Seventy-Sixth Year
EDITED AND MANAGED 'Y STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
UNDER AUTHORITY OF BOARD IN CONTROL OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS
March 30:
Who's in Charge Here?
bere Opinions Are Free 420 MAYNARD ST., ANN ARBOR, MICH.
Truth Will Prevail
NEWS PHONE: 764-0552
Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the inidividual opinions of staff writers
or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 1966 NIGHT EDITOR: ROBERTKLIVANS
Apathy and Delay Threaten
The AEC Accelerator
By LEONARD PRATT
Acting Associate Managing Editor
WHAT THE BOOKSTORE was
last fall, academics is becom-
ing this spring.
A series of generally unrelated
events have coincided to make
the courses which the University
offers-and the way those courses
are taught-a major issue to sev-
eral groups scattered throughout
the University community.
Taken as a whole, the events
seem to indicate that students
have awakened to the fact that
academics are that area of the
University which affects them
most directly and, at the same
time, thattarea over which they
can wield the most power.
STUDENT Government Coun-
cil's Academic Conference on Feb.
12 began the series. A marathon
meeting of private citizens,- ad-
ministrators and students, the
conference ended with an incon-
clusive endorsement of its "spirit
of communication." But the ball
had begun to roll.
A week-and-a-half later it was
reported that the one place on
campus where students presently
had direct academic power-the
psychology department's academic
advisory committee-was being
destroyed by default because of
a lack of interested students. The
reports proved little, but they
stimulated a surprising amount of
discussion about the proper role
of such a committee.
One of the most interesting of
the events was that an academic
steering committee became an
election issue in the race for the
presidency of the senior class of
the engineering school. Though
the proposed committee's future
is far from certain, the candidate
who espoused it was elected. Again,
students were thinking about
academic reform.
BY FAR the most spectacular
of these related incidents was the
censure of the chairman of the
architecture department by his
faculty at a secret meeting last
Thursday night. Although the fac-
ulty's action was the most spec-
tacular, the dissatisfaction of the
architecture students with their
curriculum was a major force in
bringing matters to a head.
A large number of diverse mo-
tives encouraged those who took
these actions. But it must be rec-
ognized that all these diverse
motives expressed themselves in
the same way-student demands
for academic reform.
IT IS PROBABLY impossible to
say precisely why academic reform
is such a popular issue at present.
But as its popularity seems to be
growing, it is important for the
central figures in such reform, the
students and faculty, to fully un-
derstand their position.
Academics is that area of the
University in which students are
of the utmost importance, not just
in terms of a distant goal, for stu-
dents are important to all the
University's functions in that
sense, but in terms of everyday
operations. Students are by def-
inition a vital part of the teaching
process. If they refuse to cooper-
ate with that process they can
bring it to a standstill.
Students thus hold a very real
and very great power in the field
of academics. In the most literal
sense they combine with the fac-
ulty, which forms the other half
of the teaching process, and dele-
gate this power to the depart-
ment's administration.
What power they do not desire
to delegate will naturally remain
with them. The departments' ad-
ministrations have power only to
the degree that the faculty and
students let it slip from their
grasp.
THIS INFLUENCE of students
over academics is strengthened by
the academic decentralization of
the University, a decentralization
symbolized by Vice-President for
Academic Affairs Allen Smith's
refusal to take any action in the
architecture department case. The
bogey of a highly centralized
bureaucracy thus does not haunt
students working in academics as
it haunts students working in ther
area of housing or the selection of
the next President.
In the academic area power is
largely a question of where the
confidence of the students and
faculty reposes. For informal
power is a very important element
in academic government. Two or
three popular faculty members can
often mean more to a dean's
authority than any number of
clever associate deans.
Thus, when faculty or students
lose confidence in their depart-
ment's administration, that ad-
ministration loses effective gov-
erning power over its department.
The fate of Prof. Jacques brow-
son, chairman of the architecture
department, is the culmination of
such a process.
