Groups To Hire Unionized Bands
By Jacke Thayer
Social chairmen of KU living groups have met and decided to comply with a local musician's union's request, asking all living groups to hire only union bands.
In a letter to all living group social chairmen Feb. 5, Newton E. Jerome, secretary of Local 512 of the American Federation of Musicians, made his request.
Bob Hicks, All Student Council (ASC) social committee chairman and Inter-Fraternity Council member, said the IFC has decided to comply until further information could be obtained. Panhellenic Council members also voted to comply.
Social chairmen of the Association of University Residence Halls (AURH) met early last week and decided to comply with the request.
Karl Zetmeir, Emmett senior and manager of nine non-union bands, said in an interview Tuesday,"He (Jerome) is just trying to force non-union bands to become union.
"A college student used to be able to work his way through school playing in a band, but this is impossible with union dues," Zetmeir said. "In order to join, each man in a combo would have to pay $44 for the first year and $14 each year after that. This can cut into a college student's pay pretty heavily."
Zetmeir added, "The only benefit we (non-union players) would get from the union is that he (Jerome) would let us work in Lawrence. He is forcing the town and the players into the position of accepting this. According to the state right-to-work law, his method is technically legal, but there's an awfully fine line."
Zetmeir was referring to the Kansas statute outlawing union shops allowing only union members to work in a certain area or place of business.
The major disadvantage to university living groups, according to Zetmeir, is that "only two or three union bands are available to play the kind of music students want or who will play for living group parties.
"There are approximately 50 living groups on the Hill, and their price range for hiring bands is from $80-$150." Zetmeir said. "The minimum for a union band would be $150. If the living groups agree to use only union bands, they will have to 'up' their social budgets."
Zetmeir said he feels the union's "threat is an empty one."
"It's an example of an organized minority against an unorganized majority," he said. "Jerome says this issue and the placing of KU on the unfair list would not affect the Mancini concert. Mancini has a sizeable contract and is bringing a troupe in. He's too big to let a one-man union call off the concert."
"But outside groups from Topeka who would join the union would bring much more money into the local union, and so would the $1\frac{1}{2}$-2 per cent traveling fee the local union would get from members of other locals performing here," Zetmeir said.
Zetmeir continued, "The KU living groups have enough union and non-union business that they can tell the union 'we get anyone we want or NO union bands.' I think the union would back down."
Until recently, the Red Dog Inn was the only all-union establishment in Lawrence," Zetmeir said. Manager John Brown is a licensed booker for the American Federation of Musicians. Brown said union influence is widespread and Topeka, Hutchinson, Salina, Kansas City, Lawrence and Joplin, Mo., all have locals operating in this general area.
Jerome refused to comment until another meeting of the union's "eight-man board of directors" is held. He said, "Everything is really pretty well settled now. We're not looking for any trouble."
Thomas Gorton, dean of the School of Fine Arts, said he was not here at the time of the incident in the 1940's. However, he understood the disagreement concerned a union of stagehands.
KU did not have its own theater at that time and was performing student productions in a commercial theater without hiring union stagehands. The university was then boycotted by the stagehands and musicians'union.
"I don't think the present situation would involve anything of an academic nature," Dean Gorton said. Under the previous boycott, senior recitals, a requirement for graduation in the School of Fine Arts, had to be performed off-campus in the local high school auditorium.
"Senior recitals are a required part of our student curriculum, just as tests are. They have no relationship to the status of dance bands performing at a fraternity function," Dean Gorton said.
62nd Year, No.91
Daily hansan
Organizations which do discriminate will be expected to eliminate these practices before the spring semester of the 1965-66 school year.
LAWRENCF, KANSAS
IF ORGANIZATIONS DO NOT comply, this bill gives the ASC the power of disfranchisement, restriction of social activities, denial of participation in student government, or any other action they feel appropriate.
George Tannous, Lebanan junior and ASC vice-chairman, said the Chancellor felt this time limit would give these organizations sufficient time to comply.
Alvin E. Jones, director of the State Property Valuation Department in Topeka, told the council that personal property will be assessed and taxed where it was located Jan. 1 and not by residence
A resolution was passed on this matter to send a letter to all Kansas State Senators and Representatives endorsing a bill to come before the legislature exempting all students from personal property taxes.
Human Rights Bill No. 7, sent back by the Chancellor with his corrections, eliminating all discriminatory practices at KU, was passed by the council on a 24 to 4 vote with one abstention.
Clause Waived for Sigma Nu; Letter Read At ASC Meeting
"THIS IS SOMETHING we've been working on for three years." Willard, a member of Sigma Nu, said. Sigma Nu has always had a clause discriminating on the basis of color. The KU chapter tried twice unsuccessfully to remove this clause at its national convention.
Wednesday, March 3, 1965
By Jim Sullinger
The forecast for KU today is partly cloudy and continued cold for the rest of this afternoon through Thursday, according to the Weather Bureau. Today's temperature is 28, the predicted low tonight 15, the high tomorrow to be 32, the report said.
Weather
"There are no strings attached nor other undisclosed limitations on chapter freedom to select members." Fletcher also wrote.
Sigma Nu fraternity received word yesterday it had obtained a waiver of its national constitutional clause regarding discrimination by race.
Announcement of the waiver came at last night's All Student Council meeting when a letter was read from the fraternity's national secretary.
Richard R. Fletcher, national secretary of Sigma Nu, said in the letter, "This waiver means that the Sigma Nu collegiate chapter is hereafter not bound by those sections of the law of the fraternity setting forth membership qualifications based on race, creed, color, or national origin.
IN OTHER LEGISLATION, the council passed an amendment to
hold regular meetings once a week instead of every two weeks. "We should give every bill a first reading and better consideration," said Hugh Taylor, graduate student representative. "There is too much pressure on us meeting every two weeks."
