Page Two
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Monday, September 29, 1969
Page Two THE MICHIGAN DAILY Monday, September 29, 1969
r
Decision-making
issues
loom
as
strike
By RICK PERLOFF
Daily News Analysis
Harvard erupted over ROTC. Berkeley
exploded over a park.
Now this University is on the brink of
disruption concerning student control of a
bookstore.
But to many involved, the student drive
is much more than just a struggle for
a discount bookstore. It is the start of a
movement for greater student participation
in the University decision-making process.
"The focal point for the strike is the
bookstore," admits Student Government
Council Administrative Vice President Bob
Hirshon. "But the real issue is whether or
not students can control their lives."
Strike supporters like Hirshon-and they
range from Radical Caccus members to so-
rority women-view the strike as an attack
on a University that they feel makes de-
cisions which are unresponsive to the stu-
dent constituents.
The students are, in general, frustrated
by their lack of control in such matters as
curriculum, faculty tenure and allocation
of student funds.
They cite several examples of student im-
potence in making University decisions:
-the University's decision to, build the
Intramural and Special Events Bldgs. from
student funds, without taking a referen-
dum to see if students actually wanted to
use the buildings;
-students annual allocation through tu-
ition fees to support the Michigan Union
and League, again without prior consulta-
tion with students:
-and students lack of control over their
curriculum, admissions or faculty tenure.
Although there are few concrete plans
among students on all these issues yet,
there is a general feeling that students
should have a greater share of the deci-
sion-making power.
There are differences as well concerning
what issues to concentrate on, but there
seems to be agreement that student con-
trol of the bookstore will serve as a spring
board for organizing successful student
movements in the future.
"The bookstore issue is awakening peo-
ple to the fact that they, as students, are
being oppressed," says Radical Caucus
member Daniel Halloran, who has been ac-
tive in organizing strike support.
Halloran says he plans to look into the
question of open University admissions,
but adds that plans are currently afoot in
the Tenants' Union to press the University
to build mre low-cost housing.
At the same time, there is talk about de-
manding a greater role in academic deci-
sions. Former SGC member Mark Rosen-
baum expresses interest in exploring a re-
port being prepared by the Senate Assem-
bly Academic Affairs Committee which
calls for a greater student role in depart-
mental admissions curriculum and tenure
policies.
At the same time, other students want
to pursue a campaign to abolish all Uni-
versity ties with Reserve Officer Training
Corps programs.
"This campus is open to student power
right now," Halloran points out, but stu-
dent power seems to be one of the few
things the students can agree upon.
"Of course there are different viewpoints
among members of the group," admits SGC
Executive Vice President Marc Van Der
Hout. "There are a lot of different people
with a lot of different politics."
The group, in fact, includes Young Dem-
ocrats, members of the Tenants' Union, In-
ternational Socialists, Student Govern-
ment Council members, SDS people and
a smattering of fraternity and sorority
members.
Despite their differing politics and goals,
the students involved are united behind
working for the success of a student-con-
trolled bookstore.
One girl working on leaflets yesterday in
the Student Activities Bldg. attributed the
unity and the widespread support to the
clear-cut nature of the issue. "It's almost
a perfect issue to mobilize students behind.
It is so easy: student control over student
money."
This may explain why so many previous-
ly uninvolved persons are working. "The
single largest group of people working are
dormitory freshmen," says SGC) resident
N4arty McLaughlin.
This is in sharp contrast to last year's
drive to abolish language and distribution
requirements. At that time, attracting 200
-not 2000-students to a. Diag rally was
an achievement.
And despite a prolonged sit-in in the
LSA Bldg., there were no mass arrests or
police on campus to rally students around
the cause.
More importantly, the language fight
was waged against some literary college
faculty members who tend to be viewed by
students as liberals. The bookstore issue, on
the other hand, has been directed against
the administration, who, Hirshon says, are
begins
seen by students as a manipulative and
unresponsive force.
"One of the real problems in the book-
store issue was just how it was handled. If
the Regents submitted their plan for re-
actions and given all groups a chance to
react to it, the situation might have been
improved," he says.
A good way to give students decision-
making power, says Acting Vice President
for Student Affairs Barbara Newell, lies in
the upcoming considerations of regental
bylaws.
But from the bylaws to new proposed
structures and student control of the book-
store, student participation in decision-
making seems open to question at this
point.
Where students, faculty and administra-
tors will go from here depends to a large
degree on the outcome of the bookstore
crisis and on the ability of all three groups
to communicate with each other.
I
OVER 400 STUDENTS interrupted the Sept. 20 Regents meeting to show support for a student-run discount bookstore. .
