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February 16, 1966 - Image 4

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Michigan Daily, 1966-02-16

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

Seventy-Sixth Year
EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
UNDER AUTHORITY OF BOARD IN CONTROL OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS

Feb. 16: OAA's Modernization

Gap

ere Opinions Are Free.
Truth Will Prevails

420 MAYNARD ST., ANN ARBOR, MIcx.

NEws PHONE: 764-0552

Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers
or the editors.. This must be noted in all reprints..
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1966 NIGHT EDITOR: CLARENCE FANTO

SGC Fals To Help
Course Evaluation Boolet

By LEONARD PRATT
Acting Associate Managing Editor
THE FACE LIFTING that has
been going on since the August
appointment of Ernest Zimmer-
man, assistant to Allen Smith,
vice-president for Academic Af-
fairs, is evidently going to take
yet another step forward: Smith
has decided to conduct a thorough
reappraisal of the duties of the
Office of Institutional Research
one of his major information
staffs within the OAA.
It is reassuring to see that
Smith's streamlining is progress-
ing. It is, however, disconcerting
to reflect that the streamlining
may well go only half as far as
it should.
The University's traditional ap-
proach to major issues, such as
rising enrollments, rising building
costs or relatively low state ap-
propriations, has been that of most
large state universities: work with
what one has and hope things
will get better.
IN THIS SENSE the OIR was
originally- too advanced for its
day. Its job was to gather data

on what was happening to the
University's professors, students
and funds. Done over a period of
years, this naturally illustrated
developing trends and promoted
a sort of thinking not at all like
the traditional, a sort that en-
courages the anticipation of future
problems and their solution in ad-
vance.
But recently the reverse has
come to be true, as the rest of the
rapidly modernizing OAA staff
has begun to work on levels beyond
that of the OIR. Zimmermann was
appointed to the OAA to coordi-
nate Smith's necessarily growing
staff. More significantly, James
Lesch began work on a new
budgeting concept, "programmed
budgeting," designed to ensure
more efficient use of the Univer-
sity's financial resources.
Program budgeting is a concept
which itemizes costs not by the
particular items for which the
money is payed but rather by how
well the money serves the institu-
tion's basic aims. This is represen-
tative of Smith's whole emphasis :
the more efficient attainment of
final goals.

THE OIR for its part has con-
tinued gathering the information
asked of it very effectively. But
this information has been becom-
ing less and less that which is
needed to support the advanced
concepts with which Smith is be-
ginning to work.
A redefinition of the OIR is
thus well timed. For it takes an
immense volume of well-organized
data to assess just what is hap-
pening to the University in Smith's
broadening terms. Unless that
data can be provided the whole
undertakinghwill be an exercize
in futility. The new OIR must thus
begin to provide that information.
But more relevant information
is only half the picture. Informa-
tion and its efficient use is no
more than a means to an end,
and, unless that end is carefully
defined, the efficient machine will
have little value.
In this case an efficiently mod-
ernized OAA will be of no use
unless it possesses a carefully
thought out analysis of where the
University ought to be going. To
provide that analysis the OAA is

little better qualified than any
other group of men who kave ever
sat down to talk about the Uni-
versity's ends, be they faculty, stu-
dents or Regents.
ALL GROUPS within the Uni-
versity have a place in providing
this vital analysis, for the com-
bination of their perspectives is
the University itself in a very real
sense. To ignore any group in such
a definition is to omit a part of
that definition, to leave it incom-
plete.
The processby which such a
definition is now being set up is
largely informal and, thus, im-
precise and unreliable. Moreover
it is biased heavily in favor of
those groups with which Smith's
office has most direct contacts.
the administration in general and
the faculty's governmental elite.
No amount of good intentions and
wisdom can make up for the dis-
advantages of attempting to set up
operational goals for the Univer-
sity under such conditions.
Therefore, without such well-
defined goals the rationalization of

the OAA's staff will have little
effective meaning. Granted, it will
be a more efficient method of
operation, but it will not be a
better way of attaining educational
ends simply because those ends
remain undefined.
Defining these goals would not
necessarily be an extensive process.
Much of the thinking has already
been done in such places as the
Reed Report and the report of,
Gov. George Romney's Blue Ribbon
Commission on Higher Education.
A joint study group of faculty, ad-
ministrators and studentsacould
conceivably come up with accept-
able conclusions within a matter
of months.
IT IS VERY important that
some sort of formal long-term
goals be set up for the general
guidence of the OAA's work, and
that those goals be set up by
agreement among the several di-
vergent University groups. Without
such a definition, the OAA's
streamlined organization may be
only so much hyper-efficient
paperwork.

