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January 30, 1969 - Image 4

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Michigan Daily, 1969-01-30

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Seventy-eight years of editorial freedom
Edited and managed by students of the University of Michigan
under authority of Board in Control of Student Publications
ynard St., Ann Arbor, Mich. News Phone: 764-0552
Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily exp ress the individual opinions of staff writers
or the editors. This must be noted in oil reprints.

The educational price of high repute

I

D Mad

I

JRSDAY, JANUARY 30, 1969

NIGHT EDITOR: MARCIA ABRAMSON

Walk right in

. . .

sit right down

rOP IN at Dean William Hays' office
today at noon (second floor of the
&A Building) and rap with some stu-
nts on the merits of being a student.
Members of the Radical Caucus and
ident Government Council have called'
sit-in to protest faculty apathy and
tward intransigence.
Despite some verbal formalities to
contrary, the faculty hasn't been
eranxious in having students say any-
.ng about their education. You're still
pected to park yourself in a crowded
ssroom and put in a nickel's worth
response. Should you forget or not
ye the right kind of nickel, you get
keted.
Admittedly the proposed structural
orms don't guarantee any real change
the write-and-let-write attitude of
st' professors. .
Giving students parity on curricula
mmittees won't mean anything if the
dents (who seem always to be model
reaucrats) simply add new filters to
mned-out ideas.
Abolishing the language and / distri-
tion requirements and substituting a
ember of alternate combinations would

be a step away from coercion and would
inspire those who always end up count-
ing history of religion as a science to
graduate.
BUT THE really valid reason for you to
sit-in today is the learning process
itself.
Students in Radical Caucus and SGC,
if a little dogmatic in presentation, are
willing enough to talk about new dimen-
sions in getting educated rather than
just becoming literate.
After Monday night's "mass" meeting
in which they quibbled at some length
about rhetorical nonsense, they will pro-
bably be happy )to debate with someone
besides themselves.
You might come up with something
for academic reform which isn't totally
academic. You might even end up on a
curricula committee. And if you're not
at all bureaucratically-inclined y o u
might really scare the hell out of the
faculty.
HOWARD KOHN
-Associate Editorial Director

By RON LANDSMAN
THE REAL ISSUE in the present
literary college academic con-
troversy has not yet been solved.
At the core of the conflict over
academic requirements and deci-
sion-making is the crucial, unre-
solved question-what is the pur-
pose of the University as an ed-
ucational and scholarly institu-
tion?
Students can readily accept the
two-fold purpose of the University
given by Vice President for Aca-
demic Affairs Allan Smith. He
maintains that the University
should encourage both the crea-
tion and transmission of knowl-
edge-research and teaching.
Smith says the University should
devote equal time and ,energy to
teaching and research. If in fact,
this were the case, the current
conflict would never have come
about.
BUT IT IS only too apparent
that the University prefers well-
known researchers to their less
famous colleagues who would
rather teach undergraduates. This
position is not indefensible, but
current practices are in dire need
of revision.I
The University says that it
needs the reputation that comes
with, famous researchers, for it is
only through that reputation that
the University can continue to
attract other first-rate scholars,
and graduate students. But this
function of reputation is chal-
lenged by deans and professors
who say the University need not
follow it to remain a quality in-
stitution.

But whether this is true or not,
the times are changing, and per-
haps the University cannot afford
the luxury of its prestige. It is
expensive, and these are not good
days for finding money.
But that does not mean that
the University must lose any de-
gree of quality. It only means that
it must be more realistic about
where it expends its limited re-
sources.
AND NOW, with increasing fi-
nancial difficulties, the squeeze
becomes that much tighter. The
teachers are the first to go, and
where once the balance has been
at least acceptable, the scales will
tip more and more toward re-
search.
Those who defend "publish or
perish," the cliche for the domin-
ance of research, cite the bene-
ficial effects it has on teaching
quality.
Undeniably, one must be com-
petent in his discipline to be a
valuable instructor at the uni-
versity level. But what is dis-
puted - by both students and
many faculty members-is that
publication of scholarly work must
be a dominant criterion for grant-
ing tenure and promotions.
Many professors argue that pub-
lication is necessary for the trans-
mission of knowledge. This is
suspect in two ways.
FIRST, PUBLICATION is not
the only means of transmitting
knowledge. At a recent meeting
of the local chapter of the Amer-
ican Association of University
Professors, one faculty member

