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EXTRA
Seventy-Five Years of Editorial Freedom
VOL. LXXV, No. 166 ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 1966
TWO PAGES
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COMMENTS:
Hopes for Success Only
Dimmed by Budget Cuts
FBy H-ARVEY WASSERMAN i frlot +'hiiAa av ai~n
By HARVEY WASSERMAN
Editorial Director
"This is a red letter day in the
growth of the University and in
the concept of educational ex-
pansion for universities all over
the country."
Thus spoke University President
Harlan Hatcher last night in ref-
erence to yesterday's approval by
the University Board of Regents
o plans to Dunai a new residen-
tial College.
University administrators and
faculty met yesterday's approval
by the B )ard of Regents of the
new Residential college with acco-
lades, but also with serious reser-
vation about the possible detri-
mental effects to the College as a
result of a one million dollar cut
in budget allocations.
Dean William Haber of the
An Editorial ...
YESTERDAY, the last day of the academic year, may be remem-
bered as one of the most significant in University history. The
Regents' approval of the residential college marks, as President
Hatcher said last night, "a red-letter day." It is the culmination--
and the commencement-of many dreams about ways to revitalize
and extend the academic excellence of the University.
As the residential college faculty planning committee noted
in its report, "It may be possible to combine the virtues of the
very large university and the fine, small, arts college, while holding
to a minimum their respective deficiencies. It is just this unique
contribution that the new residential college at the University aims
to achieve ..."
But this decision does not make the college a fait accompli.
It will be realized only when a rich, lively and intelligent environ-
ment has been created for-and is influencing-some 1200 under-
graduates a year. Two kinds of obstacles remain.
THE FIRST problem, despite yesterday's decision, is financial.
The Regents authorized construction of the college's first
buildings, each containing living units, classrooms, faculty offices
and a 'makeshift library; the University is now pledged to finance
these structures.
Yet administrators are already worried that the $9 million bond
sale, the major part of the housing units' financing, is shaky in its
assumption of low financing costs.
Moreover, in approving the buildings, the Regents set a major
condition: that sufficient architectural changes, a euphemism for
deletions, can be made to avoid the necessity of a differential tui-
tion for the college. These changes, it is estimated, will have to
take at least $1 million from the cost of the building; and while
University administrators are confident that much can be deleted
and yet still fulfill the college's basic academic promise, the fac-
ulty planning committee is not so sure.
And the rest of the college plan is a gamble as well: no one is
sure where or when funds for the other buildings will come. And
the residential college could not survive, let alone thrive, in a lovely-
but isolated building in the middle of a golf course.
This money is essential. University fund-raisers hope that the
fact of yesterday's decision will stimulate suppo-t, that an ongoing
project will attract gifts from donors who might be unenthusiastic
about a mere set of hopes. But to this optimistic speculation the
officials must add determined effort. Putting this project as a top
priority in the $55-million campaign would be a good start.
THE SECOND QUESTION is whether, given the facilities and
money they need, the people involved in the residential college
will succeed in reah4zng its potential. The presence of money by
no means guarantees anything of educational value to those 1200
students-indeed, money may work against education, if it leads
to snug comfort.
The social theories behind the college are sound, but guarantee
nothing. Even with money, sociology, and everyone's good inten-
tions behind it, the college could turn out to be no substantial
improvement over the present. Or worse: its smallness might make
life in the college just "four more years of high school," as one
critic has predicted.
As always in education, the answers are difficult and require
sensitivity and intelligence; in this case, they also will require the
courage to depart from what is safe and accepted. The people of
the college will, in many respects, have the freedom to go to the
limit, to do what education requires without the encumbrance of
literary college added his approv-
al: "The Regents are to be con-
gratulated for having endorsed
an. imaginative and exciting edu-
cational innovation, fully recog-
nizing that there are risks in-
volved. This is one of the ways
the University, like all other in-
stitutions in America, is seeking
to accommodate to change."
Vice President for Academic Af-
fairs Allan W. Smith said that
"we are quite pleased the Regents
have approved this fine opportu-
nity to expand our educational
excellence," and he joined Haber
in lauding "the fine work done by
the college's faculty planning
committee. They have rendered
the University community a great
service."
Prof. Carl Cohen of the philo-
sophy department, one of the
members of the planning commit-
tee, said last night that "I am ex-
tremely pleased that the Resi-
dential College is going to become
a reality, and I am confident that
it will result in a real improve-
ment in undergraduate education
on this campus." He added that
"I share the concern that the im-
pending cut in the capital outlay
for the college may endanger the
success of the venture, and may
reduce its effectiveness. Neverthe-
less, I remain hopeful that within
these limitations the major por-
tion of our ideals can still be
achieved."1
Committee member Theodore
Newcomb of the social psychology
department added, "We have been
forced to cramp certain facilities
which may reduce the effective-
ness of the college. "However," he
added, "I am quite optimistic that
the major portion of our goals can
be achieved."
