North Carolina Newspapers

WEDNESDAY, p PAG E TV0 THE DAILY TAR HEEL Admissions Tests & The Lower Quartile At its Monday meeting, the Kxe cutive Committee of the Hoard of Trustees resolved into effect a dru.Niic change' in admissions policy for the University. In the lace of knocks at the col lege gates all over 'the nation, with Chape! Hill no less affected than other schools, a move in some direction had become mandatory. Knrollment in North Carolina col leges has risen over 30 ercent during the residence of our stu lent generation. Acting President Turks, in his speech to the faculty at the begin ning of the school year, registered his. and the Trustees', concern over rising numbers. The dilemma has been somen hat simple at bot tom: Whether the University would attempt to meet the prob lem of rising enrollment by in creasing its size and facilities; or whether it would raise its stand ards nr. id thus be forced to exclude potential students at the bottom of the list. The dilemma is part of a larg er question "111 the philosophy of education: Is it possible to edu cate iu the colleges a continually increasing number without the system's degenerating into medioc rity? The feeling has been high on both sides. One. side charges that to retreat from the possibili ties of higher education lor the manv would be to retreat from a none-t.oo--c.oiUTcte "fundamental" of democracy. The other charges that rising admissions have forced teachers, administrators, and col leges to gear their standards to the middle wheel. Joseph and Stewart Alsoj), taking the latter view in an Atlantic Monthly article, sug gested, that American institutions of learning are making themselves "breeding grounds for. medioc rity." In our own situation, several factors are materi d: The Univer- ; si ty of North Carolina is a state- ; supported school, and depends for most., of its, Oj:iating:,budget-Un It: taes" levjetT-ti"i!i the people " of the sta: Opponents of "selective" admissions have argued that as a tax-supported institution the Uni versity of North Carolina must, as it has clone for some years, admit all qualified graduates of North Carolina high schools who care to come here. On the. other hand, evidence, shows that the lower quartile stu dents, once admitted, drop by the wayside in smashing numbers. Carolina Symposium: The World &The Hill If Chapel Hill was ever, an iso lated village, out of touch with the pulse of world events, things have changed now. This spring the Carolina Sym posium on Public Affairs will bring to campus some of the world's most prominent figures in human relations. This group will include Dr. Ralph llunche of the United Nations. James Reston of the New York Times, Dr. Frank Graham, and others. For a full week, these men will present their views, answer ques tions, and discuss public affairs a with students. While the Forum has brought noted political speakers to cam pus, no group before the Syne josium has ever attempted such broad program. Chairman Manning Muntzing deserves commendation for such an ambitious undertaking. The Daily 'Far Heel is proud of Munt zing and the other students who have worked to bring men of ideas to the campus. This spring, during the week of March 1 we are sure the'cam pus will be proud, too. Garbage Storage: $300 Garbage,- of all things, has been the center of persistent complaint by some of the campus fraterni ties. It all started last year when Greeks were ordered to build gar bage storage houses iu compliance with a town ordinance. The gar- The Daily Tar Heel The official student publication of the Publications Jioard oi the University of North Carolina, where it is published daily except Monday and examination and vacation periods and summer terms. Entered as second class matter in the post office in Chapel Hill. N. C, under, the Act of March 3, 187". Subscription rates: mailed, S4 per year, $2.50 a se mester; delivered, ?6 a year, $350 a se mester. Editors ...LOUIS KRAAR, ED YODER Niht Editor Fred Powledge bage houses turned out to be ex pensive ai fairs, and we sympathize with '1ho.se who had to finance elaborate dwellings for trash. Some fraternity complaints have contended 'thai town eating places weren't recpiired to comply with the garbage house ordinance. The Daily Tar Heel checked this, and we found that restaurants have had to comply also. If we wished to sound omnis cient, we could read into today's vS;oo garbage house great com mentaries on the nation's present economic level. Hut we'd prefer to leave it at this: The Daily Tar Heel is -dad that uniform administration of law for both town and fraternities is practiced. And we're sure at S300 apiece local authorities val ue cleanliness over godliness. , READER'S RETORT Wh m m teriiativ 1 o Ik? & 11? The 'Drama The Preside The average attrition rate per en tering class exceeds r,o percent. Those who have argued for res triction have been able to present one forceful question: Why admit students who are not able to make the grade? Couldn't the state de rive more benefit from its money if it were