Page 2
University Daily Kansan Thursday, Jan. 3, 1952
Little Man On Campus
by Bibler
Daily Kansan Editorials
KU Music Suffers From Poor Attendance
The concert attractions given by the School of Fine Arts have been excellent. They have included such outstanding performers as Robert Shaw, Eileen Farrell and the Rodgers and Hammerstein troupe, not to mention campus organizations like the University chorus, which sang J. S. Bach's "Christmas Oratorio" on a high level. So the failure of the music to meet student wants cannot be given as a real reason for their staying at home.
The good attendance at both services of the Christmas vespers just before vacation was a welcome sight after the poor showings at University music events so far this year. Judging by the disappointing crowds at some of the best concerts, it appears that Fine Arts attractions are struggling for survival against such college giants as basketball and football.
One problem seems to be in finding enough room on the campus calendar for weekend dates. As a result, the oratorio was given on Wednesday, the orchestra concert on Thursday, the Robert Shaw chorale on Monday, and so forth.
Many students claim they don't attend because the music is too heavy. That is not a legitimate excuse. If they honestly dislike classical music, they might not be expected to attend, but very few people can truthfully say they do not enjoy a good symphony.
It is true that the University must "fit" into
the schedule of professionals like Robert Shaw, who are on tour, but, for the most part, better nights could be used were they available.
Fine Arts programs have already been reduced in number. Students no longer give full-length music recitals. Although professional artists brought in have been among the finest anywhere, there is a possibility that the total number could be reduced. With the concert course and the chamber music series, the calendar is pretty full even before adding the many faculty recitals and campus ensembles.
One music instructor, Clayton Krehbiel, has offered a good suggestion for lightening the student's load. He recommended limiting all campus recitals to one hour and starting them early, which would enable students to attend without losing their entire evening. This would not include the professional events, which should be scheduled on weekends if at all possible.
The University can either keep its over-loaded calendar with continued poor attendance or seek a lighter calendar with important events scheduled for the end of the week.
It sounds like a good idea. An alternative might be to allow students to leave between numbers if they have studies which beckon.
It is too bad such fine music goes to waste when more people would come if they could.
Jim Powers.
What's Happened To College Amateurism?
The committee of ten college presidents commissioned to study unwholesome conditions in intercollegiate sports has reached for a lion and come out leading a pussy cat. Their mild recommendations are never even going to come close to correcting the very serious evils in college athletics.
These college heads would do away with postseason football bowl games, keep freshmen off varsity teams, regulate athletic scholarships more carefully, outlaw lavish entertainment of high school athletes and require them to keep up with their classes in college and work steadily toward degrees. The American Council on Education will consider adopting these half-way measures of control as a national academic policy.
The fault of these recommendations is that they preserve to a large degree the system of subsidizing from which stems so much that is wrong with college athletics. The investigating college heads would have done much better to urge an entirely different approach along the lines of the sports program that is being carried out so impressively at Washington university in St. Louis.
Distressed by the evils of a system financed by semiprofessionalism and large stadium crowds, that university gave up big-time competition several years ago. Athletic subsidies were abolished. The coaches at Washington don't go in for recruiting at all. They have to manage with whatever sports-minded students turn out for the teams.
But this works out all right since Washington, although a large institution, schedules its games for the most part with small schools that don't pay their players either.
Washington recently completed its football season with a record of five victories and four defeats. However, the coach probably wouldn't worry about holding his job even if his squad had lost every game.
The crowds at Washington's games are seldom much over 6,000 or 7,000 but this doesn't seem to bother the players, the student body or the school administration. We even hear that they're verbally proud of the rare spirit of amateurism that keeps their athletic program free of any possible taint.
This nonprofessional approach has worked extremely well at Washington. It represents the middle course between dropping intercollegiate sports as the University of Chicago has done and the play-for-pay conditions that prevail at so many universities and colleges. It offers one way out of the mess of sports overemphasis now bringing
shame to so many otherwise fine institutions
The American Council on Education will have contributed little to solving the problem if it merely places its approval on the too lenient recommendations of the special committee that has just filed its unimpressive report.
—Kansas City Star.
