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0 4r mlrhigau Daily
Sixty-Ninth Year
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Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers
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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1958 NIGHT EDITOR: LANE VANDERSLICE
SUPREME COURT DECISION
Integration Delays
Made More Difficult
By FRED STEINGOLD, '60L
A NEW PHRASE has entered the language of school integration. I
is: "evasive scheme." In construing previous integration decisions as
prohibiting "evasive schemes 'for segregation," the Supreme Court of-
fered revealing insight into its general attitude toward legalistic delay-
ing tactics.
The strongly-worded opinion read Monday by Chief Justice Earl
Warren says that "the constitutional right of children not to be dis-
criminated against in'school admission on grounds of race or color can
neither be nullified openly and dirbctly by state legislators or state
executive or judicial officers, nor nullified through evasive schemes for
'4
Sorority Issue Calls
For Ethical Action
WHEN, two years ago, SGC voted Sigma individuals" is-perhaps justifiable, yet in this
Kappa in violation of a university regula- instance the girls are not acting as free indi-
tion, the general and perhaps justifiable cam- viduals but as a group. This group has broken
pus feeling was that a nice, innocent group of a University rule. Without enforcement, rules
girls was being punished for the actions of a and regulations in all cases become meaning-
larger organization over which they had little less.
control - namely the national fraternity to N HONEST, careful examination of the un-
ANhHcEhTtheyfuweremnaffiliated.un-
which they were affiliated.- embellished facts, free from personal, poli-
This national organization held the financial tical or emotional complications, can logically
reins of the local group and it was the action result only in a negative vote when the issue
of this larger group that got the Michigan is brought before SGC. Unfortunately, how-
chapter into trouble. That the rules of the ever, such freedom is difficult to obtain in any
University had been violated was clear, yet in situation and is especially rare in a governing
hopes that the local chapter need not be pun- body set up as SGC is on this campus. Ex-
ished for this violation, two years were given officio members of the council are all too often
to them to determine their position. The un- in doubt as to the real nature of their repre-
derstanding generally was that Sigma Kappa, sentative powers: should they represent the
#eting in good faith, would either de-activate majority opinion of their respective organiza-
from the national group during this period, or tions, for instance, or should they assume the
would demand such action from national Sig- added responsibility of individual judgment?
ma Kappa as to guarantee the non-existence Elected members, facing the same problem
of racial or religious discrimination within the with their constituents, ordinarily take the
organization as a corporate body. first position, i.e., the easiest course of action
Solution of the problem was largely left up and the one guaranteed to bring them enough
to the local group: Whereas the fault had ori- votes to keep them in office for the longest
ginally been that of the national organization, possible time.
correction of this fault was the responsibility of In the long run, however, there is a great
the Alpha Mu chapter. deal more prestige involved in an affirmation
Now the two years has passed. The situation of personal integrity than in an act of sacri-
as it stands is essentially the same as it was fice to popular opinion. Although it may seem
in February, 1957. The only thing the local like the dream of an adolescent idealist, there
Sigma. Kappa's have accomplished in the time is no real reason why a college governing body
allotted to them is the extraction of an am- should not be an organization capable of act-
biguous statement from the national organiza- ing entirely ethically - free from pressuring,
tion that "National Sigma Kappa shall abide politicking and railroading. The more frequent
by the University or college rules and regula- these latter practices are, the less prestige the
tions now governing the respective campuses governing body must have in the students'
on which it has a chapter." eyes. Consequently, the position of the popu-
Presumably, just such a promise was at the larity seekers ultimately becomes as ridiculous
basis of SGC's recognition of the Alpha Mu as it is unethical.
chapter of Sigma Kappa in 1955. The current There are many indications that a lack of
statement from national is meaningless inso- respect for SGC is growing on campus and
far as it does not in the least exclude a repeti- has increased in the last few years. This is evi-
tion of the sorority's previous action. Sigma denced by the poor turnout at the bi-annual
Kappa national was trusted by the Univer- elections and the simple comment "Mickey
sity in 1955 and later acted in bad faith. There Mouse" whenever the Council's name is
is no concrete reasdn to believe that the same brought up in polite conversation. It might be
thing could not happen again. pointed out to SGC members - especially to
It seems clear then that Sigma Kappa is the elected ones - that by looking for short-
still in violation of University regulations and run advantages, they are not only destroying
also that, by failing to obtain a suitable state- themselves and their own council but are mak-
ment from national and thus not fulfilling ing meaningless the assumptions of honesty
their proper responsibility in this matter, the and intelligence upon which all democracies,
local chapter of Sigma Kappa has shouldered at any level, are based.
a great part of the guilt that originally be- In the final analysis, nevertheless, the ques-
longed to the national organization alone and tion should be neither one of personal popu-
thus more clearly deserves to be punished by larity nor one of preserving student govern-
the University. ment prestige. It is a matter of abstract prin-
An "ad hominem" argument to the above ciple; a right action justifies itself.
