THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
Homecoming
KANSAN
Vol.87 No.39
The University of Kansas—Lawrence, Kansas
Homecoming 1976
Friday, October 15, 1976
Greek actions spur lively homecomings
"The enthusiasm with which Hill organizations have now gotten behind the project assures its success. There never was any doubt in my mind but that the Greek letter houses would come through in time. They are when properly acquainted with the plan."
James R. Patterson, Nov. 11, 1933
Patterson, then a University of Kansas student, was talking about a halftime parade he was organizing for the homecoming football game with Missouri. He could just as easily have been taking part in the celebration of KU's 60 homecoming celebrations.
Since a journalism professor named Leon Flint struck upon the idea, homecoming has had a distinctive Greek flavor at KU.
They have dominated the oldest non- homeowners homecoming activity, house opening.
Sororities played a leading role in homecoming queen elections before the queen concept sputtered and finally died in 1970.
And Greeks have regularly filled their houses with alumni on Homecoming Day.
It was a handful of fraternity brothers, with the help of seven Greek houses, who engineered what is perhaps the University's own homecoming stunt—an airborne panty raid.
IT WAS 1971, and the KU homecoming team was arch rival Kansas State
University. On the Thursday before the game, three crew members and a Kansan photographer boarded a plane in Topeka on Saturday to Manhattan, home of the Wildcats.
The plane left Topeka at 12:45 p.m. after reaching Manhattan, it circled the city once, then zeroed on the campus. The raid began.
From inside the plane came assorted "femine articles" and athletic supporters—all dyeed either crimson or blue. The crew tossed out 150 undergarments; the donations of four sorority and three fraternity houses. Except for a case of airsickness that struck one of the bombardiers, the mission went off without a snar.
Staff Writer
By Jerry Seib
Staff photo by DAVE REGIEI
★ ★ ★
The bombing was merely a one-of-a-kind stunt. If any single tradition has characterized homecoming at KU, it has been the way the buildings, and Greeks have led the way.
The first homecoming at KU was in 1912. It was the brainchild of Flint, who reported, "Several organizations have announced that they will be here to entertain and entertain and sororities and sororites are expecting a large representation from their alumni membership."
Twisted leap
Tom Laney, Topeka junior, performs high above the field in front of a home football crowd. The yell leaders have been doing more challenging gymnastic-style leaps this year from a miniature trampoline, they say, to earn respect from fans and to fill gaps between game action.
The representation was large enough that Greeks were so busy filling their houses with alumni that they couldn't worry about decorations. The large turnout warranted continuation of homecoming, and, except for a four-year period surrounding World War I, the event has been an annual affair since.
IT WASN'T LONG until house decorations became an annual part of homecoming. And almost from the start, decorating living quarters became competitive.
At first, houses competed for one of four cups donated by downtown merchants.
THE WINNING houses in the 1920s had
the same number of rooms as the times.
The Kansen described them.
"The decoration of Sigma Phi Epison house, at 1252 Oread, which was awarded first place among fraternities, skillfully combined the homecoming idea with that of a fraternity of Cornwallers. Other fraternites given honorable mention were Acacia and Delta Chi.
"Sunflowers, with luminous brown centers, were the novel decoration displayed all around the porch of the Alpha Daughters. The sorcerer who won first place among the sorcerors."
There have been two attempts to do away with house decorations since those days. They are not as well known as the others.
The Men's House Presidents' Council thought the money used for decorations could be saved and put to better use. Its goal is to abolish decorations wasn't popular.
IT WAS SOON decided to let houses decorate as they saw fit.
The second attempt to ban house decorations, in 1970, was successful for one year. The reasons behind the move then, however, were social rather than economic. That year's homecoming committee recommended that "increased emphasis on community service projects" replace decorations.
The next year, however, the Inter-
national monumental in reinstating house decorations.
Don Alderson, then dean of men, says the move to stop decorations was typical of the period because it was "just an era where everything was being questioned."
Alderson has seen homecomings at KU both as a student and as an administrator. While serving as dean of men, he was often a judge in the decorations contest.
"YOU WEER SUPPOSED to be a secret body," he said. "But those groups could smell you out a block away. There weren't people walking around with clipboards."
"House decorations always remind me of pledges. Pledges have always put in great chunks of time putting paper into chicken wire."
★★★
A theme is designed to coordinate decorations, but it can also cause
In 1966, the first homecoming theme, "Songs for Victory," was selected, and every year since, there has been a theme adhered to in house decorations.
