University of Kansas - Jayhawker Yearbook (Lawrence, KS)

Page 55 text:

OCTOBER, 1935 51 Cheerleaders Committee Selects Leaders to Direct Vocal Endeavors of Herd by HARLAN SHORES EVERY succeeding year the interest shown by the students of Kansas University toward interscholastic sports seems to heighten. There is, however, a. constant source of irritation. As the crowds increase, the noise diminishes. Perhaps complaints in this direction have been made before. Yell! Boys yell! does make a good heading for an editorial. But unlike most pessimistic editorializing, this situation is a fact. Many solutions to account for this pre- valent lade of vocal energy have been suggested. When it was realized several years ago that Rock Chalk no longer shook the stadium walls, it was thought that the cheerleaders were not exactly fit. Since then long ones and short ones, thin ones and fat ones, husky ones and anaemic ones have all been tried. Every one of them was able to make good ges- tures and plenty of noise. There are. or were, two groups of cheerers, the leaders and the cheering section. (The booing section won ' t be mentioned.) The seat of the trouble definitely doss not lie with the cheerleaders and the yells have rhythm, fame, and tradition. The only group left to condemn is the crowd. Physical incapability in the forms of muteness or quinsy is not the cause of the predominating silence during the yelk. Statistics show that the new students were able to say Ah! for the medical exami- nation, and everyone yelled loudly, when they learned the price of their semester fees. Odd as it may seem, the number of aspirants for cheerleading positions was still large this year. The eagerness of these active and vociferous lads to do pantomimes before mobs that have in the past few years been sullen, unappre- ciative, and voiceless, is amazing. But the new crop of yell leaders looked good to the pep committee. This committee is composed of one member from each of the following campus organizations: Men ' s Student Council, K Club, Ku Kus, Jay Janes, Sachem, and Mortar Board. Lyman Field, president of the Men ' s Student Council, acted as chairman dur- ing the tryouts and selections. The try- outs and selections, often regarded as a joke, were handled in a serious business- like manner this year. Consequently, when the final decisions were announced, the leaders chosen were not only able to lead an organized yell, but were fairly representative of activities on the Hill. Verl Ward, selected by the committee to replace Hans Pfuetze as the head cheerleader, was good enough to beat Clyde Nichols, a junior leader of last year, in a race for the leading position. In spite of his lack of experience, Ward directs his cheers as smoothly and rhythmically as a veteran leader. Whether he can take it, when he is forced by a silent mob to do a solo, remains to be seen. His broad smile, however, indicates a tolerant temperament. If he can com- bine this virtue of good nature with his undoubted leading ability, Ward will be qualified to make the crowd roar. The cheerleaders selected from the junior class are George Paris and Bill Townsley. Neither of these boys has had any leading experience, but both of them showed up well before the pep commit- tee in the stadium tryouts. Paris is attend- ing the university for the first time this year. He and Townsley look like good teammates for Verl Ward. These three should be able to coax enough noise from the Kansas cheering section to be heard echoing back and forth between Topeka and Kansas City. Clyde Nichols and Bill McDonald, both defeated for the head cheerleading position, will serve as alternates. They will lead the cheering on the west side of the stadium from the twenty-five yard line south. The remaining five leaders were chosen from the combined Freshman and Sophomore classes. These under- classmen are: Chet Mize, ' 38; Mike Pen- nock, ' 38; Jack Nessle, ' 38; Dan Gor- man, ' 38; and Man-in Cox, ' 39. They look to be one of the finest groups of freshmen cheerleaders that ever cheered before a Jayhawk section. With this capable group of cheer- leaders and strong yells, the students of Kansas University should be able to prove that the Rock Chalk will always be the nationally known battle chant of the students of K. U. TRYING OUT FOR CHEERLEADER VERL WARD, HEAD CHEERLEADER

Page 54 text:

