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The Man
Who Makes 'Marry-Ins'
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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.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1967 NIGHT EDITOR: W. REXFORD BENOIT
'Recalled to Life':
A Tale of the Rent Strike
SUCCESSFUL REVOLT is often catalyz-
ed by an inadvertancy.
Such is the case of the married student
housing rent strike, late lamented, now
revived.
Director of University Housing John'
Feldkamp reported last week that a mere
25 of some 900 married housing tenants
withheld a $10 rent hike announced
Aug. 1.I
When Feldkamp asked the Office of
Student Accounts how many tenants re-
fused to pay the increase, they originally
reported 25, and the Northwood Terrace
Association faltered.
The seven-member NTA was elected by
200 tenants of Northwood and University
Terraces to bargain for an extension of
the rent hike's due date until Oct. 1 and
a re-drafting of married housing leases.
The crucial issue was the timing of
the announcement of the rent hike. The
NTA claimed Feldkamp had given ten-
ants insufficient time to decide whether
to pay the hike or seek other housing.
Since tenants cannot break their leases
without giving the University 60-days no-
tice, the NTA rightfully feels the Uni-
versity should not be empowered to
change the terms of those leases without
similar notice.
TTHE FUTURE of the NTA looked bleak
when Feldkamp said they represented
only 25 people (after all, compare Stu-
dent Government Council's constituency
with their influence on University pol-
icy).
Then a Northwood Apartments resident
disclosed the inadvertancy of Feldkamp's
office in the fact that 171 had rebelled
at the increase, roughly one-fifth of all
married housing residents, and had with-
held $10 in September's rent checks.
The NTA justifiably considered the new
figure of 171 a mandate and a power
base from which to demand that Feld-
kamp at least postpone the rent increase
until Oct. 1 to correspond to the 60-day
notice they request.
NTA members who previously felt they
supported a lost cause took heart and
called a quick conclave. A meeting with
Feldkamp yesterday resulted, but the
housing director was as recalcitrant as
ever.
NOW THE NTA calls for another with-
holding of the $10 in the October rent
checks. With one-fifth of their neigh-
bors already branded rebels, there is a
strong chance that many of the tenants
who chose to accede to Feldkamp's hike
in September might revolt in October.
Certainly, Feldkamp's pacification cam-
paign in the form of a letter to rent-
strikers offering to "waive the late pay-
ment penalty of $5 now assessed on your
account" will prove as ineffectual as it
is foolish in bringing rent-strikers to
heel.
-W. REXFORD BENOIT
By AVIVA KEMPNER
IT IS A FIRM conviction of
many sociologists, n o t a bl1 y
M.I.T. 's Daniel Moynihan, that
disorder and instability in the
black ghettoes result in great part
from the fractured and matriar-
chal structure of many Negro
families.
One attempt to help combat
this social dilemma is the "Marry-
In," a program initiated in De-
troit this summer by Rev. Otis
Saunders. Very s i m p ly, Rev.
Saunders marries couples who
have never bothered to get their
common-law marriages legalized.
Rev. Saunders began his pro-
gram by holding a mass "Marry-
In" on July 15 in his Trinity
Community Church of the Afri-
can - Methodist - Episcopal Zion
faith. The event proved so popu-
lar that he has since married 231
couples. The full marriage cere-
mony takes place in the privacy
of the church chapel and the
only cost is $3 for the license,
since there is no charge for the
service.
THE IDEA OF a "Marry-In"
grew out of Rev. Saunders' con-
cern with the immasculated Ne-
gro male and the necessity for a
good Negro family life.
"The origins of the weak Negro
family structure can be traced to
the slavery days," Rev. Saunders
pointed out. "The plantation
owners did not see any need for
the 'niggers' to marry, so couples
just shacked up.
"The remants of slavery sys-
tem, combined with the past re-
quirements of the welfare laws,
furthered disintegration of the
Negro home. These laws elimi-
nated assistance to families where
the father was living at home, but
most Negro males found it diffi-
cult to obtain jobs. Thus, the
males did not stay at home and
the women Who could find the
jobs ruled the household."
