By Tom Turner
Figures, Figures — Who's Got the Figures?
Figures, figures—who's got the figures?
Who knows how many students took the English Proficiency Examination in March? Who has authority to conceal the number that took the test? The English department doesn't know. The English Proficiency committee doesn't know either.
YESTERDAY, David Dykstra, assistant professor of English and chairman of the proficiency committee said. "We are not releasing the number who have taken the test or the percentages."
But the department and the committee can't decide who the
"We" Prof. Dykstra spoke of represents.
W. P. Albrecht, professor of English and chairman of the English department, said, "... it is not a departmental examination but is given by a committee. It is up to the committee to release results."
TODAY, members of the proficiency committee said that they have not met since the examination was taken and that there is "no committee policy on such matters."
The standard comments among the eight members of the proficiency committee were: "You better talk to Prof. Dykstra — I
know nothing about it," and "Won't give the results?—I wonder whv?"
***
Willard D. Strode, associate professor of architectural engineering and a member of the committee, said:
"THE PURPOSE of our committee is not to decide on the mechanics of the examination but to devise ways to improve it — or eliminate it altogether. The English department is tired of receiving the brunt of all proficiency criticism when the examination is not a requirement for their department."
Millard Steinhardt, associate professor of music history and literature and another member of the committee, added:
"We deal mostly in future administrative problems."
The Proficiency Committee is made up of delegates from the English department, economics department, architecture department, home economics department and the Schools of: Business, Journalism, Education and Fine Arts. All of these departments and schools require the English Proficiency Examination for graduation.
SARA PATTERSON, associate professor of home economics and also a committee member also was hazy about the origin of the decision to secrecy but commented:
"I can't see what all the fuss is about. These totals you speak of
have only been released for the last several years anyhow—before, they were never given out."
Prior to 1957, the results were never requested. The Daily Kansas asked for the percentage figures at that time when it was apparent that a large percentage had failed. This is the first time that a request for the number taking the examination has ever been refused.
In a letter to the Kansan this morning, Prof. Albrecht said he was misquoted in saying "I don't know what the percentage is."
"What I did say," writes Prof. Albrecht, "is that I did not know how many students took the examination."
LAWRENCE, KANSAS
KUOK Broadcasts Summit Talks Today
Tuesday, May 17, 1960
KU radio station KUOK will present two summit conference news analysis programs today at 6:30 and 9:30 p.m.
Khrushchev Boycotts Session Threatens New Berlin Move
The direct commentary from Paris will feature the United Press International overseas staff and is expected to include exclusive interviews with the summit officials.
Bomb Scare At Men's Hall
An unidentified male called the Lawrence Police Department at 12:48 a.m. today saying that a bomb would explode at 1:15 a.m. at J. R. Pearson Hall.
Campus police reported that James Middleton, resident director of JRP, pulled the building fire alarm, clearing out all but a few students from the building Those students refused to leave. They had not been told why they should evacuate the building, a resident said.
Students poured out of the building wearing pajamas, bathrobes and gym trunks. As police searched the first two floors of JRP, students began chanting, "Find that bomb! Find that bomb!" At 1:30 a.m., students were allowed to re-enter the building as no bomb was found.
This is the second bomb scare this week at KU. Yesterday police received an anonymous phone call saying that a bomb was planted in the Delta Gamma sorority house. The caller, a woman, had refused to give her name.
NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV
... could plunge world into gravest crisis since World War II.
PARIS—(UPI)—Premier Nikita Khrushchev boycotted an emergency session of the collapsing summit conference today and Communist sources made it known he is preparing drastic new moves against West Berlin.
The Soviet Union has stated that once its signs a separate peace treaty with East Germany it will consider that the Western communications rights with Berlin have come to an end.
THE EASTERN SOURCES revealed Khrushchev is ready to carry out this week his threat to sign the treaty with East Germany, ending four power rights in the approaches to West Berlin.
Khrushchev told a sidewalk news conference today he would fly to East Berlin tomorrow unless President Eisenhower made a public apology for U-2 spy plane "aggression" against the Soviet Union. Eisenhower refused and Khrushchev prepared an even bigger Berlin crisis even as the summit talks were dying.
President Charles de Gaulle invited the heads of state to the Elysee palace in a desperate effort to save the conference. But Khrushchev, who had been on a picnic, drove instead to the Soviet Embassy and the three Western leaders met with an empty chair facing them.
THE BIG THREE heads of government met for an hour and 55 minutes and their ministers of foreign affairs talked another 20 minutes.
