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University Daily Kansan
Thursday, Jan. 9, 1964
Asian Club?
During the last eight semesters, the presidency of the International Club has been dominated by the Asian bloc. That situation may continue at the club's election this Saturday.
A continuation of the Asian bloc control is not desirable; it already has affected many aspects of the club and has brought failures for the club.
The Asian control greatly affects the attendance of members in the club's regular weekly meetings. The attendance, especially of Europeans, Americans and Latin Americans, has declined considerably. Now only Asians and Africans take interest in the club and attend meetings regularly.
THE ASIAN domination has affected severely the variety of programs for the social hours. The organization used to have cultural, educational and entertaining programs in the past. There used to be cultural programs presented by a group of different nations each week. In addition to these programs, there were many panel discussions on various national and international social, cultural and political subjects.
But in the past few semesters, the social hours have been devoted exclusively to panel discussions. The cultural and social variety shows have been dropped completely because of the lack of enthusiasm in both the executive officers and members. The panel discussions, which can be presented with little effort, have become handy to the Asian presidents.
The Asian presidents have failed to make the organization as active as it was in 1960 when a student from Germany was president.
THESE ASIAN presidents have made the club dull and uninteresting.Most members of the club
are not interested in panel discussions; and some who are interested already have a choice of programs offered by organizations such as KU-Y Discussion Groups and the Student Union Activities Current Event Group—organizations primarily devoted to discussions.
The International Club should pay more attention to cultural and social programs so that both foreign students and Americans can learn about each other.
The failures of the club can be resolved only if the Asian bloc relinquishes its hold on the club and the new Western bloc is put into power. There is a need for a European, American, or Latin American president.
BUT THERE is a problem there, too. Europeans and Americans are not as interested as Asians and Africans in running for an office. Most westerners assume that they do not have a chance. But both Europeans and Americans have as much chance as Asians do—if they will vote.
No doubt, the candidates from the Asian countries did control club elections even though their bloc made up only a small percentage of the organization's total members. Presently, some Asians are aware of the disadvantages and failures of their bloc dominance. Many of them have recognized a need for a Western president. In all, only thing they want is an "international spirit" rather than "Asian spirit."
Now it seems certain that the club cannot be active unless each bloc is given an equal opportunity. Let's hope that the members do elect the most qualified person, regardless of nationality or area differences.
Vinay Kothari
(Mr. Kothari is a senior from Bombay, India.-Ed.)
The People Say . . .
Just Quality
We, the staff of the 1964 Rock Chalk Revue, agree with Miss Whitaker's statement (Tuesday's Kansan, Ed.) that the continued rejection of independent skits submitted for judging is becoming a major problem. However, we do not agree that it is any more difficult for an independent group to win than it is for a Greek group. On the contrary, the concentration of fine arts majors in the University residence halls appears to be much greater than in the fraternity and sorority groups. Therefore, a group from the halls should be able to organize an effective group of ten experts in theatrical arts to prepare a final draft for judging.
In comparison, one of the winning scripts was written by six Greeks, none of whom had any academic theatrical experience. Furthermore, there does not appear to be a wide dichotomy of student opinion, i.e., Greeks vis-avis independents, concerning campus satirical humor and opinion, as that humor exemplified in Rock Chalk skits is usually concerned with universal campus complaints regarding administrative policy.
Miss Whitaker proposes that an independent script be accepted regardless of the quality of that script. However, she does not seem to realize that there is a direct correlation between script quality and production quality. Should the audience of approximately seven thousand students, alumni, faculty and residents of the state be forced to view a substandard skit the night of the production just for the benefit of a majority group? Should we, the staff, gamble that resident hall interest will soar upon acceptance, that the script will be completely rewritten, and that all available talent of the halls will swarm to castings? No, if the ability to organize an effective group of ten persons for script writing cannot be demonstrated, the staff does not feel any obligation to take the risk of presenting substandard entertainment to the audience.
Hence, we suggest that the independents learn from experience and renew. interest next year.To
be a bit sarcastic, possibly they should learn to read—the Director's Guide available to all interested groups has proved to be effective for several Greek groups.
In addition, the independent effort might be greatly enhanced through a closer collaboration with the staff, whose responsibility it is to assist in any way possible.
David A. White
Prairie Village senior
Thomas L. Woods
Business Manager
Arkansas City junior
Michael D. Milroy
House Manager
Lawrence junior
Susan Flood
Assistant Producer
Hays senior
Please!
Editor:
To quote, or not to quote: that is the question.
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
Clare Casey's butchering Shakespeare.
Or to take arms against KU reporters.
And by protesting stop them... As a student of diverse languages and literatures I have often heard the advice: "If you can't help quoting, quote correctly." I should like to pass on this advice to Clare Casey.
