University of Kansas - Jayhawker Yearbook (Lawrence, KS)

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(Photo by Hal Branine) After Forty-five Years a a Center of Campus IH tin ini the Chancellor Residence Echoes the Enthusiasm of a New Kind of Student Group Life by CARTER BUTLER r h . II I I I N strange study lamps began to burn El tins fall in tin- former home of the University chancellors at 1345 Louisiana as that residence became the home of the 1011 semi-organized house group. Ideally located and venerably inviting, the house was eagerly eyed last spring as a possible home for the group when the beneficence of the late Mrs. Elizabeth Walking provided a new Chancellor ' s residence. The University author- ities were approached and were finally convinced of the desirability of having the group as tenants, at least for one year. In late July, Karl Klooz, University Bursar, was empowered by Chancellor Malott to rent the house to Mrs. W. J. Wallace, their housemother, for the year 1939-1940. On September first Mrs. Wallace took possession to mark the first change of address of the semi- organized group since its inception seven years ago. The men now occupying the spacious old house are the current edition of the oldest semi-organ- ized group on the Hill. In the fall of 1932 five Suinmerfield Scholars, urton Power, ' 33, Rich- ard Porter, ' 34, Robert Ganoung, ' 34, Chevey White, ' 35, and Waldo Shaw, ' 35, conceived of the idea of semi-organization as the solution to their own particular living problems. Dissatis- fied with the usual one-room-and-a-bed existence of the average boarding-house and unable to bear the financial burden of fraternity life, these men sought a living arrangement that would combine the inexpensiveness of the one with some of the social advantages of the other. They wanted a house which they could use like a real home, with a housemother who would be more than just a landlady. During the fall of 1932 they scoured Lawrence looking for a house that would suit their needs and a woman who would act as housemother. It was a slow and discouraging task, but they finally found what they wanted in the person of Mrs. W. J. Wallace and the one-time Theta Annex at 1011 Indiana. After some negotiations, they con- ( Continued on Page 81) ...what did

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OCTOBER 1939 17 located the University of Kansas at Lawrence. According to its charter, the University was to consist of two branches a male and a female branch. The latter was to be taught exclusively by women and entirely separate from the male branch. Thus it was attempted to prevent ac- quaintanceships that might grow into flirtations. Filled with youthful enthusiasm for their new task, two of the first faculty members, Profes- sors D. H. Robinson and Francis H. Snow came to Lawrence early in September, 1866. After meeting their colleague, Prof. Elial J. Rice, they sought out Chancellor R. W. Oliver, question- ing him concerning the preparations they should make for the opening of the University. He advised them to hire some guns and horses and go back into the hills to hunt prairie chickens. Unable to see the relation between prairie chickens and entrance examinations, they con- sulted Acting President Elial J. Rice. He was engaged in writing a poem which he hoped to be invited to read at the formal dedication of the University the day before school opened. The poem seemed a unique production to the young professors, but unfortunately the dedica- tion program was already complete and the poem went unread. The natal day of the University dawned clear and cool. The faculty went early to Old North College to await the students. Carpenters noisily put finishing touches on the stairs. One by one, young men and women straggled in some walked, those who lived farther away rode on ponies. In all, some fifty-five persons enrolled and were found to be ready for instruction on the high school level. This lack of training was a blow to the enthu- siasm of the young professors. Now they realized that hunting prairie chickens was just as bene- ficial to the opening of the school as the prepara- tion of useless examination questions that could not be used for years. So the University adapted its service to fit the need of the hour and became a preparatory school. Work went on smoothly until spring when, to THE ROLL OF CHANCELLORS Rev. R. W. Oliver 1865-1867 Gen. John Fraser 1868-1874 James Marvin 1874-1882 Rev. J. A. Lippincott 1882-1889 Frank H. Snow 1890-1900 W. C. Spangler 1900-1902 Frank Strong 1902-1920 Ernest H. Lindley 1920-1939 Deane W. Malott 1939- Skeletons, Mock Funerals, and Spring Fever Mingle in the Record With Ruilding Programs the consternation of the instructors, one by one the students disappeared until more than half were gone. Investigation revealed that spring farm work was claiming many scholars while others had contracted spring fever. Personal appeals to students by the faculty resulted in the triumphant closing of the first school year with twenty-two students. Near the close of 1867, Chancellor Oliver resigned his position. His duties had .been to act as financial agent of the University and to pre- side at meetings of the regents and executive committee. He had nothing to do with instruc- tion. Forceful and energetic, Gen. John Fraser followed him in office on June 16, 1868. Gen- eral Fraser taught philosophy as well as attended to administrative duties. At one time during these early years of the University, the only hope for a graduating class for several years to come, lay with four young sophomore women. One of these dropped out to marry, a second was suspected of the same plan in mind, a third was moving to another state and the fourth, unwilling to carry on alone, was con- templating teaching school. Greatly concerned, one of the professors called in the fourth young (Continued on Page 67) OF THREE-FOURTHS OF I

