THE MICHIGAN DAILY
TUESDAY, ATTGUST.':24. 1965
THE ICHIAN DILY TJESAY A fT t 2rl iq U
F,
reek Discrimina ion a orce eraI c
tion
standards and tradition of the fra- "Any institution of higher edu-
ternity." cation which applies for any fed-
No Hearing eral financial assistance of any
The suspension action came kind must agree that it will make
without a hearing and without the no distinction on the grounds of
local chapter having any oppor- race, color, or national origin in
tunity to answer charges. The lo- the admission practices of the in-
cal has retained lawyers who say stitution relating to the treatment
such a procedure violates the fra- of students .. .
ternity's own constitution. "Other practices . .. include the
Locally, Assistant to the Vice-'affording to students of opportu-
President for Student Affairs John nity to participate in any educa-
Feldkamp said the University was, ional, research, cultural, athletic,
"closely following events at Stan-'recreational, social or other pro-
ford, not in fear of future federal gram or activity ..."
sanctions, but as a way to help It is not likely that the gov-
discriminatory policies of fraterni- ernment will intervene in the
ties at the Universit'y." Stanford Sigma Chi case as it
However, the new HEW code was resolved by the suspension of
explicitly defines the role which the chapter and the retention of
the federal government can take Washington, but Keppel's state-
in cases of fraternity discrimina- ment may be the start of federal
tion. intervention in discrimination con-
The code states, in part: troversies on college campuses.
SF National Adamant
. i.Feldkamp believes that local fra-
ternity chapters would generally
not continue discriminatory poli-
cies if they had the choice; rath-
er, he claimed it is the national
leadership which is adamant in
maintaining the traditional biases..
This is allegedly the case at
Stanford, he said.
He remarked that the Office of
Student Affairs could take the
initiative in an investigation, but
it was essential for the future of
SGC that its membership commit-
Sn a n him R hrtee do so.d
~io an Earlier this summer, Richard
Hoppe, '66, president of IFC, said
that, at that time, IFC had no in-
tention of starting proceedings
against the University chapter of
Sigma Chi. However, it was re-
ported that the Sigma Chi mem-
bers were beginning to gather
materials to present in their own
defense, if proceedings should be
instigated by either IFC or SGC.
Won't Affect 'U'
Although Feldkamp believes that
Keppel has the legal right to with-
draw federal aid from a university
which supported with federal
funds, a discriminatory fraternity
system, the University, he felt,
would not be affected.
The threat of federal interven-
tion in cases of fraternity discrim-
ination might also involve the Uni-
versity in the case of Trigon,, a
local fraternity accused last year
of discriminatory practices.
Last April 8, the Fraternity
President's Association ruled that
Trigon was, in fact although not
in intention, guilty of discrimina-
tion.
Must Take Oath
According to the Trigon consti-
tution, pledges are required to
take an oath vowing to uphold
certain religious beliefs.
In the rationale approved by
FPA, Trigon does not directly en-
gage in religious discrimination.
However, by requiring this oath
prospective members, who find the
oath incompatible with their re-
ligious beliefs, might not join Tri-
4
Universities May Face Federal Pressure To End Bias
gon for that reason. Sept. 1 to revise their constitu- nity rush, nor co
While FPA recognized that the tion bringing it into line with the University facilities
integration of certain spiritual IFC bylaw banning discrimina- SGC also has Ju
values into the social atmosphere tory practices.., University over al
of a fraternity is not in violation If Trigon does not comply, it nizations to inve
of the spirit of IFC, the fact that can no longer be recognized as discrimination. Th
Trigon does engage in de facto a student organization. This would bership Committe
uld it use any
s.
xisdiction at the
1 student orga-
estigate alleged
he SGC Mem-
e was created
in compliance
ruling, giving
rry on such in-
I
discrimination led to the charge.
September Deadline
FPA has given Trigon until
be tantamount to non-existence at
the University. Trigon would be
unable to participate {in frater-
several years ago:
with a Regental
SGC power to car
vestigations.
FPA has given Trigon until unable to participate in frater- vestigations.
Regents OK
Union-League
Merger
The end of an era at the Uni-
versity was marked this summer
when the Regents approved plans
for the University activities cen-
ter, representing a merger of the
activities wings of the Michigan
Union and the Women's League.
With the approval, however,
came a significant change in or,.
ganizational structure: a revision
of a proposal submitted to the
Regents at their January meeting
has brought UAC under the aus-
pices of the Office of Student Af-
fairs and made it subject o Stu-
dent Government Council for cal-
endaring of activities.
A statement presented jointly by
the League Board of Governors
and the Union Board of Directors
in January envisioned a UAC re-
sponsible directly to the Regents
and independent of SGC. But the
Regents referred the report to
Vice-President for Student Affairs
Richard Cutler for a delineation
of the relationship between the
new organization, the OSA and
SGC.
Cutler and the student officers
of the new organization proceeded
to develop the revised proposal
that was approved this summer.
Until this year, the Union and
the League had separate activities
programs directed by different
sets of officers, each responsibleto,
its respective board. The merged
i.' :::. a .S: . p. .?a,' y.4. F ...fi.' '+:'':J:v.:; ::; .' - t°' liDion anad JWo men's League M ieg
rhe Center of Campus Activity...
