T. H. Whii je 1Eidhijgan Batj, Seventy-eight ye(IrS of editori(l freedoIm Edited and managed by students of the University of Michigan 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mich. News Phone: 764-0552 Editoriols printed in The Michigan Daily expre the individual opinions of staff writers or the editors. This must he noted in all reprints, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1969 NIGHT EDITOR: MARTIN A. HIRSCHMANI Thei Fleming inqjuiries: T end to the affair? By STEVE KOPPMAN o ONE'S memory can resist the corrosive effects of the passage of time. The most crucial events of an age become hopelessly distorted and disfigured, and so often one wishes for a nenewal of the memory which would let him actually relive these historic happenings. So I was overjoyed on learning that the, yes, THE definitive study of the past turbulent political year was to be on CBS Tuesday night - Theodore White's Mak- ing of the President. 1968 Now, millions of lucky viewers would be able toerelive that most tumultous year of our national existence. If there had been no commentary to the telecast, if it had just been film. I would have been spared that ter- rible hurt which comes when one realizes how complete- ly different was the reality of events from one's own per- ception of them. The film recorded familiar scenes - the various can- didates in their various postures, the bodies lying on dis- tant battlegrounds. the fights between students and po- lice in Chicago. It was all pretty reassuring. actually. Just the way I had r4'membered it. 'BUT IT TOOK the narrator to make me realize how much my memory had truly failed me in the months since last year's election. Even though, intoned the narrator, Lyndon Johnson had involved us deeply in a war whose morality was questioned by some dissidents, he had, after all, also built schools and hospitals and had sent us out toward the moon. I was happy to be reminded of this. N HIS inimitable, equivocal manner, President Robben Fleming has sug- gested that maybe professors who cancel classes to participate in the upcoming teach-in and strike against the war in Vietnam should be penalized if t h i s action, perhaps, violates their contract. Possibly. Although taking no stand himself, the president raised vital issues. Fleming argues that "traditionally in our society, people are not paid if they do not work," and he has suggested to the Senate Ad- visory Committee on University Affairs, the top faculty body that they might want to stake a stand on the mater. SACUA, of course, didn' bite, and Fleming, with his head neatly tucked in the sand, appears to be retreating on the question - for the moment at least. Nonetheless, the issues which the pres- ident has raised -- as well as the whole question of why he raised them in the first place -- remain a source of interest. Flemings basic premise - that pro- fessors should not be paid if they do not work -seems, on the surface, fairly solid. The premise seems so convincing, in fact, that even faculty members who plan to participate in the strike do not feel it is very intimidating. MAYBE AS a working principle, the president's concept of what profes- sors are paid to do is virtually worthless, Academia simply isn't a time-clock world, and if a faculty member sleeps late to- morrow the only people who'll really care or know are the students who forced themselves to attend his eight o'clock lec- ture. In fact, though Fleming refuses to be- lieve this is the case, some professors can- cel as many as one-third of their lec- tures in certain courses on the grounds that the students best -spend the extra time in the library. WITH THIS point settled, however, it becomes clear that measures which the administration might take against striking professors are far from innocu- ous. For those measures, should they be effected, would be an attack, not based on the issue of class absenteeism, but rather a weapon aimed at the strike it- self. Even civil law does not generally ad- dress itself to the prosecution of political dissidents, although, of course, enforce- ment is highly unequal. Significantly, however, Fleming has made no expres- sion of interest in the formulation of a general policy on class attendance by faculty members. The big question, of course, is why Fleming has brought up the issue at all. Surely it was not designed to endear the president to the faculty. Even the major- ity who will not participate in the strike could not have been expected to accept the position Fleming has taken as apoli- tical. Undoubtedly, Fleming feels - or fears that the Legislature feels - that the strike tactic is an undesirable method of criticizing American foreign policy. The point, like most political positions, is an arguable one, but the president is cer- tainly entitled to his views. For the University to take an insti- tutional stand against the srike, how- ever, would be inexcusable. Cutting the salary of striking professors, or taking more drastic steps (Fleming's inquiries are quite vague on the topic) would be 'a politicoily repressive action of the worst kind. At best, the