pointed out that some depart-
ments in the field exchange
knowledge through mimeographed
papers sent in the mail.
This possibility should be ex-
plored. Normal publication in
journals and books requires ex-
traneous effort not germane to
the scholarly work involved. The
much easier mimeographing meth-
od frees the scholar from these
mundane tasks to devote more
time to teaching and research.
Secondly, there is good reason
to challenge the quality of much
that is published under the "pub-
lish or perish" system.
Many professors think that
many of the scholarly journals are
poorly written and poorly re-
searched. The Periodical of t h e
Modern Language Association and
the American Political Science
Review are two of the worst of-
fenders and often bestow unde-
served reputation for poorlydwrit-
ten articles. That these scholarly
journals are the object of such
harsh criticism should make one
pause beforeendorsing the cur-
rent standards.
The real effects of the "publish
or perish" syndromerare felt when
it comes time for promotion.
Teaching ability becones pre-em-
pted as a criterion for advance-
ment in the academic world.
THE PROFESSORS who have
met the trial of "publish or per-
ish" choose the new members of
their department. Thus the stand-
ards of academic promotion tend
to remain unaltered, and the sys-
tem becomes self-perpetuating.
This gives the older faculty,
through the mechanism of the

college and department execu-
tive committees, the means to
control the departments over long
ranges of time. "Unpublished"
teachers and students are exclud-
ed from the decision-making.
To be viable, a decision-mak-
ing structure must reflect the in-
terests of all concerned. The cur-
rent structure is not viable, and
it is facing an approaching crisis.
Hopefully, the crisis will lead to
a redefinition of such things as
the purpose of the University. To
do this, a student role is defin-
itely needed.
Many professors, possibly a ma-
jority' in the literary college,
would throw up their hands in
disbelief were it suggested >t h a t
students have an official. onerat-
ing role in major academic de-
cisions. This is, in part, at least
partly a result of their lack of
knowledge about students. Know-
ledge clearly unattainable to
many of these professors who are

overly concerned with research.
PROFESSORS have an obvious
vested interest in the current ar-
rangement. one which can be only
partially defended on solid in-
3titutional grounds. Students in
the aggregate have too l a r g e
an interest in this college to leave
all significant decisions up to a
group which is only occasionally
responsive to their needs.
There are educational merits to
a greater student role as well.
Not only would curriculum be im-
proved, but the actual process of
decision-making is one of the
greatest educational experiences
the University can encourage.
Student attitudes are changing,
and the faculty must be respon-
sive to this. Students don't want
to run the faculty or college, but
they do want what is their fair
share of the power.
Wae have our integrity, too, you
know.

4

OP0

To the Editor:

Letters to the Editor

Draft errors

Ni1xon's showcase

T HAS FINALLY become apparent why
the District of Columbia retains its
olonial status: it is too valuable as a
howcase to be let go.
Whenever a President decries that it is
me for the national government to try
o solve a problem that the federal sys-
em decrees is in the domain of the states,.
hie old reliable solution is to try to. solve
:e problem in the District,, hoping to
onvert more unreachable municipalities
y the force of good exan\ple.
Most recently, President'Nixon has de-
lared an all-out war on crime in Wash-
igton. Although Nixon's label of "crime
apital of the world" is a bit too harsh
(the District is outranked by more, than
0 cities in this nation alone), there def-
nltely is a serious crime problem in the
ity.
JNFORTUNATELY, the proposed meth-
ods of dealing with Washington crime
- more money, more police, more judges,
lore prosecutors, more courthouses, bet-
er. prisons, and tougher bail laws - will
e aimed at the manifestations of crime
nd not at its causes. So while crime in
he city may well drop under the weight
f these measures, in the long run it is
kely that they will have very little real
ffect.
Meanwhile, the city's wretched schools
ill continue to turn out more dropouts

than graduates, and the slums in South-
east w1ill continue to be the breeding
grounds of the very crime that the Ad-
ministration is attempting to stamp out.
And it won't be the first time that a
"showcase" scheme for Washington has
failed to bring about any real changes.
Just a couple of years ago President John-
son announced that the District would
become a showcase of urban beauty and
convenience. Lady Bird did plant a lot of
pretty flowers, but the Potomac is still
polluted, effective mass transit is still a
pipe dream, and the' downtown traffic
problem is worse than ever.,
IF SOME Administration or session of
Congress would see the value of having
the nation's capital as a showcase for
democracy and not whatever problem it
feels like foisting on the city's hapless
residents, one of the showcase schemes
might really work. All it w o u l d take
would be the will and a fair means of de-
termining just how much money the fed-
eral government owes the municipality
in return for occupying - tax free - its
most valuable downtown land.
Until then, ,all 'such showcase schemes
must be paternalistic at b e s t; and at,
worst, injurious to the very citizens who
are theoretically being served-
-JENNY STILLER