When faculty and students lose
that confidence in their depart-
mental administration, academic
reform thus depends solely on their
desire for it, on how much or-
ganizational talent and time they
are willing to expend. Unfortun-
ately both groups are notorious for
their lethargy and inherent dis-
organization.
OFTEN, HARD WORK on such
reforms will depend upon the per-
sonalities involved. If a student
enjoys the company of his reform
committee peers and feels he is
being effective he will remain with
the committee and work hard. If
not, he will gradually drift out.
This means there is not likely
to be a single pattern for the
operation of academic reform
committees. They will have to be
set up with thee individual depart-
ment and its personalities taken
into consideration. Each depart-
ment must evolve its own forms
in great readiness to try and err.
WHATIS IMPORTANT now is
that students and faculty be ready
to act intelligently if such aca-
demic reform situations multiply
as they seem to be doing.
It is for them that the reforms
will be acting. It falls to them, as
the ultimate power in depart-
ments, to see that those reforms
are for the best.
THE ATOMIC ENERGY Commission
cannot afford to stall any longer on
its selection of a site for the proposed 200
billion electron volt (BEV) atomic particle
accelerator.
This high-energy nuclear research f.a-
cility would be six times larger than any
other such device in the world. Scientists
have constantly stressed that we must
build a plant of the 200 BEV size because
science has long sought the information
'which, this accelerator would help to
discover. With our great capabilities, if we
do not build for optimum size, we would
soon want tobuild a larger one.
PLANS CALL FOR the $375 million cost
of the accelerator to be provided in
yearly proportions in the federal budgets
over the seven years required for con-.
struction.
However, the government announced
recently that the Viet Nam war comes be-
fore any research project. Already threat-
ened w ith cutbacks, if the project does
not begin soon, will most likely be silent-
ly scrapped.
Many legislators are tired of the de-
lays and are waiting for a chance to cut
the cost of the project or eliminate it com-
pletely from the budget. Many have been
fighting from the start for alternatives of
lower capacity and have added a restric-
tion so that funds cannot be approved on
the budget until the final site has been
selected.
T -IS PROBABLE that now the legisla-
tors from many states, who had origin-
ally supported the project, will begin to
look on it with disfavor. With the choices
narrowed to six, it is indeed more than
likely, that the interest of all'but a Aand-
ful of congressmen will be cool to the pro-
posal.
Yet the AEC has continued to delay the
decision and the government has given
no funds for the project. It is almost cer-
tain that with the present schedule the
AEC will not be able to get fund appropri-
Student Meets
Candidate
T HE REALIZATION that the University
of Michigan is in a city is finally being
felt on both sides of the campus boun-
daries. This coming City Council election
offers students the very important oppor-
tunity to have .considerable influence on
just who is going to be making decisions
which are worth quite a bit to students
as a whole - housing and zoning ordi-
nances, for example.
I thus is obviously imperative that
students get as close contact with the
candidates as possible, as it is also itn-
perative that the candidates are given
a show of strength on the part of the
student body.
TONIGHT AT 8 P.M. in Auditorium A
there is a candidate-student forum
which can fulfill both those ends. As many
students as possible should attend.
-HARVEY WASSERMAN
Acting Editorial Director
Acting Editorial Staff
MdARK R.KILLINGSWORTH. Editor
BRUOE WASSERSTEIN, Executive Editor
ations before the present congressional
session ends this summer, meaning more
delays.
It is the scientists who now are exert-
ing the pressure. They have gotten the
National Science Foundation to agree to
take up the slack by giving renewable
funds for preliminary planning and equip-
ment design until the government funds
begin.
YET WITHOUT SUPPORT of the politi-
cal and business interests, this may
be no more than a futile gesture. Further-
more, the interest which has been built
up is already beginning to fade due to long
periods of silence between loud promises
which don't appear to have much sub-
stance. Deep secrecy covers the whole
operation.