Henrike Wilhelm Stuttgart, Germany, graduate
Dailu Transan
And by protesting stop them...
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Get Texas Right
Editor:
Last Friday's paper carried a story about security measures taken at the University of Texas to protect Miss Lynda Bird Johnson. Your headline contained the words "Texas U."
May I point out that your usage is considered incorrect? The University may be correctly spoken of as "The University of Texas," "Texas," "U of T," or "UT."
One does not say "Texas University." "Texas U," or "TU."
Robert A. Barrett
Amarillo, Tex.
graduate student
Disarmament
Editor:
One obstacle to disarmament is the great dependence of our economy on the production of war materials. Economically, to afford to disarm we must have some plan for changing from production of destructive weapons to useful civilian services. Recently Senator George McGovern (D-S.D.) introduced a bill to set up a National Economic Conversion Commission with authority to recommend federal action which would ease conversion from military to civilian production. It would also require all defense contractors with more than 25 per cent of their employees working on defense contracts or grants to establish Industrial Conversion Committees to plan for conversion to civilian work. McGovern's bill is known as S. Con. Res. 2274.
This kind of action is necessary to make disarmament moves more feasible, and to show that Americans really are looking for ways to prevent war. A letter to your senators urging them to join in sponsoring this bill, or at least to support it, would improve its likelihood of being passed. If you do not have your senators' names and addresses, inquire at the reference desk in the library. Encouragement from constituents is especially helpful in areas such as this which are considered "politically sensitive."
Leroy Birney Bucklin senior
1964 Crystal Ball
BOOK REVIEWS
QUEST FOR AMERICA, 1810-1824, edited with an introduction by Charles L. Sanford (Doubleday Anchor, $2.45).
In 1964, Americans are still trying to define "America," and some of their critics say the word is undefinable. In this book, one of three that inaugurate the Anchor series called "Documents in American Civilization," Charles L. Sanford shows through key writings and works of art how Americans of 1810-24 also were trying to articulate that word America.
Sanford has selected a period which encompasses the War of 1812, the Era of Good Feeling, considerable national growth, and political campaigns culminating in the scurrilous one of 1824. The new nation was soon to be out of its federal period, soon to enter the ferment of the Jackson era.
SO HOW WERE AMERICANS TRYING to define themselves and their nation early in the 19th century? First through the idea of the nation itself, their Boston, their frontier cabins. They were trying to escape the rigid bounds laid down for them, trying unsuccessfully in the case of John Vanderlyn, whose nude "Ariadne" was not quite proper enough for his prim society.
On the frontier a painter named Chester Harding was sketching portraits, few of them enduring ones but some of them good enough to make his name remembered. Parson Weems was writing his elaborate and phony stories of American heroes. And Thomas Jefferson was looking at the Missouri Compromise and hearing "a firebell in the night."
Nationalism was being reflected in diverse ways. Heroes were being created, a Stephen Decatur, for example, a Commodore Perry. Architects were looking to ancient Rome and Greece for patterns, and in their revivalist architecture thought they had found a symbol for American democracy. Revivalism went as far in one direction as the National Capitol, as far in another as Latrobe's monumental, but slightly ridiculous, Philadelphia waterworks.
PAINTING WAS LAVISH AND GRANDIOSE, especially when John Trumbull was the painter. Science was thrilling some Americans, like the painter Charles Willson Peale. John Quincy Adams was calling for a national system of weights and measures. And the Monroe Doctrine was being prepared for posterity and long controversy.
Americanism was reflected, too, in letters and education—Jeferson and his University of Virginia, a boy named Bryant and his "Thanatopsis," Thomas Cole and his romantic painting from "The Last of the Mohicans." Uncle Sam came in this era, and Samuel Woodworth was writing of "The Meeting of the Waters." There was steamboat litigation, and there were new locomotives and plows.
steamboat frugality, and to list further would be a mere cataloguing. Sanford has presented an amazing variety of American experience in this paperback, a book likely to be a standard for years to come.—CMP
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LUTHER, by John Osborne (Signet, 60 cents).
A few weeks ago, to the accompaniment of loud praise, "Luther" opened on Broadway, with the brilliant young English actor Albert Finney appearing as the man who practically gave us the Reformation. Signet books wasted no time in making available a paperback edition of the play.
"Luther" is a considerable departure for Osborne, who became known to American audiences with "The Entertainer" and "Look Back in Anger," both in the "angry young man" mood of Osborne. "Luther" depicts the church reformer as a torn man, psychologically and physically troubled.
Osborne offers a vision of Luther and his struggle with the Roman church that helped to change history. Here is a play of likely interest to University readers.