Is meaningless although at present almost uni- --JEAN WILLOUGHBY
versally accepted. To pity the "fine, upstanding Associate Editorial Director
Band Day: 24,000 Armed Bandit
POLITICAL AND OTHERWISE ... By ]David Tarr
Sigma Kappa's 'Proo
xi. }..:.aW ag ii~aiiss# s!~M 1iieis~iIE sim sssi#isli iss& ~ ssitttiiiiei25H~ astasss#sts#
WHEN national Sigma Kappa
committed a decidedly dis-
criminatory act two years ago
against chapters at two Eastern
schools, it was difficult for some
people to .understand how the
local chapter here could become
involved.
Even today some people cannot
understand why the local group
may have to leave campus because
of what happened at two schools
hundreds of miles away. But Stu-
dent Government Council clearly
I saw that the monolithic nature of
any national sorority made the
local Sigma Kappa as guilty of a
discriminatory act as its national
council.
AS A RESULT the Council de-
cisively voted 12-5 in December,
1956, that the local Sigma Kappa
chapter was in violation of a Uni-
versity regulation.
Since it was the national that
put the local group in an unten-
able position, it was the national
and only the national that could
extricate the chapter.
Has the national done this? This
is the only issue SGC members
must consider.
Since there has been no substan-
tial proof, such as reinstatement
of the chapters at the eastern
schools, that Sigma Kappa soror-
ity does not discriminate, SGC
must decide if there has been a
change in attitude among the
national officers of the sorority
in the two years since the dis-
criminatory act took place.
THE COUNCIL has only a single
item on which to decide if the
national has changed its attitude
and is now acting in good faith:
a short letter from SK national
secretary-treasurer Margaret Tag-
gart, sent to Vice-President for
Student Affairs James Lewis this
summer and read to the Council
last week.
It is a masterpiece of ambiguity.
There is no clear indication the
national has changed its attitude,
has begun to act in good faith, will
not discriminate in the future or
has any sincere concern for Uni-
versity regulations or even the
local chapter.
The question of attitude of the
national can perhaps be judged by
the fact that the letter was signed,
and indeed probably written by
Mrs. Taggart, who held the same
post of secretary-treasurer when
the original discriminatory act
was committed two years ago. It
is well known, as most any afiliate
will acknowledge, that in any
sorority or fraternity the national
secretary-treasurer that holds the
real controlling power and can
usually determine policy and prac-
tice by himself. Mrs. Taggart was
re-elected to her post at Sigma
Kappa's national convention last
summer.
ume. * * *
IT IS PROBABLE that the na-
tional directed by Mrs. Taggart
hopes and expects that the ambig-
uous letter will be sufficient to
sway a weary and discouraged
Council, burdened and perhaps
frightened by an unpopular issue.
This observer hopes, but rather
doubts, that Council members will
vote only as each sees the ade-
quacy of the letter as proving that
national Sigma Kappa does not
and will not discriminate.
Because it is such an innocuous
letter and could easily leave many
Council members confused as to
its meaning, it is hoped they will
not allow their opinions on the
issue to be neutralized and cast
their votes simply in line with
each one's general orientation to-
ward affiliated or independent liv-
ing.
segregation whether attempted in-
geniously or ingenuously."
That sweeping language will un-
doubtedly have devastating effects
on Southern plans to thwart the
court by legal technicalities. Fed-
eral district court judges who
must handle the bulk of litigation
will now have to follow a firm
policy in regard to integration or
face almost certain reversal when
the cases go up to the Supreme
Court on appeal.
