Duke University - Chanticleer Yearbook (Durham, NC)

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year of the national elections. Gold- water buttons interspersed among John- son-Humphrey ones seemed to replace the black and «hite Freedom Now buttons over the campus. Literature was distributed by the Duke Young Republicans Club and College Students for Johnson-Hum- phrey, and applications for voters registration found their wiv to desks and doors. As election date grew closer, the West Information Desk re- ceived varied requests for a notary public ' s signature on absentee ballots from wallet-size to map-size. Buses were filled to hear Johnson speak in Raleigh, and the Beanbirds arose at dawn to welcome Lady Bird to the area. In the ZBT mock election, out of 1745 votes cast, Johnson led 988-757, with 56.7% of the overall vote. Of these. West Campus went 52% for Gold- water, but the East Campus, graduate, and faculty votes swung the balance to Johnson. Besides the poll, the Chronicle and the Lorum presented both sides of the issue, and equal time and space was a University policy as well as a national one. On East Campus, WSGA sponsored a three-day seminar on the Presidency, with Dr. Robert S. Rankin, political science professor and member of the U. S. Civil Rights Commission, head- ing the speakers. Problems of the presi- dential succession, and party as well as national demands on the President were faced in the academic arena this time. As political interest extended into the national field ot concentration. 14

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ranks, the goals attained by the in- dividual arc finnlh- reflected by the attainments of the University. Dr. Knight has said, Much has been given us, and much will be expected. VV ' e dare not be satisfied, as a result, until we are a national force in every Held which legitimately concerns us. Wc have the skill for it; together we can find the means for it; and we must live up to the obligation of them both. Ironically, these words have become a marchbook motto, yet as such they are a constant reminder of the coordinated individual effort and the existence of a purpose beyond the self-sufficient uni- versity community. Thus the honors won by each student contribute to the distinction of the en- tire University. This year seven rising seniors won Duke scholarships, which are usually awarded for the coming year to the five in each class who have maintained the highest average the preceding year. For the first time there was a six-way tie of a straight 4.0 average. By the middle of the year over seventy seniors had been tapped into Phi Beta Kappa, and fifty-seven were chosen as members of Ulw ' s Who. In a different light, the University profited from the distinction of Nobel Peace Prize winner, Martin Luther King. Page Auditorium overflowed to the lawns outside, where speakers were set up, and the crowd gave a standing ovation to the man who has been so active behind the Civil Rights scene. Several letters were subsequent- ly written to Duke in protest to King, including one from an alumnus of 1949. Yet the tenor of campus thought had been registered by the reaction of the audience that afternoon in Page. This was one of the few times that Page had been completely filled in the past few years for an outside speaker. V hether from curiosity or support, the University community demonstrated its willingness to participate in this pro- gram sponsored by the Student Union. In other ways the element of par- ticipation gave an impetus to the grow- ing life of the University. Although Martin Luther King was cheered by a largely sympathetic crowd, the active agitation of the previous year seemed superseded by another Cause. In this 13

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Duke also found itself playing a part on the state political scene. A Demo- cratic rally was addressed by North Carolina Governor Terry Sanford, tol- lowed closely by a Republican rally for Robert Gavin and Walter Green. These rallies were sponsored by the student campaign groups as election day drew near and advocates of one party or another made even louder noises in favor of their candidates. The hubbub of the national elections died down, but most students kept an the summer months. Students were able to apply for study under Duke sponsorship in France, Germany, and Spain. ear tuned to events of note. When the Russian coup was announced, the Chronicle carried two evaluations of its meaning, one by Dr. Warren Lerner, professor of Russian history, and another bv a student who had spent a summer in the USSR. Further steps were made in broaden- ing the student ' s participation in such programs when Duke this year es- tablished a study-abroad program for On East a French Corridor was set up in the expanding language program. Thirty students agreed to speak only F ' rench while on the hall and at dinner each evening during the week. ' hile bridge games sometimes lapsed into English, the program offered a much- needed opportunity for students to be- come fluent in another language here at Duke. In considering Duke ' s relationship to 15