LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
lie t t ign Daily
Seventy-nine years of editorial f reedom
Edited and managed by students of the University of Michigan
...Sociology 603
joins the strike...
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News Phone: 764-0552
I
Editorials printed in The Michigan Doily express the individuol opinions of stofftwriters
or the editors. This must be noted in oil reprints.
I
FRIDAY MARCH 27, 1970
NIGHT EDITOR: ROBERT KRAFTOWITZ
The Carswell nomination:
One piece in Nixon's jigsaw
r
1THE NOMINATION of G. Harold Cars-
well for the United States Supreme
Court will soon come to the floor of the
U.S. Senate. There are reports that, a
final vote on the nomination ;per se will
be averted by voting to send the nomina-
tion back to the Senate Judiciary Com-
mittee. It is fairly certain that sending
the nomination back to committee would
effectively end Senate consideration of
the presidential nominee.
From the first announcement of Cars-
well's nomination in January, it was clear
that the nomination was no mistake.
A racially biased nominee, from the
South, seemed predictable. Even during
his campaign, President Nixon was cri-
ticized for his +soft-peddling of the race
issue. Senator Edward Brooke (R-Mass.)
requested that Nixon amend the racially-
loaded phrase, "law and order," by using
the phrase, "law and order with justice."
Nixon refused, setting a precedent for the
manner in which he would deal with
racism in the future. President Nixon has
repeatedly demonstrated that he wants
to "fall back" from whatever token gains
the black community has achieved.
The Carswell nomination has been
only one piece of the racist puzzle which
has been composed by the Nixon adminis-
tration.
First, there was the little-known fact
that the Justice Department, under the
direction of John Mitchell, had not
prosecuted any voting rights cases in all
of 1969. At the same time, unprecedented
"legal" and extra-legal repression was,
being used against the Black Panther
Party. In September, Nixon nominated
Clement Haynsworth to the Supreme
Couirt in an obvious attempt to gain
Southern (better labeled "white racist")
support.
MORE RECENTLY, a member of the
Nixon staff, Patrick Moynihan, pro-
posed that the issue of racism be handled
with "benign neglect." Coupled with the
speeches of Vice President Agnew, Moyni-
han's statements help justify the growing
racist tinge which the administration's
actions have acquired in the eyes of
many.
Most recently, the President has sub-
mitted a wide-ranging policy statement
relating to school desegregation. In it, he
essentially proposed that the government
"back off" on desegregation (as if the
administration had previously been push-
ing) and concentrate more of its efforts
and resources on uplifting the already-
existing school systems, in both the North
and South.
Further, after rejecting the budget
proposals for the Department of Health,
Education and Welfare as being infla-
tionary, the President proposes to spend
$1.5 billion for "compensatory" and in-
terracial "efforts" in schools. Thus, Presi-
dent Nixon is willing to allocate and
shift resources to enforce a policy of de
facto segregation; whereas he demands
cuts in the budget of the more liberal
Department of Health, Education, and'
Welfare.
THE CARSWELL nomination must be
seen in the context of all of the above.
Basically, Harold Carswell is the kind of
judge whom the President would want to
promote. There have been well-docu-
mented charges that he has repeatedly
demonstrated a racial bias in the past.
Also, Carswell is charged with being a
male chauvinist, because of his recent
court decisions attacking women's work-
ing rights.
And finally, Carswell is hardly a stand-
out in his field. Senator Birch Bayh,
Democrat of Indiana, has stated it well:
"In Judge Carswell ... the President has,
unfortunately, confronted the S e n a t e
with a nominee who is incredibly indis-
tinguished as an attorney and as a jurist."
ON APRIL 6 the United States Senate
will consider the motion to return his
nomination to committee. If the nomi-
nation is not returned to committee at
that time, then the Senate will consider
the nomination itself on April 8. A de-
feat of Carswell's nomination would be
another bitof resistance to the prevail-
ing air of racial bias and political re-
pression. Regardless of whether the Sen-
ate simply returns the nomination to the
Judiciary Committee or defeats it on the
Senate floor the nomination must be
stopped.
