Swnty-Third Year EtrEr AND MANAMM UYrSTUDENTn of T UNtsmy or MxCHGAN UNDER AUTHORITY OF BOARD IN CONTROL OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS Wiere Opinions Are F t" STUDENT PUBLICATIONS BLDG., ANN ARBOR, MICH., PHONE NO 2-3241 Truth Will Frevall"ss s Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints. rRSDAY, JULY 30, 1964 NIGHT EDITOR: LAURENCE KIRSHBAUM ERAP, THE DETAILS The Movement Begins on the Bloc) Lecture System Breeds Mediocrity in Freshmen EGINNING AUGUST 31 another 7000 freshmen primed for the rigid aca- nic standards of college professors will >erlence "education" via the phenom- a, of the lecture hall and the teaching low. [heir characteristic eagerness to learn, .ingness to study and hesitancy to ticize will temporarily stay dissatisfac- 'n and lethargy. And the knowledge that just two years-with fields of concen- .tlon already selected-virtually all irses will be taught by full professors r at least instructors) in classes of lim- d size will offer a measure of aca- nic sustenance. Some will become disenchanted more ickly than others; but it is almost in- table that the entire lot will at some nt conclude that they are not being icated as they had anticipated. Reac- ns to this realization will vary: 5ome will forego class attendance as 11 as serious study efforts or in lieu of re intense textbook study; others will through classes- inattentively, aban- ping any pretense of interest or mo- ation; still others may endure the lec- es and the teaching fellow-led recita- ns with a semblance of patience, seek- understanding and depth in faculty asultations and outside readings. UT THE PERCENTAGE of those who will profit-who will spurn academic dibcrty and take the initiative in pro- Ming their own learning processes- 1i be far too few. For the stimulation 4 guidance which are most vital dur- what is essentially a year of transi- n will be lacking. tespect for academic competence is at brings students to the University; -encompassing "introductory" courses lete with cut-and-dried lectures and ching fellow discussion leaders often ,ceed In undermining that respect. Oral sentation of material which merely hi ghts textbook assignments or dwells >n miniscule details serves no signifi- it function, save perhaps permitting student to skip assigned reading, yet s examinations. Lecturer-student con- t in a lecture of over 200 students is tually non-existent. tecItation sections directed by teach- :fellows of limited experience and lim- I interest in the instructional process qho are, after all, concerned primarily x their own degree objectives-gen- lly develop into either a mere lecture nmation or a free-for-all bull session. w fellows are capable of opening new nues of discussion or of stimulating student into thoughtful probing of rse content and goals. hus dulling the interest and the "chal- ge" of the entering freshman, the lec- e-recitation system promotes an edu- ional atmosphere which is both stilted i unproductive. Forced immediately in- mediocrity, the student can scarcely expected to subsequently rise above this el ' THE FRESHMAN'S educational goals are not to be thwarted from the outset, I s potential inquiries and endeavors not to be stifled, if his capacity for freliance is not to be stunted, then a ,or alteration of "introductory" in- uctional methods must be undertaken. lhe freshman-who each year is sub- bed to increasingly tougher admissions ridards-deserves-and needs - rthe ie contact with and guidance from apetent instructors and professors no s than his upperclass brother does.- :h guidance, prohibitive in a lecture lion of 200, is viable in discussion ups of 25-30, the size of current reci- Lon sections. f the lecturer(s) for each "introduc- y" course were to discontinue lectur- -distributing concise topic outlines tead-and assume the direction of reci- ions, the course content and the lec- er's interpretations could not only be served but enlarged upon. From the 4p ifidTi!3a Daily* outlined summaries, students could be- come familiar with the basic tenets of the lecture material prior to each class period, thus making class discussion more thoughtful and, hence, more profitable. The advantage of opportunities thus pro- vided for personal consultation with a competent, well-versed instructor is un- questionable.. Admittedly, this proposal would make greater time demands on the professor- lecturer. But the necessary adjustments would be neither excessive nor unreward- ing. In most introductory courses, there are two or more alternating lecturers; If they now present (or attend) lectures twice a week for a group of 200, each would instruct four classes of 25 students twice a week. Although this would cut from four to two the number of hours the student spent in class, there is no reason why the number of credit hours should also be cut. Indeed there is a growing consensus among the faculty that the time spent in class does not necessarily reflect the effort expended by the stu- dent. The "extra" time afforded by halv- ing class hours might profitably be used by underclassmen to master the very broad introductory course content as well as to review the instructor's outlines., ADDITIONAL TIME would also be re- quired to prepare the lecture material for mimeographing; yet this should in- volve little more effort than preparing notes for oral