president has merely ask- ed the faculty to discipline themselves -- a practice the faculty are unlikely to con- sider. J;UT ON AN even more somber n o t e, Fleming's expression of interest in this dangerous issue seems to indicate a new willingness on his part to impress his will on the rest of the University community --whether it is liked or not. The honey- mooni of the president's first year and a half in office may be drawing rapidly to a close.Possibly. -MARTIN HIRSCHIIMAN te tells it like Turning his attention to Hubert Humphrey, the an- nouncer began, "Often the young forget . . ." I rushed for pencil and paper ". . . that for twenty years Humph- rey was the conscience of his party .. the blazing voice of civil rights." I hadn't really forgotten that completely. I remember- ed films of Humphrey speaking out at the 1948 Demo- cratic Convention, as a northern mayor courageously de- nouncing southern racists. But I had to admit that the image of 1968 when he. as vice-president, courageously denounced critics of the Vietnam war was somewhat more clearly etched in my mind. Ah, yes, Teddy, the young do forget. TURNING to the "dissidents" who were "ripping the party apart," white is more analytical. Eugene McCar- thy's basic support, said the announcer, rested on the "student mass" while Robert Kennedy was the candi- date of blacks and poor people. My own flawed memory had construed images of Mc- Carthy and Kennedy winning the vast majority of votes in the primaries, where blacks, students and poor people constituted a meager part of the electorate. I guess I must read more. In a comprehensive one-and-a-half-minute study of the problems of race and poverty in America, the nar- rator said, "The federal government had worked for half a decade with every possible effort to end the injustice." This was Theodore White speaking - the government had made "every possible effort." I must have forgotten something again. So, for Christ's sake, what more could they want? And the definitive history of 1968 would not be com- plete without a nice little bit about student disruptions. But what upset me was that they picked a particular dis- ruption I had thought I was familar with. "A handful of students at Columbia . . ..I had thought the word around New York in those days was that over a thousand had actually been involved in the Columbia disruptions. But, I guess I make mistakes. MOVING ON to the Democratic convention, we meet delegates "chosen by the people of their state," students who "can be made into a mass against the police." and policemen with clubs swinging "goaded to fury" "Chicago is a town where muscle counts," says the narrator. Yes, I think we can all agree on that. At this point, White brings in one of those unique "inside shots" of our leading political figures for which he is so well known. Humphrey sits pensively in his living room, waiting for Wednesday. the day of nom- ination, when "finally Humphrey would be able to speak for himself." The narrator notes that, later in the campaign, Humphrey would know "he is portrayed as Johnson's puppet." The author acknowledges that Humphrey was incapable of speaking for himself before his nomination, but he implies that it is nai e to think that Humphrey is still Johnson's puppet aft r' nomination though Hum- phrey doesn't change his stand on much of anything. I didn't really understand why Humphrey had to be gag- ged before the convention. but I guess that's why I'm not Theodore White. THE DOCUMENTARY of the post-convention cam- paign was rather perfunctory, with neither of the candi- e left replies lives and which one may have about quality the gradua d faculty, with respect to at least one unit been so ri: ion. Con- of the Dearborn Campus; namely, in the Divi as been the Division of Business Admin- 175 studen pus dis- istration. th ehigh st ee, with. were freq h e final MY COMMENTS will not be knowledgea lief spon- based on emotion but on the in- Ann Arbor r legisla- timate familiarity which both ad- trators as means of ministrative records and seven for the U ion away years of teaching experience at the brach cams rd cam- Dearborn Campus provide. From students f 'eapon to the time the first Business Admin- holder from and dis- istration class was admitted in of The U 1959, until the present, the Fac- takes a bac e govern- ulty of this Division has made including t g out, he every possible effort to see that I would ice of si- the level of quality desired by the member, w But for University be maintained. of the Camn anti-war Standards were maintained in his travels only give the early years by a standing con- to spend n McClel- mittee composed exclusively of side the st. aura of Ann Arbor faculty. As control talk to busi passed to the Dearborn faculty, are acquai consider which was composed primarily of uates. I we that fac- University Ph.D.'s twith later ad- investigate ws) have ditions from possibly inferior in- our gradua obliga- stitutions such as Harvard, Il- uate workI iolatea if linois and Michigan State . the elsewhere. October standards were maintained, and invite ever s. Tradi- possibly drawn