| Show 2 STUDENT LIFE AUGUST 15 Great Society Aid Stifles Seif-HelPlans? Community p By John Knight Editor Knight Newspapers THE UTOPIA which Lyndon Johnson envisions for our fair land is showing some brown patches in this summer’s heat For despite the watering of “needs” with billions of diluted dollars nothing that is done to pretty up the landscape and relieve the sorry conditions of our slum dwellers is ever enough As one unnamed editorialist opined the other day: “The federal housing program is to small The poverty program is too small It is not the riots in the slums but these lame a n d inadequate programs that are the real disgrace of the richest nation on earth” To this extremist view the Street Journal replies federal (hat housing aid for families has been going on for many years but its inadequacy “is not in terms of cost but in terms of concept” The same can be said of many activities sponsored program by the Wall low-inco- anti-povert- y HAYING HAD some experience with civic matters and especially as they apply to redevelopment of our shabby downtown areas I can testify that able and devoted private citizens are providing the impetus for progresive change The federal officials I have met in the course of these projects are generally quite knowledgeable and coopera- tive Their problem is in dealing with local officeholders who waste lime squabbling We Salute This is Ihe lust issue of Summer Quarter Student Life 1P66 As the quarter terminates we think it is evident that success has been achieved by directors and by students taking adxantage of the year’s fourth quarter Students have coine from many sections of the country and world to participate in the program Many have attended for ceitification requirements a head start in collegiate training and work toward various degrees Summer quarter is unique in the sense that with minor exceptions students are here solely for the purpose of obtaining knowledge Certainly social and recreational activities "day a part but quest for learning is unquestionably foremost among objectives of enrol lees This is not always the case with students in other quarters Indeed in total perspective Summer Quarter could be regai ded as the model quarter with regard to the ultimate purpose of a university — higher education We salute Dr Elhert II Himes and his staff for the work they have done in directing another successful Summer Quarter at USU LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS over sites for a post office or federal building when ion and action are needed The incredible waste of talent and Ios in man hours is simply appalling Needling a major here and a congressman there to get things done has now become a way of life as frustrations mount and tempers match the thermomdecis- eter But citizens groups are on the march and ultimately things come out better than they were before The men and women who provide these community services have nothing to gain but satisfaction of accomplishment These unpaid volunteers are inspired by pride in their cities Their motivation is the desire to eliminate blight and decay and prevent erosion of surrounding areas TIIE CHALLENGE is how to encourage those of our people who live in slum areas to pitch in with some self-hel- p It is one thing for federal and local funds to provide better housing quite another to have it maintained in some semblance of order Where filth and squalor exist and garbage lies uncollected the residents bear a large portion of the responsibility I recall that in my days on the Chicago Daily News W'e n selected a city block which had the potential of improvement Following many conferences and planning sessions with the people who lived there a clean-u- p campaign w’as started which produced exciting rat-attracti- ng run-dow- results Once their pride was stirred they went to work with brooms mops anad paint brushes to eradicate the dirt and brighten the neighborhood Flower boxes began to appear along with tiny areas of grass The change was truly remarkable This project was a striking example of what can be done given guidance and the stimulation of interest That Chicago city block as I recall it became a model of p and was widely publicized throughout the country Similar undertakings should be feasible today The question is whether promises of the Great Society have dampened the willingness of people to do on their own what the federal government will deliver without any toil or self-hel- sweat STUDENT LAIRD LINDA BXRRY Edltnr-m-ohU- 't LAAR Mananna Editor MOllTKNSKN Advertising Director Suoscription rates tor o ft campus pel vear or 51 per yj per ear out ol country quaiter tor at special Acceptance rate ol postage Inmailing accordance with laws and postal regulations Entered as second class matter Sepumbi r 11)08 at Logan Utah under the act ot March 2 1870 Zip Code 81321 Second Clas Postage Paid In Logana Utah Issue No 59 5 “IT HA£ F££N CAllEP T O M ATTENTION mZ PHlLUP$ONTMAT YOU HAVE P£SN VEIZY OUT3PDREN INYXIZ CRITICISM 0? CUn SCHOOL POLICY on CAMPUS ATfl££" VYALKKR LIFE 1366 Letters To Editor What Role? Student Life May I submit the following reactions to Mr Gary Rawlings’ letter in Student Life August 8? Editor The problem is not so much whether collegiate athletics aare justified more accurately it is concerned with the role of athletics within the university community and the extent that they contribute to the goals of a public educational institution I assume that Utah State was originally established for the education and training— and intellectually socially of its patrons physically through the medium of a carefully de eloped and well balanced program It was Mr stated by Rawlings and whole heart edly agree that I the puropsc of physical education is to help us become a “well balanced physically fit nation” The question is does the current athletic policy and the planning for the future contribute significantly and meaningfully to the purpose of higher education? It is from this point of iew that 3Ir laul Christensen’s (Student Life July 26) suggestion of revaluation should be considered Would it not be a more efficient and more profitable use of the taxpayer’s and student’s money to concentrate more on expanding the physical education facilities or organizing a more comprehensive intramural program which w’ill benefit the seven thousand plus students at Utah State rather than catering to the few who are already physically fit? It is particularly difficult to register for the more popular PE (lasses for example tennis golf bowling etc if your not the first in line While we proudly point to our nationally ranked football team our school’s academic standing (with the exception of a few departments) lea5es much to be desired Our athletic teams project an excellent image of USU but I am also aware of MIT Har-ar- d and Columbia as portrayed in textbooks academic journals and science medical and education sections of news magazines That collegiate athletics is big business in public academic institutions need neither be complacently accepted nor silently tolerated as the American way Proper perspective for all phases of the University should be determined in the light of its established purpose and the necessary reforms instituted for the benefit of taxpayers and tuition paying students C Craig Nielson Not The? Editor Student Life A criticism of any phase of intercollegiate athletics is not likely to elicit a rational defense of the place of competitive athletics on the college campus Instead it invariable produces a defense of such classic myths as the “scholar athlete” or football as the promoter of the Amer ican virtues etc Life sports editor current attempts torepresent maintain the myth of the benifi of athletic? intercollegiate For example: Mr Rawlins states that the building 5 costly arenas at the time of Roman empire fostered phv sical fitness Whose fitness’ The shoving spectators? The Christians? The gladiators’ The muscles controlling the first digit of the hand’ He extends the argument to the present time However less than four percent of the campus physically participate in intercollegiate athletes IIow about the physical fit- ness of the other 96 percent of us? It seems to me that expand- - i ' I ed intramural and physical education programs would better serve our needs than a new unneeded stadium ( which the legislature would not build and which is to be saddled on the backs of the group un- likely to protest — the stu- - ' ! ' i ’ dents) j The question is not the de-- sirability of physical educa- tion but the direction and meaning of athletic policy at an educational institution Let me again call for an :j j ! independent persons with access power structure Institutions (even j by j to the H fl institu- - tions as American as inter- collegiate athletics) need to be subjected to responsible debate Paul P Christensen ’ M j I ! i i ' i t Clark Prof Station Head I I Gets Leave For D C Duty on Clark directing Experiment lege of Engineer-Stat- e University granted a lea'e State University ar beginning the serve with ience Foundation :o :on D C acting igineering Lariy announced today the will serve as ?ctor for Aero hi eh at- - |
