The people's voice., 1958-06-13

| u1lG university anu ample pOWeI III
Washington, the center of the Ameri-
can empire, to demand that the chill
dren need not be exported to the
world along with our other goods.
Not that Montana partisanism is the
greatest of goals, nor is it the least.
What does the voter want from his
university? He wants the student
furnished with mental tools to cope
with tomorrow's unfolding unknown.
When the first homestead on Mars
is established the family had best
come from Montana dry land farmer
stock. Traditionally we're good at it
and can make go of it.
Returning from Mars to 1859, what
is then? This summer the six con-
trollers of the university units are
preparing budgets upon the advice of
unit presidents. These demands upon
the taxpayer are then transmitted
through the modern day vestigial of
the 1916 chancellor's office, Miss
Dorothy Green's office of Executive
Secretary of the Greater University
System, to the Budget Committee of
the all encompassing Board of Edu-
cation. Upon this boards approval
the university's budget is then pre-
sented to the agents, or as the uni
versity people call them the '1ay
committee, again through the office
of Miss Green. The laymen or agents
then approach the Appropriation Com
mittee of the House of Representa-
tives and the Senate's Finance and
Claims Committee. At this point the
voters "x'' mark is felt. Vote real
good this fall
From fact l turn again to the tool
of fancy. Suppose that we were now
the receivers of all that our tax money
will purchase in the way of mental
tools for our young. Even if that
we're so, we can still demand of the
printers of our money in the magnifi-
cent and all powerful city of Washing
,on, ID. c., that the tools of tomorrow
De made available for the training
IF Montana youngsters today. In our
'egion, our institution function WELL
Never was it to be a Yale or Cam
bridge or Nit, although the brain
resources are here. Now, every scrap
IF intelligence that is born in this
state must be utilized because never
before has this state had Russian
Instruments overhead.
Our tiny population if pooled with
adjacent states has vast latent powers
hat remain impotent in the battle of
he classrooms. The State of Mon
ana could not possibly furnish the
reactor and prototype
pace craft that will be elementary
acts in the morrow's time that is
yith US now. Washington's money
rinters could provide US with re-
ional schools for the highly-trained
omorrow survival. This regional
'ould in no way interfere with our
additional institutions and way of
fe but would provide utility for the
llents now laid waste to the eternal
etriment of our state and the world.
This vision of an interstate super
,hool is not quite as radical as some
the thinking that is now going on.
ne proposal would reverse the physi-
Il plant of the secondary system
ith all first grades assembling in
lie high school and the twelfth grad
IS graduating from the specialized
lt-lying, now grade schools. That's
city wild but not half as rough as
ickover's national testing scheme
Itterned after the European scheme
education.
It's far fetched to base your vote
what teacher is supposed to do
a classroom. But democracy can
ly survive with an enlightened cleo
rate and voting on that premise is
lot easier to figure than some of the
oposals put forth by candidates.
Returning once again to the theme
this series, the higher education
stem of Montana has always tried
be in tune with Montana's young.
the earlier times a student could
ke high school level courses at the
iversity unit he was to attend if
ere was no high school available
him in the area. After World War
the institution bowed to the re-
rning veteran and offered high
lool level courses to bring up stu
mt preparedness. This 1axing" of
in the face of real condi-
ms has hpep ono of tba h,-iobt cpofe