- WHAT SHOULD THE COLLEGE DO?

A report to the Faculty of the College of Liberal Arts and
Sciences of the University of Kansas, drafted by John Ee
Hankins from materials obtained in group discussions of the
Committee on the Statement of Aims and Purposes of the Lib-

eral Arts College

The Committee:

Carroll Clark
Arthur Davidson
Kenneth Davidson
He. H. Lane
Clifford Osborne
Theodore Paullin
Edwin Stene

John E. Hankins, Chairman
What Should The College Do?
I

In times of crisis such as now exist in the world, men and women are
brought to examine more closely the ideals by which they live, to slough
off the complacent accevtance of things as they are, to seek within them-
selves and their past actions the causes of a catastrophe which they hope
to avoid in the future. To no group is such self-examination more impor =
tant than to the college teachers of America, who strongly influence at a
most impressionable time of life the youth who are to be the mature citi-
zenry of the most powerful single nation on earth. Such a responsibility,
indirect though it may seem, is not to be lightly dismissed, and its in-
creasing importance may be easily shown from the rising enrollment figures
in American colleges during the past generation. It is easy for us as
teachers to forget the dignity of our high calling, to judge its value by
the somewhat meager financial and social recognition often accorded it,
but a moment's consideration should assure us that those who guide the
minds and help to form the characters of a nation's youth have much to do
with determining that nation's destinye

Tt is particularly appropriate that the faculties of liberal arts
colleges should concern themselves with the aims and accomplishments of
education, since within our system of instruction the college is the most
advanced unit that concerns itself with general education, or education
taken as a whole. Beyond it are various professional schools and special-
ized departmental programs involving intensive study within a limited
range, but the college affords the last chance to give students a well-
rounded training, to impart a comprehensive view of life and the ability
to meet its problems. It is highly important that college teachers should
never lose sight of this general and inclusive function, as their own
interest in special fields of knowledge may sometimes tempt them to do.

In just this connection, however, the college today faces one of its
gravest problems, Formerly, the traditional subjects of the liberal arts
curriculum were almost the only materials actually taught to students
through classroom instruction. Even such subjects as medicine and law
were sometimes studied under private practitioners rather than in academic
institutions; the apprentice system was the regular way of preparing for a
specific trade or profession. How widely this system has been replaced
by organized instruction may be seen from the bare reference to such pro=
fessional schools as Engineering, Education, and Business, to the wide
variety of practical courses offered in Agriculture and Home Economics,
to the instruction in such manual skills as barbering, typing, and mech-
anical repair work, The systematizing of knowledge and techniques in
these and similar fields has made it possible to master them more quickly
by class instruction, And therein lies the college's problem.
mola

We should do well not to deprecate the value of such practical
courses as those just mentioned. For girls, a course in Shorthand or
Child Care, and for boys, a course in Crop Rotation or The Manufacture
of Textiles, may contribute more to their future happiness and well-
being than any single course in science or languages. The economic
basis of life cannot be disregarded. Furthermore, such organized in-=
struction may be used to give the student a professional pride in doing

well work which too often is regarded as unrelieved drudgery. Nursing
is an excellent example of an occupation which requires arduous labor,

nervous strain, and distasteful tasks, but which is often practised with
an enthusiasm resulting from a professional sense of the importance of
the work to be donee

It is clear, therefore, that into the realm of formal education has
been obtruded a wide variety of practical courses involving particular
techniques and skills which may be of great economic benefit to students
in their future lives. There is no question that these courses will con
tinue to be taught, but it may well be questioned whether they should be
taught in the college or taught somewhere else, The tendency at present
seems to be to include them in the liberal arts curriculum, colleges exe
tending their programs to include professional and vocational courses,
while many strictly vocational schools have added “cultural” courses until
they have become in mame, and often in fact, liberal arts colleges. The
arrangement is often expressed as "learning to live while learning to make
a living," or in some similar phrase. The danger here is that "learning
to make a living" will dominate the student's thought to the exclusion of
all else; hence we find many students and some instructors expressing im=
patience with such subjects as languages and higher mathematics when they
might be spending time on something “practical.” It is only fair to say
that the reverse attitude is taken in some professional schools, where
students are thought to have developed too narrowly professional a point
of view and to need the broadening effects of a better general education.

In considering so important a problem, the college faculties should
take the lead and approach it in a spirit of compromise. It is foolish
for teachers of the traditional subjects in effect to draw their skirts
about them and cry, “Away, ye unclean ones{!" to the newer vocational courses.
The basis for including or excluding the latter is a matter of first im-
portance for consideration by college faculties, which should be willing
to suggest possible ways of handling the whole problem in the most effi-
cient manner.

As an approach to the problem, we may arrange the possible subjects
of instruction in three separate groups: 1) work which involves primarily
the acquirement of manual skills; 2) work which is designed to prepare the
student for a specific profession but which requires a relatively high
degree of mental effort and intellectual discipline; 3) work which is pri-
marily cultural, preparing the student for a vocation only in the general
sense that it develops his mind and helps him better to understand the world
about hime
=

The material in this third group has traditionally been the parti-
cular province of the liberal arts college and should continue to be its
primary interest. The college should seek to develop a student's mind b
making him cognizant of the several fields of knowledge, by stimulatin
him to a thoughtful interest in them, and by assisting him to form a rational
basis for the moral and esthetic judgments which will determine the course
of his life. This must ever be the first duty of the college, and the major
emphasis should always be directed toward the accomplishment of this ends

 

 

Granted this assumption, however, to what extent shall the college accept
material from the first two groups, the vocational and professional subjects?
It is at once obvious that there is a certain amount of overlapping. Chem=
istry may be a vocational course for a pharmacist and a cultural course for
an artist. For prospective teachers, almost any subject that they may be
called upon to teach is vocational. The test should be whether a course is
cultural as well as vocational, whether it serves to broaden onets mental
horizon or centers attention upon some particular skill or technique.