always spent, in its in stitution of higher learning, on those capable of-passing? The restrictive thinking has ob viously prevailed iu the Trustees' late resolution. '"It is significant that former President. Gordon Gray, who earlier advocated in creased facilities, later advocated selectivity. Under, the new policy, three tests will be given to determine determination, aptitude, and pre paration on the part of the incom ing students. Allowing for excep tions in some cases and remedial work in others, the lower quartile of the applicants will be excluded and encouraged to seek education elsewhere. We think the trustees have acted wisely. Implicit in the selectivity policy is the idea' that the Univer sity cannot be all things to all citizens of North Carolina and continue to function as a great center of higher learning. It can not be a playground for one group and a serious educational en deavor for another. It cannot give thorough education to the state's jMitential leaders while its stand ards are eroded and lowered to make the going smooth for those who aven't serious about getting an education. Obviously, selectivity will "bring dangers with it. It will make sit uations in which inadequate pre paration may be mistaken for in aptitude; lack of inspiration may be mistaken for imperviousness to; inspiration:, and the vital fac tor of dogged determination may be neg- , lected. If the University is to em bark on an experiment in choos- ing its 'students, no -matter how minor the effect may seem, to e, itmiist make sure hat -the system functions With the minimum of Haws. The state wi If do well," we n think, to move at the same, time toward an expanded . sc holarship program which will make the jos sibility of University education less and less dependent . on eco nomic circumstance. Coupled with the new- admis sions policy, this move would put college education in the public system where it ought to be: With in reach of those qualified for it. Ediors: lieve that freedom of tKe press is Perhaps the recall election was' under. attack. t is nis Denei uwi f. thp views of initiated by "corrupt politicians," and perhaps not. Does it really matter who initiates an action if the results are worthwhile? There are probably many rea sons why various students feel that a need for a, new editor ex ists, but this writer cannot be- a false impression of the views of Carolina students on current is sues is being fostered in the minds of many people in the country and that one vehicle which is partly responsible is The Daily Tar Heel. A student newspaper cannot be compared to a commercial news paper when their functions are not at all analogous. The edito rials of a commercial newspaper do not purport to be anything other than the views of the edi tor. But when a newspaper claims to be an "official student publication," its officers being elected by the student body, it ' V:.. j pi ! f! ft : 1 .ilWffi s 'J U ffl 1 v ifmWM I hJ&h, ' : p 'T 'm UmSSmmi Mm ' ' - - - , t ; w ; i ivtt- rt jt i s - i v i : -.t . nvi i ! . J4vV ELtiV I LV . -vaT OF ALABAMA y acquires a different character. It becomes the voice of the student body. Its editorial columns no longer are accepted as reflecting the opinions of only one person, the columns are believed to re flect the opinions of the group. Do the editors believe that when parts of the editorials are reprinted in .other newspapers that it is done because they are written by Ed Yoder or Louis Kraar? If is the belief ol this writer that it is done because they are written by the editors of the "official student publication" of the University. Certainly an editor, should not sacrifice his integrity in order to conform to or reflect student opinion. On the other hand, it behooves the students to elect an editor whose views are sub stantially similar to those of the majority of the students if other . readers are not to be misled as to the position the students take on current issues. , If the students come to believe they have erred in their choice, what is the alternative of a re call election? John N. Isehowcr By Joseph & Stew art A!. WASHINGTON There is, of - - ! topic .of conversation in Washing the .great personal-political drama? decision. The following quotations fr0ra with access to the President, or ace-1' on which he will base his decisio.? accurate as memory will permit Tf in pnnvpv snmnthino r( u .1 and something as well of the back1" "Talk about it? Of course he tav talks about it all the time, just like ajV situation would. He's very frank about instance, just the way he is at the pre but he goes a little further maybe. He$ v a little bursitis in the elbow again, ar.a . worries, just like any coronary wcum it has anything to do with his heart it up in the morning feeling a little li' lies too. Don't get me wrong lke:s about himself, but about the effects or try. But if the doctors don't say no it run." 