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University Daily Kansan Wednesday, May 26, 1954
School Year Passes With Kansan Still Here
Another school year has passed and so far your Daily Kansan is still weathering the storm. As it is with any other group or individual, we have had our high points and our low points and all sorts of points in between.
We have been told that this year's Kansan was the worst in history, and we have been told that it was one of the best. Be that as it may, as long as people are talking about us we know they are reading the paper—and providing something that will be read is one of our biggest functions.
There were no libel trials this year to spice up things, but we seem to recall a rather hotly contested election that kept things stirred up for some time.
We realize that, on our editorial page, many of the things carried failed to cause much reaction, as must be expected, but from the number of letters to the editors that have come in throughout the year, it would appear that there was considerable interest in many of the things printed.
To those of you who are graduating, we wish you the best of luck and may you make millions or have dozens, according to your various ambitions. And to the people who will be back next year, remember that we are told by our elders that these are the "happiest years of our lives."
To those who consider the editors and managers of the Daily Kansan as dangerous radicals, rest at ease. We will be widely dispersed and in our various positions won't be able to do much damage.
Next fall the responsibilities, joys, and trials of running the editorial page will go to Court Ernst, a native of Ness City. This will be a somewhat novel arrangement since Court is in the College instead of the Journalism school. But rest assured, you can depend on Court and his assistants to inform, stimulate, and anger you in the traditional Daily Kansan manner. —Don Tice
...LETTERS.
An open letter to the Kansan and the students of Kansas university.
In the opinion of many members of the All Student Council the full story of the election affairs of the last few weeks has not been told by the University Daily Kansan. The feeling seems to be that the Kansan failed to carry out its responsibility to furnish needed information to the students, preferring to publicize the more sensational aspects of the situation.
For example, the only item ever published about the primary elections was a tidit below the fold announcing a change of date from Wednesday to Thursday; nothing about procedure, eligibility to vote, location of polling places, or time was mentioned. Small wonder that the turnout was a record low instead of the reported record high.
The story about the invalidated election sounded as if one party had whimsically decided to try for another stab at the offices.
It was reported that the presidency and vice-presidency hinged upon 63 disputed votes. What was never mentioned was the Elections Committee's report that precedents existed both for counting and not counting ballots in question. An arbitrary decision of the committee would have decided who won. Certainly another election was the only fair way of resolving the issue.
One day later, after hours of session, the committee voted to throw out the Senate and House elections also. Why? The Kansan never said. No references were made to the ten illicit practices cited in the ASC resolution of April 27.
For two days sensational headlines broadcast the charges against the ASC which were made before the Student court. Yet when the court ruled that the position of the ASC was correct, it was only briefly mentioned in a small paragraph buried under a headline giving the opinion that student interest was falling.
Much of the falling of student interest was compounded by the Kansan's failure to inform. Further, the underlying foundation of the Council's resolution affirming the decision of the Elections Committee, and which the court upheld, was never published; namely, that historically, the legislative branch determines the qualifications of its own members and the validity of elections.
Again, information on the newly adopted voting procedure was pushed off the Kansan pages just prior to the second election by a series of partisan political charges and misinformation. The ASC determined that a new election would be held eight days before the date
set; the Kansan made it appear that a new election was doubtful until voting was already underway.
With the exception of Don Tice's well thought out editorial, the Kansan has all too seldom been constructive in its criticism of the Student Council. Sam Teaford wittingly suggested having the Chancellor draw names after burning the ballots. To this clever, constructive suggestion was added Clarke Keyes' editorial suggesting abolition of student government. The effect of the Kansan's attitude in molding student opinion cannot be underestimated. And a student opinion which looks upon campus politics only with disgust discourages from becoming involved those who would like the Council to take more constructive actions.
In view of the Kansan's periodic failure: 1. to inform the students, 2. to accurately report political affairs, and 3. to be constructive in its attitude, we ask in behalf of the teachers to help us understand that this statement be published so that all sides of the issue may be placed before the students.
Dick Sheldon
former ASC president
former ASC vice-president.