WHEN THE STUDENT run Course Eval-
uation Booklet was planned last se-
mester the projected date for publica-
tion was shortly before pre-registration
opened, Feb. 7. Despite encouragement
and assistance from the faculty, and
money and encouragement from student
organizations and individual students, the
booklet has not yet been printed.
While organizations have been gener-
ops with their money, they have been
skimpy with their personnel. The booklet
was to appear last week, but is still held
up by a lack of people to do the essential,
though exceedingly boring, job of tabulat-
ing statistics from the returned forms.
STUDENT RESPONSE was great, with
over 9000 questionnaires returned of
about 18,000 distributed. The City Univer-
sity of New York had only one-fourth of
their 40,000 students return the forms.
The response was a substantial increase
over the number that enabled the first
booklet to be published here at the Uni-
versity last spring.
The problem that hinders the booklet
is not in the response of the students.
Nor is it in a lack of funds. Student
Government 'Council reportedly invested
$900 in the proj ect. Most other student or-
ganizations gave smaller sums. The Daily
agreed to absorb the cost of printing
(close to $1000).
Problems of organization are the usual
reason for the failure of a student proj-
ect. But the booklet had a very neat time-
table. It was reviewed by the represen-
tatives of the various student organiza-
tions. They agreed that the timetable
was sensible.
BUT WHAT THEY didn't do was keep to
it. The most pressing need is for peo-
ple to tabulate, and prepare the booklet
for the graduate students who are writ-
ing the evaluations.
The need is not being filled. The stu-
dent aid promised by the organizations
-by SGC, UAC, IFC, Panhel, etc.-has
not materialized. IQC put up a minimum
number, one, but that one has worked
hard.
Representatives of Assembly have been
the only consistent, ever-present workers.
In the last few weeks the pledge class of
Tau Epsilon Phi showed up to work. But
that was at the start of pre-registration,
with the booklet already a month behind
schedule.
Even when SGC was told that nobody
was showing up to work, they did noth-
ing. Of course, they promised to have
people work, to have as many as 30 peo-
ple show up, but nothing came of it. No-
body showed up.
WITH A LACK OF PEOPLE, and a multi-
tude of questionnaires, little could be
done. Still many evenings and Saturdays
were spent tabulating statistics by a hard
core group of 6-10 people, trying to get
everything done.
The problem in this situation is a com-
mon one in student enterprises. A small,
active group is trying to do all the work.

But the task is so large that work is going
slowly. The student organizations, par-
ticularly the major ones such as UAC
and SGC, have not fulfilled the commit-
ment that they made to the booklet.
Many of the students who worked oi
the booklet have been forced by exams to
study in an attempt to make up for eve-
nings when study was neglected to work
on the booklet. As a result, the question-
naires are merely gathering dust; noth-
ing is being done with them ,and the
publication of the book is being threaten-
ed.
SUGC RODE THE CREST of the bookstore
idea to popularity. But when they are
asked to do some individually unimpor-
tant, tedious job, they shirk it. Student
government will not be much until it
discovers that its purpose is to serve the
student. SGC doesn't seem to have
learned.
-ROBERT BENDELOW
Course Books
Misleading
PRE-REGISTRATION has started again
and students are faced with the prob-
lem of choosing the right courses for
next year. But this year the problem is
complicated in two ways.
First, the booklets which describe the
courses in the various fields do not con-
tain enough information about each
course to enable the student to make a
wise choice of classes. The booklet offers
a very general description of each course
and, since a course varies greatly de-
pending on who is teaching it, the stu-
dent is often disappointed to find that it
is far from what he expected.
Secondly, the counseling service at the
University leaves much to be desired. Stu-
dents may receive good advice from their
counselor on courses offered by his de-
partment, but most counselors are sadly
lacking in knowledge of courses outside
their department. This is not the fault
of the counselor, as it would be impossible
for a professor to become familiar with
every course offered by the University.
THERE ARE TWO other ways a student
may receive information on courses.
These are the Student Counseling Service
and the Course Evaluation Booklet which
will be available ;soon. Both of these, how-
ever, are presently too limited in scope to
solve the problem.
A more practical solution would be to
have students talk about their courses
with the professors who teach them,
as is done at MSU, or to allow students a
period of time in which they may attend
various classes as they do at Radcliffe.
THE CHOOSING of courses is a crucial
matter, and more efforts should be
made to help the student make the right
choice.
-JOSEPH TOMLINSON

