Seventy-First Year
. EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS OP THE UNIYERSITY OF MICHIGAN
"When Opinions Are Free UNDER AUTHORITY OF BOARD IN CONTROL OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS
Truth Wll PrevUsl STUDENT PUBLICATIONS BLDG. ' ANN ARBOR, MICH. * Phone No 2-3241
Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers
or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints.
EDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1960 NIGHT EDITOR: MICHAEL BURNS
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
Campus Takes Notes on Note Takers
The Note-Taking Service:'
Burden or Benefit?
ro* 0...
N ANY traditional institution, aspects of,
change are viewed with a certain horror.
Such seems to be the case with the University
and the new note taking service.
Students and professors alike seem to view
it blindly as a detriment to the educational
process, a lazy way to learn and so forth.
ONE OF' THE issues raised to condemn the
note taking service is, strangely enough,
one of morals. It is believed that in obtaining
a complete set of lecture notes, you have
corrupted both yourself and the educational
institution. The aspect of the note taking
service corrupting those who subscribe is a
a strange one. It assumes several things.
One is that the student will not attend
class if able to obtain complete notes. This
is a low opinion of the student. It is similar
to the professor who believes that he has
to take attendance in order to assure his
students' presence in class. Both are insulting.
For some students, of course, having lecture
notes will serve as a substitute for attendance.
But in the same way, borrowing someone
else's notes at the end of the year is possible
and done. But, as these notes are possibly
inaccurate and there is no aspect of profit
involved, it is morally just.
IN BOTH situations - mandatory attendance
and note taking service - responsibility
must be taken by the student. If the student.
is mature and willing to learn he both will
subscribe to the note taking service and attend
lectures, whether mandatory or not.
If a student cannot be trusted to acquire an
education without restrictions and require-
ments, he should not be in college. A college
or university is not a place where the student
should be coddled and forced to learn in the
way the university feels is best, but rather
an institution in which he is allowed to seek
his own course, as long as he satisfies the
requirements for graduation.
/
Nothing is sacred or holy about education.
Changes can and should be made when it is
demonstrated that a better method exists.
THE NOTE taking service will allow the
student to concentrate on the lecture that
is being given rather than being little more
than a personal secretary. Any person who
is preoccupied with the transcription of facts
and figures will not be able to properly analyze
and absorb the totality of the information.
Many professors literally beg their students
not to take notes during the lecture, but to
listen and take down the summary at the
end. In effect, this is what the note taking
service will do. A student can listen to the
lecture attentively with the knowledge that
he will receive a full set of notes afterwards.
The superiority of having accurate drawings,
charts and so forth cannot be disputed.
ASSUMING the responsibility of the in-
dividual student in an institution of higher'
learning, it is hard to see what valid objections
can be raised. A combination of going to
lectures and buying lecture notes seems to
be vastly superior to going solely to the lecture.
Another argument raised is that use of
the lecture notes is a lazy way to obtain an
education.
If two students obtain the same degree of
knowledge, is the amount of work done by
each a valid reason to condemn one? Even
if you feel it is, how can this be measured?
If one student goes to lecture an takes notes
while a second goes to lecture and buys his
notes, which one is more lazy? It is a mean-
inzless concept to use.
PERHAPS the only valid argument that can
be advanced is the one of profit being
connected with the present venture. If the note
taking service is overpriced, a second group
undoubtedly will appear to sell a semester of
notes for eight dollars rather than ten. How,
once the cost has leveled off to a reasonable
level, considering the costs and the time spent,
can you complain about the cost? If notes
are going to be given to students to aid them
in their studying, should not, the time spent
in preparing them be rewarded?
If the service is of value to some students
in furthering their education, it should be
accepted for that reason. It should not be
rejected, though aiding some students, because
of the personal negative reactions of others.
--KENNETH McELDOWNEY
Associate City Editor
.t.
Con ..
ONE OF THE primary functions of University
study is the development of an individual's
facilities to assort, draw inferences from, and
comprehend the myriad of information about
him.
