UDB steps ahead
A youth with a Dutch boy haircut, wearing a plaid flannel shirt, raised his hand during last spring's University Disciplinary Board (UDB) hearings.
"Can I go to the bathroom?" he smirked, and many spectators, defendants and members of the press couldn't help but giggle or respond with horrified gasps. The chairman of the UDB responded as politely as he could under the circumstances and rapped his gavel heavily on the desk to restore order.
The incident was typical of the two-session hearings, which were characterized by a profound lack of respect. Few of those charged with violating University guidelines at the May 9 ROTC Review respected the quasi-legal judiciary board which was attempting to mete out appropriate punishment. And partly because of the rude and raucous behavior of many of those charged, as well as many spectators, members of the UDB found it difficult to respect the students they faced those evenings.
The defendants also had several legitimate reasons for their inability to respect the UDB as a judiciary body. The UDB had made little attempt to protect the rights of the students. The Board was originally set up to handle disciplinary problems in a family style. It was designed to deal with only one or a small group of students at a time. Many of the problems brought before it until then were of such a nature that both the student and the Board preferred private hearings—both for the protection of the student and the University. The defendants were not allowed witnesses.
These flaws became grossly apparent last spring when the Board was confronted with nearly 100 law-breakers at once, and the UDB set out to correct these flaws.
Tuesday of this week the Board's chairman, Martin B. Dickinson Jr. announced four basic changes in the UDB's statutes:
- Specific warnings must be made to the student to inform him of his rights.
- The students will have the opportunity to examine documents before their hearing.
- A student adviser can actively participate in the hearings whether he is a non-lawyer, lawyer, law student, etc.
- Three character witnesses will be allowed.
These innovations were sorely needed. Accused students can enjoy a more just and equitable handling of their cases.
Joanna K. Wiebe
Letters to the editor Diving into life
To the editor:
Concerning Dave Lee's letter and the question of religion, I must comment that life is here, although perhaps not here to stay. Still, it is around, and must be dealt with by those who live.
To die is to bring all problems to an end, especially the problem of dying. But to live is to see difficulties transform and perpetuate themselves, never really abating, but ever revealing themselves in new and strangely foreboding ways.
Life, as I see it, is not simply a finding of solutions, whether good or bad, but rather it is basically a search, though often misguided, for what is essentially beautiful and good, as opposed to that which is conceived as ugly and bad, detrimental to man physically, spiritually and "soulfully"—the deepened feelings of all experienced.
The question, then, is not to find good solutions to the problems which confront us, for there will always be problems, and there may be many ways to solve these problems (Christianity, contrary to the belief of many, does not solve any of our problems) but the question is really the recognition of ourselves, our existence on this seemingly God-forsaken world, and the many revelations which can come forth from such human understanding.
It is not so much a matter of explanation, of defining in an absolute way man's being, nature, or future, but it is simply a matter of pushing off—of diving into that vast ocean which is life.
I have taken that dive, as every man must because he can do no other; we do not choose
our lives. But out of a sense of necessity, we keep what we did not choose, feeling within ourselves some element of sanction, a sort of pride in possession. Our lives are ours, whether to cherish, to exploit or to glorify.
I have no right to command another individual, no matter how his ways aggravate me, to shove his ways God knows where. What is this but an attempt to press one's desires upon another person, who should have a God-given mind of his own. The world is too much upon us for this kind of behavior. We must recognize that there need be no limit to the ways of handling the many problems which plague man today. Indeed, as far as my personal problems are concerned, I know I have reason to hope, for I am dealing with myself.
And the world—well, the world will find its way.
Christ brought a new way of behaving to the world and was rejected. Now, in a country 300 years Christianized, another way of behaving is being denounced, the way of black armbands and mass marches, perhaps the way to ending a war.
Christianity has had its heyday, regardless of what latter day saints say. I believe somewhere it went wrong, not so much in the hearts of men, but as a social phenomenon. And what about the new trend? What right have Christians to criticize those who want to try a new way of handling life's problems? I say none. This time let us justify the ways of men to God.
Courtland E. Berr
Olathe senior
Readers write
To the editor;
I feel that Mike Shearer and Judith Dieboldt have both overlooked important phenomena in analyzing the effectiveness of the Student Senate. It seems to me that the biggest problem that the Student Senate has is its utter lack of faith in its committees and in the University personnel who have been trying to help it. At last Wednesday's meeting two committee reports, that of the Finance and Auditing Committee and that of the Union Operating Board were disregarded and extremely contrary action was taken by the Student Senate.
Mr. Frank Burge and Dean Balfour were both ignored and were treated disrespectfully. I'll be the first to admit that I am often disrespectful and that I think that disrespect is often just and deserved; however, it surely was not deserved nor was just last Wednesday night when those two gentlemen presumed that they could reason with the Student Senate.
The point is that the Student Senate has reacted to two very important issues very emotionally. It allocated one-third of its funds to the Black Student Union without regard for the lengthy deliberation and careful guidelines of its Finance and Auditing Committee. The Student Senate voted not to support the construction of a Satellite Student Union primarily on the grounds that about a third of that body's membership thought that its power had been usurped by the Union Operating Board and that the Student Senate was being asked to be a "rubber stamp" institution. While, as a matter of fact, the Union Operating Board was seeking a poll of the desirability of the proposed union from the Senate, it actually received a partial popularity poll of itself.
If anyone really wants to see what the old philosophers meant by "mob rule" I suggest that they attend the next meeting of the Student Senate.
Jeff Lough
Student Senator
Union Operating Board Member
Salina junior
P. S. I supported the BSU appropriation because I think that it is one of the most humanistic-oriented organizations on campus and because it is endowed with several very talented and hard working members who could help to educate some of us honkies if they so desired.
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