Rep. Weston E. Viviai has been one of
the staunchest supporters of the project
from its inception. He announced recent-
ly that the program will die if the apathy
of influential businessmen and indus-
trialists is not checked.
If the site in Northfield is chosen, it
will have very important local economic
and prestige benefits for the area. Rep.
Vivian has continually reported that most
people in the community see the advan-
tages and are hoping that the decision
will be made in favor of Northfield as a
site.
EVEN ON THE LOCAL LEVEL, however,
the delays have begun to cause unrest
and dissention about the accelerator.
Many residents of Northfield are living on
land which will be purchased as part of
the site if that area is chosen.
However, as it stands now, they are riot
sure whether or not they will have to
move and are afraid to do expensive re-
pair work or make any firm commit-
ments about the future. They have begun
sending requests to influential people,
asking that either the AEC make a deci-
sion soon or remove Northfield from the
list of sites being considered.
THE AC MUST TAKE action to im-
prove the chances of the 200 BEV ma-
chine. They can do this by:
0 Taking action to choose a site imme-
diately.
" Beginning a large scale and costly
program of information as to why the
selection is taking as long as it is, aiming
at keeping interest in the project high.
If the AEC does not-take one of these
courses soon, it runs the risk of losing
not only the momentum which the inter-
est in the project has built up, but also
the project itself.
SCIENCE HAS ADVANCED to the point
weewe are stifled for research fa-
cilities and want to make a great step
forward with this accelerator. Above all,
in view of the fact that the program
will require seven years to complete, the
AEC can ill afford to stall any longer than
necessary in beginning construction.
-WALLACE IMMEN
You Don't Say,
IN A TOAST Monday at a dinner honor-
ing the visit of India's Prime Minister
Indira Gandhi to this country, President
Johnson outlined a proposal for a $300
million foundation to promote progress
in all fields of learning in India.
IN HIS REMARKS, according to the New
York Times, Johnson said that the
United States believes in backing those
who are determined to solve their own
social and economic problems. He quoted
the words of the late Prime Minister
Nehru: "Democracy demands, discipline,
tolerance, mutual regard. Freedom de-
mands respect for the freedom of others.
In a democracy changes are made by mu-
tual discussion and persuasion and not
by violent means."
"There is much that binds India and
the United States together," Johnson said.
"Both our nations have the deep felt
obligation to the basic dignity of man-
the conviction that people can solve their
problems far better by free choice than
they can under an arrangement by force."
Silver Reserves:* Speculation, Abuse
By WALLACE IMMEN
T HE UNITED STATES Treasury
must soon develop a well-
defined policy to protect its re-
maining reserves of silver, if it is
to avoid a dangerous shortage
which could result in an economic
panic.
The tremendous increase in the
need for silver in industry has
made it increasingly important
that the country has a good re-
serve. Seeing this need, the treas-
ury has begun several programs
to replace all the silver in do-
mestic circulation with currency
made of baser metals.
This has released much silver,
but instead of storing it for use
when a shortage becomes acute
in the future, we are literally
giving away a great deal of the
supply. Tons of irreplacable silver
in the form of coins and ingots
are still leaving the treasury at
face value daily 'because we con-
tinue to put off reform of our
antiquated silver laws.
AN ASSESSMENT of the stag-
nating situation could have been
made long ago, as the basic ele-
ments of the problem have been
present for sometime.
An expanding economy, increas-
ed use of silver in industry (es-
pecially photography), the use of
vending machines, a sudden boom
in coin collections, and the in-
creased amount of money avail-
able for speculation in such a key
commodity all are contributing to
a potential crisis.
Although treasury officials are
taking action to prevent this crisis,
those measures established so far
reflect little indication of fore-
thought or an efficient master
plan.
THE FIRST STEP taken was
the decision to remove the silver
locked up as backing for silver
certificate one and two dollar
bills and then to use it for coining
money. The bills have now been
replaced by new ones backed by
whatever substance the govern-
ment wishes to call "lawful
money."
