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EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
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The Fourth Branch
The Anti-Anti-Motherhood
By Ron Klempner
Bill
Y:
Where Opinions Are Free, 420 MAYNARD ST., ANN ARBOR, MICH.
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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.
UNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17,1967
NIGHT EDITOR: MARK LEVIN
SGC Sets New Code of Rules:
First Step To Reorganization
WHILE STUDENT Government Coun-
cil's flat'replacing University-written
ules and regulations for students with
a code devised by SGC was a cut and
tried expression of the philosophy that
'students should make their own rules,"
"ouncil did not usurp for usurpation's
ake. Seen from the perspective of the
adical changes in its own structure SGC
:nvisions, its preemption of legislative
uthority over student conduct emerges
as an ingenious and potentially effective
political stroke.
The most abrupt revision was the
telegation of complete authority to make
ules concerning the internal affairs of
tudents living in University housing
.sits to the individual house councils of
he residence halls themselves. This re-
noves from the Office of Student Affairs
and gives to the house councils the
authority to decide what the rules will
e on policies like dress regulations, late
tours, and visiting privileges.
SGC did not abolish freshman wo-
nen's hours; what it did do was to leave
o those women the power to decide who
will dictate their hours, whether it be
he house council or an all-campus refer-
ndum.
The new rules eliminate the Univer-
ity's ban on the use of intoxicants by
tudents 21 years or older living in Uni-
rersity housing. They also abolish the
Jniverstty's power to discipline students
ender 21 apprehended for using intoxi-
ants, leaving the matter to be enforced
)y civil authorities.
OTHERWISE, SGC merely rewrote some
University regulations which were
inclear, ambiguous, or opened the pos-
ibility of double jeopardy. Most of the
University-written rules were incorpo-
ated into the new SGC code.
As it exists now, SGC represents an
ilmost galling waste of time, and every-
3ody, students and council members
like, recognizes it. SGC represents no
ne; except for the ex-officio members
the presidents of Inter-Fraternity Coun-
11, Panhellenic, University Activities
Jenter, and Inter-House Assembly), in-
lividual council members have no clearly
efined constituency to represent.
SGC governs no one. Power to make
tecisions of policy, and, before Thursday
iight, regulations controlling student
onduct, resides in the Regents through
he administration. It has only been in
he past few years with Student Housing
fssociation and the draft counseling
ervice that SGC has begun to serve any-
DESPITE THE saccharine propaganda
Council ladles out to freshmen in its
come-on booklet (ironically entitled
"Action") SGC is pathetically "like your
high school student council." The reali-
ties of the power structure have reduced
its functions to making paper decisions
and playing parliamentary games.
Nobody knows this better or wants to
correct it more than the Council members
themselves. After considerable soul-
searching, some members have decided
that SGC can be made into a function-
ing, representative organization only by
scrapping the present structure and re-,
building from the bottom up. It is for-
seeable that before the end of the aca-.
demic year, SGC will either dissolve itself
in favor of another student organization
or submit to radical restructuring. This
decision must be made by the student
body as a ,whole.
BUT FOR THE decision to be meaning-
ful a firmly entrenched backlog of
student apathy must be overcome.
By abolishing "University Regula-
tions" and devising its pwn code of stu-
dent conduct, SGC hopes to overcome
that apathy, to create what SGC Presi-
dent Bruce Kahn calls a "moment of
interest" during which a new student
government can be propitiously con-
ceived.
Council's decision must be considered
a shrewd one. The administration can
have little objection to the elimination
of bad rubbish from the student conduct
code. And the radical rule changes are
precisely calculated to be ones which will
receive widespread s t u d e n t support
should a confrontation with the Univer-
sity resllt.
The administration's hands are tied.
Joint Judiciary Council, whose members
are appointed by SGC, enforces the rules.
A majority of the members have pledged
to enforce only those rules made or ap-
proved by students. If the University
wants to prevent students over 21 from
drinking in the dorms or house councils
from abolishing dress regulations, it will
have to make a unilateral intervention
like the sit-in ban. If it does, SGC will
have its "moment of interest."
But even if the administration bites
its lip and allows the new regulations to
stand, SGC's wise delegation of authority
to the house councils will create new
student interest in self-government, and
draw students into the dialogue of re-
form that must transpire before mean-
ingful restructuring can take place.
At any rate, it's worth a try.'
THE NOTORIOUS NINETIETH (Congress, that is) has
'entered the home stretch of its first session. Since
January it has rolled up a record as defender of the
American way of life unparalled by any other legislative
body, except perhaps the Mississippi state, legislature.
