Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

May 15, 1963 THE SPELMAN SPOTLIGHT Page 3 A NO SIR^lPi t EXPECT TO ORA R* A -44EV,)AN jHOW' DO you SP&LL GRA?>fMTET>?* ' Con The Earth Support So Many People? About the time the new Amer- ' JJU ~ M : TT c ican nation was taking shape, a young Englishman discussed with his father the possibilities of ever realizing the ideal society on the earth. Would there ever come a time when there would be enough jobs and food and the necessities for all the world’s people? This young man present ed his views. Although the pre vailing opinion had been that somehow production would catch up with demand, street urchins still roamed the alley ways and lanes of London, their parents apparently unable to care for them properly, the state impotent to help. How was there ever going to be a means, this young man reasoned, when population would increase in a geometric progression 10, 100, 1000, and production in only an arithmeti cal progression 10, 20, 30. If the problem were bad now it would be much worse in the decades and centauries to come .This young man is known to us as Malthus and he drew these con clusions over 150 years ago. The writings of Mathus created a sensation among the sociologists and economists of the time when (they were first published in 1798, but only in very recent years has there been any general concern about such possibilities and even now few people realize the implications. Death rates have been de creased all over the world in recent decades by antibiotics and other achievements of medical science. Most people argue that a decrease in death rate is desir able, but a decrease in birth rate can be disastrous. To quote the United Nations estimates (ob tained from p. 9 of Population Perspectives by Phillip M, Hau ser, Rutgers University Press, 1960) the expected accelerated rates of growth would give a world population by 1975 of 3.8 billion and by the year 2000 of 6.3 billion. Can the earth sup port so many people? If this growth continues, there is actual danger of insufficient space on the earth to provide even the absolute essentials for the people in the short period of 200 years. The immediate danger, however, is being unable to maintain and raise the living standard—especially among the under - developed nations. The sheer numbers of people would defeat all efforts to expand the world economy fast enough to provide for them. Ironically enough the greatest population increases are occuring and are expected to occur among the very nations least able to provide for these increases — mainly Asian and South American na tions. . Let’s' bring this a little closer home. According to an article College Editors' Conference Proves Warmly Stimulating in the current issue of U. S. News and World Reports, the actual birth rate in the U. S. is down compared to the figures of the last ten years. The over all population is on the increase, but the U.S. economy is expected to expand to meet the needs, at least, as well as previously. The trend now is toward more and more urban and suburban communities, that is, self contain ed communities where people live and work, play and seek all needed professional service. In other words the small towns are being transplanted inside the city limits. Strictly rural communites are on the decline. The U.S. as a whole is in no immediate economic danger from over-population. Businessmen are already planning for the expect ed increase in births in the late 60’s when the post war babies of the mid 40’s begin having babies of their own. That overpopula tion in the U. S. is not imminent does not mean for us to all go out and have big families; for po pulation will remain in check only as long as parents have only as many children as they want and can afford to take care of. Birth control methods are available for those who seek them. The U. S. population is on the in crease. About 1% per cent a year; but the economy can handle it as long as natural resources are sufficient. There is an important implica tion in foreign aid which we should not overlook. Can the U.S. accept the moral responsibilities of exporting medical know-how and supplies that cut down on the death rate in under-privileged South American and Asian coun tries without also exporting facts and information and supplies to cut down on the birth rate? The overcrowded situation that may occur is sure to add to and in tensify the already acute econom ic problem, and make it even more difficult to feed, clothe, and educate the people. If technology and industry could finally catch up, how long will the raw ma terials last? 50? 100 years? How about living space itself? Science is optimistic concerning future sources of raw materials. Present sources of oil and coal and even industrial metals cannot last The Fifth International Af fairs Conference for College E3i- tors held in New York last month was attended by over 200 newspaper editors from colleges all across the nation. Its theme, “A Free Press for A Free World", signified the feelings the edi tors had in regards to their news papers. Held in the Overseas Press Club and sponsored by the Read er’s Digest Foundation and the United States National Student Association, the Conference em phasized the need for a free and unbiased press. Divided into six areas of discussion—Africa, Eu rope and the USSR, the Far East, Latin America, Nuclear Policy and Disarmament and the United Nations—the editors then pro ceeded to talk over the problems confronting the United States in these areas. Such emminent journalists, Dan Kurzman, Arnold tBeichman, Leon Dennen, John D. Rockefel ler IV, Ben Grauer, Jules Berg man, James H. Sheldon and Dr. Marguerite Cartwright partici pated in the seminars. Student leaders from Indonesia, South Africa and Malaya were present to speak on the problems confronting the students in their countries, while two U. S. editors —Sidna Bower of the University of Mississippi and Melvin Meyer of the University of Alabama — told of problems that were con fronting them on their campuses. Among the leading dignitaries speaking were: Sterling Fisher, Executive Director of the Read Today’s Colleges (Cont’d. from Page 1) to them, by administrators or by society. There are three sources of re pression which come from within. One source is that which comes from fellow students; another is that which comes as a result of poor relationships between stu dents and teachers; and a third repression is that which comes from administrators either to tea chers or to students. The first of these, pressures from fellow stu dents, though very significant, is often overlooked. There are many ways in which a student or a group of students can pressure the academic free dom of a fellow student. One way er’s Digest Foundation; James A. Wechsler, editor of the New York Post; Thomas C. Sorensen, Dep uty Director of the USIA; Robert Considine; Malcolm Pilduff, as sistant Press Secretary to the President and Edward Mare Bar rett, Dean of the Graduate School of Journalism of Colum bia University. Many topics were discussed, the most frequent being the New York and other big city news paper strikes and how to bring the international