presentation. Extra time would also have to be alloted to make the professor more accessible to students. The almost-certain increase in student recep- tivity and response to his ideas and prob- ing of the course content would surely compensate for this time sacrifice. Moreover, even without these outside- the-classroom consultations, the instruc- tor would be likely to enjoy a greater measure of satisfaction than he does standing'at a podium before 200 unknown, unrevealing faces. By virtue of smaller group size, he would be able to discern much more easily the effect of his pres- entation-whether it be confusion, bore- dom or facile comprehension. A FURTHER ADVANTAGE of this pro- posal would be to free the teaching fellow for his true purpose here: to allow him to earn his degree without the re- sponsibility - frequently an unpleasant burden-of attending lectures, leading recitations, iving examinations and grad- ing papers. There is no reason why a fel- lowship holder should have to teach, just as research grant recipients often have no obligation for their awards. In the case of a fellowship holder who really desires to teach on the college level, a program of student teaching-under a full professor-could be arranged. With the guidance of an experienced, compe- tent instructor, the fellow can benefit greatly; after a semester or two, he should then be permitted to lead a discussion on his own. In this way, the extra effort expended by the supervising professor would be recompensed by a lessening of his teaching responsibilities in subse- quent semesters. And the students would benefit from instruction on the part of a teaching fellow who really wants to teach and has been competently trained in instructional methods. The outlined lecture material would still come from the professor; hav- ing taug, ,t under the professor's super- vision, the fellow would be able to relate the essential interpretations of the course content. EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the third and last in a series of articles on the Economic Research and Ac- tion Project. ERAP, organized under the auspices of the students for a Democratic Society,. seeks and "in- terracial movement of the poor." By JEFFREY GOODMAN YOU'VE GOT TO START with single city blocks organized around small issues if you ever want to build a large-scale social "movement." That's the practical philosophy being followed by the Economic Research and Action Project in its pilot stage this summer In 10 different cities ERAP is seeking to establish a "broad base of com- munity support" in its effort to organize the dispossessed of Amer- ica in an "interracial movement of the poor." ERAP, a program of the Stu- dents for a Deomcratic Society, has nearly 150 students living on a subsistence level in its project communities. Their work is a uni- que attempt to awaken the un- employed and underemployed, the slum inhabitants and the people living on welfare, to the legiti- macy of their grievances and the possibility of alleviating those grievances by organizing. IF ORGANIZATION succeeds with these people, ERAP then hopes to bring them into an al- liance with the Negro freedom movement. Recognizing that the Negro movement lacks the support of many of its potential allies- yet cannot be responsible for forg- ing links with unorganized whites -ERAP seeks to provide the impe- tus for a broader social movement. Thus the summer's efforts are largely with whites. In addition, they are exploratory, for ERA must still develop the basic tech- niques of organizing and a back- log of information about various communities. And they begin on a relatively simple scale, concen- trating on the rudiments of or- ganization-block meetings, simple demands, leafletting, canvassing, getting to know leaders. It is clear that the impression one gets from an ERAP prospec- tus on the overall goals of the program-that the barriers to suc- cess are quite thick-does not necessarily indicate what might happen this summer. In any case, there is really only one way to judge this issue, since ERAP's ef- forts are so unprecedented: look at what is being done. On the whole, reports from the 10 projects indicate that ERA is succeeding in its goals forthe summer. * m* * THE PRIMARY FOCUS of most of the projects has been: -Establishing friends in poor white communities, getting people to acknowledge the good inten- tions of the SDSers living in their midst; -Holding meetings of people living in single blocks. The meet- ings center as much as possible on specific issues-seeking new or improved playgrounds or sanita- tion services, informing people of welfare and unemployment com- pensation rules, building support behind individuals who have been getting a "raw deal" from welfare agencies, pressuring city hall for renovations in housing or estab- lishment of rent controls over new housing projects to be built in an area, investigating the possi- bility of rent strikes against any landlords who rent to a large number of tenants; -Leafletting the community in general or unemployment com- pensation offices in particular. These offices often provide the best means of contacting poten- 'HONESTY' Charming Folksier, tial members of community or- ganizations; -Door-to-door canvassing; -Cooperating with established local groups; -Doing extensive research on the laws, group