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asi es la vida
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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 ol reprints.
NIGHT EDITOR: JIM NEUBACHER
)NESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1970
A1tizens and the environment
' STOP environmental pollution, man
must attack it on as many fronts as
isible.
Traditionally Michigan has concen-
ated on a legislative approach. L a w s
ve been passed to limit specific types
pollution and set up licensing and ad-
inistrative agencies.
Meanwhile the legal approach has re-
ived relatively little attention from the
gislature. To collect damages from pol-
tion or stop an activity degrading the
vironment citizens must prove direct
'rsonal injury. On many pollution prob-
.~ns, such as pollution of Lake Erie, this
often impossible.
The Legislature now has an opportun-
p to fill this gap in the state's laws by
,ssing the Natural Resource ConservaL.
)n and Environmental Protection Act
. 3055) recently drafted .by Prof. Jos-
>h L. Sax of the Law School.
AX'S PROPOSAL allows the Attorney
General, local governmental bodies
td private citizens to bring suit when
ey believe any public or private pro-
am or product is or will unnecessarily
irt the quality of the environment. If
.e court finds the claim justified, it may
ue an order prohibiting the destruc-
ve action r limiting it.
The plaintiff must prove that adverse
fects to the environment will occur. To
ntinue his operations, the defendant is
Quired to show there are no adequate
ternatives and that what he proposes
do or is doing is of such importance to
e public that it should be permitted,
spite its consequences for the environ-
ent. In complex cases, the court may
point a "disintersted and technically
talified" officer to take testimony and
dch a conclusion.
Sax's proposal also protects the rights
existing licensing agencies. Although
.e court may grant an injuntion to pre-
nt "irreparable injury" it cannot make
Ly other decision until licensing or ad-
inistrative agencies have acted. T h e
aintiffs in the injunction case are au-
orized to intervene in any administra-
ve proceeding by filing a statement
arriing of possible environmental de-
adation.
In reaching its decision, the licensing
;ency is required to consider impair-
ent of the state's natural resources and
prohibited from authorizing a program
ich "does or is reasonably likely" to
image the environment as 1 o n g as a
easible and prudent alternative" exists.
ELL RESEARCHED a n d carefully
written, the Natural Resources Con-
rvation and Environmental Protection
t will create a comprehensive law for
pplementing existing means to protect
.e environment. The need for such leg-
ation is manifest.
The state's method of regulating pollu-
on varies from one type of degradation
another. For air and water pollution,
.e Legislature has already passed good
gislation. In contrast the state still uses
ws over half a century old to regulate
,sticides.
As Sax has pointed out "We h a v e a
,tchwork of laws, some excellent, some
obsolete, without any coordinated means
to assure proper protection of our nat-
ural resources."
The concept of citizens suing to protect
the public interest has been recognized
by the courts for years. In the 1950s a
Wisconsin citizens group successfully
challenged a proposed hydroelectric de-
velopment on the Namekagon River.
Michigan itself permits citizens to sue
"in the name of the State of Michigan"
on behalf of the public to enjoin houses
of prostitution and gambling dens. Why
can't the same right be extended to pro-
tecting the environment?
It seems clear that regulatory agencies
may fail to consider all the information
and perspectives they should have before
issuing licenses. Sometimes a shortage of
staff members hampers operations of
state government. More important how-
ever, is the possibility of industries and
agencies growing into a cooperative rath-
er t h a n a regulatory relationship. Al-
though the state may require officials to
be responsible for protecting the public
interest, citizens must have the right to
aid themselves in court when the bureau-
cracy becomes insensitive to t h e i r de-
mands.
The bill also attempts to avoid unwar-
ranted litigation which .might otherwise
flood the courts. The court may allocate
economic burden associated with the case
on those who bring in unreasonable cases.
TATE OFFICIALS and t h e public
muststrongly support the Natural Re-
source and Environmental Protection Act
before it can pass the Legislature. Oppo-
sition from utilities and some govern-
mental agencies has already developed.
Gov. William G. Milliken's administra-
tion should endorse the bill as written
and include it in the State's program to
improve the environment.
The act also provides badly needed as-
sistance for Attorney General Frank Kel-
ley in carrying o u t his responsibility to
take legal action to protect the resources
of the state.
GETTING THE BILL out of the House
Conservation and Recreation Commit-
tee is the first step in passage. The public
can help by writing to members of the
committee. They include Representatives
Thomas J. Anderson of Southgate, War-
ren N. Goemaere of Roseville, William B.
Fitzgerald and David Holmes of Detroit,
Jelt Sietsema a n d Stanley J. Davis of
Grand Rapids. Also on the committee are
Representatives Raymond B a k e r of
SFarmington, William J. Ballenger III of
Ovid, John D. Payant of Kingsford,
Wayne B. Scakett of Portage, Clifford A.
