The strike: BAM answers the t mrrgan s tg Seventy-nine years of editorial freedom Edited and managed by students of the University of Michigan 420 Maynard St., Anh Arbor, Mich. News Phone: 764-05521 Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 1970 NIGHT EDITOR: JIM BEATTIE i i The mail strike: Shutting down nationwide THE POSTAL STRIKE is the response of a group of vital, yet underpaid public employes to the unresponsiveness of the national government to their grievances. It began understandably in New York, where militant municipal employe union- ism has brought vast pay increases in the past decade to the bus drivers, sub- way conductors, teachers, firemen, po- licemen and sanitationmen on whom the functioning of the city depends. After twenty-o n e years of service, a mailman's income equals approximately that of a beginning New York sanita- tionman or transit employe. After three years of service, the New York 'sanita- tionman and transit employe will earn 20 per cent more than the mailman can ever expect to earn. WHY IS THIS?' Clearly, it is the militant unionism - the willingness to strike - of these New York municipal employe unions, which has brought them the de- cent salaries they currently enjoy. Is moral suasion then likely to convince postmen that, in this society - where a vast proportion of resources is poured into private luxury consumption while vital public needs remain unmet - that their best bet is to lie low and rely on Congressional generosity? This is not to accuse Congress of stin- giness. Our representatives can at times be inspired to heights of generosity - as when they raised their own salaries over 40 per cent last year, from $30,000 to $42,- 500, or when they voted to continue sub- sidies to high-income farmers for leaving fields idle. But it is people like the mail- man, whose starting income is $6,176 per year - and who can earn $8,442 annually after 21 years of service - who are ex- pected to pay the cost of inflation. In addition to long overdue pay in- creases, there are several measures which Congress can and should enact in re- sponse to the mailmen's complaints; POSTMEN in different locales, with drastically different c o s t s of living, 'should not be p a i d the same salaries. Wages should be determined by the cost of living in the area irl which postmen live - adequate pay in the rural South may be inadequate in the Northern me- tropolis. Postmen, like other public employes, who give up their right to strike, cannot be expected to bear any part of the bur- den for rising prices. Thus, an "escala- tor" clause, under which salaries would vary with the Consumer Price Index in their area, is essential. Postmen should receive family allow- ances for dependent children. Very ade- quate pay' for a bachelor may be very in- adequate for a man with children. Public employes, by renouncing their right to strike, must become entitled to a higher d e g r e e of e.conomic security than those who maintain that right. A NATIONAL anti - inflation policy which aimed at wage, price and profit control at all levels and which restricted the luxury consumption of high-income groups would merit serious consideration. But a policy which asks those of mod- est means to bear the cost of inflation and- then to abandon the only means they have of combating it is completely unworthy of respect. -STEVE KOPPMAN By DARRYL GORMAN (EDITOR'S NOTE: The author is a spokesman for the MIack Action Movement.) T IS TIME for black voices to be raised against the actions of the many who are driving t h e University community into chaos. T h e Black Action Movement (BAM) challenges the University community to give up its arrogant acceptance of painless, marginal change. Undoubtedly, there can- not be major change in the Uni- versity community unless you as a member of this community are affected by that change. The fun- damental issues which BAM has raised demand a fundamental change in t h e relationship be- tween white and black people. In spite of the fact that the un- equal relationship between black and white people has been insti- tutionalized, black people m u s t have thetright todecide their own future at the University. T r u e enough, the rights of all people will be affected by meeting the BAM demands. Some people will feelthat their rightshareabeing infringed upon. Yet, the fact re- mains that even by acceeding to the BAM demands, the Univer- sity community will not be suf- ficiently relevant to the black ex- perience. ESSENTIALLY, in demanding that the University re-assess its priorities, BAKV is demanding more thana re-assessment of fi- nancial priorities. The current University structure does not meet the needs of the masses