Purification By Fire

A Plan Emerges
We welcome the presentation of
a plan for the reorganization of stu-

dent government.
This plan meets the criteria we
have discussed previously and we
warmly endorse it.
The chances for actual reform
in the student government system
at the University now seem better
than ever.
Discussion have been going on
for most of the year and the second conference on organization was
presented with a comprehensive
plan for restructuring student
government.
As we commented at that time,
the plan goes a long way toward
cleaning up the governmental
organization.
We suggested, however, that
government should be structured
to meet the needs of the students
rather than being designed as a
coordinating body.
The new plan, proposed
Wednesday by a group of the University's top student leaders, follows closely the one already presented but does make this basic
revision in purpose.
,
has-- recognized that
This group
most of the normal governmental
functions, such as protection of
health, and safety, are already performed by the administration.
The students need, it suggests,
a means for channeling their ideas
to the administration, for evaluating teaching, etc.
.

The student government, as
structured under the present plan,
would be composed on commissions that would work in each of
the major areas of student need.
The government would be adexecuministered by a nine-ma- n
tive board (including the president
and vice president) and ideas would
come from the elected legislature,
the Student Senate.
The present system of campus
courts would remain unchanged.
The structure is not a drastic
departure from the organizational
pattern followed by many campus
groups.

It would allow for something
student government has never had,
a coordinated executive branch to
perform tasks assigned by the
legislature.
Student government, however,
will never be powerful on this
campus unless given the authority
by the Administration.
Administrators have hesitated
in granting that authority in recent years after surveying the confused body called Student Con-

Tut

gress.
We hope the interim study committee will give favorable consideration to this new plan this summer.

Kentucky

Kebno.

'Splinter' Still Lives

Today we are moved to report due for no such quick solution.
Under this plan, perhaps the
It has been reported over and
a special point of reference between
Administration will find none of
the University of Kentucky and the over again that the Social Sciences
the old complaints hold true for
State University of New York: both Building is not only extremely unthe new student government.
have relegated social sciences to comfortable but also extremely dand
War II "temporary"
gerous.
What's more, it is difficult for us
housing.
At both institutions the social to understand how the University
From the fleeting din of a vigorousDonovan and Blazer) emphasizes
sciences building is commonly callcan ask professors to work andor
ly-fought
our premise: that student governcampaign, two leaded the "campus joke."
teach in such a building.
ers have emerged to guide government must serve all students, not
At both institutions the buildAlso while students and profesment on this campus. They have simply Greeks, and not simply Ining is a wooden throwback to the sors suffer discomfort and experitaken up a heavy burden.
dependents.
d
War II circumstances ence
The entanglements and pitfalls
We are encouraged by the nature
danger in Splinter Hall, Pence
in higher education.
and Kastle Halls still stand unused.
which must be avoided in the of the campaign just concluded:
Following the war there appearstuit was characterized by the absence
forthcoming reorganization of
They have stood empty for two
dent government will require no of such partisan nonsense as that ed on American campuses an inyears now, while classes continue
small measure of acumen andjudg-- ' which has been apparent in past creased number of wooden preto be held in Splinter.
fabricated buildings and quonset
ment.
campus political affairs.
We understand Kastle is. to be
This is due in some measure to huts, designed to relieve the temWe are confident that Winston
renovated soon, but what about
the winning candidates' efforts, but porary increase in students proMiller and John O'Brien are equipPence?
it is also attributable to the pro- duced by the closing of military
ped to accomplish a smooth transiWhat areas of study are more
affairs in Europe and the Pacific.
tion.
priety with which the losing candiAt the New York school the vital to man than the Social ScienIt remains to be seen whether dates conductedtheircampaigns.
We were particularly impressed wooden buildings are destined to be ces?
they will cling to their current
resolve: to apply their considerwith the qualificatins and cameliminated in the state's one billion
We favor making their teaching
able talents diligently to the task. paign of the Jones-Portticket. dollar building program.
as effective as possible and an imMiller and O'Brien would do
Should they fail they will have
At the University of Kentucky,
portant prerequisite for this is that
abdicated their responsibility to well to channel the obvious inter- the
they be housed in safe, more comthe students who elected them, and est and considerable talents of Mr.
problem of Splinter Hall is fortable classrooms.
to the student body as a whole, Jones and Mr. Porter in the right
to which they are ultimately resdirection next year. We would sugponsible.
gest that the appointive power of
We wish also to reemphasize the president be put to use here if
The Centennial Conference on tion of the audience for the social
a most important commitment possible.
Higher Education, scheduled for studies conference, even though the
made by both Miller and O'Brien:
There are no easy answers for final examination week, is another sessions were scheduled
during
a commitment to the comprehenstudent government at the Uniinstance of Centennial scheduling prime class hours. Perhaps they
sive view.
versity. There is no panacea. There which seems to bypass considerawould have attended the other condichoThe
is only hard work.
tion of University students who ferences as well.
tomy is inherent in the structure
Only the best efforts of those might wish to attend.
Students showed a keen interest
of campus life, but it must not apcharged with the responsibility will
we realize the Centen- - Jin hearing some of the
Though
outstanding
serve to disprove Ben Williams'
ply to student governmental leadnial Conferences are not aimed pri- - f scholars in the field of the social
ers.
axiom: "The best vote is no vote marily at the student, the students sciences.
A large Independent vote (at
at all."
comprise the largest bulk of the
Perhaps the dates selected were
University population and perhaps the only ones open for the consulshould have been given better contants for the education and physisideration in planning the events. cal science conferences. If so, this
The physical sciences conference, scheduling is understandable. We
The South' Outstanding College Daily
scheduled during the spring vaca- would not advocate
cutting of qualUniversity of Kentucky
tion, was equally inconvenient for ity to suit a popular scheduling
1965
1894
ESTABLISHED
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28,
most students to attend.
choice, but one out of three is not
Wiixiam Chant,
Students comprised a large por- - a very good average.
Svo Webb, Managing Editor
David Havvfe, Executive Editor

And A Team To Lead

post-Worl-

post-Worl-

er

long-discusse-

d,

A Matter Of Percentage

Greek-Independe-

nt

The Kentucky Kernel
Editor-in-Chi-

*