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The Kansan.
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
LAWRENCE, KANSAS, MARCH 24, 1910
VOLUME VI.
SURPRISE TO FRATERNITIES
DO NOT LIKE SOPHOMORE PLEDGING RULE.
Have Been Asked to Pass Rule by April 10, Prohibiting Pledging of. Freshmen.
Chancellor Strong, on Tuesday, sent letters to all thefraternities, asking them to adopt, by April 10, a rule prohibiting the pledging of new members until the sophomore year.
At a meeting of the Pan-Hellenic council, held yesterday afternoon at the Phi Delta Theta house, a committee was appointed to draw up a statement regarding the condition of the fraternities of the University and their attitude toward the adoption of the proposed rule. This action was taken after a long discussion of the probable effects of adopting Chancellor Strong's recommendations.
Chancellor Strong's letter will not come up before the fraternity the officially before next Tuesday night, when meetings will be held following the Easter recess.
From statements that have been made by various fraternity men since Tuesday it is evident that the fraternities do not like the idea of a sophomore pledge requirement.
The main objection which fraternity men have made to the plan lies in the fact that if it is adopted they will be unable to fill their houses next year. There are one or two fraternities in good shape to meet the new requirement, but it is believed that all the others will be more or less embarrassed.
One recommendation that the letter contains will not be complied with. Probably not one or organization will adopt the new rule "without waiting for any other fraternity," as Chancellor Strong urges. Uniform action of all the fraternities will probably be secured through the Pan-Hellenic.
Many fraternity men believe that when the regents are informed of the conditions the fraternities will have to face under the new rule, some less drastic action will be substituted for that outlined in the letter.
The Board of Regents held a conference with a committee of fraternity men last fall and discussed the situation. The agreement reached at that time, the fraternity men say, was that if the scholarship standing of the fraternity men was equal to that of non-fraternity men at the end of the first term, no restrictions would be laid upon the fraternities. The fraternity men also say that the letters received Saturday came as a complete surprise to them. They say that they gathered from what was said at the conference with the Regents last fall that no action would be asked of them for at least a year.
The letter which came as such a disagreeable surprise to the fraternities on Tuesday afternoon's mail was sent to every social
Greek letter organization on the hill. It is as follows;
NUMBER 71
After long consideration on the question of adjustment in our fraternity methods, I believe that all of our fraternities (both for men and women) should pass a rule and strictly abide by its letter and spirit, forbidding the pledging either formally or informally of any person until he shall have been a student in the University for one year with his record for entrance and for the first year entirely clear in scholarship, or of any other person whose scholarship record is not entirely clear as shown by the books of the Registrar. I therefore urge you to take such action, without waiting for any other fraternity, on or before April 10, 1910, and to apprise me immediately when such action is taken. I am advising this on the highest consideration of fraternity welfare and as a believer in the future influence of fraternities on the whole scholarly, moral and social life of our universities, if they shall respond in season to their responsibilities and duties.
FRANK STRONG, Chancellor."
WILL GO TO CHICAGO.
If the present plans of Manager Lansdon are carried out Kansas will be represented in the Western College conference meet to be held in Chicago, June 1.
Five Kansans to Enter the Meet There.
The meet is an annual event in which all the large colleges of the west are represented and is the largest affair of its kind held in the West.
Four of the men who are to make the trip have been chosen. They are Haddock and Roberts, who will run in the dashes, and French and Jim Smith, who will enter the high jump. The fifth man has not yet been named.
This will be the first year that the University has ever been entered in a meet of this size. Last year it was impossible to enter because this meet came on the same day that the Missouri conference meet was scheduled.
"I will send men who have either equaled or broken the Chicago records in the events in which they will participate," said Manager Lansdon this morning," and I believe we will have a good chance to capture some of the honors."
A. L. Rohrer, electrical superin tendent of the General Electrica works at Schenectady, N. Y., addressed the members of the junior and senior electrical engineering classes this morning in Snow hall. Mr. Rohrer is making a tour of western colleges, looking for graduates who are willing to enter the General Electric works in New York.
Spoke to Electricals.
Miss Bertha McMillan of Wamego, visited Thursday and yesterday with Miss Edna Chadwick, student in the School of Fine Arts.
PRACTICE WORK NEXT WEEK
FOOTBALL MEN CALLED FOR TUESDAY.
Spring Practice Will Be Under Supervision of Pleasant and Johnson.
On next Tuesday afternoon the first spring football practice of the season will be held on MeCook field. A call has been issued for all men who have played on either the freshmen or 'Varsity squad and also those who have not yet played at the University to present themselves at that time.
Captain Pleasant and Captain- elect Johnson, who will direct spring football practice.
The work-outs are to be under the supervision of Captain Pleas ant, assisted by Captain-elect
Johnson, and Coaches Kennedy and Mosse will aid in the work to some extent.