LETTERS:
Readers Defend Aptheker' sSpeech

To the Editor:
DAN SPITZER'S editorial com-
ment on Mr. Aptheker's speech
contains, feel, several inaccura-
cies and a frightening conclusion.
Mr. Spitzer claims that despite
being opposed to the war, he was
disgusted by two statements by
Mr. Aptheker in particular. One
concerned the "Ho Chi Minh
Trail" and the Bay of Tonkin
affair, and the other dealt with
suppression of free speech in Com-
munist countries.
In the first case, Mr. Aptheker
never said that supplies were not
being provided the NLF by the
North. What he did say was that
an official in the North told the
three travelers that there were no
Northern 'troops engaged in the
war in Viet Nam. When asked his
opinion of this statement, Mr.
Aptheker said that this may in
fact be the truth, since all U.S.
press releases discussing this sub-
ject are invariably prefaced by
"It is reported . . ." or "Reliable
sources say.."
If I may interject a thought
here-what proof have we that
the North in fact is engaging in
the war? I was also of the opinion
that there were Northern troops
in combat, since the North- never
denied it and the U.S. papers
always asserted it. Now, according
to Mr. Aptheker, the North has
denied it. The U.S. can now show
the North and Mr. Aptheker to be
"Mao-Stalin perversionists" by
merely documenting their claims
with the proof that they obviously
must have.
AS FORpthe Bay of Tonkin at-
tack, Mr. Aptheker said that no
one knows the facts except the
principals. He said, that to him,
a PT boat attack on a battleship
seemed strange, to say the least.
He never said that "there was
probably never any clash in the
Bay of Tonkin" as Mr. Spitzer
"reports."
Secondly, and more importantly,
Mr. Spitzer has completely dis-
torted Mr. Aptheker's answer
about Communist suppression of
free speech (which, I might add,

was not the subject .of his talk
and was raised in a question). Mr.
Aptheker's answer, for those who
were not there, contained the fol-
lowing points: that this topic was
a difficult one for Mr. Aptheker
himself; that much suppression of
free speech does occur in the U.S.
(equally as irrelevant as claiming
that suppression of free speech
occurs in Communist countries-
neither justifies the other); that
a comparison between the U.S.
and Communist countries is not
a valid comparison; that a valid
comparison is one examining the
countries in question before Com-
munist takeover and now; though
Communist countries are much
improved in this area, there 'is
still a problem.
He also said that when he lec-
tures in Russia, he criticizes sup-
pression of speech; that the pres-
ent trial in Russia is abominable;
and that finally, his remarks were
merely a brief outline of his feel-
ings, for this matter was not the
subject of his speech or relevant
to his topic-ending the war in
Viet Nam.
Mr. Aptheker did, I feel, a good
job in discussing a "touchy" topic
for him and all Marxists. He in
no way justified Communist sup-
pression or avoided answering the
question raised, even though it
was irrelevant.
IT IS NOT Mr. Spitzer's bad
reporting and slanted viewpoint
which are most disturbing, how-
ever, for it is his conclusion that
is most frightening: "The 'ele-
ments of the Right' are foolish in
attempting to ban this man from
speaking, because he is so ineffec-
tive that his appearances just hurt
his own cause." The implication
slithers through Mr. Spitzer's
indignant prose that one should
only be allowed free speech if one
is ineffective in one's appeal.
Perhaps Mr. Spitzer did not
intend this implication, but it
serves to illustrate the dangerous
and cloudy thinking extant in the
U.S. now, manifested in particular
by the Michigan Senate and their
ilk, who seem to believe that they
are not inhibiting free speech by

