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False Alarm Fire Points To Problems
Tuesday, May 6, 1958
A false alarm fire, which brought fire trucks, police cars and a crowd of some 200 to 250 persons to Watson Library at 8:50 p.m. Monday has library officials and campus police wondering what would happen if the next alarm really meant fire.
Lawrence Fire Chief John Miller said the call came from persons on the third floor of the library who noticed a fluorescent light flickering and thought something was wrong with the electrical system.
The People Count
Fire trucks and police cars stood by with red lights flashing while the building was checked. There was no sign of a fire or any electrical failure.
"Of course I thought of the books, but it's the people you worry about." Robert Vosper, library director, said today.
Mr. Vosper had just entered the library when the alarm was given.
But officials say they're breathing easier because there was no fire. There isn't a fire alarm in the library and reading rooms in the library were crowded with students Tuesday night.
"The closing bell could be sounded in such an emergency," he said, "but students don't pay much attention to it. With so many different rooms, how could we make sure that everyone was out?"
Campus police were hindered in their efforts to give firemen "elbow room" to work while searching for the fire. The crowd pressed close around the fire engines almost as soon as the five trucks arrived.
Two campus policemen were cruising the campus, but were on another call when the fire alarm
came in. When they arrived at the library a few minutes after the fire engines, the crowd had already gathered.
The campus police radio operator who normally takes campus fire alarms was excused from duty Monday night because of sickness.
A spokesman for the Lawrence fire department said there is no law which specifies the distance onlookers must stay from a fire scene.
"However, it would be against the law for crowds to damage state property or to prevent firemen from saving it," the spokesman said.
Mr. Vosper said there was a similar fire "scare" at the library two or three years ago, when a few leaves caught fire behind the building.
"The same thing happened then," he said. "People were coming and going—everywhere."
The State of Kansas does not carry fire insurance on its buildings. Mr. Vosper said books don't burn easily, but water damage could b2 serious.
Daily hansan
Insurance Would Not Help
Insurance Would Not Help "Insurance wouldn't be any help in replacing books," he said. "The rare ones are irreplaceable."
Stack areas in the library are made of a fire-resistant material and the building is made of concrete and steel, but is "no more fire-resistant than any other campus building." Mr. Vosper said.
The ceiling is made of timber beams which could burn easily.
LAWRENCE, KANSAS
55th Year, No.140
Out Of High School-
One In Four Can't Meet KU's English Requirements
(Editor's note: This is the second in a series of three stories on high school preparation for college in the sciences, foreign languages and English.) Bv JIM CARLE
(Of The Daily Kansan Staff)
Some of the best acting in collegiate theatre circles was demonstrated when George B. Shaw's "Don Juan in Hell" opened its run in the Experimental Theatre Monday night. One of the outstanding shows of the season, "Don Juan" is highly recommended.
"By overwork I mean that they are supervising too many extracurricular activities such as clubs, yearbooks, and dramatic productions in addition to having a heavy schedule of teaching 150 to 175 students each day.
The play did have its slow moments. Area
Twenty-five per cent of the new students taking the KU placement examinations are so deficient in English that they must receive extra instruction here.
This means that the University must go to extra trouble and expense to develop these students to a point of proficiency that will allow them to compete with their classmates.
With three ghosts and the Devil sitting around Hell philosophizing, the play nearly jumped into the realm of fantasy. However, shrewd use of gestures, enunciation, and knowledge of character by the four main actors held the performance onto a plane of earthy realism.
"We work with teachers of English to show them where training meth-
Four people moved about the stage arguing over the best possible state of mind in which to be, philosophic contemplation or frivolity.
The teachers are overworked and underpaid.
Dr. Albert R. Kitzhaber, director of freshman-sophomore English instruction, said in a Daily Kansan interview Monday that the high school English teachers have two valid reasons for not being able to improve the quality of instruction.
Both philosophic and comical, "Don Juan in Hell" is the third act of Shaw's "Man and Superman," presented last week in the University Theatre. It is a controversy between the evils of virtue and the virtues of evil.
'One Of Outstanding Shows Of Season,' Critic Says
lighting confined the actors to small portion of the stage. This kept the actors fairly stationary, making the audience uncomfortable during some of the longer and more wordy speeches.