The major part of a student's undergarduate
education is derfved from the readings he is
assigned. Hours of study over a text book or
source materials develop a fine sense of critical
interpretation of the written word. The printed
thought, however, is motionless; it remains on
the page for as long as we care to look at it,
The undergraduate may learn to analyze each
sentence before he moves on to the next. This
is fine because in reading it is the student
who approaches the thought.
IN A LECTURE or discussion situation, how-
ever, it is the thought that comes to the
student. One cannot ponder too long over
the meaning of an oral declaration, for the
ensuing thought follows immediately.
This forces the listener to evaluate and
understand spoken words much faster than
written ones. The student must develop the
capability to judge the importance or relevance
of each statement as it comes, or in the context
of a whole spoken paragraph, a much more
difficult chore.
Since most of the contacts a person has
with people during his lifetime are verbal ones,
this is an essential skill to have. We may
grapple with the philosophies of the "Great
Thinkers" in written form and take years
to reach our conclusions. The immediate world,
however, demands direct action based on logic
and intelligence which manifest themselves
within moments.
Because of this need, and for other budget
and space reasons, the University has establish-
ed large lecture sections, particularly in the
freshman and sophomore years of the literary
college..
For the most part, these lectures are a series
of carefully planned and integrated talks by
outstanding members of the faculty. In many
instances, the lectures supplement the text
materials, explain them, or draw them together
to present a unified picture of the course to the
beginning student.
D URING THE lectures, the student attempts
to discover the important things the
speaker is saying and transform- them to notes
that are pertinent to himself. No two people
will consider the same thoughts as the impor-
tant ones for it is apparent that an individual's
interests are peculiar to his own personality.
This does not mean that one should write
down and remember only those things which
particularly attract his attention. He is respon-
sible for a certain understanding of the course
materials and what they mean.
Some students will argue that many lectures
are merely reiterations of the text book or a
simple-minded list of facts or formulas. Com-
plaints like these are noted especially in the
introductory courses in the natural sciences.
IN SOME CASES these gripes are legitimate.
The solution here, however, is not to skip the
lectures and pay an exorbitant fee for some-
one else's notes. One ought to work, however,
to impress upon the department or the lecturer
the need for a better series of talks, one that
requires more than plain stenographic skill
on the part of the student.
If a lecturer honestly felt that the material
he is presenting to his large size audiences is
only a reading of simple ideas and easily-
mastered concepts, he ought to duplicate his
own notes (which are far superior to any
single student's since they contain everything
he says) and distribute them to his students.
If he doesn't do this, and refuses to modify his
lectures, he is wasting the time of everyone
concerned.
IN DISCUSSING the nlote taking service, one
should also note what its implications are.
The students who head this service claim that
a subscriber can now attend the lectures, sit
back, relax, and really enjoy the lecture. They
imply that, since one's arms are free, popcorn
and knitting might be brought along to enliven
the atmosphere even further. The next day,
when the notes are delivered, he can proceed
to duplicate his efforts. It will take him twice
as long to learn the same material.
Realizing ,this, the wise student will not
waste his time, but use it to the best advantage
and skip his lectures to do other work.
THIS WILL have two effects, First, it will
cause half-empty lecture halls which may
provoke embarrassed professors to require at-
tendance of their students in order to avoid
the humiliating remarks of colleagues. This
will force the student to attend the lecture for
which he is paying a rather high monetary ad-
Crutch or Tool?
To the Editor:
IT SEEMS that a morality of edu-
cation is at issue in the question
of professional note-taking. Is a
note-taking service an intellectual
crutch or a valuable tool of edu-
cation? If we choose the former, it
is not the note-taker that we are
condemning, but the student. It is
his option to do as he wishes with
notes, his own or others. Certainly
one does not damn General Mo-
tors for a drunken driver's negli-
gence.