banning "the enemy." Let me re-
mind these patriots that the es-
sence of the principle sof free
speech is toleration of ideas con-
trary to one's own. To ban Com-
munist speakers is to admit defeat
for the ideals and values of de-
mocracy.'
-Martin Kane, '68
To the Editor:
I WAS APPALLED at the news
of the Michigan Senate's pass-
age of a resolution urging that
Communist speakers be banned at
state supported universities. I at-
tended Dr. Aptheker's speech on
Thursday night and was impressed
-not so much by his prepared
speech,, which was very well done
-but, especially, by his skill in
covering questions from the audi-
ence following his speech.
His answers were well-inform-
ed, which one would not expect,
and not evasive, as I had not ex-
pected. He was particularly adept
at turning an emotional unin-
formed outburst by one spectator
into his favor. "There is nothing
as bad as energetic ignorance"-
Goethe.,
A University student is fully cap-
able of making his own decisions
after hearing all points of view.
If he is prevented from hearing
all such points of view, he is at
the mercy of an informed person,
and many suffer far more than
just the embarrassment of being
put down, as was the spectator
Thursday night.
THE LEGAL ISSUE here is that
of free speech guaranteed by our
Constitution. But, as important, is
the fact that everyone should be
allowed to,-receive all information
from every point of view, so that
he can make a rational choice
and be able to intelligently de-
fend one's own point of view.
There were Communist sympa-
thizers in the audience as well as
others who shared Dr. Aptheker's
view on U.S. ihvolvement in Viet
Nam. There were also many like
myself who were interested in
learning more about the Commu-
nist position on Viet Nam and
how that fits into the Marxist-
Leninist ideological framework. I
doubt that any non-Communist
became a Communist because of
Dr. Aptheker's speech.
THERE IS another reason I was
shocked by the Senate resolution.
It was passed by a single vote:
15 to 14. Many senators were ab-
sent, whose presence would have
undoubtedly caused the defeat of
the resolution. Senator Bursley of
Ann Arbor is to be congratulated
for publicly denouncing this reso-
lution which passed because of
his own party's support. I am also
glad to see that the University
does not plan to alter its policy
of allowing speakers on campus
despite the fact that the Senate
does "hold the pursestrings."
-Lee Bennett, '66
Conservative's Letter
To the Editor:
WAS SHOCKED by the pom-
pous and unintelligent letter
written by Mr. Lawrence P. Mc-
Donald M.D., which appeared in
your paper this morning. The
following points seem to me of
relevance in reply to this strange
document.
a) It is definitely in the interest
of the students, the University,
and the residents of the city of
Ann Arbor that the City Council
should take an active interest in
problems concerning student hous-
ing. Not only is it in the interest
of the students and the University
that students should get good
quality housing at reasonable
rates, but it is also beneficial to
+hm rwrm nan rnira -tc i -

