Queens College - Silhouette Yearbook (Queens, NY)

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Laggards for defense. E. WAS HE DY Even U11 'Natinrial Defense llay It was pretty much of a joke back in September 1941, when the faculty donned fire hats and learned to knot ropes in the city-wide drive to enlist volunteer firemen and air raid wardens. But as far back as then Queens College was demonstrating that it was not lagging in its duties as a public-minded people's college. Queens College was not caught unawares by Pearl Harbor, Dr. Barry Commoner of the Committee for Civilian Defense declared at the De- cember 9 rally. Augmenting their work as wardens and firemen, 55 faculty mem- bers surrendered part of their Christmas vacation to take an intensive training course conducted by Army, Police and Fire Department offi- cials. Before Pearl Harbor, too, four faculty members were already busy as speakers with the Oflice of Civilian Defense. 136

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SPEED UP! Going full gear in its project to place its resources at the disposal of the United Nations, Queens College early in the Spring Semester announced a three-year plan to speed up education production. At the same time, disclosure was made of a new pre-engineering curriculum to facilitate the training of technical men needed so much in war industry. In the regular curriculum itself, War left its customarily vivid im- pression. Advanced Naval history, radio communication, Morse code, first aid, leadership and civilian defense took their places next to science survey and contemporary civilization. Extension courses, too, came in for their share of remodeling. Prac- tical navigation, radio, analysis of the chronicle of the war for arm- chair admirals and grandstand generals. . and fashion note Slacks were more modish too after Pearl Harbor, with 'ustilication .I and rationalization aplenty. Long-legged and skinny, or plumpy and dumpy, Queens co-eds argued-and reasonably, we suppose-that slacks were necessar ' for first aid classes. There is even the stor bruited Y Y about that Dean Kiel ' was seen Walkmf from eflferson Hall to Y 5 Whitman Hall in a pair of spotless black slacks. The editor of a local paper heard of this and demanded pictures, but the Dean demurely and firmly niX'd the idea. Slacks, she maintained-or so the story goes - were for first aid classes only and not for publicity. The editor is said to have been ver cha frined. Y S 135

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LAGEAHUS FUR UEFE SE The Ethics of Patrintit Hush Money But there were other ways- less formal, less ordered-by which Queens College met the challenge of the Axis. Late in the Fall term, even before December 7, Prof. Jack Hexter of the English history courses thought up the scheme called playing pushkisf' A little tired of tardy students, and a lot interested in national defense, Doc Hexter decided to assess late students one penny for every minute late to class, the revenue to go to the Dean's fund in the form of defense stamps and bonds. The scheme fired the imagina- tion of faculty and students, and only a few weeks later, a score of classes adopted the idea. Dr. Oscar Shaftel elaborated upon it slightly, and decreed that if he was late he'd pay two cents per minute. Pushkis, of course, are the little receptacles used to house the dough. Dudley Straus' push- ki was a whimsical elephant-bank, F. X. Nulty used a prosaic mayon- naise jar, while Doc Hexter was satisfied with a bottle held to- gether with adhesive tape. But it was left to Dean Kiely to add the glamorous finishing touch to the episode. Should America, the Dean wondered, profit by the wages of sin? Acknowledging 3.34 col- lected the first week by Dr. Hexter, Dean Kiely claimed that I find myself 'twixt Scylla and Charybdisf' Are the pennies, she asked, hush money, conscience money or plain penitential pence? With one breath I condemn the low estate from which the riches rise and in another I hail the brave impulse by which my treasury makes unto itself friends of the Mammon of Iniquityf' Dean Kiely finally decided to OK the patriotic device with this compromise- For that which you are, I weepg for that which you give, I rejoice -gratefullyf' 137