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Show February 12, 1965 SIGNPOST Page 2 MSupiil Mteulism It would be for the distinct improvement of Weber State College to get rid of the idea of Historicism in its modified form as it exists on this campus. The action of student government on the basis of precedent is the thing that hinders us most. Historicism is a theory that says events do and will repeat themselves as the world moves in its set sphere. In other words, there have been wars and there has been peace, and there will be more wars and more peace. As a theory it seems that one of its great advantages is that it can teach future generations what not to do in a given situation to avoid some impending disaster. At Weber State College the idea has been modified to mean what was good enough then is good enough now and finds its utterance in statements such as, "It has never been done before at Weber State College." Statement Incorrect This, in and of itself, is an incorrect statement for it should be stated, "It has never been done before at Weber College." Or blandly put, we are carrying over to Weber State College theories that most appropriately fit in to a two year institution, which we are not. It is interesting to note that there are some students in student government who feel that Weber State College is going to set the world on fire. It is a noble goal and it would be nice if we could, but we could move ahead much faster if we would study the institutions around us who have already tried and test many of the methods of government and found them satisfactory. As adept as our students may be I doubt that they can develop a system of student government better than that employed at the University of Utah, Utah State University, University of California, San Jose State or the University of Arizona, for example. When our student constitution was written up constitutions from schools all over the country were read and compared and we came up with what seemed to be a workable constitution. That was perhaps the last time such a procedure was carried out to the benefit of Weber State. Evolution vs. Realism The desire to evolve on our own over a period of time is dominant over the more realistic approach of adopting proven principles and then adapting them to our own school. The sadest part of this approach is that it may modify or evolve back and forth from good to bad as different students become involved in student government from year to year. After all, who is to say whose theory is the correct approach to good student government if the student read different theories and adhere to them. Tradition No so very long ago the idea of tradition flashed across my mind as a good thing to have at Weber State, but this is not true if tradition is interpreted to mean and include our outdated methods of approach to student government. I fear that the greatest harm we are doing to ourselves is that we are doing nothing. We continue to be so bound by the things of the past that we cannot see our way clear to improve the capacity and capability of the students that perform the functions of the student organizations on this campus. The instruments by which we can do this are ignored in the rush to revolutionize and the escape clause, "Weber State is a new institution," is a dead and meaningless statement that is too often reincarnated as an excuse for our stalemated condition. Lack of Incentives The entire problem lies in the lack of incentives whether they be economic or non-economic. The realization that some reason needs to be given to the students to do good work is vital. To assume that good performance can be assured on the basis of a desire for personal experience and with the idea that it is being done for the good of the cause is a communistic idea that is as realistic as Charles DeGaulle agreeing with Lyndon Johnson. To try and solve a problem when the problem has been solved is where we go wrong. To accept the answer to the problem and then test its validity is a more sound approach and one which would be for our benefit. Whether we evolve or move ahead (and that's not a contradiction) will be up to the students who care enough to want the very best. The concluding phrase was taken from an advertising slogan of Hallmark cards and is adapted to apply to Weber State College. SIGNPOST STAFF Editor A. Brent Pulsipher Associate Editor Jack Suttlemyre Managing Editor Camille Ramnarace Sports Editor Winslow Hurst Front Page Editor Carol Valentine Lay-out Gene Carlson, Penny Furness Reporters . . Gene Patterson, Margret Baur, Kenny Ala, Alan Meyer, Johnny Jones, Dennis Read, Rick Hassett Feature Writer Steve Larsen Business Manager Mark Zeller Advisor Reed H. Blake Drama Critic George Butsikares Reporter Elyse Pryor REPRESENTED FOR NATION A. ADVERTISING BY National AdvertisingService, Inc. College Publishers Representative 18 East 50th St.. New York 22. N. Y- CHICAGO BOSTON LOS ANGEIEG SAN FRAFiCISCO by Kenny Ala Many students think parking is quite a problem at Weber State College. But a quick survey of the parking situation, however, will show that each day of the school year, no matter what the time, there are at least 800 vacant parking spaces. Many students will also park illegally and risk the chance of getting a parking ticket rather than walking a few extra steps. Students would rather park down on the lower quad and walk up to the class rooms or the Union Building than park behind the Technical Building and walk down. Why? For the parking lot behind the Tech Building, it is only 175 steps to Building four and from lower quad to Building one it is 280 steps. It is also quite a bit further from most parts of the Union Building parking lot to the class rooms than it is from the Technical Building lot. When a student parks illegally he will almost always get a ticket. Last quarter, 1,566 parking tickets were issued to the students and faculty at WSC. The fee for each violation is $2 with a late fee of $1 charged if the tickets isn't paid within seven days. A large percentage of the students will wait until grades come out or until registration the following quarter to pay their tickets. The traffic division has sold 4,382 student decals so far this year and 491 faculty and staff decals. These decals are just 25c each. The reason for this fee and the decals is not for the money, but for control of the parking. The money is used to pay for office expenses and to pay the salary of the secretary of the Traffic Division. The money from the fines also is used for these expenses and the balance will go into the general fund. If the parking fee was raised to about $2.50 per year, which is still cheap, the traffic division could make a lot of improvement both in the office and the way it is run and also physical improvements of the different lots. Many students think that $2.50 is a lot of money for a parking sticker, but the University of Utah students have to pay $7.50 per year. Students at the University of Wisconsin pay $36 per year, while at the University of Southern California the fee is $72 per year. In conclusion, the traffic program would probably be greatly improved for students, faculty, and the traffic division if the students would co-operate more with the department of traffic. They should be willing to use the other parking lots rather than park in the road or park illegally. Illegal parking can be very dangerous for the students because it is quite an accident hazard. Many times illeagl parking will cause other students to have to park illegally. Winter Conference Provides Basic Tool A winter leadership conference was held this past weekend at the Holiday Inn in Salt Lake City for the student leaders at Weber State. The conference was under the direction of the Leadership Committee with Kent Bulkley and Lyle Bair of that committee being in charge. There were 25 students and three advisors who attended the three-day conference which began on Friday and was concluded on Sunday. At the conference the students experienced a new type of leadership training than that experienced at the initial leadership conference held last fall at Aspen Grove. This new type of training was based on the individual and his relationship to and in a group. Rather than giving students insight into how to conduct meetings, how to direct activities, or how to get bill passed in student senate the leadership training sought to give the student insight into himself as a member of a group and how people understand and react to him as a person. In other words, it literally dealt with a person to person relationship. The fine manner in which such a program was carried out was due in part to the people who helped out with the teaching and discussion sessions. For this the leadership conference feels indebted to the following: Martin Erickson, assistant dean of students at the University of Utah; Doug Jenson, union director at the University of Utah; and Adie Jean Firman, program and activities adviser at Brighani Young University. It was felt by all that attended the conference, even though it was different than most expected, was most enlightening and gave a basic tool toward working with and directing people. 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