University notes 100th year
the centennial university DAILY KANSAN serving k.u. for 76 of its 100 years
LAWRENCE, KANSAS
Tuesday, April 12, 1966
76th Year, No. 112
DEANE W. MALOTT
Reflection on old KU
By Judith Faust
—Photo by Steve Tarver
Black robes, the bright and dignified symbolism of academic hoods, and mortar boards, and tams with swinging tassels marked the beginning processional of the University of Kansas Centennial yesterday.
GOV. AVERY, MALOTT AND DR. WESCOE Past, present leaders here
Deane W. Malott, chancellor of the University from 1939 to 1951, addressed the opening convocation of centennial week and the four-day Inter-Century Seminar on Man and the Future.
ROWS OF FORMALLY gowned academicians—including seminar speakers, administration and faculty—listened as Chancellor W. Clarke Wescoe, in a crimson and blue gown designed especially for KU and wearing the silver collar with the University seal, introduced Malott, now president-emeritus of Cornell University.
Malott began his presentation of the historical setting of KU's centennial by looking at his own
See MALOTT on page 7
Scientist rejects notion of unlimited natural law
By Girma Negash
A limited number of laws govern nature, and most of them have been discovered, said Philip H. Abelson, director of the Geological Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution in Washington and editor of Science magazine, last night at the Inter-Century Seminar on Man and the Future.
In his lecture on the continuing scientific revolution, Abelson pointed out that people have become so accustomed to change that it is a common belief that science is unlimited in its capacity to create new knowledge.
BUT ABELSON disagreed with this concept, indicating that in some fields there is only a limited potential for the creation of new knowledge.
To make his point—the "mining out" of knowledge—Abelson gave as an example the identification of isotopes of the elements, which was an active field in the 1920s and '30s. But now nearly all the stable isotopes of the elements have been discovered. That work is essentially completed for all time, Abelson said.
"A further development in the mining-out process has occurred in recent years, namely, a trend to more rapid exhaustion of the fundamental research potential of fields. The scientific basis for much of the energy revolution has been established.
"The purely scientific aspects of the chemical revolution are surely more than half completed. All the naturally occurring elements and many of their compounds have been studied intensively."
In speaking of the advantages of nuclear energy plants, he emphasized that nuclear plants do not pollute the atmosphere with sulfer dioxide, nor do they release vast amounts of carbon dioxide. An excessive concentration of carbon dioxide might well change the earth's weather, Abelson said.
"MAN IS RETURNING to the atmosphere and oceans, within a few centuries, the concentrated organic carbon accumulated in geologic formations during hundreds of millions of years.
"We are already on the verge of an acute national problem affecting our environment, namely, air pollution. Formerly, air pollution was a local problem, closely connected to industrial activity. Today, the principal source of pollution is automobile."
When the revolution of energy is implemented there will be a considerable change in the lives of people in the future. Cheap nuclear energy creates other potential patterns. One such is the conversion of salt water into fresh water.
microorganisms and animals could be used as intermediates, he added.
Then, artificial floating islands with their nuclear power plants could be made almost self-sufficient. Abelson said. When almost unlimited amounts of nuclear energy are developed, through its utilization industrial chemists could convert plentiful raw materials such as water, air, and carbon dioxide into food. Perhaps
"In comparison with the energy and chemicals revolution, the electronics revolution seems less complete. The computer is not a magical device that can do everything. Efforts to translate from one language to another by means of it have not proved rewarding.
Plea for honesty in Whittaker talk
By Emery Goad
Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Charles E. Whittaker opened the second day of centennial activities of the Inter-Century seminar this morning in Hoch Auditorium.
Justice Whittaker pleaded for a return to simple honesty, responsibility and forthrightness in public speaking and writing so they may inform and not misinform the people. He also asked for a return to an orderly society by requiring respect for and obedience to our laws by punishment of all persons who violate the laws.
"It SEEMS CLEAR that most of our people have now come to understand that we are all involved in unusual ferment, and many of us are confused and be-wildered," he said.
"Our anchors have been torn from their moorings to unchangeable fundamental principles—among others, a decent respect for truth and honesty, for the teachings of history, for the Ten Commandments, and for the Golden Rule, and without those anchors, we lost our way."
Whittaker explained that Americans have divided into ideological groups which have produced a pitch of tensions which has dissipated mutual respect and made nearly impossible any calm discussion of differences.
"This dialogue, produced by the tensions, has sacrificed honest appeals to reason for other techniques. One of these has been the intentional and repeated misuse and distortion of generic words, phrases, catchwords and use of meaningless clichés.
HE CITED examples of the terms "conservatives" and "moss-backs" like "radicals" and "extremists" which have been substituted for each other. "Webster's meaning is many times just the opposite of the common usage.
"The technique, doubtless already familiar to most of you, is being commonly used not to inform the people but to confuse and bewilder them," Justice Whittaker said.
He said the words "leftist" and "rightist" as well as "radical" have been largely misused in our society.
"Catchwords like 'diserimination, 'segregation,' and 'integration,' have a fairly definite meaning but they are often used with little of their true meanings," Justice Whittaker said.
Low wage to be $1
The minimum wage paid to student employees will be raised to $1 per hour beginning July 1 because of a federal work-study grant of $112,050.
The grant from the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare will also provide 200 new jobs for KU students, Chancellor W. Clarke Wescoe announced.
"WE HAVE recognized the inadecquacy of the minimum wages we were able to pay students, but until now we have not had the resources to increase the minimum without reducing the jobs available." Dr. Wescoe said.
The grant will raise the wages paid to all student employees regardless of whether they are in the work-study program. This year about 1,750 students are paid hourly wages. Another 1,275 students, mostly graduate students, are paid monthly salaries.
For those students who now make more than the minimum, "the departments will have to make adjustments within their budgets," Vice Chancellor Raymond Nichols said yesterday.
Provost Surface said the wage increase was not due to Student Labor Organization (SLO) activity. The application for the grant was submitted some time ago, he said.
"I THINK ITS A direct response to SLO activity," said Carl Bangs, Prairie Village junior and SLO secretary-treasurer.
An SLO resolution asking the University to authorize the Kansas Union to raise wages to $1.25 per hour by May 1 was presented to Vice Chancellor Nichols on March 30.
—Photo by Steve Tarver
FACULTY CONVERSES BEFORE MARCH TO HOCH Caps, gowns a 100-year tradition