Sixty-Ninth Year
EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
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Students Face Pledging ChoC
hen Opinions Are Free
rutb Will Prevail"
A Place
Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers
or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints.
DAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1959
NIGHT EDITOR: SELMA SAWAYA
Honors Council Provides
Expanded Seminar Program
THIS SEMESTER, as during last, the honors
council will conduct seminars within fra-
nity and sorority houses and dormitories.
it now the seminars will be open to any in-
ested student rather than being limited to
ose in the honors curriculum. One of the
asons behind this is those in the curriculum
re not taking advantage of these seminars.
Ys it wrong of the University to assume that
ose in the honors program would be in-
ested in learning outside the classroom? The
sounding failure of some of these seminars'
t year would make it seem evident that the
liversity was mistaken. But while partly
ae, this would be to hasty an assumption.
For a person to be in college honors does
t necessarily imply a desire on his part to
t his intellegence. to use. There are students
the program who care more for the prestige
an the subject matter and stay in ,only
rough inertia. These students feel little obli-
tion to carry the honors program out of
p classroom.
An Import'
OMORROW'S"city primary election marks
the end of a vigorous campaign for the
publican nomination for mayor of Ann
bor. Both candidates are well-known local
ures--one was City Council President for
ht years, and the other was President of
e Board of Education from 1956 to 1958.
e campaign has benefited Ann Arbor, by.
mulating discussi n, and participation in
litical activity..:
BUT WHAT of those in the honors program
who have the ability and the desire to get as
much out of it as they can? If the great ma-
jority of those in college honors do not fall
into this category, there is something radically
wrong in the selection of students asked to
enter this curriculum.
Some of the blame, however, must fall on the
honors program itself. Too often, the seminar
leaders deal with their groups as if they were
in a classroom. This is not the purpose of the
honors seminar program, and students who
signed up for the program felt they were
being cheated.
This semester the seminars will be open to
all interested students, whether they are in
the honors program or not. Students in the
program should take this opportunity to prove
their academic interest is real. For those not
in the program(, these seminars should provide
an opportunity for learning on a higher plane
than is readily found in the regular classroom.
-THOMAS KABAKERI
nt Election
The election is not over yet, though. How
it comes ouit may make considerable difference
to Ann Arbor in the next few years, since the
winner has a fairly good chance of winning
this April in so-far normally Republican Ann
Arbor. Then too, it will afford a significant
sign of political interest in Ann Arbor. It is
to be hoped that tomorrow will see a good
turnout.
-PETER DAWSON
'To Belong
By DAVID BLOOMGARDEN
Daily staff writer
PLEDGING is best considered as
an individual matter wherein
no general law or hypothesis can
be made. If the rushee feels that
the 15-week period and subsequent
three years will be beneficial to
him, then he would be making a
profound mistake in not deciding
to affiliate.
It is generally acknowledged
that the traditional purpose of a
fraternityis social. Thus if the
house succeeds in helping the
pledge develop social grace, then
the chapter serves a useful pur-
pose.
Living in a fraternity house
causes the individual to associate
more closely with others than he
would by living in a dorm. Conse-
quently he will have to learn (if
he doesn't already know) how to
be more considerate of his fellow
actives since only by respecting of
their individual qualms and dif-
ferences can he keep the house
enjoyable for its members. This
learning to associate with others
on a long-term close contact basis
helps the Greek letter man to gain
invaluable experience for his after-
college days.
* * *
THE ATMOSPHERE in the fra-
ternity demands that the average
affiliate learn to use his time more
effectively than his counterpart in
the dormitories. Rush; house meet-
ings, visits from national officers
and other activities compel him to
budget his available time in order
to complete all the things which
must be done.
But perhaps the greatest virtue
of being activated is the most
controversial. Although men may
join fraternities purely for social
reasons their underlying motive is
probably the desire to belong. This
is more important for the out-of-
state student who usually comes
to Michigan knowing few if any of
the 23,000 inhabitants. Subse--
quently, in a fraternity, he can
have the opportunity of living with
people who share similar cultural
backgrounds. He also enjoys the
advantage of residing in a place
which has a more staple coMposi-
tion than that of the residence
hall. It thusbecomes a place he
can call "home" where he will
always be welcome. And usually,
a senior can move into an apart-
ment if he desires and still retain
privileges of the resident member.
* * *
BUT THE SOCIAL aspect of
fraternities is not the only area
which is beneficial to members. In
the academic realm there is a
closer relationship among actives
than independents because one of
the best assets a house can have
for rushing "propaganda" is a high
academic average. Thus in the
house members are more willing to
help each other academically than
dorm residents.
