Seventy-Seven Years of Editorial Freedom
EDITED AND MANAGED BY=STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
UNDER AUTHORITY OF BOARD IN CONTROL OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS
ROGER RAPOPORT:
The Dow Public Relations Kit
Where Opinions AreFree, 420 MAYNARD ST., ANN ARBOR, MIcH.
Truth Will Prevail
NEWS PHONE: 764-0552
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Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers
or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 21, 1968
NIGHT EDITOR: MARK LEVIN
Greek System--II:
Stopping Fraternities
DESPITE THE PIOUS proclamations of And wha
several fraternity presidents that a system the
percentage of rushees are expected to image of
pledge, it is a fact that fraternity rush grossly in
was down to its lowest point in several individuali
years for either Fall or Winter rush. of suppose
And if this development becomes a trend, of appare
as has been indicative by the last three men to the
rushes, the base for fraternities on this
campus will be seriously, and perhaps BUT THE
fatally undercut. Furthermore, the ef- edged1
fects of this rush alone may have been relied upo
enough to extinguish the last hopes of establish t
those fraternities already in serious the image
trouble. them. The
It cannot be disputed that rush, the vinced of 1
lifeblood of the fraternity system, was the timet
significantly down. From 800 rushees a the lifeblo
year ago, this semester will see between gone it ca
300 to 600 rushees. One fraternity which houses alr
had a rush of 200 last semester had only Yet it is
50 go through its house this time around; multiversit
another reportedly had only five rushees sonal natt
all Sunday afternoon; still a third was of student
offering a shuttle service between other ing to the
fraternity houses in the hopes of build- ties do ha
ing up some measure of goodwill among time that
rushees. Lost betw
All this comes at a time when the sys- in the typ
tem supports 46 houses of varying although i
strengths. Some of the houses could suc- it alone, d
cessfully weather three or four semes-
ters of rushes just like this one but Fraternit
the death knell of others may have been fication an
sounded by the events of this week. ingful frie
One house whose total active mem- personal i
bership consists of 20 will graduate 10 cannot be
of that number in April; another which "corny" as
describes itself as "fastest growing fra- uppermost
ternity on campus" activated one in- through ru
itiate last semester; still a third-once tem canno
prestigious-house activated three out of it does no
a 12 man pledge class last semester.
UNFORTU
THESEFACTS CANNOT help but refute view t
the optimism expressed just two and will h
weeks ago by Inter-Fraternity Council usual" sig
whose unofficial policy called for one best perha
new house a year. And it contradicts the attacking 1
argument made last semester that with ing their i
II-S deferments for virtually all under- licity, or b
graduates that freshmen no longer con- proaches.
cerned over the draft would flock to join Instead
the fraternity system. the real r
What the incredibly low rush figures progressive
of this semester does establish is the in- fraternity;
creasing irrelevance of fraternities in complacent
the eyes of potential freshman rushees. IFC execu
They see the all-fraternity grade point expand th
which, though close to the all-men's face of a d
average, can hardly offer prospects of fatal to m
academic excellence to incoming fresh- sensitivity
men. They also see attractive apart- criticism o
ments and dormitories like Markley, which has
Bursley, Baits and South Quad which tion regard
they find at least livable and comfor-
table. They are influenced by the social t tapc
possibilities of mixers, concerts, movies relevance t
and apartment parties which are open the policie
to non-fraternity men. And they recog- teta llciie
nize the political impotence of IFC and touseon c
its opposition to SGC's campaign to
maximize student decision making.
Lifeblood
at they see of the fraternity
ey do not like. The freshmen's
fraternities, though often
error, is of houses which stifle
ty to manufacture stereotypes,
dly non-existent bias clauses,
nt aloofness among fraternity
issues which stir this campus.
E SYSTEM has long acknowl-
this image and instead has
n rush to dispel the image and
the value of belonging. Well,
has finally caught up with
potential rushee is so con-
the truth that he doesn't take
to go through rush. Rush is
od of the system and once its
an't be too long before those
eady in trouble will disappear.
ironic that in the age of the
y with its legendary imper-
re and its vast cross-section
s that this should be happen-
fraternity system. Fraterni-
.ve relevance but it is about
someone bothered to prove it.
een TG's and IM's standings
ical rush spiel, is brotherhood
t seems obvious that it, and
eserves top-billing.
ties provide a source of identi-
nd the possibilities for mean-
ndships which other more im-
nstitutions on this campus
gin to approximate. And as
it sounds, that seems to be
in the minds of those going
ish even this year. If the sys-
t exploit that sentiment then
t deserve to be around.