It is also evident that, by our tests of mental effort and intellectual
discipline, many so-called professional courses are quite as difficult as
the traditional subjects of the libers1 arts curriculum, Here the important
question for the college is, not how much of such professional work the stu-
dent may be allowed to take, but how much of the traditional curriculum he
can afford to omit. In recent years we have crowded more material into four
years of college work and have tended to squeeze out those courses which seem
not to have an immediate practical value. Such a procedure inevitably viti-
ates our ideal of a well-rounded education, Possible solutions are the
development of curricula requiring additional time for completion and the
granting of several different degrees by the college, some allowing more
specialization than others.

As educators, we must also face the problem of those courses involving
manual skills, which do not require a high degree of intellectual effort but
which may be of great economic benefit to the student in his later life. In
many cases this work is handled in vocational schools, where emphasis on cul-
tural matters is distinctly secondary; yet there is an increasing demand for
& program which will give the student both the manual and the intellectual
training. Here the danger to the college is definite, arising from the fact
that many applicants for the manual training will not have the intellectual
ability or interest to do the work of the traditional college curriculum, in
which case the general quality of instruction will inevitably gravitate -
toward their level, The college will find its aims and purposes changed in
spite of itself, and a narrow careerism substituted for its former concept
of a wellerounded education,

While vocational training will occupy a place of importance in the
educational system, we feel that it should not be extensively adopted by
the liberal arts college. The college may allow credit toward a liberal
arts degree for a limited number of professional courses which require a
high level of mental effort. Insofar as any manual arts courses are allowed
a4

a place in the college curriculum, however, they should carry either no

credit or greatly reduced credit toward a liberal arts degree. In many

cases, the establishment of a competent vocational guidance and employ=

ment service would serve the students needs as well as the introduction
of manual arts courses.

It is important that our liberal arts colleges retain their essen=
tial character of places for the development of mind through a broad,
general culture, for they are the only institutions in our society which
serve such a purpose. Possibly some colleges would better serve them-=
selves and society by becoming vocational schools, and possibly many stu-~
dents now in college should be in vocational schools; but the distinction
between the two types of institutions should be clearly understood and
preserved. We should not try to keep the liberal arts label while sacri-
ficing its substance.

II

In seeking to preserve the liberal arts tradition, it is desirable
that we ask ourselves what we expect from it and wherein its excellen=
cies or deficiencies may lie. Let us come at once to the gravest ques-
tion now confronting the collegese Ina conference of young college
graduates, as reported by Dr. Robert M. Hutchins in McCallts Magazine
for October, 1939, the group voted that "the greatest defect of the
present educational system is that it is not primarily concerned with
the aims of human life." The context makes clear that they were think-
ing in terms of ideals which should guide life. Elsewhere in the report,
members of the group expressed the need for something that could be
believed with conviction, for positive ideals worthy of unwavering sup-
port.

Without any question, this feeling of confusion and bewilderment,
sometimes of futility, sometimes of "rootlessness," is widely felt among
young people today. They seek for some stable support in the midst of a
crumbling world. To many of them The Rock of Ages no longer suffices;
religion as they know it does not seem a sufficient answer, Since their
confusion is often shared by their elders, we may well ask what has brought
such a condition into being. The following points seem to us pertinent:

1) Man's knowledge of the universe is derived through his senses,
through his observation of the physical world, including himself and
others of his species. To go beyond the range of his senses, he must
draw conclusions based on such concrete observations as he has, and in
his speculations on the ultimate cause he judges the character of the
creator by the nature of the things created. Man's understanding of
nature, plus the lessons of human experience, will determine his mores,
or moral code, and the form of his religious and philosophic ideas,
This is true, whether or not we accept the belief in divine revelation,
=aSw

since the seer must always present his vision in terms which his audience
will understand; i.se., in terms of the natural world as they know it, It
follows that, as man's verifiable knowledge of the physical universe ex=
pands and changes, so will his religious and philosophic conclusions change,
frequently in minor details, occasionally in more fundamental assumptions.

2) In arriving at general principles, man hungers for absolute certainty,
while the best that he can attain is a tentative assumption--even our basic
laws of natural science are unverifiable hypotheses, This craving for cer=
tainty drives men in different directions, A few seek to push the bounds
of knowledge yet farther into the unknown and examine the basic assumptions
of their age with a view toward modifying theme The majority find it easier
to accept their assumptions as certainties, to let their thoughts become
crystallized, so to speak, After every great period of discovery and mental
ferment, such a crystallization tends to set in, with men resting comfort=
ably in traditional views and occasionally defending them with fanatical
intensity. It is not unusual for later adherents of a creed to be far more
dogmatic and extreme in asserting its correctness than were those who formu=
lated it in the first place.

3) In the present age, the accelerated speed of scientific discovery
makes difficult the formulation of any system of thought based on the physi-
cal world which is not subject to immediate modification, Furthermore, the
degree of precision attained in the natural sciences makes many people im-
patient with the less precise results which are possible in other fields of
thought. The scientific temper which rejects conclusions not verified by
experiment causes some individuals to dismiss contemptuously all religious
and philosophic ideas which cannot be similarly verified, This tendency is
unfortunately strengthened by the militant dogmatists who admit no possible
error in an established religious creed and who breed an exasperated but
equally ill-founded dogmatism in opponents to their point of view.

