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UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, March 27, 1968
Honor system debated by Bass and Salsich
The possibility of launching an honor system at KU came under the scrutiny of William M. Bass, professor of anthropology, and Hamilton Salsich, assistant instructor in English, in a personality forum sponsored by the Student Union Activities (SUA) Tuesday afternoon.
Bass said the honor pledge he asked his students to sign in past years—"I have neither given or received aid on this quiz"—has been dropped to examine cheating without the pledge.
"I am not so naive as to believe an honor system would work at KU," he said. As proof, he held up a lap board from Hoch Auditorium, where exams are given to classes with large enrollments. Almost microscopic penil marks filled the entire board.
"This is an outline of the entire Anthropology I course. By following it, some student would be able to get 75 per cent of the answers on the anthropology final."
Cheating doesn't help a student other than boosting his grades, Bass said. "Sometime along the line you are going to have to make a living. If you cheat, you're going to be caught and lose because of it," he said.
"I would like KU students to say, 'We need an honor system here,'" Bass said. "But maybe one per cent of the students here would be willing to participate, the others want to be led."
Salsich agreed with Bass that a workable honors system is impossible at KU. "We don't live in a vacuum," he said, "but are part of a complex educational system which is not honorable."
"KU is not interested in producing students with honor and
Young Democrats elect, officers petition Docking
The KU chapter of Collegiate Young Democrats (CVD) elected officers for the coming year at a meeting Tuesday evening in the Kansas Union Pine Room.
The group also voted to petition Gov. Robert B. Docking to send an uncommitted Kansas delegation to the national convention. The petition says: "Whereas, the Collegiate Young Democrats of KU wish to see a fairer evaluation of issues involved in the Democratic party. We the undersigned petition Gov. Docking to send uncommitted delegates to the National Democratic Convention in Chicago."
The new officers are Robert Kolar, Cedar Rapids, Ia., freshman, president; Derek Shafer, Arkansas City freshman, executive vice president; William Spear, Arkansas City freshman, first vice president; Richard Louv, Kansas City freshman, second vice president; Sue Wilson, Kansas City, Mo., freshman, recording secretary; Barbara Musgrave, Wichita senior, corresponding secretary; and Michael Helvey, Overland Park freshman, treasurer.
The group accepted a policy statement that the KU Young Democrats will not endorse any of the three candidates for the Democratic nomination for President. The club is forbidden by the state Young Democrat constitution to endorse any candidate prior to his nomination. However, individual members may endorse a candidate.
integrity, but those who can make it in society, make good grades, and deal with facts."
The pressures of college life—course requirements, the grading system and fear of the draft—create an environment making dishonesty a necessity, he said. "I think the only way to get through KU is to cheat," he said.
He drew a distinction between out-and-out copying from a friend's examination paper and subtler forms of dishonesty, such as writing themes on a topic about which the student knows the teacher waxes enthusiastic.
"I teach at KU because I hope this can all be changed," Salsich said.
In response to a student's question, Salsich said the existence of the modern university as a place where a student must cheat to
receive good grades reflects the appalling state of our society as a whole.
This sparked a discussion of general education theories.
"I look on my enrollment at KU as a contract between myself and the University to set up a system of creative pressures to help me develop in a way I would not go if I were on my own," one student said.
He described the grade system as a "vicious, subtle contest between the powerless and the powerful."
Salsich's response was if a student wants to learn, "he should make his own choices and do as he damn well wants to"
itiative, Salsich said many students, if given freedom, "would probably booze it up every night instead of studying."
When given the suggestion that most students are not mature enough to handle the responsibilities of learning on their own in-
He ascribed this to improper training in high school, grade school, and earlier. "In fact, I've
thought about going back to teach kindergarten. That's where the evils start," he said.
"People should be left to make their own decisions. A majority of people, if left alone, will be good," he said.
A POLITICAL STUDY TOUR OF EUROPE
will be conducted this summer by a professor of international relations in the graduate school of a well-known university. A two week course in contemporary problems (in English) at the Sorbonne will be supplemented by seminars with leading scholars and statesmen (such as Ludwig Erhard, Enoch Powell, MP, Prof. Count Bertrand de Juvenal, Archduke Otto von Habsburg) in 10 countries. Social activities with European students (Oxford Balls, etc.) will be included in this non-regimented tour for intelligent students. For more information, write Dept. 101, A.S.P.E., 33 Chalfont Road, Oxford, England.
KIEF'S RECORD & STEREO
The Bill Dana Comedy Theater Presents JOEY FORMAN as THE MASHUGANISHI YOGI *AN AFFECTIONATE AND TRANSCEDENTAL TIBUTE TO THE GOOD HUMOR OF THE MAHARISHI MAHESH YOGI
at this moment THE BEATLES have never heard this album, neither has MIA FARROW nor SHIRLEY MACLAINE and DONOVAN. FRANK SINATRA couldn't care less and, unless the CIA got hold of a copy, PRESIDENT JOHNSON and MRS. HUMPHREY probably haven't heard it. we would have loved to audition this album for
PRINCESS GRACE, LEE RADZIWILL and HUGH HEFFNER, but we couldn't get them on the phone. MAO TSE TUNG and SHIRLEY TEMPLE BLACK have nothing to do with the album, neither does CHARLES DE GAULLE and ELIZABETH TAYLOR, FIDEL CASTRO and PETULA CLARK, HOWARD HUGHES, DR.
SPOCK, EDDIE FISHER or JOHNNY CARSON and JOEY BISHOP. no, none of these people have heard THE MASHUGANISHI YOGI at this time. if YOU should decide to BUY this album, these liner notes will self-destruct in three seconds. good luck.
BILL DANA—JOEY FORMAN/THE MASHUGANISHI YOGI/A&M RECORDS/A&M SP4144
DOWNTOWN