Michigan State University - Red Cedar Log Yearbook (East Lansing, MI)

Page 15 text:

After a year of renewed national interest in the business of politics and public opinion, an election year complete with campaigns and TV coverage, a revived spirit seemed to stir on campus. Old Man Apathy loosened his hold more than once and by spring term seemed almost on his way out. Student elections, in direct contradiction to the prophets of indifference, drew over 5,000 voters to the polls in April, while such topics as ROTC, men's dorm dress regu- lations and student housing regulations were discussed and debated with renewed vigor. Spring had indeed sprung. But this atmosphere did not appear without priming. Student Government, the State News and student groups from IFC to MHA did much to bring home student interest during fall and winter term. TH URSDAY'S CHILD The 1958-59 Student Government, one of the best or- ganized and, canoe acts notwithstanding, one of the most effective of recent years, began with a legacy of confusion which left them a long way to go fall term. When viewed in retrospect, the elections for class ofli- cers, Student Congress and the AUSG president in spring of '58 seem almost ludicrous. The confusion demonstrated by Student Government over its own elections regulations was epic. Tensions rose and tempers flared hotly over minor technical points, until it was a wonder that there was any election at all. The big mix-up began three days before the primary, when Elections Commissioner Herb Harman resigned un- der pressure from Student Government President Marne Gleason after Dean Pappas violated the rules in his cam- paign for senior class president. Gleason claimed Harman was too liberal in his interpretation of the regulations, and Harman refused to continue without complete control over election procedures. Gleason then appointed Barrie Alley to replace Harman. Two days later, on the eve of the primary, two candi- dates for Student Government president disqualihed them- selves by campaigning over Brody radio without leaving comparable time for the third candidate. Then candidate three decided to use the radio too, but since this left the first two without time comparable to his, he too was dis- qualified. Result, no candidates . . . a cut and dried affair. But the plot thickened. The Elections Review Board decided the whole business had been mishandled and ruled all three candidates still eligible. This might have ended it, but the next day Glea- son stopped the primary when he discovered that one candidate's name had been left off the ballot, and held things up until the oversight could be corrected. Somehow, the final election was held without any notable complications the following week. When the dust finally settled, Chuck Walther was president, Gleason and Alley graduated, and, sure enough, Harman reappeared, this time as executive vice-president. By fall term, however, things had settled down, and the politicians stuck pretty much to business for the rest of the year. SPARTAN SPIRIT RE-VISITED Fall was relatively free of major controversy on campus, for football was upon us and everyone worked off steam in the stadium. Even such aroused public clamor as that of the Brody residents the previous spring over the big stinkf' from the Red Cedar sewage disposal plant faded in the cool fall air. But football brought its own problems in terms of unsuccessful Big l0 competition, Spartan Spirit for lack of ith and the philosophy of pep rallies. Pep rallies came under fire from several directions. If they were plain, old-fashioned shout sessions, they didn't attract enough student participation, but if they had pro- fessional entertainment, they were not pep rallies, but simply shows. All of this, coupled with a hard luck season for the team, seemed to create a feeling that State's foot- ball reputation was collapsing beyond repair. But the feeling was temporary. Kansas State was mauled in the last game 26 to 7, Sam Williams made All-Ameri- can, Biggie and Duffy stayed friends and football pep raliles were forgotten for another year. Borrowing from Mark Twain, Sparty could claim without much argument that rumors of his death were grossly exaggerated. NEWS AND REVIEWS It will be a long time before the State News can match its classic confusion of vets fmedicall with vets fmilitaryl, when two years ago they reported a tuition increase to 130-odd dollars for the vets instead of the vets. In fact, as a mirror and sounding board of student opinion as well as a reporter of facts, the S'News does an unusually accu- rate and competent job. There are, however, occasional slips. With the coming of the snows, campus controversies took on a more serious atmosphere, and the State News joined in. Dr. Stanley Idzerda, Director of the Honors College and more than an interested spectator, challenged conformity among students in general and the Greeks in particular at the IFC-Pan Hel convocation. The State News lent added drama to this already explosive attack by one small error. In their hurry to make their press dead- line they omitted the word f'intellectual from Dr. Idzerda's description of fraternities as an intellectual skid row. In contrast to this was the papers coverage of the com- pulsory ROTC question. Without identifying themselves with any person's or group's opinion on the matter, they printed nearly all such opinions which they felt were sub- mitted in good faith, canvassed the Board of Trustees on the question and over a period of several weeks, had cov- ered the problem in its broadest possible sense. Politics and opinion from canoes to the National Student Association, dormitory dress regulations to ROTC. amused, provoked and sometimes enlightened us through- out the year. The details will doubtless fade in time, but the spirit will be remembered as long as the year is. I1

Page 14 text:

POLITICS AND OPINION , :L re W 1 uf XVilliam F. Mac Mcllrath, Director of Student Publications, counseled his traditional cool view to hot-headed student editors. IO Student Congress made the Thursday morn- ing headlines more than once during the year as their debates covered everything from housing to canoes. The new high-speed rotary press at Cam- pus Press, in spite of a low-speed start, was turning out the campus daily in little over an hour by winter term, allowing more up- to-the-minute news.

