DOUBLE-EDGED BOOKSTORE See Editorial Page Y Sir i Au ~IaitF PLEASANT High-7 0 Low-S I Partly sunny and warmer Vol. LXXX, No. 1 5 Ann Arbor, Michigan-Saturday, September 20, 1969 Ten Cents Ten Pages 400 STUDE TS I TERRUPT DECISIO REGE TS EETI G TO PROTEST E 0 BOOKSTORE * * * * * * * * * * ienam teach-in draws *0* 500 over Fleming, Davis call for unilateral withdrawul By CAROL HILDEBRAND Over 5000 people jammed Hill Aud. last night to hear President Robben Fleming and Rennie Davis, a founder of SDS, blast the war in Vietnam. The presentations were the kick-off events of an "action teach-in" weekend sponsored by an ad hoc group of students and faculty, the Ann Arbor Committee to End the War. The speeches were followed by six workshops to discuss and plan ainti-war and other protest activities., "It is not a disaster for us if Vietnam becomes an ide- BOARD OK'S REVISED STORE FUNDING PLAN By RICK PERLOFF Over 400 students marched into the Regents meeting yesterday in a protest against what they called an unaccept- able decision to establish an administration-run University bookstore. Shortly after the students entered the Administration Bldg. the Regents recessed an hour to debate the issue with them in the Michigan Union Assembly Hall. About 10 minutes after the discussion ended, the Regents adjourned their meeting. The students remaining in the Assembly Hall decided overwhelmingly not to accept the Regents plan as it stood. There was some discussion of disrupting the Regents pendent communist country," Anti-war offellsive planmed By JI MeFERSON Over' 350 people crowded into Aud. A of Angell Hall last night to learn about the specific plans for how the Vietnam Moratorium Committee hopes to dramatize op- position to the Vietnam War on Oct. 15. Various activities are being planned for the upcoming months, and all are intended to bring maxi- anum pressure on the government to end the Vietnam War Workshops for these actions were held last night included: meetings for a petition drive. the Oct. 15 strike, a ROTC workshop, a March against death, National SDS Chicago action, and a Michi- gan Mass Anti-War Rally. In Ann Arbor, the comnittee is planning boycotts of both high school and University classes, picketing of military research cen- ters. a boycott of downtown stores and banks, rallies and other a- t ions. Barry Cohen co-chairmanm of the local mnoratorium committee, ex- pects 80 to 90 per cent participa- tion by students. faculty, and teaching fellows. Area churches, businessmen, labor groups, third-world organ- izations and other community groups are also being encouraged, to observe the strike. The city will join over 400 other college towns in the strike, whichl is the kick-off in a nationally co-E ordinated effort aimed at pro- ducing over 500,000 protesters to march on the White House Nov. 15. Planning and organization fort the Ann Arbor contingent of thec March on Washington action tookt place last night as part of the Ac-c tion Teach-In on the War. t This contingent hopes to join with contingents from other cities to present the following political demands: " immediate and total with- drawal from Vietnam. * self-determination for Viet- mam and Black America. * halting of the ABM programn and all other forms of militarism. racism, and poverty * free speech for GI's. * freedom for all political pri- soners. The highlight of the Oct. 15 strike will be the Michigan Mass Anti-War Rally. The rally intends to fill the Michigan Stadium ort the Special Events Building with students and citizens from all over Southeastern Michigan. On today's 901)y hi eay Fleming declared, calling the war a "colossal mistake." Fleming Proposed the U.S. an- nounce a unilateral decision to withdraw from Vietnam and re- move all but 100.000 forces by the end of 1970. The president offered the use of the 15,000 seat University Events Bldg. for anti-war protests. Davis, recently returned from North Vietnam, projected the fu- ture strategy of President Nixon in Vietnam and in the United States. "What has to take place this fall is to defeat Richard .Nixon on his strategy in Vietnam and de- feat Richard Nixon in his strategy for law and order," Davis said. Davis sees Nixon's future Viet- nam policy -s one of "permanent saturation bombinm " The in- creased use of elecr'onic devices. he continued, would allow a de- crease in U.S. manpower involve- mnent while continuirig the devas- tation of Vietnam. Nixon is trying to "calm stu- dents down" by promising troop withdrawals. Davis said, and try- ing to prove to students that the administration is attempting to de-escalate the war. In the U.S., Davis explained. Nixon will take on a "strategy of repression." Davis cited his own upcoming trial as one of the "Chicago 8" for leading last year's pr'otest at t he Democratic National Convention. Davis proclaimed an 'end to t he sy, t emn that produced the war in Vietnam," and an end to this Uni- vEraity's "contribution to imper- ialism.'' Near the end of Fleming's speech about a dozen members of Detroit SDS heckled the presi- dent, calling him a murderer and saying he had no right to speak in Hill Aud. A few fights developed as meni- bers of the audience near the exits, including members of the. Ann Arbor Black Berets, strug- gled with the hecklers and event- wally threw them out. There was little damage, al- though one phot ographer had his camera smashed when an SDSer' threw it across the lobby. appar- ently in ai attempt to stop pic- tures from being taken. Det. Lt. Eugene Stauderjn eier of the Ann Arbor Police Depart- See FLEMING, Page ' STUDENTS CLOSE IN on the Regents meeting yesterday to protest the board's new bookstore decision. President Robben Fleming sits at the head of the table, and Regent Lawrence Lindemer is on the right. Regents spi t 5-2 aon ~-DDiv-EricPergeaux At left is Regent Otis Smith; plans meeting but when it was an- nounced that they had already adjourned, the -s t u d en t s scheduled a mass meeting on the Diag at noon Tuesday to make a milore definitive judg- ment on the proposal. Specifically, the students object- ed to a provision of the plan which gives the vice president and chief financial officer control of the store. They argued that since the store operates for students stu- dents should largely control its management. They also opposed the condi- tion in the Regents proposal that schools and colleges hold a second student referendum to approve a fee assessment to fund the store, The Regents reasoned that the $1.75 per student fee assessment students approved in a referendum this spring would