Theoretically speaking. all that
the court said about evasive
schemes was not necessary to a
ruling on the facts in the Little
Rock case and therefore is not
binding on either district courts
or the Supreme Court itself in the
consideration of other cases. From
a realistic standpoint however, the
court's words will have the effect
of precedence in all future inte-
gration controversies.
THE COURT obviously had Lit-
tle Rock's school-leasing plan in
mind when it drafted the opinion
and therefore used language
which would encompass "schemes"
of that sort. The leasing plan was
perhaps the soundest and most
feasible which the South had at
its disposal but it does have a few
more legal maneuvers up its sleeve.
Will these other plans come
within the broad language of the
court? Of course, test cases will be
necessary to find this out but al-
most every alternative plan for
running segregated schools which
has been suggested to date seems
doomed.
Take for example the tuition
grant plan authorized by several
states. Under this set-up, the state
makes payments to parents who
withdraw their children from de-
segregated public schools and send
them to private institutions.
This clearly seems to come into
conflict with the cout's pro-
nouncement that "state support of
segregated schools through any
arrangement, funds or property
cannot be squared with the 14th
amendment's command that no
state shall deny to any person
within its jurisdiction the equal
protection of the laws."
Then there are referendum
statutes such as the one in Texas
which forbids integration of any
school unless the voters of that
community have approved the
move in a special vote. This type
of measure stands little chance of
being upheld in the light of the
recent opinion.
* * *
PUPIL PLACEMENT plans
which authorize placement of stu-
dents according to certain factors
are also likely to fall. The Arling-
ton, Virginia school board applies
five criteria in assigning pupils to
schools: geography, academic
achievement, school overcrowding,
psychological stability and adapt-
ability to new environments. The
30 Negroes who applied for ad-
mission to Arlington's white
schools last month were submitted
to those tests and none were found
to meet the standard.
Delays in integrating schools
will now have to be based on
factors other than state laws or
popular hostility. School boards
seeking a delay will have to con-
vince the district courts that time
is required and that they are pro-
ceeding in good faith and in
accordance with the Supreme
Court's most recent ruling. "In
such circumstances," the Supreme
Court said Monday, "the (district)
court should scrutinize the pro-
gram of the school authorities to
make sure that they had developed
arrangements pointed toward the
earliest practicable completion of
desegregation."
Education
IT IS A wholesome thingthat
Americans, stung in their pride
by the Sputniks, are taking a close
and worried look at their educa-
tional theories. But it is unfortu-
nate, indeed tragic, that the re-
appraisal should be coupled with
uncriticized eulogy of rock-ribbed
totalitarian education in Com-
munist Russia. In our mood of
self-denigration, we tend to credit
the Soviets with pedagogical won-
ders surpassing the Kremlin's own
claims. We accept Soviet statistics
at face value. We draw the picture
without perspective.
Take the assertion, so widely
believed, that the Soviet Union
has more engineers and scientists
than the United States. In Russian
usage the word "engineer" often
covers people whom we would de-
scribe as technicians or skilled
mechanics. Also, most of those
classed in Soviet records as "work-
ers in science" have no more.than
a secondary education, but abroad
that phrase is frequently trans-
lated as "scientists." The truth is
that Soviet education, technology
and science included, has not yet
reached American levels either in
quality or quantity.
-National Review
DAILY
OFFICIAL
BULLETIN
The Daily Official Bulletin Is an
official publication of the Univer-
sity of Michigan for which The
Michigan Dailynassumes no edi-
torial responsibility. Notices should
be sent in TYPEWRITTEN form to
Room 3519 Administration Build-
ing, before 2 p.m. the day preceding
publication. Notices for Sunday
Daily due at 2:00 p.m. Friday.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1958
VOL. LXIX, NO .13
General Notices
Flint Junior College Transfer Stu-
dents are invited to an open house
from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Wed., Oct. 1, on
the terrace of the Ball Room, second
floor of the Michigan Union. If you
have ever attended Flint Junior Col-
lege you are cordially invited. Refresh-
ments will be served.
Regents Meeting: Oct. 24, 1958. Com-
munications for consideration at this
meeting must be in the President's
hands not later than Oct. 14.
Flu Shots for students, faculty and
employees will be given Thurs., Oct. 2,
from 8:00-11:45 a.m. and 1:00-4:45 p.m.
in Rm. 58 (basement), Health Service.
The vaccine to be used is the polyva-
lent type. Go directly to the basement
to fill out forms, pay fee ($1.00) and
receive injection.
