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University Daily Kansan Wednesday, Nov. 29. 1961
The ASC Investigation
The All Student Council last night heard the involved and somewhat complicated results of two committees investigating Watkins Memorial Hospital and the Kansas Union. One report, due to the nature of the subject, will require much more work. The other was presented in relatively complete form leaving only a few questions unanswered.
THE STUDENT HEALTH COMMITTEE presented the findings of its investigation of Watkins Hospital with the observation that lack of space seems to be at the root of the Hospital's difficulties. They cited figures, observations and reports to support their conclusion. A Kansan series earlier this month also pointed out that the hospital is suffering because of an acute space shortage.
Now that the problem has been located the Council should start to consider ways in which it can influence a solution. The Committee report stated that it would probably be at least 10-15 years before funds will be available to enlarge the hospital. The Council should attempt to evaluate the current need for enlargement of the hospital to see if perhaps the University should be urged to assign hospital expansion a more prominent place on its priority list. Now that the Student Health Committee has found the way in which the efficiency of Watkins Hospital can be increased it should begin the search for ways in which this solution can be implemented.
BECAUSE OF THE COMPLEXITY of the subject, the report submitted by the Union Investigating Committee is far from its final form. The chairman of the committee indicated that he plans to go into much greater detail in his investigation of union operating practices.
Very few, if any, KU students have a clear conception of what the union is. The organization of the union is extremely complicated. In many ways it is a state institution but in other ways it is a private organization. The financial affairs of the union are subject to a state audit. But the union does not qualify for the tax advantages enjoyed by state institutions.
THE UNION MUST ALSO USE a state accounting system which is outmoded in several ways. Because of this it is hard to determine the exact margin of profit on each item and service sold by the union.
Students do not understand why it often costs them more to eat in their own union than it does to eat in a private restaurant. Many students also complain that the prices of other items and services seem somewhat high for an institution created to serve the student.
MOST PEOPLE ARE NOT ACQUAINTED with the way in which the union is governed. Even members of the Union Operating Board, which is supposedly the governing body, are not sure of their function and power.
The many questions that have been raised about the operation of the union indicates that a tremendous task lies ahead for the members of the Union Investigating Committee.
Ron Gallagher
Beer or Campus Chest?
"Let's go get a beer. I'll buy!"
Does that sound familiar? Maybe so or maybe not, but beer costs 30 cents a bottle. And that is 5 cents more than most people gave to the campus chest fund drive last year.
SO WHAT, YOU SAY. Last year your house gave more than any other house on the hill.
Well, pal, that's real nice. With what your living group contributed, the average for the entire campus still was only 25 cents a person. And while we're speaking about organized groups, I'll tell you a couple more interesting facts.
Fraternities contributed an average of 18 cents per person; sororities gave 40 cents per person, men's dormitories gave 8 cents a person and women's dorms gave 30 cents a person.
Oh yes, you bought tickets for the concert last year, too. You think all the money from the concert should raise the average? Well, you're right. Ticket money, contributions from students and faculty members still netted only $2,500, and figuring 10,000 students, that still is only 25 cents a person.
NOT SO GOOD IS IT?
"Well, then, what do you do about it, raising more money, that is?"
Start, first of all, with you. You're a typical KU man. How much did you give last year?
"Wait a minute. I just told you about my house and the tickets and besides that, I gave a dime... I mean I had a date that weekend, so I had to save my cash."
KU students do save money for important things, like beer or cigarettes or dates.
BUT FEW REALIZE the importance of an annual campus-wide drive called Campus Chest.
Campus Chest is not connected with any national drive such as Community Chest or the Red Feather or United Campaign. It is run by students on campuses over the country. The money is turned over to national charities, not national fund drives.
First, money collected is divided among several organizations. World University Service receives a certain amount to help university students around the world.
Money collected from KU and given to the Damon Runyon Cancer Fund is marked as a donation from the students of the University of Kansas.
PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE ON THE KU CAMPUS will also be allocated a certain amount. Then there are the national foundations, such as CARE and the polio and multiple sclerosis funds and an adoption plan which benefits from the KU Campus Chest.
Then the money is put to use. Students help make projects and research possible by giving.
And by the way, KU was ranked lower in the Big 8 fund drive "competition" than it was in Football.
Carrie Merryfield
Speaker Misquoted
Reporters have neither the time nor the wisdom to check all of their materials for accuracy; consequently one should never be surprised to find oneself "misquoted." At the November 19 People-to-People forum "What is a megaton?" I described some reasons why geneticists are in general agreement that most mutations are harmful and why they believe that any increase in mutation rates would be disadvantageous.
... Letters ...
I then pointed out that R. A. Fisher has stated that, for a special class of mutant (those with very small effects) the chance should be about even that the change will effect an improvement or the reverse. The quote attributed to me creates the erroneous impress-
sion that I believe this to be true for mutations in general.
