Daily hansan
LAWRENCE. KANSAS
59th Year. No. 98
Thursday, March 8. 1962
CRC Planning to Pressure Wescoe on Discrimination
By Bob Hoyt
The Civil Rights Council moved last night to attempt to put pressure on Chancellor W. Clarke Wescoe to meet with the CRC on issues involving discrimination.
"ID BE WILLING to sit-in by his door until the Chancellor listens to us."
At the CRC meeting, Ivory Nelson, Lawrence graduate student said:
Nelson suggested a sit-in, reminiscent of the recent sit-ins at the University of Chigo, in an effort to get a hearing from Chancellor Wescoe.
Efforts of CRC personnel to meet directly with the Chancellor on discrimination issues have been discouraged.
TWO WEEKS AGO, CRC co-
chairman Charles Menghini, Pittsburg senior, was told by Chancellor Wescoe that the Human Rights Committee was the proper committee to take care of human rights problems and that all such problems should be taken to it.
The HRC is a committee of the All Student Council, and is set up specifically to deal with human relations problems on the campus.
THE SIT-IN IDEA met with opposition. The opposition was based on a feeling that such an action is not yet justified, and that student support should be assured before any such action is taken.
After some discussion, a petition protesting the Chancellor's refusal to meet with CRC was drawn up. It is being circulated in an effort to get student support for CRC. The
Chancellor Against Clauses, HRC Says
The Human Rights Committee of the ASC said last night that Chancellor W. Clarke Wescoe will oppose discriminatory clauses in Greek national constitutions and wants the local chapters to get rid of them as soon as possible.
Brian Grace, Lawrence sophomore and chairman of the committee, said, however, that the Chancellor's stand does not include any plan for action to be taken by the University against fraternities with such clauses.
"THE ONLY POSITIVE action the Chancellor will take towards getting rid of discriminatory clauses in fraternity constitutions is what I guess you would call suasion," Grace added. "He will urge and that is all."
Grace outlined four actions which the HRC will take presently concerning the discrimination problem. They were:
- The HRC will send out a questionnaire to all Greek houses asking their opinion of the presence of the clauses, whether they were good or bad and whether they can be taken from the constitutions of the chapters.
- A GENERAL INVESTIGATION will be made concerning what the clauses really sav and what they mean.
- The HRC will hold open hearings at all regularly-scheduled meetings so as to hear any comments from students and faculty members who want to express their opinions.
- A final summarization will be presented to the ASC along with a committee recommendation for action.
He continued, "Any group or individual should come to the committee meetings and air their views and their criticisms. If they do not, they are not too interested in the question. Rest assured that representatives of the Greek houses had better come forth to present their views or the HRC will take a dim view of just how much they want the clauses left alone."
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WE. THE UNDERSIGNED members of the University of Kansas community, oppose discriminatory clauses as morally wrong and urge the Chancellor to make himself available to the Civil Rights Council—a recognized student organization—for discussion of discrimination at KU."
CRC clashed in principle last night with HRC on how to best approach the problem of discriminatory clauses.
After hearing the method by which the problem would be approached by HRC, Charles Menghini, CRC co-chairman, reiterated a statement he made earlier to the HRC.
"WHAT THEY (HRC) seem to forget is that this problem concerns every student at the University, not just the members of the Greek houses."
In outlining action to be taken to do away with the discriminatory clauses, the HRC proposed that a questionnaire be sent to all Greek houses to determine how they feel about the problem and how it should be handled.
AT THE CRC MEETING, which overlapped and followed the HRC meeting, it was suggested that the sampling of student opinion should not be confined to Greek houses.
Denis Kennedy, Dun Laighaire, Ireland graduate student said:
"The poll should be conducted in such a fashion as to get a University-wide opinion—otherwise it is useless."
THE CRC PUT ITS opinion in the form of a resolution which will be presented to HRC.
The resolution as it was drafted reads as follows.
"Realizing that the student opinion of the entire campus is vitally concerned with the issue of human rights and that the restrictions of the poll taking to any section of the student group by such an information gathering and policy forming committee as the Human Rights Committee, would be prejudicial to the rights and privileges of the great majority, we move therefore that all the organized houses, and also a representative sample of unorganized students be polled, as scientifically as possible, via the questionnaire of the Human Rights Committee, and not simply the fraternities and sororites."
Mostly cloudy and colder this afternoon. Party cloudy tonight and tomorrow. Colder south tonight. Warmer tomorrow. Low tonight in the 20s. High Friday in the 30s.
Weather
"CONSUL"—Someone has broken the window, a signal from the underground. Magda Sorel (Sharon Tebbenkamp, Salisbury, Mo., senior) calls Assan, the glass cutter (Phil Harris, Lawrence senior), to replace the glass and bring her news from her husband.
