Tuesday, August 27, 1963 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Tuesday, August 27, 1968THE MICHIGAN DAILY 15 1year-old ' from confluence By STEVE WILDSTROM- Managing Editor The University of Michigan was born out of a confluence of dreams in the early 19th century First of all, there was a great dream, the American Dream, the dream of the Confederation Con- gress of a vastly expanded coun- try and an improved Northwest. Congress took a step toward realization of this dream in 1787 when the Northwest Ordinance was passed, wisely declaring that "schools and the means of edu- cation shall forever be encour- aged." Pioneer settlers in the village of Detroit also had a dream of cre- ating an institution of higher ed- President Tappan ucation in the Territory of Mich- igan. Father Gabriel Richard, a Ro- man' Catholic priest; the Rev. John Monteith, 'Michigan's first protestant minister; and Judge Augustus Woodward, .a man of fertile mind and fantastic imag- ination, were three men who felt that Michigan should have a pub- lic school system. They persuaded and badgered the territorial gov- ernment until they received per- mission to proceed with their plan. 4 Any project that the good judge undertook bore the clear stamp of his highly original mind. lie laid out the first street plan for Detroit - strongly influenced, by L'Enfant's plan for Washington-- and is still remembered by the maze of streets in downtown De- troit. Clearly, a new school in the West required a new terminology anid Judge Woodward generously Sprovided it. The. school was to be called the Catholepistemiad of Michigan, to be made up of 13 "didaxiim" of professorships with. the "didactor of Catholepiste- mia," or universal science, to serve as president. Even the local Indian tribes were caught up in the dream. They gave the school three sec- tions of land "because their chil- dren might want to go to college." It seems a shame that until this year, these founders of the Uni- versity were all but forgotten by their dream-child. While later University builders-Haven, Tap- pan, Angell--are well-remember- ed, no fitting monuments to the Rev. Monteith, who has a college named after him at Wayne State University, Judge Woodward, who is recalled by Detroit's main street, or Fr. Richard, who has a park in Detroit, has ever been erected at the University. For the most part, the Cathole- pistemiad remained little more than a dream. It was chartered in 1817 but was constantly on the verge of bankruptcy. It held very few classes of any sort and never offered any courses on the college level. In 1821, the Catholepistemiad folded and the territorial govern- ment created a university in De- troit as its legal successor. 1Iow- ever,, like its predecessor, the uni- versity never got off the ground and never offered any college- level courses. Finally, in 1837, the University as we know it was born in Ann Arbor with the admission of Mich- igan into the Union and the es- tablishment of the Board of Re- gents., The new school needed a site and some enterprising local land speculators offered two' 40-acre tracts to the Regents. One was in the gentle hills along the Huron River, now the site of North Cam- pus, and the other was a squa're of spent, farmland just east of the tiny settlement. For reasons of their' own, the Regents chose the barren piece that is now the Diag. The perennial financial prob- lems still plagued the school and: no construction was started until 1840 when four houses for pro- fessors were built. One of these forms the core of the President's House on South University, mak- ing that the oldest building on campus and one of the oldest in the state. It was 1841 when the University of Michigan finally got down to the business of educating stu- dents. The first class consisted of seven students taught by a faculty of two. For a $10 entrance fee, these first students were entitled to be awakened every morning at 5:30 for compulsory chapel. In the summer of 1825, an event that was to have a lasting effect on the development of the Uni- versity took place. A distinguished Eastern educator, Dr. Henry Phi- lip Tappan, became president. commitment to the Prussian sys- tem of education, a system dedi- cated- to lectures and research rather than the English system of tutorials and residential col- leges. Tappan was convinced that re- search was a vital part of a uni- versity, largely a new concept in Michigan. He also abolished the residential arrangements that had been in effect since 1841 and stu- dents were given their introduc- tion to Ann Arbor landlords. The 19th century was largely a period of quiet, steady growth for the University. The major controversy was a long-running feud between the Legislature and the University over the teaching of homeopathy, a, long extinct forh of medical practice.'The Le- gislature insisted that that a chair of homeopathy be established In the medical school and the Uni- versity, ignoring annual threats of being cut off without a penny steadfastly refused. The chair never was established. Although political protests were virtually unheard of until World War I, the students were not funds, a major physical plant work was begunc Main campus as it appeared in 1855 really a passive lot. Their favorite Also in 1890, a group of dissi- stunt was crashing the gates of dent non-fraternity men left the any circus that dared to come to staff of the student newspaper, town and raising as much hell as The University Chronicle, and in- they could get away with. itiated a new, sports oriented In 1871, 42-year-old James Bur- paper, T1Ie Michigan