But this reform did not allow
for a buildup of reserves. The gov-
ernment now held enough silver
on reserve to last the mints about
seven years of production at pro-
jected needs. With no new source
in sight, they continued to make
90 per cent silver coins using
millions of ounces of the reserve
with no plan for what would hap-
pen when it ran out in seven
years.
THE CRISIS could result when
the treasury's silver reserves are
depleted with no new source of
supply. If this drain is allowed to
continue, the vaults will be empty
in less than five years. Within
this time, a drastic change must
be undertaken to stabilize the
treasury's reserve because the de-
pletion of our silver reserves would
affect our economic health.
If some of our debts to other
nations were suddenly demanded
in silver and we didn't have a suf-
ficient supply on hand, there
would be a general panic and a
would be a general panic and a
loss of trust in the American
economy. For compared to the
national debt, our silver reserves
are miniscule. Their highest total
value in ten years was $148 million
in 1958, and since that time the
total has shrunken to only $24
million.
It is interesting to note that
there is still $600 million in do-
mestic currency redeemable in
silver outstanding. In the face
of this, $24 million does not appear
to be a large sum. And yet we are
selling from that amount' every
time the market price changes
from the current $1.29 per ounce.
SPOKESMEN for the treasury
continually tell the public that we
are prepared to handle any situa-
tion which threatens the efficient
operation of the economy.
This may be true to an extent,
but the main concern of many
stems from the application of a
concept known in economics as
Gresham's Law. This law asserts
that if money with a higher in-
trinsic value exists simultaneously
in a country with money of lower
content of precious metal, the
higher will go off the market and
the former will continue to cir-
culate.
If this happens quickly enough
with the switch from silver (with
higher intrinsic value than the
new baser metal coins) the new
ones may not be available in
amounts which meet circulation
needs. A shortage of change could
cause panic or a slowdown of
everyday business.
MANY OF THE present prob-
lems stem from our adherence to
a thirty two year-old document.
For since 1934, the Silver Pur-
chase Act has been used as a guide
to the policy on silver, either as
surplus or for backing currency in
circulation. This act- requires
treasury reserves to be sold when-
ever the price of the metal fluc-
tuates from a given price. This is
done to create a stable price level.
In the years =since its enactment,
bills aimed at reform of this law
have been as much a part of the
fixtures of legislative sessions as
the legislators. Yet the same law
is still in effect, hindering the
present attempts at change of the
inefficient policy.
The treasury as yet has iot
explained why it is still selling
according to the, old 1934 policy.
They say only that there is no
danger of a crisis, which does not
seem to be consistent with their
desire to continue to sell the re-
serves. If these are measures to
avoid a crisis, then the public
should be informed and more
drastic steps should be taken.
TAKING THE current actions
into account, there appears to be
and even less awareness of what
little organization in the planning
this lack of, organization means
at a time when the price of silver
threatens to increase drastically,
and the treasury supply is fast
running short. As it stands now,
the policy reflects pressure from
western silver interests and re-
sults in a type of subsidy for man-
ufacturers of products using silver
because it keeps the price of the
metal down.
One glaring example of this
type of misuse of the treasury's
reserve potential was the sudden
distribution at face value of about
300 million silver dollars which
had been carefully stashed in the
treasury since the days of the
wild west. These were obviously
temptations to coin collectors and
speculators all over the country
and more than passing interest
was paid by many thousands who
wanted to get in on the "cart-
wheel craze."
THUS ALL the silver dollars
were released and anyone who had
a thousand dollars to spare-not
so difficult these 'days-could
walk away with as many bags of
silver as he wished. Not only did
this increase the interest of nu-
mismatists because many of the
coins were of rare dates, but it
also increased the interest of spec-
ulators who knew nothing more
than the fact that a ton of silver
was going to be worth increasingly
more as the need for silver in-
creased.