China Labeled Massive Power
An authority on Red China said last night that the country is a progressive, growing power and to ignore this fact is to turn away from reality.
Edgar Snow, the only American correspondent with State Department sanction to travel in Red China, told a Fraser Theater audience that the leaders of Red China will not resort to force to assert their position.
SNOW PREDICTED THAT RED CHINA WOULD be admitted to the United Nations in the next two years. Because of the U.S.'s hostile attitude toward Red China's entry, its admittance will not ease the tension between the two countries.
Snow said that despite a shortage of food and capital, Red China will develop nuclear weapons by 1963 or 1964. He said they already have the ability to deliver such a weapon anywhere in the world.
Snow said this rise to prominence would make Red China a major presidential campaign issue in 1964.
The author of ten books on China said Red China is in a transition period and showing signs of great progress. Snow pointed to the major gains the country has made in ten years and predicted this progress would continue and carry it to prominence as a world power.
DESPITE OBVIOUS WEAKNESSES SUCH AS RED China's inability to produce adequate food for its 700-million population, Snow said that by 1970 Red China will be the third ranking industrial power in the world.
Snow qualified that statement by saying that it would depend on the Red Chinese' ability to maintain the industrial progress that has been achieved during the ten years starting in 1950.
Snow said that while the Chinese standard of living is low by U.S. standards, it is such that the majority of the people seem happy and are receiving education and technical training.
The grey-haired expert of 25 years' observation showed color
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Action Called 'No Threat'by Vox, UP
By Mike Miller
Eight campus political leaders have expressed doubts that the proposed third political party, Action, will become an influential political party at KU.
Brian Grace, Lawrence sophomore and independent vice president of Vox Populi, said "The group is not a threat as a third political party. It operates primarily as a pressure group to promote liberal ideas."
JERRY PALMER, EL DORADO senior and chairman of the All Student Council, said, "I don't think it could cause a real threat to the existing parties (Vox Populi and the University Party) because they haven't made much progress in the months they have been working.
"Although they are very idealistic," Palmer continued, "They will never have the voting membership of Vex or UP."
He described the group as something like a YAF of the left and a reincarnation of the Civil Rights Council. He said that it does not seem like a student political group, but rather a pressure group.
In reference to the group's running candidates in this Spring's ASC elections, Ted Childers, Wamego senior and president of Vox, said, "I have my doubts if they will be a threat in this spring's election because they lack organization."
HE ADDED THAT how well they do this spring will determine if they will continue on campus.
Palmer said that under ASC rules, a group which wants recognition as a political party must submit a petition of their intentions signed by at least 10 per cent of the student body.
"It is my opinion that they cannot get this 10 per cent." Palmer said. "Only when I see these signatures will I consider them a political party."
James Anderson, Lawrence senior and Greek co-chairman of the University Party, disagreed with this saying "I think there is a good possibility of the group picking up 1.000 signatures, but I don't consider it a threat to the existing parties because it is not well organized."
CHILDERS SAID THAT THE group is a pressure group which has simply combined a lot of old ideas in a new way and formed their group.
Thomas Hardy, Hoisington junior and independent co-chairman of UP, said the group "certainly has no chance to take any seats from the larger schools in the spring election; but they might pick up a small school on the individual candidate's personal popularity.
"Really, victory seems quite unlikely," he continued, "and it seems even more unlikely next fall because so many of the organizers
(three of the four main ones) will graduate this spring."
Mike Harris, Shawnee Mission junior and executive vice president of Vox, said, "We are always glad to see people interested in politics, but it is regrettable that they cannot work through the existing agencies, rather than calling for these changes which would actually retard progress."
He explained that the Council has a set procedure in the Constitution governing a referendum vote. Since
HE EXPLAINED THAT the time involved in forming and organizing this group would slow down the work of student government.
Max Eberhart. Grent Eend senio, and president of the student body, said that Action's third proposed plank (pertaining to the unconstitutionality of the referendum which was denied the students on the football seating plan) is not right.
the bill was brought up as a resolution by the Athletic Seating Committee, there was no legal procedure to get a referendum, he said.
"If opposition to the seating plan had followed the proper procedure and would have had the time last spring, they would have possibly been able to have a referendum," Eberhart said.
SPEAKING ABOUT ACTION'S desired entry into a national confederation of campus political parties. Eberhart said that he does not think it is a good idea
"Every campus has its own desires, wants and problems and what is good for KU might not necessarily be good for different schools," he explained. "There is the possibility of a neglect of campus situations."
PALMER DESCRIBED THE planned confederation as "a very bad
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