50 THE JAYHAWKER Should the girl pay her way? A Kansas Coed Speculates on the Feas- ibility of Balancing the Date Budget r HOUGH the time has come -they tell me when women no longer hesitate to enter any field formerly cornered by members of the opposite sex, and they shout their battle cry of Freedom, you ' ll still find the average woman a shy, little shrinking violet when the time comes to walk to the cashier ' s desk, and, though I hate to contradict a good, old tradition and a time-honored proverb, it is still the long suffering male who wears out his pockets with the continuous traffic. An unheard-of utopia it would be for any young man if this situation were reversed or even half-way reversed, but most every girl that you and I know would feel it her cue to retire and leave this mad social whirl. After all, there is very little lure or glamour if that is what you are looking for in reaching for the check each time it is presented. But, ah ! you men what possibilities lie in this for you ! What rugged and grim determination you can reveal when you casually brush aside any other chump who attempts to outfumble you! Think, when you stride to the cashier ' s desk to pay a check, which has somehow grown too large, what poise and nonchalance you can portray even though inside you are a quivering mass of apprehension. Such possibilities as these are unlimited ! But with a thoughtful and constructive manner let us face these glaring facts. On the whole, the men of K. U. are still playing fairy godfather to every -check on the table. One hand in the pocket and the other clutching the check is almost as much of a habit as brushing your teeth. In spite of the unfairness of this situa- tion most men would be insulted and embarrassed if their dates would reach fcX for the check first. When- l 1 ever this situation is inno- cently mentioned in idle conversation just among friends, there are still some from the old school who throw their hands up in horror and exclaim, What do you think I am! When that happens I stop dating. Some of the noble specimens of man- hood lurking about our campus admit that this would be a most novel and yet untried approach to a platonic friendship, yet if their dates would surprise them to the extent of paying the bill the only reaction would be one part shock, one part resentment and a few dashes of an unnecessary feeling. However, I have often heard of a few of the young men of our campus stretching their iron clad views to the point of using their date ' s car for the evening. It may be they are only victims of circumstance for when it comes to a choice between using a girl ' s car or trudging over the endless hills on our fair campus, walking is definitely out. And so, it appears that the gentleman obviously doesn ' t indulge in letting his date pay her way. Despite the fact that a good many times this would ease the financial difficulties, no man would wish to attract the attention of the crowd while hand his date divided their shares of the Most girls have a little different attitude. Much to your surprise, you will find us not quite as mer- cenary creatures as you have supposed. The women on this Hill have about an equal monthly income as the men. From this standpoint it would seem only fair that the girl pay half. However, I doubt the feasibil- ity of this innovation at any immediate date. Few girls, if any, would consent to paying their way when just dating around. We feel that such an action, with some- one you have known only a short while, would not only be in bad taste but would create an embarrassing scene for both parties. Regardless of how we might enjoy it, paying half on a first date ranks in our opinion on the same level as attending a mid-week and firmly joining the stag line in order to do our half of cutting. Under other circumstances the case is altered a great deal. There are few girls who would not be willing to go half and half when it is with someone they have known for a long time, or with the only one. by BETTY RUTH SMITH After all, when two people have come to an understanding, as grandmother coyly put it, there also should be an understanding about financial arrangements. To be truthful, a man doesn ' t really have a chance, I guess. He just goes on paying his, her, and their bills all of his life. The only difference is that some just start in earlier than the others. Well, regardless of a man ' s fate or financial destiny, most girls who are engaged, or have a hunch they are going to be soon, would prefer to help save their money until the future time when the two of them may spend many a happy (?) evening figuring out all of the mysteries of the budget system. (No, this is not an advice to the lovelorn column.) And until the day when you find yourself in such a fortunate posi- tion, my young friends, I fear you will go on finding a man ' s fate a hard one and life but a game of pay as you go. Though I hate to discourage you, I fear the possibility of an immediate change in the financial side of this dat- ing business is an improbable one, and on your next date the old ancient custom will still prevail. Anyway, it is still a nice feeling that feeling of power and pride that comes when you leave the little woman to her thoughts as you, with a manly air, attend to that eternal nuisance, the check. II (LINES OUT OF LONELINESS) Last night I died For love of you. When we passed this morning. You said, t Hello. Cornelia Ann Miller

Page 56 text:

52 THE JAYHAWKER THE BEFORE we get started with the business at hand, let us tell the purpose of this little column. It has been the custom during a number of years now for the University to give its students a little relaxation on the social side through our well- known Union and the very accomodating efforts of the Hill ' s fraternities and sororities. The purpose of this fill-up space anecdote is to report the good and bad occurring at all these student gatherings and to mention a few names just for the pleasure of Tim Clem Eubanks Donahue ' s herd. We might also say that this isn ' t really an attempt to com- pete against the Hill ' s ace snoopers, Rex Pale Woods, and Jumping Joseph Pryor, the journalistic editor. of the Sour Owl. This column will leave these two to their maneuvering and philandering while it proceeds merrily, or approximately thereto, on its own way. Now for what we might call the Social Wheel. Just by the way of a passing remark, the first few dances were hotter than a Beta hotbox with the Field boys in all their glory. Red Blackburn opened the gay jamboree September 16 with three hours of some of the best music the boys and girls had heard for a long time. That sojourn at Estes Park this summer didn ' t give the boys any bad habits whatsoever. The new crop of neophytes was out in full force for this one. For example, the Alpha Chis laid down the slipper, or whatever it is they lay down, and told the girls, that only dates to the varsity were to be accepted. No one seemed to be missing except Pat Lyman, the Kappa beauty queen who, incidentally, didn ' t lose any charm during the summer months. Two days later the socialites were confronted with another brawl, the Free Mixer. All who attended were greeted with a new Hill personality (?), Mr. Wayne Wright, one of the Fiji boys at Missouri. Here ' s hoping he puts a plank in the Kansas chapter ' s rushing spiel. Incidentally Wright is quite a man with SPOKESMAN the ladies. This fact is attested by Theta Lucy Lee Hawk, a Stephens girl via Tulsa, who huffed and puffed when he remembered and spoke to her as she was tripping by. On Friday night, September 20th, the Phi Psis and the A. T. O. ' s opened up with two gala events. The A. T. O. ' s came out on the long end of the score; that is, in attendance. They established a new idea with their fraternity open house, which was, in fact, a very good party. The other fraternities literally took possession of the house for the night, to dance with the A. T. O. ' s best better moments and listen to the boys headed by Red Blackburn. Quite a few students, however, owe the Phi Psis an apology for walking in on their private party. The next night the Chancellor ' s Reception took the Hill by storm. The storm carried no wind and, if anything, was hotter than any of the earlier parties. The chance to meet and get acquainted with the faculty and indulge in a few of the latest dance steps lured many a would-be student away from the printed material. The different laundries around town will tell you what a night that was. Well, with school started in full force the following Mon- day, the Social Wheel lost a lot of speed. The week was given over to the political maneuverings of the different candi- dates for the Varsity Dance Managership, and the preparation of three sororities for their Open Houses. When Friday the 27th rolled around the man power of sixteen fraternities was ganged around the doors of the Union building, Theta. and A. D. Pi houses to see the results of women ' s rush week. We were unable to attend but one of these, but we learned that the old guard got a bigger rush than the new charmers. At the Theta house we found Mr. Wayne Wright leading his outfit before a large crowd consisting of Thetas and men. George Guernsey started some kind of a stooge game and before twelve AT THE A. D. PI OPEN HOUSE THE OPENING VARSITY