'Irresponsible' Can Use burned up A - i lev- ' t --v 1 . i ii Vr-rr- t n 1 fc, ' .ft v. . EUROPE ON A BUDGET Recall As A 'Decoy' American Meets British Girl . ,...,, 1 By Bert Kaplan The second term at the University of Edinburgh had just ended. This gave me the spring and sum mer to hitchhike and "hostel" my way around Western Europe and Israel, taking buses, trains, or boats when weather, time, or physical barriers made it necessary. ' I packed my rucksack with a few necessities, such as changes of underwear, an extra pair of , trousers, a can of DDT, an extra nylon shirt, a packet, a sweater, a raincoat, socks, and shaving equipment. My grand tour was not going to be in the Ivy League tradition. A typical Scottish downpour made hitchhiking unwise and I had a boat to meet in Venice. Soil ran to catch the night bus to London it only cost one-cent a mile. My seat was next to an English girl of about 20. I waited through the first half-hour of silence that was sometimes necessary to break the British reserve and then remarked about the wretched state of the weather. The weather being among the Briton's favorite topics, and one of the first things they were likely to comment upon when meeting anyone, I received ' a cordial greeting and a scathing denunciation of the weather. But this was typical Scottish weather for early spring, and I saw no reason to get so excited over the ordinary. She reminded me of how the Scots had reacted when, the sun appeared for a rare visit in January. They actually became ecstatic. One heard such re marks as these: "isn't the sun beautiful"; "I just love sunshine." After getting acquainted, we talked about poli tics, the necessity for Anglo-American friendship, and the rise of the present day Scottish nationalism fo a while. Then she asked me, "How do you Americans stand central heating systems?" Having just shivered through a Scottish winter, and having concientiously tried to warm myself before a small, open fireplace which had only suc ceeded in keping the chimney warm, I was more . than shocked , by her question: I quietly assured her that central heating was not unhealthy and not uncomfortable. (You have to experience the rigors of a Scottish winter to real.ize the incongruity of this question.) ; ' ;; She then asked, "But where do you sit if there is no fireplace as a center of attention?" I had heard these questions before. It appears that the British are so used to sitting around the fire place that a room without one is unthinkable. Many Americans, similarly, would be lost in a living-room without a television set. The bus ride to London was quite comfortable. The British even have toilets on their buses. At the bus station I exchanged addresses with my bus companion, exhorted her to come visit the United States, and then hastened off for several days of sightseeing. In order to be a good tourist, in order to acquire at least the minimum snob value from a trip abroad, one must be able to talk about having been to this or that famous landmark. . NOTE: There were two typographical errors in my first article. A sentence was left out of one paragraph. It should have read: "Traveling in Europe can be fantastically cheap, provided you are willing to rough it a bit. My average cost per day was about $1.75. In some countries it was poss ible to live on even less, rfowever, the boy meets girl routine ruined my budget several times." In another sentence in another paragraph the word or der was incorrectly printed. It should have read: "Last of all, I caried only washables, this avoiding cleaning expenses." Courage Oh Campus Student and faculty leaders at the University of Alabama have shown far more courage and respons ibility than the university administration following the mob action against Miss Autherine Lucy. The student government legislature has an nounced racial "mob violence." At a special faculty meeting, an art professor also charged that the uni versity had succumbed to mob rule. Both students and' faculty members demanded protection for all students,, and a political science professor sensibly recommended that the university be closed until the state protected it. These; students and teachers have set themselves against "the violence of the mob, the procrastination of the university trustees who suspended Miss Lucy from class, and the timid retreat of university Pres ident O. C. Carmichael. The reputation of the Uni versity of Alabama has found its defenders, but they are not those first entrusted with the task. St. Louis Post'Dispatch. ' - Others Say It used to be that when a kid was rewarded with a nickel for each A he got on his report card he thought he was pretty lucky, but now he feels that he is being imposed upon if he doesn't get paid overtime for staying after school. Douglas Larson in The Door County Advocate (Sturgeon Bay, Wis.) From another practical standpoint, the White House education conference was disappointing. The assembled school administrators failed to swap or sell off any of their losing coaches to the bush league circuits. The Chicago Tribune Editors: The other night at the Di-Phi meeting, Mr. (Lewis) Brumfield made some very funny remarks I'm not just talking about the poem in which he saw himself "in all humility" presented by respectful angels with a Doctor ate of Life. There was something even fun nier. He said that expression of disagreement by a newspaper could pufverize student opinion. He concluded that the best way to increase what he called "stu dent freedom" was by flushing disagreement. The audience was so amused they voted him down 3 to 1. Every man who had voted for (David) Reid's presidency of the Di deserted him. But if we take off that slick .catch-words we find out he's 'really talking about something I besides ?