THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7,2004
HOMECOMING
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
7A
Alumni who teach provide insight
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Chris Miller/KANSAN
Chuck Marsh, class of 1973, teaches journalism. Marsh said that students are still much the same as they were when he attended classes.
--student boy saying 'far out' to me in class like I can relate to it," Wedge said.
BY JAMES FOLEY
Cindy Yeo/KANSAN
Phil Wedge was in the class of 1978, at the "end of the hippie, disco era," He now teaches English. He decided to stay because he loves the familiar atmosphere of Lawrence.
BY JAMES FOLEY
correspondent@kansan.com
KANSAN CORRESPONDENT
A current student's view of the school may be totally different than the view of alumni of years past. To analyze the University of Kansas' evolution over the years, professors who studied at the University talked about their experience as students, way back when.
Phil Wedge was in the class of 1978. Wedge is a Lawrence native and now an English professor. His father taught English at the University as well. Wedge decided to teach because he loves Lawrence and the familiar atmosphere that encompasses it.
He was an undergrad at the "end of the hippie/disco era," and looking back, said that the student body goes in cycles.
wedge said.
The student body has grown significantly over the years. Wedge said that he remembered going to Allen Fieldhouse and walking table to table with a punch card to enroll in classes
"The school is drawing from a more diverse population. This makes a more culturally-diverse student body," Basow said.
"The population has doubled", Professor Bob Basow, class of 1967, said.
Back then, it was primarily white male, he said. Now, there is more diversity and integration.
Peter Ukpokodu, who got his Ph.D. from the University in 1985, agreed that the student body was diverse.
body was poked out. Ukpokodu said he liked the inclusion of international students in school politics. He remembered a protest of the stage production "Hair" because the lead role wouldn't be given to a black woman.
"There has been much change." Ukpokodu said. Now black students play roles other than Othello.
Though it has grown and diversified, some aspects of the student body have stayed the same.
Chuck Marsh, class of 1973, said that the students are still much the same. The student's work ethic was and is very strong, he says. "KU is a great university because of that. I hope it never leaves," Marsh said.
Professor John Tibbetts, class of 1969, thought that the students were more conservative now. He said that the campus was more anti-war and more activist back then.
same. The environment of the campus has also gone through many adaptations, both socially and politically.
activist back them "There has been complacency in the years past", Tibbetts said. He remembered seeing the student union get burned, and that the Chancellor called for a convocation, asking the students to calm down.
Tibbetts also remembered the Kansas Union as more of a hangout than it is now.
"You used to be able to buy beer and smoke there," he said. "Now it's more sterile."
Opinion of the campus's socio-political awareness will differ, though, depending on where you are from and when you were a student here.
Distinguished Professor Donald Worster, class of 1963, came to the University from a small town in western Kansas. He said people made comments about him coming to "Red Hill," insinuating that the campus supported communism.
ported communities. There has been architectural change, too. Some buildings like Hoch auditoria and the old Fraser hall are no more.
Other additions, such as west campus, reflect how the school has grown as an institution.
has grown as it does. Worster said that he was glad that the design of the campus' newer building remained aware of the campus's architecture. Except for Wescoe Hall, "Everybody hates Wescoe", Worster said, it was a severe blow to the architectural beauty of the campus.
One tradition that has not changed is homecoming. It has been around for decades, and now, just as then, students can be as little or as greatly involved in it as they want to.
in it as they waited. Marsh would never miss a football or basketball game. He said he "wouldn't be able to talk on Monday because he had screamed so much". Worster, on the other hand, said that he went to couple of games, but "sports played no significant role in my college experience."
experience. "Homecoming was a bigger deal back then", said Marsh. "There were more floats and parades."
Homecoming may have been a bigger deal in the past, but it still serves a purpose. Basow said that homecoming acts as a rite of passage. He said it exists because it was a good way for alumni to come back and show their family where they went to school.
Janet Merrick was crowned the University of Kansas' last Homecoming queen on Nov.7,1969.The tradition was dethroned the following fall because, according to the University, selecting a single woman to represent all others was "inappropriate in a multicultural environment." (KUhistory.com)
Political unrest "kills" queen competition makes nationwide news
On Nov. 7,1969, three senior women stood at the 50-yard-line of Memorial Stadium awaiting the climax of their two whirlwind weeks as Homecoming queen finalists.
queen mints.
But strife clouded the pageantry. Anti-war demonstrations and stormy race relations were beginning to tear apart the Lawrence campus. The Black Student Union, dissatisfied with the University's selection process, elected its own royalty, Lorene Brown, Value, Miss., freshman.
"The political climate on campus was very hot and it weighed heavily on me," recalled one of the queen candidates, Candice Heavin Benn, 1970 graduate.
Heavin Bem, 1970 graduated "Something like the Homecoming queen contest paled in importance to the Vietnam War, but it was a bright spot for me. We were treated royally. We traveled around the state and gave interviews on radio and television shows. It was good outreach for the University," she said.
Nevertheless, Kansas crowned its final Homecoming queen that day when the tiara went to Janet Merrick, Shawnee Mission senior.
The tradition was halted the following fall. "It seems inappropriate in a multicultural environment such as a university," the committee's statement read, "to select one or a group of young women to represent that community. The 1970 Homecoming committee deems it more appropriate to recognize those who embody the academic spirit for which this community was established."
A Chicago Sun-Times editorial expressed support: "Kansas is less corny," the story declared. "The campus queen contests are
as far from the purpose of a university as air conditioning is from the worries of the city fathers of Reykjavik, Iceland." The Topeka Capital-journal put it most succinctly: "The Queen," it proclaimed, "is dead."
The University continued to crown academic royalty during Homecoming, applauding the winner of the Honor for an Outstanding Progressive Educator (HOPE) Award, the only teaching award bestowed exclusively by students.
"Something like the Homecoming
But the old contest was not forgotten: When James Koevenig, an associate professor of biology and botany, won the HOPE that fall, the students joked that he was the ugliest Homecoming queen ever.
Candice Heavin Benn Former University of Kansas homecoming queen candidate
queen contest paled in importance to the Vietnam War, but it was a bright spot for me. We were treated royally. We traveled around the state and gave interviews on radio and television shows. It was good outreach for the University."
Adapted from Kansas Alumni by KUhistory.com. Reprinted with permission.
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