of black people. T h i s particular Univer- sity bears a singular responsibility for the problems which confront the black people in Michigan and all over the country. It has built its academic reputation on people who are not willing to do more than administer, research, study, and theorize about the black ex- perience. It has not educated peo- ple who a re. willing to actively confront the problems facing the black community. The 'U' faculty has been effec- tively educating people who feel that they have the ability to stand back and critically analyze the problems facing the community. This is often apparent in the con- flicts which take place on cam- pus. The faculty personifies an at- titude of critical observation -- even in the moral dilemmas which face the campus. Five hundred of them delib- erately placed an untimely and blanket condemnation of violence in the Michigan Daily and the Ann Arbor News. This can only be seen as a deliberate attempt to obscure the real issue. The Re- gents have made an inadequate response to the BAM demands and the faculty, department heads and deans (almost without exception) have made no commitments from the funds already to be commited to their departments and colleges for the next four or five years from the General Fund Budget. MR. FLEMING has said: "No matter how high the priority giv- en to black student program, there are some other critical things which are going to have to be funded and a large amount of this money must be found by re-ar- ranging internal priorities. That, in turn, takes place largely with- in the colleges." Faculties, deans, and department heads have lost their right to act as moral arbi- ters of the University community. They a r e more concerned with "business as usual." Essentially, business as usual means that the top priority in the budget request was a $6.45 million increase (7 per cent) in faculty salaries. Next was a request to meet an "infla- tion factor which is running in the neighborhood of six per cent a year" according to Mr. Flem- ing. Like Mr. Fleming, I "cite these matters simply to illustrate the point which is essential" to the decisions which will be. made in financing black student pro- grams. Next, I will summarize the BAM demands and the responses from the Regents: *BAM DEMANDED s e v e r a l graduate recruiters and nine un- dergraduate recruiters essential- ly to cover the state of Michigan. We said t h a t these recruiters need not be professionals in their field. But they should sit on the admission committees in their fields of concentration a n d be able to ma/ke binding financial commitments. Their primary in- terest is to be recruiting. (It should be pointed out that the more substantial recruiting by students was accomplished at the insistence by black students for financial support.) The Regents allocated "at least" $100,000 for recruiting, counsel- ing, and other supportive services, It must be pointed out that nine undergraduate recruiters h a v e been estimated to cost $135,000 and six graduate recruiters would cost $120,000. making a total of $255,000 for recruiters alone. 0 BAM DEMANDED ten per cent black enrollment at the Uni- versity by Fall, 1973. We also de- manded nine hundred new black students by Fall. 1971. The Re- gents' response to demands for the ten per cent black enrollment by Fall, 1973, was to "establish an admissions goal which is de- signed to produce by 1973-74 ad- missions aimed at 10 per cent en- rollment of black students." Es- sentially, this does mean that the Regents are not committed to the 10 per cent black enrollment by Fall, 1973. They are committed to a goal as they are committed to the goals of the "Affirmative Ac- tion Programs" for the staff. They did not respond to the demand for Fall, 1971. B BAM DEMANDED an ade- quate supportive services program. We supported the proposal of J. Frank Yates of the Afro-Ameri- can Studies Program. It called for the following: preparation of a teaching fellows' orientation man- ual; preparation of a black stu- dent orientation manual; a sum- mer course(s) for seminar lead- ers; orientation week for incom- ing black freshmen; extended teaching sections for basic cours- es; seminars attached to basic courses; training seminars for teaching fellows in basic courses. The $100,000 allocated for new staff in admissions, financial aid and supportive services could not possibly cover this program. * TUITION WAIVERS for mi- nority group students who are residents of the state of Michigan who are admitted under special programs. Although t h i s proce- dure is entirely legal, the Regents do not believe that this procedure saves money. However they have not demonstrated this. * THE DEMAND for a referen- dum on the March SGC ballot for the right of students to vote on assessing themselves $3.00 for the MLK Scholarship Fund was pre- dicated on the University collect- ing the money if the referendum passed. However, Mr. Fleming has said that the money would not be collected because he does not believe in "compulsory" assess- ments (even when the - new IM Building would require a compul- sory assessment of $15 per term per student for the next thirty years.) *THE AFRO - AMERICAN Studies Programs was begun pri- marily on $30 000 taken from the MLK Scholarship Fund. J. Frank Yates proposed a cut-rate budget for Fall, 1970, of $353,000. The Regents voted to allocate $170.