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Sixty-Eighth Year
EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
UNDER AUTHORITY OF BOARD IN CONTROL OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS
STUDENT PUBLICATIONS BLDG. * ANN ARBOR, MICH. * Phone NO 2-3241

"Tell You What-We'll Help Some Of You Go On
To Overcrowded Colleges"

n Opinions Are Free
ruth Will Prevail"

torials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers
or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints.

SEPTEMBER 15. 1958

NIGHT EDITOR: MICHAEL KRAFT

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The Daily's Obligation
To the University Community

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S A CAMPUS newspaper, The Daily could
take any one of a variety of forms.
t could be a public relati6ns organ for the
iversity, painting life in Ann Arbor as su-
mely idyllic, everything the way it should:
It could be an announcement sheet, re-
ting every campus event - sort of an out-
ed Daily Official Bulletin. It could be the
npus pep sheet, rooting hard for all the
ims. It could be the campus social reporter,
ying J-Hop, I-Hop and K-Hop as the big-.
t events of the year, and even, as some
ler college papers do, reporting on, all thes
nnings" of the week. Or it could compete
,h the regular newspapers, clipping all its
vs "hot" from the wires of the Associated
ass, adding a few professional columnists to
nd it out.
lowever, if The Daily did take any of these
ims, it would not really be a newspaper; and
would not adequately serve the needs of a
at University community.
HE DAILY has a special task for several'
reasons. First, it is one of' the few major,
:i for all the members of the community: a
nmunity, it should be noted, with interests
diverse as those of the Classical Languages
partment and the Michigan Research In-
tute. And somehow The Daily should be a
ding force for all of these segments. It must
p to serve as the head for all the arms of
giant, octopus which is the University.
Not only is The Daily a unifying force in
Iversity life, but it, is located in a commu-
y which stands for rather high intellectual
hievement. This means that the determina-
n of what is important must, in some sense,
governed by the standards set by a great
iversity. Thus, the establishment of an
nors Council on campus is more important
an a brawl in front of the P-Bell; or the
)blems in the Middle East are more signi-
ant than a rape in Detroit.
lie Daily is also obligated in its role as a
ifying factor on campus to encourage dis-
ssion of issues which are or should be of con-
'n but not necessarily limited to the campus
nmunity. This does help to bring the di-
:se groups on campus more closely togeth-
* but it fulfills, another function which is
ually important.:
'HE DAILY should be concerned with help-
ing to make the University community a
3st desirable place in which to live and to
rn; and it should work toward this as a
e and honest newspaper which will con-
bute much to the vigor of the institution in
ich it stands.
The issues The Daily staff sees as most im-
rtant both from a pews and an editorial
indpoint may not be the most important in
abstract absolute sense; the thinking

brought to Daily editorials will often not be
the best. But the issues are those the staff
believes are most important, and the thinking
is the best the staff has to offer. There really
can be no other way.
The Daily is an idealists' paradise in a good
many ways. It may be one of the only news-
papers in the world where there need not be
any compromise with honesty. Sixty-Eight
Years of Editorial Freedom is something more
than a slogan; it is a fact which many staff
people and members of the administration and
faculty, have fought hard to maintain when-
ever that freedom has been threatened.
NOT ONLY is The Daily free from adminis-
trative pressure, but because it is not a
profit-making institution in the strict, sense,
it also is not forced to cowtow to advertisers.
Further, The Daily is not in a competitive
situation where it has to use every device pos-
sible in order to win circulation. This does not
mean The Daily should be unresponsive to its
readership; the contrary is true to some extent.
But it does mean The Daily does not have to
compromise with the facts in order to titillate
its readers.
Of course, with this freedom goes the re-
sponsibility that goes with every freedom. And
it is more than a responsibility not to slander
or report inaccurately; it is a responsibility to
be of real service to the community.
BUT "REAL SERVICE" to the community
must be defined broadly. It means, first,,
that the welfare of the community is placed
ahead of the welfare of any individual group;
especially when the group contributes to mak-
ing the campus a poorer place to live and work
The Daily is not concerned with supporting
any group per se and it is not concerned with
hiding anybody's proverbial dirty linen simply
because display of it might prove embarrassing..
And "real service" does not mean that The
Daily should assiduously avoid criticizing the
University or bringing unfavorable publicity
to it. Unpleasant news or critical editorials are
often more valuable to the institution in the
long run than suppression of these. As a news-
paper The Daily must hold to the belief that
an informed citizenry is not only a worthwhile
goal, but a'necessary one; that blind, uncritical
belonging to an institution will, never be to
the institution's advantage.
The Daily staff has the obligation to help
nurture an informed and vigorous cohesive
community. It'has the privilege of discharging
this task according to the highest standards es-
tablished by the journalistic profession. And
it must work to fullfil tpe obligation and main-
tain the privilege despite any pressures to the
contrary.
-RICHARD TAUB
Editor-

