KU's defender
There's really no need to tell you that Chancellor E. Laurence Chalmers Jr. has passed the probationary first month at KU in a commendable way. His words speak for themselves.
And they also speak for you and me.
Last week Thursday, Chalmers gave a talk before a small group of business and professional leaders in Kansas City. His comments were honest, cogent and evinced an insight into student thought which is gradually becoming a hallmark of KU administrators.
Chalmers began: "Let me warn you, I intend to try, by every means I know, to solicit your help, your influence, your effort in behalf of the University of Kansas." The annual level of voluntary support, he said, places KU seventh among all public U.S. universities. Yet KU ranks 50th among the same schools in level of state appropriations.
He cited reasons: the "failure to develop overt formulae for funding requests, and detailed postaudits to account adequately for the use of all funds,"—something which will be corrected in nine to 12 months, he said. But the other reason is "a subtle, but persuasive attitudinal change toward all of higher education, including the University of Kansas. . . . Those who always opposed taxes for public higher education now have an excuse for their opposition, and our fairweather friends now find it easy to blow cold. The tragedy, of course, will be visited upon the next generation as a result of this widespread belief that the campuses have become hotbeds of communism, breeding grounds for anarchy, and sanctuaries of corruption. Gentlemen, there isn't a word of truth to it, and it's vitally important that the truth be known."
Chalmers then attempted to summarize differences between the present college generation and that of a few years ago, saying, in part, that undergraduates are "better equipped intellectually and physiologically more mature" and "in instant contact with all of the world's problems."
In discussing a variety of problems faced by today's students, he said, "There have always been persons who objected to every war this country fought, but the war in Vietnam is perceived by our students as politically unjustifiable and morally indefensible and I agree with them, on both counts."
One other statement from Chalmers is worth passing on: "Yes, KU is a great university, under siege from within and siege from without. But of the two I fear the latter the more, both because we've demonstrated an effective answer to the former, and we're relatively helpless to defend against the latter—either in the form of oppressive legislation, abuse of legislative or executive powers, or curtailment of funds. . . We need your assistance more than ever before. Don't take my word for it. Visit the campus at Lawrence or the Medical Center here in Kansas City, talk with the students—any students. See for yourself how worthy, how promising, these young men and women are.
"And once you're convinced, talk with others. Talk with those who influence the future—newspaper editors, station managers, legislators, congressmen, other business leaders—and help us tell the KU story. It's a matter of life and death—no, not death from violence from within—death by starvation from without.
Chancellor Chalmers, this one of KU's thousands of students takes the liberty of saying "thank-you" for the rest of the KU community.
Joanna K. Wiebe
Out of our tower into a 'real' world
By MIKE SHEARER Arts & Reviews Editor
Yes, seniors, in just a few short months we can leave our liberal ideals behind us and become establishment realists.
Or anyway, that seems to be the view of the rainbow-minded innovators of the 1970 senior jersey.
They tell us the jersey shows a hippie (whatever that is) lying on the ground, and the slogan (carrying through the banal theme) says, "Tomorrow's Establishment."
One of the co-creators of the slightly less than witty design said the shirts were to "make seniors realize that the liberal ideas they crusade for today may be discarded soon after graduation."
An antique form of dualistic thought is buried in the design, a form of thought which does not apply at all.
Is the academia a protected and therefore unreal society, polemic to "the real world"
where people play with real things instead of ideas?
If so, some of us should get out now—into whatever we consider the real world.
This all relates to a dominant idea (and, I think, a sick one) that realism and idealism are opposites. They cannot possibly be.
The opposite of realism is surrealism or psychosis. The opposite of idealism is materialism or egotism.
Realism, seniors, is something you can wear wherever you go. You could have been wearing it all of these years here at KU.
Likewise with idealism.
Thoreau did most of his thinking in seclusion. Gandhi claimed he could think best surrounded by persons.
There is no peg on the wall designed for hanging realism, and there is no peg for idealism. Wear either wherever you want and hang them wherever you want.
The best place to hang your jersey, seniors, is on the hand that's handling it to you.
'Fire! Fire! Fire!'
Readers' write
To the Editor:
R. K. Mitchell—or anyone writing in the Kansas—or anyone anytime—should most certainly feel free to express his views regarding the operation of the Kansas Union. All of us and those who work in the Union try earnestly to communicate constantly with the students to learn their views, and the student viewpoint is, we know the most important consideration when important decisions are made by the Union Operating Committee.
Each spring, the entire financial report of the Union is published in the Daily Kansan. We try by this means—and at every possible opportunity—to inform the student body about the operation of the Union. R. K. Mitchell's article of September 30 makes it apparent that we need to increase our efforts in this regard, and this we shall do.
But on one matter "the apologist" is quite mistaken. Mr. Frank Burge's "business" is his job. He reports to the Union Operating Committee and the Dean of Student Affairs. Mr. Burge does not own any concessions anywhere and manages only those which comprise a department of the Kansas Union.
UNION OPERATING COMMITTEE
Dean William Balfour
Dean Emily Taylor
Kent Longenecker
Fred Meier
Carol Schoenbeck
Susie Atkins
David Awbrey
Frank Zilm
Tom Gleason
Bill Read
Jeff Lough
Greg Thomas
Richard Wintermote
James Stoner
James Dykes
Clifford Ketzel
Katherine Giele
James Selig
Mrs. Martin Yost
Gary Carrico
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University Daily Kanoan.