The use of copious quotes in a news item does not give full credit to the efforts of the reporter and suggests that he merely copied down some of the words of the speakers. Incidentally, another statement in the article, attributed to me, concerning bomb shelters, though not in my own words, accurately and succinctly conveys the gist of what I had to say.
J. A. Weir
associate professor of zoology
--concerning the ASC, I am filled with one quixotic thought. I wonder what poor, underpaid, English instructor has had this specimen thrust upon him. The dialect is unauthentic, but much worse than that, it hampers communication.
Graduate Criticizes Student Editor:
After reading Rodney Kauffman's brilliant essay of Nov. 15
Sally Carnahan
1960 KU graduate
Certainly Mr. Kaufman has a right and a duty to criticize the workings of his government, but perhaps the learning of the English language should take precedence. Then if he should ever be graduated (the English proficiency, you know), and sets about writing letters to the editor, I would not mind so much the mention of his connection with the University.
On Other Campuses
DES MOINES, Ia.—"Task groups"-six to eight students and one faculty adviser-will do "background studies" on university and student problems this year at Drake University, according to an announcement by the Student-Faculty Council.
"One of the problems facing each new Student-Faculty Council is the completion of enough adequate background studies, preliminary to intelligent Council decisions which establish new student projects or send recommendations to the University," the S-FC news release stated.
"The establishment of task groups which involve students interested in particular problems and areas is intended to alleviate the serious lack of research, without which responsible Council decision is hampered and slowed."
These task groups are to conduct fact-finding "relevant to the solution of any important problems which might exist" and make recommendations to the S-FC.
In addition to the task groups, the release outlined a Peace Corps Promotions Group to "promote a pro-Peace-Corps attitude among students and student groups," conduct an information office, and sponsor a "publicity and study campaign."
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HANOVER. Ind.-The faculty of Hanover College recently voted a wholly new curricular structure into its educational program. Salient points of the Hanover Plan:
1. Beginning in 1962 a Hanover student will take seven courses a year, plus physical education in the first two years.
2. The 33-week academic year will be divided into three terms: the first of 14 weeks, during which a student will carry three courses, the second of 14 weeks, in which he will carry three more courses, and a third of five weeks, during which he will take one course.
3. In addition, a student may elect to carry quarter courses in such activity work as band, choir, forensics, organ, piano, painting, and play introduction.
5. From the 29 courses, 21 must be in areas other than that of the major.
4. Of the 29 courses necessary for graduation, 15 will be required of all students.
quired 'of all students. From the 29 courses, 21 must be in areas other than that of the major.
6. The required courses will be taken in a carefully structured sequence.
WALLA WALLA, Wash.—The Faculty Council at Whitman College has been charged with the responsibility of investigating the controversial grading system. Campus opinion here is opposed to the "out-moded, non-discriminating means of measuring scholastic success;" specifically, the honor point rating. Critics point to the following "characteristic assumptions of the honor point rating.
The Hanover Plan includes an unusual, and perhaps unique, calendar consisting of three terms, the first two 14 weeks in length and the third one five weeks in length, according to a brief report released here by the administration. Various colleges have used a tripartite division, which has, for the most part, consisted of periods of equal length. Hanover's unusual division calls for two equal periods followed by a sharply differing third.
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"1. All 'passing' and even all failing grades, i.e. all grades from F to 84 have the same value; viz, none.
"3. All grades from 95 to 100 have the same value.
"2. All grades from 85 to 94 have the same value
"4. All grades from 95-100 are assigned twice the value of grades from 84-95."
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LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Occidental College has received a $25,000 grant from the Danforth Foundation to help continue its College Honors program, President Arthur G. Coons, announced recently. Inaugurated in September of 1959, the College Honors Program cuts across traditional fields of knowledge to stress qualities of comprehension, logic, judgment, and communication which are basic to leadership in society.
Typical College Honors seminars, usually in the junior year, explore the "Anatomy of Knowing" and the field of "Responsibility." Each of the seminars is led by three professors, one from the natural sciences, one from the fine arts, and one from the humanities. "This interdisciplinary approach," declares Dr. Coons, "gives the student an insight into the problems under discussion that would not be possible with a single instructor from a single department."
Daily Hansan
University of Kansas student newspaper
Founded 1889, became biweekly 1904, triweekly 1908, daily Jan. 16, 1912 Telephone VIking 3-2700
Extension 11, news 1008
Extension 376, business office
Member Inland Daily Press Association. Associated Collegiate Press. Represented by National Advertising Service, 18 East 50 St., New York 22, N.Y. News service: United Press International. Mail subscription rates: $3 a semester or $5 a year. Published in Lawrence, Kan., every afternoon during the University year except Saturdays and Sundays. University holidays and examination periods. Second class postage paid at Lawrence, Kansas.
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