- 000 through the College of LSA for the Afro-American Studies Program. the Black Student Cen- ter and funding of special seminar support through the center and the AAS program would cost Legents $378 000 alone if funded under the demand. 0 B1 ACK STUDENTS demand- ed to be referred ,to as black. This does not cost any money. The Re- genms responded by saying that "deans, directors, and through t h e m departmental chairmen, have been advised, as have Uni- versity publications offices, that black students wish to be referred to as black. Mr. Spurr estimated that the total program demanded by BAM would mean a cohtribution of $8,- 022.400 for 3,415 students by Fall, 1973. The Regents only allocated a contribution of $3.000.000 by Fall. 1973. This is not "a very substantial. bona fide response to , the BAM demands." All black students who are en- rolled to make up the ten per cent need not be from the state of Michigan. Ten per cent of the twenty-five per centeUniversity student body which is out-of-state should be black. ; I would alter Mr. Fleming's statement by saying that unre- sponsive promises will not serve to get over immediate disagree- ments, because they do not con- tribute to long-run progress. Fi- nancial priorities must be re-as- sessed internally (departments, colleges, offices, capital improve- ments) with a continuing re-as- sessment of allocation of "flexi- ble funds" within t h e General Fund Budget. MORE IMPORTANTLY moral and political priorities must be re- A assessed internally. The concept of Anglo-American traditions in education which receives its chief support from the faculty must be broadened before the University changes. Pet projects may have to be sacrificed for the BAM de- mands. Yet, to do otherwise runs a the risk of permanent damage to the already unstable relations be- tween blacks and whites on cam- pus. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Support for the strike mounts To the Editor: We, the undersigned students and faculty of the anthropology department, support the BAM strike, and since the Regents have not responded meaningfully to the BAM demands, we have stopped teaching and attending courses: Election endorsements for SGC and LSa governments c t THE FOLLOWING endorsements were explained in Sunday's Daily: For SGC PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT Recommended: Marty Scott and Jerry DeGriek. Qualified: Joe Goldenson and Steve Nissen. Unacceptable: Bruce Wilson and Larry Solomon. FOR SGC MEMBERS-AT-LARGE Excellent: Darryl Gorman, Joan Martin. Good: Henry Clay, William Thee, Bruce Wilson. Fair: Cynthia Stephens, Dale Oesterle, Jay Hack, Fred Wogel. Unacceptable: Jim Zimmerman, Al Warrington, Rich Glenn, Tom Tichy, Kev- in Lynn, Larry Solomon, Gary Dorman, Tom Moher. MARTIN A. HIRSCHMAN. Editor STUART GANNES JUDY SARASOHN Editorial Director Managing Editor JIM' NEUBACHER .. .., ...... .News Editor NADINE COHODAS ..............Feature Editor ALEXA CANADY...............Editorial Page Editor BRUCE LEVINE ...........Editorial Page Editor R. A. PERRY .........................Arts Director LAURIE HARRIS ...................Arts Page F4dtor JUDY KAHN..........Personnel Director DAN ZWERDLING..................Magazine Editor JAY CASSIDY ....................... Photo Editor NIGHT EDITORS: Rob Bier, Jim'Beattie, Dave Chud- win, Stev Koppman, Robert Kraftowitz, Rick Per- loff, Lynn Weiner,' Sharon Weiner. For LSA STUDENT GOVERNMENT PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT Recommended: David Brand and Brian Ford. Qualified: Gerald Cole and Andrew Hoffman. Unacceptable: Bob Nelson and R a y Littleton. For LSA EXECUTIVE BOARD Excellent: Gene Kallenburg Good: Rebecca Schenk, Ray Karpinski, Shelly Reisman, Gerald Cole. Fair: Brian Sheridan, Jeff Tirengal, Ron Schurin, Tom Moher, Gary Dorman. Unacceptable: Ann Grover, Andy Weiss- man, Ray Littleton, Ken Markowitz, Bob Black, Richard Boss, Robert'Schwartz. JN ADDITION, we recommend a yes vote on all four parts of the housing re- ferendum, supporting better