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NUMEROUS PROBLEMS:
'Campus Issues' Affect. Students

By JOHN WEICHER
Daily City Editor
ON A CAMPUS as large as that.
of the University, numerous
problems arise which concern stu-
dents, faculty and administration
-problems ranging from the es-
tablishment of a student bookstore
to the disestablishment of J-Hop.
These diverse matters are lump-
ed together under the catch-all
heading of "campus issues." They
all have one thing in common:,
some part of the University com-
munity is deeply concerned with
any given one of them, and regards
the particular issue as being of
major importance to it.
Naturally, the larger the part of
the community concerned with the
issue, the greater that particular
issue looms.
At present a large percentage of
the student body has no interest

action was "for the good of the
sorority as a whole."
This brought the national so-
rority into conflict with SGC due,
to a University regulation' stating
that no group which practices
racial or religious discrimination
in membership could establish it-
self on campus in future.
(The regulation was approved
by the Board of Regents in 1949.
Sigma Kappa was reactivated on
campus in 1955, after the Dean of
Women read the sorority's con-
stitution to see if it had such a
clause. It did not.)
In December 1956, SGC ruled
that national Sigma Kappa was
in violation of University regula-
tions; two months later it gave the
sorority until September of this
year to prove it was no longer in
violation. The sorority held its
national convention this summer.

Sigma Kappa in rousing many stu-
dents from their apathy. For some,
it is even more important. 4
SGC established for women in
1955 a trial period of spring rush-
irk rather than both fall and
spring, as had been the practice
previously. .'he plan first went
into effect in the spring of 1957.
Panhellanic Association will con
duct deferred rush again this
year, because little can be learned
upon a one year trial. The group
has expressed dissatisfaction with
the spring rush on the grounds
that, with such a rush, women
'have a chance to' determine which
are the so-called "best" houses
on campus. Consequently; women
set their minds on pledging certain
houses, paying no attention to
others which might be more suited
to them and whose members they
might find more congenial.
As a result, some houses do not
make their quotas, as happened
last spring, although, it should be
pointed out that members of
houses have not made their quotas
before.
Proponents of the spring rush
have argued that the women are
given a chance to get th'eir bear-
ings before being caught up in the
rushing whirlwind. Most women
have had a semester of college
when spring rush comes and are
therefore better able to select the
houses they want.
SGC last year established a
committee to get the opinions of
women actives and rushees on the
spring rush system. Its report will
be made this fall.
It seems certain that the Coun-
cil will again consider the issue
this year. When it does, many
more students than is customary
will take an active interest in
campus affairs again.
* * *
A QUESTION affecting the en-
tire community is the proposed
student book store. The Union
Board of Directors has ordered a
study of the feasibility of such a
store.
At present, the Regents are on
record that no University enter-
prise may compete with local busi-
nesses. However, there are note-
worthy exceptions such as the
Union Grill and South Quad's
"Club 600."
One point of importance here is
whether the store will match the
prices of local merchants or at-
tempt to effect savings for the
students by selling books at or
near cost. Student-run bookstores
at some universities (notably
Michigan State) follow the former
practice.

Why The Daily SignsoIEditorials:
k Promotion of Individual Thought

PURPOSE but no policy.
An aim but no target.
ontradictory, perhaps, but the description
nany ways characterizes The Daily's editorial
'e and its sometimes surprising presentation
>pposing opinion. For The Daily's traditional
cept of the editorial page includes emphasis
on promotion of a single viewpoint or edi-
.al "line" as usually found in newspapers,
rather on discussing a problem from various
s, stimulating thought, and providing inter-
tation of world and local events.
MEDIUM for this and a unique feature of
The Daily is the signed editorial. Presenting
individual'rather than a staff viewpoint, the
orials are signed by their author and no
>rts are made to inspre that editorials in The
ly conform to a particular policy.
)nly in the case of very infrequent senior
torials, written and signed by The Daily's
ior editors, will The Daily express a collective
nion, usually about an important campus
te.
'he variety of attitudes which mark the-
borial page may have its disadvantages, but,

