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University Daily Kansan Wednesday, May 4. 1960
The Resolution
Midwestern conservatism in thought, or else simple shallowness in reasoning, reached a new peak last weekend when the Big Eight Student Body Presidents met on the KU campus.
They passed a resolution disapproving of the "sit-in," demonstrations which protest Negro segregation in the South.
As far as we can interpret from the poorly-worded resolution, the Big Eight student body presidents are not opposed to civil rights, but just the method of protest — in this case the "sit-ins."
FIRST, WE WANT to point out this resolution is not the stand of the KU students or the University. It is rather the personal opinion of one student: Ron Dalby, KU's student body president: We do not challenge his right to make the statement and use a title he acquired less than two weeks ago. But all criticism should be directed toward Dalby and his office, not at the All Student Council, the University or the 8,500 students on campus.
Unfortunately, some individuals off the campus might not realize Dalby wasn't speaking for
the students. So we can only hope the name of the University is not linked with this opinion.
SECONDLY, we think the resolution is absurd.
The sit-ins are the first effective means the Negroes have found to protest their segregation. An economic boycott, such as was used by Montgomery Ala., Negroes to obtain the right to ride city buses, is effective only to a limited extent. Negroes lack the buying power to wage a successful economic revolt throughout the South.
The "sit-ins" are not merely a move to give the Negroes the right to eat at a lunch counter. The goal is to obtain equality, their rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and the basic human dignity any person should be entitled to in a nation which professes to have Christian ideals.
THE PROTESTS of the Negroes have been peaceful. Any violence occurring during the demonstrations has generally come from white segregationists.
- Doug Yocom
Tired of Waiting
We, the undersigned, while acknowledging Mr. Ronald Dalby's right to freedom of opinions, feel that his views toward the present sit-down strikes be conducted in the South do not necessarily represent the views of the majority.
If it is the protound opinion of the Big Eight Student Body Presidents' Conference that these sit-down strikes violate the true principle of civil rights, then just what is the meaning of civil rights, as defined by this conference?
AND JUST HOW do Mr. Dalby and the Big Eight Student Body Conference propose attainment of these rights?
Do they propose introducing bills in Congress, where they can be filibustered into oblivion by congressmen who seem to have no regard for taxpayers' dollars, or do they propose the traditional wait-and-pray course followed?
IF YOU CAN suggest a formula by which the goals of the Negro can be attained in the very near future by methods other than those presently followed, Mr. Dalby, then we shall be glad to follow it. But for right now, "We are tired of waiting!"
These things, we feel were not considered by the conference or Mr. Dalby, or surely they would not have committed themselves, being men of supposedly high intelligence and better reasoning capacity, to ever sign such a resolution as this, which borders on the brink of asininity.
George G. Buford
George G. Buford
Kansas City, Kan., sophomore
Elmer C. Jackson III
Kansas City, Kan., sophomore
Bill Wedgeworth
Dallas, Texas, senior
A. W. Smalley
Shreveport La., graduate student
Ivory Nelson
Shreveport La., graduate student
Fred Jones
Eutaw, Ala., graduate student
Eutaw, Ala., graduate student
Dailu Hansan UNIVERSITY
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... Letters ...
Strikes Supported
As a Negro student enrolled at the University of Kansas, which is a member of the Big Eight, I must take issue with the article, "Students Rap Sit-down strikes," which appeared in the May 2 Daily Kansan.
If it is true, as it is on most campuses, that a student body president represents the students. (I do believe Mr. Dalby was supposedly representing the KU student body at the recent Big Eight Student Body Presidents' Conference, which audaciously resolved that it". . . recognizes the value of civil rights and equal opportunity, however does not condone the present sit-down strikes used to attain this goal, etc.) — then I should like to know whether Mr. Dalby and his colleagues conducted a poll among the students of their respective Universities before this meeting was held.
IF SO, WHEN was this poll conducted, and by whom? I tend to feel that if such has been done, I have been slighted, because no one asked me to express my views. Or was the resolution agreed upon the conclusions of the Presidents only?
Nevertheless, I should like to put it on record that I, as a student, do not "rap" the present sit-down strikes; that I as a former serviceman, who was met with and was accorded human dignity and equal rights (in practice and not just in theory) in restaurants and public places in France and Germany, but who suffered indignities at bus depots and public eating places while stationed in the South, am emphatically in agreement with both the strikes and the movement as a whale which has inspired them.
Even while I am writing this letter, Negro students with whom I formerly attended school in Nashville, Tenn., are behind bars because they intelligently chose to protest against indignities and second-class citizenry.
THEY HAVE NOT preached hate, they have not lynched anyone, they have not and do not wear ducktail haircuts or flaunt clubs. Their motto is "Recognize us as human beings!"
Therefore Mr. Dalby, who is violating the "true principle of civil rights"? Do you and the other Presidents of the Big Eight Presidents' Conference know what the true principle of civil rights really is?
Moses Gunn,
St. Louis, Mo.
graduate student
Conference Condemned
In the May 2 edition of the UDK an article appeared concerning a meeting of the Big Eight Student Body President's Conference. More specifically, the article concerned a resolution adopted by this organization "disapproving of the present Negro sit-down strikes in the South."