'tudents
(Continued from Page 1)
ver, that any action to be
n following today's strike will
ecided by today's mass rally
p.m. on Regents Plaza.
udent proponents of t h e
e also met last night w i t h
ested faculty members to
iss the bookstore issue a n d
y's strike. Close to thirty fa-
members, half of which were
ing fellows, attended t h e
ing called by the coordinating
nittee.
e faculty member blasted the
P as a "coercive measure"
h would serve only to alien- -
he Regents.
response to this, McLaugh-
aid, "We have given up on
g to convince the Regents to
to support a student-faculty
bookstore-what we have to
ow is make them support it
ay.
fter the Regents' meeting last
Ly they said the bookstore is-
was closed. Only after what
ened Thursday night did
.ing say he would talk about
me more," he added. MORE TH
response to a faculty sug- last night
on. SGC member M a r y Liv- Court,
on said the strike committee
d print leaflets to be distrib-
to faculty members advising
of alternative actions they
l take to support the strike.
ssibilities brought up at the
ing included professors in-
ng students in their classes
would not be penalized If S .
chose to leave, professors
g a vote in their classes as to By LIN
her or not to hold cl a s s Mike Farre
, and professors encouraging MeyFre
nts to strike but remaining lnewly-formd
id class for students who morning pres
not to. Robben Flem
2:15 the focus of the strike bookstore p
shift to the Senate Assem- hopes will b
meeting in the Rackham Regents at a
nbly Hall. The Assembly will Fleming in
>nsidering three separate Farrell, that
sals related to the bookstore urge the Rege
and possibly a fourth. session to disc
CUA has made a proposal sue in genera
irting Fleming in his actions proposals, and
sday night and condemning from students
strike, and Prof. Robert Fleming a]
Iss will introduce a motion clear. Farrell
g the faculty to take im- gents wouldr
te action "to develop better as a result o
entation and communication fact would n
cision-making" and to say it appear that s
ores t h e circumstances result of stud
z resulted in police on cam- Regent Lawi
Stockbridge)t
ilar view, sa
would not m
sure of a stu
Farrell pre
three suggest
lieved could
alternate boo
journalism, Capp said he * The stu
read the Argus and called plete control
great lessons of an affluent bookstore w
ty in which children can assessment w
publish what they once.had on all student
crawl on bathroom walls." ation out of d
What compulsive mastur- This alter
rs need is something to keep the proposal
r hands busy," he said, re- Central Coor
ng to the Argus staff. which calls f
e was likewise familiar with
Daily. "Anyone of that edi-
.l staff can be positive of a
re position on a big city}
spaper-cities like Peking or S
cow," laughed Capp.
app could usually sum up his 1. Studer
ions in one-sentence cap- control ove
s: count Boo
On Students for a Demo- financial r
ic Society, "birth control potential lo
weren't invented soon having be
gh." mechanics
On a volunteer army, "yes, can be nego
volunteer tax paying to Several c
>ort it." tives are av
-On free love, "the price is referendum
t " could auth
-On "global affairs," "I draw review solve
s with big bosoms because I ter the book
'em " r ifrito
set
for
strike
AN 80 of the 107 defendants charged with creating a contention in the LSA Bldg. met
to plan court strategy. Their arraignments begin at 10:30 this morning in District
.dera te grou p offer
vplans on bookstor*e
DSAY CHANEY dent referendum which if passed
ell, a leader of the would allow the Regents to col-
Coalition for Ra- lect student fees to cover a n y
nt Power, yesterday store debt after three years.
ented to President According to this proposal, an
ing several alternate administration r e p r e s e n t ative
'oposals which he would act ex-officio without vote
e considered by the on a student-faculty bookstore
future session. committee.
dicated, according to * The bookstore would begin
he was willing to operation under a student-faculty
ents to hold an open control with the provision th a t
uss the bookstore is- if the store fell into the red by
l and any alternate a certain amount, perhaps $40,000
to answer questions dollars, an outside force - either
s. an administrator or an account-
[so made it v e r y ing firm - be employed to advise
said, that the Re the student-faculty committee.
not hold a meeting
tf the strike, and in New prop1
iuch a meeting was a
dent coercion.
vrence Lindemer (R-
earlier took a sim- p o de e
Lying the Regents
eet under the pres-
dent strike. Contnued from Page 1
tented the following University Affairs) and the Cen- I
ions which he be- tral Coordinating Committee want
be incorporated into to explore reasonable alternatives
kstore proposals: to present bookstore proposals,";
dents assume com- Fleming said.;
of the store. If the In a special meeting Saturday,
ent into debt, an SACUA, the top faculty body, vot-
ould then be levied ed to recommend to Senate As-
ts to bring the oper- sembly today that a joint student-
ebt. SACUA study be undertaken to
dative is similar to determine ways of operating a
on the s t r i k e bookstore."
dinating Committee "Though the Regents have
or a SGC-run stu- thoroughly explored present plans,
0 A student-faculty-adminis-
trator board of control would
have the final say in all decisions
relating to the bookstore.