4) Modern college teachers have developed to a high degree the power of
analysis, but to a much lesser degree the power of synthesise Many teachers
deliberately attempt to shock a student out of his previously held views
which they feel to be incorrect, so that he may arrive at new conclusions
on the basis of more accurate knowledge. Too often they leave him flounder-
ing, with a sense of lost values and a doubt that any values whatever are
valid. He either tries to put the question from his mind or retreats into
a shallow cynicism which masks his own inadequacy to cope with the problem.

it is just here that the teacher's greater experience should be of
most aid to the student, in helping him to synthesize the various elements
of his knowledge, to fit what he is learning into his previous scheme of
facts and ideas, Often the teacher's most valuable contribution is not in
imparting his own particular synthesis, or philosophy of life, but in mak=
ing the student feel that an intelligent synthesis is possible, that there
is no reason for despair,
Bea

Perhaps we may illustrate this process of synthesis by the most
celebrated historic instance of scientific discovery in conflict with
religious belief, the trial of Galileo for insisting that the earth
revolved about the sun instead of the sun about the earth, The student
might be shown that the Church's conception of the earth as the fixed,
immovable center of the universe was formerly the best scientific opin=
ion available and not merely a dictum borrowed from scriptural writings.
Upon this conception the Church erected a vast system of symbolic teach-
ings, with each planet having its particular significance and the entire
universe whirling around the earth every twenty-four hours, moved by the
blessed angels, whom God had created for this especial purpose, Small
wonder that many sincere churchmen felt Galileo's theory to be dangerous
for the Church, Yet its final acceptance had none of the expected dire
consequencess liuch of religion's symbolic superstructure lost its mean=
ing, but the deeper idea of an orderly universe manifesting a central
controlling intellect had as much validity as before. And this corres~
ponds with the fact that the seeming opposition between the earlier
theory of Ptolemy and the later theory of Copernicus and Galileo was not
so complete as it appeared. Behind the disagreement as to which heavenly
body revolved around the other was a more fundamental perception that the
sun and earth had a definite pattern of motion with relation to each other,
that this pattern could be accurately determined and used to predict eclips-
6s and similar phenomena, The second theory was a modification rather than
a reversal of the first; the first was not so much false as only partially
true. Similarly, almost every belief, scientific or otherwise, which has
been widely held by the human race, has an element of truth in it and is
the foundation stone of later knowledge. Hence the vast importance of a
historical perspective in every field of study, for we can understand the
present only by knowing the past,

By such illustrations as this, and by other means, the teacher can
help the students in the difficult problem of synthesizing their past and
present ideas. Needless to say, he should never show contempt for their
cherished beliefs, nor should he encourage such a contempt in them. An
irritating result of our present emphasis on “independent thinking" is
the self-assurance with which so many callow fledglings pass their igno+
rant verdicts on the accumulated wisdom of the ages, A respect for the
opinions of other men, living or dead, does not preclude a refutation of
their errors and is more conducive to genuine wisdom than an attitude of
assumed superiority,

III

We shall agree, I think, that the attainment of an integrated view
of life~=what we may call a synthesis»~should be a primary aim of the lib-
eral arts college, and that academic studies, however excellently taught,
are not complete unless the student gains some pereeption of their import-
ance in the whole field of knowledge and in his own life. It is therefore
weil to consider briefly the several divisions of the eyrriculum from this
point of view.
«Je

First we may mention certain utilitarian subjects which have a
cultural value, but are primarily tool courses, furnishing the keys to
unlock new horizons of knowledge. Such are the first courses in writ-
ing and in speech, the introductory courses in foreign languages, exer=
cises in formal logic, and the study of laboratory techniques. These
may be compared with learning the notes in music and practising scales
on the piano in that they are preliminary to more satisfying work. They
are all of the highest importance, though it is not always necessary to
teach them in separate courses. For instance, John Milton agreed with
some modern educators that extensive courses in Latin were not necessarye
Instead, he suggested, after some rudimentary instruction all of a stu-
dent's other courses, such as history, geography, and mathematics, should
be taught from Latin textbooks and conducted in the Latin tongue, a pro-
cedure which would make unnecessary any concentrated study of the lan-
guage as such, It was a heroic proposal, to which neither his ow age
nor ours has been able to measure up. But the principle is sound.
Particularly as regards rhetoric and logic, effective self-expression
and accurate reasoning from premises to conclusions are necessary in all
fields of knowledge and should be the concern of every instructor.

Among the major fields of knowledge, the natural sciences, including
mathematics, occupy a highly important place, They have to do with the
nature of the physical universe; and since observation of the physical
world must be the concrete basis for all speculative thought, science must
be the foundation of philosophy. Conclusions based upon facts can have
validity only in so far as the facts are correct. Every student should
have some knowledge of scientific facts and of the methods by which they
are ascertained. Natural science, properly taught, has several incidental
values. First, it provides training in orderly thinking and the careful
arrangement of one's knowledge. Second, it teaches the student to dis~
tinguish between evidence and proof, for an erroneous assumption is more
glaringly revealed by the results than in any other branch of studye
Third, it develops a practical turn of mind, the habit of sOlving a prob-
lem in terms of the particular factors involved rather than trying to force
it into some general ideological mold. Fourth, it encourages a student to
"face the facts" and to discard erroneous ideas which result from his ow
prejudices or from earlier teaching. A possible danger is that the student
of science will deliberately narrow his vision by flatly rejecting all ideas
and values which cannot be precisely determined by the experimental method.

In contemplating the universe, the human mind proceeds in two ways,
the moral and the esthetic. The word "moral," used in its broad sense as
derived from "mores," implies a study of human experience in order to deter-
mine a right conduct of life, The historian records the way men have acted
in the past. The social scientist studies men en masse, the relations of
social groups to each other and to their environment. The ethicist stud=
les the conduct problems of individual men in their relations with other
individuals. The psychologist seeks to determine why men act as they do,
to find in man's physical organism the secret of his mental impulses. All
afle

of them should have a common aim: ‘through a study of human experience,
to perceive the errors of the past and to avoid errors in the future, in
order to increase the sum total of human happiness.

