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University Daily Kansan Monday, Sept. 24, 1962
A Progressive Step
Many KU students and other Jayhawk football fans are elated over the $600,000 expansion program for Memorial Stadium, approved Saturday by the Board of Regents.
Even more significant than the swift approval of the plan, however, is the announcement that the athletic association plans to turn 25 per cent of its net receipts to KU endowment association. This money is to be used in whatever way the University feels it can best be used; it is not restricted to athletic uses.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS a first step towards possible justification of the huge entertainment extravaganza piously termed "amateur inter-collegiate athletics" by colleges and universities throughout the United States.
THE BIGGEST GROWTH came during the 20s, when colleges vied with each other in constructing huge football arenas.
College administrators readily admit that the athletic program at many schools has gotten completely out of hand. They admit that it is not a college's function to provide entertainment on such a large scale for the entire state.
But with the exception of a few colleges, the athletic program continues to grow bigger and bigger. Alumni pressure and the desire for public relations (big-time athletic contests spread the college's name over a wide area) prevent any significant progress toward cutting athletics down to size. Nobody seems to know just how to stop the growth.
At the same time, the desire for winning teams pushed schools into intense competition with each other for the best players, and large-scale recruiting programs were put into effect. The huge bonuses given students to induce them to a certain school, and the entertainment cheerfully paid for by alumni who desired to see alma mater win, are familiar to nearly everyone. Such
abuses were justified by the statement: "Everybody else does it, so why shouldn't we?"
The athletic programs grew more expensive and elaborate, requiring big promotion bureaus to help pull in the crowds and the money to keep them solvent.
THE SOLUTION, OF COURSE, is not to completely abolish inter-collegiate athletics. College football has become too much an American institution to be completely abolished, and there is probably an element of truth in the argument that it helps build school loyalty among students and helps keep the alumni in touch with each other and the college.
The new KU expansion program is part of the growth to bigger athletics. The stadium expansion is designed to get more good seats for sale to the public, which in turn will increase profits on sell-out games. A bigger stadium will induce more big-name colleges to schedule the Jayhawks, bringing more national publicity to KU.
Huge college athletic programs would be better justified if, in some way, they served to improve the academic side of the institutions. Colleges, supposedly, exist for their educational facilities and not their entertainment facilities.
KU HAS NOW TAKEN a step towards this justification, with the announced gift of a portion of the athletic profits to the endowment association. The money undoubtedly will be at the call of the athletic association if it ever is needed for athletics, but there is a chance that at least some of this money may be used for scholarships or new academic buildings.
This, of course, does not excuse any abuses in the athletic program. But it's a progressive step, and hopefully will be only the first of many such steps to bring athletics more in line with the University's real function.
-Clayton Keller
Reform in Yemen Predicted
(Editor's note: The Associated Press last week said that Yemen Radio had reported the death of King Ahmed Bin Yahia Hamiduddin and the proclamation of his estranged son, ex-Prince Mohammed Al-Badr, as the new King. What this change in power will mean to Yemen is discussed by a resident of that nation, now attending KU.)
By Ahmed Hamdani Aden, South Yemen, graduate student
The death last week of the aged King of Yemen, Imam Ahmed Bin Yahia Hamiduddin, probably 76 or
more, will be met with mixed emotion.
To the believers in monarchy in Yemen, it will be the greatest blow since the assassination of the father of the deceased King, Imam Yahia, about 15 years ago. But to others, the believers in democracy and reform, it will be met with great rejoicing, because King Ahmed presented the strongest stumbling block, over which all political aspirants were crushed and almost eradicated from existence.
THOUGH IT WOULD BE difficult on anyone's part to speculate on the future set-up of Yemen, one
can safely assume that from now on Yemen will be on the march towards progress. Internally, however, many difficulties will arise. There will be two rival claimants to the throne of Yemen — the son of King Ahmed, Prince Mohammed Al-Badr, and his uncle, Prince Al Hassan.
Prince Al Hassan is a conservative with pro-Americanism in him, Prince Al-Badr, while young and energetic, is not likely to command supreme power; but in the eyes of the great majority of the people, he is a reliable hero, particularly because he is close follower of President Nasser of the United Arab Republic.
LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS by Dick Bibler
'BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY TO FRED-HE'S A POLITICAL SCIENCE MAJOR.'
Though he is already King, the fear still exists about the melee that would follow in case the prince fights it out. It is certain he would not last for a long period as the strong Ahmed did. After all, the wind of change is blowing across the Land of Sheba, as it did years past among its sister Arab nations.
THERE IS ALSO widespread resentment against the present chaotic economic conditions of the country which is entirely blamed, with much weight, on the present political clique, that is the Royal Family.
Short Ones
When the coming revolution is going to explode, I cannot venture to say, but of its inevitability and eventual coming I do not have the slightest doubt. All that can be predicted at the moment is that with the death of King Ahmed, who was one of the last few absolute feudal autocrats, the forces of modernization and progress will avail themselves of the opportunity given to them from above, Allah, to move with the country from the confines of the nineteenth century to the floodlights of the twentieth.
Meekness is not weakness.—Sir William Burney Benham.
Great art is the contempt of a great man for small art—F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Commonwealth vs. Common Market
By Bill Mullins
Leaders of the British Commonwealth nations met in London last week and argued long and frustratingly over the terms on which Great Britain should enter the rapidly developing European Common Market. British negotiations for Common Market membership have been broken off, but they will resume early next month.
The basic reason behind the meeting was the fear of Britain's Commonwealth partners that if Britain did join it would destroy or seriously weaken the commercial and political ties of the Commonwealth.
BRITAIN'S COMMONWEALTH partners finally gave tentative approval for Britain to continue its negotiations with the Common Market (France, West Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg). But they expressed many reservations and said that they hoped a closer association between Britain and Europe "would not be allowed, as it developed, to weaken the cohesion of the Commonwealth or its influence for peace and progress in the world."
The Commonwealth nations reserved final judgment until the terms by which Britain would be admitted to the Common Market were negotiated and known.
WHILE THEY CANNOT VETO a British decision to join the Common Market, the approval of the other Commonwealth nations is sought by Britain. This is a reflection of the long tradition of consultation and conference by Commonwealth nations among themselves to solve their mutual problems. Since the entry of Britain into the Common Market would seriously affect the economies of other Commonwealth members, the issue is a vital one to Commonwealth members.
An example of the way in which Commonwealth countries could be hurt are the tariff arrangements presently existing between Britain and Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The last three nations sell foodstuffs such as meat and grain tariff-free in Britain. This arrangement would not be possible under the membership terms that have been offered by the Common Market to Britain in past negotiations. As the matter now stands, nearly all major Commonwealth exports would be involved. The nation that would be affected include India, Pakistan, Nigeria and Tanganyika.
BRITAIN POINTS OUT that the Common Market has offered association "on advantageous economic terms" to Commonwealth countries in Africa, the Caribbean and most British dependent territories. But these terms do not include all Commonwealth nations, and Britain faces serious opposition from France to what De Gaulle considers unwarranted concessions.
Thus Britain will enter negotiations for Common Market membership next month with France opposed to any concessions because of British Commonwealth responsibilities. Yet at the same time, the Commonwealth nations will be firmly opposed to Britain joining the Common Market unless special provisions are made to protect the Commonwealth. And finally, although Prime Minister Macmillan's government wants Common Market membership for Britain, there are powerful political elements in Britain and even in Parliament which are uneasy about the Common Market negotiations and may cause trouble.
Worth Repeating
The duty of a newspaper is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.—Finley Peter Dunne
Progress, therefore, is not an accident, but a necessity . . . it is a part of nature.—Herbert Spencer
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Somebody has to take a stand for what he believes in.—Edward Wilson
Daily Hansan
University of Kansas student newspaper
Founded 1889, became biweekly 1904, triweekly 1908, daily Jan. 16, 1912.
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NEWS DEPARTMENT
Scott Payne Managing Editor Richard Bonett, Dennis Farney, Zeke Wigglesworth, and Bill Mullins, assistant Managing editors; Mike Miller, City Editor; Steve Clark, Sports Editor; Margaret Cathcart, Society Editor.
EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
Clayton Keller and Bill Sheldon ... Co-Editorial Editors
BUSINESS DEPARTMENT
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