The people say...
UP, Jayhawker:
To the Editor:
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you on your endorsement of Al Martin and Janet Anderson for student body president and vice-president. The University Party has shown through its platform an interest in the key issue of the campus, the right of a student to conduct his non-academic life without interference of the University.
Too long are the days of enforced adolescence on the college campus. It is time students took a vital interest in making the University community one of accepting responsibility not one of over-protection (often to the degree of infringement upon personal liberty). If the university contained its control to academic matters it would find a student body able to exercise the necessary responsibility and act with the maturity expected of others their age outside the college community.
Important as they might be these are not changes made overnight and University Party candidates realize it will take time and effort but by honestly stating their goal they leave little doubt whom to vote for to achieve the student government that will work hardest for a freer University.
Robert Feld.
Kansas City, Mo., freshman
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To the Editor:
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Underclassmen at this university are not concerned with the fact that the winter supplement of the yearbook is delivered about the middle of April. They will not be alarmed if they receive two supplements this summer or maybe wait, as many did the past year, to obtain the commencement supplement in the fall of the next year. Underclassmen are suckers. Nobody protests, except possibly to the hapless fresh distributing the tardy section.
The "Jayhawker" is issued in supplementary form because that is the desire of the student body. It is the responsibility of the editor to see that the supplements are distributed promptly. I contend that the third section should be ready when we return from Spring Break. Since it probably won't be (disregarding an act of God), I contend also that this year's editor should expect no bonus, as did his recent predecessors.
I might suggest to the editor that he supervise the stapling together of the last three sections. I rather doubt if students would appreciate such an imitation of the "All-American"(?) yearbook from K-State, but thus far their tolerance has been remarkable.
—Harry E. Young, Abilene senior
Deplores unconcern
Dear Mayor Pulliam:
There seems to be a commissioner on the city council whose values are somewhat questionable. I am forced to this conclusion after reading a statement attributed to a Mr. Emick in Monday's UDK, concerning the unusually high rate of accidents at the intersection of Fifteenth and Iowa. "After all, it is primarily students, who do not pay city taxes or buy their car tags in Lawrence, who have been involved in accidents there."
It is amazing to me that such a preoccupation with costs should prevent the protection of human lives. Philosophy, ethics, morals all matters of life are based on the preciousness of human life How can a person, especially one of public importance, make such a statement? Please ask your Commissioner how he can put a price on any human life.
— T. P. Strahan, Raytown senior
They missed a fact
To the Editor:
The debate Friday night in the Forum Room, although revealing, seemingly missed the one most realistic fact about the war in Viet Nam. I would suggest that the one most important aspect surrounding American involvement in Viet Nam is that we are in it up to our necks and to talk of withdrawal under Richard Hill's definition is to talk in non-existent terms.
I further suggest that Bernard Fall alluded to this in his speech when, after carefully shattering the many popular myths on Viet Nam, he continually talked in terms of what we would have to do to "neutralize" the Viet Cong, militarily, politically, and "administratively." Not once during his dramatic presentation did he advocate an American withdrawal although he could have at any one of many different points. I propose he didn't because of a realization that this is out of the question given the present situation and that his vital concern was to demonstrate our missed opportunities in Viet Nam to both clarify the varied fallacies in current American foreign policy and demonstrate that without a change in thinking, America could very well close out this century with one "Viet Nam" after another.
Bill Hansen
1026 West 24th
Lawrence
KU - African is forum
To the Editor:
It is not our policy to dispute any interpretation given to the articles published in the KU-African. But after reading H. Oziri Ubamadu's letter to you, we feel obligated to send this reply since he has chosen to do more than dispute the contents of an article in the paper. He has labelled the infant publication with erroneous allegations which we believe have been calculated to tarnish its image before our readers.
Ubamadu alleged that the present issue of the KU-African is "packed full of words calculated
to attack the American government and its people." Nothing can be more divorced from the truth. Whatever way one may want to interpret the articles, nothing in the publication was done with the slightest degree of calculation. Ubamadu made it sound like we are enemies to Americans and their country when we are only trying to inform them of what we see about us. What Ubamadu meant by anti-American is misleading and unfounded.
Editorial Board KU-African
UP claims are wrong
To the Editor:
It is campaign time on the campus again in case no one had noticed. As members of the All Student Council we are concerned about misrepresentation of recorded All Student Council proceedings as it exists in one of the campus party platforms. University party claims that Al Martin as a member of the Council initiated "stop week" legislation. This is not true.