Smart of Walled Lake and Raymond J.
Smit of Ann Arbor.
Tonight a hearing on the bill will be
held in the State Capitol.
For too 1 o n g the state has failed to
realize the full potential of citizen ini-
tiated court action to preserve natural
resources and improve the quality of the
environment.
-PAT MAHONEY
" E UNIVERSITY of Michigan proudly
invites your group-alumni, profes-
sional, educational, service, civic-to see
the 1970 annual film
"'A Concerned Generation'
"and the members of that generation-
students at the University of Michigan-
tell their own story. What they have to
say may not make you comfortable. But
after you watch and hear what they really
are about-in all their sincerity caught
up in the American dream and as likely
as any to make it come true."
* * *
THE UNIVERSITY yesterday premiered
its latest cinematic effort, a slick paean to
the "social concern" of this generation of
students. The basic argument, developed
about as subtly as Mayor Daley's "What
Trees Do They Plant?", is that the major-
ity of students are not protesters but in-
stead divide their time among worthwhile
social projects, studying, and goodrwhole-
some fun.
Although the film was billed as "students
speaking for themselves," the two main
commentators were a housemother and
literary college assistant dean James Shaw.
The only student interviewed at length was
Black Student Union president Ron Harris
on black studies, after all, it is supposedly a
film about student concern with America's
social problems. Harris, fortunately, ex-
pressed all his considerable doubts about
the black studies program which the nar-
rator pointed out so proudly.
One girl was allowed to express her dis-
satisfaction with the educational process
and ask for more relevancy in the Univer-
sity. But the others said very little, since
they were asked questions such as how they
like coed dorms or teaching disadvantaged
attention they deserve, the movie based its
argument on the assumption that the large,
silent majority of students is devoting it-
self to change within the system through
worthwhile projects. This is a nice thing to
believe, and it probably will make all the
alumni very comfortable indeed.
A special pitch was made for alumni
mothers by Mrs. Peterson, the kindly gray-
haired housemother who smiles benignly
when asked about open hours and other
suggestive topics. Mrs. Peterson assured
the alumni that those stories are gust not
true. "It's natural for boys and girls to be
together," she explains gently. "Most of
the kids use good judgment and don't over-
do it."
The movie does not mention the exist-
ence of apartment life, but concentrates
on the image of "the dorms of our youth"
-now co-ed but. just as well-regulated as
ever.
MRS. PETERSON and Shaw both apolo-
gize for the students, reminding alumni
that kids are after all young and idealistic.
'They'll realize someday," says Mrs. Peter-
son wisely. Shaw throws in the specter
of the atom bomb and the reminder that
there has been no depression to teach this
generation the hard lessons of real life.
All in all, it's a fun movie. Its premises
are all false, of course, not because all
students are revolutionaries, but because
so many are apathetic and participate in
nothing except weekend parties. But the
University relations office couldn't say
that, so° they came up with something re-
spectable and cheerful too.
It's showing again in Thursday, at 4 p~m.
in Rackhamn Lecture HFall. Go, and take
your friends. If you like "What Trees,"
you'll like this too.
*,
"A Concerned Generation"
kids. No students were allowed to touch
on some of their favorite subjects, like the
war, the military-industrial hierarchy or
American imperialism. Not one radical was
allowed to talk.
AS A MATTER of fact, although the
movie daringly showed two or three quick
shots of the ROTC disruptions and the
bookstore strike, the smooth-voiced nar-
rator never mentionedwhy students pro-
test. He said nothing about ROTC or the
bookstore; instead he mentioned in passing
last year's campaign against academic re-
quirements. Humorously, the narrator ex-'
plained how the children were campaigning
to end the requirements that had years
earlier been approved by other students.:
(This is not true. Students have never been.
and are not empowered to pass final judg-
ment on academic decisions of the faculty)
The film dwelled on constructive social
projects like the tutorial program em-
phasized the amount of time student put
into helping other people-"These students
are helping to prevent pollution in Crystal.
Lake!"
While it is fine to give such projects the
4*'
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Breaking down the Engineering Mentality
To the Editor:'
THE PROIFOSED Observatory
St. extension is symptomatic of a
general disease of our society
which Gene Marine, in his book
America the Raped, calls the
"Engineering Mentality." Before
the engineering students who are
reading this start foaming at the
mouth, I want to explain that
+there is a distinction between
engineers (people who go into en-
gineering as a profession) and
Engineers (people of many profes-
sions, including some engineers,
who have a certain narrow way of
looking at problems and their
solutions).
As Marine defines it, the Engin-
eering Mentality ". . .is the simple,
supposedly pragmatic approach of
taking the problem as given, ig-
noring or ruthlessly excluding
questions of side effects, working
out 'solutions' that meet only the
simplest definitions of the prob-
lem. It is an approach that never
seeks out a larger context, that re-
sents the raising of issues it re-
gards as extraneous to the engin-
eering problem involved."