Short Ones
"Spec" Tater, KU's All-American sports fan, says he is doubtful about giving the North Koreans a truce during the peace talks. After all, look what the Yankees did to the Giants in the World Series after that one day rain-out.
The tension built up on Saturday afternoon while listening to the radio account of the big game is terrific. The game goes into the final minutes with the score tied, the championship at stake, and only 9 minutes and three commercials to go.
A Communist publication in Hungary says that the government is considering setting up a youth movement which would be similar to our Boy Scouts. Presumably the members would be required to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and Soviet.
As we look back at the summer flood we can think of only one guy who respecied any benefit from it. A student from back in New York says that it was the first time he was able to convince his friends back home that Kansas really existed.
The news that science has developed a radar outfit which can be used to pilot boats on the Mississippi may be grand to some folks but it leaves some of us pretty cold. Do you think that a machine could ever have written "Tom Sawyer" or "Huckleberry Finn"?
Our favorite coed, Iva Latepaper, says that she really didn't care too much about missing the Robert Shaw Chorale. She never did go much for western music.
The way some people seem to enjoy getting into trouble makes one think they do it because the excitement keeps their minds off the trouble they already have gotten into.
"I thought it was odd that that deer had a load of wood under his arm," said the hunter as he apologized for shooting a farmer.
"Honestly, Worthal. I don't think I could sit through that 'Marriage & Family' film one more time!"
On the Republican side of the fence the division between the Darby and Landon forces still remains. Although the latter group has come out on the short end following most of the recent elections, it still has a lot of fight left. It is likely that this will cause another stiff primary battle for possession of party leadership.
With primary campaign time in Kansas less than six months away, political talk is beginning to center on factional alignments and possible candidates.
Since neither Senate seat comes up for election in 1952, the only major contest will be for the governorship. Although no one has officially announced his candidacy, there are several names already receiving consideration.
Kansas Politics Shape Up
His political fortunes took a tumble following his loss to Arn in 1950 but since then he has made a comeback with his work on Kansas flood damage. He has been making speeches throughout the state condemning the state legislature for its inaction on flood relief. Many remember the aggressive campaign he made before and hope that armed with better issues, he might be able to make the grade.
The first definite information on these matters will come at the end of January and in February when the annual party celebrations are held. At that time will probably come the first announcements of candidacies and supporters.
If Governor Arn is successful in becoming the Republican nominee for governor, he may find a familiar opponent at election time. Most frequently mentioned person at the present time is the 1950 governorial nominee, Kenneth T. Anderson. He is a former state legislator from Emporia.
There has been a wide range of speculation on other possible candidates with the names of at least a half dozen other prominent GOP leaders being mentioned. As yet, however, none has gone any further than to sound out sentiment.
The most prominent is that of the Republican incumbent, Go Edward F. Arm. He is a former attorney general and state suprem court justice. His administration has received heavy blasts from Democrats but it is generally recognized that he has done a satisfactory job during his first term.
But between now and then its open season for political gue work. —Joe Taylor,
Daily Hansan
Room Student Newspaper of the Adv. Room
KU51 UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS KU 376
Member of the Kansas Press Assn., National Editorial Assn., Inland Daily Press Assn., and the Associated Collegiate Press, Represented by the National Advertising Service, 420 Madison Ave., New York City.
EDITORIAL STAFF
Editor-in-Chief ... Alan Marshall
Editorial Associate ... Anne Snyder
NEWS STAFF
Managing Editor ... Charles Price
Assistant Managing Editors ... Nancy Anderson, Benjamin
Holman, Lee Sheppeard, Ellsworth Zahm
City Editor ... Joe Taylor
Sports Editor ... Charles Burch
Telegraph Editor ... Don Sarten
Society Editor ... Katrina Swartz
News Adviser ... Victor J. Danilov
BUSINESS STAFF
Business Manager ... Bob Sydney
Advertising Manager ... Dorothy Hedrick
Assistant Adv. Manager ... Dick Hale
National Adv. Manager ... Bill Taggart
Circulation Manager ... Elaine Blaylock
Promotion Manager ... Ted Barbera
Business Adviser ... R W Doore