It is therefore appropriate that we re-examine the
90th Congress' record 'in meeting the hot social issues
of the day. In June the House of Representatives strode
to protect that sacred American institution-the stars and
stripes-and passed an anti-flag desecration bill. Spurred
to action by the behavior of some demonstrators in Cen-
tral Park, Congress saw to it that never again would our
nation be plagued with the pollution of our air resulting
from the burning of an American flag.
Congress then moved to eliminate another source of
air-pollution-the burning of American cities. sinthe
aftermath of Detroit, Newark, and countless other "civic
disorders" the House passed an anti-riot bill which was
aimed at preventing what President Johnson this week
called "those poisonous propagandists posed as spokesmen
for the underprivileged" from inflaming the peaceful,
contented, American slum dweller to riot. In this bold
gesture the House protected the second of sacrosanct
American institutions-law and order.
As a final measure, Congress took action to protect
the dignity and reputation of yet another great American
institution-themselves-by unseating Rep. Adam Clay-
ton (Keep-the-faith-baby) Powell, and censuring honest
Sen. Thomas Dodd for behaviour that tended to bring
into disrepute the reputation of the House and Senate.
But the aforementioned publicized happenings were
not the Congress' only dabblings with "anti-legislation.
In a rare session held late in August (after most tuorists
left Washington, and the press was busy covering Lynda
Bird's last date with George Hamilton), the Senate
launched a highly important debate to safeguard the
most fundamental of American institutions: Mother-
hood.
This is how the session supposedly went:
A hush fell over the Senate chamber, and Senator.
M. Chaste Smith rose to introduce her bill. "In this time
of internal and external stress and strife it is necessary
that we protect the vital organs of our society from those
who's willful intent is to discredit or otherwise undermine
the nation's faith in those institutions dear to its heart.
I feel it is in the nation's interest that we make it a
federal crime to speak or act in any way or action that
would demonstrate a disrespect for motherhood, or to
use the word "mother" in vain or as a prefix to any
other word."
An Alabaman Senator supporting the measure said,
"We must guard against those who would destroy our
society by undermining or contributing to the deteriora-
tion of American moral fiber. The anti-anti-motherhood
bill will be the first step in such legislation for moral
re-armament."
The debate then intensified. From the other side of
the floor Senator Jake Javits rose and retorted, "I don't
mean to be like a Jewish mother, but, Senator, weren't
you the one who during the debate on the 1964 Civil
Rights Bill said that we couldn't legislative morality?"
AT THIS POINT, the long-haired junior Senator from
New York entered the chamber. When asked how he
stood on the anti-anti-motherhood issue, he commented.
"I think it is a worthwhile institution, and have privately
done everything in my power to contribute to its further-
ance." When he sat down, a cheer was heard from the
usually sedate section of the Senate gallery reserved for
"Family Members."
Debate continued on the motion in what appeared to
be a virtual deadlock. Finally, one of the Senators raised
a point of order, and asked whether the bill meant that
it would be a federal crime to practice birth-control, since
such action was obviously against motherhood.
Finding the group in a quandry over the issue, Hubert
Humphrey, presiding over the Senate as a former phar-
macist, pounded his gavel and adjourned the body until
after~the Labor Day recess.
Now that Congress is back in session, they can move
on to more important areas of legislation. On next
week's calender: Apple pie.
I
Letters: Recounting Sorority Experience
To the Editor:
LAST SUNDAY WHILE walking
around the campus, I lad oc-
casion to observe the rituals being
caried out in front of the several
fraternity and sorority houses.
This display brought back to me
the not so happy memories of my
own freshman year some nine
years ago.
I want to make two comments
that I wish someone had made to
me in 1958. I have no desire to
"expose" the sorority system. I
do want to urge people to show a
little less seriousness about a so-
cial system (outmoded, I am
afraid) which has no business
being taken so seriously.
I AM NOT SURE that the so-
rorities serve a necessary function
any more now that the university
and various student organizations
have begun to provide such a
wealth of social and community
opportunities for student involve-
ment. It isn't necessary to enume-
rate them. The campus abounds
with places aid occasions for
making friends and participating
in activities that suit ones in-
terests.
The fraternities and sororities
of the 30's and 40's served a func-
tion on the university campus in
a day when there were few institu-
tioinal and social means for stu-
dents to engage in non-academic
activities. They may have served
this function even in the late fif-
ties when I was a member.
But today it is difficult to find
anything which the sorority can
provide a girl that she could not
find elsewher. Other housing ar-
rangements, other organizations
entail fewer restrictions on her
own personality and intellectual
growth.
A second problem is the apathy
that tends to be the result of the
comfortable life provided by soror-
ity living. Belonging to a sorority
can easily prevent ones taking an
active and creative interest in
matters outside of the "sorority
system." To this extent the soror-
ity tends to provide an easy solu-
tion to very short-ranged social
desires. There is little cause to look
outside of the sororities for friends
or for non-academic activities, or
outside of the fraternities for
wekend parties.