IN THE CASE being considered
here, the problem is one of poor
traffic circulation in the campus
area, and particularly around the
Medical Center.
The city planning commission's
proposed solution to this problem
is one that we have come to ex-
pect and consider natural and
reasonable-atnew road. The pro-
posal is to extend Observatory St.
to Forest Ave. near South Univer-
sity Ave. This new road probably
will improve traffic flow-for at
least a year or two, but as has
been amply shown in Los Angeles
and San Francisco, new roads are
outdated almost as soon as they
are built.
The reason for this is that the
building of new roads is a typical
"Engineering Mentality" solution;
the problem is taken to be one of
inadequate roads for the existing
or projected future number of
automobiles, and the obvious solu-
tion is more and wider roads.
The possibility that a much larger
problem is involved is not even
considered-the possibility that
our unchecked population growth
and automobile-oriented transpor-
tation system might be creating
the problem is banished from the
farthest corners of the minds of
all good Engineers.
SO NEW ROADS continue to be
built, which are soon outdated, be-
cause, as Marine points out, the
decision to build or widen a road
is essentially a policy decision that
more cars are wanted; if the road
space is there, it will be filled.
And of course once that road is
filled it becomes obvious to the
Engineers that a new and better
road is needed - which in turn
encourages more cars.
The only way to break this cycle
is to decide at some point not to
build the "needed" road.
If the road is not built, there is
a definite limit to the number of
cars that can move easily in a
given area. Driving eventually be-
comes so difficult that people find
other means of transportation
(manvatnr+ntcin Ann Aror
traffic and institute an efficient
bus system.
The University's petition to have
East University closed to traffic
between North University and
South University is a step in the
right direction.
Of course many city officials will
insist that Ann Arbor hasn't
enough money for a new bus sys-
tem, but if the amount of money
being wasted on new roads and
more parking lots (which could be
used for parks instead) were put
into developing a good bus sys-
tem, there would probably be
money left over.
UNTIL THE BUS system is in-
stituted, I would suggest to the
residents of the campus area a
novel idea-try walking; it is real-
ly rather enjoyable, and you have
the added peace of mind of know-
ing that you are not contributing
to the air pollution problem in the
Ann Arbor area.
-Philip Cantino, EnAct
Jan. 18
Trashing
To the Editor:
IN TRUTH, not very much can
be said about the trashing of the
ROTC building. The act stands
pretty much by itself; an attack
against the military of the United
States. The act defines its own
politics.
Smash ROTC, Free the Ann Ar-
bor Six are more than just slogans
painted on the wall of the build-
ing. They are political demands,
and demands express needs. ROTC
must be destroyed not at the final
stage of the revolution, but at the
beginning stage because ROTC is
right here right now. The function
of ROTC is to train officers for
the U.S. military. Officers to di-
rect wars of aggression against
Vietnamese and black people in-
side the United States are trained
on this campus and other cam-
puses across the country.
The Ann Arbor Six are members
of the Black Berets who will stand
trial for felonious assault of a po-
liceman. The charges stem from
a raid on the Black Beret's head-
quarters by the Ann Arbor Police.
The police raid is an act of ag-
gression against the black com-
munity, and black communities
around the country are moving in-
to a state of war with the rulers
of the United States. These are the
same rulers who sent the 101st
Airborne into Detroit during the
riots in 1967. These are the same
rulers who sent police to assas-
sinate Fred Hampton and Mark
Clark. These are the same rulers
who sent troops into Chicago dur-
ing the Democratic National Con-
vention.
TRASHING IS one way of
fighting back, a low-level way, but
stil a physical response to the ag-
gression by the United States.
One window breaks, the war goes
on ,two windows break, the war
goes on, three windows break, the
war goes on. The people start
breaking more windows and the
war still goes on. The people get
angrier, they organize, they build,
they put down their rocks and be-
gin to look for better weapons.
The people find better weapons,
Ad board
To the Editor:
THE STUDENT ASSEMBLY has
undertaken consideration of sub-
stantial voting student representa-
tion on the Administrative Board.
The Ad Board is presently com-
posed of six faculty members with
members of the administration and
students of the L.S.&A. College
sitting in on an ex-officio basis.
The Assembly will propose that
four students participate in the
policy making board and that they
receive parity on the smaller hear-
ing board.
This signifies a culmination of
previous efforts by the Student
Steering Committee and presently
by the Student Assembly to per-:
suade the Board to accept students
as actively voting members. The
Ad Board represents the collec-
tive 'L.S.,&A. faculty and is the
body that handles the administra-
tive affairs of the college. The
precedent for student membership
on L.S.&A. College committees was
set last year when the College Cur-
riculum Committee admitted three
students from the Student As-
sembly.