Although this measure will not take effect for two weeks, Mike Miner, Lawrence senior and ASC chairman, called a meeting of the council for next week.
Taylor, on a committee to investigate the Rick Mabbutt case, said John Suhler, Cross River, New York, senior and chairman of the Kansan Board, will appear before the council at their next meeting.
The following were also passed:
- A bill to increase the number on the elections committee from 14 to 15 members. This would provide a co-chairman from the University Party.
- An amendment making the Dean of Students the ASC advisor.
- An amendment to include one interested person in World University Service as a member of the Campus Chest.
- A resolution endorsing a pre-enrollment program for the fall of 1966. Students are asked to submit any suggestions.
- A resolution sending a three-member committee to the state legislature inquiring into the feasibility of reciprocal agreements with other states on double taxation.
● A resolution asking the Kansas Union Operating Board to consider the sale of personal items to KU students.
● A resolution asking the Traffic and Safety Committee to expand the four visitors parking spaces in front of Miller and Watkins to the sidewalk on the east side of Lilac. The time limit for visitors would also be extended from 15 minutes to one hour and taken off Friday.
- * * *
Officials Say Auto Tax To Be Assessed Here
KU students who have not been contacted by a county assessor for a tax assessment on their cars should get in touch with the county assessor's office in Lawrence, Kansas Property Valuation Department officials said last night.
Alvin Jones, department director, Louis Carter, assistant director and chief counsel for the department, and Robert McDowell, assistant counsel, appeared before the All Student Council (ASC) last night. They were invited by Mike Miner, Lawrence senior and ASC chairman.
Carter explained that even if an in-state student has already been assessed by his home county, he must also be assessed by Douglas county if his car was in the county before Jan. 1 and is not merely "property in transit" (temporarily here).
The student will not pay two Kansas county taxes, for the Lawrence assessor will then write a letter to the home county advising it that the student's car has been assessed here. Carter said. Carter added that such an assess-
THE PROPERTY tax on student cars is based on a law which taxes property where it is located on or before Jan.1, regardless of owner's place of residence, the officials said.
Carter added that such an assessment can be removed from the books until November.
Both Jones and Carter stated that an out-of-state student can
legally be required to pay a property tax here and in his home county.
"We hate to see the double tax . . but legally we can't do anything about it," Jones told the Council.
Carter mentioned two "landmark cases" involving who and where property might be taxed, and courts ruled that there is no requirement on residence but only on where the property is located.
NANCY MEYER, Shawnee Mission junior (UP women's large residence halls) asked about a bill presently in the Kansas House to allow in-state students to pay their property taxes in home counties. Jones replied that there are bills in both houses on this matter but no action has been taken. Both men said they were uncertain whether the bill would go into effect this year or Jan. 1966, if passed.
After Jones and Carter appeared the Council passed two resolutions, dealing with property tax bills. Leo Schrey, Leavenworth junior (Vox, men's small residence halls) and Bill Robinson, Great Bend sophomore, (Vox, men's large residence halls) introduced a resolution to send letters to each state legislator and to the other state-supported schools, urging their support on the passage of these bills.
Lambda Chi Leaves Vox; Affiliates With UP
By Mary Hodson
Lambda Chi Alpha social fraternity announced last night it would break with the Vox Populi (Vox) and join the University Party (UIP)
THIS ACTION could mean the difference of 140 or more votes, in the coming elections. If all 70 men in Lambda Chi Alpha vote UP, Vox will lose 70 votes and UP will gain 70 more, Sapp said.
"We are definitely a changing fraternity since we moved into our new house," John Sapp, Havana, Ill., junior and Lambda Chi Alpha president, said. "We feel there is more opportunity for the men in our house to show their abilities on campus as members of UP."
"Lambda Chi Alpha never has been a solid house where campus politics are concerned," Frazier said. "There was always a split in the house for the two parties. For this reason they were not very active in Vox."
"I don't think this will hurt our party either way," Jim Frazier, Topeka fifth year pharmacy student and president of Vox, said.
LAMBDA CHI ALPHA is not the first fraternity to change its party politics. Last year five Greek organizations dropped out of Vox. They were Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Phi Alpha, Alpha Chi Omega, Tau Kappa Epsilon and Phi Kappa Sigma.
"It can be seen that there must definitely be some dissatisfaction in Vox Populi because these Greek organizations left the party last fall." Harry Bretschneider, Kansas City, Mo., senior and secretary-general of UP, said.
"We believe UP is the leading party on campus," Sapp said. "Vox doesn't have the excitement it used to have for students."
"One of the reasons UP is the leading party is that it has a tightlyknit group of large Greek organizations. Vox is just the opposite with a greater number of smaller Greek groups, many of which were loosely united. It is hard to please these
groups even with broader platforms," Sapp said.
Vox, the oldest of the two, was started in the fall of 1958, and Lambda Chi Alpha played a key part in its founding. UP became a political party here in the fall of 1960.
"ANOTHER REASON for our change is our belief that UP combines the independent and Greek element best." Sapp said.
There were many in Lambda Chi Alpha who were closely connected to the Vox party. One of these was Sapp who was formerly a representative from the fraternity district in the All Student Council
(ASC). He also was a member of the Vox executive council.
"We almost left Vox last spring after Tau Kappa Epsilon and Phi Kappa Sigma left but we had so many Vox people in our house we waited," Sapp said.
SAPP SAID he planned to end his work in campus politics and let the freshmen and sophomores in the house take over. They were the ones wanting the change.
"We are very glad that Lambda Chi Alpha joined our party," Bretschneider said. "We expect them to be a great benefit to us with their willingness to work."