The esthetic approach adds to the rational contemplation of the world
and man a stimulus of the emotions and a quickening of the imagination.
Tt is concerned with a sense of beauty and is best exemplified in litera-
ture and the fine arts. It succeeds best by bringing students in direct
contact with great utterances of great minds, rather than through a second-
hand interpretation, It can enrich life and raise the mind at intervals
above the pedestrian, workaday world. It can invest factual material with
an intense and deeply felt personal meaning. One has only to think of
Shelley's The Cloud or W. He Carruth's Fach In His Own Tongue as exercises
in natural seience, or of Edwin Markham's The Man With The Hoe as a study
in social science, to realize how greatly poetic utterance can illuminate
and give significance to such material. Whatever has been nobly felt in
the world is the subject matter of the humanities, and to neglect it is to
breed a generation of earthbound, trivial minds incapable of sensing the
wonder of the creation with which they deal.

 

Finally, we come to those subjects which attempt to synthesize all
the materials just mentioned, to use the entire range of human knowledge
as a basis for the perception of ultimate truth, These are philosophy
and religion. They have been lately somewhat neglected in academic wor k,
partly because of doctrinal disputes, partly because of a feeling that
they have grown static, that nothing new is to be said about them. Yet
in every age they have represented the culmination of mants intellectual
effort. Certainly it is hard to think of any person as truly cultured
if he has not some knowledge of the history of philosophy and of compara-
tive religion. Philosophy surveys mankind and man's background of the
cosmos, then seeks to determine their ultimate cause and the eternal
principles which rule them. Religion accepts the conclusions of philoso=
phy and adds thereto the intense desire to orient oneself in the universe,
to govern one's span of earthly life in accordance with the eternal prin=
ciples, a desire which may or may not be accompanied by the expectation
of an eternal reward. Wo other incentive to noble effort is half so power-=
ful as the religious impulse or can inspire men to such enduring forti-
tude, It is true that religion develops a variety of opinions which some-
times result in acrimonious debate or open strife, yet most disputes are
on relatively minor points and not on central principles. In the Christian
religion, for example, men who think only of the validity of the miracles
or the preferred forms of baptism should not forget the Commandments, the
Beatitudes, the Golden Rule, and the supreme self-abnegation of the last
hours upon the crosse

In teaching material of any kind, we can freely commit ourselves to
one ideal, the search for truth, We can show that thinkers of the past
with whom we may disagree were also engaged in this search, but that to
them was vouchsafed only a partial revelation of the truth, as ours is also
partial though somewhat clearer than theirs. We can suggest that this
oD oo

eternal search is itself an ideal worthy of our greatest efforts, which
may advance a little the mental horizon of mankind, We can point out the
fallacy underlying the assumptions of modern totalitarianism: that, since
man cannot attain to absolute truth, he is justified in taking some par=
ticular point of view and reasoning that whatever subserves that point of
view is therefore the truth. No more pernicious error was ever set forth
to perplex the human spirit. For this encourages men to do what they are
too prone to do anyway, to rationalize their prejudices or their selfish
desires. They can always say that their course is the true one from the
point of view of personal vantage, or national interest, or welfare of
their social group. Truth is the very reverse of this, seeking to divest
itself of personal prejudices, antagonisms and selfish interests before
forming a judgment. While mankind may not attain to absolute truth, the
only valid ideal is to approach absolute truth as closely as possible.
Only thus can ever be realized in its essential meaning the promise of

the Great Teacher: "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make
you free,"
 

 

larch 19, 1942

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
University of Kansas

Dear Dean Lawsons

This will acknowledge receipt of your good letter of the 12th
instant. I have not replied to your letter of the 6th instant because
of the reason that I desired to cheek our enrollment book very carefullye

‘We heve had fewer errors since Mrs James Taport has taken over
the work of Mire Aliphine tre Raport is very conscientious and he checks
and double cheeks with each of our teachers in an effort to eut errors to

The fact thet Miss Catherine mel resigned to get married as of
Decenber 1 caused additional confusion and some distressing cirounstances, but
all of us have been working very strenuously to overcome these handicapse The
fact that another teacher had to take over the work before the semester we
ended made it difficult indeed. tie do not attempt to say that we will make
no errors, but rather that we shall keep dom errors to the lowest level that.
is humanly possible for us to de soe We are taking this and other opvortumities
to reestablishing in the minds of the menbers of the Department of Physical
Education the five points that you kindly enumerated,

Would you permit us to kindly call your attention to another error
that we believe wes made in the College offices I refer to Mre Thornton
MeClanahane It is our mderstending that an individual enrolled as an auditor
‘should not appear on the College grade sheets, Mr. MeClenahan's mame evidently
appeared on the grade sheetse If Mrs. MeClanahen obtained an auditors card
fron the College office such a record should have been on file at the College

{

We might have caught that error here if Miss Dunkel, who had the
class originally, had reported Mr. MeClanahan as an auditors In the change
from Miss Dunkel to Wiss Ulm the liaison ms brokete Am I correct that this
wag @ College office srror? | ae

‘Thank you for your good letter and I assure you that we wish to
cooperate 100% : |

Sincerely yours,

Director of Physical Education and Reoreation —
Fearle Varsity Basketball and Baseball Coach

 

 
THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS
AND SCIENCES

LAWRENCE
March 12, 1941

OFFICE OF THE DEAN

Dr. Fe. Ce Allen
Department of Physical Education
University of Kansas

My dear Dr. Allens

Just a note to beg your pardon for a mistake made in our office. On
March 6, I wrote you about a confusion of grades in physical education
given Miss Mary McNown last semester. Your instructors did not make

any mistakes; instead, the error was made in our office in the copying
of the grades,

I am very sorry for our mistake and apologize very humbly for accusing
your folk when we were the guilty ones.

