Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Sept. 14, 1959, edition 1 / Page 2
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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1959 FAGS TWO THE DAILY TAR HE El. Unless (Th following editorial wis written by Curti B. Cans, 1959 graduate of th University of North Carolina and latt yaar'a Editor of Th Daily Tar Haal. Tht prtsent Editor feals this t bf an out ttanding examplt of student axprtstidn and cr tainly worthy of re-printing. It first appearH in tha 19S8 Orientation Inut.) The year starts and it is a new experience for many. For many, billed by their high schcol presi cntj or school superintendants in a somewhat less than eloquent commencement speech as America's future leaders or citizens of tomorrow, the change will be quite drastic. For most the change is pre dictable. There will be first the interminable orientation with meetings, meetings, and more meetings,' some cf which some of the new class will skip. They will hear many words about the Carolina tradition of freedom, about the Honor System, and about stu dent government and activities in general. They will be told that a proper balance between scholarship and other interests will have to be1 made. With much new found wisdom the student will go to his dormitory and get ready for the first day of classes. , Soon the student finds out that the Honor Sys tem does not work too well, and that the noise in many dormitory corridors makes study impossible and life only a little unhappy. At about this tlm they also find that one in five, if that many, pro fessors that they have for freshman courses are interesting not even stimulating. So. quite early about one-fourth of them pledge fraternities and more than half ci those are never een doing something useful for themselves between that time and graduation. Others will take out their borrows on the Tempo Room or the Rathskeller late in the evening, and others still will shortly drop out. Almost all will forget their academic load until before the quiz and then assimilate what is necess ary for quick regurgitation on tho next day. They will be attuned to assimilating fact temporarily with out placing the fat, into context. They will be at tuned not to think, and even those who came here not looking for a higher paying job. as the primary t esult of a college education, . will give up their oil early. . .' Those persistent enough to continue with in tellectual pursuit will find it difficult to find peo ple to converse with about anything save' liquor, sex, and past experiences. A feeble attempt will be made by some to participate in' activities, but for mo9t this will mean lines in a yearbook rathef than a personal contribution. . By the end of their sophomore year, those who have not received a high office will retire perma nently to the bar stool or the uncomfortable cots that grace most dormitories and fraternities. They will content themselves with the activity of a Satur ,fliy night party or the intellecual pursuit of Mickey Mantle's batting average. They will be by the end bf college little changed for the better by their four years. They will be reactors rather than thinkers. They will be waiters rather than doers. They will be part bf society at the expense of their own individuality. They will be intellectually dead. There will be several who will become "teach ers," but there will be but one or two teacher There will be a few who will become "lawyers," but there may be one lawyer. There will be many writ ers and businessmen, but few will see their Writings in print and few will rise above wanting to make the most money for themselves. There will be some scientists, but few with the prospective-tfl place the greatly growing body of knowledge into. There will be a few "leaders" and probably no leader Many will not finish school. Those that do finish will listen to a brilliant com mencement speech by a famous person and com ment on how brilliant the speech was largely be cause they know that the person must be famous for tome reason. Few will question how and why he got his fame and almost no one will carry the.word3 of the speaker into life. Embarking on the long voyage of life outside the ivory tower. "America's future leaders" will be the same generation as the last. They will plunge themselves into Spanish-American Wars, as quickly as they react "Coca-Cola" to "The Pause That Re: freshes." They will hear the word communist, social ist, radical, non-conformist, and even individualist and react negatively not knowing what they are re acting to, but blindly taking somebody else's word for it. In they the future leaders, as they have been called, lies not the hope of America but the prom ise of its annihilation in an age when annihilation can be accomplished easily. This will happen as surely as you are reading this. UNLESS ... Unless they as individuals try to find what they are and preserve the uniqueness of themselves. Unless they resist the tide that chips at and ebbs away the curiosity that should be native to students. 