Daily. rill Angell became ' University Although progress was inter- president. He started younger and rupted somewhat by the firstj served longer than any other World War, the period from the president and under Angell, the 1890's until World War II was University grew from a "rather marked by great physical growth. backwoodsy institution into one of Most of the buildings on central the country's major universities. campus date from the most active In 1890, the University became period, the 1920's and 1930's. the largest school in the United The 30's were tempestuous years States with 2,692 students. Until everywhere and the University re- 1871, the president had served as flected the international unrest. a sort of super-professor. Angell The Spanish Civil War created made the job a purely adminis- deep divisions both within the trative function and the Univer- University community and be- sity entered into a period of great tween the University and 'outsid- growth. During Angell's 34-year ers. The Daily strongly supported t e n u r'e, the University first the Loyalists, while many others achieved a formidable reputation in the state, most notably the for acade'mic excellence. Roman Catholic Church, strongly supported the Fascists. Much: pressure was brought to bear on the Board in Control of Student Publications and, eventually, the policy of signing editorials in The Daily began. After the outbreak of hostilities in 1939, a deep split between isolationists and interventionists added ,fuel to campus political fires. As part of a national mag- azine poll, University students voted 2,818 to 463 against bearing arms if the United States invaded another country. In 1941, the war was suddenly transformed from a question of academic debate into a hideous reality. Pledges and polls were forgotten and University life was sharply curtailed as the men went off to war. The war was only a temporary damper to the tremendous growth: of the University. At the end of the war, the federal government entered university research in earnest and the growth of Univer- sity research facilities mushroom- ed, until, in 1966, the University became the country's second larg- est recipient of federal research funds, getting over $58 million in grants. The growth of both the student body, spurred by the GI Bill, and research, spurred - by federal In 1951, Harlan H. Hatcher came to the University from Ohio State to serve as president. Hatcher took his new position as another national political storm was brewing. McCarthyism was sweeping, the country and the University was not spared its ex- cesses. In 1954, the House Un-Ameri- can Activities Committee, chaired by Michigan Rep. Kit Clardy In- vestigated alleged subversive ac- tivities at the University. Three faculty members refused to testi- fy and were summarily suspended by President Hatcher. Although two were later reinstated, the in- cident left a scar which has never really healed. The remainder of the 50's passed in relative quiet with.. - steady growth both of student body, and plant. It was not until the middle of the 60's that there was any real revival of political activity on campus. Having gained experience, either personal or vicarious, through the civil rights and anti-Vietnam war movements, students in the fall of 1966 exploded into a series of pro- tests against a wide range of ad- ministration policies. Although the "student power" movement of 1966 accomplished little in terms of practical results, its very exist- ence is bound to have a lasting effect. In early 1966, President Hatcher announced plans to retire by the end of. 1967. After an extensive search,' Robben Wright Fleming, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin, was selected by the Regents to succeed Hatcher. Fleming formally took office January 1, 1968. Since that time, Fleming has faced several crises- a black student lock-in at the present Literature, Science, and Arts Building and the abolition of dormitory regulations. Up tosnow, Fleming's adminis- tration has been marked by prep- aration - new appointments and creation of new departments. A cloud has appeared'over Fleming's generally positive relationship with students in implementation of the Hatcher Commission Re- port and the wording of the by- laws used to do this. Generally, however, the Fleming administration is considered a dis- tinctly new administration -- too new to pass real judgment. f --(} 11. d Y" A new world of softness afoot r '/ expansion of the was needed and on North Campus. WELCOME FRESHMEN! Come in and visit Mast's TEX T BOOKS UP TO / OFF. U L B ICH'S ANN ARBOR'S FRIENDLY BOOKSTORE Compus shoe store. Our large selection of styles and sizes will enable you to make Most's your headquarters for shoes on campus. CAMPUS MAST'S siuo 619 E. Liberty P' '. I 1.U...ra .. Women fight their way in President Angell MOM 'The United campus rep. can- save you 50%0 on air fare How does he do that? Hegetsyouin the1221 club. The what? The12-21club. Uniteds club forguys and gals.Lets youfly for'/2fare anywhere United goes Does United fly anyplace I want to go? Unitedflies more places than any other airline. Who is United's rep? Paul Blackney. For assistance, information and reservations, contact United at 43-7700. i STUDGNT BOOK SERVICE THE SMALLEST STORE IN TOWN j HE BGEST STOCK OF USED TEXTBOOKS (also new bocks, paper, notebooks, supplies) FOR ALL YOUR COURSES WITH EVERY ROLL OF 126127.120 or 620 FILM YOU BRING HERE FOR PROCESSING & PRINTING OFFER EXPIRES SATURDAY, SEPT. BONUS PRINTS* from Michigan Pharmacy 727 N. UNIVERSITY (across from Hill Auditorium) I