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University Daily Kansan
Thursday, Feb. 11, 1965
After Editorial
Mabbutt Put On Probation
The School of Journalism faculty placed Rick Mabbutt, former editorial editor of the University Daily Kansan, on disciplinary probation last week after the Shoshone, Idaho, senior wrote an editorial critical of Kansan executives and news policies.
Dean Burton W. Marvin of the journalism school said the action was taken because the faculty felt Mabbutt committed civil and criminal acts of libel in making his accusations and violated journalistic ethics and written procedures for solving disputes within the newspaper.
MABBUTT TOLD Dean of Students L. C. Woodruff Tuesday he plans to appeal the punishment. By last night, a formal appeal had not been filed, and an appeal hearing before the university disciplinary committee had not been scheduled.
Ground Tested For New Hall
Preliminary tests have begun in the open area east of Fraser Hall to determine the footings necessary for the foundation of the new Fraser Hall building.
Clavaton Stone, KU plant analyst, said the new building would replace Fraser Hall, which will be torn down following the completion of a humanities classroom building in the area now occupied by Haworth Hall and Robinson Gymnasium.
Bids for the new Fraser Hall, to be built in the area surrounding the old pioneer statue, will be received early this spring. A completion date of September 1966 has been set with construction scheduled to begin early this summer.
The area now occupied by Fraser Hall will be left open to form an attractively landscaped open green area.
The Fraser Hall project is part of the KU "master plan" which has been designed to take care of the increased enrollment predicted for KU.
His editorial, "Your Right—A Responsible Kansan," was published Jan. 21. In it, he charged that the news policies of last semester's managing editor and the faculty news adviser hindered coverage of campus news.
"As editorial editor, I was receiving an hour's credit for my work." Mabbutt said. "If, as charged, I made mistakes, then this should be reflected in my grade ar editorial editor, not in probation."
SEVERAL FACULTY members have taken an interest in Mabbutt's case. One of them, Clifford Ketzel, associate professor of political science, says he is "interested." But Richard Dyson, assistant professor of law, has volunteered to represent Mabbut in the appeal hearing.
"I believe the editorial is in fact not libelous," Prof. Dyson said, "The statements are not highly derogatory, I feel. Libel law is a matter of degree, and many libels are legally justifiable. At worst, he was guilty of bad judgment, which reflects in no way on his character or morals, as the disciplinary probation implies."
Dean Marvin agreed the question of what is or is not libel is not always clear. The decision that Mabbutt's editorial was libelous was that of the journalism faculty.
McCollum Accepts Nutrition Award
Another honor came this week to a distinguished KU alumnus, Elmer Verner McCollum, pioneer biochemist and discoverer of vitamin A in butterfat and vitamin D in cod-liver oil, as he accepted the first $1,000 McCollum Award from the American Society for Clinical Nutrition.
The residence hall for 976 students coming to completion next September will be named in honor of Dr. McCollum and his distinguished brother, an engineer and inventor and also a KU graduate, the late Burton McCollum of Houston.
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Lorenzo J. DeKaw Says: Blankety Blankety Blank;.. And Besides That, You
Must See
MOTHER COURAGE
Feb. 10-13 8:20 p.m.
starring
Yugoslavia's Famous Acting Team Mladja and Branka Veselinovic
University Theatre, Murphy Hall Students free with certificate of registration
Also Coming Soon Broadway's Delightful Musical Comedy
LITTLE MARY SUNSHINE
A wonderful marriage of Music and Laughter in Kansas University's Premiere of Little Mary Sunshine assures you of a great evening's entertainment.
Experimental Theatre, Murphy Hall Feb. 18-20, 23-27 8:20 p.m. Students — 75c with certificate of registration
Coming Soon:
Johnny MoonBeam
Six Characters in Search of An Author
Spoon River
Marriage of Figaro