Not only has this issue been discussed for many years, and thus not his idea, but the legislation is not even original with Mr. Martin this year.
In the January 11, 1966, meeting of the All Student Council, Roger Oelschlager, John Seitz, and Gary Davidson submitted a resolution stipulating that the ASC "support a 'stop week' the week preceding the week of finals . . . and request the deans of the various schools to work toward the establishment of an All University 'Stop Week.'" The resolution clearly passed.
Still further action occurred in the Council before Mr. Martin entered the scene. At the February 8, 1966, meeting of the All Student Council, Jim Klumpp called for a report of the Student-Faculty Calendar Committee, the executive arm of the ASC concerned with the matter, in order to determine the present policy, past and future steps concerning "stop week." The next item of business was Mr. Martin's resolution calling only for a student opinion poll on the matter.
Jim Klumpp
Coffeyville sophomore
Asc, Men's Small Residence Halls
—Roger Oelschlager
Clay Center junior ASC, Unmarried-Unorganized
—John Seitz
Holyrood junior ASC, Married
—Gary Davidson
Annandale, Va., junior Formerly ASC, Large Men's Residence Halls
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Daily Kansan
editorial page Wednesday, March 30, 1966
opinion, fact and fancy
May I suggest...
The editors of the University Daily Kansan have indicated their support of Al Martin and Janet Anderson for student body president and vice-president. It is undeniably the right of the editors to endorse a pair of candidates, but I would suggest a few facts which they might have overlooked in making their selection—facts which are ultimately more important than impractical platforms or smiling faces.
The student body officers of this University are called upon quite frequently in the course of a year in office to represent the students at various activities: alumni meetings, visiting conventions, campus meetings, faculty meetings, class reunions, and special programs for guests of the University, to name but a few. In addition, both executive officers are constitutionally charged with certain responsibilities which cannot be shirked or ignored regardless of speaking engagements, class schedules, or personal activities. The jobs, in a conservative estimate, demand at least twenty or thirty hours a week and absolutely forbid selfish or personal interests a good percentage of the time.
IT IS THEREFORE essential that the executive officers of the student body of KU be tremendously versatile and willing to work. An unwilling student body officer, for whatever the reason, is more than a poor asset, he is an inexcusable hindrance. The decision of who shall serve must therefore be made quite carefully by those students who choose to vote.
The ultimate question that must be answered by a voter is "Can this candidate perform a top-notch job in a manner which I will approve and support?" That question is not easily answered, if properly answered. There are, however, some points to be considered which make the process a bit easier: compare the qualifications of the candidates, keeping in mind that experience in student government activities is essential—the same is true of any organizational president; compare the personalities of the candidates, remembering that public appearances on behalf of the university are frequent responsibilities of the student body officers; compare the interest expressed by the candidates—interest in running for Student Body President cannot be realistically generated in a week mercuric decision making; and finally, compare the intentions of the candidates—are the programs offered responsible and feasible?—are methods of execution made known, or are they as yet unknown to even the candidates?
The program which the Kansan has chosen to back is, at best, a bit far-fetched. It takes more than talk to build a new union; it takes far more than the approval of one faculty member to successfully eliminate the Western Civilization program or the English Proficiency exam; and it certainly takes more than a mere request to secure the "... total abolition of disciplinary actions by the University in all areas other than those directly related to academic matters." The ideas sound good, the programs are not; the lack of reality found in the programs should be significant to most voters.
The Kansan has supported ideas which lack practicality of implementation. In supporting the "other side," Tom Rader and Dick Darville, this writer has attempted to consider the capabilities and effectiveness of both pairs of candidates. I know what is required of a student body officer, and I place my confidence in Tom Rader and Dick Darville.
THE ARGUMENTS presented in last Friday's Kansan in support of Al Martin and Janet Anderson were superficial enough that they might easily apply to any candidate from the last five or six years. If the Kansan, after two years of editorial silence in the Spring elections, now chooses to reclaim its right of editorial endorsement, it is hoped that they (the editors) would accept intelligent responsibility for that endorsement. The Kansan this year says that the candidates it supports have a superior student rights plank in their platform. To date, however, no one has heard any program of implementation for that plank—what is to happen to it? The idea, and the reasoning behind it, are perfectly acceptable; that it might be accepted seems to be a secondary matter. That type of attitude cannot and will not lead to effective student government on this, or any, campus.
(signed) Bill Robinson, Student Body V-P, 1965-66
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