--BRIAN SPEARS
To the Editor:
SOCIOLOGY 603, "Theory and
Research in Race Relations." has
formally been cancelled for the
duration of the non-violent strike
in support of the BAM demands
for a commitment of sufficient
University resources for the at-
tainment of 10 per cent black en-
rollment by 1973-74.
We feel that in order to facili-
tate the increase in black enroll-
ment, we, as students and faculty,
should be prepared to make per-
sonal sacrifices, such as tuition in-
creases and salary cutbacks.
--Richard Ballon
-Bill Lacy
-Jan Emmert
-Phyllis Elkind
-Doug Cornell
--Howard Schurman
-Michael Johnson
-Judy Cohen
--Ed Walsh
March 26
Newman
To the Editor:
WE, THE UNDERSIGNED mem-
bers of the Newman Student As-
sociation Steering Committee, wish
to both personally and on behalf
of our organization express our
support for the present demands
of the Black Action* Movement
on this campus. Although some of
us question the tactic of a strike
as the most effective means for
communicating the point, we feel
that there are two major issues at
stake on which we cannot con-
scienciously keep silent. These two
are (1) the issue of racial justice
and , equality of opportunity for
education and (2) decision-mak-
ing policies employed by this Uni-
versity.
With regard to the first of these
issues, we feel that the Regents
have made some positive step in
establishing a goal of 10 per cent
black enrollment at the University
by 1973. Their good intent in this
cannot be denied. We do feel, how-
ever, that what they have done
is not enough. The positive action
in terms of reordering priorities
to come up with the resources,
financial and otherwise, to meet
this goal is what the Regents have
so far failed to take. The resources
are at our disposal if only we are
willing to make a small sacrifice
in a less important program with-
in the University to give this issue .
the priority it warrants
The second issue here is la more
complex one than that of simply
rearranging priorities. It is one
that will take, on the part of the
Regents, Administration, a n d
many others, a totally neW men-
tality toward their own roles with-
in the University. This is, indeed,
the issue that has recurred in
most of the major problems this
University has faced in recent
months, the bookstore controversy,
ROTC, war research, etc.
Today's students are not willing
to have their decisions made for
them by outsiders without having
a voice in making those decisions.
And they should not be .expected
to. Members of BAM have spent
countless hours reviewing the pos-
sible alternatives for action that
the Regents might take in their
case. They have made concrete
proposals that warrant consider-
ation. In saying that he will "not
accede to demands from any
group," a Regent is failing to, do
his duty as aRegent.
First of all he is elected to rep-
resent the people and shouid listen
to their communications, and sec-
ondly he is failing to inform him-
self of the needs of the education-
al community. How many days has
Regent Huebner or Regent Smith
spent on this campus within the
past semester? How much have
they read about the issues in edu-
cation today, and what are the
sources'from which they are read-
ing? Indeed, what are their cri-
teria for {Waking decisions con-
cerning the administration of "the
University? If they do not listen
to the persons directly involved,
how can they make any kind of an
intelligent decision? It is the duty
of the Regent to be informed of
issues at the University and to
know both sides of the issues be-
fore he can make ar decision
WE WOULD LIKE, then, to
make known the fact that we do
see two important moral issues at
stake here and feel that action
must be taken immediately to al-
leviate the problems. The Regents
must learn to make intelligent
decisionsabased on communica-
tions from students, and in the
particular case at hand they must
act to meet a certain rightful de-
mand that the students have pre-
sented.
-Edward C. Swart
-John A. Vanni
-Judy Vetsch
-Chuck Wollenweber
-Sister Connie Smedinghoff
--Mrs. Patricia L. Nischan
-Elaine Dziobak
-George J. Coakley
-Elizabeth Snider
-Debby Balk
March 24
African students
To the Editor:
ON BEHALF of the African stu-
dents in the University, I wish at
this time to render our unreserved
endorsement of the demands made
to the University authorities by
the Black Action Movement for
educational reforms.
The African Students Associ-
ation bases their support on) the
following grounds:
1. Black Americans have for too
long been barred from full and
fair participation in American
prosperity, largely by barring them
from the educational opportuni-
ties upon which so much else
hinges.
2. Promises to black Americans
for equality have too often been
neglected and very often these
promises have remained unful-
filled.