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OCTOBER 1939 19 Self Supporting Students Take the Bull by the Horns And Establish Their Own Co-Op Thirty-three cents a day for food. That ' s not the beginning of a background story of slum conditions at K.U. Quite the contrary. It describes the start of a student war against those very slum conditions. The girls have been doing it for a dozen years cooking and buying their own food, cleaning their own rooms, governing themselves at Wat- kins and later at Miller Hall. But it wasn ' t the University ' s fault. It was Mrs. Elizabeth Watkins that gave them the start and the support. Be it noted, too, that the Endowment Association sponsored some cooperative houses for girls even before Mrs. Watkins ' first dormitory gift in 1926. Independent men students on the Hill have always had a sneaking feeling that the University was never going to help them out on the housing que stion. Not that the University was deaf to their needs. It was the controllers of state funds that seemed to be indifferent to facts, figures, embarrassing comparisons with other state schools, and factual descriptions of boys living in six-foot, dirt-floor rooms. And so, finally, it happened. The right men got together with the right sort of determination and decided to do the job themselves. A group of Methodist students under Dr. Edwin F. Price made the first definite plans. The movement soon enlarged, however, and the de- nominational idea was dropped. They studied estimates of expenditures and budgets until they were weary, and came to the conclusion that there was nothing very visionary about it: by doing their own work they could furnish housing and board plus that intangible thing called fellowship for $17 a month. Why not? Other universities were doing it the University of Washington to the tune of half the student-body. They elected officers. Gerald Fiedler was chosen president, Stafford Ruhlen vice-president, Don DeFord secretary, and Kermit Franks treas- urer-buyer-manager. They prevailed upon John J. O. Moore, Y.M.C.A. secretary, and Mrs. Moore to stay at the house and act as sponsors. And then they rented the house at 1614 Kentucky Street decided to call it the Jayhawk Co-op. Each member agreed to deposit $20 for the purchase of furniture and equipment. By some miracle of marketing (and a few small gifts of cash and furniture from interested townspeople ) (Continued on Page 80) HOUSING FOR MEN The local authorities have heen shaking their heads over the housing problem for some years now in fact, housing for men has been a good, solemn discussion-subject for a couple of decades. Yet the first sign of a serious project in this direc- tion came only last year. Dean Olin Templin, secre- tary of the Endowment Association, decided some- tiling had to be done. He announced the beginning of an actual drive for funds to refurbish the old Acacia House, rechristen it Alumni Place, and give it to the University as a home for self-supporting men students. There has never been any doubt about the need for such a house. There has never been any doubt that it could be successful. At present there is some doubt about the outcome of the search for funds. But the project must surely go through. The question is when? It is interesting to note that at the same time the Alumni Place idea was coming to a head, individual students were taking things into their own hands fumblingly, but practically thinking in terms of dollars and cents thinking in terms of immediate action. This fall that project turned into a reality. You ' ll find it at 1614 Kentucky, under the name of the Jayhawk Co-op. Again, it is interesting to note that in the field of moderate-priced housing, also, students have had to show the University how. This is the eighth year of existence of the semi-organized house, a system of living inaugurated on the K.U. campus at 1011 Indiana by a group of Summerfield Scholars. These two healthy experiments are described in detail on these two pages. We hope that Mr. Templin brings them to the attention of Mr. Paul Endacott, the Alumni Association ' s president. And we hope Mr. Malott shows them to Mr. J. C. Denious and Mr. Buell Scott of the Kansas Senate and House respec- tively. For these are proofs on a small scale of what the University can do far better on a large scale. These serve 40 men. Non-fraternity men on the Hill number 2,000. you say about a lousing problem!