t _ low I t' r ate, T 4 t 4.. '~ 7~ .. . x A Committee Member's Guide By ROBERT ASHTON THE OBJECT of this treatise is to serve as a guide for the as- pirant member of one of student government's noteworthy commit- tees. There is no claim that this work shall serve as a substitute for Virgil, nor is the world which it will explore as deep as that of Dante's "Divine Comedy." The only near-mystical experi- ence required is an assumption of solemnity. The neophyte must breath with seriousness. This solemnity of character does not exempt excursions into humor, although these lapses from the main stream of thought can only be momentary, and then are criti- cized by those not thinking about them first as being somewhat un- dignified. Activity men at the apex of the committee pyramid have only to walk with gravity upon the tweed carpet of the third floor sanctuary in the StudentsdActiv- ities Building (commonly referred to as the Administration Annex). Solemnity, above all, is the es- sence. After alerting the aspirant to the essential essence, there begins the chain of indoctrination. The newcomer embarks upon the sea of committees (not to be confused with a sea of troubles, against which one is to take arms) only after a period of severe trial. This Solemnity - A necessary element trial period is in the height of originality called a tryout period4 . 'an opportunity to gain execu- tive experience.' TRYOUTS form the bulwark for the organization. Their pres- ence may be obscured by calling them burocats, administrative wing personnel, secretariat mem-; bers, or just plain flunkies. This should not confuse the patient fol- lower, for soon the tryout will be clearly illuminated as a commit- tee chairman. This purports to be an advancement. A beachhead has been estab- lished. The aspiring activities man will soon develop upon this chair- manship, his own island in the WI GIFT SUGGESTIONS for the GIRL GRADUATE Lovely lingerie from 3.98 Traveling jewel cases... from 2.00 - Sports separates from 3.98 committee sea. By now he has ob-1 tained his own copy of Robert's Rules of Orders, parliamentary procedure will bring order to chaos. The result will be chaotic order. Points of order, information, clari- fication, confusion, and departure will be shouted with the,,reassuring glee; having been a chairman pro- vides new license. He was a chairman of a sub- committee and can now act with abandon before the main commit- tee-which is a study committee of an inter-coordinating commit- tee bringing together representa- tives of the committees, a function of the main group which serves' as acommitteeof the whole pro- viding a buffer for administration policy. The entire issue would re- volve around the problem of de- termining the discriminatory prac- tice of the committee establishing entrance requirements for the men's room in the P-Bell. The air of solemnity, the try- out training, the chairmanship ex- perience, and the mastery of Ro- bert's Rules of Order are only the early provisions for the long jour- ney into a much more elaborate and structured society. Hence- forth, subleties rule the day. Com- petition becomes keen and ad- vancement rewarding ... You may even win a trip to a conference at a campus where drinking is legal. THE discerning disciple learns rapidly with a new intensity. Knowledge of the alphabetic sym- bols is a prerequisite to conversa- tion. The New Dealers would gain pointers midst the usage of NIA, ICC, JGP, USNSA, TGIF, SAB, PIC and PDQ. Members of the ingroup now read all The Daily reviews, drink their coffee black, commit ad-, ministration letters to memory, and recognize purple and white ditto sheets in their dreams. One, by now, does not attend classes-- he keeps appointments. The new Bible is, a blue calendar book. Grades and friends sift the com- petitors. The weak are -not tossed away, but assigned a new commit- tee. The chosen few advance. THESE,a the honoraries will take in tow. Honoraries at Michi- gan claim a somewhat unique posi- tion, having a membership of half athletes and half activities men. This allows the activities men to share in the campus acclaim for athletes, and to further individual honors by collectivization. Besides performing spring and fall puberty rites, these groups meet regularly to talk. In this manner athletes can become more articulate, and activities men gain a new appoint- ment.