TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 1967 THE MICHIGAN'DAILY PAGE TUESDAY. AUGUST 29, 1967 TINE MICHIGAN DAILY PAGE SGC Seeks Greater Student Influence in ' P olic) By THOMAS R. COPI Student power, sit-in bans, non- student participation, judicial re- form, new services and new inter- est highlighted the busiest year in the history of the Student Gov- ernment Council. The beginning of the year was marked by the apathy which has always plagued student govern- ment at the University, but aI combination of what some have called "administration errors" and a student body ripe for protest culminated in an SGC-guided sit-in of the administration build- ing. The 1500-person sit-in in De- cember, which highlighted the abortive "student power" move- ment, was held in defiance and in protest of a ban on sit-ins made by Vice-President for Student Af- fairs Richard Cutler. At issue was the role students should play in decision-making at the University. Normal procedure called for Cutler to consult with SGC before making a rule such as the sit-in ban, but this was not done. Affronted by what they called blatant disregard for stu- dent opinion, SGC threatened to break its ties with the Office of Student Affairs unless the ban was rescinded. Combined with the sit-in ban was the question of what weight student referendum should have on University policy-making. A referendum on the submission of class ranks to the selective serv- ice system brought a record 10,- 000 students to the polls in the November SGC election. Referendum Results The results of the referendum showed that the students were not in favor of University cooperation with the SSS. And although Uni- versity officials had said before the vote that no such referendum could be binding, large numbers of students, led by SGC and Voice political party, demanded that the referendum results be incor-. porated into University policy. When the OSA refused to sus- pend the sit-in ban, and reiterated that the referendum results could not be binding on the University, SGC chose to break its ties with the OSA in order to "better re- present the students." Following a massive teach-in at Hill Auditorium, SGC, which met several times weekly during the crisis, came close to backing down in its demands on the OSA, but a walkout during a critical meet- ing left the student governing body without a quorum, and the demands stuck. Student Power As the "student power" move- ment broke down into debate as to just what was meant by 'stu- dent power", final exams splashed cold water on the movement, and as the semester drew to a close, SGC voted to accept University President Harlan Hatcher's pro- posal of appointing commissions to study the issues in question - student participation in decision- making at the University and the compilation of class ranks. In another issue, SGC ruled early in the year that student or- ganizations did not have to sub- mit membership lists to SGC as had been the practice. This deci- sion was made in the wake of the University's decision in August to comply with, a request from the House Un-American Activities Committee, to submit membership lists of several student organiza- tions. Although Cutler asked SGC to reconsider the membership rule change, saying that having no membership lists might foster "clandestine" organizations, SGC passed the new rule, and Cutler agreed to let it go into effect. Non-Student Participation And in action taken during the winter trimester, SOC opened the doors for non-student participa- tion in "student" organizations. The SGC ruling, opposed by even a few of the Regents, said that non-students could actively par- ticipate and even hold office in student organizations. But the question of non-student participation will be submitted to the student body in a referendum to be held during the regular SGC election in the fall. Complaints about the role SGC had played in the student power movement, and the recurring complaint that SGC is not repre- sentative of the students, led to debate during the SGC campaign in the Spring as to the best struc- ture for student government at the University. Some of the candidates suggest- ed a return to the student legis- lature formi of government that preceded SGC's formation in 1955, while others simply wanted to stay with the current structure. In the end, the candidates who, were elected decided to wait and; see what recommendations the President's Commission on the Role of the Student in Decision- Making would have on this topic. So once again, SGC finds itself in a state of flux, unsure of its role in the University, unsure of what functions it can and should carry out. Meanwhile, by its own decision, SGC has separated itself from the OSA; thus seemingly cutting it- self off from its only source of revenue. But SGC has applied to the OSA for money to continue its operations. In fact, SGC asked for over $50,000-twice as much as it received last year. Since SGC officers admit that there isn't much chance they will get that amount, they are talking in terms of totally separating themselves from the OSA and getting their funds directly from the students during registration periods. Again, it remains to be seen, what will actually happen in this area. Among the services and activi- ties SGC wants to fund with its increased budget are: 0 Student endowed chair in an area which students would choose each year. Much of the budget increase SGC seeks would