now has been done, using lethal aerial weapons whose effectiveness in this kind of war is still to be fully measured.
THE WASHINGTON POST
Jericho, U.S.A.
Dating Problems
P-t-P, Foreign Students
The purpose of this article is simple and yet vital. My purpose is to underscore the role the People-to-People organization plays on campus, stressing mainly its relationship with foreign students. I do not however, mean to say that P-t-P is only for foreign students. In fact, among its aims is the propagation of acquaintance between American students and foreign students. I use here the term foreign students merely to make a distinction between students from the United States and those coming from foreign countries. I do not imply here any of the connotations carried by the word, "foreign," at all.
FOREIGN STUDENTS HAVE BEEN CONSCIOUS of the existence of P-t-P on campus through its tours, parties, vacation placements, and meetings. However, it is disappointing to say, few have understood the true nature of P-t-P. Indeed, I understand why. Being a foreign student myself, I took the same point of view many foreign students take, only to be enlightened lately of its real nature. I wish, therefore, to pass this enlightenment on to my fellow foreign students.
Some foreign students want to meet people. This is an understatement. What's more lovely than meeting people of the opposite sex? To put it bluntly, foreign students, being as human as normal American students, would naturally want to meet members of the opposite sex. This endeavor is not as easy as it seems to be. The competition is stiff and American students who have had a lot of training on the "How's and When's of Dating" provide this competition. A foreign student, therefore, steps aside and tries to master the art before he gets into the arena. Friends, sometimes, come in handy and pointers come in, in bunches. But the real test of the pudding is in the eating. More often than not, the foreign student finds out that generalities do not stand. Consequently, he realizes that his training is insufficient and his knowledge, short.
The situation existing in this club, where the ratio of boys to girls is usually 4 to 1, is understandable. It boils down to the social customs of this country. Knowing vaguely American dating practices, no one would go to a party stag and let the party decide his or her fate for the evening. This is aggravated by the fact that the ratio of male to female foreign students is 5 to 1. In this case, the International Club fails him, the P-t-P presents tempting, greener grass.
MOREOVER, HE NEEDS ADEQUATE ACQUAINTANCEfacilitating means. Organizations that would give him this opportunity to meet people are sought for. He turns therefore to the International Club or to the P-t-P. To his disappointment and sometimes disgust, there are not enough chances given him at the International Club. In other words, the International Club's pastures are not green enough. I do not mean to blame here the officers of the International Club. I know that they have done their job and did and are doing their level best.
I I
THE BROTHER-SISTER PROGRAM OR LATELY, the "Contact committee" is not bad at all. Imagine, one boy one girl, just what one needs! English in Action with a curvaceous blonde for an English tutor is not a bad idea. He, therefore, looks forward to a kissing cousin in one of these programs. Also, P-t-P sponsors "Happy Hours" which were discontinued this year because they turned out to be more unhappy than happy, again due to the conflicting perspectives participants take. There is only one point that I want to make clear at this junction. The P-t-P can only provide means and ways by and through which foreign students and American students can meet and share the bliss of some moments.
THE P-T-P IS NOT A "DATING BUREAU" that can supervise the activities of its members and foreign students with paternal intents. It can only acquaint the latter with American society but it cannot, with its powers and set-up, assure a harmonious romantic relationship for every foreign student. This is beyond its capacity. It can only help establish a friendly relationship. Anything that goes beyond that is already out of its reach. As a trite expression goes, "every person is an individual" and I add, it depends on each person what he chooses to make out of an acquaintance which P-t-P or any organization helps to establish. To think, therefore, that P-t-P can be an Ann Landers to every foreign student is childish. Heart problems are personal in nature and the organization cannot, even if it dares to, delve deeper into them.
LASTLY, A PIECE OF ADVICE FROM A BATTLE weary foreign student is in order. It takes what Americans call "guts" to meet a girl and it takes more than that to ask a girl out. An individual's personality steps in most of the time. The P-t-P cannot give anyone a push or boost anyone's ego so he could take a girl out. To be redundant, hopefully, be emphatic, it can only provide the rendezvous. The individual takes over from here. Any ulterior motives one has is not the organization's concern.
—Jose T. Ocampo
Dailij Hänsan
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EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
Leta Roth and Gary Noland ... Co-Editorial Editors