. ... ,..
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Aid to Education
Does Federal Support
Mean Control?
The Image of a Professor
From the Lecture Hall
To the Baseball Diamond
By CYNTHIA NEU
SINCE THE advent of the Sputnik age
it has become fashionably patriotic to
denounce the American system of educa-
tion. Writers, editors and critics wrinkle
their brows over the fact that American
schools do not produce mathematicians,
engineers, and physicists in direct propor-
tion to the Soviets, but at the same time
they ignore facets of the Russian edu-
cational system which would be in ac-
cord with democratic education and
would remedy some of America's greatest
educational failures.
Three of the main features are cen-
trally controlled curriculum, ability
grouping and federal support. These
methods are used by several European
countries including Great Britain and
could be used easily in the United States.
Ability grouping is becoming the vogue in
some areas and has such avid backers as
James B. Conant. It was advocated in the
1958 Rockefeller Foundation Report on
United States Education, which empha-
sized that stimulation of the individual
to make the most of his potentialities
should be an objective of all education.
But while some of the larger cities are
beginning to put ability grouping into
practice, investing in modern laboratory,
equipment and extra-curricular classes
for special ability children, one of every
six elementary students and one out of
every five high school students attends
school in what is most aptly described as
a firetrap. Statistics on the number of
students attending school in one-room
school houses and unused religious build-
ings are staggering. Other schools lack
libraries, ,cafeterias, gymnasiums and
shops..
The same schools that are facing the
problem of getting classrooms and equip-
ment are also facing a drastic shortage
of teachers. These areas cannot establish
high standards because they cannot pay
decent salaries for teachers. Qualified in-
structors therefore gravitate toward states
or districts within states which offer
higher salaries and more fringe benefits
while the districts already in trouble
drop lower and lower.
TWO PROBLEMS underlie the overall
picture - the need for increased funds
and across-the-board standards of edu-
cation.
The states have traditionally relied on
local funds. Within this arrangement the
CONTENTS
AID TO EDUCATION
By Cynthia Neu........ .Page Two
ONE CITY: TWO WORLDS
By Hugh Witemeyer. . .. Page Three
CROSSING THE HUDSON
By Mlinda Berry...... Page Four
PREVIEWS AND REVIEWS ..Page Five
BRINGING UP FRESHMEN
By Robert Selwo ......... Page Six
THE AFFLUENT PROFESSOR:
A Daily Special Section
FACULTY PICTURES...... Page Eight
THE UNIVERSITY SENATE
By Neil Cossman.........Page Ten
IN THE POLITICAL ARENA
By Thomas Hunter.....Page Eleven
THE UNIVERSITY'S FUTURE:
A PANEL DISCUSSION Page Twelve
TEACHING AND RED TAPE
By Harry Perlstadt. .. Page Fourteen
THE IMAGE OF A PROFESSOR
By Gail Evans........ Page Fifteen
THE WORLD'S END
Translated by
X. J. Kennedy........ Page Fifteen
PHOTO CREDITS: Cover: James Keson;
Page Two: Daily; Page Three: As-
sociated Press; Pages Four and Five:
Daily; Pages Six and Seven: Ken-
neth Winter; Pages Eight and Nine:
University News Service, James Ke-
son, Daily; Page Ten: University
News Service, Daily; Page Eleven:
top, Daily, bottom, HOGREFE; Page
Twelve: Larry Vanice; Page Thirteen:
top, Larry Vanice, Len Lonfsrom,
bottom, Kenneth Winter; Page Four-
teen: top, Jeff Fortune, bottom, dE
Aros, Page Fifteen: top, Daily, bot-
tom, Jeff Fortune.
Page Two
largest source of income is property taxes
which vary greatly depending on the
amount of industry residing within a cer-
tain area and the willingness of the pub-
lic to appropriate and vote funds for edu-
cation.
The New 'York Times reported last year
that about 93 per cent of the educational
dollar comes from property taxes which
cannot possibly go up as fast as school
costs. The other seven per cent is re-
ceived from sales and amusement taxes
which fluctuate so widely that it is very
difficult to predict their amount from one
year to the next.
Many school districts are bonding
themselves so heavily that they are en-
dangering future revenue for cuirent op-
erating expenses. This eliminates the
possibility of long-range plans for con-
struction and developments.
Meanwhile, other districts cannot elim-
inate their educational slums because
they have no more tax resources. Once
funds are obtained, the school - boards
must face the problem of how they can
simultaneously improve teachers' salaries
and provide adequate facilities.
Thus a student in Tennessee may at-
tend a one-room school house taught by
a teacher with little training and no ad-
vanced facilities while a student in New
York is taught by a college, graduate in
modern surroundings with up-to-date
equipment.