composition, hous- ing and employment conditions and power structure in each com- munity; -Educating and arousing exist- ing community leaders about the need for organization and the techniques df accomplishing it, with an eye to greater indigenous activity; -Guiding more widespread or- ganizations such as Chicago's Jobs or 'Incomne Now. N JOIN, which has also been introduced into the Phil- adelphia project, opens offices where the unemployed can talk about their problems, receive sup- port in making claims, learn about welfare and compensation laws and become involved in the JOIN effort themselves. THE CHICAGO PROJECT, for instance, has been leafletting the local compensation office full time-45 hours a week. Many of the people whom project workers contact in this manner come to the JOIN offices. There they can be drawn into conversations about compensation problems, difficul- ties with other city services, fore- men or city politics and broader issues like full employment, medi- care and automation. The project workers have found that "the poor, unemployed and employed alike, are to a great extent vocal about their com- plaints, in many cases angry and quite willing to talk about the political implications of unemploy- ment." a Chicago project report states. "There is recognition of the necessity of an organization of the unemployed and great willingness to face long-term political and organizational problems. In many cases, unemployed think and talk in terms of class analysis. Al- though this consciousness is not overt, there is often an easy §tran- sition into terms such as the bosses vs. the workers or us little people. "IT JS TRULY STATED how defenseless the poor are in the face of an employer, a government official, a rent collector or a social worker. There is a minimum of good advice available as to how to face these problems. One of the most important services that we provide is such advice and en- couragement," the report con- tinues. Often facing the difficulty of keeping up contacts when there is nothing specific for the person to do, the Chicago ERAPers have in- creased their emphasis on block organization. This entails sending teams of two to locate all of the 250.unemployed who have come to the JOIN offices. Those contacted are then urged to participate in block meetings. The meetings themselves consist of a short presentation about JOIN, discussion of general un- employment issues and proposal of an action program to be follow- ed until the next meeting. * * * OFTEN THE ACTION, which is agreed upon democratically at the meetings, consists of further dis- tribution of JOIN information in the immediate neighborhood, thus combining concrete activity with spreading the JOIN "gospel." The main goal of this effort is thus, "through the minimum pro- grams in the local committees (of JOIN), to involve large numbers of people, give them experience in organizational work and locate leadership." At the same time, however, there exists a realneed for "more dra- matic projects." Thus two of the JOIN offices will put together a committee of the unemployed to work out a program-with the JOIN research staff-that will be presented to the mayor's Com- mittee on Poverty. If the program is not accepted, students and un- employed workers will picket the mayor's office. AN EXAMPLE of greater pro- test action is the Chester, Pa., project. In, that city ERAP' has been a direct participant in many of the demonstrations and rallies held by a local civil rights organ- ization begun a year ago. In addition to this participation, Chester ERAP has been trying to organize a march of children to protest inadequate public swim- ming pool facilities and is con- sidering a general rent strike, even though research has revealed that local laws favor "slumlords and property" over tenants. The project is also looking into a voter registration drive in co- operation with two adult political organizations in the city. * * * FURTHER DETAILS from the other eight projects could fill a complete volume. While Chester and Chicago are somewhat indica- tive of the kinds of programs be- ing carried out this summer, each city has its peculiar problems, each ERAP office deals with different sectors of the population, each project has its own specific goals and concerns. Baltimore ERAP, for instance, has been broaching the black- white unity line and finding favor- able response among the ethnic groups with which it deals. But then it has made primarily eco- nomic appeals with regard to ally- ing the races and does not know how specific racial issues will af- fect community response. Cleveland ERAP is also dealing with specific groups- Europeans and Appalac'ian and Southern emigrants --but it is concerned mostly with the psychological and economic trap in which welfare and public housing families are caught. In Louisville, ERAP is more service oriented. Thus it is dealing with existing housing and civil rights groups in an attempt to broaden their pl ograms. Newark ERAP has mobilized hundreds of people to demonstrate on various issues and at the same time is working on block organization, first around small issues, later around larger ones. The Philadelphia project, on the, other hand, is operating mainly as a JOIN office. As such it dis- tributes leaflets, contacts people in unemployment compensation offices, and canvasses