3. The University, in concert
with various governmental units
and private organisations, has for
too long been more generous fi-
nancially and numerically to stu-
dents from foreign nations than
to the indigenous black citizens
of this state and this nation.
x 4. BLACK AFRICAN students
are far too often used as a safe
means of balancing the racial
ratio while the black Americans
are deliberately, casually and com-
fortably kept at bay. We consider
this unjustifiable escapism not on-_
ly for the University but for the
U.S. Government.
5. The African students are con-
vinced that far too few black
Americans actually benefit from
the numerous "Programmes" set
up to assist in the reparation of
the enormous injustices which
have been perpetrated upon Amer-
ica's black people who have work-
ed for so long and for so little to
bring this nation to its present
status. Far too often these projects
benefit only a few opportunistic
administrators who may not even
be black.
6. The present black demands
are fair and deserving of imme-
diate acceptance and execution by
the University. The alternative is
but to perpetuate inequity and to
impede the progress of the black
American.
The African Students Associ-
ation would like to enjoin the Uni-
versity authorities to use reason
in considering the Black Action
Movement demands to prevent un-
reasonable insistence on the part
of the black Americans.
-Adams D. H. Koroma
March 30
Dorm
To the Editor:
EARLY THURSDAY morning
Chicago House of West Quad pass-
ed the following resolution by a'
vote of 57 to 11:
We of Chicago House support
the BAM demands and the strike.
t-Chicago House Residents
March 26
To the Editor:
WE, THE UNDERSIGNED, did
not support the resolution Chicago
House passed early Thursday
morning. We do believe the BAM
demands are reasonable, and
therefore support them. We do not'
support the strike because we feel
that it is not now' the best tactical
means for achieving the desirable
demand of 10 per cent black ad-
missions by the academic year
1973-74.
We urge President Fleming and
the Regents to meet immediately
with representatives of the black
faculty and students to discuss
rationally the demands and their
budgetary ramifications. Because
we do support the demands, we
also support a commitment to re-
order budgetary priorities within
the University to meet those de-
mands.
-Steven R. Cox
-Tom De Vroskin
-Michael Dixon
March 26-
Conrection
To the Erlitor:
IN SATURDAY'S DAILY Rob
Bair wrote. "Architecture Prof:
Joseph Wehrer says that many,
instructors believe that no matter
how much money is provided, the
black students with the ability
to "make it are just not out there"
While I made such a statement
in 'referring to some specific fac-
ulty response it should be clear
that this is nottmy personal view.
I feel, and so stated, that there
are ample qualified blacks. While
some progress is being made many
of our admissions standards anti
curriculum requirements, ostensi-
bly directed toward academic ex-
cellence, are designed to limit en-
rollment to a discrete slice of our
white middle class and in it's suc-
cess, decreases the value and rele-
vance of a U. of M. education for
a rapidly changing society.
--J. J. Wehrer
Professor of Architecture
March 25
Opposed
To the Editor:
CONTRARY to the implications
of the media, there are a few of
us at this University who do not
support the demands of the Black
Action Movement.
We are among the many here
who are concerned about the
shortcomings of society, but who
have never really done anything
about them. We strongly believe
in the principle of racial equality
in this country, especially in edu-
cation. and we therefore also be-
lieve that the population of the
University should reflect the pop-
ulation of the state of Michigan.
To this end, we support the aims
of BAM for recruiting qualified
Black students from various high
sshools. However, we disagree just
as strongly with most of the other
demands made by BAM.
This organization is attempting
to gain Black equality on campus
by forcing the Regents to impose
a quota on the number of students
of different races admitted. They
justify this by charging the Uni-
versity with racism, because its
admission standards are set by
high school grade averages and,
especially, SAT scores. The SAT,
says BAM, is a test based on white
standards, and is therefore unfair
to Black students. But isn't it true
that the abilities to understand
the English language and mathe-
matics have nothing to do with
one's race?
THE REAL PROBLEM, we be-
lieve, is the low quality of the
public schools in most Black urban
areas. These schools do not offer
the kind of education that exists
in the white suburbs. As a result,
the student attending one of these
schools does not gain enough
knowledge to do a decent job on'
the SAT. It is in the city schools,
then, that the real racismn exists.