UNATELY, MOST houses will
his rush as a freak occurrence
hang out their "business as
n for rush Fall semester. At
ps the system will react by
the mechanics of rush, blam-
mage on adverse Daily pub-
by other such superficial ap-
fraternities should examine
reasons for rush declines: a
ly worsening image of the
system brought about by a
t and incompetent IFC; the
tive committee's attempt to
e number of houses in the
eclining rush that could prove
any small houses; the hyper-
of several-IFC officers about
f themselves and the system
resulted in a void of informa-
ing the fraternity system.
pears obvious that if IFC fails
ncrete action to improve its
o men coming to this campus,
s of IFC will decrease rather
ase the number of fraternity
-ampGus. G
-GREG ZIERAN
Dear Editor:
"IN RECENT WEEKS the Dow Chemical Co. has been
the target of anti-war demonstrations on college
campuses-aimed primarily at Dow recruiters-pro-
testing Dow's production of napalm for the Depart-
ment of Defense.
At present, we know of no plans for such a dem-
onstration in your city. However, we believe it might
be helpful to you to have the enclosed material on
file in case one develops.
Demonstrations of this kind have been taking place
since spring 1966..Some 55 incidents occurred during
the academic year 1966-67. During this time we inter-
viewed more than 11,000 students ..."
That's the way E. M. Brandt, director of Dow Chem-
ical Co.'s public relations department starts off the cover
letter accompanying a special napalm press kit. The kit
is being mailed to editors of campus and, local papers
located in the 330 college towns where Dow is recruiting
this year.
It points out that napalm is just one of "800 products"
ranging from blasting agents to styrofoam made by the
company. And Dow adds that napalm accounts for only
"one-quarter of one per cent of sales."
INCLUDED IN THE press kit is Dow's position state-
ment on napalm. It declares that, "The United States
is involved in Vietnam, and as long as we are involved,
we believe in fulfilling our responsibility to this national
commitment of a democratic society. And we do this
because we believe in the long-term goals of our country.
"We respect the right of people to protest peacefully
against an action with which they disagree. However, our
company has made the decision to continue to produce
napalm and other materials as long as they are needed by
our government."
Also included are 12 pages of company history, a third
quarter shareholders report (the company earned $3.37
a share for the nine months ended Sept. 30) the 1966 an-
nual report and a brochure on Dow's product line.
In addition, the pamphlet carries reprints of articles
from the New York Times (reporting that more Viet-
namese are burned by faulty stoves than napalm), and
several other articles favorable to napalm manufacture.
The company adds in a list of 16 Dow public relations
phone numbers scattered across the country and urges
editors to call the company collect when and if a demon-
stration should develop.
CURIOUS ABOUT the packet I took up Dow's offer
and called them in Midland. They told me that so far
press response to the kit has been good.
Dow's success could well spur other organizations and
individuals suffering from anti-war protests to respond
in similar fashion. Indeed it is not improbable to expect
the mailman to bring future packets something like this:
Dear Editor:
As you may know the Central Intelligence Agency has
been victimized by radical protests on college campuses in
an effort to block CIA recruiters.
At present, we know of no plans for such a demon-
stration in your city. But as you know that doesn't neces-
sarily mean anything because we don't always know what
is going on.
So we thought we'd tell you a little about ourselves.
Some 37 demonstrations against the CIA occurred on
American college campuses during the academic year
1966-67. During this time we interviewed 13,000 students
and investigated 16,000.
The Central Intelligence Agency is the largest under-
cover agency in the world. Since it was founded 20 years
ago the CIA has been directly involved in the overthrow
of fourteen democracies, six monarchies, three dictator-
ships, and one president.
If you have any questions call us collect at the Na-
tional Student Association, Washington, D.C. Just ask
for Ed Schwartz.
Yours,
Nitchevo Nitchevo
Press Attache
Dear Editor:
As you may know President Lyndon B. Johnson is
scheduled to speak on your campus later this year. Be-
cause of the large number of anti-war protests against
the president (34 last year) we can't tell you when he is
coming.
However, on the day of his arrival we will designate
the exact time and place through the use of skywriting
on the northern skyline of your city. The president is
expected to parachute in.
Because of the controversial nature of the president
we thought you might like to have a little background on
him. Mr. Johnson is a graduate of San Marcos State
Teachers College. He is married and has two daughters.
He enjoys horseback riding and bar-b-que. His favorite
dish is pickled pigs feet, his favorite drink is American
scotch on the rocks, and his favorite singer is Eartha Kitt.
Yours,
Ignoto Ignoto
Press Assistant
Dear Editor:
As you may remember from your grade school singing
instruction the United States Marines have fought with
considerable distinction from the Halls of Montezuma to
the Shores of Tripoli.
On March 5 this famed fighting outfit plans to seal
off your campus from 8 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. for a very
special assignment. It plans to recruit new recruiters. Our
armored personnel carrier, to be situated directly in front
of your administration building, will be hosting inter-
viewees all day.
For your information these special measures are being
taken because of the 102 demonstrations against Marine
recruiters that occurred during the past year. We are in-
tensifying our recruitment of recruiters largely because
most of our old recruiters have asked for transfer to com-
bat duty in Vietnam on grounds of self-protection.