"Every man who wants to try for football next fall will be given a thorough work-out," said Captain Pleasant this morning "and if he shows up well will be given another opportunity next fall to make good. The old meet will also have a chance to get in good condition.
"However, the most important part of the practice work this spring will probably be the becoming familiar with the modified style of play. It will be necessary for us to learn a good many things about the modified game, even if there are no radical changes made in the present rules."
"We will study both the modified and Rugby styles," said Captain-elect Johnson today, "and at the same time will get a line on good material for next fall. The game under modified rules is being worked out at Missouri and they believe it is a good thing to study over there."
While Kennedy and Mosse will be unable to take an active part in the workouts next week, both will be on hand at different times during the week and from that time on until spring practice work ends. In that way they will be able to keep in touch with the men and will be asked to offer suggestions for those who are trying out.
Prof. R. R. Price will speak to the students in the Douglas county high school tomorrow.
THE WEATHER.
Fair tonight and Friday; cooler tonight.
TENNIS COURTS FOR GIRLS
Petition Will Be Presented to Authorities.
A petition will be circulated among the women of the University for signatures next week, asking that the University establish a number of tennis courts on the campus for the use of University women. The petition will be submitted to the University authorities as soon as a thorough canvass of the women students has been made.
This was the action decided upon yesterday at the meeting of tennis enthusiasts in the chapel at noon. Miss Nellie Burnham was appointed chairman of the committee which will draw up and circulate the petition.
Another committee with Miss Bessie Rarig as chairman, was appointed to present plans for the organization of a tennis club and to draw up a suitable constitution.
An effort will also be made to find out what other colleges are doing in providing outdoor to secure the tennis court is sucsports for girls. If the movement cessful here it is planned to hold a tournament late in the spring if the courts can be completed in time.
SHIPPING LIQUID AIR.
University the Central Source of Cold Waves.
"The department of chemistry now has the record of furnishing liquid air from coast to coast," said Prof. H. P. Cady this morning. "We have shipped as far east as Pennsylvania and yesterday we sent a consignment of five flasks to Prof. Patty at Albuquerque, N. M." Prof. Patty is a professional lecturer on liquid air, radium, and the wireless telegraph, and his territory includes the Pacific coast. The University has always supplied him on his tours through the northern and central states.
A NEW CURATOR.
Leland Stanford Man to Entomological Museum.
At their meeting last week the Regents appointed F. X. Williams of Leland Stanford University to the position of assistant curator of the entomological museum. He will begin his work at the University about April 1. Mr. Williams is at present an inspector in the office of the state horticultural quarantine officer at San Francisco.
Chancellor Strong will leave tomorrow morning for Chicago, where he will attend the North General Association of secondary schools. Dean Olin Templin and Prof. W.H. Johnson left today to attend the same gathering.
Chancellor to Chicago.
MASS MEETNIG ON WEDNESDAY
PRESIDENT BAUMGARTNER SET DATE TODAY.
The Students Will Gather in Chapel to Express Views on Football Question.
On next Wednesday evening March 30, the students of the University will be given an opportunity to voice their sentiments with regard to the football question. At 7:30 on that evening a mass meeting of the student body in the Chapel has been called by Edward Baumgartner, president of the Student Council. Every student is urged by the Council to attend the meeting and to convey his or her idea of what legislation, if any, should be taken against the great college game as played at this time.
For some time the movement threatening action against the game has been growing in strength and circumstances have begun to indicate that the rules governing the playing of the game may be radically changed or the Rugby style adopted within a short time.
Up until this time the student body of the University had been given no opportunity to voice its sentiments as a whole and in order that it might do so a petition asking the Student Council to call a mass meeting of the students for the consideration of the question was circulated. This petition was presented to the secretary of the governing body last Saturday and considered at the regular meeting Tuesday night. The result was that, by a unanimous vote, the calling of the meeting of students was ordered. This morning President Baumgartner set the time for next Wednesday.
The meeting will be called for students of the University of Kansas and of every one who attends will have an opportunity to say what he thinks about the football situation. After as many who wish to do so have expressed themselves an effort will be made to pass a resolution correctly expressing the sentiment of the student body. This resolution will be formally presented to the Board of Regents by the Student Council.
Quill Club Met.
At the regular Quill program Tuesday afternoon sketches were read by Miss Gertrude Blackmar, Miss Anna McKay, and Henry Draper. The program next week will be numbers relating in some way to Easter.
No Issue Saturday.
There will be no issue of The Kansan Saturday, as a large percent of the student body will leave town during the Easter recess. The next issue of The Kansan will be Tuesday, March 29.
George O. Foster, registrar of the University, went to Topeka this morning on business connected with the new University catalogue.