While much of the criticism of
conformity in a fraternity is true,
the extent to which a person con-
forms is up to himself. The best
way for a fraternity to achieve a
"position" on campus is to have
its members engage in worth-while
extracurricular activities. By join-
ing certain activities the brothers
meet both Greek letter men and
independents with whom they or-
dinarily would not associate
with the result of extending what
otherwise might be a small circle
of friends.
Pledging is an individual matter.
It rests with each person to decide
whether he would be more content
as an affiliate or an independent.
Thus it should be a carefully con-
sidered matter for it is a lifetime
proposition, but it should be con-
sidered.
A Complete
Free Man
By PHILIP MUNCK
Daily Staff Writer
FRESHMAN MEN are automat-
ically exposed to life in dormi-
tories, fraternities have their
rushing and pledging periods to
show what affiliated life is like,
but men who live "off-campus" in
apartments, boarding houses and
furnished rooms enter-sink or
swim-into their way of life with-
out any preparation.
There are many reasons why
men chose to live in non-organized
housing. Some are readily under-
standable and some but not all
contribute to the "Gemutllichkeit"
of off-campus living.
There comes a point where the
student feels a restlessness and
an urge to get away from every-
thing paternal and parental and
take his place in the world as an
adult, facing and solving his own
problems. This is the point where
he is likely to move into non-or-
ganized housing-not for the sake
of apartment parties-and assume
adult independence.
There is a responsibility, too, in
"living out" which will be new to
the student. He is living, to var-
ious degres, in a state where he
is dependent primarily on himself.
If financial needs dictate, he may
be working in a fraternity or sor-
ority kitchen for his meals, and
he may hold down another out-
side job to pay part or all of his
expenses.
IF HE LIVES in an apartment
he and his roommates must cook
and keep their "place" clean. In
addition to the annual spring and
fall intensive. cleanings there may
be painting and general fix-it
work to do. All of this the individ-
ual must do on his own initiative.
Off-campus living is also ,low
pressure living. There is no one to
make decisions for the student. He
must make them himself. It is in-
dependence in the sense that it
is freedom to make your'own mis-
takes. It is also the freedom to
take full responsibility for your
own mistakes. It is the freedom to
be a complete man.
The concept of independence is
closely allied with the ideals of
off-campus living. And, not sur-
prisingly, the goals of the Univer-
sity are the promotion of inde-
pendence in thinking and intellec-
tual activity.
But how are goals achieved and
what helps implement them? Sup-
posedly intellectual independence
and responsibility are most 'ideally
promoted in a non-directive fash-
ion.
This means that an instructor
does not give out a series of ques-
tions to be answered by the end of
the course and then guide the
student to these answers. Ideally
he lets the student find the ques-
tions and then answer them him-
self.
* * *
THE EMPHASIS here is that it
is essentially the student's task to
seek and find-not the instrue-
tor's. In the same fashion non-or-
ganized housing requires the man
to make his own adjustments to
the problems of living on his own.
There is much more to be said
in favor of the typical apartment
or room. They are quiet, 'they are
more livable, they are each unique
in themselves. A man can with
some feeling of pride describe the
tribulations he puts up with his
rooms, but always identifying
them as "my rooms." The apart-
ment dweller does not say "I'm
going back to the Quad or back
to the house," he says, "I'm going
home now."
It is pride; independence, re-
sponsibility and general growth
that correlate with the best in
non-supervised living.
COTCH. . ."STRAIGHT
'Anotlu
By Richard Taub
:.r World
'TUDENT LIFEovaries greatly from one school
to another, and frequently, comparisons
lace one's own school in an entirely different
ii ht. A friend, who visited' an Eastern school
kween semesters had a rather unusual story
oeport which he asked us to pass on:
I was to meet a friend of mine in one of the
o mitories-they call them halls-and after
eating lost a few times, I finally found what I
hought was the proper room.
Upwi knocking, I was immediately invited to
:ome in. The door opened on a large living
oom. A couple was seated on a couch, she a
articularly good looking girl, whose blond
lair shimmered with the reflection from a
lazing fire in the fire place. Along one wall
ras a well-stocked bar, standing near a small
efrigerator.I
Both were sipping something that looked like
berry.
WJELL, I WAS SURE I had stumbled on the
wrong place, our friend reports, and began
o apologize for crashing in on such an im-
ortant person. I figured he must have been
resident director, or someth/ng at least as
ignificant.
He turned out to be my friend's room-mate.
