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University Daily Kansan Tuesday. March 31.1964
American Values:
Cases in Point
Do Americans tend to stress the relatively unimportant and temporary aspects of life? As a result, do we neglect the more worthwhile and valuable things in life?
The critics of the American value system, who answer these two questions with an emphatic "yes," just may be right.
This writer is aware of two cases, both of which involve KU students that might support the above statement. They are similar in some respects, but far different in one highly important area, the final outcome.
The cases may serve as a limited example of what our critics allege is an over-emphasis on athletics, with a resultant harm to academic and cultural programs on college and university campuses.
MOST OF YOU readers are acquainted with the case of KU's highly-publicized woman fencer, Claudia Reeder. Miss Reeder was the only woman asked to join a U.S. fencing team on a trip to a tournament in Budapest, Hungary.
But she had a problem. She lacked the necessary money, around $900, to finance her trip.
The story of her situation hit the papers. The Daily Kansan, the Lawrence Journal-World, the Kansas City Star and other area papers picked up the story and gave it prominent display.
Money from sympathetic and evidently well-to-do readers began pouring in. The Endowment Association agreed to handle all the contributions.
WITHIN SEVERAL WEEKS' time the $900 was raised through donations from individuals and various civic organizations.
Miss Reeder was able to make the trip and, although she was defeated in the first round of the tournament, she represented KU and the U.S. well.
A nasty cynic might say that she received all that support just because the whole thing enhanced KU's prestige.
However, I think this, at best, could be only a partial explanation for the tremendous response which made it possible for a talented girl to represent our country abroad.
Now ccompare Miss Reeder's case to that of another KU student. (The student's name will not be used, but this writer wishes to point out that there must be a number of students in similar situations.)
The student, a girl, wishes to participate in "Cross-Roads Africa," a privately-sponsored cultural exchange program this summer. The program is not one of idle touring and gawking at the natives, but resembles the Peace Corps in nature.
The students, both African and American, spend the summer participating in a series of panel discussions, exchanging information and views. In addition, they help in work projects, such as the construction of much-needed schools and hospitals for the African people.
THE PLAN sounds like one that will benefit all concerned and will further the understanding between the African and American people. A worthwhile goal in almost everyone's eyes.
Her problem. She also lacks the money to finance the trip and meet her expenses, which would amount to a little over $1,000.
Administration officials and the deans of several schools, who recently toured Africa extensively, listened sympathetically to her problem, but so far have been unable to direct her to any sources who could help her. There just does not seem to be money available, from private contributors, civic clubs, or cultural institutions, for a project such as this one.
THESE TWO cases point out what seems, to me at least, to be a distressing aspect of our value system.
Have we really reached a point where athletic contests have become more important than the opportunities for increasing inter-cultural understanding and the strengthening of the ties of world brotherhood?
If these two cases are in any way indicative, it would appear that way.
I hope I'm wrong.
1964 HERBLOCK
“And So, The Curtain Falls ——— 1 Said, ‘And
So, The Curtain Falls!’ ——— ”
Dailij Hansan
111 Flint Hall
111 Flint Hall
University of Kansas student newspaper
UNiversity 4-3646, newsroom
UNiversity 4-3198, business office
9. became biweekly 1904, triweekly 1908, daily Jan. 16, 1912.
Founded 1889, became biweekly 1904, triweekly 1908, daily Jan. 16, 1912.
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. Second class postage paid at Lawrence, Kansas.
NEWS DEPARTMENT
Managing Editor
EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
Tom Coffman ... Editorial Editor
BUSINESS DEPARTMENT
Bob Brooks ... Business Manager
Holy Week Didn't Change Tone of News—
By Mike Miller
Last Week was Holy Week.
Holy Week is the most solemn week in the Christian year.
Holy Week, 1964, was marked by natural disaster, bloodshed and verbal battles throughout the world.
On an Easter weekend when most Americans' thoughts were turned from the miseries of today's world, an earthquake ripped through Alaska. Its after-effects spread down the Pacific coastline to California, leaving at least 66 persons dead and damaging an estimated 850 million dollars in property.
The quake, which released 10 million times more energy than the atomic bomb which destroyed Hiroshima in 1945, buckled streets, collapsed buildings and cut off public utilities with yawning fissures in the earth's surface.