go to finance this new plan. 0 Draft counseling service, to advise male students on the vari- ous possibilities for service in the different branches of the armed forces, conscientious objection and student deferments. This is also a new service which SGC hopes to be able to provide, if it can get the necessary funds. O Expansion of the present le- gal aid service from four to 12 hours per week. There has been an increasing demand for this low-cost legal service, and SGOC feels that the demand warrants an expansion of the service. * Increased support of the Student Housing Association, an SGC group doing research in the area of student housing in Ann Arbor. Part of the SHA's increas- ed budget would go to pay for the use of the facilities of the Insti- tute for Social Research. RESIDENCE HALL GOVERNMENT: IHA Coordinates Dorm Activities SGC President Bruce Kahn Urges Complete Structural Reorganization MI SUB S 7 CRIBE 64-055 NOW 8 By JENNY STILLER Inter - House Assembly, dedi- cated to making life in University residence halls as enjoyable as possible, is one organizationmthat all freshmen belong to from the moment they arrive on campus. Formed in February, 1966, from the merger of Inter-Quad Council and Assembly Association, IHA coordinates dorm activities and provides an outlet for students to express their views on various aspects of residence hall living. One of its major functions'is to help inform incoming freshmen on campus activities. "IHA provides reinforcement for students," explains Stephen Brown, president of the organiza- tion. "When we present the case of all the students who live in University housing, it carriesI much more weight than the opin- ion of just a few houses or halls." One positive action during IHA's first year was to survey women students as to their opin- ions towards eliminating sopho- more hours. As a result of work in this area by IHC, Panhel, and SGC, sophomore hours have been dropped this year on a trial basis. This year Brown hopes to "liberalize guest visitation rules to bring them in tune with modern times." He will also try to estab- lish a uniform dress code for the dorms. "We hope to be making our own rules in as many areas of dorm life as possible," he adds. "IHA wants to increase student power through added student re- sponsibility." Based in part on the concept that dorms should contribute more actively to the intellectual and academic lives of residents, IHA encourages faculty members to speak at the various houses. This year something new will be added-faculty members in resi- dence at Gomberg and Hunt Houses in South Quad. IHA also coordinates social ac- tivities between the residence halls. One such program, the "brother-sister" relationship be- tween Allen-Rumsey and Palmer houses may be expanded. Orien- tation programs in this line con- sist chiefly of inter-house mixers, while the IHA Spring Formal highlights later events. The coordination program is aimed at eliminating the dispari- ties among the degree of activity present at the house level. Some houses have a fairly active "house spirit," while residents of others "couldn't care less" about what their houses do. IHA hopes to in- crease spirit on both the house and quad level. "This year's opening of Baits housing to underclassmen will provide IHA with a great chal- lenge," Brown predicts. "Inter- house coordination will be more difficult than ever with many s t u d e n ts, especially freshmen, commuting to classes from North Campus." Brown also hopes for more stu- dent control in the selection of dorm staff personnel.E "We have already arranged for a system of staff evaluations by students," he explains. "Now I'd like to see students become part of the decision-making processes for interviewing prospective staff members." Second only to SGC in size, IHA membership includes all dorm residents. Its operating funds are drawn from the 50-cent dues each member pays as part of his house dues. As outlined in its constitution, IHA has a government divided into two parts, with the smaller subordinate to the larger. They are: 0 A presidents' council com- posed of 55 members. Normally, the president of a house is the house's representative on council. However, in cases where the size of the house is much larger, or smaller than average, representa- tion on council is enlarged or de- creased. For example, Couzens and Stockwell halls each have two people on the presidents' council, and Oxford housing has three, one from each of the three types of housing. In addition to these house representatives, the IHA president and other IHA execu- tive members are also on the council. " An executive board. com- posed of 12 members, containing all the executive members of IRA. The IHA president and executive vice-president are elected by the presidents' council and these two then appoint the other board members. The presidents' council acts as the legislative branch of IRA. It is here that all new policies are originated and coordinated. The executive board acts in an administrative capacity, running the every-day operation of the or- ganization and submitting mat- ters to the presidents' council for consideration. Providing a united font to the administration for students who wish to improve all factors of dorifitory living, IHA is dedicated to helping its membership - the dorm population -improve their living conditions in the University residence halls. 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