Wescoe—
A set of rules and regulations must be established and must be lived by. Participation is the mode of the day, and no one can quarrel with that, in principle. But the means of participation, the quid pro quo of participation, the agreement to methods of participation and the mutual responsibilities of the participants have not yet matured.
The time of crisis is now. It has always been now, but now more than ever before. The efforts of our faculty and students, with the active support of administrative staff and the approval of the Regents, has created at the University of Kansas a new form of government, more appropriate to the times and perhaps more appropriate to the institution itself than anything we have seen any other place or any other time. It is an eminently workable system. The theory is sound: it provides the faculty the opportunity and the responsibility to determine the direction this institution shall take and the way and the speed with which it shall move in that direction. It gives those who benefit most from the institution, the students, a strong voice in the way in which the institution shall operate, the conditions under which their educations are furthered, and, most importantly, the rules under which their academic lives are governed.
But this new structure of university governance—the Faculty
Paperbacks
ASPECTS OF ANTIQUITY, by M. I. Finley (Viking Compass, $1.65) — A series of essays that treat such matters as Crete, the Trojan War, Thucydides, Socrates and Athens, Plato, Diogenes, the Etruscans, early Rome, the emperor Diocletian, ancient slavery, and Christian beginnings. The writings are both philosophical and entertaining.
THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION, by Robert Goldston (Premier, 75 cents); THE RISE OF RED CHINA, by Robert Goldston (Premier, 75 cents)—Two new "history briefs" by Goldston. For some this will be too much instant history, for the university student they should be quite valuable, for they are well written, scholarly, and extremely informative. "The Russian Revolution" describes not only the revolution but the progress of Marxian thought prior to that time. "The Rise of Red China" treats Chinese history from the 19th Century, back, even to the Opium War.
Jn. 24
1969 KANSAN 9
Senate, the Student Senate, the University Senate and their various Council and Committees—also contains implicit dangers. The opportunity exists to play the system for political advantage, a temptation to those who view power as a game, who nurse old grudges or develop new ones, who misread the relationships of the constituent parts of the University. The very complexity of the structure, with its powers and duties carefully spelled out, with its opportunities for everyone to be heard and to influence the nature and process of decisions, implies a slowness of response which may be a deadly weakness in our position and our times. When people expect a quicker reaction time, they are frustrated by a slower one.
The primary fact about our situation is that, unhappily, we seem to be out of time. A new structure of faculty governance was given only one year to shape itself into an effective body before it had to face the fact of further change. And, suddenly, disruption, which had never occurred before, appeared on the campus. The Senate Executive Committee, now joined with students, reacted promptly and, I believe, magnificently. I believe their reaction is a brilliant testimonial to the patience and dedication of a few supported by the confidence of
many, as well as to the underlying strength and unity of the institution itself.
But the newly created bodies will not have the opportunity to test themselves in a casual or contemplative way against issues of increasing seriousness such as we have experienced. Like the Senate Executive Committee, they must prove themselves immediately or they will discredit the concept of faculty-student governance. There is no time for rhetoric and resolutions. They must demonstrate unequivocably that they can fulfill a vital role, or the temper of the times will replace faculty-student governance with external controls.
The first challenge of the Senates is to come up with explicit rules of student and faculty behavior, and explicit penalties for infractions of those rules.
We had long thought, here at the University of Kansas, that a rational polite society could do without rules, but our society is no longer entirely rational and certainly no longer polite and the basic principles upon which it is based no longer have the unspoken assent of an overwhelming majority. I hope the challenge of internal legislation is picked up promptly and dealt with effectively. My greatest source of hope for the future has
been the steadfast performance of the Senate Executive Committee, the Senate Council, and the students who have worked with those groups for the good of all. They, for me, have proved the effectiveness of faculty and students in dealing with the problems of university governance, even in emergencies. I placed myself and my standing in their hands. Now they must prove themselves to the world. I have confidence that they will do so.
Now the time has arrived finally to say farewell. As I do so let me say humbly that I believe I have proved in my tenure here the truth of the statement I made during my first year, that an institution is not the lengthened shadow of one man. The full satisfying and fruitful years have been the result of the devotion of many—alumni, faculty, students, staff. To all of them, to all of you I am grateful.
I say goodbye for Barbara and for me. You have been more than gracious to us. Generously you
have overlooked our shortcomings, tolerantly you have forgiven our mistakes, lavishly you have leuded our small successes. You have shared with us your affection and we have treasured it. Because of you the overwhelming majority of our days have been filled with happiness; with your support the few sad ones have been made bearable. Neither of us could have wished or expected more. We can do no better than to paraphrase Lincoln's farewell to the people of Springfield as he left them for Washington. "No one, not in our situation, can appreciate our feeling of sadness at this parting. To this place, and the kindness of these people, we owe everything."
No one knows what the future may hold. For us the uncertainty poses no problem—for you have given us memories enough to last us our lifetimes and no one can take those away. We leave enriched by having spent these 18 years with you. For that intangible wealth, we express our gratitude.
This Sat., June 28th-8 p.m. THE NORTHWEST ROCK & ROLL BAND.
Formerly members of the "Louie Louie," "Jolly Green Giant,""David Mood"
"KINGSMEN"
One Night Only! Don't Miss This Great Band.