The present Regent4' proposal
is that Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer Wilbur Pierpont
would have ultimate control over a
bookstore,
Immediately following Farrell's
meeting with Fleming, three stu-
dents from the coalition, Dale Jur-
cisin, Ellen Leschen, and Roger
Keats, presented to the president
a petition signed by 3,000 students
which asked the Regents to reopen
the bookstore issue and consider
alternate proposals.
BUT THEIR EFFORTS led only to the Thursday night takeover of the LSA Bldg. and the subsequent arrests of 107 demon-
strators as President Fleming refused to reconsider the student proposal.
A l Capp: Agitating
By CAROL HILDEBRAND
"Al Capp is an authority on
nothing, but has an opinion on
everything" said signs an-
nouncing yesterday's Controver-
sy '69. And Li'l Abner's creator
came across as advertised.
What Capp said to over 2,000
people at Hill Auditorium pleas-
ed some, enraged others, and
agitated everybody.
Capp s:eemingly reveled i n
whatever kind of attention he
gained. In his talk he regularly
incorporated name-calling, in
MeLau
1Goult nud I rum PIgt'1)
'Quiet discussion' between Re-
gents and students cannot pro-
duce solutions when the Regents
reach their decision in secret,
when they feel that they can de-
cide all questions of policy them-
sehes and ignore the desires of
students with impunity," he wrote.,
riio ii,<it iQ imnn ihl
incorporated name-calling, in-
sult-throwing, and references to
sex for his audience's benefit.
Commenting on the problem
of st udent apathy, Capp s a i d
people should be grateful for
apahy if there is any.
"What this country needs is
more apathetic students to
build this country up after tlhe
concerned ones tear it down,"
A student who strikes is, ac-
cording to Capp, "the s a m e
thing as a guy who sets fire to
himself to celebrate fire
vention week"-
Nor can Capp tolerate you
"total dedication to pea
"Nine million Red Chinese,'
said, "are training to wa
war."
He said he believes that,
things will be different wl
today's youth are running
government: there won't b
government because 'i't will
about lon enough for thel
Chinese air force to land
Seattle.
apes and
pre- Asked if he sees any chance bor
of moving toward world peace, has
uth s Capp unequivocally said "NO!" it "g
ice." Capp claimed that the ques- socie
" he tions students asked about world now,
a g e policy or domestic strife were to s
"questions predicated on a hap- 4"
yes, py ending" mainly because to- bato
'hen day's youth are of "the movie their
the generation." ferri
e a "There are no happy endings H
last only a continued effort to The
Red survive. It is just fantasy about toria
in happy endings." futu
Comenwting on some Ann Ar- -l
sals fail to
gotiations
I am sure that they are not unal-
terably opposed to other plans
which have not been discussed,"
Fleming's statement said.
"I shall therefore invite both
SACUA and SGC representatives
to meet with me and other mem-
bers of the administration to see
what alternatives to present SGC
and regental plans can be devis-
ed," the statement continued.
Fleming added: "Obviously, such
discussions cannot proceed in a
meaningful fashion in the face of
pressure tactics."
In his statement on dropping of
the injunction action, Fleming
said, "The University's objective
in seeking an injunction against
occupation of the LSA Bldg.
Thursday night was to avoid the
use of police and make misdemea-
nor charges unnecessary."
"Those who were blocking the
doors made it impossible to serve
the injunction on the occupants of
the building," the statment con-
tinued. "Thus, it become necessary
to use the police."
"Since the injunction action
failed of its original purpose, it is
now being dropped," the state-
ment concluded.
The strike committee proposal
ike committee plan
ighlin
hits
U,
structureC
niisunderstanding about the book-
store question at the University."
Fleming said students and the
Regents agreed that the bookstore
should be run by a professional
manager and tha the store should
be nonprofit, offering "books at
prices as low as possible consistent
with a break-even policy."
Fleming also noted other areas
McLaughlin also disputed Flem-
ing's contention on the nature of
student control that SGC is de-
ma udig.
In discussing areas of disagree-
ment, Fleming said the Regents
"are in agreement that the basic
policy of the store should be to
sell books at the lowest price con-'
sistent with breaking even'"
leadership roles, who want to use
the bookstore to accomplish other
ends."
"The fact that students might
want a share in the decision-mak-
ing over areas other than t h e
bookstore does not make a demand
for shared control of the store
illegitimate," he wrote. "T h a t
this issue could set a precedent has
nts believe that their
r the Student Dis-
kstore implies their
esponsibility for any
osses. This principle
en accepted, the
of implementation
tiated in good faith.
onceivable alterna-
vailable, including a
. This referendum
wize the Regent to
envy three years af-
kstore opens. Should
emir thrv maenl-m
Assembly and managed by a
professional manager. The ad-
ministration could appoint a
representative to act ex-officio.
without vote, on the student-
faculty bookstore committee.
4. The initial funding shall
include the $140,000 in parking
fees and by collection of $1.75
levy already approved by SGC
referendum.
T'his represents the coordi-
nating committee's view of a
reaonable nirnnoni Nearrtin-
l
',
i
I
,