preparations for the coming fall and planning for low cost single student housing. We also sup- port a yes vote for a $3 per student assess- ment for the Martin Luther King fund. The question on the trimester is a matter of personal preference - but the view expressed by the students should be the most important consideration in resolv- ing this matter. -THE SENIOR EDITORS John Omohundro David Wilson Prof. W. Lockwood Samuel Sandt Tom Kuzma Prof. M. Sahlins Robert Meeropol Rayna Reiter Prof.R. Rappaport Dale Brodkey Michael Allen Sari Tudiver Barbara Luedtke Ellen Wiegandt Susan Burke John Keller Prof. J. Jorgenson Prof. C. Kottak Robert McKinley Debby Silverstein Gilbert Winer Richard Blan ton Martin Wobst Prof. F. Nitzberg Susan Harding Betsy Bateman David Rossman John Fishel Mike Bailis SuzanneHarris Ben Kroup Susan Davis Kit Cross Kurt Osoinach Joan Rieck Barbara Shirk John Speth Lenmbit Speth Janet Handy Elinore Iversen Terry Jezowski Eliza Earle Timothy Earle Robert Drennan John Neeker John Walthal Wilma Koschik Prof. H. Wright March 24 mands are consistent (though milder) with this prior committ- ment to equality by the 'U's' School of Education. Those wish- ing to add their expression of sup- port for these committments are urged to strike also. Mary Jane Shoultz Larry Lippitt C. F. Spinazola Jr. Rosalind Wares James D. Nixon Jack Eisner Moncrieff Cochran Joseph F. Price Susan Allan March 24 Pilot program To the Editor: LAST NIGHT a majority of the Pilot Program members held a town meeting with the authoriza- tion of the dorm's Representative Assembly. At this meeting, after the issue had been debated, the students made a direct and per- sonal commitment to support the BAM demands by striking and by aiding strike activities actively. After this town meeting, Repre- sentative Assembly, on the basis of the program's concensus, al- located funds of $575 to be given to BAM, to be disposed of as their directors see fit. We feel it is imperative that the Regents recognize this as a serious expression of student support for the BAM demands. -The Pilot Program March 24 ISR To the Editor: WE, THE undersigned employes of the Institute for Social Re- search support fully the twelve demands of BAM and ask the Uni- versity administration and Re- gents to support their implemen- tation. Further, we urge the Policy Committee to ISR to endorse for- mally the implementation of these same twelve demands. Ed school To the Editor: DEAN COHEN and the entire faculty of the University of Mich- igan's School of Education voted 63-11 to support these demands of the Education School's' B 1a c k Caucus: "We demand that in the under- graduate (and graduate) p r o - gram in the School of Educa- tion, black students should con- stitute at least TWENTY per- cent of the student body. These students must be enrolled full- time." (Minutes of the Execu- tive Committee, November 11, 1969). Therefore, wishing to support our Dean and his entire faculty, we will not meet our classes until the strike has been resolved to the satisfaction of BAM whose de- AND FURTHER, we oppose any form of retaliation against those who strike. -SCart Katz -Pat Graham -David Statt -Pat Williams -Sally Brenner -Stella Moyser -Maurico Front -Priscilla Cheever and 220 others Correction To the Editor: IN ITS ARTICLE on the pro- ceedings of the SACUA meeting of March 23, t h e Michigan Daily chose to report incidental remarks that I made at the meeting rather than focus on the major point that I repeatedly and emphatical- lystated., I stated that President Fleming should publicly acknowledge that the University has not met the BAM demands and that the Re- gents' resolution does not repre- sent a "very substantial and bon- afide response" to these demands. I ALSO explicitly stated that theaUniversity shouldrdirectly contact the BAM leadership for the purpose of reopening nego- tiations on the demands, point by point. -Gloria A. Marshall Member, Associationof Black Faculty and Staff of The University of Michigan March 24 Social Work To the Editor: THE BLACK MEMBERS of the faculty of the University of Mich- igan School of Social Work issue t h.i s statement to express their support of Black Action Move- ment's (BAM) efforts to obtain a firm commitment from the Uni- versity of Michigan to increase the numbers of b 1 a c k students and faculty. Itlis our considered opinion that the University of Michigan must take whatever steps are necessary to increase the number of black students to equal at least ten per cent of the total student body by no later than the 1973-74 aca- demic year. It is equally impor- tant that the number of black faculty similarly be increased within this time period. Because many