A university of this size and
diversity should offer a tremend-
ously varied experience. Experi-
ence indeed, is the essence of the
idea of the university.
THE MAJOR DIFFICULTY with
sororities is that they can so easily
be an impediment to experience.
They can stifle intellectual growth.
I would like to ask the girls who
are going through rush at the
moment to think carefully about
what, they are committing them-
selves to and to make sure that
they want to sacrifice a large
measure of individual experience
for the "social security" which
they are told derives from be-
longing to a sorority.
Living outside of the seductive
security of a sorority house can be
a quick and sure way of learning
to take care of oneself, to choose
ones own friends, ones own course
of study, ones leisure and recrea-
tion. and to have the gumption to
take advantage of the myriad op-
portunities which the university
offers. These should be four years
of experiment, exploration, and
growth. A sorority can be stulti-
fying.
-Diane Haight Nicholls
Rackham
Defend Scabs
To The Editor:
AM A SECOND year law stu-
dent. I drive buses for the
Transportation Services Depart-
ment of the University and do so
to earn enough to complete my
education. not just to occupy my
idle hours. I was not a "scab" as
I was called by an uninformed
undergraduate.
A scab is defined by Webster
as "one who takes the place of
a striker." There was no strike
against the Transportation Serv-
ices. Six of the eighteen regular
drivers walked off in sympathy
with the strike by the Plant De-
partment employees.
LAST YEAR THERE was a big
disagreement on campus about
the small voice that students had
in the administration of the Uni-
versity. This year the same stu-
dents are backing a labor or-
ganization which, in the words
'of six strikers who rode my bus,
"called the strike without their
knowledge." According to these
employees of the University, they
had no chance to vote and the
first thing they knew of the strike
was when they went to work on
the morning of September 7. Do
you see the same inconsistency in
the lines of thought that I per-
ceive?
These same students argue that
what counts today is education
and have sought such at one of
the better universities in the Unit-
ed States. Yet, when faced with
a group attempting to hinder
their pursuit of this goal, they
join hands with this group and
ask other students to do likewise.
Why wasn't the strike called be-
fore school started? Then the la-
bor leaders would have had my
sympathy if the strike had con-
tinued after theecommencement
of the school year. Then these
people could look at you and say
with a straight face: "I was not
attempting to hinder your edu-
cational pursuits. I was only try-
ing to better myself."
CHECK INTO SOME of the
facts of the strike if you really
want an eye-opener. The plant
employees have wages compar-
able to those in outside industry.
They have the "guaranteed an-
nual wage" In effect. Have they
ever been laid off for lack of
work? They have insurance, hos-
pitalization. etc. They said they
were after bargaining rights. What
does this really mean to. you ,the
student? Even more of that with
which you were faced this past
week. There will be more strikes,
and more disruption of the func-
tions of the University in its at-
tempt to give you the best edu-
cation possible. Do you really
want to sanction this?
The University is not an indus-
try, and cannot be run on the
same principles. When these peo-
ple took jobs with the University,
they should have realized that
they were taking on the responsi-
bility of helping students further
their education. By striking, they
have completely failed to accept
that responsibility.
Labor unions, with the strike as
their weapon, have been the source
of much of the social reform in
this country, and I laud them
for this. But there are no deplor-
able conditions to rectify here
at the University. Therefore, I
cannot sympathize with this
strike and I cannot comprehend
how any informed student is able
to do so once he has looked at
the whole story.
-Richard G. King
Law '69
o
r1
11 A~k Fi TI
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r+7.-.
-URBAN LEHNER
What Is FC H.iding?
"HE INCREDIBLE muddle of incongrui-
ties which for the past year has typi-
ed the policies of Interfraternity
uncil leaves many of us wondering
out the intentions and goals of that
ganization. IFC officers have continual-
demonstrated a desire to obscure or
'oid the pertinent issues which have
ne and again been presented to them.
eoccupation with preserving the rapid-
deteriorating public image of the fra-
rnity system appears to be their sole
)al.
Several recent incidents exemplify
.is cover-up attitude. A study of rushee
ews toward the fraternities was pub-
hed recently by IFC, but not before an
'C vice-president had edited out a sec-
n which he considered to be "unim-
rtant to the report." It was later found
it that the officer had deleted a part of
.e report which mentioned the two fra-
rnities most often complained about by
.shees. The vice-president was a mem-
r of one of these two fraternities.
