The Honors Supplement Friday, March 28, 1969 SUPPLEMENT TO THE MICHIGAN DAILY Eight Pages FISK PRESIDENT Separatist institutions doomed to fail ' convocation By RICK PERT OFF Supplement Co-Editort "I think separatist institutions are doomed to failure," says Dr. James Lawson, the speaker at today's honors convocation. "What is needed:is an atmosphere of cul- tural diversity," he explains. "And cultural diversity is not generated at all white or all. black universities." Lawson's analysis is based on experience. For the last three years. he has been presi- dent of Fisk University, a small all-black. school in Nashville, Tenn. It is the interplay between both blacks and whites that Lawson sees as being instru- mental in creating the proper environment for learning. "The humanizing of whites is a major part SPECIAL GRANT: of any black studies program," hensays. And he believes universities that enroll only blacks can deprive their students of this essential exchange of ideas. At Fisk. attempts have been made to in- volve both blacks and whites in the learning process. Lawson points to the school's African-Caribbean studies program in which groups of white students from Vanderbilt University also participate. "It can be a different sort of racism at the all-black university." he explains. "The idea there is to get all the blacks together and raise their self-esteem by i expressing a separate identity." As a result, he warns, the communication at these institutions is between black and Two 'U' grads named Congressional fellows black. "Then learning suffers," Lawson ex- plains. "In order to generate a humanizing in- fluence on whites," he says, "the number of black students and faculty in the large universities must be increased. We have to recruit them and the burden then rests with qualified white faculty. It's a movement in both directions." Lawson explains that a university presi- dent must insure this two-way movement by seeking to establish a flow of white and black faculty. "Ideally, we should have white presidents of black universities. But it would be dif- ficult in these times for a white to marshal the necessary forces to keep the peace," he says. "Blacks would always be charging him with racism and thorgh he might not be guilty, the charge could hurt his rapport with the university community." Lawson believes that the president should ideally try to act as a mediator between students and faculty and as an innovator. "White or black, he has to get away from being a symbol of a hierarchical institution," he warns. The basis for the entire educational pro- cess, Lawson -continues, must be commit- ment. The entire university community must be committed to the idea of education. For this reason, students at Fisk have been given a voice on all the curriculum committees, he explains. Responsible participation in academic de- cisions is Lawson's conception of the stu- dent's role in the university. He encourages students to prevail upon faculty to do more teaching and less "outside research activi- ties." Lawson also thinks students should parti- cipate in decisions which affect their living conditions. "There is the recurrent request at Fisk by students to revise the regulations on honors today i D)r. Jamies R. Latt'son By BARBARA WEISS Supplement Co-Editor 2800 /' Two University graduate students in political science have been awarded Con- gressional Fellowships for the 1969-1970 academic year. Ndrman Ornstein and Thomas Mann will spend ten months in Washington learning the workings of Capitol Hill. Besides working with Congressmen, the two will also have time for research in their own particular areas of political and legislative interest. Each year only 30 students-ten in jour- nalism and 20 in political science-are awarded Congressional Fellowships. This year only two candidates were selected from the entire Midwest area. Both ale from the University. Selection of fellows is based on candidate applications and recommendations and on an interview with a review panel composed of political scientists and journalists ap- pointed by the American Political Science Association. Approximately one candidate out of every two or three who apply is given an interview. Of those interviewed, one out of every five is chosen for a fellowship. Congressional Fellowships are sponsored by the American Political Science Associa- tion under a Ford Foundation grant. Pro- spective candidates apply directly for the fellowship rather than through their school or department. After a two-month orientation period, Mann and Ornstein will spend four months working with a senator, and then another four months working for a representative. They will also do outside research in their own specific interest areas. Mann says that the work will be of a varied nature-anything from speechwriting and committee work to serving as a con- gressional adviser. Fellowship recipients either choose or are chosen by congressmen and senators based on interviews with them regarding the na- ture of the work to be done. Both Mann and Ornstein became in- terested in the fellowship program as a result of previous interest in legislative be- havior. Mann is involved in an Institute of Social Research survey of representation in the American Congress as it involves the re- lationship between congressmen and their constituents. Ornstein is particularly interested in the program in relation to his dissertation topic, which concerns the congressional staff and its influence on the legislative process. Ornstein termed the program a "fantastic opportunity" for learning about the legis- lative process, doing individual research and also for gaining knowledge which would be useful in teaching courses related to Amer- ican government and the legislative process. Mann says the program is geared much more toward an academic interest in legis- lative politics