Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on January 16, 1941.
Campus Will Take Poll In Uhlan Issue
A poll of the student body at Valparaiso University will be taken Friday to determine whether or not the school’s yearbook and athletic teams should drop the name of “Uhlan.”
This morning, following chapel exercises, a forum was held during which spokesmen for both the affirmative and negative sides of the question presented arguments. The cases were presented by law students.
In favor of changing the name, Earl Dawald, senior, argued that “Uhlan” is not in keeping with the ideals of a Christian institution, that the name was in bad repute because of the acts of vandalism committed by the Uhlans in the first world war, and that a name more in keeping with the purposes and ideals of Valparaiso University could be found.
The negative side of the question was propounded by Lee Rose, another senior law student. His approach to the problem was that if the name were changed, the university would be admitting guilt when there was no guilt, and that the change would denote fear on the part of the university students. “You are afraid that someone might say we were connected with subversive activities,” he declared.
The two lawyers kept the students entertained with their arguments for 15 minutes. As time was limited, no rebuttal speeches were made. The “Torch,” student newspaper, will carry pro and con arguments in tonight’s issue, and the matter will be left to the students.
