LET'S WIN THE WARI

Otterbein College today stands at the crossroads, endeavoring to decide whether it shall continue its isolated position or whether it still endeav-ors to serve the nation in its war effort. If it is able to ti nd a way to cooperate, Otterbein shall surely not remain a vital force in American education during the war.

As a whole, Otterbein has not done enough to aid the war effort. It has, of course, sent fourth many of its young men to the Army and Navy and seven of its faculty have been commissioned. This is an impressive record in comparison with schools of Otterbein's size. Certainly, it has offered some new courses, it has attempted to accelerate its program, it has talked much about the service unit it expects "sometime."

But, to counterbalance these rather incomplete attempts at aiding in the war effort, Otterbein faces the task of overcoming an unwarranted reputation that it has unfortunately gotten as a pacifist and non-conformist school. It is not generally realized how wide-spread this reputation has become. Many people not intimately connected with the Otterbein scene are l>eginning to ask, "What's the matter with Otterbein?"

The large majority of Otterbein's faculty and administrative staff are convinced that we must fignt and win this war in order that people the world over may obtain political, economic and social freedom in a postwar era. Some few of the faculty and staff, however, do not agree with this viewpoint and are attempting to see that Otterbein does nothing to contribute to the effort which is going to win that war. Is this minority to wreck Otterbein's future?

Vigorous leadership on the part of the administration and strong action by the majority of the faculty and the Board of Trustees is necessary to again place Otterbein in the first rank of the schools of the nation. Have we explored all the possibilities for service to our country which Otterbein could make? Is it possible that negotiations might be continued or opened which could lead to the appearance of a service unit here on the campus? Have we done all that we might in recruiting students in order to train them for widening opportunities in defense and civilian industries?

It is time now that the administration comes to grips with this problem and takes steps which will assure that Otterbein will make a significant contribution d~ring this time of crises as it has done for nearly a century of war and peace. Otterbein stands at the crossroads. It has a great chance to serve if it will take decisive action to cooperate with the war effort.

-May 28, 1943