Some states just do not have the in-
come available to devote to education and
may be working to the best of their abil-
ity to provide the best possible schools.
Others may have low grade schools, be-
cause although the money is available,
a lower proportion is devoted to educa-
tion.
THIS PASSIVE inequality and actual
inabiltiy to raise funds can only be
handled on a national level. Standards
must be set to insure the best schools
possible within given states and then,
when deficits occur, federal aid must
bridge the gap.
From the Morrill Acts in 1862 and 1890
to the National Defense Education Act
in 1958, there has been a willingness on
the part of the federal government both
to give more funds to and show a great-
er concern for education. However, the
tendency of the federal government to
appropriate funds for education has tak-
en place haphazardly and without a gen-
eral purpose and orientation. A number
of deeply ingrained attitudes of the gen-
eral public have greatly clouded the is-
sues and hindered substantial advances.
There is the fear of aid to parochial
schools violating the American ideal of
separation of church and state, and the
great fear that states' rights will be chal-
lenged. The latter indicates a confusion
in American thinking - that federal
funds mean federal control.
There is the fear of aid to parochial
schools violating the American ideal of
separation of church and state, and the
great fear that states' rights will be chal-
lenged. The latter indicates a confusion
in American thinking - that federal
funds mean federal control.
AMERICANS have since the close of the
Revolution feared bigness and con-
solidation, whether in the federal gov-
ernment or in business corporations as
during the Progressive period trust-bust-
ing. This wariness is well founded and
the danger of government control of edu-
cation cannot be ignored.
The schools have gradually been seen
as the forefront of local control. The fear
of federal intervention in policies has
come to supercede the philosophical rea-
-sons for having the best possible educa-
tion for the largest number of Americans.
One of the reasons for a democratic form
of government is to provide equal oppor-
tunities for each individual to better his
position both as an individual and as a
member of society. Social mobility in this
day and age is obtained largely through
a higher degree of learning and through
the greatest possible development of na-
tive abilities and interests. This can only.
Rival departments match a
For the privileged few?
come through an educational opportunity,
and when local school boards and govern-
ments are not able to afford this to resi-
dents, it becomes necessary for the na-
tional government to take an active role.
The local district is no longer an en-
tity unto itself. The national government
has taken its place in a world society and
national goals and interests must be
maintained while local interests are
guaranteed.
"The human mind is our fundamental
resource. A balanced Federal program
must go well beyond incentives for in-
vestment in plant and equipment. It
must include equally determined mea-
sures to invest in human beings - both
in their basic education and training and
in their more advanced preparation for
professional work.
.". . Too many state and local govern-
ments lack the resources to assure the
adequate education for every child. Too
many classrooms are overcrowded. Too
many teachers are underpaid. Too many
talented individuals cannot afford the
benefits of higher education. Too many
academicminstitutions cannot afford the
cost of, or find room for, the growing
numbers of students seeking admission
in the sixties.
"We do not undertake to meet our
growing educational problems merely to
compare our achievements with those of
our adversaries. These measures are jus-
tified on their ownemerits - in times of
peace as well as peril - to educate bet-
ter citizens as well as better scientists
and soldiers. The federal government's
responsibility in this area has been es
tablished since the earliest days of the
Republic - it is time now to act deci-
sively to fulfill that responsibility for the
sixties."
These words were delivered'to Congress
last year by President John F. Kennedy.
The preference for state and local con-
trol still exists, but the federal govern-
ment is beginning to be willing to take
a responsibility it has long avoided.
IN BEGINNING to implement a federal
aid program for education -some of the
following steps must be taken.
1) There must be a serious re-evaluation
of the tendency in some states to avoid
appropriating funds for education and a
national standard set up to insure across-
the-board quality.
2) The Federal government must shoul-
der the responsibility for providing funds
to areas which are unable to afford a
higher quality of education. At the same
time it must encourage areas which could
do more but would still have a sub-stan-
dard education to appropriate funds, per-
haps on a matcing basis of federal and
state monies.
3) Salaries for teachers must be stand-
ardized and special considerations given
to those teaching in educationally de-
pressed areas. Programs like the NDEA
loans to encourage teacher-training
should be expanded to raise the level of
educational backgrounds for teachers.
4) A national curriculum laboratory
and testing program must be set up to
find the voids occuring in various areas
of the country and propose methods for
remedying them.
5) The Federal government must guar-
antee the local and state governments as
much autonomy as possible while still
promoting a higher minimum national
standard of education. Local school
boards should be able to choose admin-
istrators and teachers and to have the
over-ruling voice in implementation of
federal funds. There should be ample lo-
cal representation on all advisory boards.
6) The United States Office of Educa-
tion must be expanded to take care of
the administration of new programs.
7) The funds must be voted by Con-
aress and a method of appropriating
tipm set up.