Sincerely yours,

ei Oye

Paul B, Lawson, Dean

PBL/blk
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS

  

LAWRENCE
DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION : ¢
March 10, 1941
Dr. F. C. Allen we
Director of Physical Education
University of “ansas Pe

My dear Dr. Allen:

   
  

I have investigated rather frilly the contents of the letter
from Dean Paul B. Lawson, addressg@@ to you. I should like to point
out a few facts concerning the rors indicated in Dean Lawson's
letter. According to Miss Hoover, the probable reason for the
error in reporting Miss McNowh's grade was due to misscopying of
the grade from the total enfollment book. The grads above Miss
McNown's name was a C and Miss Ulm in copying the grade evident
made that error,

In regard to Mr. Thornton McClanahan's gradé it ds
understanding that an individual enrolled as anfauditow sh
appear on the college class grade sheets. UndeR-swuch condi

then, as it appears to me the error was not Miss Ulm's but
some error in the reporting at the college office. Mr. McClaria
name evidently appeared on the grade sheets. If Mr. McClanaha

obtained an auditors card from the college office such a reeord ‘
should have been on file at the college office,

 
     
 
 
  
   

I might point out that we might have caught that error
here if Miss Dunkel, who had the class originally, had reported Mr,
McClanahan as an auditor. However as I suggested above the error
seems to have originated with the college office.

In checking with Dr, Elbel and Miss Hoover, it has been our
observation that fewer errors have occured this semester than in
previous years. We do not attempt to say that we will make no
errors but rather that we shall keep errors down to the lowest
humanly possible level, ;

  
  
 
  

     
 
 

Dean Lawson enumerates five points in his letter which he
suggests that our instructors should carefully observe. I am

taking this opportunity of r tablishing in the minds of the
members of our department es bs S0E EE Phee—potnts.

id This semester cards, for fencing classes and swimming

asses have been sent to Dr. Hlbel or Mr. DeGroot whereas Aheir
ames are not listed as instructors in charge of those classes, May
\: suggest that activity course cards be sent to me so that I might

 

thereby clear the names in our total enrollment book.

May I point out again that we are trying to keep and have
kept errors down to less than previous years, May I also suggest
that any dpfficulties arising be cleared through me since I will
have a master enrollment book,

Khon
Jam#s H, Raport

 

renga. yours,
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
REGISTRAR’S OFFICE

The application of......... Doe (oe

Jentrance, special examination | . a
f \credit for co pleting work oe a aoe

oe ¢ [co | has been approved.

   
  

 

 

 

 

 

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UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
“ REGISTRAR’S OFFICE

  
     

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Grade
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15-6862  3-35—5M

 
THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS
AND SCIENCES
OFFICE OF THE DEAN LAWRENCE

March 6, 1941

Dre Fe. C,. Allen
Department of Physical Education
University of Kansas

My dear Dr. Allen:

A few more errors in reporting physical education grades are before us,
Miss Mary McNown was given a "Cc" grade in Elementary Folk Dancing and a
"B" grade in Elementary Golf. Obviously one of these must be changed
to give her a single grade for the hour's work,

Mr. Thornton McClanahan obtained an auditor's card for Elementary Social
Dancing and Intermediate Social Dancing, but at the end of the semester
the instructor gave him an "A" for the semester's work, whereas obviously
no grade should have been given since he was not enrolled regularly in

the class at all but merely attended as an auditor, This case raises the
question in my mind as to how accurately the instructor in charge is keep-
ing records, I am, on my own responsibility, in this case changing the
"A*s" te a withdrawal, which is the same as cancelling the record,

Will you please inform the instructors in charge of these physical educa-
tion classes that the following should be carefully observed:

1. That they should have a class card for each half of the
semester for each student enrolled,

2. That they should check to see that the student is not
repeating the course,

3. That they should carefully distinguish between auditors
and those enrolled for credit. The former should not have
Srades reported for them,

4. That students who drop out should be reported promptly, and
that students who do not appear for the second half of the
work should also be reported promptly.

5S. That the two grades for each half of the semester's work must
be equalized,

I am writing this because every semester a number of the above points are
overlooked in a number of cases by the members of the staff, resulting in
mistakes and in extra work for somebody.

Sincerely yours,

Cael) b Nibrer a _

Paul B. Lawson, Dean

PBL/blk
Enc,
 

Wearch 19, 1941

I received a letter from Mre larry Levine, 345 Sumer Street,
ee aan, the mn who formerly shouted in a very vociferous
Yeo . —o doubleejointed California guberberries,

& sacle |

Harry Levine, a Jewish boy from beck Tust, ran the twoemile
for the Varsity and worked his way through school hendling the
concession at the stadium and everything else that it took to make
a nickel, dime, qerter, half dollar, dollar, five dollars or several
hundred dollars. Marry was true to his ancient tradition, He was
& good boy and a very good students

I only write this to refresh your memory if it is not clear
regarding this little fellows

Sincerely yours,

Director of Physical Education and Recreation
Varsity Basketball and Baseball Coach

POAsig

 
COLLEGE COMMUNICATIONS

NOTICE OF FACULTY MEETING

The February meeting of the Faculty of
the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
will be held at 4:30 o'clock, February
18, in the auditorium of Frank Strong
Hall, Only a few matters of detail will
be presented, but it is hoped that we
can spend most of the meeting in discus—
sion of certain trends and of certain
problems which are of importance to us
as a college of liberal arts and sciences.
Every member of the Faculty is urged to
be present at this meeting,

CLASS CARDS

Familiarity does not so much breed con-

tempt as it does carelessness; and some

of us are quite careless with the famil-
jar class cards, Will you kindly do the
following with your class cards today:

1. See that you have one for every stu-
dent attending the class, If not, in-

form the student concerned that he must
go to the dean's office at once and see
that this class card is produced.