even tighter. investigate id for in- The irony in this situation is they too m s which that the admission standards and as to the c cancel. circum- lained by nt Allen nized na- ds that nce, "de- professor inst par- 15 strike s supres- in organ- political re many teaching tual obli- yond the sses ng has the Sep- o n th e r e, .'e natureE, 'War Of- Mobiliza- Wrborn it wasn't dates saying anything. This reassured me, since it con- firmed my old memories. During this part of the documentary, White estab- lishes himself as a "man of moderation." He attacks stu- dent radicals who "denied Humphrey freedom of speech," though it becomes painfully clear through the film that Humphiey had much more to say when he was being denied "fre( dom of speech" than when he was free to speak as he pleased. White bitterly lashes int' "racist Wallace." the in- carnation of evil opposing two well-meaning men. In reaction to this dire peril, says White, "black voters realized their only choice was Hubert Humphrey." I found these one-sentence insights into the black con- se'"tusnv'ss to be of a unique quality. Finally, all the strands are pulled together. All of Theodore White's unique and visionary insights are there. Richard Nixon. speaking off-the-cuff, in that forthright manner he has made famous, says. "I am myself-I be- lieve deeply in what I say." There is also George Wallace. the "intruder," dis- rupting the hallowed system which "works by ancient laws." It all draws together, and finally, as Theodore White comes to his momentous conclusions, we can trust our mnemories again. "THE YEAR began in a grotesque way and ended in a grotesque way," says White sadly. Yes, this we remem- ber. "Now,' he concludes, "America must wait until Rich- - aid Nixon makes the nation's purpose clear once more." Thanks, Teddy. We really needed that. Letters: Th4 to Fleming wirtue marches on OBSCENITY LAWS have traditionally been cannons for conservatism ably manned by every public figure hoping to make his mark as a white-plumed champ- ion of public taste and defender of vir- gins. Councilman James Stephenson, ap- parently casting his image in the mold of virtue, took sword in hand M o n d a y night to propose a new anti-obscenity ordinance designed to prohibit the dis- tribution of obscene materials to peop>le below the age of 18. The proposed ordinance barred dis- tribution of visual representations of "nudity or sexual conduct" adjudged "harmful to minors," and also prohibited the distribution of verbal narrations of sexual conduct and sexual excitement, Disregarding psychological, moral, his- torical, and artistic arguments against the desirability of prohibiting visual and ver- Hare A FTER FOURTEEN years as Michigan secretary of state, James Hare is stepping down. His retirement is of the magnitude of the death of Paul Revere. As secretary of state, Hare was more than just the czar of the licensing and traffic bureaus of state government. Hare's greatest services to the citizens of the state came from his prophetic, visionary insight. Last year, Hare warned voters in the presidential election that SDS groups were planning to bomb polling places. This charge was humorlessly absurd in light of public SDS plans for rather peaceful activity. Of course, after the election, H a r e attributed the lack of disruption at the polls to his own vigilance. It is a vigilance that truly will be mis- sed. -S. A. bal manifestations of sexual realities in print, Stephenson has overlooked at least the basic commercial impractibility of his proposals. THERE IS hardly a small town in Mid- western America whose library does not contain at least one book of art re- productions featuring one of Rubens vol- uptuous "representations of 'nudity." Furthermore, modern fiction is so laced with verbal narratives of sexual conduct that enforcing Stephenson's or- dinance would eradicate an entire liter- ary period from the memory of mankind. Fortunately, even the Democratic members of the City Council were percep- tive enough to anticipate the enormous social problems implicit in Stephenson's ordinance, and the proposal was defeat- ed in an 8-3 vote along strict party lines. Literature and art are saved for the creative enterprise of future artists. But dead as it may be, Stephenson's ordinance does not deserve a quiet burial. Rather, it needs to stand as a symbol of the calibre and integrity of the anti- obscenity campaign the Councilman has recently directed against the White Pan- thers, Ann Arbor Argus, and Trans-Love Energies. IF STEPHENSON defines obscenity in the absurd and impractical terms in- dicated by his proposal, one finds some difficulty in accepting his charges against these groups as either reasonable or jttst. Furthermore, Stephenson has repeat- edly shown a political bias in his attitude toward these alleged perpetrators of ob- scenity. He has alluded to the White Pan- thers as "a group dedicated to destroy- ing our democratic institutions," adding ''This makes it (obscenity) a particular problem at this time." Stephenson a'No was the subject of an Argus picture, the publication of which To the Editor: THE