University of Kansas - Jayhawker Yearbook (Lawrence, KS)

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CHALMERS RESIGNS l In the fall of 1969 E. Laurence Chalmers jr. became the lth Chancellor of the University of Kansas. Larry las he 'efered to be calledj saw a quiet, somewhat conservative impus, suddenly erupt into violence. Social standards wanged dramatically. Some campus traditions died, hile a new found social awareness paved the way for ew ones. When Larry came to K.U. most of the buildings on ampus were old and over-crowded. The University eeded more money in order to expand its programs and J pay its faculty and staff. When Larry left things had hanged -the old buildings were three years older and me faculty 'and staff were receiving less money. This is not J say that Larry didn't try, but rather, that his pleas fell on we ears of congressmen more interested in building su- 'er-highways than a university. Another notable change has occurred during the last hree years - this University is held in lower regard by Ome Kansans now than it was then. Prior to Larry's arrival n 1969, there had only been demonstrations which were ow-keyed in nature. In the spring of 1970,tl19 wvfld tame crashing in. There were violent demonstrations in vhich buildings were burned and damaged. People were njured and, in the summer, killed. State legislators and Jther officials, seeking to further their political careers, Photo by Dan Lauing did so - at the expense of the University and the state's future. It didn't matter to them that Chalmers' cool head had prevented further damage. It just happened that he was Chancellor during a period of time when the revolution- ary furor reached its pinnacle, and so he became their scapegoat. As Larry took a state-wide tour to talk with parents and alumni about the violent spring at K.U. the Regents voted for his resignation. Larry kept his job by one vote. Yet the university made remarkable progress as well. Relevancy crept into the curriculum. We began to study women's rights, minority rights and cultures. We were educated about sexuality, gay liberation, women's libera- tion, and the war in Viet Nam. Even old stand-by courses like history, calculus, and german took on new meaning. The world was changing and we were caught in it. Larry Chalmers was Chancellor at a time when the Uni- versity needed his special ability to communicate with the students. Unfortunately he was not particularly popular with the citizens of the state of Kansas. After his divorce this summer, Chalmers submitted his resignation to the Kansas Board of Regents. The resigna- tion was accepted.