not provide suf- ficient funds for the bookstore, and that students of all schools and colleges be asked again whe- ther they were willing to pay ad- ditional fees. Student leaders emphasized that the second referendum would destroy the validity of a student referendum held last spring when 6000 students voted 3-1 to fund the , store partially through the $1.75 assssment. They also claimed that a vote from different students in the .schools would have a divisive effect. Over 700 students massed on the Diag at 2 p.m. and marched} to the meeting in the Administra- tion Bldg. with close to 200 pack- ing the room and hundreds of oth- er's in the hallway and outside. Shortly after the regents voted on the bookstore, the students en- tered their meeting precluding a scheduled discussion of University by-laws on the student role inI University decision making. The Regents adjourned close to 10 minutes after the end of the Assembly Hall discussion andI agreed to meet with representa- tives from SGC and the Senate Advisory committee on University Affairs during their October ses- sion to begin the by-law discus- sion interrupted by students yes- terday. Whan the students first de- manded a discussion of the com- promise plan, the Regents balked,. arguing that they had already fin- ished their discussion. But when it became clear the; students would not leave, they See STUDENTS, Page 6 Delay rent conspiracy lai By STEVE KOPPMAtN Circuit Court Judge William Ager yesterday delayed presenta- tion of pre-trial summary state- ments in the rent strike conspir- acy trial until Feb. 5. The conspiracy proceedings in- volve both a conspiracy suit by landlords against the Tenants Un- ion, and a counter-suit by tlh e union against landlords. The landlords, who claim the ultimate goal of the rent strike is an attack on the concept of pri- vate property, are seeking $10,000 in personal damages and $300,000 in exemplary damages and recov- ery of all unpaid rents. T h e Tenants Union, charging the landlords have violated leases and antitrust laws, are asking ov- er $1,000,000 in damages. Ager acted yesterday on a mo- tion by plaintiff's counsel William Barnes. Barnes requested the de- lay to give landlords time to ap- peal to the State CourtofeAppeals for a summary judgment against the Tenants Union. Ager denied an earlier request by the landlords for a summary judgment this summer. A sum- mary judgment can be granted by a judge if he rules that even if all defense contentions in a case are true, they do not constitute a le- gitimate legal defense against the charge presented. Defense counsel Ron Reosti I made no objection to Barnes' re- questdfor t h e delay. Reosti de- clared the landlords have virtual- ly no chance for winning a sum- mary judgment in appellate court. "We welcome an appeal," sa i d Reosti, "they won't gain anything from it." Rent strike spokesmen declared the move was another attempt to delay the conspiracy proceedings, and that the move for a summary judgment had little hope of suc- cess. "This move undermines the ar- gument the landlords have been using that they're suffering irre- See DELAY, Page 2 for By JIM BEATTIE The Regents yesterday reversed a decision made two months ear- lier and approved by a 5-2 vote a compromise proposal for the es- tablishment of an administration- run University book store. Tie plan approved tyester- day's meeting was gg r- lier yesterday at a closed morning meeting of the Regents where there was apparently 'ery sharp disagreenient over th? f i n a l de- cision. Some 400 students who inter- rupted the meeting after a rally on the Diag also announced they could not accept some of the pro- visions of the proposal. Under the terms of the proposal the store would be financwd with $100,000 from the "Student Vehi- F' -operated bookstore ties Fund." and another $100,000 from a "compulsory one-time as- sessment on students of the var- ious schools and colleges of the University. The Student Vehicle Fund re- presents money raised by collect- ing fees for student parking stick- ers for the purpose of construct- ing student parking facilities. Since the driving regulations were relaxed about two years ago, the money has reniained as a student fund not used for any purpose. However, according to the Re- nts' new plan, the approval of the students of each separate school and college will be neces- sary before the money can be assessed against them. Approval of each college is to be ascertained either by the gov- ermng student body of the col- lege or through a referendum of the school's students. SGC would conduct the referendum where no government exists. Management of the bookstore would be the rsponsibility of the Office of the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, with an appropriate advisory group con- sisting of faculty and students. The students who interrupted the meeting objected to both the call for a new referendum and the provision dealing with the man- agerial structure of the store. Students, they argued, should not have only an advisory role, but should instead actually deter- mine the nature of the operation pursued by the bookstore. The Regents, however, defend- ed their proposal, saying that a high University official should be in control of the bookstore be- cause the Regents would be liable for its 1ot, (,. "However," countered SGC president Marty McLaughlin, "management decisions do n o t necessarily concern matters re- quiring expertise, but those of the interests and priorities of t h e operation." The students at the meeting ob- jected to the proposal for a new r'efer'ndumn on three grounds. First, they were against the cur- rent proposal because they felt it did not recognize the legitimacy of the referendum conducted 1 a st March in which 600 students vot- ed for a $1.75 assessment by a 3-1 margin. The Regents have argued that since the $1.75 assessmornt will not dum is a imtter which concerns only the students, and therefore the administration and Regents1 have no right to dictate to the students what they should do. "It's just like something that concerns only the faculty assen- bly," said Mike Farrell, an SGC member. "We don't try to tell, them how to handle it." - Thirdly, the students objected to having the schools and collegesa vote separately because it could' easily divide the students on the issue. "Unless we have a campus-wide vote, then a lot of people could7 find a way to enjoy all of the berlefits of the store without hav- ing their school pay for it," said' one student. "All students should See COMPROMISE Page 6 .. e