Rev. Saunders is further con-
vinced that in order to attain a
healthy family life, both parents
must be living at home. His
"Marry-In" is one attempt to
bring the Negro male back into
the family and stabilize the ghet-
to home. He also emphasized the
need for the Negro male to learn
proper skills for employment.
Although the program was in-
stituted to aid Negroes, the ma-
jority of the couples so far have
been white. Most of these are
from middle-class homes, and for
various reasons were never for-
mally married, such as a dying
white man who had never mar-
ried his wife because of religious
reasons.
AT THE PRESENT Saunders
plans to continue the "Marry-
Ins" and hopes to introduce the
plan to the Michigan Council of
Churches. He would like to see it
practiced throughout Michigan
and in any other state whose laws
allow the legalization of common
law marriages.
Rev. Saunders' church, where
he has been the minister for 16
years, is located in the center of
the Detroit riot area, but the
church was not touched. And up
until the night before the riot
Rev. Saunders himself claimed he
could have told people why a riot
would not occur in Detroit. Rev.
Saunders, in fact, is a special
assistant to the director of the
War on Poverty in Detroit, Phil-
lip Rutledge, and had formed his
own task force.
"The riot was the result of the
latent frustrations of the 'have-
nots' who go crazy when they are
so crowded up in the ghettoes,"
asserted Rev. Saunders. "I be-
lieve it was spontaneous effort
and not planned by any overt or-
ganizing, except later on in cer-
tain looting cases."
AS A RELIGIOUS leader, Rev.
Saunders expressed some contro-
versial opinions on the relation-
ship between the American Ne;
gro and Christianity today.
"In the past the Christian
faith helped the Negro to hang
on through all his ordeals of op-
pression. The Negro of the past
would say 'take all the world and
give me Jesus.' But the new Ne-
gro is more sophisticated and
wants part of the 'abundant life,'
as promised by the Scriptures."
Yet Rev. Saunders denied that
Christianity has failed the Ne-
gro. "Actually, the problem is
that brotherhood and love have
never been tried. The church it-
self has not been satisfying the
needs of the Negro, who after
World War II has been seeking
materialistic gain. The Negro has
become disillusioned with religious
institutions, and goes to the la-
bor union instead. This loyalty to
the union is understandable, since
it helps provide for the Negro."
Rev. Saunders singled out a
movement like the Black Muslim
sect as an example of a religious
institution which helps its mem-
bers. "They are a very disciplined
group that produces great re-
sults, like the rehabilitation of
criminals."
IN THE POLITICAL realm,
Rev. Saunders tried to clarify the
concept of Black Power. "This
expression is not new to the
American scene because it has
been the mode for the adaptation
of any ethnic group into Ameri-
can society. The Irish in Boston
and the Jews in New York were
examples of this practice."
The Negro's problem, according
to Rev. Saunders, is his lack of
foreign ties or culture, added to
the inbred shame of being black.
Thus, the Negro has tried to im-
mitate the white, but still fails
to be accepted.
"Even the legislative gains are
not enough, because the economic
barriers still exist. And money
spells power no matter who you
are," he explained.
REV. SAUNDERS has discover-
ed a change in the civil rights
scene. Rev. Martin Luther King
has seen his day, he feels, but
"it's unfortunate people did not
listen to him." Now the cries of
the Rap Browns and Stokely
Carmichaels a r e forcing the
whites to listen at least to the
demands of the more moderate
Negro leaders.
In the present day political and
social situation, Rev. Saunders
noted a nemesis lurking in the
U.S. and hie even compared
America today with Nazi Ger-
many.
"America is enjoying a height
of scientific and culture achieve-
ments as was Germany with its
history of cultural background in
the late 1930's. Yet the political
scene in Germany changed it into
a country which carried on the
genocide of a silent minority.
"I could see this same practice
of genocide, performed by the
white backlash, occurring in
America-but with one big dif-
ference. The Negroes will not
go peacefully like the Jews did in
World War II.
IN ORDER TO prevent this
situation from developing, a
strong communication must be
established, Rev. Saunders argued.
Negroes must be allowed in the
mainstream, and places must be
found for the unqualified. The
church, he felt, is responsible to
help bring this unity about.