2. See that the students' names are
correctly spelled on the class cards,

3. See that the student has the proper
prerequisites for the course both as to
courses and class standing,

4, See that no student is duplicating
the course,

5, Return to this office today class
cards for students who are not appearing
in the course. (Other class cards are
not due in the office until March 10,)

Thank you}
ABSENCES

We pursue a conservative policy in regard
to absences, On the one hand, we do not
ignore them entirely, and on the other
hand we do not report and hold a student
accountable for every absence, Instruc-
tors of College classes should, however,
record all absences, and whenever a stu-
dent, except in cases of known illness,
has accumulated more absences than the
number of hours for which the course gives
credit, he should be reported for exces—
sive absences on the excessive absence
card, which may be obtained at the depart-
mental offices, This office then inter-
views these students, and most of them
cooperate by eliminating further absences.
Only in rare cases and then only when
further excessive absences are reported
does this office apply the faculty rege
ulation regarding absences and withdraw
the student from the course with a
failure.

February 17, 1941

Some Faculty members feel that keeping
class attendance and reporting excessive
absences is high school stuff, It may be.
But whether we like it or not, parents
expect us to know whether or not their
youngsters are attending classes regular-
ly, and they expect us to tell them if
they are cutting classes,

WHY ATTEND CLASS REGULARLY?

Some instructors assert that they do not
care whether their students come to class
or not, just so they can pass the final
examination, Such instructors are assum=
ing that the final examination is a com=
pletely adequate test of the work of the
whole semester, We wonder how many final
examinations measure up to this standard?
Moreover, if students can do as well in

a course by private study as they can
through regular class attendance, why

not present our courses by correspondence?
We propose to continue to believe that
personal contact between student and
teacher is the single most important.
thing a student may obtain at this Uni-
versity and that there is no substitute
for this, aa

WITHDRAWALS

No student should: be considered withdrawn
from a course until the instructor has
received a withdrawal card from the dean's
office, These cards are invariably sent
out within 24 hours of the time the stu~
dent has withdrawn, When withdrawals,
therefore, have not been received and the
student is not appearing in class, please
report such cases very promptly, Coopera=
tion here will not only keep the records
straight, but may save students from re-
ceiving the failure which must be given
them, according to the rules, if they
drop courses without consent,

e «£ &£ 2 @& 2&2 © © & &

MODERN ART

One day a lower of art was visiting an
art gallery, He approached a very
strange looking daubed canvas and asked
the attendant what it represented,

"That, my friend, is a jersey cow eating
grass," explained the attendant,

"But where is the grass?" asked the puz—
zled visitor,

"Oh, the cow has eaten the grass."

"But where is the cow?"

"My dear sir, you would not expect a cow

to stay around after she had eaten the
grass, would you?" replied the attendant.
THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS
AND SCIENCES

LAWRENCE

OFFICE OF THE DEAN

February 1, 1941

Dr, Forrest C, Allen
Director of Physical Education
University of Kansas

My dear FPhog:

Thank you for your note regarding some recent publicity freely
given me. I thought you would be interested in knowing that
the young man who "posted" me came in the other day and made a
very frank and manly apology. It was so clean-cut that I can't
help but feel that the youngster is all right, A part of his
trouble was the result of a typographical error, where because
of the dropping of one letter, I was made to say that I was
urging our entry into the war. Whereas, the statement was meant
to say that I was not urging our entry into war. Incidentally,
there were six other typographical errors in that same article.
The poor boys over at the print shop have been apologizing ever
since they published it.

I think it is time for all of us to take frank, and perhaps ag=
gressive stands on the fundamental issues of loyalty, honesty,
and character, JI can assure you that your own attitude on these

matters has been a help and an inspiration to me. Good luck to
yous

Sincerely yours,

Cn Pt Rives.

Paul B, Lawson, Dean

PBL:d js
 

Dean Paul Be Lawson
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
University of Kansas

Dear FS:
It is needless for me to tell you where I
stand with the communists.

We all realize it is the little fellow that
shoots at the bigger fellow, and as long as we are all.
ou @n even plane no one pays any attention to the other

llow, but when somebody gets out in front, then somebody
weuts to throw a rock at hime I am with you 100% end ;
I thought your admonition was sane and without any flawe

Congratulations. Keep up the good works.

Sincerely yours,

Director of Physical Education and Recreation
Varsity Bagketbell Coach

FCAsig

 
COLLEGE COMMUNICATIONS

NO JANUARY PACULTY MEETING

We do not believe that there is suffi-
cient business before the Faculty to
warrant a January meeting, especially in
view of the busy examination period and
the flu epidemic. The Faculty, there-
fore, will not meet again until the 3rd
Tuesday in February.

TERM END FAVORS
Please help the College Office by:

1. Sending us at once 2 red card for
each student who has withdrawn from your
course with failure,

a red card for each stu-
at the end of the semes~
you know he has failed.

2. Sending us
dent who fails
ter as s00n as

3, Sending us a blue card for each stu-
dent who receives an Incomplete.

4. Turning in your final grade sheets
very promptly, It would greatly help if
you would send each sheet in as soon as
the grades of that class have been made
out.

All grades are needed for us to determine
whether students have met probation re=-
guirenents and to shank shandes in clas-
sification, Z

    

fied. Trery é our enroll-
ment procedure.

