Western Washington University - Klipsun Yearbook (Bellingham, WA)

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ciety, and his bridging of the student-faculty cred- ibility gap will prove invaluable during future con- frontations. NVith his sincerity, dedication, and open mind, President Flora promises to provide a much needed element of stability within lVestern's administration. While cries of c'RevolutionH ring from the throats of a vocal minority there are many of us who silently 'cdo our own thingw in a private attempt to create a better world. Wfhile our proposed meth- ods are diverse, all of us seek a just and peaceful world, and most of us recognize a need for sweep- ing political and social change. The widely publi- cized efforts of a violent, aggressive few have tar- nished the image of our generation just as the apathy of some students has caused us to be rep- resented as irresponsible hedonists. However, the recognition of college students as a viable, con- structive segment of society is just beginning and may be the foundation for productive efforts to- ward updating our rapidly evolving world. In a time of countless conflicting proposals toward world betterment, it is up to the individual to con- struct his own philosophy of life and to dedicate himself to the defense of his own ideals. Wlhen each of us accepts his own personal role as peace- maker and soul-mate to mankind we can perhaps begin the march toward a better world. Our gen- eration may have begun to make the first stumbl- ing steps toward that goal-but like Robert Frost we have miles to go before we sleepf, Mx 49 , iv 15 mm

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duced far more beneficial results than harmful ones, the unreasoning extremism of a misguided few is certainly no worse than the widespread apathy and ignorance that was prevalent only a few years ago. Some of our elders sweepingly condemn college students as radicals, but continued pleas for 'EMod- erationi' seem out of place in the face of a tragic- ally futile war where time is measured in lives lost. Though many of us are being called traitors and cowards, we are at least following our con- science in the pursuit of peace. If our actions can hasten the end of this bloody slaughter then I be- lieve the widely criticized draft resistance move- ments are justified. Hence I find the increased in- terest in pacifism and draft reform during the last year to be grounds for at least limited hope. The 1968-69 year has seen an ever-increasing growth of tension and militancy within the Amer- ican civil rights movement. Blacks and whites alike are finally coming to realize that the Afro- American can no longer seek to become only a dark-skinned WASP, and campus observers have witnessed the rise of a new and dynamic campaign to end racial injustice. I find this trend to be basic- ally healthy, though the presence of irresponsible factions of both races keep the threat of bloody rioting suspended above us like a modern sword of Damocles. Therefore the urgent need for efficient communication is of utmost importance if we are to avoid the tragedy of self-defeating violence. For this reason I find the high point of the 1968-69 year to be the appointment of Dr. Flora as West- ern's President. On numerous occasions, Dr. Flora has demonstrated his ability to achieve fruitful communication with all elements of campus so-

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The problems that have troubled Western this year reflect similar conflicts in colleges and universities all across the nation and indeed throughout the world. Higher education is changing but the shape of the future remains unclear. The complicated in- terrelationships among students, faculty, adminis- tration and governing boards are in a state of flux. The view that a college stands in loco parentis is under sharp attack everywhere. But whether a col- lege can completely renounce its responsibility for the social and moral aspects of its students, lives is a question that will require clarification by the courts. Questions about the Hrelevaneew of the eur- riculum repeatedly are raised but those who raise them seem unprepared to answer the next ques- tion: Hrelevant to whatlw In recent years adminis- trators have surrendered much of their responsi- bility for academic policy making to the faculty but now that students are demanding a share of the action the faculty in turn is under pressure to give up some of its hard-won gains. During the current year all these problems have been complicated by the widespread concern over problems external to the campus: the Vietnam Wfar, the continuing struggle for civil-rights, the rising crime rate, riots in the cities, and a growing threat of air and water pollution. Though these are problems for which the college is not to blame, and which it alone cannot solve, the diversity of opin- ions about them contributes to the tensions on the campus.