Rev. Saunders clarified that
America, not the Negro, is in
trouble. Who should have the
initiative for correcting these ills
of America? "The decision is up
to the white majority, not the
Negro," exclaimed Rev. Saunders.
And his personal commitment is
quite clear: "I have no compunc-
tions about losing my life to save
the white man's soul."
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IN HIS ANNUAL REPORT on the state
of the University Wednesday night,
President Harlan Hatcher described au-
tonomy as the most important single is-
sue currently facing the University.
However, it is perhaps the Universi-
ty's current obsession with safeguarding
its autonomy from legislative "erosion"
that most prevents it from recognizing
the more serious problems confronting
the University.
Will complete autonomy enable the
University to more effectively combat
the problem of a rapidly growing com-
munity without a corresponding growth
in facilities? Will the absence of "legisla-
tive erosion" improve the administra-
tion's relations with the student body or
even University relations with the Legis-
lature, which have greatly deteriorated
in the past few years.
Far more important issues than au-
tonomy challenge today's campus. The
nature of the University itself is an issue:
Is it going to be a factory, producing so
many educated units per public dollar, as
characterized by former University of
California President Clark Kerr?
How will the University react to the
increasing interdependence of education
and the public sector, particularly the
government?
How is the question of faculty and stu-
deht participation in the decision-mak-
ing process to be resolved?
Does the University have a comprehen-
sive plan to accommodate its prospective
growth over the next five years?
ONE CAN ONLY HOPE that the narrow
and singular concern over autonomy
voiced in President Hatcher's address is
not typical of the administration's priori-
ties in confronting the challenges of the
future.
-PAT O'DONOHUE
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7.11
Letters: A Rushed Judgment from Mark Lane
I
To Panhel and Back
PANHELLENIC President's Council once
again demonstrated on Wednesday
night its ignorance of University affairs
when it passed a resolution questioning
Student Government Council's mandate
to delegate control of student regulations
to students and their organizations, rath-
er than the administration.
In the resolution, Panhel said they
did favor individual housing units con-
trolling their own rules, which is sim-
ilar to present sorority policy. However,
they chided SGC (just as Vice-President
for Student Affairs Richard Cutler did
last week) for acting precipitously and
said "it would be judicious for SGC to
consult its constituents if their support
is to be enlisted." The resolution also ac-
cused SGC of pre-empting the President's
Commission on Student Decision Making
and jeopardizing any statement they
make.
THE MOST DAMAGING part of Panhel's
action is its suggestion to consult IHA
or conduct an all student referendum
to remedy SGC's "precipitous action."
Last spring Panhel and IFC decided to
demand a referendum on the issue of
non-students in student organizations,
after the majority of SGC members vot-
ed differently from the Greek represen-
tatives on the issue. If IFC and Panhel
are so at odds with the rest of SGC that
they can't abide a majority vote, they
should withdraw from SGC. SGC is not
perfect, but government by constant ref-
erendum is clumsy and self-defeating.
Panhel's reasons for criticizing SGC's
action also demonstrate a great naivete.
If no action is taken for fear of pre-
empting the final report of the presi-
dent's commission, all progress will be
suspended for an indefinite time. It is
also somewhat idealistic to expect the
commission to delegate the power to
make student conduct rules to student
units without a serious display of stu-
dent support for such responsibility.
Criticizing SGC's mandate for making
such a decision is not particularly valid
either, particularly considering Panhel's
own rather shaky mandate. Officially,
all major issues to be discussed at Pan-
hel meetings are sent to house presidents
to be discussed with their chapters. How-
ever, actual chapter voting or lengthy
discussion on an issue such as student
conduct rules is uncommon.
What, in fact, Panhel's resolution could
do is slow down establishment of student
conduct rules in dormitory houses. Sor-
ority houses already have autonomous
control over almost all conduct rules in
their houses. Their resolution could ef-
fectively delay other campus housing
units from enjoying the very privileges
sororities have exercised so long.