that there is a great deal that
the University could do and should
do to ensure good housing for its
students, undergraduate and grad-
uate alike, and to protect the stu-
dent against the possibility of be-
ing taken advantage of by local
businessmen.
c) There is no evidence to show
that in an issue of this sort, with
individual and collective aims par-
tially incompatible, "more free
enterprise" does any good.
d) The Daily is not a projector
of left-wing, or any other kind of
philosophy. Its function is, and
has been, to express a variety of
views.
, e) It is false to say that there
have been no conservative edi-
torials in the Daily this year. (Un-
les by "really conservative" one
means "bordering on fascist.")
The most that one could say is
that the balance could stand some
improvement.
f) Comparing the editorials of
the Daily with those of the Work-
er is the kind of emotional irre-
sponsibility which no educated
man should indulge in.
g) The Daily should definitely
not reflect the "mainstream of
thought" of the University, stu-
dents or faculty. No good news-
paper does. The task of a good
newspaper is to concentrate pri-
marily on provoking, stimulating,
informing, and engaging the read-
er in dialogue, all of this within
the reasonable limits of good taste.
THESE ARE TIMES when a lot
of hard-headed thinking needs to
be done about the relations be-
tween the growing needs of an ex-
pandingsstudent population and
the' needs of a city which is be-
coming more industralized. Letters
like this one by Mr. MacDonald
make no contribution, and only
serve to cloud the issues with
cheap emotionalism.
-J. k. E. Moravesik
Associate Professor
in Philosophy
Object to Hornberger
To the Editor:
WE, as men living in a house
which was "represented" by
IQC, would like to make it known
that views presented in a letter of
Sunday, 13 Feb., bearing the sig-
nature of Lee Hornberger, Pres-
ident, Inter-Quadrangle Council,
are not necessarily those of the
residents of this system.
-Terrence Jay Allen, '68E'
Harold Richardson, '68LSA
Robert J. Catterfeld, '69E
Mark A. Schalte, '69E ,
Tom Hetherman, '69LSA
Kenneth W. Peregon, '70 Pharm.
Laurence B. Leitch, '69LSA
Andrew M. Richelson, '69LSA
Schutze:j
George
"Y YOWN PERSONAL belief,"
Governor George Romney
confessed recently, "is that most
people in the Communist party
are out to promote the Commu-
nist party."
And once again, the saber thrust
of Romney's cool insight slashed
and lay bare another perplexing
political imbroglio. America, in
giving thanks to God and the
Mormon church for her priceless
gift of peerless George, can only
regret that he wasn't delivered
unto us a while ago, before the
Communist conspiracy got start-
ed.
If the United States had known
50 years ago that the Communists
were going to advance their own

Hentoff's Preference
To the Editor:
N TUESDAY'S DAILY Michael
Meyer criticizes the University
Activities Center for its program
combining a speech by Nat Hent-
off with a performance by the
University Jazz Band. His criti-
cisms are twofold: that Hentoff
was associated with the jazz band
and that the combination resulted
in audience "confusion and frus-
tration," and that it was "rude
and insulting" to Hentoff,
We regret that Mr. Meyer was
insulted by this program. kentoff
thought it a good idea and pre-
ferred having the audience ad-
mitted during the speech rather
than have them wait outside.
-Edward Robinson, '67
Chairman, UAC Contemporary
Discussion Committee
-C. Robert Pryor, '67
Chairman, UAC Creative
Arts Committee
Voice Statement
To the Editor:
MR. DiLorenzi and the members
of Voice Political Party have
asked the University to adopt
certain practices which these
people favor. Inherent in this re-
quest are two assumptions:
-that a significant majority of
the University body also agrees
that the University should do this;
and
-that this being the case, the
University should take these ac-
tions regardless of the conse-
quences.
It seems to me that Voice is
being highly presumptuous on
both counts. However, though the
issues these assumptions raise are
quite serious and worthy of much
consideration, they are not my im-
mediate concern.
My immediate concerr is with
the fact that the Voice members
seem to be attacking a situation,
while at the same time using that
situation as a shield. If these
people really feel that "the 2-S
deferment is discriminatory" and
should be rejected, I suggest that
each male member express this
opinion, and also reject his 2-S
classification, in a letter to his
local draft board.
AT THE SAME TIME, I suggest
that they make clear their inten-
tion not to take the Selective Serv-
ice System tests, even if, given
the opportunity. These actions
would show the University body
both the seriousness of their re-
quests and the sincerity of their
beliefs.
-Leonard M. Schwartz, 67
leigh-Ho
lomney!
store Santas and bored young li-
brarians. Nimble-witted interna-
tional observer George (Eyeball)
Romney quickly saw through all
that snippery fol-de-rol.
He somehow sensed that Pe-
king, Hanoi and Havana were
probably less than loyal to Old
Gloryand the Constitution. A
quick trip to Viet Nam confirmed
what the Governor had most
darkly feared: the Vietnamese
were deliberately raising their
children to look like foreigners, a
dastardly means of perverting the
young and innocent encouraging
them to grow up un-American and
swarthy.
And so, in the face of incontro-
vertible evidence, George did what
he knew to h hiduty. T-THers

Presidential Reading
Or A Child's Garden of ...