the aim of providing the fullest possible dis-
cussion of worthwhile issues is considered far
more important, especially in a University com-
munity concerned with the thinking and
searching processes.
For the aim of the editorial page goes beyond
the first paragraph of the'Code of Ethics for
The Michigan Daily which states, "The editorial
page of The Daily shall not reflect one point of
view to the exclusion of all others." The Daily
editorial page attempts in a sense to be an
extension of the University itself, adopting the
ideals of an environment that strives to en-
courage, stimulate and promote thought.
MPLIED in this is a certain spirit. In part, it
is that of a questioning mind, the asking of
"why" behind certain action and the attempt
to scrutinize issues and attitudes for their
significance and merit. At times, the editorial
examination may be unpleasant, questioning
often is, especially when directed towards mem-
bers of the University community. At times it
admittedly may be insufficient or superficial.
But although the force may occasionally be
lacking behind the aim, an editorial page should
continually strive to aid the motion of thought
and-ideas flowing between men, in an attempt
to prevent the, solidification of attitudes into
a hard rigid pattern.
Acceptance of a set "line," whether editorial
or otherwise, often entails a lack of mental
flexibility, and an unwillingness to regard the
alternative approaches to issues. It canlead to
the promotion of a bias, not-thought, and of all
places, this is least Welcome in an academic
atmosphere.
HOWEVER, the medium of signed editorials
is not the only way in which The Daily's
editorial page attempts to stimulate and serve
intellectual activity. Reviews, local and syndi-
cated columns, along with.Interpretive features
onr a va'riety o f tnicsa'lsn n~nna',A recent.~

AROUSED INTEREST-Occasional campus issues, such as spring
rushing or the Sigma Kappa violation draw overflow crowds, as
pictured above, to Student Government Council meetings.

In any campus issue. For example,
the number of persons voting in
Student Government Council elec-
tions has never topped one-third
of the number of students on cam-
pus. Requests by committees for
student opinion on various mat-
ters have met with a deep silence;
often committee meetings to hear
the views of students are cancelled
when no students show up.
THE REASONS for this "stu-
dent apathy" (the term is now a
cliche) are varied. Many students
simply do not think campus issues
-at least outside the exclusively
academic sphere - are important
enough to take time away from
their pursuit of knowledge.
Praiseworthy though this single-
minded quest may be, the students
working on this assumption fail to
take account that, like it or not,
they are not living in a library for,
four years, but are part of a com-
munity. Such students, ignore the
world in which they must live.
There are also those students
who may more properly be termed
apathetic. They prefer to leave
such issues to other people-any
other people-to deal with; they
would rather go to the movies
three nights a week and play cards
the rest of the time. However, they
always reserve the right to grum-
ble.
Foremost among the issues fac-

Because racial and religious dis-
crimination are such important
issues on other campuses, the final
resolution of the issue may set' a
precedent for colleges throughout
the country to follow.
Racial questions are also the
center of another campus issue:
dormitory integration. Last year a
group of students questioned the
role race and religion :played in
making roommate assignments.
This group felt the members of
minority groups were being seg-
regated.
As a result of a student peti-
tion asking for dormitory integra-
tion, the Residence Halls Board of
Governors launched an investiga-
tion of the entire question of room-
mate assignment. The results
showed that the situation was
worse than the administration had
claimed and not as bad as it was
purported to be by the critics.
IN A MORE academic matter, a
University Committee on Rising
Enrollments has been established
by the administration. The com-
mittee, requested by SGC in May
1957, will go into operation this
Fall. A steering committee last
spring charted problems for the
group to study, in the'general area
of the effect of increasing enroll-
ment at the University.
Another committee last spring
studied the University calendar,

Editorial Staff
RICHARD TAUB, Editor
L KRAFT Jo
d Director

DHN WEICHEI
City Editor



DAVID TARR
Associate Editor


CANTOR........... Personnel Director;
WILLOUGHBY.......Associate Editorial Director
! JORGENSON...........Associate City Editor
KE TOMPKINS.......Assistant Features Editor
BETH ERSHINE. .-.Associate Personnel Director
JONES.............Sports Editor
RISEMAN...".....Associate Sports Editor
LEMAN. ..........Associate Sports Editor
ARNOLD..............Chief Photographer

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