45 Minute Extended Event: The
Choral Union Series concert on Wed.
Oct. 1, is a 45 minute extended event
for all women students.
International Center Tea: Thurs.,
Oct. 2, 4-6 p.m. at the International
. Center.
Student Government Council, Uni.
versity of Michigan, October 1, 1958,
Union Ballroom, 7:30 p.m.
Minutes of previous meeting.
Officer reports: President - letters;
Exec. Vice-President: Board in Review,
recommendation, Stan Levy, Council
vacancy, interviewing, Evaluation Com-
mittees; Admin. Vice-President; Treas-
urer.
Special Committees: Personnel Re-
port; Reading and Discussion; Student
Book Exchange, final report.
Standing Committees: Public Rela-
tions, Summary of plans for the year;
Education and Student Welfare, Exam
file, Library hours; Student Activities
Committee, Early Registration Pass
Committee, final report, Bicycles, Re-
quest for recognition, Canada House.
Old Busness: Sigma Kappa; Tabled
motions, Recommendations II-A, VII-
B from Evaluation Committee on in.
ternal structure and organization, I-&
to form a Campus Relations Commit.
tee. VII-B Little SGC meetings.
New Business.
Members and constituents time.
Announcements.
Adjournment.
Lectures
Lecture: Dr. C. H. Waddington, Bu-
chanan Professor of Animal Genetics,
Univ. of Edinburgh, serving as Con.
sultant in Biology to the Div. of Bi.
ological Sciences will speak on "Evo.
lutionary Adaptation." Wed., Oct. 2,
8:00 p.m., Aud. B, Angell Hall.
Academic Notices
Algebra Seminar: Wed., Oct. 1 at 3,
Room 3017. Subject; Topics in the
theories of Groups and Rings. Prof.
McLaughlin will discuss Representa-
tion of Certain Simple Groups.
Seminar in Applied Mathematics:
Thursdays at 4:00 p.m. in Rm. 246 W.
Eng. Refreshments at 3:30 in 274 W.
Eng. First meeting for the semester on
Thurs., Oct. 2, 1958: Prof. E. D. Rain-
l"e: "Generating functions and ex-
pansions of polynomials in series of
polynomials."
Seminar in Mathematical Statistics:
i
. I
"MORE THAN EVER before," the program
bragged. (A picture is worth a thousand
words-Confucious.)
"1076 trombones," the loudspeaker blared. (A
closed mouth gathers no feet-Anonymous.)
Y ES, SPORT FANS, it was band day in sunny
Ann Arbor. Each year the masses of brasses
descend upon peace-loving students and alumni
to give them the ear-splitting time of their lives.
Each year the leviathan becomes more un-
wieldy; Saturday "The world's largest band"
topped 12,000.
To the naive freshman it is a spectacle at
which to marvel, sometimes. However, after
becoming accustomed to the Michigan March-
ing Band, the "spectacle" becomes torture. The
bands do keep largely together, although they
are so loud one can never be sure.
The question, however, seems to be: Is music
worth it all?
Band Day serves the purpose of the largest
public relations gimmick in the music business.
The Marching Band's success can be in large
part attributed to the good will generated in
high school music students by this program.
That Band Day lgeeps the University's Marching
Band among the nation's leaders is its only
benefit. And one can scarcely ignore the proud
parents of the tooting fops who are undoubtedly
deeply impressedk that the University should
notice their "Jane" or "Bennie."
Band Day helps for the opinion, too, that
the stadium is full of spectators. Usually saved
for the game at which the lowest attendance is
expected, its presence has been synonymous
with "Michigan vs. nobody." This year Southern
California proved a good drawing card in its
own right; someone perhaps miscalculated or
Band Day was placed first on the schedule to
get it over with, hopefully speaking.
E ACH YEAR the seething, swarming mass gets
larger, which means child woodwind pro-
tegies are filling more (and smaller seats) in
the stadium, and creating more havoc at half-
time. The field, judging from Saturday's game,
will hold at least 1,000 more music men, al-
though eardrum ruptures will probably rise by
30 per cent.
It is also interesting to note that a certain
predominately agricultural "university" to the
North which shall remain otherwise unnamed
has started a similar project. "In hoc signe
vinces" seems to be the motto of the university
band directors across the state.