The resolution read, in part: "it is our feeling that these sit-down strikes violate the true principle of civil rights." As the Big Eight Student Body President's Conference has not defined the "true principle of civil rights" as they regard it, it must be assumed that the following is true:
THE PRESENT passive resistance movement by Negro students in the South for civil rights and equal opportunities (the value of which the Conference has so graciously seen fit to recognize) is considered by the Conference as over-extension of an American's right to non-violent protest.
This does not strike me as a "true principle" of civil rights. In fact, it sounds very little like the true spirit of civil rights which was written some ninety-two years ago thus:
"NO STATE shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
Ronald Dalby, KU student body president, stated in the interview which apparently produced the article, that the Conference "felt that integration was not a predominate factor on our campus." At this point one of two assumptions must be made. Either Mr. Dalby is blissfully ignorant of important campus problems involving racial discrimination which exist on this campus — as well as the campuses of other Big Eight schools, or in an effort to assert its authority the Conference has taken a stand diametrically opposed to that of the National Student Assm. concerning the sit-down strike issue.
IN THE former case I would be seriously concerned that a man of such gross naivete is the elected representative of nine thousand college students.
In the latter case I would condemn the Big Fight Student Body Presidents' Conference for adopting such a narrow-minded resolution. In either case, be it known that the Negro students of the University of Kansas are not in support of the Conference or of our own student body president
Kansas City, Mo., junior and president, Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity
Kenton Keith
Editor:
Death Penalty?
... Letters ...
Our Best Service
I gather, from reading Mr. Woodruff's statements on campus discipline and capital punishment, in Friday's Kansan, that University authorities will eschew the death penalty in future cases. That's a relief.
May I take advantage of the excellent rules of your column to let off steam about the disgusting reporting of one of the most magnificent brief sketches on International Affairs that we have been privileged to hear. It was at the Faculty Forum club last Thursday. Dr. Patch speaking on Bolivia & Peru is alleged to have said "... The situation was summed up all too well in a well-known magazine which said, 'The best solution for Bolivia and its problems is to divide it and its problems up among its neighbors.'"
What a heartless travesty of what he did say! What an inconspherible reversal of his whole meaning! What insensitive ignorance of the emotion charging his voice as he denounced with all the power of his marshaled logic the self-same passage of the magazine, bitterly wishing the reporter of it could have been translated into his own shoes at the moment the unfeeling paragraph burst upon those most concerned with the question in South America!
Alan Jones Emporia (Journalism '59)
Dr. Patch's sketch had clearly shown the economic troubles to be largely the immediate and expected result of more even distribution of land and national income together with expenditure on long-range development projects for the benefit of the country as a whole.
The criticism of the moneylenders was that these projects could not be immediately economically productive. In whose supposed interests, then, was the reporter's facetious suggestion of dividing up Bolivia between her neighbor being made? The neighbors, whose hands are already full with similar problems?
Or was it rather the thoughtless and asinine comment springing from inability to grasp what is really going on in S.A. due to shoddy reporting of S.A. by N.A. through "Stringers," and a neglect of serious attention amounting almost to disdain?
Has it never occurred to "A.B.C." that this sort of ignorant and unsympathetic comment by the strong against the financially weak is the very recipe for the "hate" he deplores? He lets himself down too lightly when he brushes it off as mere envy. He should examine the real causes!
Nothing Uncle Sam has done in International Relations is finer than what is being done in the U.S.F.S. There may be two views about the billions handed out by the State Department. Charity deadens initiative and corrups. It is by their own efforts that people can best throw off their semi-feudal poverty. The sustained work of these brilliant scholars living and working among the underprivileged people they come to
have such an affection for, supplies us and our allies with the means to debunk the propaganda and know what these people are really trying to do. It is ironic that our best service should be so flagrantly misreported on the campus of its origin.
"Fair Go"
Those Goofballs
Editor:
Stand up and be heard—tell me, and thousands more who truly care, that the opinions expressed by the learned Presidents of the Big Eight Schools do not reflect your own!
I am referring to yesterday's report, by the Pig Eight Presidents, that they disapproved of the present sit-down strikes in the South
The main point is that they have the impression of representing our Universities without asking us God bless our University next year with one of these boobs running our student body.
AT THE very same moment that they were discussing their disapproval of the strikes, students from 50 colleges and secondary schools from 9 states were out picketing for what they believed in. And while these goofballs were saying, "Don't fight," the National Student Assn, was giving financial aid to the strikers and I have a hell of a lot more faith in the N.S.A. than I do a handful of brainwashed presidents.
The article went on to say that pressure groups had forced them to take this stand-What bunk! Where are these imaginary pressure groups?
They also had the nerve to say that they "recognize the value of civil rights but cannot condone the strikes." Well RAH, DA, DA! How complacent can they get?
I cannot believe that the majority of our students go along with Mr. Dalby and his friends and I suggest that we start proving it by "cleaning house" right here on our own campus.
FIRST we must do away with the "Anti-Certain People" clauses in our fraternity and sorority charters!! If enough people could convince Chancellor Murphy and the University to rule these clauses out we would be striking a blow against such ignorance.
Let's face it, the national chapters want to protect their poor outcrops from being led astray. They are afraid that if the clauses were dropped, the house might make some mistake and let in a Negro, Jew or some other such odd species.
Take the clauses out and you can honestly choose for yourselves without being dictated to!
O. K. KU-let's see what we can do!
Jim McMullan Long Beach, N.Y. Senior
LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS By Dick Biblei