REPORTEDLY there is (some)
concern on the part of some As-
sembly member that this drive will
interfere- with the efforts of SOC
to establish the right of students
to hear cases where rules of the
college are violated. To date, cases
of this nature have been referred
to the hearing boards of the vari-
ous colleges, or alternatively, to
the Central Student Judiciary, at
the discretion of the University.
The greater number of Assem-
bly members, however, feel that
parity on the hearing board in the
L.S.&A. College as well as sub-
stantial membership in the policy
making branch of the Ad Board,
contributes meaningfully to the
principle ofestudent involvement
in the University.
INSOFAR AS SGC has made'it
clear in the past that the admin-
istrative affairs of the ,L.S.&A.
College are not within its purview,
Student Assembly has taken the
initiative to propose increased stu-
dent involvement in the L.S.&A,
College committees. In doing so,
the Assembly hopes to demonstrate
the obvious advantages and feasi-
bility of student participation,
whether it be on a parity or a
majority basis.
-Ken Lasser
Chairman, Student Assembly
Jan. 19
Buses,
To the Editor:
LAST TERM and this term I
have had to spend considerable
time riding between Central
Campus and North Campus via the
University buses, and I find it very
incovenient to have to walk to the
front of the bus to see where it is
going when it is not.necessary.
The great majority of people
using these buses come directly
from the Central Campus area and
thus approach the bus from the
rear. Because of the cold weather
the bus drivers prefer to have the
students board via the rear door
as then the front door can remain
closed.
ON OCCASION some of the bus
drivers put a sign in the window.
next to the rear door telling where
the bus is going. I hive appre-
ciated this'service in the past and
wish that it could become a man-
datory part of your ,service. This
{could take very little effort on the
part of the bus driver and would
be helpful to a great number of
passengers.
--Divid S. Berto
Jan. 15
Media 'bia
To the Editor:
THE AMERICAN NEWS media
has vehemently denied Vice-Presi-
dent Agnew's assertion that .the
media is biased and unfair in its
presentation of the news. If Mr.
Agnew is wrong, why would Joel
Block's editorial on "draft reform"
ever have appeared in the Jan. 13
issue of The Daily?
Block accuses President Nikon
and Secretary Laird of treating
the American youth like niggers
by announcing the end of student
and occupational deferments. Sen-
ator Edward Kennedy proposed
the same plan in a December
article in the New York Times.
Did The Daily blast him?
During his campaign in 1968,
Senator Robert Kennedy told stu-
dents on several campuses that he
felt student deferments should be
ended. Did The Daily blast him?
If you do not criticize the Kenne-
dys, why rake the Nixon Admin-
istration for an identical plan?
IN HIS FINAL sentence, Joel
Block says they draft must be
abolished. The Nixon Adminis-
tration must be Block's best friend;
onthe front page of The Daily
issue in which Block's editorial ap-
peared is the report "The admin-
istration will present proposals ...,
for implementing a volunteer
army." Doesn't Joel Block even
read The Daily?
.-George T. Wilson, Eng '70
3
Too good for the Senate
'a
'OR THE PAST FEW years, there 'has
been just one good thing about the
ate Senate: Roger Craig, the Democrat
om - of all places - Dearborn, who
instantly amazed the entire state with
s s'ocial conscience and "radical" ideas.
Unlike the rest of his so-called Demo-
atic colleagues, Craig has been more
an a token liberal. Unlike them, he did
>t talk about the grape boycott and the
ight of {migrants; Craig went on a fast
dramatize the situation. Craig w a s
nong the first to condemn the war and
fe military-industrial complex. He has
en a leader of the ill-fated campaign
r women's abortion rights. In fact,
aig may have introduced more ignored
defeated legislation than any other.
nator in state history.
But Craig has finally had enough. The
ate Democratic Party convention last
dekend was the last straw. Although he
as considering running against Gov.
illiken, Craig does not w a n t to offer
mself to a party which refuses to back
presidential primary. He found no sup-
"People on the inside aren't letting the
people on the outside in. Until they open
up the p a r t y it just doesn't matter,"
Craig explained, adding that he hoped
other candidates might follow him and
leave the party without a challenger for
Milliken.
CRAIG, OF COURSE, will be the only
Democrat to make a real protest of
the party's aversion to t h e primary, a
product of the fear of strong factions -~
like the United Auto Workers - that they
will lose their influence. Some other
Democrats may express disappointment,
but that's all they'll do.
There is no place for people like Roger
Craig in state politics - or national poli-
tics, for that matter. They are too few to
make a difference, and Craig is tired of
batting his head against the wall.
"I don't mind being a kamikaze pilot,
but I have to go in a direction that makes
sense," explained Craig. "If I were really
changing the world, I'd be willing."
,,
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