The final insult to student intelligence was
added when "1076 trombones" were proclaimed
to be resident in the stadium. This is difficult for
any hard, free-thinking upperclassman to ac-
cept at face value, and it was probably rejected
by the majority as a publicity stunt to laud
something or other,
The solution to the entire problem, of course,
is to eliminate Band Day as a malignant growth
and hire a full-time band recruiter for the
University. Michigan, heal thyself.
ROBERT JUNKER
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
Library ours Draw Comment
(EDITOR'S NOTE: Letters to the
Editor must be signed, in good
taste and not more than 300 words
in length. The aily reservesthe
right to edit or withhold letters
for publication.)
Return Library . .
To the Editor:
AT THE BEGINNING of the
Spring semester last year,
probably every University student
could speak proudly of our new
library. For among the many uni-
versities and colleges throughout
the country, which ones could
coast of the study facilities and,
more important, the study hours,
ours offered?
Now, only one semester later, the
student is again confronted with
his year-long problem? 'Where
can I study after ten o'clock?
Where can I study Friday eve-
nings? Where can I study Satur-
day afternoons?" In brief, we have
had but one semester when the
library conformed to the students'
study hours and not the other way
around.
It is a travesty to have this
unique feature of the library taken
away, especially after all the initial
expense was undertaken to build
something the students would have
for their use at their bidding.
Rather, theuadministrationshould
close the snack bar; or raise the
fines for overdue books . . . or
something.
More important, the library last
year offered the student not only
a wonderful opportunity' to study
intensely his courses but also it
gave him the chance to expand his
academic life into fields he might
flours Wanted
To the Editor:
WAS PLEASED to read in The
Daily of someone else's interest
in the fantasia in the Undergradu-
ate Library, and wish to add my
opinion to the growing weight of
sentiment against their new hours.
It may be useful to know that
there was a paging system installed
in the U.G.L. this summer. Elec-
tricians worked almost a full week
to install the IBM electronic equip-
ment. Apart from its disturbing
features, the main purpose of this
bell system is to summon library
personnel to the telep.hone, etc.,
penetrating the entire building
with IBM accuracy.
I would suggest that the cost of
installation, (i.e. high wages of
electricians plus expensive equip-
ment) might well have covered the
$1.00 an hour wages of a minimum
staff to keep the library open dur-
ing those most important hours
when other study halls are closed.
I would further mention to the
administration or the department
of libraries or whoever is respon-
sible for these new hours, that they
are eliminating its worthiest func-
tion, that they should learn to do
away with unnecessaries before
essentials, and that in recession
years they should not expect to
operate on a boom budget or carry
on a puerile campaign to promote
a misconception in Lansing about
the condition of University opera-
tions.
-Grant Cosby
Sigma Kappa . ,
To the Editor:
THERE IS little necessity to list
ber 26 as moralistic epistles in-
tended to arouse public righteous-
ness. Rather, they appear to be the
displays of misguided crusaders
whose intent is merely to make
their otherwise insignificant voices
heard. Possibly, they are the ban-
terings of that socially unaccept-
able element whose motto is "if
you can't join 'em, try to beat
'em."
I submit that these writers
should undertake some soul-
searching on their own and clarify
their motives before soliciting sup-
port to remove the official recog-
nition of this admirable organiza-
tion.
-Buff Whelan '6OBAd.
Senimore Says ..
INTERPRETING THE NEWS:
A lgeria Faces Gen. de Gaulle
By J. M. ROBERTS
Associated Press News Analyst
THE QUESTION ibw is whether Charles de
Gaulle, entrenched in power as no French
leader has been in this century, is actually
strong enough to impose a compromise settle-
mentin Algeria.
Since his great victory in the constitutional
referendum, some observers are wondering if he
wouldn't be in a better position if he had ap-
plied the same freedom of choice to Algeria as
to other overseas communities.
Other territories were permitted to vote
now had he not sought to perpetuate the myth
that Algeria is French, not a colonial possession.
Gen. de Gaulle's problem now is to find a
political position somewhere between the rebel
demand for complete independence and the
insistence of the settlers of French extraction
on complete integration with France.
HE IS UNDER PRESSURE to act swiftly,
since to leave the issue up in the air would
be to invite new disruption during the forth-
coming election campaign. Continued uncer-
7V7%L: