Candidates review issues
(EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is the final installment of the complete transcript of the University Daily Kansan-sponsored debate between the candidates for student body president and vice-president which took place at 7:30 p.m. last Thursday in the Kansas Union Forum Room.)
JONES: One of the controversies in this campaign has been over stands taken that do not directly affect the University. We would like to ask how you feel about KU government taking stands on issues outside the University and what priority they should have.
EDWARDS. I think it is a very essential point that the University is concerned with issues outside the University. I think the ultimate point is first of all, we have to show students that student government is really effective here in solving the problems that arise. We show them that the senate can be an effective and viable body, and really gain the respect of the students.
I think that the war in Vietnam is very tragic. It's a very popular thing to say right now. We try to affect everything right now and make the government take a position. It's my feeling that every student at KU is capable of studying the issues and making up his own mind.
If students feel so strongly about it that they should affect some type of action here at the University, to this University Senate in passing some legislation about it, I would encourage them to do so with great vigor.
You do this, first of all by showing them that you can accomplish things and you can make life better for them here at the University.
I think it's the type of thing where, sure, the University should be involved in society. We have the intelligence here, we have the media here that we can actually go out and talk to our society, but I think first of all, we must teach students that student government is really relevant to them right here.
Then, if we can use the unpopular term and radicalize them here on the campus, then we can expand and radicalize them out in society. That is what ought to be taken as far as issues confronting us outside the University.
AWBREY: First, I would like to say that I am shocked with pleasure. A month ago in our platform, we condemned racism, we condemned the war in Vietnam, and we were attacked by two of the three parties for being irrelevant. I am glad to see that they have come over finally.
8 KANSAN Apr. 23 1969
There is no issue in this nation or
this world that does not affect KU.
Tell us if you think so.
People here who are on student loans are afraid to protest because they are afraid those loans will be cut off—thanks to President Nixon. Those here are afraid to protest the war in Vietnam because they may lose contracts.
We feel that the student government has got to face the issues that are relevant to the students, such as Vietnam or whatever. Student government had got to be a voice of student concern. I think in this room, with the large percentage of boys here, if you think for a minute, in a couple of years, your education will be for naught if you have a bullet in your head.
This deal about studying it more, let's look at it. it let's have some raining on it.
We have been in Vietnam for 14 years, are we going to study for 14 more years and another 35,000 lives? agree with Mark. I say that if the state wants a referendum on Vietnam, we must it soon, before we are killed.
I think the effect of this will be very great, whether you believe it or not. I have a feeling that Larry Wyman, a former Kansas congressman, if few other Kansas congressmen, if these, they are going to start thinking, "Uh-oh, in two years I'm up for re-election, and there's a lot of twenty and twenty-one-year-olds who are going to be voting. I had better think about this." Hopefully, he will.
Outside of the University, the first question that was discussed was housing. There are 3000 houses in North Lawrence that don't even meet requirements for small town residence pointed out. Incidentally, the resident halls don't meet it either.
ZILM: First of all, this statement was made that any thing that happens in our society affects us at the University. This is sort of obvious, I have never doubted this in my life. It affects me no matter where I am.
The question is how can our
turbidity affect the making of
changes in our society?
The fact is, our University has started to make an effort. The School of Architecture has gone in with the need to house students in housing which will supply minimum housing for 20 per cent, supply a mix of students, a mix of people in the community. We are beginning to make change here in our liberal community.
On the larger scale, it's nice for us to make a referendum stop the war in Vietnam. That's a very good thing, but what do we need to use? A senator might listen to us and say, they'll be there to vote. But what if we make a stand and say this is what's happening now. This is what we want to do wrong, why aren't you doing anything?
look at it seriously in a realistic stand.
If nothing else, there will be questions there they will have to answer. It's one thing to get up and make an emotional commitment, to help someone line, and yes, I think we should stop because I don't want to die for something I don't believe in. It's another thing to get down and just
It's another thing to say, all right,
we're there, what can we do? How
can we get out? Should we get out?
These are the questions that should
be answered before we get up and
say—yes, stop the war.
This goes into all fields. It goes into racism, into housing. This is the approach that intellectual beings take to every problem that they face.
YATES: We have sort of a hypothetical question here. To each of the candidates—You're president of the student body, and you walk into your office and pick up the phone and find that a group of students has taken over one of the buildings, Strong Hall for instance. They're obstructing the processes of the University. What's your stand, and what action do you take?
LEFFEL: 1 should hope any student body president of the University of Kansas would not walk into his office and have a telephone call advising him that there's some of disruptive process going on. 1 would ensure that student body president should be aware of the problem ahead of time.
If there was enough cause to disrupt or to sit in on any building, I would. I think the student body president ought to be there sitting in with them.
This is the type of program we have at the University of Kansas—the potential for a student government that really is a student government
It's going to be worth it, and it's going to be part of all the students at University, and it's going to be visible all the students in this University.
We're going to know what the problems are, and we're going to speak out on all of them, and we're going to have results and changes and solutions from the government outside of student government, student government isn't functioning.
AWBREY: First, I would like to say that I agree with Rusty that it's a difficult situation, that in a student government we well developed, this wouldn't happen.
However, student government is not relevant, and it could happen and happen real soon. We have terrible divisions in this University. We have blacks against whites, Greeks against white institutions, ROTC against anti-ROTC.
If we're going to make student government relevant, if we're going to make it effective, these things simply won't happen. But if we continue with the same Mickey will happen. We'll continue with the same will happen. I feel very strongly that if student government is irrelevant, that we should do one of two things: we should again try to reform at all costs, and I'm totally at odds with them in some things, unless they're learning something maybe you are learning something if you are in a picket line. I would say, I am totally at odds with people who
use violent means for their political ends. The end does not justify the use of violence.
However, I do feel very strongly that if student government is not desired, then we must turn the University into a true concentration camp.
This would be a concentration camp controlled by the Regents, controlled by the parents, controlled by the legislature.
This would be the worst thing in the world, but I cannot conceive of students being misled under a cruel hoax that student government is relevant when indeed it isn't. We must realize that many people are too take the drastic measures to fight this, so it simply cannot happen.
EDWARDS: I too hope that student government is going to be relevant enough that the students won't have to do this. But I think if this should happen, the first thing the student body president ought to do is immediately meet with his people to instruct them and be able to set up classroom and educational process could go on and people wouldn't be deprived of any of their class meetings during the period that the sit-in was going on.
I think the second thing that ought to be done through the Student
Senate is to immediately establish communications with why this thing is going on and the Student Senate will respond immediately if we can through a petition.
I think it's very probable that something like this could happen at the U.S. Intercontinental Airport.
Again, I would hope that student government would be enough that the students wouldn't have to take them and that they could come through senate activity can show the students that they can function through the senate.
JONES: This will be our last question to the candidates. One of the issues that has come up in this campaign is the handling of student activity funds, an issue that's very close to those of us who work on the Kansan. How should the student activity funds be handled, by whom and for whom?
BOWMAN: The main contention that ISP holds is that since the students are not for university services, since the University does (Continued on page 39)
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