This series contains correspondence particularly concerning the social unrest that roiled the campus during Chalmers’ tenure. Throughout the 1969/70 school year, Chalmers received hundreds of favorable and unfavorable letters from students, parents, and community members about his handling of the disruptions. This correspondence shows the complexities of navigating the campus through social tension and controversy.

Chalmers’ chancellorship saw student protest, bomb threats, and the bombing of Summerfield Hall. Parents and administrators criticized Chalmers’ perceived light treatment of the KU student body during the crises, but many KU students similarly criticized Chalmers for the firing of a black graduate student, Gary Jackson, which they argued was racially motivated. Also during Chalmers’ leadership, the Lawrence Gay Liberation Front sued KU, arguing that the university was unfairly denying them funding. Chalmers’ correspondence during this time shows his position at the center of these conflicting social forces.