However, if a note-taking serv-
ice does not fall into the range of
genus "crutch," must it necessarily
be a boon? What needs are filled
with a service of this nature? In a
lecture there are more than merely
central points. There is that which
we must for lack of better termi-
nology call peripheral information,
the anecdotes or illustrations
which aren't on exams or question
sheets but make the differences be-
tween complete understanding and
partial understanding of the ma-
terial; these data must receive
only partial attention (if any)
from the average student taking
notes.
SECOND, there is actual enjoy-
ment to be derived from listening
to an intelligent, knowledgeable
man speaking on a subject which
is interesting both to himself and
to you, unencumbered by the busy
job of taking notes. Third, a pro-
fessor, aware that he doesn't have
to slow down the rate of informa-
tion for the sake of his students
taking it down, will be able to put
more into a lecture. Last, we come
to what I would consider the most
important function of a standard-
ized, complete set of notes; a stu-
dent actually has more material at
his learning disposal and more
time with which to learn. In this
way more knowledge is imparted.
If this is immorality, I am in
favor of it.
--Name withheld by request
Arch Shock . .
To the Editor:
rfDAY I saw a shocking sight.
In front of the Engineering
Arch was a table set up for the
business of selling lecture notes.
"Twenty four hour free home de-
livery" the sign said.
I think that this is degrading
both to the University administra-
tion and to each and every student
who is here for an education.
PRESUMABLY, the person who
would subscribe to such a service
would not attend lectures. Why
else would he buy someone else's
notes? Certainly everybody in the
lecture hall hears the same words
from the lecturer. If, during the
course of the lecture, something is
said which needs clarification, the
student can ask the lecturer for
further explanation. Notes are
someone's mental shorthand which
stands for everything that person
has heard. How is the person us-
ing someone else's notes going to
benefit from a personal experience
and interchange with the lecturer?
And how is this same person going
to be able to know things said but
not put down by the "professional"
note taker?
Aside from the above faults of
this pre-packaged and pre-digest-
ed method goes, the whole idea
and principle of selling it is rot-
ten. It implies a lazy, uninterested,
and unethical student body. .
I would like to see the "Univer-
sity Study Service" put out of
business.
-Irene Tractenberg '62
Moral Subscriber .,.
To the Editor:
IT SEEMS that we have found a
difference between learning and
knowledge, and after that it seems
that )people are duty bound to
make a value judgement between
them. For myself, when I regis-
tered for Zoology I, I did so to
learn material, not the art of dif-
ferentiating importance. I am, and
shall remain a moral subscriber to
University Study Service,
-Shelley Klapman, '63
Time To Think . .
To the Editor:
MONDAY marked the beginning
of an innovation in our edu-
cational system. Complete mimeo-
graphed notes from the previous
weeks' lectures were distributed
in about fifteen subjects.
Some students have indicated
surprise that the University would
permit such a system that will
hinder its educational process.
They felt that the notes would
substitute for lecture, thus cur-
tailing. a student's "stimulation
that a good lecturer ought to pro-
vide." But it seems to me that
when a student must listen to a
lecture, understand and coordinate
the various thoughts, and copy
these accurately and legibly, there
is little time left for "stimulation."
Moreover, when a student at-
tends a lecture he doesn't under-
stand, he leaves with nothing
more than a set of meaningless
notes Studying these is not going
to be an asset to his education.
A STUDENT USING the Uni-
versity Study Service can do one
of two basic things. He can attend
a lecture without frantically copy-
ing down all the lecturer says, but
rather sit back, listen intently,
take a few notes on major topics
and pertinent ideas, and think.
The next day he will receive a
legible, complete text of the lec-
ture supplying him with the facts.
Or, a student can use these
notes as a substitute for lectures.
In this case he will gain the
knowledge but lack the vitality
and learning associations that are
derived from hearing a lecture.
But in all probability these would
be' the same students who fre-
quently cut lectures anyway and
receive notes from a friend - at
least now they have accurate,
complete notes to copy!
IN OTHER WORDS, this ser-
vice, as well as any other aspect of
education, is only as beneficial as
the use each student makes of it.