Yours,
Fred Flack
Press Aide
Indeed it appears that Dow's new technique has so
many uses that they might be wise to patent it and start
marketing immediately. In fact its a shame no one
thought up the idea a little sooner. For it could hav
come in handy during World War II:
Dear Editor:
As you may know there has been an unusually large
number of freight car derailments in recent weeks. Most
of them are being done by members of the underground
who are protesting the Third Reich's program of exter-
mination of members of the Jewish Race.
Since such a derailment may occur in your city, we
thought you might wish to have the enclosed background
on hand.
Since the war started we have killed an estimated 5
million Jews and are optimistic that we can murder at
least another million by spring 1945. Generally speaking
we round up the Jewish men, women and children at
night, and ship them on the first available cattle car to
the nearest concentration camp. There they are usually
exterminated with gas.
The Third Reich believes that as long as it is involved
in this war it must fulfill its commitment to the exter-
mination of all Jews. Such a policy is consistent with the
long-term goals of our country.
We respect the right of the underground to disagree
with our policy. However, we will continue to exterminate
Jews as long as they are not needed by our government.
We hope that the enclosed map of the major concen-
tration camps (and rail routes leading to them) will be
useful to you. Should you need any additional informa-
tion don't hesitate to contact the information ministry.
With Best Wishes,
Gunther Gestapo
Information Aid
40
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Letters: In My Heart I Know He's Right
To the Editor:
THE FOLLOWING is a copy, of
a letter sent to Vice President
for Business and Chief financial
Officer Wilbur K. Pierpont.
Dear Dr. Pierpont:
I was very pleased to see the
picture of you portrayed in the
18 January 1968 issue of The
Michigan Daily;-I refer only to
the photographs. With respect to
the "slick" surrounding the pic-
ture, I have mixed feelings. Since
the statements appear on the edi-
torial page of The Daily, I assume
they have no relations to the
facts; this is a situation to which
I have become accustomed. How-
ever, I still have some appreciation
for the desire of young people to
"pop off," and probably it doesn't
do any harm, in the long run.
First, let me say that I served
on (or at least "with") The Mich-
igan Daily for some ten years, and
I have seen some of the screwyest
guys become respectable citizens;
not all, but many. I may or may
not live long enough to see wheth-
er Mr. Rapoport matures or
whether, like some fruits, he just
shrivel and drops. He writes very
cxP1.nf i nmno of n-ided-
the benefit of The University of
Michigan might be related to the
fact that you argued with me in
class. Subsequently, you became a
colleague and, finally, a "boss";-
of sorts. In this latter capacity,
I did not always agree with you-
nor did I then object too serious-
ly, because you were a friend in
whom I had confidence, and I was
convinced that you were doing a
tough job as well as it could be
done.
Rapoport seems to worry about
your having an undue influence
on Dr. Fleming;-this I can't
imagine, having met the new pres-
ident a few times. I hope that the
two of you do not always agree,
but I am confident that your com-
bined and balanced judgments,
along with those of other Univer-
sity administrators, will be for the
best of The University of Michi-
gan, sometimes in the face of cir-
cumstances that prelude results
that we might hope for in the in-
terest of higher education in Mich-
igan. So,-to you who have taken
many beatings of thoughtless (not
unthoughtful) words on the editor-
ial page of my old associated in-
stitution may I speak for myself,
perhaps for some colleagues, and
Integrity
To the Editor:
WHEN THE University of Cali-
fornia at Berkeley sought to
prevent political recruitment and
other such practices on the cam-
pus, the results-well, we know
what the result were. The issue
easily escalated to something much
larger and more significant. Free
speech became closely identified
with the leftist student movement
and intolerance and censorship
became the sins of the administra-
tion. Things polarized so easily,
and the University of Michigan,
something of an intellectual blood
brother to Berkeley, had a sym-
pathetic student body.
When Raymond Dzenzle intro-
duced a bill in the Michigan legis-
lature seeking to curb certain "un-
desirable" speakers from appearing
on state campuses, he clearly step-
ped into the dirty waters of anti-
libertarianism, and concerned ac-
tivists here and elsewhere had one
of those juicy, clear-cut issues of
t'
Ii-.
free spech before them. So we all
know where the student left at
Michigan should be on such mat-
ters, don't we?
APPARENTLY IT'S not all that
simple, though. The Daily (Jan.
17), in an innocuous little item on
the installation of new officers for
Voice Political Party, tells us of
a strange objective for Voice. Re-
cruiters on the campus, should, in
the future, speak to the students
concerned, about their "right to
interview." A strange and curious
standard, where student activists
can bemoan their denied rights to
attend regental and administrative
meetings, and in the same breath
seek the "right" to deny others
what they seek. And so the double
standard enters the civil liberty
field at Michigan, not only from
the establishment, but also from
the one source we'd least expect.
If student demands (and I agree
with many of them) are to be
accorded attention and eventually
legitimacy, let's hope intellectual
integrity can be maintained from
both sides - administration an4
students. In a free exchange, SDS
and the CIA recruiter should have
nothing to lose, and everything to
itI
an
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