-9 The women's honoraries choose members on a -basis of grades as well as activities, no doubt con- tributing to their relaive ob- scurity. They also tap wearing considerably more clothes. The apex is soon to be reached. The claimant may easily preside in a far better office than his pro- fessors. The new leader's fraternity brothers will rush on the basis of his name. The identification symbols on his label may provide: a better pledge class for his house; ges- tures of obediance by sub-commit- tee members that want his job; good morning nods from adminis- trators-who are paid to be friendly to him; sneers from professors who are not; conversation topics to impress coeds; and excuses to parents for not pulling high grades. THE CONVERSATION among members of the in-group will center around the "big issues." Academic concern is the new alert. "Go and print a course evaluation booklet," the new charge. Discrimination and social reform are the passing fancies. The faculty is chastised for indif- ference, the administration for op- position, and the student body for apathy. From this point the aspirant member needs no guide. He will have arrived. All that remains is to decipher all letters, not make a show of parlay cards, smile oc- casionally to constituents, be seen often in the Union, and never for- get an appointment or committee assignment. And to lend political perspec- tive, one should recall the words of H. L. Mencken, "The best that can be said of democracy is that it is amusing." Perhaps nothing more should be. asked. Government being agreed upon as a necessary condition for man and a useful ad- ministrative tool for students-it helps to be humorous. In a solemn way. Robert Ashton, former pres- ident of Inter-House Council, has spent a good part of his college career in committee meetings. As an "active" member, he has mastered "Robert's Rules of Order," learned the alphabetic sym- bols, and read all Daily re- views. Above all, he has learned to be solemn. PROBLEMS OF THE UPPER PENINSULA: Is. U employ ent. . . gentler animals and one doesn't have to be Finnish and/or "win- Jan Rahm, a native of Iron Mountain in the Upper Pen- insula, discusses the problems of economic development and unemployment w h i c h no w plague the U.P. region. THE REGION'S population will always be relatively small be- cause the basic economy of the area depends on extractive-type industries and tourist trade. There is a maximum limit to the number of people who can live directly off the land. Logging and mining will con- tinue to be the main industries, as the distance from major metro- politan centers will probably pre- vent the region from becoming highly industrialized. However, more manufacturing, especially of hard goods, is desirable. Number one industry in the U.P. is forest products. Forests cover 87 per cent of the acreage By JAN RAHM RECENT television show had terized" with plenty of alcohol to as a backdrop a .map of the survive the long northern winter. United States which was perfect The true picture of the Upper in every way - except one. The Peninsula is more adequately re- Upper Peninsula of Michigan was fiected in the ramifications of the missing, area's most pressing problem . . Although this area is rarely there are too many people living omitted on the map, it is often up there. forgotten by many people includ- At first glance this sounds ridic- ing those who live in the southern ulous. The 1950 population was part of the state as well. just under 300,000 people; how- Upper Peninsula people are ac- ever, they occupy only 29 per cent custemed to this neglect by the of the state's total land area. And rest of the world.. . many of them although there was a net popula- prefer it that way. They like living tion loss of. 35,000 between 1920 in small towns near some of the and 1950, there is still chronic un- State's best recreation areas-they employment. find the scenery interesting and The biggest export of the U.P. the never-ending seasonal changes is her young people. There are not things of enjoyment.- sufficient jobs in the area to ab- Despite the recent favorable sorb each year's crop of new job publicity the U.P. (as the region seekers. In turn, business and in- is often called) has received from dustry in the U.P. suffers due to a the novel "Anatomy of a Murder" Ilk of people with specialized by Michigan Supreme Court Jus- skills. The area has a reputation tice John Voelker, newspapers are for isolation and people frequently prone to publicize a very distorted are not eager to leave the cities for jobs in the "backwoods." view of the area. The region iss. often considered as Michigan's For over two years the Health idiot half-brother, containing little Department of Delta and Me- more than the children who get nominee counties has been looking lost in the bear infested woods and for a doctor to head the depart- the lumberjacks who almost freeze ment. Even a substantial salary in- to death. crease has failed to attract anyone. Occasionally these special jobs can THOSE "bear - infested woods"be filled by college graduates from actually are filled with far the U.P. area. The tourist business expands In the region and at the present time there is more timber grow- ing than can be marketed. High transportation costs con- tribute to the non-use of the timber in the U.P. For example, one paper company, planning to build a mill in Michigan ended up south of the Straits because taking I .:; : ?ry - ' ' :'? :Y_ :a :< 4' Nylon hosiery from 1.15 ' .4.. ..... , ,. 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