extensively. Besides working with adult groups in Trenton, N. J., and open- ing a neighborhood office, the ERAP group in that city is operat- ing a tutdrial program. It has just moved into an all-Negro area to organize people around housing and the eventual displacement of the neighborhood's population when an urban renewal project is. begun. It is also working with a local CORE chapter on preparing a plan to better integrate the city's junior high schools. The Boston project, however, :s not dealing with lower classes at all. Instead, it is organizing mi idl class people whose job security is low. These people depend heavily on a number of defense industri, in the area, and the recent nea: transfer of one of the 1 .rgest it dustries to another city has mac many of them anxious over the precarious situation. CONSIDERING all the facto: militating against success fo ERAP's various efforts-people general apathy, their alienatic from the power structure, the lac of a communal sense in most whit areas, the wary eye with whic people must view an attempt I liberal students to "organize them, racial feelings where Ne groesaresinvolved-the outcome of this summer's work is mor than encouraging. Most important, community re sponse has been good, often er thusiastic. If actual protests hav won few battles, if pressures hav yielded results on only small is sues, if block groups have not bee forged into neighborhood group and these into city groups, neve theles's ERAP has been able tI convince many people of the pos sibility and desirability of orgar izing for change. It has brought them together t express their concerns. It ha shown them the potential in con certed action. It has aroused the: natural leaders. And it has show them some results for their effor In many ways, therefore, th optimism with which SDSer plunged into ERAP, with whic various SDS officers wrote abou the movement's future, begins t seem justified. Little is known still, about unifying whites ad Negroes, but ERAP will be off t a good start when it finally ap proach that later stage. And when the summer is ove and most of the SDSers return t school, they will have an excitin story to tell. The story will not b dramatic; it will not be withot its disappointments and failure But by and large it will furnis some proof that the misery, frus tration and wasted lives of th poor need not continue. For the story will show tha ERAP has given birth to a move ment that could very well brin effective social change. U' PLAYERS Thurber Carnival' Sparkles TE UNIVERSITY Players made another summertime bid last night in the direction of diversity, and a happy opening-night au- dience came away from Lydia Mendelssohn Theater largely pleas- ed with the attempt. A Thurber Carnival added a light and new dimension to this season's of- ferings of the Players, as they SOPHISTICATION JVotapek Displays Sup erb Tone Quality' Four Sonatas.............. ............... ...Scarlatti D major E major B-flat major D major Sonata in A minor, Oap. 164 ....,. .........Schubert Six Pieces, Op. 118 ................... ... Brahms Intermission Third Sonata ................. .. indemith Five Etudes.................... ....Debussy RALPH VOTAPEK was presented by the University Musical Society in a piano concert last evening in Rackham Auditorium. A youthful pianist, Votapek rose to fame quite rapidly as the winner of the Van Cliburn International Competition. He opened his program with four Sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti, a contemporary of J. S. Bach. This composer's total output of sonatas exceeded 550 and they are widely varied in mood and style. Votapek chose these sonatas well as they offered a nice contrast to one another. The first sonata showed immediately what was to be Votapek's out- standing feature-his dazzling finger technique. This work, so full of' thrills, repeated notes and rapid scales, was performed with clarity, sophistication, and remarkable ease. The last sonata in the group also was brilliantly played. It has the virtuosity and gymnastics that made Scarlatti a renowned virtuoso in his time. It is unfortunate the audiences are not more often treated to the works of this master. THE SCHUBERT Sonata which followed is a most enjoyable com- position. It isn't as long as most of the other sonatas and perhaps this makes it a little more accessible. Votapek's interpretation was controlled and restrained. His evenness of line and steadiness of tempo added to the work. It is all too easy to be carried away with the beautiful melodies and harmonies of this composer. The tone quality and dy- namic contrast of the second movement was very fine. The audience was treated to the complete set of Op. 118 Piece 6 of Brahms. These compositions are most enjoyable to listen to, but Votapek's playing of them was a little too introverted and introspec- tive. The contrast in mood and dynamics, necessary to bring this com- plete opus off, was missing. They might have been played with a little less restraint, but Votapek's musicianship made them interesting de- spite this handicap. The third Sonata of Hindemith was perhaps the highlight of the program. The first movement was made especially beautiful by Vota- pek's superb tone quality, but unfortunately the long melodic lines of this movement came out a little fragmented. His playing of the second movement