1 Unless they become actively critical of their so ciety and work, not just gripe, towards its improve ment. Unless they realize that reality is not a social whirl but rather is a problem worth coming to grips with and working out on a day to day basis. Unless they shake the cliches and customs that society has forced upon them and they have ac cepted a3 making it the easiest way. Unless they refuse to subvert themselves at all tiir.es to the will of the group. Unless they think. ' The wading against the stream is the most dif ficult. It demands courage and endurance. A suc cessful passage, however, has rewards that far out number any of those received going another way. The road to a personal sense of well-being lies this Way; the road to a personal Hell lies in the other direction. The alternatives are clear. It is their choice. They will probably make the wrong one. 721 f! n Command Post Davis B. Young 1959-60 Editor, Th Daily Tar Heel (As Editor of the University paper, I am taking this oppor tunity to discuss some of the ma jor problems confronting the Uni versity of North Carolina. It is Imperative that an enlightened Student population be fully cogni zant of the issues confronting this state university in tho next few years. I hope that through the presentation of the following information both new and old students will have a greater ap preciation of the ehalenge con fronting them in Chapel Hill. Th" nine points mentioned in this study will be the basis of a large portion of the editorial comment which will appear in this paper in the course of the academic The Editor.) incoming freshmen have gradu ated in the upper one half of their high school graduating class. We wonder what the other 15rr are doing here? We further wonder whether the 85 who were in the upper half of these classes were in re ality the really top students. Un fortunately a check of the re cords will reveal that a large part of the superior high school stu dents of this state (upper 10'7e) are not matriculating here. There is no distinction to be found in mediocrity. Obviously then, we see that two educational birds may be killed with one aca demic stone. Tighten the admis sion requirements, thus attract ing a higher calibre of students, and you can cut the growth at ence. A student must learn to use what he receives in class, during his time in other work at the Uni versity, and vice versa. He must be taught to make a practical application f his knowledge. Point Four. This concerns the budget. Aside from the obvious pun, a serious financial problem exists at Carolina. The State As sembly played butcher with this biennium's budget for the Con solidated University df North Car olina. Despite some last minute restorations of funds, particular ly pertaining to the faculty, we are faced with the ugly possibili ty of having to hold the status quo on a shoestring, with pro gress being next to impossible. In just another year and a half we will become involved in an- tion. We will continue to wage "The Case for a New Student Union," believing that a new modern un ion can be an integral part of the life of a large university. Point Six. We have always tak en a great pride in Chancellor Aycock's un - compromising sup port of academic freedom on this campus. This has been greatly ap preciated by both students and faculty members. It is imperative that any facul ty member discuss ideas and con cepts, whether they are foreign to our beliefs and best interests or not. The only way to under stand and improve our surround ings, to realize the significance of our heritage and to give birth to our own ideas is to be ac quainted with the culture, heri- Peter B. Young Wednesday, thanks to some skullduggery in the of student government leaders. local YMCA, it was my privilege to address 150 They tend to group cliques and freshman at the annual 'Y' orientation camp. The main room in which we met was rather size able. I estimate this room could hold perhaps as many as four thermonuclear bombs, with an ex plosive power equivalent to approximately 40,000, 000 tons of TNT. political organizations under these convenient headings. We strenuously object to this narrow mindedness on their part. It is somewhat unfortunate that the University which has long claimed to be the hot-bed If we had filled that room with four thermonukes. by, and said: OOOOH, AAAAAAAH, WHAT POTENTIAL!" But the room was not filled with thermonukes. It was filled with something vastly more impressive 150 bright American boys. My God, what potential these kids have eot! To borrow from the Bible, Student leaders brand anything they have the potential t0 move mountains, if they and anybody who is for change, only will Thy have potentiai to m0ve the earth. progress ana ami-staius quo hs change the destiny of man. Their potential, in con trast with that of the bombs, is absolutely unlimited. of liberalism has fallen into thfr everybody would have wandered position of tagging its citizens with these titles, not exactly a liberal thing to do. Currently, both campus political parties are anything but liberal. being radical They accept the title of conser vatives themselves. The true lib- No, that's not quite true. Their potential is not eral, the person who will speak unlimited. Their potential is VERY limited. very During the past few years, par- kf; i "f'M V vV. f U ticularly since our friends to the fXt .'