It seems illogical to forfeit some-
thing that will aid a great many
students because it will be mis-
used by a few. He who uses these
notes wisely will gain a deeper
understanding of his subject; he
who misuses them will be hinder-
ing his eduation but have only
himself to blame.
--Sandy Gelden, '63
Willing Transgressor
To the Editor:
IN ANTICIPATION of the super-
cilious "holier than thou" let-
ters you are bound to get concern-
ing the new note service, there are
a couple of things which I would
like at least the proofreaders of
the Letters to the Editor to know,
(they just might be the only ones
who ever do .
Now I'm not a particularly bright
person, I've got to study for a
while to learn something. And con-
sequently, I've got to work hard if
I want an A or B in a course. In
zoology, I made a large drawing of
a frog's skeleton, and put it over
my bed. When the exam came I
knew the frog. There aren't too
many people that would call that
immoral.
Yet someone giving me a really
fine set of notes, (I wonder how
many of these con letter writers
read the notes, and didn't stop at
the blurb sheet), and allow me to
listen to a lecture, and maybe
comprehend it instead of playing
scribe, is just a despicable ethical
transgressor. Well I just can't see
the difference.
-Loren Fishman
Clarification
To The Editor:
N answer to Harry Perlstadt's
editorial of yesterday, we
would like to again explain the
policies for judging the Home-
coming Display petitions.
Petitions were numbered as
they were submitted to the Home-
coming office on October 3 and 4.
In addition to this, each repre-
sentative placed his signature next
to the number his petition was
given to insure their place of pri-
ority. To guarantee impartiality
the first page of the petition con-
taining the name of the housing
unit was removed in the presence
of the submitter.
* * * '
ON OCTOBER 4 WE judged
the petitions in numerical order
for appropriateness of theme and
good taste. Those petitions meet-
ing the first criteria were then
judged for similarity in theme and
approach. Similarities or duplica-
tions in title were accepted if the
approach to the theme was differ-
ent, because in the final judging,
the integration of title and physi-
cal display, not just the title, will
be considered. If the central ob-
ject or focus of attention of the
physical display was similar to
one or more other displays, then
the petition submitted first was
the petition accepted.
We sincerely feel that this is
the inost equitable method of
judging.
-Barbara Greenberg, President
Panhellenic Association
-Myra Golnes, President
Assembly Association
-Dan Rosemergy, President
Inter-Quadrangle Council
-Jon Trost, President
Inter-Fraternity Council
-Jan Eberly, Homecoming Dis-
plays Chairman
-Ken Weaver, Homecoming
Displays Chairman
Foreign Matter .
To The Editor:
DURING the past several years I
h a v e become increasingly
aware of a very disturbing aspect
of the University. I refer to the
foreign student problem.
Serious reflection reveals that
their educational experience here
is a waste of their time and money,
as well as the University's. I think
it is obvious that in the vast ma-
jority of cases the foreign student
is passing, but not learning. This
"odd phenomenon" was amply
demonstrated last year in the
engineering college. I refer to the
receipt, by the Dean's Office, of a
letter from a firm in India, which
stated in no uncertain terms that
the quality of Indian students
graduated from here was very low.
-.* *
PERHAPS THE FACULTY is
trying to foster foreign relations
rather than produce good engi-
neers. In any event, I think this
says very little for both parties
concerned.
If the foreign students are not
benefiting from the scholastic op-
portunities, are they from the oth-
er sides-specifically the cultural
exchange aspect of their stay here?
I think not.
I ask you, how can they ever
really familiarize themselves with
our ways if they can't understand
our language? You've seen them
in the segregated Residence Hall
dining rooms being forced to speak
ELI English. You've also seen them
sitting clannishly in the Union,
but are they speaking their ELI
"dialect" then? Of course not. Nor
do they speak English in their
refuge from American society, the
International Center. What kind
of cultural exchange is this?
several 'dramatic' techniques in
order to describe the history and
nature of the military stalemate,
and to illustrate the pacifist ap-
proach.
*.* *
THE PRODUCTION is pattern-
ed after the realistic plays and
fiction of the twenties and thirties,
featuring a strict, ambiguous min-
imum of props and furnishings.