news to the college student. Mohammed Shu- hue Sa’aid of the National Union of Malayan Students made this point plain to the editors. He pointed out that the average American student was not well versed enough in national and international affairs as the aver age foreign student, especially those in the new and so-called “underdeveloped” countries of the world. Also brought out dn the con ference was the fight that John Shingler and his National Union of South African Students is waging on South Africa’s policy of Apartheid. This tied in with the policies of racial segregation that were discussed by a panel composed of Sidna Bower, Neal Johnston of the University of New Mexico and Melvin Meyer. Miss Bower was presented with a special award for her cour ageous stand during the conflict on the campus of Ole Miss. Beginning next year the SPEL MAN SPOTLIGHT will also be represented at the conference for college editors. J~^erhapA ru ^Jirne You should have been there! We had a frollicking good time. There were eats, dancing, naps, snakes, sports, insects, conversa tion, and fun galore. The Sunday School Picnic was one of the few activities where both students and faculty could let down their hair on a common ground. To see Mrs. Moreland on the see-saw or the merry-go- round, to see Dr. Manley hit that single, to see Mr. Hurlbut com pete in the swings were once in a lifetime treats. It was heart-warming to see Mrs. Chivers sit down with dif ferent groups of students to have a friendly chit-chat. The rapport between faculty and students was on an even keel. To reiterate, you should have been there. Perhaps more faculty and stu dents will “find the time” to be- together on our next gathering. D. M. M. Letters To The Editor (Cont’d. from Page 2) seekers as the Pittsburgh Public Schools notice. I hope so! And I am glad to note the Editor’s emphasis on interchange of news and ideas throughout the Center. What about interchanges with other colleges and universities here and abroad? Power to your pens! Faithfully, Isobel M. Cemey is through discouragemet and dis illusionment, the type of press ure which often comes to the in coming freshman that they are not prepared to meet the hopeless struggle which exists in college. They assure them that their high school backgrounds are insuffi cient to meet the new challenge. These types of students create pressure upon academic freedom. At the beginning of this school year a freshman asked me if I would be willing to help him fill out his schedule. I found this a very difficult task for every time we came to a section of the sched ule, he would pull a book out of his shirt pocket and thumb through it. Then he would shake his head and sadly say, “I don’t want that course, I don’t want that j This type of reputation, however, because the land will not always have enough space. Let’s get back to the point Mal thus had at the start. Even if the world is somehow saved from wholesale poverty some child somewhere will still be ragged and unfed. This problem has always free to examine critically the curriculum placed before him. Unfortunately the pressure upon academic freedom from fellow students does not end with fresh men; but, rather, begins there. The very social order of many colleges present pressure upon academic freedom because they tend to isolate those who dare think independently or study cri tically. The most drastic and vivid pressure upon academic freedom from fellow students is that of academic dishonesty which cre ates an atmosphere of urgency, an atmosphere of deceit, an at mosphere where students strug gle to survive, and where students struggle for vain glory, rather than the acquisition of knowledge or the valor of new ideas. Because of this, academic dishonesty and academic freedom cannot co exist. A second source of pressure on academic freedom from within an educational institution is pressure which comes as a result of poor relationshhips between students and teachers. Whenever the re lationship between students and teachers becomes such that stu dents are not free to examine cri tically, to study independently, and at any time to doubt or ques tion the validity of subject mat ter transmitted to them, then that relationship constitutes a press ure upon academic freedom. Tea chers value highly their reputa tion for failing the majority of the students who come to them. teacher.” Finally, I asked him what was in the book and I found that in his book he had notes from a lecture given by an up perclassman in which he had been warned against every course in his schedule. This student was not creates a type of atmosphere in which students strive to please the teacher rather than for an un derstanding. This type of atmos phere creates the type of students who strive to commit to memory (Cont’d. on Pbge 10) been with us. And it seems to me much longer (in terms of histori- | the only sure remedy is preven- cal time). According to Profiles j tion. Technology may remove a of the Future by Arthur C. Clark, | skilled man, but such a man can atom fusion may be an important source of power — hydroelectric power cannot be depended upon to supply more than a small part of the need. It may someday be possible to extract minerals from' the sea, from the rocks and clay. The other planets and the moon be re-trained for a similar job. An idler will hardly be chosen for this training. Parents should support children and to do this they themselves should have re ceived training. See that every child has a skill and a will to use it. If parents do not do this some- might be sources of these mine- | one should. As responsible citizens, rals. Plants from the sea as sourc- | we should have no more children es of food and organic raw materi- i than we can support and educate, als are perhaps valid predictions; 1 Joan Andrews From The Editor's Chair It was a strenuous campaign, but it stirred the heaits and the minds of our sisters. It was a hard decision to make, but the choice had to be made. It was a tedious task to count all of the ballots, but the results were tremendous. Out of this traumatic experience came an earthshaking resu.t Betty Stevens is the student body president for 1963-64! Betty won over a worthy opponent—someone. who is very much like herself. Caroline Nicol lost by fifty-five votes from a total of over four hundred and fifty votes. One of the largest voting populations in Spelman’s history turned out Friday, May 3, on election day to cast their votes for one of the two strong-willed, intelligent, dynamic, capable candidates running for president. . The interest which the student body showed m the election was a heart-warming thing to witness. It is hoped that the new SSGA officers will be such adequate leaders that (1) tor the next election, no faculty members will contribute directly to the conduction of the election, (2) there will be practical, constant procedures in the constitution which govern student activities, (3) Spelman takes firm steps forward with our modGrri times. Let us not concern ourselves with the petty details of who lost, for all candidates were deserving ones. Rather, let us join hands to make this a better community m which to live ’ D.M.M.