. 'tyht&W&itM 'J ' - ' east launched the first Sputnik. .-KsU Jfil Yw fT the issue of education in Ameri- fs MPl ' " ca and the crisis therein has been I ; V -fp ft , !tVf V vVt 4 one at th rat. burning taiw f J ' MxMt&P '"5 1 of our time. j f? V VVi f J "3 Dr. James B. Conant has done t . . f l t "ffclV, V out for the basic rights of indi viduals, who believes in an ex limited by their daring (or lack thereof), very limit ed by their vision and intellectual strength (or lack a monumental two year study of secondary schools; Stringfellow Barr, Robert Goheen, Hollis Ed ens, Mason Gross and others have all spoken out as academicians, warning America that she must mend her educational ways. And here at the University of North Carolina, those of us who have been here for a few years have seen manifestations of this current crisis on our own camp us. We can think of no more fit ting time or more proper place to discuss the problems of this gTeat university than in the first issue of the year. We hasten to break precedent, the long established rule of this paper to use its first editorial page to give a warm welcome to new students, say how glad we are that old acquaintances hav? returned and to speak in mean ingless platitudes. Viewing The Daily Tar Heel as an educational enterprise, the Editor happily takes this oppor tunity to explain some of the key issues in Chapel Hill in the hope that the reader wil have a better understanding of his own needs, the needs of this University and of the State of North Carolina. There are now over 7,500 of us in our academic community. Ob viously then, the first problem is the problem of growth If this large figure scares you (and it should), imagine what this Uni versity will be like in 1970, when it will hit its expected peak of 14,000.. We question whether we must continue to yield to the pressures of legislators in Raleigh and the secondary schools of this state by admitting an ever increasing number of new students. We do not feel that Carolina should be a disposal plant for every young ster in this state who thinks he might just like to come here for awhile. The University of North Caro lina must push itself to the cen ter of the state's higher education system. There are other state col leges which can pick up the slack. We maintain that growth is fine when it can lead to a heal thier situation for this University and for the citizens of North Car olina. But, we assert that growth for the sake of growth alone is an unfortunate occurence. We do not object to a large number of people pursuing higher education on this campus. But, we do object to the atti tude that prevails here and throughout the state that UNC is obligated to educate and train for positions of leadership in the future, a great many individuals who because of their educational backgrounds or intellectual short comings are riot thusly suited. The General Assembly was most generous in granting funds for items pertaining to growth such as new dorms and cafeter ias, but gave a noticeable mone tary slap in the face to the library and faculty. This University must strive to meet the needs of those already here before making plans to increase the enrollment to grandiose proportions. . Bigness does not mean great ness. Coincidental with the problem of growth is the issue of admis sion standards. It probably comes as no great shock to you for us to assert that perhaps there are a few of you here for Orientation Week who should never have been admitted in the first place. Chancellor William B. Aycock while speaking to the annual A Iumni Associatioa banquet last spring remarked that 85 of the J V 5 v. J 1 Sri y j . innAuin'Jth; 4 : it - At r-. ...... -Rf 1 -1 A STUDY BREAK IN THE SPRING AS EXAM PRESSURE GETS GREAT the same time. In any frank discussion of the problems confronting the Univer sity of North Carolina, we must arrive at a section devoted to the creation of a proper academic at mosphere, currently missing. There is too much emphasis placed on non-scholarly pursuit. The common student (and most of us are) takes the dim view that something is the matter with peo ple who are artistically inclined. He laughs at other students who write poetry, he discourages the boy down the hall from tak ing part in dramatic presenta tions, he chides his roommate for spending too many hours in the library and not enough at the fra ternity house, he thinks his lan guage instructor is an oddball be cause he once spent a year in France on a Fullbright Scholar ship ect., ad infinitum. He admires brawn, alchoholic capacity and longs for his sopho more year whon he can have a car. Obviously this student is not making the proper contribution to the campus at large. Any academic achievements he makes (if he makes any at all) are completely overshadowed by these immature attitudes which have been known to prevail here. Any student can be a well rounded nobody, but true aca demic prowess is demanding of respect. The number one chal lenge confronting the University of North Carolina today is to find the means