So why is BAM dealing with the
symptoms instead of the cause?
Perhaps because it is far easier to
organize a few hundred students
to skip classes and carry signs that
it would be to educate people to
the problems existing in our cities'
schools, and to go and do some-
thing about them. The Black stu-
dents who attended ghetto schools
must know better than any white
suburbanite just what was wrong
with their education. At the same
time, those students were deter-
mined enough to enter this Uni-
versity.
It is the responsibility of these
students to inform the University
community of the inadequacies of
ghetto schools, so that some con-
structive work can be started. On-
ly by dealing with the root causes
of educational inequality can BAM
hope to eliminate it from this Uni-
versity.
-David Bloch, '73 Engin.
-Arman Dolikian, '73 Engin.
--Bernard Nowackt, '73 LSA
March 24
4+
Rad Colletge
To the Editor:
RADICAL COLLEGE urges the
students and faculty in all schools
and departments to meet at once
to assess on their own salaries
and on the general departmental
budgets a graduated tax to provide
funds for meeting the University's
10 per cent comrniltment to Black
student enrollment.
--Radical College
(unanimously)
March 25
SEI
To the Editor:
THE BLACK FACULTY and
staff of the School of Education
have voted to strike until the Uni-
versity has adequately and appro-
priately responded to the BAM
demands.
The majority of the Ed. School
teaching fellows have decided not
to holdclasses until the BAM de-
mands are satisfactorily resolved.
The , Governing Faculty of the
Sclool of Education has voted to
support the BAM goals and to ask
the Central Administration to re-
consider its position on them, The
Dean and the Governing Faculty
had decided, in Nov. 1969, to sup-
port the Black Caucus demands
(which in many cases were
stronger than the BAM demands).
The Executive Committee of SEI
has unanimously voted to strike
the School of Education until the
BAM demands are met!!!
WE ARE ASKING our fellow
students to support the strike and
not to cross the picket lines. Fur-
thermore, we are calling on all ed.
school faculty -to capcel their
classes until the BAM demands are
met.
-SEI Executive Committee
March 25
I.
,,
More letters:
Business Ad profs oppose the strike;,
but...
To the Editor:
WE DO NOT approve of the
Strike. However, we are in sym-
pathy with the need to increase
Black enrollment. We suggest an
alternative.
The University community num-
bers at least 40,000. If we could get
an average. contribution of just
over $10 per person per year, that
would add up to $1,500,000 in three
years. Not all might wish to con-
tribute, but those that do should
be able to meet that kind of a tar-
get, and perhaps much more.
There might even be support in
the Ann Arbor community for this.
Contributions could be made tax
deductible.
We believe such an action would
convince the Regents that there
is sincere and widespread support
for increased Black admissions. It
would provide a significant part
of the necessary funds. It is not a
complete answer, but we believe it
is a meaningful step that could
unite many who have conflicting
views on the Strike.
THOSE WHO are not teaching
clases expect to receive their sala-
ry for the days missed, we pre-
sume. Perhaps they could contrib-
ute more significantly by meeting
their clases and giving their salary
for those days to the Black admis-
sions fund. As faculty members we
would be glad to make that kind
of contribution over a three year
period to get things started, We
believe the Regents would respond
appropriately.
We feel it is appropriate that
the costs of moral gestures be
born by those who make them.
-Vern Terpstra
-Rex V.Brown
-David J. Brophy
_-Sidney C. Sufri
panting to know, revolts, we dole
them gingerly enough knowledge
to pacify them temporarily. If, as
in the Great War, we discover
soldiers too ignorant to use o u r
machines of murder and destruc-
tion, we train them - to use ma-
chines of murder and destruction.
If mounting wealth calls for in-
telligent workmen,, we rush tu-
multuously to train workers - in
order to increase our wealth. But
of great, broad plans to train all
men for all things - to make a
universe intelligent, busy, good,
creative and beautiful - where in
this wide world is such an educa-
tional program? To announce it
is to invite gasps or Brobdingnag-
ian laughter. It cannot be done. It
costtoo much." (W. E. DuBois,
a1920).
tical science department to collect
voluntary contributions from stu-
dents and faculty members to help
support increased black enroll-
ment in the University as a whole.