G-n-rally en-entable plans for federal
w"nnrt aro diifficult to find. Probably the
best sort of nrogram would be one which
offered the schools suonort on the besis
of locality and the state's inability to pay.
providing the locality and state contrib-
uted as large a part of the finances as
could reasonably be expected.
Standardized facilities could be insured
through this program as well as equalized
and generally higher teachers' salaries to
attract better instructors to educationally
lower areas. The fear that the federal
government would dictate every policy
and that orientation and purpose would
change with every election would be
countered by the very bureaucracy which
would of necessity be established. Teach-
ers would have to be guaranteed the
right to criticize the government freely
and to use supplementary materials
wherever -they wished, no matter how
controversial.
At the same time, federal regulations
that presently are being flaunted would
be enforced more easily. Southern schools
would no longer be able to evade anti-
discrimination rulings. Northern schools
could not practice de-facto segregation
by school district gerrymandering or low-
er corporation property taxes simply be-
cause there were fewer schools in the fac-
tory districts.
THOSE WHO are concerned about
American education are wisely con-
cerned, not only in view of increased com-
petition in the cold war and space race,
but also in view of the need for education
as a base for realizing personal advance-
ments within a democratic society. But
the general public must realize that
"American education" is a national in-
stitution and that the basic issues to be
resolved have grown-out of proportions
which can be handled on a local level.
National planning is needed and national
control must and should dictate minimum
standards. National funds must be avail-
able. Just how they are used will depend
on the individual localities. The direction
must come from Washington - the im-
plementation will be by the local school
board.
The second Kennedy education aid bill
is in -Congress. The greatest opponents
again, as last year, are the Roman Catho-
lics who demand equal aid to parochial
schools and the southern congressmen
who fear integration will be pushed even
harder. However, it is long past the time
when particular interests and local big-
otry should be put aside so that a nation
al need can be satisfied. This need must
be answered with federal funds.
CYNTHIA NEU, a night edi-
tor on The Daily, is a junior ma-
joring in English.
By GAIL EVANS
CONSERVATIVELY dressed in a double-
breasted suit, bewhiskered, and slight-
ly rumpled in appearance, Professor
Stereotype's daily agenda would probably
include a morning of classes and an ex-
citing afternoon in the rare book room
of the general library.
This rather naive conception, of a Uni-
versity professor is often a part of the
new freshman's idea of campus life. The
professor is often thought of as an in-
tellectual looking creature standing on
the stage in Auditorium A in worn out
shoes and the same old suit. He is thought
to be either exceedingly eccentric or ex-
tremely formal and conservative and, of
course, hardlly human at all.
Some new students expect the professor
to appear in the ivy-league tweeds or
blazers, some expect the slovenly academic
martyr, while others have heard wild tales
and expect to be shocked by the freeness
of the instructor's language.
HOWEVER, it is difficult to generalize
about the faculty. At a highly aca-
demic oriented university there is a cer-
tain pressure for formality and an equally
strong pressure to maintain individuality.
Although some departments suggest
that instructors do not wear such things
as turtle neck sweaters, khaki pants and
open-neck sport shirts, most departments
have nosuggested dress standards. In the
psychology and sociology departments
teaching fellows said that there is an
informal pressure to wear a suit.
One mathematics professor said that
the only restrictions he knows of in his
department are informal jokes about "if
you want to put your feet up on the desk,
close the door."
Contrary to popular speculation, in-
structors are human and even participate
in intramurals. About 40 University de-
partments. compete in inter-departmental
sports, according to Earl Riskey, director
of men's athletics.
The mathematics department captured
first place in touch football last fall and
took the championship in basketball this
year. The psychology department placed
first in volleyball.
In fact the psychology department was
last year's All-Year Champion, winning
by a one-point margin over the physics
department. "The business school, the
education school, and the math depart-
ment are usually strong," Riskey said.
Bowling, squash, paddle ball, bad-
minton, riflery, and golf are other intra-
mural sports.
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:" :.
Au Bout du Monde
f
Ca gueule dans la rue noire au bout de laquelle l'ea
Fleuve fremit contre les berges.
Ce megot jete d'une fenetre fait une etoile.
Ca gueule encore dans la rue noire.
Ah! vos gueules!
Nuit pesante, nuit irrespirable.
Un cri s'approche de nous, presque a nous touche
Il expire juste au moment de nous atteindre.
Quelque part, dans le monde, au pied d'un talus,
Un deserteur parlement avec des sentinelles qui n
comprennent pas son langage.
ROBERT DESNC
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At World's
du They're jawing away in the black s
the water of the
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-X. J. KENI
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THE MICHIGAN DAILY MAGAZINES
SUNDAY, MAY 6, 1962