THE ICHI
UNION,
stUdent activities organization will
be responsible to the governing
boards of both the Union and
League.
Both the Union and the League
were divided into two sections-a
service wing which directed, busi-
ness operations and an activities
wing which sponsored student
functions such a MUSKET and
Soph Show. Until recently both
wings of each organization oper-
ated separately from the corres-
ponding wings of the other or-
ganization.
In recent years, this division
along sexual lines came to be re-
garded as highly artificial. Sug-
gestions for the merge of the
Union. and the League had been
tossed gbout since the end of
World War I.
Nothing was seriously done
about the situation' until the pub-
lication of the Reed Report, a
study of the University's philoso-
phy of student affairs, in Febru-
ary, 1962..
The report said, "The committee
believes that the young people
who enroll in the University are
primarily students seeking to
learn, seeking to develop, not in
isolation as men or women, but
together as equals and collabor-
ators.
Study
On the basis of the Reed Report,
the Union board of directors de-.
cided to create a committee to
study merger feasibility, and ap-
pointed Associate Dean James A.
Robertson of the literary college
to head it.
The 14-page Robertson Report
was submitted to the Union and
League Boards in May, 193. It
recommended that both wings of
the Union-the business and ac-
tivities wings-be Joined to their
counterparts in the League.
It called for a merger of the
business wings to form a Univer-
sity Center which would draw
from all segments of the commu-
nity for membership and direc-
tion. The proposed center would
be managed by a single Board of
Directors, composed of students,
faculty, alumni and administra-
tors which would replace the sep-
arate Union and League govern-
ing boards.
The master service institution
was to have a co-educational
standing committee in charge of
student activities.
Regents°
At their October, 1963 meeting
the Regents reiected the section
of the Robertson plan providing
for a business-wing merger be-
cause it called for students to par-
ticipate in the managerial and
financial operations of the pro-
posed University Center. This
participation they termed "in-
appropriate" and "ineffective."
They did, however, endorse the
concept of a co-educational stu-
dent activities organization. They
appointed a committee to detail
the plans for the merger. It was
composed of student executive
officers from both organizations.
This committee's final report
proposed the formation of UAC,
stating that though the proposed
merger is "ostensibly an amalga-
mation of the exisiting structures,
the scope of its activities should
be broadened beyond the current
range and endeavor of the Union
and the League.
According to the report the
student officers and the student
activities functions of the merged
organization "would have no re-
sponsibility to the League Board
of Governor , although the stu-
dents. would sit on the League
Board to insure space In the
League Bldg. for student activities.
However, the senior officers of
the merged group would remain
the executive officers of the Un-
ion Board of Directors.
The proposed'plan for the merg-
er had to' be apprqved .by the
League Executive Council, the
Union Board of Directors, the
League Board of Governors, the
Regents and the student and
alumni members of the Union.
In November the League Execu-
tive Council, the Union Board of
Governors and the League Board
of Governors accepted the report
of the merger committee.
To be put into effect, the merg-
er still needed the approval of
the Regents and the members of
the Union, both alumni and stu-
dents.
Before this approval was forth-
coming there was still one area
of disagreement to settle - who
would have control over the
merged oganization.
Members of the Union Board of
Directors heldsthey should have
exclusive juridiction over the,
Center, but the League Board of
G v ern or dem an ded that author-
ity be held jointly.<
Compromise ;
A compromise plan was finally
adopted making the UAC respon-.
sible to the governing boards of
both the Union and League
With these problems solved, the
merger was well on its way to
realization. Union members ap-
proved the plan in a referendum
in February and Regents approval
came this summer.
Looking toward the merger, the
student activities wings of the
League -and Union began cooper-
ating on many of' their projects
in the fall of 1964.
The new officers of UAC were
installed in March. Heading UAC
are James Kropf, '66, president;
Michael Holmes, '66, executive
vice-president; Pamela Erickson,
'66N, administrative vice-presi-
dent, and Gail Howes, '66N, co-
,ordnating vice-president.
The scope'of the activities and
services to be offered by the UAC
is widespread. Its four executive
officers and ten committee heads
will manage such diverse projects
as a poverty symposlum, creative
arts festival, the 'UAC celandar
(formerly the Union-League cal-
enidar), plus the old favorites-
Homecoming, W i n t e r Weekend,
Musket and Soph Show.
Specialized Programs
"In the future, the new UAC
will increase specialized program-
ming to supplement classroom
procedure. The emphasis will be
to provide events for the more
'diversified interest on campus,"
Kropf said.
"This year is the first year of
the UAC-it will be a year of ex-
perimentation,, and the problems
that arise will have to be dealt
with in a pragmatic manner.
However, we feel confident that
it will grow into the strongest
activity organization on campus,"
Kropf predicts.
4
offers a mitulijide
of facilities includiag-
Cafeteria, Michigan Union
Grill, Barber Shop,
Bowling Alley, Swimming Pool, Billiard Room, Listening Rooms,
Student Offices, Meeting Rooms, Pendleton Library.
#1
The "MUG"-for a meal or a coffee date'. . .
41
.. , . L..:w . :; ::. .....: : :.: ....__ ..1 ; ;. .. .. .:: : .... ., . r:. 111
and the League. Kropf predicts.