University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1911-02-19
Viewpoints.
The aFrat" situatIon Aaain.

Irian last week and signed by "A Fra
lternity Man" The article referred tc
branded an article which appeared In
1.-THE last issue of the Missouri Oven
as a gross mis-statement of fact, as
Iserted the ''unwisdom" of its author
and in other ways alleged that the
Iarticle was based on prejudice and
Ignorance. As fraternity man, am
unwilling to accept the views that
|were expressed In the Missourian by
this Fraternity Man." and do moi
think it fair to others who think as
I do to let such views go out as rep
lresentative of the fraternity viewpoint
in the matter.
The statement that fraternity schol
arship is miserable, disgraceful and
low" is not untruthful in any sense OF
the word, but is real statement OF
fact. There is little doubt but that
the statistics compiled by the Uni
lversity are correct. The Viewpoint
said that there have been as yet nc
statistics compiled which compared
fraternity with non-fraternity men
and there Is nothing to show the fra.
ternity' men to disadvantage on this
basis" No, but there were statistics
compiled which compared fraternity
scholarship with the scholarship of the
whole University, showing the frater.
nifty men to a decided disadvantage. on
this basis. If the low grades of the
fraternity men had been separated
from those of the whole University, il
is likely that the grades of the former
class would have been even more dis
graceful.
The Pan-Hellenic Council. it said,
did not vote down the adoption of
this freshman rule absolutely, but
"voted to adopt it at the end of the
school year 191O-1911 if the statistics
on scholarship for the second semester
showed that the fraternity men, as a
class. were of lower standing than the
non-fraternity men," But this promise
of the Pan-Hellenic Council means lit.
tie or nothing. 1t is just good ex.
cuse for delay.
The Pan-Hellenic Council never has
accomplished anything of any conse-
quence in its whole period Of exis-
tence. Its main sphere of action in
the past seems to have been limited
to squabbles with local liverymen
over cab-hire or fuses with sorority
girls. over dance dates. The personnel
of the council changes each year,
sometimes oftener, and this makes its
promises ineffective in. governing the
action of its successors. Two years
ago the Pan-Hellenic Council voted to
adopt the one-semester rule before In
itiating freshmen, but the council of
the following year, which ought to
have enforced this rule, vetoed it.
The present promise of the council to
adopt the freshman rule, If the sta
tistics at the end Of the school year
of 1910-1911 show fraternity men be-
low standard, means that it will be
left to next years council to adopt or
reject it, since the statistics cannot
be compiled until sometime in the
summer. Whether next years council
does anything before a new crop Of
freshmen have been rushed" into tine
various chapters is another question,
depending largely upon whether the
University authorities will accept fur
ther excuses If this past semester's
scholarship figures show fraternity
men, as class, still inferior to the
standard Of the whole University.
No one would welcome a general
raise of fraternity scholarship any
more than myself. No one knows any
better than myself that the writer of
the Oven editorial is decidedly unpre-
JUDGED in fraternity matters. 1t
seems that the fraternities here now
have chance to ''ginger up" and con-
tinue their self-regulation-that unless
they do instruct their Pan-Hellenic
Council representatives to act sensibly
and without further delay on this
freshman rule they are likely to be
compelled to submit to University reg
ulation. The fraternities should not
listen to the assertions of few of
their more narrow minded subjects,
who usually try to dominate things in
any set, but should get busy and
adopt rule which has universally
proved itself successful as a remedy
to low scholarship conditions among
fraternity men.
ANOTHER FRATERNITY MAN.