After making me comfortable with a drink,
eight year old scotch), our friend continued,
e showed me through the rest of the apart-
ient, which consisted of one large living room,
nd three bed-rooms with desks in them. He
ad two room-mates.
I was really impressed, and even more so,
rhen it turned out this was just an average
oom. My host, being polite and also surprised
t my interest, wondered what the set-up was
t Michigan.
I explained that I lived in what they called
"residence hall," which was a nine story
uilding with six hundred rooms in it, each
ne exactly like the next, located along long,
nooth shiney halls; that each room had two
eds, two desks, two desk chairs, and a semi-
omfortable chair.
E WANTED TO KNOW whether we could
convert the beds into studio couches for
arties. We can't have parties, I replied. Women
,re not allowed in men's rooms.
"Well, what about stags," he wanted to
now. "We could have those," I answered, "as
ng as there's no liquor in the rooms. "You
an't have liquor," he replied incredulously.
Editorial Staff
RICHARD TAUB, Editor
ICHAEL KRAFT - JOHN WEICHER
Editorial Director "City Editor
DAVID TARR
Associate Editor
ALE CANTOR................Personnel Director
EAN WILLOUGHBY.......Associate Editorial Director
LAN JONES ....... ,... ..........sports Editor
EATA JORGENSON ..........Associate City Editor
JIZABETH ERSKLNE....Associate Personnel Director
COLEMAN..................Associate Sports Editor
"How could anybody find out? Do the maids
report you."
Oh no, we have staff men for that.
"Staffmen?"
"They're people who live on every corridor
and make sure you don't get into trouble."'
"Oh. What can you do on a date then?"
I explained that Ann Arbor was quite a cul-
tural center; that we have concerts sometimes,
that there are a few groups who put on plays,
that we have three movie theatres in town, one
an art theatre, andthat we have some big all
campus dances.
"What about fraternity houses," he wanted
to know. I told him that liquor wasn't allowed
in fraternity houses either, and all parties had
to be chaperoned.
$Y THIS TIME, he was getting a little im-
patient.
"Well, it's a good thing Detroit is nearby,"
he commented. "At least, you find something
to do there."
That would be good, I answered, except we're
not allowed to have cars until we're twenty-one.
At this point he almost choked on his sherry,
while his girl started to cough. "What do you
do on a date, after the movies, concerts, etc.,
are over," he asked.
"Well, the're are a few nice restaurants in
town. We even have a few pizzerias. When the
weather's nice, you can go for a walk as well."
"IS THERE ANY WAY to have a nice relaxed
party with girls and liquor present?" he
wanted to know; "the way normal people do,
or is it all against the rules?"
I explained that some students live in apart-.
ments, and parties could be held there, al-
though illegally, and that if one is caught, he
is subject to rather serious consequences.
The best way to avoid this, I explained, was
to have three or four couples pile into the cars
of people who are over twenty-one, and drive
to, someplace twenty or thirty miles out of
town, say somebody's cottage, have the party,
do your drinking and then drive back to cam-
pus.
"That does make good sense," he said, "espe-
cially in the face of those rules, but it looks
to me that campus life must be pretty un-
pleasant. Men and women do spend time to-
gether, you know-you cannot spend all your
time studying, and at many rate, part of being
civilized is to learn how to behave in normal
social situations."
BY THIS TIME, it had occurred to me, our
friend reports, that he did not think too
much of Michigan, so I began to do what I
could to redeem it. "It's not as bad as all
that," I explained. "We have student govern-
ment. We have corridor reps, and house reps,
and reps at large; we have SGC, IFC, IHC,
Assembly and Panhel; we have Joint Judic and
Women's Panel and.. ."
At that point guests began arriving for a
party they were having that night, and my
temporary host eagerly ran to meet them.
But .every once in a while, our friend con-
cluded. "I thought I caught him looking at
SOCIOLOGIST, COUNSELOR DISAGREE:
'Ritualistic Rot' or 'Social Education'?
Responsibility:
A FRATERNITY is a place where
a group can "determine its own
destiny," Assistant Dean of Men
William Cross asserts.
Cross, as counselor to fraterni-
ties here since 1956, lists the mani-
fold advantages in Greek living.
House members, he says, are
practically free to draw up their
own budget, determine member-
ship, outline educational and social
programs and even determine their
own menu.
In this way, men "really learn to
live within a group." The day-to-
day problems which are met pro-
vide excellent experience for later
life, Cross argues.
*
"MOST PERSONS leave college
unprepared to face society, in
BILL CROSS
a training in group life
nitely" compatible with the educa-
tional objecpives of the University.