Red and blue cards may be obtained at
the departmental offices,

Blessings on all instructors who do all
the above} As to the others ? ? 7?

EPARTMENTAL MAJORS

The following departments of the College
of Liberal Arts and Sciences have the

largest number of majors this fall:
English 93
Journalism ~66
Medicine 63
Sociology 60
Zoology 50
Economics 47
Home Economics 44
Bacteriology 43
History 40
Political Science 38
Chemistry 36
Psychology 35

January 20, 1941

THEY DIDN'T ALYAYS SHINE

It's inspiring to read about the achieve-—
ments of the great, but it's rather com=
forting to know that: Beethoven found
his first music lessons very distasteful
and cried bitterly when subjected to
them,...Albert Winstein was slow in learn-
ing to talk and did so only after great
difficulty,...2enjamin Franklin was such
a dunce in arithmetic his father took

him out of school when he was only ten
and sent him to work....Faderewski used
to run from the house and hide in a tree
when he saw his music teacher coming to
give him a lesson,

Sir Walter Scott, Thomas Edison, Robert
Burns, Daniel Webster, Henry Ward Beecher
and Friedrich Froebel were all regarded
as dumbbells by their teachers,

The Duke of Wellington was considered the
dunce of his family....When he was grad-
uated from West Point, Grant stood 156th
in a class of 223....lLincoln often had
difficulty in spellin® the most common
words, For years he spelt "very" with
two r's; and up until the time he entered
the White House he spelled "opportunity,"
o—-p—p-e-r..,.s-Richard Wagner's first piano
teacher told him flatly that he would
never amount to anything as a musician,...
Charles Darwin's teachers considered him
dull and slow,

--Kathleen Masterson

DEFINITIONS

“What is a university?

A university is a place:

It is a spirit:

Men of learning,

A collection of books,

Laboratories where work in science goes
forward:

The source of the teaching

And the beauties of Art and Literature:

The center where youth gathers to learn,

It protects the tradition,

Honors the new and tests its value:

Believes in truth,

Protests against error and

Leads men by reason

Rather than by force."

eee See SS

Successful Man: A man who does as much
today as he plans to do tomorrow,

Fool: One who, when he can’t see through
a @ windowpane, smashes it instead of wash-
ing it,
__ Allen

Fr-So -- 1.50
COLLEGE COM .SICATIONS

January 20, 1941
GRADES FOR 1939—*40
TABLE I

Table I shows the grade point indices, or the number of grade points per
hour of credit, for each department,

Students from other schools of the University, though enrolled in College
classes, are not included in this study. In other words, both tables deal
with College students only.

The first column of figures shows the relative ranking of all departments
civing College work $n 1939='40; the second column dives the ranking in
1936-'39. The figures in parentheses to the right of the departmental
names show the relative ranking for 1939-'40 of the College departments
alone.

It seems that about 1,30 for Fres hman-S ophomore work and about 1.65 for
Junior-Senior work were the median College departmental indices for
1939—'40.

We are enclosing your own grade point index. It might be interesting to
compare it with your departmental index and also with the College index.

TABLE If

Table II is, we believe, self-explanatory. Note that the first column

of figures shows the number of enrollments of College students in the
several departments, Obviously the small number of grades considered in
some departments detracts from the significance of the several percentages
shown. :

Below is a comparison of the percentages of grades shown in the last five
studies for the College as a whole:

A B c D , 4
1935~-'36 44 2 64,7 6.8 be Set
1936~'37 1456 30 Me CS A OS
1937-'38 4.6 4A UMS CUFF UP OS
1938="39 | 15,% 39,6 Wt 1655 445 AT
1939-'40 9 8.9 12 1

Note the quite general agreement of all the percentages for all five years.

Many people, both students and instructors, might be surprised to note
that nearly half of the grades given during these years were A's and B's,

According to our catalogue, grade A stands for work of marked excellence,
grade B for very good work of much more than average quality, grade C

for work of good average character. It would seem, therefore, that there
should be an increase in the percentage of C grades at the expense of the
A'ts and B‘s,
Rank
130.
*40

Ww

&
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10
11
12
13

#14
15
16
17
17
19
19
21
22
23

#24
25
26
27

28
29

TABLE I

CRADE FOINT TNDICES FOR FALL *39 - SPRING '40

Freshman-Sophomore Courses

 

*Courses not open to freshmen

 

 

 

Rank Department Index Rank Rank Department
'38— 39m ‘38—
22 140 139
5 Musical Theory fee9 1 2 Mathematics
1  ¥usic (Applied) 2.28 2 15 Fhysics & Ast.
4 Design 1.89 3 3 Spanish
3 Religion te 7k 4 7 German
5 batin & Greek {1-) 1.59 5 1 French
5 Philosophy (1) 1499 6 4 Latin & Greek
9 Speech (3) 1.56 7 24 Musical Theory
5 Psychology (4) 1.56 8 12 Education
2 Physical Taucation 3,55 9 11 Speech
10 French (5} 1.45 10 9 Psychology
15 German (6) 1.44 11 ‘lo Philosophy
17. Bntomology (7) 1.41 12 21 Bacteriology
11 Physiology (8) 1.39 13 13. English
12 Sociology (9) 1.36 14 16 History
19 =Botany (10) 1.33 15 18 Fol. Science
18 Military Science Le31 16 ig Military Science
22 adiien (11) 1.29 37 19 Home Economics
15 Home Economics (il) 1.29 18 -8 Botany
23 Pol. Science (13) 1,26 18 17 = Religion
13 =6Gecolegy [130 1,26 20 5 Zoology
21 Spanish (15) 1.24 21 25 Chemistry
24 Geology & Geoge (16) 1,18 22 13. Entomology
20 Economics (3) 1.17 23 23 Sociology
14. - Journalism (18) 1.16 24 22 Physiology
28 Chemistry (19) 1,13 25 20 Journalism
25 Physics & Aste (20) 1,12 26 26 Geology & Geog.
25 Mathematics (22): 1440 27 29 Biochemistry
27 lTistory (22) 1,09 28 27 Economics
29 Drawing & Fainting » 58 29 28 Business