was astonishing. The fast finger-work was executed with a disturbing ease-it was hard to believe a pianist could play so fast, yet so clearly and evenly. The wonderful fugue of the last movement again allowed Votapek to show off his control and technique. THE ETUDE$ of Debussy, which closed the program, are delight- ful works and all tootrarely heard. Votapek seems to have a real affin- romped and chuckled among the tricky stage designs of Calvin Quayle in a variegated spectrum of favorite Thurber parables and portraits. A Thurber Carnival is part an- thology, part review. It ranges from the subtle nettles of some of Thurber's best "modern parables" through the wistful portrait of Walter Mitty, interspersed with whimsy, nonsense, a touch of acid, and the incomparable "The Last Flower," that bright and sobering blend of picture and commentary, that concludes the first act. Epi- sodic and quick-paced, it gives flesh and sound and movement to the Thurber canon, and little suf- fers in the metamorphosis. The greenest laurels must go to David Hirvela and Bette Ellis, with Thomhas Manning next in line. Hirvela, after a nervous start as Thurber-narrator of the ex-' tended narration of "The Night the Bed Fell," and a comic cari- cature of Gen. U. S. Grant that he tended to force beyond his capacity, warmed to the spirit of things as a drunken shopper and finally exploited his gift for char- acter as an exasperated Thurber and a fine Walter Mitty. * * * MISS ELLIS was perfectly cast in roles in which she was suitably brassy,, sophisticated, lovely and leggy. Her performance through- out was consistently superb, and she provided the most poised and entertaining female lead that the Players have offered this season. Manning, overstrained in "Cas- uals of the Keys," gave us his best performance of the evening in the following scene, and soon joined Hirvela and a trayful of martinis in a magnificent spree that con- firmed his abilities for the bal- ance of the show. Linda Shaye finally came to the fore in this performance as an empty-headed, sexy young thi "with lovely big eyes and a tin mind," in a series of mincin tripping roles that were stylize enough to be truly funny. * * * MICHAEL GERLACH reaffirn ed our opinion that once he h mastered control of his grand ax powerful voice, and curbed h often impulsive stage dynamic his talent will be more obvious. Joyce Edgar,' a bit too eager conscious in her character d lineations, still provided an abui dance of really funny support, an Barbara Manning and Stephe Wyman, less often in evidence,e inforced the quality of their eai lier roles this summer. The Players have been ambitio in offering Carnival, and the tec nical difficulties inherent in su a rapid and varied melange ha been rather well met in Ija] Katter's direction. The revolvin sets and J. Shelton Murphy tightly-plotted lighting effec were occasionally beyond the she theatrical capabilities of the cas and these two facets of the pie( were not always blended smooth: The Thurber wit and spark generally overrides these min problems, however, and a deligl- ful cohesion is supplied from b ginning to end by the "Thurti Quartet" (Morton Archter, Dav Rogers, Richard Cioffari and Tc Ralston), whose subtle and lighi polished treatment of the music score that both accompanies a: counterpoints the productio brings it out of the merely epis dic into the harmonies of a revi in wit. THE OLD Thurber fans wi have to share this one with t town at large this week; it's t glorious to belong to the in-grot -John J. Manning, Jr. HAT THE LECTURE as a means of minstruction has survived the ages is testimony to its possibilities; there are undoubtedly many University courses which are best suited to lecture treat- ment. But the comprehensive nature of introductory courses-which compose the bulk of the underclass curriculum-to- gether with the very real needs and de- sires of the freshman for stimulating aca- demic experience dictates the necessity for change. Moreover, the student can profit im- mensely from early exposure to academ- ic competence in selecting his field of concentration. Too often, having endured several equally unsatisfying introductory courses, the student blindly chooses his mnnr. field nf endeavonr Tf hnwever. he WOW ! ! Which is a very un- professional but highly sincere sentiment concerning Alix Dobkin, the new folksinger now appearing at TherGolden Vanity. There is a special portion of personality that some performers are lucky enough to have which allows them to immediately estab- lish a bond between the perform- ers and the audience. Miss Dob- kin is such a performer. The aud- ience is hers from the moment she begins, and they stay that way. One of the reasons that they dig Miss Dobkin is her honesty. There is no pretentious crusading or assumed emotion, nor is she of the over-polished highly commer- cial and sterile school; Miss Dob- kin sings songs she likes, and sings them naturally and beautifully. * * * IF YOU LIKED Josh White Jr., you'll love Miss Dobkin. She com- bines his natural ease and talent with her own sense of involve- ment and consummate charm. You can't help but want to hear her sing more and more. From the humorous songs of hz1 Silverstein t o uffv S. Editorial Staff NNETH WINTER....................C6-Editor WARD HERSTEIN..................co-Eitor I ... .. 'F.' ' -} s: ^