Within a few months there were
only a handfull of banks in the
country which even had some of
the dollars on hand and only
three million returned to the
treasury. The real problem which
this created was the dealing of
coins in bulk which puts much of
the country's important silver re-
serves into hoardes where they
do little good.
WHAT MAY BE needed is a re-
form on the scale of Roosevelt's
removal of gold from circulation
in 1933. Today, unfortunately,
such a radical program would not'
be easy to complete considering
the magnitude of the present
economic surge. A money crisis at
this time could stifle the economy
for months and even create a
panic among foreign nations
(which could also wipe out our
gold reserves).
The situation with silver is es-
pecially acute because the market
increases daily and there are many
uses for which no effective sub-
stitute can be found. As the need
increases, the supply decreases.
Hence there is an unstable com-
petitive market.:
THERE IS immediate need for
a new silver act which restricts
such things as speculation in bulk
silver and makes, provisions for an
effecient method to skirt the prob-
lems which could arise from a
temporary shortage of change.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
Anti-Semitism Still a Dangerous Force
To the Editor:
HILDA YANEZ in her letter of
March 27 criticizing Marshall
Lassar's article on Anti-Semitism'
in Europe, complains that Mr.
Lassar is ignorant of the "facts"
of the situation. Unfortunately, it
is Miss Yanez who has shown a
rather pitiful ignorance of the
situation. For it is hard to see how
anyone with even a 'superficial
knowledge of recent events could
fail to be aware of the large extent
of racist feelings in Germany and
Austria which are continually be-
ing revealed by various incidents
and statements.
MISS YANEZ explains away
Lassar's reference to the anti-
Semitic remarks made by Franz
Olah, former Austrian Interior
Minister, now running for Parlia-
ment, by saying that this was a
fault of the translation. Unfor-
tunately this is not the case. In
the New York Times of February
27, in an article entitled "Anti-
Semitism Used in Austrian Race,"
it is made clear that little has
changed in terms of attitudes and
ideas in Austria.
The article quotes an election
pamphlet supporting Olah against
some members of the Socialist
party (who are contemptuously
referred to as "the Jews Pitter-
mann, Broad and Kreisky" al-
though only the latter is known to
be of some Jewish ancestry) as
saying in typical Nazi style,
"The Jews in the Socialist party
are reaching for power . . . Pitter-
emotional assertations to the con-
trary. According to the March 2
New York Times, Neo-Nazi activity
has risen sharply in the -past year.
There were 521 confirmed cases
of pro-Nazi incidents in Germany
last year and undoubtedly many
unreported and unconfirmed ones,
especially since Germany is an-
xious to present an anti-Nazi fa-
cade to the rest of the world.
Within the past year, membership
in 113 right-wing organizations in-
creased by more than 25 per cent,
while the circulation of extreme
right-wing newspapers and per-
iodicals increased by almost 24
per cent.
THE SAME blind nationalism
and desire for "lebenstraum"
which was characteristic of the
Hitler era continues today. Ger-
many has consistently refused to
accept its present boundaries and
continues to claim Polish end
Czech territory as part oft er-
many, much as did Hitler. West
German President Heinrich Luebke
has continued to insist that there
are two German homelands-one
in the Federal Republic, and the
other "somewhere in Poland,
Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union,
Hungary, or Rumania."
MISS YANEZ makes much of
the fact that a few of the less
important war criminals have been
prosecuted. She ignores the fact
that most of the higher-ranking
Nazis have gone unpunished, or,
at most, have served a few years
It is interesting and significant
to note that Luebke owes much of
his present eminence to the own-
ers of those plants to which
the slave laborers were sent. The
present day owners, incidentally,
are the same ones who worked so'
willingly with Hitler, and I the
same ones who made their profits
by working the forced laborers to
death.
MANY MORE examples. could
be given, and several books have
been published within the past
few yeads giving much more in-
formation than there is space for
here. It would do Miss Yanez good
to read them.