- tyranny:1 He's talking about the ability of students to follow a course of action without being too limited by South Building or anyone else who cares to meddle in our business. But how-can he think that by commiting an act that is thought of (even by those who signed the petition) as irresponsible that can possibly strengthen our hand in dealing with South Building. We know that there are ele ments in the faculty ready on every occassion to limit studnt independence (e.g. the three-cut system). If the recall carries, this irresponsible element within the faculty can always decoy, their dictatorial intentions by calling us "irresponsible." , John McCall Dean Luxon Reaffirms Belief In Humanities ( Editors: Thank you for . the editorial "Honor for the Living" in Wed nesday's Daily Tar Heel. The three men so honored have expressed their appreciation for their recognition. As to the "If" final paragraph I want to reassure you by point ing out that for 20 years and more I -have been the leader" in the fight to keep journalism courses and particularly tech niques courses at a minimum in Schools of Journalism. I can doc ument this statement with at least six articles in the Journal ism Quarterly plus other writ ings and talks. I believe in professional educa tion for journalism, but I define that education by insisting that at least 80 of the undergraduate program be in liberal arts sub ject matter. Nerval Neil Luxon Dean School of Journalism Quote, Unquote Universities are full of knowl edge; the freshman bring in a little and the seniors take none away and knowledge accumu lates. A. L. Lowell I would define the true cour-, age to be a perfect sensibility of the measure of danger, and a mental willingness to endure it. W. T. Sherman "Ike was really burned up about' speech calling, him a part-time Presd need is one more speech like that, and ; to run." "Three to two? Why I'll give you five! run but maybe that's not fair, beca, something I can't tell you." "Well, he talks in private very muc; he does in public, except for one thing. lot of emphasis on what he calls the tors, just the way he docs at the press cr But Ike's a modest man, and he could n himself to say that the Eisenhower pre probably go down the drain if he steps o his prestige and world position are ir peace. But he can indicate these posit;.. much more when he's talking to frieni; public press conferences." DEFINITELY I I "Yes, he's going to run definitely. I , a friend of mine who knows a general ? next to Mainle's sister or mother or sa a party." S j "Ike said he was going to consult !m and advisers, and that's just what he's you name me one who will advise him not Adams? Shanley? Persons? Gruenther' C! inson? Hall? Allen? Go ahead, name just j i , "Certainly he's talked about Nixon. tell him Nixon will be a drag on the ticket. ( looks sad and says he can't understand matter of fact, I can't understand it n'.y;--has been a fine Vice President. Anyway. definitely made up his mind not to d: 7 Significant that he should have consult course it is." ! "I'll tell you the real key man-Cey phrey. Ike inclines to run, if the doctors an okay. But he's being perfectly hS he says he hasn't made up his mind J-. the doctors examine him, the Presides , to take about ten days to think over p problem in the sunshine at George place in Georgia he's going to P!3-v a ,. for the first time, if the doctors say it sure to turn to Humphrey for advice--; has. And he's almost always taken advice." I LEN HALL 1 . ,r.n ttii'., "np smr. j "xaKe Len iian. ndus r . t curt r.i- chairman since Jim Farley. He s that the President will run, bar a ":f- back, and he's obviously making his c . - on that assumption. Hall sees the Pre-; lauly, and he's not a man io o-1 that's going to be sawed off." "Who plays devil's advocate? ft t devil's advocate. At the drop of a you all the reasons why he shouldn was his own devil's advocate in l9o7J.fr' ;; all comers that a professional s0,fV, go to the White House, and the is came up in the campaign. The m he is in public, the more sure 1 am to run." And so it goes. All the "inform from Washington is based on f1 ; t ... those recorded above. As they sug been a recent upsurge of conf'(j rpUt).;: President's associates, and among ticians generally, that the Pre' Against this there must be e ment of wishful thinking. Overall, a f. ges of a troubled man still vre5'J; with an agonizing difficult personal will Drofoundlv affect the politi United States, and of the world- cat ftuJ