Steve Callahan (Don Juan) came through with flying colors in his largest KU role. In the play's most difficult part, Callahan displayed excellent taste in delivering speeches which could have been boring if not done properly.
John Branigan (Lucifer) gave the show's most colorful portrayal. His rendition of the Devil was that of a sophisticated, yet kind old partyboy. The show's speed and attraction nearly doubled every time he orally took part in the action.
canopy will be completed. When finished, the canopy should keep you dry while walking from the entrance to a bus or taxi.
Glenn Pierce (The Commander) was the most realistic. As a man tired of Heaven, he made his complex character seem light, airy and refreshing, meanwhile keeping within the physical bounds of advanced age. —John Husar
ROOF OVER OUR HEADS—Just a few more sheets of translucent plastic roofing material need to be applied before the Union's entrance
ods can be improved. We hold conferences with them regularly. We also send a booklet of instructions to them and their students explaining what quality of work will be expected at KU."
The fact that only 25 per cent of the new college students take extra background work does not mean that the remaining 75 per cent are fully developed, he said.
"The art of writing English has no top limit. The question is not how well they can write now, but how much better can we teach them to write and think. Writing and thinking are inseparable."
"In regular freshman English there is not enough challenge for the really bright student. The purpose of the honors section at the University is to push the bright student to the limit of his ability, just as the average student is pushed in the regular sections."
There are three main things, in Prof. Kitzhaber's opinion, which need to be done to improve English training in high schools.
"This writing means themes. It does not mean workbook exercises and sentence diagrams as substitutes for themes.
"First, students should have a lot of practice in writing. They should write as many papers as the teacher has time to assign and correct carefully.
"Second, class size should be reduced. Many teachers meet 150 to
DR. ALBERT R. KITZHABER
175 students each day. When a theme is assigned, it comes back to the teacher multiplied by 175. This means the papers can't get enough attention.
"Third, high school teachers need much higher salaries, together with the social prestige that usually accompanies higher salaries."
A first step toward improving high school instruction would be to consolidate the smaller school districts, he explained.
"The average high school size in Kansas is something less than 70 pupils. This means that one teacher must teach a variety of subjects. Such unlikely combinations as football and English may be taught by the same teacher."
ASC Extends Deadline For Committee Jobs
The deadline for petitions for student committee positions has been extended to Wednesday at 5 p.m. Monday was the original deadline
Carol Plumb, Overland Park junior and student body vicepresident-elect, said Monday that applications were lagging for certain committees, and the extra time was to allow other interested students to apply.
Miss Plumb said there are still vacancies on four of the chancellor's committees, which are joint student-faculty committees whose student membership is filled by petition. The committees are for Orientation Week, Commencement, convocations and lectures, and the KU Film Series.
Miss Plumb emphasized that applications were still being taken for all committees, and said there was a particular need for applications by independent students for the Labor Committee and Housing Committee.
Finals of the Speech I informative speaking contest will begin at 7:30 tonight in Strong Auditorium. Eight beginning speech students will participate.
Other committees to be filled are Traffic and Parking, Student Health, Publications, Social, Traditions, Statewide Activities, and Public Relations.
Students petitions should be submitted to the All Student Council office in the Kansas Union or to the dean of students office, 228 Strong.
Speech I Finals Tonight In Strong
The petitions should be in letter form and must include the student's name, living group, previous experience and activities, grade average, summer home address, and the student's reasons for wanting the job.
Miss Plumb said committee appointments would be announced Thursday.
The three top speakers will be awarded speech records. The purpose of the contest is to give Speech I experience before large audiences.
Staff Applications For Jayhawker Open
Applications are now being received for staff positions on the 58-59 Jayhawker staff. All students interested should notify Bill Harper, Topeka sonhomore and new Jayhawker editor.
There will be a meeting Friday at 5 p.m. in the Jayhawker office for all those interested in working on the book.
Weather
Partly cloudy tonight. Widely scattered thundershowers spreading across west half of state tonight. Wednesday partly cloudy to cloudy with scattered showers and thunderstorms west half occurring mostly late afternoon or evening. Warmer Wednesday and in northwest tonight. Low tonight 45 to 55. High Wednesday 75 to 85.