Page 16 text:

nu I 'W 'U Y wh .NJ e Kwwl ' yo I I ,ua , . ' 'Q 5 l x 5 5 W 1 Q ,. , , , x.gtLqk x i . .- 4 .- N 5, 4 2 - v X 4 N X N S 1 ' K vt Y K Q ' ' XQ-x ix ' V' ', N' 'K x v A ' s, it Q , 'fx' xx, b ? A Lx i Q 'K X x ' Q . - 5 1. -yy 10 4 . X -My X' Q - 2 1 5 8 xx .I 'XS-M I ,M ,f.,:QI.-,wir - K IJ., u x ' i x gt.,--'H K' ' :N ffff X x ' 'Q 7,1 I' ,, -A M ,, J I, . Y' , H IA I 1 1 x. ,, . , X my ',. wx. X ltiflpq. .4 x Sq. NN,a,E ,, A., , , 1 A 1 u S fx. W N. . W 1 - Hy. ' X ' E. jing 5:0351 gt,Q5,::m, -Q ,gy 1, 1 ,r N.-A-it 1 Af -. I. , , . A I V, 1, U-5 - Rf? X . -1 H L J K' ' - 'W' -m'f4 fy7V1 'n'k'4 J' NV, -.5 H. 's,i1', -, I' I 5, ,f y:' 4.90 ft, i - ', I ,A Y V fffftlf 1 ' ' ' ' 1 ,a , . , , 1 4 ,N ,f 5' 4 P fe41'v'f5 w, w, aw! 'ff'f1'f'? ?fff 1 , ,, ,A ' 44. ?.z,xf4,,f A -Q 1 Q 1- '-Q' 'Ll-3 ',iw',f,, ' V 1 4 .gi 4, 15: .,.'lKI,'? ,4..'g ff . 6 x- 'q.,!f ' S 1. ' ',, V ,IVA .4 Q A '-jx J f.w.4fH!- fa- 4 ,gif 'V - J x .. K. i ' 4 2JQ.'b? l'45'if?'. ,f-nik' Zfff Qf,'f-' . H5131 R J 2 1131, aww, J. -,-,K+ 4:4 1+ ,fr f53,?.ie '.'M,w V,Xf-:QMl'f A As, ,' Lfllg'-.af f Q, i '11, f'-ififs' ,. -' 1 t ,Hifi ',f, .A v, f. X ,f .4 X Lf: fri' j 'VER cf' rx'-H If . X51' All ruff X , by 'M ' F x .I 1 l V ,Nj K x !dSf'p'?qrY1, p fx AX 41, ,X ' I A , 3 9 ' ,x ' . 45 4 XC' X ' U, Fix 43 P' a --' '2 - '. ,','- ' 2 px' v x - X 1-Nui h-I .Hlsfk ' 1 ' . 'x I' 'if t' . ' 2 E1,c'i?QQ 15x'... 171 'Y , X' I - I F'fYx5. Q 3-sf lx Exit Qfalsvxfv . - J V ZUW' H Sims. , X 1 ' N' i Wx: N . - R, Wg .v , r 5' ! J w x , F Q QW K .xii I. H , . . x. X N ' 44- ' . 'A 4 ,g .f . X' K f 1 ' K, X N31 ' T 1 K. In , , Y V' -+ 1 ., M ,tu an my .u R, . .g:, --xt . -W ,Q ,T-., V, , I . gvsfif .N-'Ng-4 ' .N, f ' X' .faiw-1 - .,'v'W..,Q 2 'QQ' -M5 Q- sw., ,X ,yu K I x' , . M N, u. N ' :Q My ' 5 ways. J. AOA, . :X 'YE . Gil. 5 A. ' a, M 'A - ?4?5f'f?'j b Q K- - Q gx I iqff ,fi '. Y, g,,w Q riyw. mg '. ,M . . V-We . A 4 X, , , X-vw-K1 A ww-M W W. W , TIM? . Z' 3 .146 gr mf x , A 54, vw x X227 ,J-Q I 'Q , K Kr, ,e 1 f A- ag .z , . t- S , X ' ,Rn 753541 ffwv N fi f ff-L 3: ' 1 . ' . an x 'yxvq ' f ,5- .,f,,,,,,f ,- vw Q -J, :abgpq fi midi , 'M Q 3' -x ff , 'Q ' .. fishy , H. ,ff-Qgggf' 1' ., 24- 'f'f'.,.f ff-QL, XTX- NW5 ljw?'z. Q 'Z 'Veg A5 , 'f 42, ,N g Q9 , .. -,Vs,wQv,.,,,,f' wx A 42 3724- '. f. M v n.'?Q , Y x..mnu A 91'f l 1 4