See GREEKS page four
Benefit frolic
Falling rain and puddles didn't dampen the spirit of Derby Day activities recently in Centennial Park. Martha Bizal, Prairie Village sophomore, participates in an event called the "clean
Staff photo by DAVE REGIER
sweep," pushing a softball across the width of two tennis courts with a broom held behind her back. Derby Day was part of a week of activities run by the Sigma Chi fraternity to help raise money for its nationally supported charity.
Variety spices fitness offerings
Exercise keeps the body, supports the spirit and keeps the mind in vigor Or so he says.
If your body, spirit or mind are in need of such renewal, support or invigoration, the recreational facilities at the University of Kansas can probably serve you well.
KU's recreational facilities offer a variety of choices for the student or faculty member who wants to play on or root for a team, as well as the person who prefers to
By Courtney Thompson
pursue the quest of physical fitness alone.
pursue the quest of physical fitness alone.
THE RECREATION program at KU is a new one which is, in the words of one student intramural participant, "getting better."
Then explain KU's lackluster showing in comparison with other regional universities.
ruchard Marcs, director of intramurals, said KU's recreation facilities and programs aren't as good as those of several other Big Eight schools. He said he thought Kansas State University, Oklahoma State University and the University of Colorado all had an edge on KU in facilities available for university recreation.
"The best programs are found at
specific programs. Our
amounts to the recreation program's
their student fee structure," Marcks said.
"Some universities get up to $4 to $5 per student per year, whereas KU gets $1.05 per student per year—that becomes self-supporting."
MARCKS said the intramurals program received additional funding last year from sources "hard to put your finger on and difficult to enumerate."
"I can't tell you exactly where the "institution found" this extra money but I know when we were hurtling last spring they discovered about $2,000 extra from somewhere and gave it to the recreation program."
Marcks said the need for additional facilities also affected KU's recreational programs. An addition to Robinson Gymnasm, designed to double the size of the building, is being planned, but this increased space won the only for recreational
THE STATE WON'T pay for a facility designed specifically for recreation because recreational programs aren't academically oriented, he said.
"The only way we'd get the money for such a building would be through a student referendum or through the generosity of a sports-oriented alum or benefactor who wants his name on a gymnasium," Marcks said.
University buildings aren't as accessible to students for recreational activities as they are in larger campus buildings.
The only reason Allen Field House is so
open to the University in general is that the new floor was paid for by student fees $^a$ he
PARTICIPATION AMONG KU students in organized intramural activities is an unimpressive 35 per cent, according to a survey done last year, Marcks said.
Recreational facilities at KU are admitted not equal to those at Colorado, but with 14 intramural teams, 12 tennis courts, facilities at Robinson Gym and Allen Field House, playing fields (about 15) east of Robinson, south of KU, and west of (Shenk complex), the possibilities for ample recreation activities are obvious.
Intramurals
SEVERAL PERSONS now involved in the intramural program agreed that they will be
And judging from the cheering, jeering and overall tenor of the participants and spectators gathered last week to engage in football contests on the fields south of Watkins Hospital, support of the program is genuine.
Those who participate in the intramural program, albeit a small percentage by comparison with other schools, apparently are enthusiastic about the program.
"It's a good chance to get together with a
Sam Carroll, Lawrence sophomore, said he participated in intramurals because he liked competition and the competitive spirit.
bunch of guys and find how well you can work together—that's a challenge," he said.
Students also said they participated in organized team sports for physical fitness, fun, as a break from studying and using constructive to do with friends."
THE GENERAL opinion among those questioned was that more experienced referees were needed to officiate at the football games. Participants said they thought most student officials were unsure of the rules and needed additional training.
Terry Hartwick, Whitewater, Kan., senior, said he thought a major improvement in the programs would be closer attention to the care and watering of the playing fields to reduce the number of strained ankles and twisted knees.
The liberated, sports-minded, weight-conscious or otherwise athletic inclined woman no longer will hear coining oathing hilariously when she participates in intramurals.
Fling football is the major women's intramural activity in the fall.
MERKEY LAMBERZ, Pitsford, N.Y.
junior, said she joined a team for the fun of
it and found play to be a "little brutal at
times."
"We had the idea intramurals would strength Panhellenic relationships, but now I'm not sure," she said. I don't think it will be to as much fun as we'd
See RECREATIONAL page four