Oregon State University - Beaver Yearbook (Corvallis, OR)

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Vf i I.LI AM Jasper Kerr,d.sc.,ll.d. Pifshloit of the College

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Administration

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77v Presiilefit ' s Message HU MICMORIAL LXlOX Is tlic answer to a iloulilc ntcJ on tlic college campus tlic urm: to provide a littin memorial to the men of O. A. C . who died in the wars ot their country, and the need to establish here .m all-collei»e center for the perpetuation of those ideals of unity, democ- racv and service which they so nobly sustained. The college that these men knew had a unity and comradeship that belonged to the compact campus of other davs, with its relatively smaller area and smaller student bodv. There comes a time, however, in the life of every large educational institution when its plant becomes so wide, and its divisions of work and activities become so diverse and specialized, that it needs the unifying force of a threat social center to maintain its solidaritv. That time has come in the history of () A C. The simplicitv of organization inherent in its life as a small college, developing year by year under pioneering conditions, could not persist under the complex con- ditions of today. The modern world demands of a state institution of higher learning specialized scientific service. As the college has expanded to render this service, with increasing enrollment of students aggregating 40C0 to 50003 year, it cannot maintain the old unconscious unity that sprang from immediate contacts. Ir needs a new unity built on conscious organization and effort. To obtain this it needs a unifying and democratizing center. The Memorial L ' nion provides such a center. Built on the initiative of the students, with the help of faculty, alumni and friends, it will be an enduring hearthstone for O. A. C. It will be a place, centrally located and adequately equipped, for the social- ization of the student body in a dignified and wholesome environment, for the acco mplishment of large undertakings that concern the entire college community — students, alumni, iacultv and friends; for the proper housing of alumni and student body organizations; and for intensifying college loyalty, not only throughout the campus and the state, but wherever graduates and former students may be, binding them all together in the bond of Beaver brotherhood. 1-7