We propose the establishment
of a Martin Luther King Scholar-
ship in political science for black
students at the undergraduate lev-
el, supported by teaching and re-
search funds and voluntary con-
tributions.
We applaud the non-violence of
BAM in seeking support for their
demands.
i.
We regret the inference com-
monly made that the faculty ad-
vertisement in last Sunday's Daily
(March 22); referred to BAM.
Approved by the Executive Com-
mittee of the Political Science De-
partment.
Approved by the Executive Committee
of the Political Science Department.
Gary Harris
Lorra Rudman
Lawrence Dworkin
Howard Backer
Alan Ross
Jeff Levin
Chip Downs
Kathy Fotopoulos
Lynne Ojalvo
Nancy Morrison
Bernard Hirschbein
Lauri Ellias
Louise Goldstein
Robert Dziolo
David Saffer
Richard Rosen
D. Michael Kane
Mark Peters
Richard Wehren-
berg
Rachelle Zalman
Jennie Borgerhoff
Jonathan Barney
March 25
Marty McLaughlin
Jo Novoson
Kelly Cannon
Alan Kaufman
Beth Shields
Carol David
Anne Stine
Jim Lanrz
Marie Wacht
David Federman
Alan Singer
Amy Horowitz
Shari Reisin
Judy Kahn
Doug E.
David Bernstein
Randy Reiter
Shell Kovin
Larry Rodkind
Craig Harris
Martha Salyers
Joel Block
Ben Robinson
Samuel J. Elders-
velt, Chairman
James Eisenstein
William Zimmer-
man
John W. Kingdon
Alfred G. Meyer
Archie Singham
J. 'D. Singer
Herbert Weisberg
Warren J. Anton
A. F. K. Organski
Edward Levine
Dan Levine
Bruce D. Bowen
Kenneth P. Lang-
ton
Robert A."
Schoenberger
Ray Tanter
Jack Walker
Lutz Erbring
Allen S. Whiting
Rand Smith
George Breslauer
John Muenzer
Andrew
Zagrzejewski
Farhad Kazemi
Thad Brown
Rick Piltz
James Ward
R-nh-rt Anrt
Jim Fay
Suzanne Hart
Alan C. Lamborn
Neil Richardson
George Ingram
Carl Shaner
Lynn Ferrara-
Ton Sanders
David Liden
Robert Zimmer-
man
Herb Asher
Bruce Cammeron
Jon Pammett
Terrance E.
Dwyer
Frank J. Richter
Henry Heitowit
Richard Vidmer
Lewis Snider
Jean Walker
W. Ross Brener
Send Hoosenally
Saul Barry Wax
Greg Protasel
Ronald Monta-
perto,
Bruce Nussbaum
Mary Carroll
Gerald Cole
Cha'les Ellison
Yoshio Hida
Alndrew T. Cowart
Classics
To the Editor:
THE REGENTS. in constructive
.interaction with the Administra-
tion and the black students, have
set as a firm goal for the Univer-
sity a ten percent black enroll-.
ment by 1973/1974. We, members
of the Department of Classical
Studies, believe the Administra-
'tion, Faculty, and Students toge-
ther must now commit them-
selves, without cavil or recrimina-
tion, to the orderly attainment of
the Regents' goal.
We believe new entrance re-
quirements should be framed and
programs created so that any new
student admitted has a reason-
able chance to graduate in his
chosen curriculum; further, we
are confident that the University,
through adequate financing and
supportive services, can and will
achieve this just and histdric goal
in the time allotted
WE FURTHER recognize that in
three years this University w ill
have to accommodate itself to the
necessities of a multi-racial com-
munity; we therefore urge t h e
faculty and students of LSA, draw-
ing on the experience of other qni-
versities, to begin devising appro-
priate structures to effect this
transition without violence and
without disruption We do not see
how hostile responses to the Re-
gents' action can aid in imple-
menting their goal.
T. V..Buttrey Elizabeth R,
It. D. Cameron . Leonard
Frank o. Copley R. A.Pack
J. H. D'Arms Andrew Ramage
Gerald F. Else G. Seligson
Bruce W. Frier Waldo E. Sweet
Glenn M. Knudsvig March 26
American culture
,r., +h , n .
place greater importance on sup-
portive services for black admis-
sions rather than such frivolities
as construction of a new I-M
building and the upkeep of Uni-
versity parks and a faculty golf-
course, Radwick Farms.
