~Wtt&1 - - Hoover Library

Introduction: the editorUNREST ON CAMPUS"1 want to dress the way I feel and IdO!{~a~ee!o~=.'~an's comment says a lotabout what is going on.The president of Brandeis University thissummer told a group of educators "we are~nr~v~~~~~~nn~tf o~o~:a~n:u:~!c~:~~I:.~!O~~went on to say that dislocations and r~volutionssuch as this must include travail andbloodshed because a possessing group doesnot give up quietly. But, Dr. Abram ~aeh~rpointed out, when the pain of anxiety. ISgone, there is death. We must learn, he said,to live with crisis from this tIDlE on; solutionswill never be neatly wrapped up again.Someone else recently stated that educationmust develop an affirmitive sense ofperspective, not just facts and data. And,from another voice-there is a change ofethics in higher education in the UnitedStates that is behind the issues.On the Western Maryland campus thesethings have been said:Not long from now a new group of studentswill enter Western Maryland, Dr. L.Earl Griswold told a group. They will beeager, bright, ready to accept what we sayas pure gold. But, continued the sociologyprofessor, by the time the first year is overthe dichotomy at work here will have madethem into two groups. One group will manageand some win develop a real a~eetionfor the college. The other gro.u p will hateWestern Maryland and this Will only growas its members continue.Dean Ira G. Zepp commented this sum-Iller that the college is in the midst of arevolution. It is undergoing a transition. Bez::es~~ ~~(I~1~:1'~~l/behi;ie ~~ ~~~future.Alumni leader Julian Dyke told a group-you can't even try to remember yourselvesat that age and understand. "We were nevertheir age," And, an ad hoc committee ofstudents and faculty has declared that thereis not here the freedom to sample disciplineswhich the liberal arts college is supposedto stand for.It has also been said, "Yes, there will betension."Now, getting back to that young manwho doesn't feel so good. Is he a "kook"?No. Nor is he a "radical." At least he isn'teither of these as they are commonly defined.He doesn't feci so good because he isin that revolution of hope and expectationto which Dr. Sacher refers.Everyone concerned with Western MarylandCollege should read, and ponder, thisissue of THE MAGAZINE. You may notcompletely understand what is happeningon the Hill when you are finished. Youwon't be alone in that respect. But, the editorhopes that you will be aware that somethingis happening, that what is happeningis not all bad, and that what is happening isvery real to a serious, sincere portion ofthis campus.It is safe to say that a casual observermight not see it. The revolution has been"finely Illtered" to quote Dean Zepp again.There are no riots or demonstrations of theBerkeley variety, but the Hill has not beencompletely quiet. To understand tile articleswhich follow, readers must knowsomething of what has been going on.Late last winter a group of students, allrespected campus leaders by the way, decidedthat something must be done aboutthe monolithic fraternity structure. In theiropinion there is no freedom of choice aboutGreek letter societies when close to 90 percentof the student body belongs. There islittle opportunity in such a situation for astudent to choose not to join without appearing"too different." They feel that campusactivities are too heavily dominated by thefraternities, that they create a divisivesituation between members of different societies.And, they drew up a position paper requestingthat President Ensor appoint acommittee to study possible abolition of thefraternities and themselves resigned fromthose societies to which- they belonged.They asked students and faculty to sign thepetition. TIIt~Gold Bug devoted many pagesto letters, articles, and editorials, pro andcon. This fall Dr. Ensor appointed the committeefor a study of the problem.At about the same time more studentsand faculty members started thinking aboutthe Western Maryland curriculum andfound they were not pleased with thestatus quo. notice went up on n bulletinAboard inviting those interested to come andtalk things over. A surprising number turnedout for that and subsequent meetings. Thegroup divided into committees, each studymgsome aspect of curriculum. Before summervacation began the full group metagain ~nd decided that the findings wereI~terestmg and promising enough to continue.The group bas no official recognitionand what will happen if and when itsubmits a proposal is not known. 'Next something tart was added the toswe~tness of May Day. In the parade oftradttlonal flower-decorated floats containingthe Hill's fairest coeds were two ears.Instead of ~owers the cars had posters withslogans which ignored spring or love andbeauty. The slogans were concerned withthat "revolution of hope and expectation."Most of what they were hitting at is discussedin the following articles. As Mr.Tribby notes, the reaction was varied onMay Day. Some people involved weresnubbed; the sidewalk spectators eitherlaughed nervously or went into total silenceas the cars rolled by.Suddenly, the whole business was beingbrought up again just when much of thecampus thought its late winter discomfortwas over. Not everyone wanted to itchagain.The word which crops up most is relevanceif that is any help to readers. Everyonequoted is talking about it and basicallywhat is happening on the Hill is a searchfor it. Many of the old ideas and traditionsdon't interest this generation of studentsbecause things important to us seem tohave little bearing on what life looks liketo them. Education must be more relevantto the world as it now is.And, because of this they "don't feelgood." It is the revolution.page jioe