by which a student may understand and benefit from the "totality of university experi- other crucial budget fight in Ra leigh. The part that student gov ernment and young lobbyists can play in such a monetary pewer play is large. It is certainly not too early for new students to acquaint them selves with the financial needs of this University. As for this current biennium, we can only be thankful for John Motley Morehead and other gen erous benefactors of Carolina. Toint Five. "The Case for a New Student Union" is the titte of this point. The University of Wisconsin has a splendid union. So .does the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma. In case you can't afford a trip to one of these schools, you can see equally superior facilities at W.C.U.N.C. in Greensboro and at State College in Raleigh. At Carolina though, we see an edifice built over 30 years ago, obviously meant to accomodate only a fraction of the present student population. A student un ion can and should be the center of campus activity, literally the home away from home. Aside from the social outlet that a modern union can provide, office space is also provided for all student organizations. Presently, an outmoded Gra ham Memorial Building on this campus is lacjking in both of these fields. If the State Assem bly will not help us, as it helped W.C. and State in their recent quests for new unions, we will be forced to build our own union through a process of self-liquida- z: -w - i j t 0v' h . V - - I -a- V - .:. a nathr: . - - 1 - ( t-v . - I It" f7i - i v ! ..-i , 5 - ' I ' . --.w isJ-.,,, i t 3 J . . 1 I;""' .. ; ,v , --'A- '" -'" : : ' - v. . .-.f;1:' - t-t -H .rsi - I '. - i j. ,.,-,.... ' 'vr"-.-.w - - - ........ :;' -v:.-yi-v","3 ' " " " ' -'- ft a iim iiih 1- 1 , - . t f-i-'rr" ' "iryn n it change of ideas and who is not thereof) afraid to put his political future at the University on the line is sadly lacking. The bright young lad, the push er and hustler, is soon swept into the tide of expediency or back- In four years, this University will, of course, chop them down to size. When they get to that final finish line, when they think like robots, th 'n they are ready for the degree and what is loosely callel "the world." The University (like all institution) will largely vitiate the enormous potential, the exub- slapping. It is hoped that from erent vitality that I saw in such abundance Wednes within the ranks of the new stu- dav dents here this week will arise leaders who will resist these pres sures and temptations. We must push for increased freedom of student action and the perpetuation of our autono my. They were not easily won, tage and ideas of other, prior and contrary philosophies. The purpose of education should be to stimulate thought. There is no better way to do this than to exchange ideas in an open atmosphere. The duty of this University is to provide the tools with which young scholars "may seek the truth," whatever it may be. Pcint Seven. This deals with athletics (mostly big-time around here) and the effect they can produce on the campus. We wholeheartedly approve of big time athletics. At the same time, we give a ringing endorsement to big-time academics. We do not object to athletic scholarships as long as the ath lete is capable of and indeed does meet his academic responsibili ties. Big-time athletics can be a healthy stimulant to any campus. Aside from the obvious finan cial gains from winning teams, there is created a unity among students, a sort of nationalism or better yet campusism. What we do object to is the sort of emphasis on athletics and de-emphasis on the books that has hurt so many fine schools in the past few years. This we must guard against. There is no reason why this University can't have both the best football team and the best library in the country. Point Eight. We are here con cerned with isms. We refer to conservatism, liberalism and rad icalism, the three favorite words But is it possible, is it just barely possible, that one or perhaps more of thoce boys will survive their four years in this University? Will survive, that is, as thinking human beings, rather than me chanical robots? Is this possible? If so, then which of these boys has Destiny but can be lost at a moment's tapped? Because, you may be sure, this lonely in- not'ce- dividual is just about the most important guy on Point Nine. Our final aspect of this campus. He is the guy that this campus is her? this introductory editorial deals for. It is for him that Chancellor Aycock arrives with individuality or the lack at work every morning at 7 -o'clock. It is for him thereof on the Carolina campus, that janitors and teacher and clerks and stenog- There is nothing wrong with raphers exert themselves. All the rest of us are just Ivy League clothes. At the same aIng for the ride. But; there exists the haunting time, there is nothing evil about possibility that one of these new freshman is dif- growing beards. Beer is nice, but f erent, is here to play for keeps, soft drinks are fine too. Fraterni- And the other .y, camperSf the Flain Joes. What ties are loads of fun, but there of them? Theif potentialf so impressive