rather than a future political career. "I'm too young to run for office," joked Ornstein. Walter Beach, a director of the program, says that it is very unusual for two fellows to be chosen from the same school. "But they are both very well qualified," he ex- plains. Political science professor Warren Miller attributes the unusual choice of two candi- dates from one university to the "quality of University graduate students in general." In addition to Beach, Mann and Ornstein were interviewed by two political scientists from the University of Wisconsin and a journalist who last year was a Congressional Fellow. normal duties and encourage students and faculty to become more active in solving the problems of ghetto residents," he says. He add that academicians must speak out, urging the university to become more active in assisting small business men and helping with consumer problems. Lawson feels that training generalists, rather than specialists in particular fields, would help assure a more liberal commit- ment to aiding the communities. Generalists could be trained, he con- tends, by interdisciplinary programs like Fisk's African-Caribbean studies program. By MARCIA ABRAMSON Associate Managing Editor The University will honor more than 2500' undergraduate students today for outstand- ing achievements at the forty-sixth annual Honors Convocation. University President Robben Fleming will preside over the convocation, which begins# at 10:30 a.m. in Hill Aud. President and Mrs. Fleming will also hold an afternoon reception in the Vandenberg Room of the League for the honors students and their families. Addressing the convocation will be Dr. James Lawson, president of Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn. Dr. Lawson will speak on "The Role of the White in the BlackI University." Born in Louisville, Ky., Dr. Lawson at- tended Fisk where he received a BS degree in physics. He attended graduate school at the University, receiving MS and PhD degrees. Dr. Lawson was professoriand chairman of the department of physics from 1957 until 1966, when he became acting president of the school. He was appointed president in 1967. Before he joined the Fisk'° faculty, Dr. Lawson was professor of physics and depart- ment chairman at Tennessee A&I State University. He has also held teaching posi- tions at three other colleges. As a physicist, Dr. Lawson's specialty is infrared spectroscopy. He is a recipient of such honors as Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma XI. The honor convocation is planned and organized through the office of Herbert W. Hildebrandt, University secretary and assistant to President Fleming. Music for the convocation is provided by the Men's Glee Club under the direction of Dr. Philip A. Duey. Prof. Marilyn Mason, chairman of the organ department, will pro- vide accompaniments. Traditional ceremonies also include a luncheon in honor of the guest speaker. The speaker for the convocation is chosen by a convocation committee whose members1 are the University registrar, Dr. Hildebrandt, and two students chosen by Dr. Hildebrandt and President Fleming from a list of five suggested by Student Government Council. Over the past 45 years, speakers have in- cluded such diverse personalities as Arnold Toynbee in 1961, Prince Bernheard of the Netherlands in 1965, and U Thant in 1966. Last year's speaker was Wilbur Cohen, who this year accepted the appointment of dean of the education school beginning July 1. tHill The first honors convocation was sug- gested by University President Marion Burton in 1922, and the first ceremonies were actually held in 1924. Several University-wide honors are tradi- tionally announced each year at the honors monvocation. One of these is the designation of Angell scholar, which is awarded to undergrad- uates who maitain an all-A average for two consecutive terms, excluding summer ses- sions. Students who have earned all A's for three or more terms are recognized In- dividually at the convocation. Another honor is the Branstrom award for freshmen in the top seven per cent of the class. In addition, the various honorary organizations announce their new members, and schools and departments announce special awards to their students. Classes which conflict with the convoca- tion have been cancelled to enable honors students and faculty to attend. r Pro &g a HILL AUDITORIUM 10:30 a.m. President Robben Fleming, presiding Prelude Variations on "America" .. Charles Ives Processional Prince of Denmark's March.............Jeremiah Clarke Star Spangled Banner.........Audience Presentation of honored guests ..,..H. W. Hildebrandt Laudes Atque Carmina Gayley and Stanley The Men's Glee Club {Presentation of honor students .... H. W. Hildebrandt President's recognition of honor students .... Robben W. Fleming Convocation address ... . James R. Lawson In order to generate a humanizing influence on whites. the number of black students and ffaculty in the large un- uersities must be increased. We have to recruit them (nd the burden then rests with the qualified white faculty. It's a movement .in both directions..i . hours. Many are interested in the elimina- This is one way for students to be liberally tion of all such restrictions," he explains. educated, he says. He also believes deeply in university in- Lawson objects to black colleges imitating volvement in the community. Lawson thinks white universities in shaping curriculum. university policies must be redefined to per- However, he believes that there is now mit more student involvement in community every indication black schools will explore problems. with their own resources the benefits derived "Students shouldn't wait until they grad- from enriching curriculums through teach- uate to become active in educating ghetto ing both black and white culture courses. children," he explains. He says the