Pittsburg State University - Kanza Yearbook (Pittsburg, KS)

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fin Authentic ffloog by Max McCoy The machine stands against one wall of Richard Cook's office in McCray Hall, row upon row of terminals gleaming, dials waiting to be tuned. Loops of audio cable sweep toward the floor, like a switchboard operator's nightmare. The only thing that hints that it's a musical instrument is the single keyboard at its base. It's as much an instrument as any guitar or piano. Even more, it has as much heritage as a Stradivarius. This synthesizer was built by Dr. Moog himself. Each module has the Initials of its engineer scratched upon it. Attesting to the quality of hand craftsmanship. Cook, an associate professor of music, said that in the 10 years the music .department has owned it, the total cost of repairs has been about 35 cents. Before Moog brought it to Pittsburg State, he let it play for a full week to make sure nothing would break down. “The first synthesizer was really built around 1906, Cook said. It ran on dynamos, weighed 200 tons, and was moved by railroad cars. For a time it was wired into the telephone system. In contrast, in the 10 years since Moog started building synthesizers, integrated circuits have reduced the size of syn- thesizers to chord organs, and the cost has come down to $400. The reliability, however, sometimes does not equal some of the older models. Cook teaches a course on the syn- thesizer, which essentially lets students explore the machine’s capabilities. Synthesizers are an integral part of most modern bands, first popularized by Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon.” Synthesizers have the ability to mimic other instruments, such as horns or strings, or create their own effects, such as laser sounds, Mark Huffman, Olathe senior and a student in the synthesizer class, said, “For an upper level music course, the enrollment is really diversified. In my class, there are biology and electronics majors. “We start by getting orientated to the instrument. You can’t play chords, unless you hook up more than one oscillator at a time. One note cuts off all. the other notes above it, (f you don’t, Huffman said. I’ve learned a lot more in this class than I have in any other music class. OPERATING A MOOG synthesizer requires a great deal of technical know-how. Richard Cook, associate professor of music, prepares the syn- thesizer for a demonstrationi.[photo by Alan Ford)

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months, and that Huffman had neglected to make sure the treasurer was in the senate office during the summer. Van Pelt also said that there had been no effort made to appoint a parliamentarian and that Perry had not attended freshman previews. The resolution charged Perry and Huffman of not being representative of student body as a whole after Huffman referred to Greeks as having thin thoughts and shallow minds, and Perry said that he represented independents and minorities in a Collegio interview. Huffman threatened the senate with a libel suit unless the wording of the Whereas in the resolution stating that he and Perry allowed the misappropriation of funds was changed to state the specific charges against himself and Perry. On Oct. 3, approximately 100 students were present at the meeting when the resolution was presented on second reading. Perry’s supporters, each wearing a marigold, presented petitions which asked for the editors of the Collegio to make public apologies for the editorial which ran in the Sept. 19 issue. The petitions had 711 signatures; however, they had not been validated through the registrars office so could not be presented as a resolution. This is the largest audience I’ve seen here, said Perry. According to him sensationalism and yellow-dog jour- nalism were responsible for the large turnout. Those who are gaining access to the press are few. This control must be wrested from the handful, he said. An attempt to close discussion and vote on the resolution requesting the resignations failed after several opposing comments from the audience. A three and a half hour discussion commenced. Lori Hess, Cambridge sophomore, was given the floor early and then yielded it to members of the audience. One student said, I'm new on campus. I didn’t know what was going on. I came in here with an open mind. Why don’t you all just resign? Another student said to the senate, You were elected to help us, not turn this organization into a political bitch session. The meeting ended with Van Pelt amending his resolution to read that a meeting would be held between the senate and Perry and Huffman to discuss past, present and future senate policies. When it seemed that all had been solved and the senate was back on the track again, Perry suddenly dropped out of school. Huffman filled the position of president and Van Pelt was made vice- president on Oct. 3. Of the 37 positions on Student Senate only 14 students served the entire term. However, several things were ac- complished. Several committees were established such as the legal aid com- mittee, student advisement committee, campus development committee, and a committee to study allocation procedures. A commuter file for student carpooling STEVE ENNS, ELECTION BOARD CHAIRMAN, swears in Kathleen Harnish as the new Student Senate President for 1980-81. (photo by Alan Ford) was established as well as the trading post, a service in which students may buy and sell books through the senate. The senate was also instrumental in passing the health fee increase which enabled the Student Health Center to continue services. They also voted down an increase in parking permits: Huffman, as senate president, traveled to Washington D.C. on Feb. 13 where he met with President Jimmy Carter and approximately 300 other student body presidents in the United States, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. The election for the 1980-81 Student Senate was much different than the previous one. Kathleen Harnish, Kinsley sophomore, and Dick White, Overland Park sophomore, were elected senate president and vice-president unopposed. Approximately 300 students voted in the election, a number less than half of those that voted the year before. Four senatorial positions were left unfilled on the voting ballot. Harnish and White are looking forward to the 1980-81 senate year. We want students to know where the senate office is and that they are always welcome, said Harnish. If senators will make senate their top priority, we will have a very successful year. I am very optimistic; we have already formed some new committees and we are looking at everything with an open mind,” she said. Time will tell how well Harnish and White will represent the student body. The 1979-80 senate was full of disagreement, but- accomplishments were made. It was a controversial year for the Student Senate.

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MOOG SYNTHESIZERS PLAY an Important rota In today's modern music and Richard Cook, associate professor of music, experiments with new sounds on PSU's moog synthesizer.(photo by Alan Ford) Cook handles the Moog from skill born of practice, and maybe a little love. He knows which lead to plug into which socket to produce a desired effect. “The machine cost $4,700 when we bought it 10 years ago, Cook said. “Everyone was shocked by the price. At the time, it was one of only 100 synthesizers in the world and was quite a boon to the music department. The synthesizer is connected to a custom-made four channel reel-to-reel tape recorder, which allows students to record their performances. It also allows the tracks of live instruments, including voice, to be mixed with the synthesizer. 27