(Editors Note: 1. Hindsight is very nice, gentlemen, but at the time of the election mixup none of the principals know what was going on for sure themselves. 2. By being newsworthy, something does not "per se" become sensationalism, as your letter would seem to indicate. 3. Thank God the Kansan has the guts to stay out of the political squabble and form an opinion of its own without being under the thumb of the ASC.)
Gene Rogers former ASC vice-president
Gene Rogers
Things'n Stuff
Daily Hansan
University of Kansas Student newspaper
News Room KU 251 Ad room KU 376
Member of the Kansas Press Assn., Na-
tional Assn., Associated Collegiate Press Assn.
Assn., Associated Collegiate Press Assn.
By Don Tice
June 7 around 850 grateful graduates will receive their diplomas (at a cost of $12 additional per-each) and slowly wend their merry ways out into the hardships of life.
Feelings on this great accomplishment seem to vary from "ugh" to "whee," but we haven't found a single person who wishes he could win the battle of division requirements and grade points some more.
Of course, there are those individuals who consider one degree as merely a stepping-stone to another, and to those people we wish the best of luck and express our admiration for their fortitude (intestinal and otherwise).
As for us, our feeling runs from "ugh," to "whee," to "wha 'oppen'!"
Four years ago a degree seemed like one of those remote imposibilities that a number of all-knowing, all-seeing veterans of four years of hardship and deprivation were about to receive.
Looking back, we see four long years all right, but we can't seem to recall many hardships and deprivations except for a few "beers that were left on the bar" for various seasons, not all of them scholastic.
However, we think one of the biggest shocks of our college life, scholastically speaking, was that of going from freshman - sophomore classes to junior - senior classes. There seems to be, in this University, the feeling that if a person weathers the first two years he is ready and willing to take on more responsibilities and studies in his second two years. What a fallacy.
And then there was the "thrill" the first time we put on an ROTC uniform and felt ourselves a part of "the defenders of our country." This soon wore off.
One thing that many of the graduating veterans, speaking in the strictly non-military sense, will remember with relish, however hazy it may be, is the rallies in honor of the 1952 Olympic-bound basketball team. We firmly advocate 3:30 a.m. closing hours every Saturday night.
And when any individual gets out into life and commences to question the morals and ethics of the people with whom he is working, all he needs do is look back on the standards of campus politics at Old KU and feel reassured. You'll find 'em everywhere.
But really, though, these campus politicos aren't so bad. They are just a bunch of basically honest and high minded persons working toward goals in which they firmly believe. Some of them may, at times, have worked a little too hard along somewhat dubious lines, but their hearts were in the right place (generally some place in the chest cavity, that is).
About the worst thing any one of them did was to take a firm grasp on his own halo and point the finger of accusion and scorn at the opposition. "Judge not . . ."
So, with these words of (?) wisdom, we say goodbye as, to quote a well k n o w n personality, "the shadows of the goal posts come creeping across . . . (you know the rest)."
Represented by the National Advertising Service, 420 Madison Avenue, N.Y. City, New York. Published $1.45 a year until paid $1 a semester if in Lawrence). Published in Lawrence, Kan., during Sun University year except Summer and University varsity holidays and examination periods. Entered second class matter Sept. 17, 1910 at office of office under act of March 3, 1879.
BUSINESS STAFF
Business mgr.
Advertising mgr.
Sales mgr.
Classified adv. mgr.
Circulation mgr.
Ann Ainsworth
Sinnamore
Rodney Davis
Edmond Bartlett
Gene Brault
Gene Brault
Commencement Thoughts
Oh, it's down the "Eill" in cap and gown
A week from Monday night . . .
We're through. We're leaving KU town
We've finished our long fight.
To graduate, to graduate,
Is all we've wished for years. . .
But now the time has finally come
And some are found with tears!
Professor's books are all behind us And ready for the burning. . .
So there'll be nothing to remind us About our years of learning.
John R. Barber College senior
We wish, now, that we'd studied hard And done a lot more grieving. . .
So that we'd really hate this place And wouldn't mind the leaving!
Sure, it's been rough to pass the tests
And go to class each day. .
But we'll remember all the fun
As soon as we're away
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