of the black stu- dents entering the University suf- fer from inferior educational ex- periences, we believe that it is es- sential for the University to launch a comprehensive program of academic supportive services for these students. They must be given assistance and opportunities to succeed according to their abil- ities. To increase the enrollment ities. A pledge must be made to guarantee adequate funding for a group of black students to num- ber no less than ten per cent of the total student body by 1973-74. We believe t h a t 'an essential component in any program to re- cruit a n d better educate black students is the establishment of a Black Studies Center. Such a cen- ter should serve to promote un- derstanding of black Americans for the total University commun- ity. An organizing committee repre- senting black students and fac- ulty, the University administra- tion and other interested groups should bd appointed immediately to move this project ahead. FURTHER, we believe that it is imperative that a multi-party "monitoring board" be established to review and report to the Uni- versity community on the imple- mentation of this total program. Such a board should include rep- resentation from students, faculty. administratorsand the Regents of the University. We recognize t h a t the above recommendations will require a significant shift in the Univer- sity's priorities and resources. We believe that such action is essen- tial. We implore the University to spell out how it plans to opera- tionalize these recommendations.- -Professors: Howard Brabson Beryl L. Carter Richard A. English Madison Foster, II Lawrence E. Gary Oliver C. Harris Harold Johnson Christine Neal March 24 Med To the Editor: WE THE BLACK Medical As- sociation (BMA) as an integral part of the Black. Action Move- ment (BAM) feel prompt imple- mentation of the 12 point pro- gram of BAM is necessary and proper. With reference to point one, the Regents set a goal of 10 per cent black enrollment by fall of 1973. We feel that there must be a spe- cefic commitment of at least 10 per cent black enrollment by Fall '73. There is a definite' difference between a goal and a commitment. Commitment in this case means an adequate allocation of funds, where as goals indicate platitudes and lip service, We are first, black, second, in the health professions, and third- ly we wish to increase the pool of perspective applicants sensitive to the needs of the black commun- ity. Art History Dept. To the Editor: COPIES OF the following letter have been sent to President Flem- ing and the Regents: We have had an opportunity to review and discuss the events of the past few days and agree that the program of the Black Action Movement is fair and reasonable. Some, of us support the strike, some of us do not. We have seen many of our students endorse the program without at the same time being able to participate in the strike; they have indicated their endorsement verbally and through ad hoc petitions. It would be tragic if the mes- sage, of the non-violent strike and of the widespread campus senti- ment of non-strikers in favor of the BAM demands were at this stage ignored. We hope that no attempt will be made to gauge the necessity of implementing the pro- gram upon the basis of a reading of the effectiveness of the strike alone. We urge the University's acceptance of the BAM platform in its entirety. THE INCREASED admissions of black students at all levels of the University should take highest place in our considerations. If this requires extraordinary{ financial support and a reorientation of philosophical and budgetary prior- ities, then this must be done in good faith and'with full commit- ment. The University at present does not adequately fulfill its role of public university, serving all the people of the State of Michigan. The dedication to meeting the black demands should be inter- preted as the beginning of a more true university, committed to serv- ing the legitimate aspirations of minorities and majorities through- out the state. We view the response of the ad- ministration and the Regents to the BAM platform as inadequate, deficient both in detail and as a demonstration of commitment to a major social and-educational goal. For example, the Regents aim at 10 per cent ,admisisons for 1973- 74 but offer no specific agreement to an initial 1971-72 total of 900 new black students, a number which constitutes an essential first step if the 10 per cent goal is to seriously regarded and Regental good faith established THE REGENTS are unable to pl-d e themselves to adequate funding, yet adequate funding is essential if the goal is to be met. 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