It was announced that Eisenhower would return to the Elsee tonight but there was no explanation.
Communist diplomats leaked word that Khrushchev would fly to East Berlin Tomorrow to sign a separate peace treaty with East Germany — a move that could plunge the world into its
(Continued on page 8)
Higher Education Will Be Issue in Nov. Elections
(Editor's Note: This is the first in a series of three articles covering the opinions of the Kansas Board of Regents, candidates for governor and Chancellor Franklin D. Murphy on higher education, its relationship to state politics and the educational system KU will have in the future.)
By John Peterson
Higher education will be one of the major issues and will play a significant role in the outcome of the state gubernatorial elections in November, contend the Republican gubernatorial candidates, two members of the Board of Regents and Chancellor Franklin D. Murphy.
Four members of the Kansas Board of Regents, however, do not believe that higher education will be a major issue which will have a decisive effect upon the November elections.
The candidates — John Anderson Jr., McDill (Huck) Boyd and William Addington — said in answer to a mailed questionnaire that they believe higher education will be an issue because Gov. George Docking, a Democrat seeking his third successive term, has chosen to make it one.
THE OPINIONS of the Regents, gubernatorial candidates and Chancellor Murphy were sought in a questionnaire asking about higher education and the state institutions
Whatever the future holds, the past is clear. For several years there has been considerable friction between Gov. Docking and some of the state institutions over the needs of higher education.
Occasionally, the strained relationship breaks into the headlines.
Gov. Docking recently canceled a number of speaking engagements at Kansas State University after a mock political gathering there had blamed him directly for the resignation of Chancellor Franklin D. Murphy.
EARLIER THIS YEAR. Gov. Docking attacked the competency of Dr. Murphy. The governor also disagrees with the chancellor and the Board of Regents on what the needs of state institutions are in the way of buildings, faculty salaries and benefits. He cut a faculty salary increase by 4 per cent and cut out an emergency building program altogether in setting this year's state budget.
Chancellor Murphy, who leaves June 30, to become the chancellor of UCLA, agrees with the Republican candidates that it "is tragic that higher education must be mentioned in the political campaigns, but that it is inevitable."
GOV. DOCKING refused to answer the questionnaire. There were dissenting opinions on the nine-member Board of Regents. Harry Valentine, Clay Center Republican newspaper publisher and one of the two Regents who felt higher education would be a political issue, said:
"I look for it to be a big political issue next November because Docking has made it such. I think it unfortunate that it should be so because state schools should not be in politics. The schools are a government problem — not a political problem.
"It is my hope that the people of Kansas will remove the schools from the political issue next November and that they would remain in that situation in the future. However, the future will depend upon the November election. If the schools do remain in politics, then I expect the future to hold very major problems for them."
CLEMENT HALL. Coffeyville Democrat sided with the majority of the Regents in saying higher education would not be an issue. Two Regents did not or declined to comment on the subject. Mr. Hall said:
"I suspect the fortunes of candidates will be affected very little by
what an individual candidate believes the purpose or objective of higher education to be. I say that because I think that has been the experience of the past.
"It has been my experience on the Board of Regents that by and large, individual members vote on policy questions on the basis of merit."
The needs of higher education in state institutions are determined annually by the Regents. Each member is appointed at staggered four-year intervals with no political party allowed more than five members. It is designed to be non-political.
Rep. Addington said that it is the attitude Gov. Docking has taken
THE REGENTS report their recommendations to the governor's budget committee which revises the proposals to fit the budget the governor presents to the legislature. The legislature then passes what it feels is needed legislation based upon the recommendations of the governor's committee and the Regents. The governor's signature is the last official step unless the bill is vetoed; then a two-thirds majority of the legislature is needed to overcome the governor's veto.
which makes the question so important.
"Higher education will be a political issue in Kansas next November and also in the future. Gov. Docking does not believe that the college professors in Kansas deserve any decent increase in salaries, even though inflation goes on and on. I feel that, unless we pay our professors salaries comparable to salaries in other schools, they will leave Kansas for other states."
ATTY. GEN. ANDERSON, another GOP candidate for governor, said that higher education may be an issue in the campaign, but that "it will be a part of the general issue with respect to education as a whole rather than a single or outstanding issue."
Tomorrow's article in the series of three will deal with the opinions of the members of the Regents, candidates for governor and Dr. Murphy on the present status of the University in regard to faculty salaries and retirement benefits and the building program.
(For a detailed story on Gov Docking's "no comment" page, see page 8.)