Another incident involved a high-
nking IFC officer who told The Daily
st year that he did not think it was the
sponsibility of IFC to actively promote
tegration in fraternities as is currently
ing done by Panhellenic in sorority
.sh. Significantly, this same officer is
om a fraternity house which has been
vestigated by IFC for possible discrimi-
ition in membership selection.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE of contradictions
in IFC's policies has been in its atti-
tude toward expansion of the fraternity
system at the University. Last year they
repeatedly voiced concern that because
of a poor rush, expansion might be un-
wise due to the fact that several houses
were experiencing difficulty in getting
pledges. This year, however, IFC is work-
ing with at least one national fraternity
in an attempt to set up a colony here. In
the light of the closing of the Acacia
house because of dwindling membership,
expansion is merely replacing mediocrity
with mediocrity.
IFC's .actions thus become inconsis-
tent with previous policy statements, and
weaken many of the smaller, struggling
houses. It now appears that despite
Sage's forecast of "the best rush ever"
rush may in fact experience a further
numerical decline.
THE MbST flagrant example of IFC's
cover-up attitude has been the treat-
ment of the complaints about the inef-
ficiency of the Fraternity Buyers Asso-
ciation which has caused higher than
necessary food bills at several houses.
IFC officers have repeatedly defended
FBA publically while privately admitting
that the organization is being in com-
petently managed.
Needless to say the removal of several
houses from social probation by IFC last
Thursday was just another in a series of
"The latest Pt
Autonomy
To The Editor:
DAILY NEWS STORIES and
editorials of the past week
have talked of "The principle of
University autonomy" champion-
ed by the Board of Regents; your
writers try to, balance this lofty
principle against workers' rights
to collective bargaining.
This is a completely unneces-
sary task, because the Regents do
not now, and never have endorsed
University autonomy, w h ic h
should be autonomy of all those
who teach, learn or work here to
collectively set the rules and goals
of their activity.
Rather, the Regents have stood
- as last year's struggle over
class ranking tells .is -for- the
complete submission of the Uni-
versity to the Regents.
Their true principle - Regen-
tal autonomy - is a simple beau-
rocratic yearning for all-embrac-
ing power along with no account-
ability to anyone. Hopefully this
goal of theirs is shared by no one
else connected with the Univer-
sity.
-Peter Steinberger, Grad
Macbird
To The Editor:
j RE D WITH interest the Daily,
review of the play "MacBird."
Mr. Appel and Miss Richmond tell
us that:
"The failing of the play is that
nothing serious is suggested to the
audience that they do not already
feel before seeing it. Like much
protest, it finds the faults but it
cannot tell how to alleviate them."
I don't know how many people
on campus are acquainted with
Barbara Garson's politics, but
when she wrote the play "Mac-
Bird," she was a member of the
Berkeley Independent Socialist
Club. In other words, she consid-
ered herself to be a classic, revo-
lutionary Marxist. What this
means, is that it is through the
words of the socialist worker that
we learn of Mrs. Garson's final
solution to the American problem.
ACTUALLY MRS. GARSON is
at least partially to ,blame' for
making the didactic content of the
play unclear. By casting the work-
er as a Polonis, nothing that he
says will be taken seriously.
ofish joke ,
Book Interest
To The Editor
IN THE DAILY (September 9)
an article appeared which was
entitled "Study Shows Fair Local
Book Prices." Part of the article
contained quotes by R o b e r t
Graham, manager of Follet's Book
Store.
Mr. Graham was quoted as say-
ing, "When we have an opportu-
nity to pass greater benefits on,
to University students, we sure
do." Mr. Graham's statement re-
minded me of an incident which
involved my roommate from last
year, a dental student.
He had to buy some special
.graph paper which the dental
book store was out of. Realizing
Follet's sincere interest in stu-
dents, he decided to patronize
their store.
My roommate told the clerk
what he needed, was given the pa-
per, and proceeded to the cash-
ier. He was about to pay for the
paper when someone from the
managerial staff came running up
to the check stand and said, Wait!
There will be other dental stu-
dents coming in for this paper.
The price just went up to $2.20 in-
stead of $2.10.
INSTANCES LIKE THIS one
would convince any student that
Follett's is truely interested in
"passing greater benefits on to
University students." Sure they
are.
-=Joel Verbin
Second year student in
Social Work
Bernstein
To the Editor:
THANKS TO R. A. PERRY for
a perceptive review of.Tues-
day evening's concert by the New
"York Philharmonic under Leonard
Bernstein's direction. Mr. Perry
did leave unspoken some criticism
that should be voiced here. Not
only did the sections of the or-
chestra fail to blend- with each
other in the Mahler "Symphony,"
but the various string and wind
groups did not agree within.them-
selves on matters of rhythm, at-
tack, phrasing, intonation, and
vibrato. Moreover, Jeannette Za-
rou, the soloist, was largely in-
audible through what would seem
to have been no fault of her own.
In the Yves "Symphony" ragged-
ness of ensemble was present but
tip
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