Wednes- is just as much dignity in dormi- &dy more impressive than thermonukes, will dis- ones' sipate in daily driblets of confusion compounded. But But. these are merely the per- wjn there be a residue? When, as hardened cynical ipheral aspects of individuality. seniors they step forward to receive their diploma?. "What will make you stand a- will there be anything of this once-magnificent po part from the crowd will be cou- tential left? The answer to this question is Yes. but rage and creativity." Nobody will the really crucial question is: HOW MUCH OF A hand these to you, they are ac- RESIDUE? quired through hard work. But just the desire to work at this It is the nature of man to grow older, to vitiate will set you apart from most. The his potential, to grow weaker, and to die. It is tha A. .T 1 A. 1 A. 1 X 4. A. ' U A 1 choice is yours nature ui insuiuuons 10 asmsi materially in mis pro- ,. . . ' . cess. Russian institutions work, in ttiis respect, just Expediency points to conformi- ... . . . ... .. ' , I v. . like American institutions. You may be sure, that at this very moment a group of Russian freshmen And so that's it. Just nine short are entering the Ur.versity of Moscow, or the Urn points, a mere handful of xssues. versity of Leningrad. Their potential too is er.or There are many more, even some mous Their potentiaI too wiI1 be dissipated, as thev that transcend these in impor- become "educated," wise in the devious ways of tance. Rightly or wrongly,, we .the world But in the u.s.s.R., as in the good old have perhaps been a little pessi- u.s.A., there will bo a residue of that burning youth mistic in this, the opening edi- ul enthusiasm. tonal of the 1959-60 journalistic wm the Russjan residue greater than ou. season. On such questions hang the delicate future of the But, take rwrnfort and be se- world, cure in the knowledge that these And is there something, anything, that this Uni are not problems which are uni- versity can do to keep alive the precious enthusiasm que to the University of North of its freshmen? Dr. George V. Taylor heads an in Carolina. They are found on vir- teresting program for "superior" freshmen. Is Dr. tually every campus in America, Taylor getting enough support? What does he need, particularly at state universities, and how can we help get it for him? There is nothing inherently And what about those freshmen who are not wrong with having these pro- "superior"? What about the boy who came up to blems. Perhaps because of their me Wednesday and asked if he should start reading presence, Carolina will someday the New York Times? What can we do for this par be a better place, because being ticular boy, who right now wants an education so like a fighter, we will fight best badly he can taste it? when we are hungry. I never pretend to have any answers (least of all The only wrong, is the wrong at final exam time). But these new freshmen cer manifested by various inhabitants tainly raise the most haunting kind of questions, of Chapel Hill who don't make an Good luck to them, and good luck to us. effort to understand and to cope with these issues. These people represent the biggest problem of all. So, if you are unafraid to face reality, if you are willing to con- The official student publication of the Publication tribute your best, if you have the '' Board of. the University of North Carolina where it tKbe map Sar eel courage to stand up for princi- is published daily pie under fire, if you can muster except Monday and up the energy to pursue the pur- examination periods pose and the direction of making and summer terms. Carolina a better place, and if Entered as second you believe in the ultimate poten- class matter in the tial of this University, then post office in Chapel WELCOME. Hiii N r under If not, you are the loser as well the act of March 8 . 41 TT ' 4 as the University. 1870. Subscription rates: $4.00 per se mester, $7.00 per year. The Daily Tar Heel is printed by - er ' a , vlmt (Wit i the News Inc., Carrboro, N. C. GEMS OF THOUGHT MINDING OUR OWN BUSINESS Any exception to the old wholesome rule. '"Mind uour own business." is rare. Mary Editor Baker Eddy The things most people tvant Associate Editors .... FRANK CROWTIIEF; to know about are usually none RON SHUMATE of their business. George Ber- Assistant To Editor nard Shaw DAVIS B. YOUNG GCvNY ALDIGE There is so much good in the Managing Editor CHUCK ROSS worst of us, and so much bad in Buainess Manager the best of us, that it behooves WALKER BLANTON News Editors LOUIS ROUND WILSON LIBRARY, THE CENTER OF INTELLECTUAL PURSUIT all of us not to talk about the Advertising Manager rest of us. Robert Louis Stevenson Advertising is one of the few callings in which it is advisable to pay attention to some one else's business. Howard W. Newton Feature Editor Tale bearers are just as bad as tale makers. Richard Brinsley Coed Editor -Sheridan Night Editor " JOHN MINTEL DEE DANIELS EDWARD NEAL RLN'Ef. Sports Editor ELLIOTT COOP!.:: MARY ALICE ROWLKTT t: .. JOSIE MORRIS GARY R. GRELK
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Sept. 14, 1959, edition 1
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