all-black colleges must imple- Lawson also envisages a role for the black ment a curriculum "relevant to the heritage educator in community affairs. "He has an of blacks but also to the problems of pre- opportunity to make a professional con- sent-day culture." tribution to the local communities by lend- The student's curriculum must be geared ing the university's resources to communi- to social diversity and an interplay between ties." blacks and whites is -instrumental in achiev- "Educators must take away time from i ing it. he concludes. iI I I GoddessHof the Inland Seas ..................Gayley and Peters The Men's Glee Club The Yellow and Blue..........Audience (First verse> Recessional Variations on The Austrian Hymn, Op. 3 .................... J. K. Paine President's Tea for honor students and their families in the Vandenberg Room of the League, 2:45 - 5 p.m. I Johnson heroics fail to save Wolverine almost year' By PHIL HERTZ - Record setting. Coaching changes. A probable Big Ten all sports championship. That was the 1968-1969 sports year. The year produced a Hero: Ron Johnson, who broke. all the records and pushed the Wolverine gridders into the race for the Rose Bowl. And behind the scenes, there was a dif- ferent kind of pace-setter: new athletic director Don Canham, who since June has been building up the Athletic Department. Canham has already appointed 11 new coaches and has set about creating a strong- er financial * basis for Michigan's athletic structure. However, in a way it was only the future of athletics that benefited last, year. Most observers considered the season performance somewhat disappointing, despite the sur- prising football team. And although the hockey and gymnastic squads captured Big Ten crowns, no Michigan team earned a place in the NCAA championship as a group. The last chance for a team championship was lost only two weeks ago when the gymnastics team, which had little trouble capturing the Big Ten title, finished second to Iowa in NCAA in the preliminaries when the Big Ten representative was chosen. And certain Wolverine specialists-like the trampolinists-will not be represented in the NCAA championships. In football Coach Bump Elliott's gridders compiled an impressive 8-2 record, only to | finish second in the Big Ten, although it was the Wolverines' best season since their 1964 Big Ten and Rose Bowl victories. The 8-2 record surprised most football observers around the country. Before the season opened, Michigan was given little chance of finishing higher than fifth and was picked by many to finish in the bottom third of the conference. Playboy, in fact, tabbed the Wolverines dead last in the con- ference. The gridders entered the season's finale needing only a triumph over Ohio State to be bound for Pasadena roses. But the Buckeyes were not about to let the Blue halt their march toward the national cham- pionship. After the season opener against California, Playboy's sports buff appeared to have dem- onstrated proficiency with the football crystal ball. California ran through the Wol- verine's line at will as they scored a 21-7 victory. Fortunes rose as the Blue rolled to easy victories over Duke and Navy. Murmurs about a Wolverine football revival were heard in the Diag. When Michigan rallied to beat Michigan State and Indiana, the team became the cinderella Wolverines. And when Michigan coasted to a 34-21 triump over Minnesota we were all smelling roses. The Wolverines followed the Minnesota game with 35-0 and 36-zit romps over Northwestern and Illinois. Then lowly Wis- consin threatened all. In a rain-drenched and hope-sogged game, in an eight-man conference in Bo's five years of coaching. And some of Bo's prede- cessors turned out to be Ara Parseghian and Woody Hayes. The Wolverine's basketball season, though not spectacular, ended with one the best records since the days of Cazzie Russell, as the Wolverines compiled a 13-11 mark. The Wolves' basketball, squad opened the season with new coaches when the season began. Johnny Orr, last year's assistant, re- placed Dave Strack as head coach and Fred Snowdon became the new assistant. In the beginning of the Big Ten season Michigan made effective use of the overtime to topple Iowa and Indiana. Against the Hoosiers All-American Rudy Tomianovich put on a phenomenal shoot- ing exhibition enabling him to tie Russell's Michigan single game scoring record of 48 points. In the first road game, against Minne- sota, the roof caved in. The Wolves were shelled 92-67 in what may have been the team's worst performance all year. And that game may have snowballed more incon- sistency for it was "on and off Michigan" from then on. But Michigan managed to find itself in a second place tie with two games remaining. The team faced both Ohio State and Pur- due on the road. And two defeats later, Michigan was destined for a fourth place conference finish. Coach Al Renfrew's hockey squad copped the Big Ten crown, while failing to gain a berth in the NCAA hockey championships. and Bob Wedge in the triple jump were the only Wolverines to capture individual cham- pionships at the Big Ten meet. The track squad also was turned over to a new coach, as Dave Martin took on Can- ham's old job. The swimming team placed second to Indiana in the conference swimming meet for the ninth successive time. Michigan's Juan Ballo set the only Big Ten mark of the meet in the 200-yard individual Medley. Michigan wrestlers copped a third place tie in the Big Ten championships. Two members of Coach Cliff Keen's squad cap- tured individual championships. Jesse Rawls won the 167 pound division while Lou Hudson captured the 130-pound championship, --Daily--Andy Sacks Rudy TomjanoUrich shoots against Badgers and set Big Ten rushing and scoring records for a season. While Michigan fans buzzed about John- son's Herculean performance no one could :_ '' ..:= f