The dialogue consists of quota-
tions from newspapers, scientists,
DAILY
OFFICIAL
BULLETIN
The Daily Official Bulletin is an
official publication of The Univer-
sity of Michigan for which The
Michigan Daily assumes no editorial
responsibility. Notices should be
sent in TYPEWRITTEN form to
Room 3519 Administration Building,
before 2 p.m. two days preceding
publication,
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12
General Notices
University Directory. Any additional
information or corrections for listings
already sent in, must be received in the
University Directory office, 517 Adm.
Bldg. by Fri., Oct. 16. For further in-
formation, call Florence Boyd, ext. 2152.
International Student and Family Ex-
change. Open Wednesday-7 :30-9 P.M.
change. Open Wednesday 7:30-9 P.M.
and Thursday 9:30-11 A.M. Every week
at the Madelon Pound House, 1024 Hi1
St. (Basement). Topcoats and sweaters
for men and women. Infants' equip-
went and clothing and children's
clothing. These are available for all
Foreign Students and"Families needing
the above items
Events Wednesday
Sociology Colloquium presents Dr.
Adam Saraapata, University of Warsaw,
Poland, who will speak on "Evaluation
of Occupations by Warsaw Inhabitants"
on Wed., Oct. 12, 1960, 4:15 P.M., East
Conference Room, Rackham Building.
Events Thursday
A Carillon recital will be played by
Sidney Giles on Thurs., Oct. 13 at 7:15
p.m. in Burton Memorial Tower.
The Walden Quartet of the University
of Illinois--Homer Schmitt, violin, Ber-
nard Goodman. violin, John Garvey,
viola, and Robert Swenson, cello, will
present a concert on Thurs., Oct. 13,
8:30 P.M. in Rackham Lecture Hall. In-
cluded on the program will be composi-
tions of Joseph Haydn, Elliot Carter,
and Claude Debussy. This concert Is
made possible through the courtesy of
the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Foun-
dation of the Library of Congress and
the School of Music of the University
of Illinois. Open to the general public.
University Lecture: "Investigation of
Organoaluminum Compounds by Mod-
ern Physical Methods." Dr. Ernst G.
Hoffman. Max-Planck-Institut fur Kohl-
enforschung Mulheim (Ruhr), Ger-
many. Thurs., Oct. 13, 8:00 P.M. Room
1300, Chemistry Building.
University Lecture, Forestry in Great
Britain, Prof. E. C. Mobbs, Dean, Dept.
of Forestry, University College of North
Wales. 4:15 p.m. Thurs., Oct. 13, 2082
Nat. Science Bldg.
Lecture: Miss Margaret Webster will
soldiers, politicians, and authors;
and finally a debate between the
narrator and one of the char-
acters.
The intention is to offer a
variety of facts and arguments
having to do with war in general
and the indefensibility of modern
warfare, and to then summarize
the predicament and defend the
pacifist argument.
GIVEN THE NECESSARY limi-
tations of a work whose sole pur-
pose is to effective propaganda
for a politically oriented position,
rather than a less immediate ar*
tistic attitude, the production was
very well done, with a few excep-
tions.
The four characters moved
through their several roles smooth-
ly and dealt with adeptness with
each. The skill with which they
and the production crew handled
their tasks made the work move
swiftly and steadily, in spite of
its natural patchwork quality.
However, the appalling number
of references cited was unneces-
sary; repetition of arguments,
many of them cited apparently
only to contribute the weight of
numbers and the force of the,
n a m e s (Einstein, Schweitzer,
Steven Crane, Kant, etc.) behind
them, only served to prolong the
already didactic multi-document.
THIS REPETITION also em-
phasized one of the obvious ques-
tions that was carefully worked
around each time it arose. Again
and again a skeptic would ask:
"How do we know the Russians
will not attack us if we lay down
our arms?"
The usual answer was: If we
don't disarm we will perish in a
nuclear inferno, so we had better.