-Paul Kanter, '67
Catholic Statement
To the Editor:
MARSHALL LASSAR in his re-
cent review of current anti-
Semitism ("Leaders' Failure Aids
Anti-Semitism") has made one or
two errors of fact.
I would be the first to agree with
Mr. Lassar that "the one institu-
tion above all in which anti-
Semitism should have long been
dead" is the Roman Catholic
Church. And I would also admit,
but this time with sorrow, that it
"still has not cleansed itself of
prejudice."
But as proof for this contention
Mr. Lassar is incorrect in saying
"the clause exonerating the Jews
of the murder of Jesus was deleted
often forgotten fact that a Chris-
tian should not hate anyone
period. And anti-Semitism is hate.
What the council finally did was
not to delete the clause "exonerat-
ing the Jews of the murder of
Jesus from the council's declara-
tion on religious freedom" but to
ratify the declaration on non-
Christian religions by a vote of
1,763 to 250. And this declaration
as finally approved states "the
Church .. . deplores hatred, per-
secutions, displays of anti-
Semitism, directed against Jews at
any time or by anyone."
AS I CHRISTIAN, I can point
to this statement only with an
emotion close to sorrow-twenty
centuries seems a long time indeed
to come to a collective realization,
of John the Evangelist's initial
insight: "He who does not love
his brother whom he has seen
cannot love God whom he has not
seen. But hopefully a tiny step
has been taken.
(Rev.) William B. Neenan, S.J.
Grad
The Draft.
To the Editor:
IN RECENT MONTHS many fac-
ulty members and students have
expressed concern over the draft
implications of giving or receiving
a low grade in a course. The prob-
lem of a low grade with the Selec-
tive Service threat is no small one
for either side.
To help re~ie've this nvoblem I
would be relieved of the worry
associated with low grades.
THE MAIN CONSEQUENCE of
such a move would be to eliminate
most D and E grades but such a
move probably would not alter
class standings. A change in the
drop requirement would not in-
dicate a lowering of the standards
of the University, of course, since
the standards for graduation
and receipt of -a degree would re-
main the same in terms of both
hours and credit.
Further, the standards in any
course are not measured by the
number of low grades. The prin-
cipal impact of such a move for
students subject to the draft would
be/ that most would take summer
courses so as not to postpone the
time when they receive a degree.
From the viewpoint of the Uni-
versity and its income there might
be cause to modify the tuition
policy relating to refunds when
a course load is lowered. However,
I do not believe a change in the
policy would be necessary and in-
deed such a move might increase
summer enrollments.
BEYOND THE DRAFT problem
I believe a strong case can be
built that the decision on the
load carried is best made by the
student under any circumstances.
Too often, the student is better
able to judge his capacities than is
a counselor. Indeed some of the
reports I hear concerning the at-
titudes of counselors on dropping
courses.lead me to believe that far
CLARENCE FANTO
Managing Editor
HARVEY WASSERMAN
Editorial Director
JOHN MEREDITH........Associate Managing Editor'
LEONARD PRATT ........ Associate Managing Editor
BABETTE COHNf..... .......Personnel Director
CHARLOTTIE WOLTER . Associate Editoral Director
ROBERT CARNEY. ...Associate Editorial Director
ROBERT MOORE ... ...........Magazine Editor
CHARLES VETZNER .................Sports Editor
JAMES LaSOVAGE ..... . Associate Sports Editor
JAMES TINDALL .......... Associate Sports Editoi
OIL SAMBERG.............Assistant Sports Editor
SPORTS NIGHT EDITORS: Bob McFarland, Howard
Kohn, Dan Okrent, Dale Sielaff, Rick Stern- iohn
Sutkus -
ASSISTANT DAY EDITORS: Richard Charin, Jane
Dreyfuss, Susan Elan, Shirley Rosick, Robert Shiller,
Ala'n Valusek.
Acting Business Staff
SUSAN PERLSTADT, Business Mairager