ONE PANHEL OFFICER commented
that the resolution was passed be-
cause, "we are students at the Univer-
sity-and so we are concerned with it."
r ,-e _r-n- ahl s h s,-e+l,
To the Editor:
WEDNESDAY NIGHT at Con-
troversy '67, the alternative
to Mark Lane's position was not
represented; that is, there was no
one prese t to support the position
that thee does 'not exist a vast
conspiracy in this country to sup-
press information on the Kennedy
assassination. This was a grave
oversight by UAC.
Apparently, the two Law School
professors were invited only at the
last minuteato participate. They
were not, and on short notice,
could not have been expected to
be prepared.
The second significant feature
of the evening was the people who
claped so long and loudly for Mr.
Lane. Do they, who left the audi-
torium carefree, flitting over this
state campus, aparently uncon-
cerned about the issue, happy that
they saw someone "put down" and
heard an eloquent and witty speak-
er-although they perhaps aren't
quite sure about or simply aren't
concerned about the substance of
the speaker's eloquence-do they
think about issues at all seriously,
excluding personalities for a mo-
ment?
Or do they only respond to hand
feeding (McLuhan's massage, per-
haps) such as that from Mr. Lane?
Is there a national conspiracy? Is
it enough for us that the possi-
bility is listened to and laughed
off?
I WAS WAITING for someone
to walk up the podium and simply
say: "Listen, Mark Lane has said
some things that I believe need a
critical review. They are . . . sup-
ported by . . . . Judge for yourself
from these opposing positions
whom you wish to believe.
Or are there no other positions?
I doubt it, still. I am sure that a
Warren Commission lawyer, for
example, would have had relevant
comments and his own statistics to
offer, juxtaposed to Mr. Lane's.
Then maybe there would have
been fewer laughs and more con-
templation.
If Controversy '67 is to deal with
vital issues that require highly
specificsbackground information,
let's have all sides represented.
-Barry C. Watkins,
Rackham School
Reaction
To the Editor:
JUST A "GUT" reaction to Wed-
nesday night's spectacle in Hill
Auditorium-where were the mod-
erators? Rules and procedure to
be followed for the entire evening
should have been made general
knowledge to both the audience
and speakers by the moderators
well before any word was spoken
on stage.
Further, it is the position of the
moderator and not Mr. Lane to
bring the audience todorder. Com-
mon courtesy is hard to demand
from an audience of three to five
thousand people if those in charge
of such an audience are in ignor-
ance of the common rules of eti-
quette. The "moderators" began
the evening without even intro-
ducing all the persons on stage.
One final comment about the so-
called moderators: Included under
the rules of etiquette these people
should already know is the one
concerning the smoking regula-
tions in an auditorum.
-Susie Anspach, '69
--Vicki Davis, '68
More Etiquette
To the Editor:
WEDNESDAY night in Hill Aud.
" I witnessed an exhibition of
SGC and UAC leadership which,
I dare say, was no more than dis-
ence. If this is an example of the
type of representation University
students are to expect from SGC
and UAC, then I contend that we
would be better off without it.
Groups such as these are organ-
ized to lead, but we don't need the
type of leadership I saw Wednes-
day night. I suggest that these
members brush up on a few rules
of etiquette if they plan to do any
leading in the right direction.
-Rose Ann Zaroff, '71
Arb Barb
To the Editor:
THE UNIVERSITY'S Depart-
ment of Landscape Architec-
ture is just as entitled to a "lab-
oratory" as the physics depart-
ment, the biology department, or
the geology department. But there
is a difference between these de-
partments. Physics labs don't take
up space the way biology and
geology field stations and arbore-
tums do. As a result, the biology
station is located in Pelston,
Michigan, the geology field sta-
tion is near Jackson, Wyoming,
and the Arb has become a park.
And a park it should remain.
"Important plants" should be
moved to where they don't get in
the -way of people, rather than
vice versa. If the choice is as
stark as presented by the direc-
tor of the arb ("It's either going
to be an arboretum or it isn't."),
is there any choice but to pre-
serve for people the one beauti-
ful park in walking distance from
campus.
Perhaps there is land available
adjacent to the University's ra-
dio-telescope on North Territorial
Road, about 10 miles northwest
of town. Even "important plants"
do not need the cosmopolitan at-
mosphere of Ann Arbor to pros-
per. People do need parks.
-Dave Ermann, Grad
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