The only suggestions that dis-
armament might not mean defeat
and slavery were a misleading
reference to William Penn, who
made a successful deal with the
Indians in Pennsylvania, and one
to Mahatma Ghandi, whose civil
disobedience to the English in
India has been repeatedly cited
as successful pacifism.
NEITHER OF THESE CASES
seems to apply to the case at
hand. The Communist world is
hardly in the position of either
the naked savages or the British
Commonwealth; this is obvious.
The point, ignored by the play, is
that we do not have any way of
knowing what Russia or China
would do in the event that a
Western country decides to stop
this nonsense and end the arms
race by disqualifying itself from
competition.
* * *
PHILIP LEWIS WOULD pro-
bably answer that this is irrele-
vant, although unfortunate. The
point his play has to make, and
it makes it well, is that war is
no longer tenable in view of the
nwr a t h hand.cn 411 ideto
SO WHAT DO we have? If a
poor education for these people
contributes to national prestige,
then, ineed, -this is a worthwhile
project and should be continued.
If a foreign garrison in Ann Arbor
contributes to the exchange of cul-
ture, then it too is a fine thing.
But these benefits are obviously
illusions. The fact is, the cultural
exchange program, ELI, and the
idea of the Superior American
Education are each and every one
a gross fallacy.
--Name Withheld by Request
To the Victors . .
To The Editor:
TH IS is Saturday Rfternoon.
Earlier today, *wo strong teams
faced one another before 77,183
people; the U of M team played
as if, once again, they remember-
ed they were Michigan men, and,
as such, invincible. Duke ducked
as the Maize moved.
The cheerleaders, too, held the
throng in awe with the amazing
feats they performed for Maize
and blue.
The visiting bands, infected with
Michigan Spirit, cheered with
might and main.
BUT WHERE was our band?
The pre-game hors d'oeuvres were
good, but there was no victory
celebration. We lost the battle of
the bands by forfeit. And to a
high school! Twice, now, the sta-
dium has failed to echo a well-
deserved victory Victors.
Even the cheers of the fifty or
sixty thousand, who remained pa-
tiently after the demise of Duke,
were unable to persuade the band
to play an encore.
It is debatable why the good
Doctor hesitates to commit his
men, but unquestionably, by not
playing, he disappoints many of
his loyalest rooters. '!here is no
music as beautiful as the Victors
played in the Stadium by the
Marching Band with its hats on
backwards.
-Simon L. Klein, '62E
Berkeley's Stimulation
To The Editor:
ALTHOUGH it is admittedly dif-
ficult to keep one's mind on
studies in the attractive outdoor
climate at the University of Cali-
fornia in Berkeley, there is no such
problem indoors.
It is truly a shame that Daily
Editor Hayden did not personally
attend the summer session at
Berkeley or he would have been
intellectually stimulated by the
teachers, be they professors or
graduate assistants. Since these
men devote a considerable portion
of their time to research, they
can and do offer new and chal-
lenging ideas in the lecture halls,
ideas which offer something sub-
stantial enough to arouse the in-
tellect,
And they are interested in the
passing on of this knowledge to
their students who then have the
opportunity to continue the search
for themselves. This is education
in the truest sense.
-Andrea Patterson, '62
Berkeley Summer Session-1960
AT LYDIA MENDELSSOHN:
Non-Violent Position
Effectively .presented
PHILIP Lewis' 'DocuDrama,' "Which Way the Wind," received an
enthusiastic ovation from a large audience in Lydia Mendelssohn
Theatre last night.
The purpose of the play is singular and explicit - to promulgate
the Quaker idea of non-violence as the only solution to the dilemma
which characterizes the present world situation. It is not, save perhaps
in the broadest possible sense, theatre; however, it makes use of
"Aren't You Fellows A Little Early
For 'Trick Or Treat'?"
k
.
Editorial Staff
THOMAS HAYDEN, Editor
NAN NIARKEL. JEAN SPENCER
City Editor Editorial Director
JDITH DONER ...........Personnel Director
HOMAS KABAKER ,........ . Magazine Editor
fill !
I I