SOMEONE, a few months from
now, will come to -me and say,
"I didn't appeal my I-A d r a f t
classification because a Daily ar-
ticle said anyone who had a II-S
can't get any other deferments.
Now I have an induction notice.
What can I do?" I will have very
little sympathy with him.
The draft is newsworthy these
days. Newsmen are doing much
to make people aware of the im-
portance of draft problems. But
newsmen are neither lawyers nor
draft counselors, and their news
reporting is not law. Readers of
newspapers are extremely fool-
hardy when they acceptma casual
news article as complete and cor-
rect truth.
SOME CASES in point, from an
Associated Press article appearing
in the January 28 D a i 1 y. The
story was headlined, "Federal dis-
trict court upholds student's stat-
utory right to I-S." General Her-
shey, the article tells us, issued
a directive "which stated that any
student holding a II-S student
deferment after June 30, 1967 is
ineligible to receive any other de-
ferment."
Nosuch directive was ever is-
sued. The Selective Service Act
does provide, however, that per-
sons who have had such a student
deferment are ineligible forsome
other deferments, under certain
conditions.
Contrary to the news reporting,
Hershey did not issue a memo-
randum ordering local boards to
induct anyone who had held a
IH-S.
"The state Selective Service
System," the story continues, "has

a policy of allowing all inducted
students to finish the current se-
mester of study." This is national
policy, applies only to' graduate
students, a n d is used discrimi-
nately rather than universally.
The text of this directive is avail-
able from the Draft Counseling
Center.
PERHAPS COLLEGE newspa-
pers have a responsibility to be
accurate about the draft, because
their readers are so directly af-
fected by Selective Service. Be-
cause of an earlier Daily article,
men a r e still cheerfully asking
how they can appeal an induction
notice. The truth, coming to them
too late, is devastating.'
The ultimate responsibility for
finding accurate information on
the draft lies with the draftable
man. Complexities in : details of
the draft law are too great to be
covered adequately in a news
story. Stupidity is the only ex-
cuse for the man who acts on faith
in a newsman's casual under-
standing, of the law.
-ARTHUR BOYD
DraftrCounseling
Center
January 29
Free School
To the Editor:
ACADEMIC reform is the most
worthwhile activity students
can undertake. However, the
place for student-initiated courses
need not be in the usual channels;
that is what the Ann Arbor Free
School is for. When students make
a new course inside the University
of Michigan they must justify that
course to those who foot the bill-
the taxpayers.
When a man has money deduct-

ed from his income he should have
the right to help decide where the
money goes. He wants results; he
can clearly see them in the career
programs mentioned by President
Fleming.
But is such a return (use to the
community) seen in a "liberal
education"? I doubt it, and I
know business executives, most of
whom have not been to college
and who yet will pay the future
salaries of most such students,
think little of college education,
per se.
Private colleges will always have
the advantage here. We, at schools
designed to educate people of a
state for that state, are hand-
cuffed - especially by the draft.
Thus, we must create our own,
extra, self-supported structures
(with funds from SGC? !) to sat-
isfy the need for guided study so
many of us want.
-KEN WINTER, '70
Jan. 28
Counselling
To the Editor:
IN RICK PERLOFF'S article on
the student counseling service
(Jan. 29) I am quoted as saying
that I would "never take any of
these courses we tell students to
take."
In fact what I said was that we
do not take these courses our-
selves, intending to imply that
the student counseling service has
a definite value in that students
can tell other students about
courses which they have exper-
ienced directly.
-WILLIAM CRESSEY
Dept. of Romance
Languages
Jan. 29

a
4

Tempering the eulogy of S. I. Hayakawa

By PHIL SEMAS
College Press Service Analysis
SAN FRANCISCO - Samuel
Ichiya Hayakawa is being held
upas the saviour of American
higher education as we know it.
Not only has he been lionized
by the San Francisco press and
Gov. Ronald Reagan, which was
to be expected, but Time, News-
week, the New York Times, and
the Washington Post have all
been singing his praises.
Most recently, the Gallup Poll
said the acting president of San
Francisco State College was the
most respected educator in
America in 1968 - a singular
achievement since he did not
come into prominence until af-
ter Thanksgiving.
WHAT KIND of man is S. L.
Hayakawa? Is he really as. suc-
cessful as Gov. Reagan a n d
the mas media would have us
all believe? And 'is he the mes-
siah who will show academic
administrators how to deal with
student unrest?
Dec. 2 was the first day of
classes at San Francisco State
College under the Hayakawa
administration. His first action
that day was to rush out to a
sound truck being used to urge,
students to join the strike and
demand that he be given the mi-
crophone. When the students
1refused, he ripped out the wires

peared smiling at his press con-
ference, a red and white Hawa-
aiian lei draped around his
neck. He read some telegrams
from his "fans," told reporters
he was optimistic because he
has a "good digestion," a n d
that being president was "the
most exciting thing that's hap-
pened t& me since I was 10
years old and went on my first
roller coaster ride." Few re-
porters who witnessed that
day's bloody battle in which
one policeman and several stu-
dents were badly injured could
have been as excited as Presi-
dent Hayakawa - or had his
good digestion.
AT HIS first press conference
as president, Hayakawa was
asked a tough question by a
black reporter from KDIA, an
all-black Oakland radio station.
Instead of answering the ques-
tion, Hayakawa demanded to
see the reporter's press creden-
tials. Many other reporters who
have asked unfriendly questions
have been given similar treat-
ment.
None of this seems very dig-
nified for a college president,
but all Hayakawa's idiosyncra-
cies might be forgiven if he
were an effective administrator
who was moving to solve t he
problems. of San Francisco
State. He is not.
Hav awsim m wannnintpd b