Junior-—Senior Courses

Index
(1) 2.44
(2) 2,19
(3) 2,18
(4) 2,11
(5) 2,09
(6) 2,00

1.94
1.82
([s) 3a 77
(8) 1.76
(9) 1.70

{10) 1.68

(ii) 1,67

(12) 1.65

(13) 1.64

1,63

(14) 1,62

(15) 1.60

1,60

(16) 1.59

(37) 1,58

(18-) 1,52

(19) 1,52

(20) 1.49

(21) 1.45

(22) 3.30

1.19

(23) 1.16

65
TABLE IT

TEE DISTRIBUTION OF MARKS tr THR COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES
FOR PALL '39 = St:RING '40
Number of
Student Marks A% B% C% D% 1% P%
Anatomy Jr-Sr > 20.0 80.0
Bacteriolosy Jr-Sr 255 14.5 49,0 26.3 5.9 2.7 1.6
Biochemistry Jr-Sr 31 51,6 22.6 25,8
Botany Fr-Soph 273 13.5 33.5 30,9 15,6 o7 5.8
Jr-Sr °6 14.6 45.8 23.% Ot wad 4.2
Chemistry Fr-Soph 298 1564 25.5 27,9 i769 1.3 12.4
Jr-sr 224 22,3 34.8 25,5 8.5 1.8 7el
Design Fr-Sonh 43 14.0 Sa58 25,6 2e3 a2
Drawing and I'r-Soph 10 60.9 30,0 10.0
Painting Jr-Sr 1 100,0
Economics Fr-Sovh 1184 43,3 23.6 39.4 15.53 1.3 79
Jr-Sr 262 14.5 19,1 43,4 i923 of 6.5
Hnglish Fr-Soph 21.23 4333 33,3 37.9 22a 1.4 6.0
Jr-Sr Sia 4943 39.4 32,6 4,3 S42 2.3
Entomology Fr-Soph 219 11,0 32.4 43,8 728 2.3 Zea
French Fr-Soph 414 21.0 27.8 31.4 9.2 3.8 6.8
jr-Sr 24 3745 33.43 29,2
Jr-Sr 83 9,6 30.1 47,1 9.6 2.4 is2
German Fr-Soph 354 26.8 26,3 e2.0 13,3 1.7 Ge
Jr-Sr 19 31.6 47.3 10.5 ae7 5.3
Eistory Fr~Soph 594 4245 23.4 36,2 17,5 1.5 9.9
Home Economics Fr-Soph 402 oes 33.6 45.5. 10,5 1.7 See
Jr-Sr 220 6.4 50.9 36.4 4.1 Zua
Journalism Fr-Soph 196 8,2 26,0 43.9 17.8 4.1
Jr-Sr 426 10.1 36.2 43,7 8.2 4 1.4
Latin and - Pr-Soph 56 22.7 33,3 33,3 4,7 6.0
Greek Jr-Sr 18 3343 33.3 33,3
Mathematics Fr-Soph 691 15.8 21,4 Sear . Soeo 1.6 13.0
Jr-Sr 23 55,5 30,5 13.0
wilitary Pr-Soph 271 $.5. 29.2 36.8 7.8 3
Science Jr-Sr 54 18.5 38.8 31.5 9.2 1.8
Music (Applied) All 99 $3.5 36.4 9,1 1,0
Music (Theory)
Philosophy
Fhysical

Education

Physics and
Astronomy

Physiology
Political
Science

Psychology
Religion
School of

Business

School of
Education

School of
Engineering

Secial Science
Survey

Sociology
Spanish

Speech

Zoology

Pres hman=S ophomore

Junior-Senior
Total Marks

Student Marks

Fr-Soph
Jr-Sr

Fr-Soph
Jr-Sr

FreSoph
Jr-Sr

Fr-Soph
Jr-Sr

Fr-Soph
Jr-Sr

FPr-Soph
Jr-Sr

Fr=-Soph
Jr-Sr

Fr-Soph
Jr-Sr

Jr-Sr

Jr-Sr

Fr-Soph
Jr-Sr

FPr-Soph
Fr-Soph
Jr-Sr

Fr-Soph
Jr=-Sr

Fr=Soph
Jr-Sr

Fr-Soph
Jr-Sr

Number of

49
52

243
127

620
37

246
33

230
72

379
229

399
520

72
135
50

606

42
103
293

7a8

577
47

250
219

246
33

11,549
5,840
17,389

Ay
34,7
26,9

18,5
26.0

24.0
16.2

15,0
42.4

aoe
15.3

10.3
23.6

13.5
L7eA

19.4
14.1

2.0

16.6

16,6
25.0

13.6
9.9
10,2

13.5
£5,5

12.0
LSad

15.0
42.4

TOTALS
14,1

15.9
14.7

BY
51.0
40.4

37.9
3364

48.1
32.4

18.7
36.4

30.0
3644

26.1
25,8

35.3
45.2

37.5
31.1

10,0

48.2.

23.8
25.0

Sick
35.5
40.6

2749
66,0

39.6
48.4

18.7
36.4

29,1
40.7
32.9

C%
12,3
28.9

Jag9
24.4

24.8
40.6

38,2
12.1

37.8
34,7

45.4
38.0

43.1
31.7

41.7
52.6
50.0

30.9

50.0

36.8
33.4
3557

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