About four inches of snow and temperatures below freezing added to the misery. Giant sea waves from the quake smashed into smaller towns rimming the Gulf of Alaska. In their wake, as the waves progressed down the Pacific coast from Canada to California, was a trail of devastation. At least 10 persons died and 50 are missing in Crescent City, Calif., more than 2,000 miles from the quake.
Although the death toll is not expected to reach into the hundreds as originally predicted, the downtown section of Anchorage, Alaska's largest city with a metropolitan population of about 60,000, was virtually destroyed. William J. Tobin, managing editor of the Anchorage Daily Times, said the disaster was almost too great to comprehend.
Rights Bill in Senate
On the East coast of the United States, things were almost as explosive, if not as destructive. The Senate broke a 15-day deadlock and voted to take up formal consideration on the House-passed civil rights bill. Southern opposition finally allowed the vote to come on the motion made by Democratic leader, Mike Mansfield of Montana. It passed 67-17.
Ironically, the vote cleared the way for a motion by Sen. Wayne Morse of Oregon to send the bill to the Senate Judiciary Committee, headed by Southern camp member Sen. James O. Eastland of Mississippi, for 10 days of study. The southern forces lost another battle when Morse's motion was defeated by a 50-34 vote. The action set up the bill for debate this week.
Another southern senator made big news last week, but not in the area of civil rights. Sen. J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called on the Johnson administration to abandon "old myths" and face up to "the new realities of our time." He advocated a candid re-evaluation of the U.S. policy toward Cuba and said the crisis with Panama over the Canal Zone has been unnecessarily protracted for reasons of domestic politics and national pride and sensitivity on both sides.
Fulbright Attacks Foreign Policy
Fulbright's attack on the administration was doubly interesting because of the high favor he holds
in the eyes of President Johnson and because he has been frequently mentioned as a candidate for secretary of state if Dean Rusk should resign.
Judging by the newspaper columns, Fulbright's speech before Congress managed to upset almost everyone—Republicans and Democrats alike. Sen. George Smathers of Florida, another member of the foreign relations committee, branded Fulbright's stand on Cuba as "monumentally naive and unrealistic."
Secretary of State Dean Rusk also took offense at Fulbright's stab at the U.S. foreign policy. Asked at a news conference about Fulbright's declaration that Castro is not a grave threat to the country and that the U.S. economic boycott of the island is a flop, Rusk said, "Castro is more than a nuisance. He is a threat to this hemisphere." Rusk did admit that Fulbright's speech was "thoughtful and thought-provoking," however.
Rep. William E. Miller, Republican national chairman, said Fulbright is promoting appeasement and compared his course to that of Neville Chamberlain in the 1930's.
Rockefeller Chances Further Dimmed
In the battle for the Republican presidential nomination, Gov. Nelson Rockefeller received two setbacks this week, both in his home state of New York. The New York World-Telegram and Sun reported that top New York state Republican party chiefs have "virtually given up" on Rockefeller and will refuse to support him publicly in the New York primary, June 2.
In the New York Legislature, Rockefeller suffered serious defeats on two major issues.
In a Gallup poll released Sunday, Sen. Barry Goldwater emerged as the solid favorite of Republican county chairmen. He received nearly half of all votes cast by the party "pros." He was followed by Nixon, Lodge, Scranton and Rockefeller.
Meanwhile, Lodge forces were trying to convince party leaders that the U.S. ambassador to Viet Nam is an authentic candidate. The supporters have announced there now are draft-Lodge organizations in 34 states.
While the Republicans are trying to find a presidential candidate, the Democrats are thinking about a running mate for President Johnson in November. Some are suggesting that Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara would be a good candidate, although he is believed to be a Republican.
***
President Johnson last week received cheers from the United Auto Workers convention in his appeal for "warm-hearted war" on the home front for the welfare of the American people. He promised the convention to pass the civil rights and medical aid bills.
In another speech, the President said a general war would be impossible in this nuclear age and that the nations must follow "reasoned agreement instead of ready aggression" in dealing with global problems.
Fliers Released
In foreign relations last week, the Russians released two U.S. airmen whose reconnaissance plane was shot down by a Soviet fighter
over East Germany earlier this month. Communist East Germany asserted that the airmen were "expelled" after the United States gave assurances that strict orders had been issued to prevent a recurrence of air violations. A charge that the plane was spying was repeated by the Soviets and denied by the United States.
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With the approval of the Greek, Turkish and British governments, Secretary General U Thant of the United Nations appointed former Finnish premier Sakari S. Tuomioja, U.N. mediator for the Cyprus dispute.
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