Regents delay prompts letters
The delayed action by the Kansas Board of Regents on the promotion of two University of Kansas professors has prompted letters to the Regents from the Council of Deans and the Student Senate Executive Committee (SenEx).
In its letter, the Council of Deans urged the promotion of Lawrence Velvel, associate professor of law, and Fredric Litto, assistant professor of speech.
Support for the student strike of April 15 was expressed in the SenEx letter, which protested the Regents' passing over of the two promotions.
Dave Awbrey, student body president, said the SenEx supported the proposed student strike scheduled for Wednesday.
The statement says: "We, the Student Senate Executive Committee support the student strike on April 8. Further, we ask our fellow students to support the student strike in an effort to protect academic freedom at the University."
The SenEx letter, however, did not receive full support from its members. Rick von Ende, Abilene, Tex. graduate student and SenEx member, said he was refusing to join in the signing of the letter. He called it "counter-productive to getting the promotions."
Awbrey said the other six members of the committee have either signed the letter or intend to do so.
r signed the letter or intend to do so. The letter from the Council of Deans (including all academic deans and the dean of faculties and the directors of libraries, University Extension and the
computation center) appealed to the Regents to accept the recommendations.
The letter stated "these recommendations reflect careful professional academic judgments made by the faculty and administration at all levels."
The letter acknowledged the Regents' authority to deny the promotions, but stated that "the Board has never before rejected the professional and academic judgment of the University's committees and administrators in matters of promotion." It also stated the Council believed that Chancellor E. Laurence Chalmers Jr. agreed with them without reservation.
Students have started action concerning Wednesday's strike. Handouts are to be distributed by students encouraging student participation in strike activities today and Tuesday, said Awbrey. Students would also be visiting the living groups each night to explain the strike and encourage its support he said.
A general meeting for coordinating final plans will be held Tuesday at 9 p.m. in the Kansas Union Big Eight Room.
Awbrey said there would be a table in the Union with facilities to stencil "t"-shirts. The students must provide their own shirts.
"Students will picket all buildings on campus to encourage strike participation," Awbrey said. A mass rally will be staged at 1:30 p.m. in front of Strong Hall, he added.
After the demonstration there will be a rock festival at Potter Lake that Abbie Hoffman is expected to attend, said Awbrey.
--and
Bulletin
The University of Kansas—Lawrence, Kansas Monday, April 6,1970
Recently when one or two members of the Board of Regents questioned two recommendations for promotion, I requested that consideration be delayed until the University could submit a statement to the Board concerning the policies and criteria used to select candidates for promotion. The Board of Regents concurred with my request since periodic review of institutional policies is entirely within the proper purview of the Board.
The suggestion that there should be a student rally or a boycott of classes on Wednesday may be inappropriate in light of certain facts concerning the approval of promotions.
80th Year, No.107
The following is a prepared statement released from the Chancellor's office Sunday:
When Board members have received and reviewed these policies and criteria, I am confident that they will agree that every candidate submitted by the University of Kansas is qualified for promotion. Unfortunately these materials will not reach members of the Board until the middle of this week. Consideration by the Board of Regents prior to receipt of materials promised by the University would be an unreasonable expectation.
I trust that each student and faculty member will give careful consideration to these facts as well as to the freedoms and sanctions of the new Student Code of Conduct before deciding upon his or her participation in any irregular activity.
E. Laurence Chalmers, Jr.
Cancellor of the University
Singer explains Indians' problems
By KAREN KLINKENBERG
MARILYN McMULLEN Kansan Staff Writers
More American Indians have died in the past three years than the number of Americans killed in Vietnam, Buffy Ste. Marie, a Cree Indian folksinger, said in an interview after the Festival of Arts concert Saturday.
"The biggest problem facing American Indians today is our phenomenal death rate," she said. "Our infant and maternal mortality rates are 10 times higher than any others on this continent."
Miss Ste. Marie spent Sunday afternoon at Haskell Institute with the people she sings about and is fighting for
"Non-Indian people can't possibly know how we feel—how it is to be an
Indian," she told a packed auditorium of Haskell students. Miss Ste. Marie began the afternoon with a free concert in the auditorium. She sang two Cree songs and several of the songs she performed at her KU concert.
But she did more than sing to them. She talked to them about being an Indian.
Attributing the modern Indian's plight partly to public ignorance, Miss Ste. Marie, an Oriental philosophy major in college, said it would be "great" if all universities instituted a program of Indian culture. She suggested that KU students might sponsor an American Indian weekend and invite Haskell students to participate.
Miss Ste. Marie attacked non-Indians for their exploitation of Indians over the years. But she told her Haskell
audience that, after talking to students on the Hill, she knew people "on the outside" wanted to come in.
"They really wish you well," she said. White students suffered with the Indians because they have been stiffed by a system that turns out "plastic children."
"I think there is a great fallacy in childrearing and education in America," she said. "I call it the 'Carrot syndrome.'" Parents and teachers hold a child's future potential in front of him, like a carrot in front of a mule."
"This isn't done to Indian children until the age of six when they are taken from their mothers and placed in boarding schools. It blows their minds to be treated like white kids after having six years to be themselves."
She told Haskell students to keep
informed about the abuse to Indians on the "outside." She reminded them of the problem at Fort Lawton, Okla., where, she said, a defense base no longer used by the government should, by a treaty agreement, be returned to the Indians.
She also spoke of the trouble in Washington where the government revoked the Seneca tribe's fishing rights, established by a treaty signed by George Washington. The government wanted the land to build a dam, but had a choice of two sites, she said.
"I'm not going to let the non-Indian public go uninformed anymore, she pledged. "All over they're going to find out about Haskell."
"It's a matter of honor to me: I'm an educated American, and as long as I'm
(Continued to page 12)
UDK News Roundup
By United Press International
Postal rate raise opposed
WASHINGTON—Congress tackled the negotiated postal pay package today with leaders predicting quick passage of a pay raise, but certain defeat for President Nixon's proposal to raise the six cent stamp to a dime.
Ambassador murdered
GUATEMALA CITY—Their ransom demands unfulfilled, terrorist kidnapers murdered the West German ambassador to Guatemala and left his body in a deserted shack Sunday in the hills above Guatemala City.
--that the latter question listed only two courses, but referred to all general courses, including mathematics, that are required for majors in the College. However, this question did not concern requirements for a particular major in a department, he added.
Comp, draft on ballot
By TINA BORAK
Kansan Staff Writer
Concerning academic freedom, the ballot asks, "Do you favor the elimination of the Western Civilization comprehensive examination as a requirement from any school or department of the University?" and, on a separate ballot for juniors and seniors in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, "Do you favor the elimination of all general requirements (language, speech, etc.) as a prerequisite for graduation?"
George Laughead, Dodge City junior and chairman of the Course Teacher Evaluation committee of the Student Senate, said Sunday
Two other questions, "Do you favor immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Vietnam?" and "Do you favor an immediate end to the military draft, replaced by a voluntary army?" were placed on the ballot by the steering committee of the Student Mobilization Committee.
These questions are part of a national effort to bring the issues to ballot, a member of the student Mobe steering committee said Sunday. The reiterend Tuesday
is an opportunity to get student response near the beginning of National Anti-War Week, April 13-18. he explained.
He said a favorable result would be significant because it might influence those who have some power in the country.
Bill Ebert, Topeka junior and newly-elected student body president, said that if the questions on academic freedom passed, they would provide good statistics in stating the cases to the policymaking committees.
If the student vote approves the questions, Ebert said, the proposals would be presented to the College Educational Policy committee which would make recommendations to the College faculty. He said the College faculty would make the ultimate decision on the policy.