the $400,000 budget under their
control.
When the state attorney gen-
eral office finally investigated
the student government's han-
dling of its funds, they found
only two possible irregularities:
a $150 check used by a black
student as partial payment on a
gun (this, it turned out, was
the student's salary check) and
a honorarium paid to the Rev.
Cecil Williams, a local black
leader who signed the check
back over to the BSU. Hayaka-
wa objected to this because it
was more than he had even got-
ten for a speech.
Even by Ronald Reagan's
standards, Haykawa cannot be
considered a success as presi-
dent. He has by no means re-
stored order or the normal ed-
ucational processes on the cam-
pus. In fact, things have got-
ten worse. Consider.
0 When Hayakawa took over,
most of the faculty were sup-
porting President Robert
Smith's administration. Today
the American Federation of
Teachers is on strike, only about
half the faculty seem to be
teaching their classes, and stu-
dent attendance is only about
30 per cent.
" Violence escalated rapidly
during the first two weeks of
Hayakawa's administration and
the escalation would have con-

JAMES WECHSLER -
Aremembrane
of things past
ONCE UPON A TIME really not too long ago a song called "We Shall
Overcome" was a modern battle hymn of the republic. That "we"
were people of varying color qnd creed, and as they marched and sang
together sometimes under racist fire, they believed they were heralding
a new American era in which men would conquer the space that divides
them on earth. There were those who died to the accompaniment of
this music, but their sacrifice was rendered endurable by the hope that
they were casualties of great transition.
Now the song has acquired an obsolete tone in many places; it is an
old-fashioned thing (just as few labor assemblages are any longer moved
to remember the lines of "Solidarity Forever"). And where it is still
sung it has lost much of its original meaning.
To put the matter crudely, the question in many communities
seems to have become not whether "we shall overcome." but who will
prove his mastery over whom. Too often the antagonists are those
wh~o once stood side by side.
REMEMBRANCES of an earlier day were evoked the other evening
by a visit to the Cherry Lane Theatre where "To Be Young, Black and
Gifted" is being performed. It is a theatrical memorial to Lorraine
Hansberry, the brilliant Negro playwright who died at 34, and com-
bines the aspect of a documentary and a recital (including an exten-
sive excerpt from her unforgettable "Raisin in the Sun").
The production has provoked a quarrel in these pages between
Ossie Davis and our Jery Tallmer, the kind of debate I find especially -
painful because of my affection and respect for both.
THERE IS, TO BEGIN with a parenthetical point, the fact that
the integrated-and splendid-cast betrays nio trace of self-conscious-
ness about its defiance of the present mood of separatism. It is per-
haps a reflection of the poverty of the present day that the sigh of
these gifted talents performing together lifts one's spirit and seems
a quiet triumph.
This should hardly have required notice, but the way things are
going it affords the pleasure one derived from watching the har-
monious exercise of Alabama's U.'s Joe Namath and his Negro team-
mates rout the invincible foe.
But what really matters is that there are lines and fragments that
offer a clue, if not an answer, to our current discords. They suggest
that some of us were too deaf to the warnings of thunder amid the
bright dawn of the Freedom Movement.
THUS, IN APRIL, 1962 (as narrated in the script) Lorraine Hans-
berry was writing to "a white farm boy living on a rich, fertile farm
on the Mason-Dixon Line." He had asked for her views on the non-
violence movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King and the "diametrical-
lay opposite techniques" being employed by Malcolm X and others.
And this was part of her response: \
"I think then that Negroes must concern themselves with every
simple means of struggle: legal, illegal, passive, active, violent and
non-violent. That they must harass, debate, sit in, lie down, petition,
strike, boycott, sing hymns, pray on steps and shoot from their windows
when the racist come cruising their communities.
"The acceptance of our present condition is the only form of
extremism which discredits us before our children."
IN THE CONTEXT OF 1969 these are peculiarly inflammatory
words, and they are quoted not with simple-minded approval but as
symptomatic of a desperation that has paved the way for contemporary
irrationalities.
In the real world the notion that any action is preferable to none
can produce futile, terrible explosions. It is reminiscent of one writer's

*

impotence of the campus against
the power of the trustees.
One would have expected that
his first effort would have been
to win the good araces of the

my selection" instead of giving
support to his efforts to keep
the school open. Later he ap-
pointed close friends to top ad-
ministrative posts without any

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