University of Kansas - Jayhawker Yearbook (Lawrence, KS)

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There seems to be a process of self-selection here at the University of Kansas. Although our school has open admission, great number of the students that choose KU are in the top 20 per cent of their high school graduating class. These students strengthen every facet ofthe University. There seems to be a general shift in attitude of the students at KU. Dykes said, Students today are more eager to take full advantage of the opportunities of the university than they were a few years ago. They are more serious about their academic pursuits and are concerned with preparing for important contributions to society. There is also a return to more traditional values, he said. ln the two years Dykes has been here, he has seen this reflected in the growing participation in fraternities, sororities and even events such as Rock Chalk. The general recession of our economy has moved students to be more cautious and more concerned about their economic welfare, Dykes said. They are more eager to gain security and job opportunities and are less optimistic about their futu res. Dykes said he sees a greater sense of community at work among different facets of the university. There is a willingness, he said, to work together to build a better university by both the student body, student leaders, faculty and administration. The concern to improve undergraduate teaching seems to be growing as well. There is something exciting, he said, about being on the frontier of knowledge and that's impossible if faculty are not involved with their students. The process just breaks down. That involvement is the essence of high quality education. Several specific programs to benefit students are being 27 investigated by the Dykes administration. Pre-enrollment, a new advising system, a central placement bureau and new computation facilities are all in the planning stages. With the implementation ofthese programs,the efficience ofthe university would be greatly increased, Dykes said. I hope we can become a more complete university, he said. We need to maintain and strengthen our arts and science program, professional programs and graduate studies. Strength in all these areas creates the best atmosphere for students at all levels. Chancellor Dykes believes in keeping the University of Kansas a dynamic force in the state.

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In the past two years the President of the United States resigned and was pardoned, inflation rose to almost 12070 and unemployment reached levels disastrous to the American gross national product. The changes Archie Dykes has seen in the University of Kansas in his first two years as Chancellor here have been somewhat less dramatic, but much more beneficial, than these national changes. 26 When Dykes was selected as chancellor in April 1973 he said his goal was to help KU become a better university. Ever since he has been working steadily towards that goal and in the process he has noticed some basic changes in the attitudes of the university. Improving a university is a never-ending task, he said. Strengthening and improving is a continuous process. Dykes said most problems of a university stem from limited resources. Because ofthis, he has devoted much of his time as chancellor to establishing better rapport with the state legislature and alumni. The public relations program seems to be working. Since 1973 KU has had increased fiscal support and has been ableto improvethe renumeration of faculty members. Accordingto Dykes, these are two of the most important changes he has witnessed. We have seen a significant turn-around in funding. I feel we are much more competitive today than we were two years ago and I hope we will be more competitive in two years than we are now, he said. I think the growing public confidence in the university and the strength of the Kansas economy are responsible for the increased fiscal support we have rec'eived. Support by alumni has also grown since Dykes became chancellor in 1973. He said the strong outpouring of support by this group has helped with legislative requests and has put the University of Kansas fourth in all public universities in alumni contributions. The problems that have not improved under Dykes administration, such as access to the library and the computation center, could be corrected with additional funding, accordingto Dykes. The composition and attitude of the student body has changed in the last two years as well. One of our strongest assets is our students, he said.

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Rock Chalk celeb t 25th For 25 years Rock Chalk Revue, sponsored by KU-Y, has inspired competition among KU living groups and entertained its audiences with satirical skits and musical numbers. Conceived in 1949 by student Roy Wonder, the production was initially named Y-Orpheum, modeled after Kansas State University's revue of the same title. A contest sponsored by the University Daily Kansan inspired a title change to Rock Chalk Revue. lt pleased the outraged K-Staters and ended heated editorial letters exchanged between the universities. The installation of the red light sign in front of Hoch Auditorium announcing Rock Chalk began in 1956. That year also marked the beginning of the Uprofessional programs and 25 cent admission charge. Variety acts, dubbed in-between acts in 1962, were ra es year added in 1957. Rock Chalk originally was comprised of eight 15-minute skits that were presented by men's and women's living groups. judges selected the best two skits from each category. In 1960 five men's and women's living groups combined their efforts. The first use of a professional band was also in 1960. In 1961 the number of skits was reduced to four, the number now presented. 1975 was supposed to mark the end of lengthy production problems. The 25th anniversary this year of Rock Chalk Revue was also supposed to have been the end of skits that contained questionable material. Family entertainment was to be provided but fell short of its goal. An in-between act was dropped the second night because its performer used abusive language. The production dragged on for