WE ARE in complete support
of BAM demands. We urge you
to call another Regents' meeting
to comply immediately with those
demands and end the strike.
- Douglas Smith, '71
-Leatrice Hauptmlan, '70
-Helene Lippincott, '70
and students from the
American Culture Program
March 26,
Alienated
To the Editor:
WE ARE SITTING in the rem-
nants of a Chem 106 lecture. We
say remnants because over 50 BAM
members just marched through
the lecture destroying bottles of
chemicals, a movie screen, and a
glass case. They turned out t h e
lights, scribbled on the blackboard,
and completely disrupted our class.
Why should they expect us to
stand for such actions? We hereby
withdraw any support or sym-
pathy we once had for the BAM
strike.
been a disgrace for decades. This
is in no sense to deny the useful-
ness of sports, even perhaps -as
part of an educational program,
but it is impossible to justify the
huge sums spent on stadia, re-
cruiting, over-paid coaches, equip-
ment, team travel, support of pro-
fessional players, and juvenile
hoopla when sports facilities for
the great mass of students, staff,
and faculty remain pitifully inade-
quate. No doubt all this is part
of the sickness of American cul-
ture, but it is depressing to find
it so enshrined in universities.
IT IS HARD to understand why
BAM, and others, have not long
since pointed to the professional
sports drain as the most obvious
single source of funds so 'desper-
ately needed, to finance an appro-
priate university effort to enroll
black students. Once here they,
-like others, will want adequate
sports facilities now denied be-
cause funds are so largely restrict-
ed to commercial circuses. Sure-
ly it is past time for the university
to reorder its priorities on t 1}'i s
shriekingly obvious matter.
-Rhoads Murphey, Director
Center for Chinese Studies
March 21
That ad
To the Editor:
ON MARCH 22 a full page ad-
vertisement, in which over 500
members of the University of
Michigan Faculty endorsed four
principles condemning violence
and disruption on the U. of M.
campus, appeared in the Michi-
gan Daily and in the Ann Arbor
News.
Few, i any, on the Faculty ad-
vocate or condone the use of vio-
lence. Indeed, we are equally dis-
re-examination of the underlying
causes of unrest in the University.
This statement is being readied
for publication as an advertise-
ment in the Michigan Daily with-
in the next five or six days.
The spectrum of issues that are
generating the rising tide of seeth-
ing dissent, can neither be resolved
by sheer violence, nor disposed of
by its mere condemnation. T h e
need and opportunity for the exer-
cise of reason appear to have con-
verged; as' responsible faculty
members we would be remiss in
our obligation if we ignored either.
The original advertisement that
appeared and the one that is be-
ing readied were started prior to
and independent of the BAM ac-
tions.
-Prof. Sylvan Kornblim
Medical School
March 23
Strike
To the Editor.
LAST FRIDAY I struck my
economics class and joined the
picket line outside the Economics
Bldg. The student response was
very poor on that day; almost all
the people we talked to went to
class. Over the weekend I decided
that the strike was doomed to
failure because it had not been
planned far enough in advance to
make it a real majority action. I
believed that a strike was justified
but felt that tactically some other
action would be more appropriate.
I realized this week that being
against the strike means that you
are not on the side of BAM and its
supporters. Whether people agree
with the strike as a tactic or not
and whether or not they believe
that it. will succeed are now ir-
rilevnt .Inactinn will be inter-
4
Tom DeWoskin 'I3
Lawrence La
Fontaine
Martin Bell
Jahn Cunningham
Mark Goldberg
Brenda Sanford
W. P. Sharp
Cynthia Churchill
Tom Swenson
R. G. Sitrin
A. W. Gillette
March 25
Poli Sci
To the Editor:
THE FOLLOWING political sci-
nce faculty and students agree to
these seven points:
We support the basic demands
of the Black Action Movement.
ixm ..aath a- ' n a nr-..
Athletics?
To the Editor:
IT WAS ENCOURAGING to see
the first timid effort in Thursday's
Daily to identify perhaps the fat-