The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1942-11-20
BY ARLYNE PLUMB

1t was rumored around the campus
in 1889 that there was a professor in
the Sociology department who sat IN
the class. Students even graded them
selves. No textbooks were used. In
stead of listening to a one hour lee
ture each day, the students only met
once week to discuss what each had
been doing independently all week.
One student was organizing a forum
group to discuss contemporary issues.
She spent her time arranging for stu
dent speakers, radio time, publicity,
and attempting in every way to make
it an active forum group which dis
cussed controversial issues freely and
group she was given university credit
in Sociology.
Every other member Of this class
was similarly engaged on some prof.
ect of social significance. Each mem
Der appeared to be working independ
emily but once week the group of
students met together to discuss their
problems.
The class was known as the Social
Work Laboratory. And it is just that;
a class where social theories are put
into actual practice and their worth
proven. 1t has been common practice
to use the laboratory method to teach
such things as Chemistry and Physics,
and is the only possible method. But
to actually go into the community life
and look closely at social problems
was not advocated. It was considered
fine academic language, explain them
away with pretty theories, and per-
form only those limited services that
had become essential.
DR.. Tascher apparently thought that
the increasing social problems re-
quired something more than academic
talk. He was embarrassed by the
university's failure to serve the needs |
of the state in either preparing
trained personnel interested in better
ing conditions or offering any con-
crete ideas direct. He was close to |
his students and knew they wanted |
something more than academic half |
truths, too.
Readers of The Voice will realize |
the reaction on the campus to such |
radical departure from the formal |
lecture courses as DR.. Taschers Lab
oratory. There was good deal of |
snearing by those members of the
faculty who felt their duty as profess
sors was to tell students WHAT to
think, not HOW to think. University
students are fine material for mould
ing into support of the status quo
But in spite of the complete lack of
cooperation and much opposition Dr.
Tascher persisted in allowing his stu
dents to actually examine social prob
lens and work with them. Each new
class attracted an increased enroll
ment; the students were finding what
they wanted, The projects on which {
they worked were proving very sue ]
cessful and were receiving community !
backing. Thus the Laboratory sur
vived on its own merits in spite of
the harsh treatment it and its founder
received in the beginning years of {
1888 and 1889. I
When the class first meets they {
are invited to discuss the problems {
that exist in the community. After q
certain social problems, they'll
Differ suggested remedies In many i
cases they find that agencies already |
exist which are attempting to remedy /
he problem, such as Public Welfare, i
WPA Nursery Schools. NYA, etc. In c
hese cases The students are permitted I
@ work in the existing agencies and a