ZTA Experiment:
Lesson forFuture Rushes

ZETA TAU ALPHA has not only succeed-
ed in its planned membership expan-
sion, but has also tested and positively
answered a question Panhellenic has long
pondered: could rush become a fully
pleasant experience which utilizes per-
sonal contact and honest discussions
rather than strictly social and meaning-
less gossip?
The ZTA rush lasted only one week.
It began Feb. 6 with less than 100 girls,
fewer than the number of prospectives
they had expected to appear at the intro-
ductory tea. Nevertheless, coffee dates
and personal discussion sessions were set
up to acquaint the interested girls with
the system they might be joining. The
goals and aims were clearly explained and
last Friday evening 36 girls decided to
pledge.
The fact that 36 girls had showed an
honest interest in ZTA is significant on
two counts. First the size of the pledge

IF THE ZTA RUSH system were carried
out by the other sororities there would
of course be the problem of numbers.
With over 1000 rushees going through
rush at the specified times, it would be
physically and probably mentally impos-
sible for each girl to have coffee with
several members of each sorority.
It is plausible, however, to consider
eliminating the basic standards of the
usual rush conversation. "Hello, my name
is so-and-so. My major is-." Getting
down to what it's all about from the be-
ginning would prove to be a beneficial
step for both the rushees and the soror-
ity and would perhaps shorten the present
long drawn out process.
The ZTA expansion program was an ex-
periment as well as an honest effort to
keep its Michigan chapter on campus. As
a successful experiment Panhel and In-
ter-Fraternity Council hope it will serve
as a reference if a similar membership
shortaze situa~tion should evenr avam

By ROGER RAPOPORT
AT HIS PRESS conference last
Saturday President Johnson
was asked how he felt about the
testimony of Lt. Gen. James Gav-
in and former diplomat George F.
Kennan before the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee.
The President replied that he
hadn't read the transcript of their
testimony but said, "I gather from
what Gen. Gavin said in summary
that there is not a great deal of
difference between what he and
Kennan are saying and what the
government is doing."
Gavin, whose testimony was de- k
livered Monday and published in
Tuesday's New York Times and
Washington Post, is the originator
of the air cavalry mobile unit
scheme now being used in Viet
Nam. Essentially what he said to
the Senate was that the use of this
tactic in Viet Nam is of dubious
military value.
KENNAN, whose testimony was
delivered last Wednesday and
printed in Thursday's Washington
Post and New York Times au-
thored the containment of Com-
munism policy in the late '40's.
What Kennan had to say was
that containment, one of the ad-
ministration's political rationales
for intervention in Viet Nam, is

"What'll it be today, sir?" asks
Moyers.
"The usual," replied the Presi-
dent without looking up from a
Zane Grey Western.
"Fine," says Moyers, "here's the
Austin Star, the Chicago Tribune
and the Ann Arbor News.
"Care to see any New York pa-
pers?"
"The Daily News and the Jour-
nal American."
"How about, the New York
Times?" asks Moyers.
"The New York Times? I
thought I read it last week," re-
plies the President.
"WELL, how about a column
then?"
"Who've you got?"
"Well, there's Krock, Landers
and Pearson on domestic policy,
and Lippmann, Reston and Gold-
water on Viet Nam strategy.
"Goldwater and Ann Landers.
Drop the others off at the East
room, they're doing some painting
there."
"Now then magazines. Here are
all your regulars," says Moyers.
"Umhuh, Time, U.S. News, Jack
and Jill, the New Guard, Mad.
but where's my Reader's Digest?"
"Hasnt come in yet."
"What time is it, Bill?"
"2:05."

I

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