EIGHT MONTHS since the inauguration of Nixon have witnessed a decline and confusion in the organized anti-war move- ment. There are signs that this state of affairs is ending and that unprecedented pressure will be brought to bear for an immediate end to American intervention in Vietnam, and against the conse- quent militarization of all aspects of American society. The anti-ROTC action on this campus is an indication of t h e mood of students, of their eager- ness to come to grips with the problems of war and militarism. A number of faculty, in addition. nave organized a 'tactic-in' for September 19 and 20, oriented to- ward devising and publicizing strategies tor the anti-war move- ment. The New Mobilization to End the War in Vietnam will be con- ducting a workshop there on the national Moratorium-Strike ac- tion against the war called by the National Student Association, ov- er one hundred student govern- nents, a national Peace Action Council. a number of ex-leaders of the McCarthy movement and a lo- cal coalition of campus and com- mnunit people. In general outline, this action calls fo' one day of anti-war ac- tion on October 15, two days in November R including the march on Washington', and an addition- al day each month, the Adinins- tration refuses to meet the de- mands. The Ann Arbor Anti-War Of- fensive-New Mobilization is or- ganizing a class strike. boycott of selected stores and banks, a n d picketing of military research es- tablishments for the October 15. Our demand is immediate and complete withdrawal of American iroops from Vietnam. PRESIDENT FLEMING'S letter takes particular cognizance of this .'problem on the horizon.' If we put aside the veiled form of "ear- ly consideration of the matters.'' because "to be forewarned is to be forearmed'' there remain three aretnments or tlireats which the Preident advane against, the :t.ike. Faculty and students alike, he says, may be punished by the Uni- University, and of thet work of its students and 2. Legislative retributi siderable legislation h passed concerning cam ruption. It is possible to s out waiting to assess tl phraseology. that the ch sots of this law and orde Lion view it both as an directing popular frustrat from real concerns towa Pius "pinkos" and as a wx silence free expression sent. Even if one were to lose ment money for speaking might well ask if the pr: lence is not t o o great. Fleming to falsely label; actions disruptive can o the witch-hunters, the lans and Hubers, a false respectability. 3.> Finally we should Fleming's gravest point,t ulty (and teaching fello' undertaken "contractual tions" which would be v: they participated in the 15 cancellation of classe tionally professors are pa: cividual days of classe they feel it necessary toi The reason why this stance is different is expl Academic Vice - Presider smith as "just the organ ture of it." Fleming ad there may be a differen pending on what t h el says. Any action taken aga: ticipants in the October can only be construed as sion of one's opinions in a ized way - the o n 1y means of expression. HAPPILY THERE ar processors who view their obligations, their contrac' gations, as extending be regular convening of cla Also happily. Flemin agreed to participate in1 tember' 19 and 20. tactic hope that his contributi will be of a more positiv than his letter has been -Ann Arbor Anti- Pensive - New tion Committee Sept. 10 From De tion requirements have gorous that enrollmnent sion has never been ovwr ts. As a matter of fact, andards of the Dlvi.'n uently mentioned by ble and respon bi faculty and admiuns- being unrealistic. t yen niversity much lesa a pus desperately needing for survival. The BBA ' the Dearborn Campus niversity of Michigan k seat to no other BBA. hose from Ann Arbor. invite te State Board ho claims to have heard npus' poor reputation in outside of the tate, more time traveling in- ate and, particularly. to nesses in Michigan who inted with our grad- ould encourage him to the record of those cf tes who go on for rad- both in Ann Arbor and I would, at this ne.ne, yone in Ann Arbor to "the record" so that ay judge for themn;el:es aliber of our graduates. While to some it mnay be a hard fact to accept, quality performance and quality standards do exist in places other than Ann Arbor. SINCE ITS inception ten years a-o, the average enrollment lor this whole campus has never been over 800 undergraduate students. Considering its location in one of the major metropolitan areas of the United States, and recognizing, as well, the burgeoning demands being placed on all institutions of higher education today, it hard- ly seems logical to imagine that standards could be perceptibly lower here than in Ann Arbor. Surely, if a "cheap" University degree were being offered one would hope that the reputation of the University would be such that people would be beating on the doors here to get in. Obviously,. such is not the case. If the repu- tation of the University is n)es- ently in jeopardy, then I suggest that people look elsewhere than at the Dearborn Campus. -A. R. Krachenberg Professor of Business Administration Sept. 9