"We will try our best to work
with the architect to cut the cost
of the dorms. There is some ques-
tion whether this can be done, but
we are not yet discouraged."
Prof. Bradford Perkins of the
history department, also a mem-
bor of the committee, added that
"I sh'are my colleagues' concern
that reducing the physical invest-
ment in the college may seriously
affect our hopes and plans for its
See HOPES, Page 2
ASSOCIATE iDEAN BURTON D. THUMA of the literary college, director of the residential college
(left), and Prof. Theodore M. Newcomb of the social psychology department (right) were instrumen-
tal in creating the residential college plan conditionally passed yesterday by the Regents.
FINANCING AHEAD:
Approval of New College
Four Years of Planning I
East Quad '67,
North Campus '69
Financial Sources Not Predicted;
Hatcher Declares 'Red Letter' Day
By MARK R. KILLINGSWORTH
Editor
The Regents conditionally approved the proposed University
residential college-the daring, complex and costly culmination of
nearly four years of work-at their meeting yesterday.
The college will admit its first students in September, 1967 to
quarters in East Quad. By the fall of 1969 it is expected the college
will be able to move to aspecial building complex on North Campus.
Vice-President for Business and Finance Wilbur K. Plerpont
said last night that the University has made a definite commitment
to the construction of the North Campus facilities.
Although the precise "mix" of financing can not yet be deter-
mined, the University will use "all available resources to guarantee
the construction of the college," Pierpont said.
According to Pierpont the University is committed to using gen-
eral operating funds to supplement whatever financing can be ob-
tained through loans and private gifts in order to construct the
college.
President Harlan Hatcher said afterwards approval was "a red
letter day for the University."
College director and Associate Dean of the literary college Burton
D. Thuma said, "Faculty and student planners have worked long and
'""hard on plans. We are very glad
that the Regents approve of the
fruits of our efforts."
Two Regents abstained from
voting-Alvin Bentley because he
Climaxeshas just taken his seat n the
ClmaxesBoard and Frederick C.Ma
because he still has questions about
the plan's financing.
The college, according to the re-
o rts .port of the faculty committee
II OrtSwhch panned i" ad ofwhic
Thuma is chairman, will be a
1200-student "community Iin a
tensified by having their class- metropolis." This method of de-
mates nearby to maintain a level entralizing the University is sim-
of intellectual excitement. ilar to the Oxford-Cambridge
In order to aid their planning, system, in which a large univer-
members of the Residential Col- sity is made up of colleges, of 200
lege faculty committee have vis- students.
ited similar experimental colleges The novel curriculum design is
all over the country. In 1964, intended to "serve as a focus for
Prof. Alan T. Gaylord of the Eng- deliberate, controlled experimen-
lish department traveled to Ray- tation in undergraduate educa-
mond College, the Residential Col- tion."
legt of the University of the Pa- While the residential college will
cific in Stockton, Calif. Last year have autonomy in its curriculum
Burton D. Thuma, associate dean and other academic matters, fac-
of the literary college and direc- ulty in the college will be regular
tor of the Residential College, vis- members of the literary college,
ited experimental colleges at the and, according to a March 6 reso-
University of Massachusetts and lution of the literary college ex-
Michigan State University. New- ecutive committee, "This plan is
comb and Prof. Donald Brown of ecommended for approval under
the psychology department have the assumption - that its imple-
also studied first-hand several ex- mentation will not affect basic
perimental colleges. priority commitments for build-
Thuma terms Raymond College ings and equipment to meet the
the "closest to what we're trying needs of the nearly 11,000 under-
to do," since it is the only one of graduate LSA students now on the
these experimental colleges that central campus."
is really a separate college with As approved by the Regents, the
its own classrooms and dormitor- residential college time-table calls
ies. for the unit to start in remodeled
At the University of California quarters in East Quadrangle in
at Santa Cruz, colleges similar to September, 1967 "looking toward
the Residential College are being occupancy of (its) North Campus
used to build a whole new univer- site in the fall of 1969."
sity. The first 800-student unit, It is believed that the Regents'
Cowell College, has already be- statement reflects some concern
gun operations, and residential that the move to North Campus
colleges will be added regularly may come after fall, 1969, due to
until a 30,000-student university, possible difficulties and delay in
composed entirely of 800-student getting sufficient donor and leg-
residential college units, has been islative support.
built up. Under yesterday's proposal, East
But the program here has run Quadrangle would be remodeled to
into real difficulties just in get- include classrooms and seminar
ting off the ground. rooms as well as "provisions .. .
Early in 1962, foreseeing a for faculty residents as well as
squeeze between the University's students."
problems of being too large for The North Campus building for
effective administration and edu- the college will also provide hous-
cational quality while still being ing and academic space as well.
in the position of responsibility It was understood that when the
for a new influx of enrollment, college moves to its permanent
the Curriculum Committee of site, East Quadrangle facilities
the literary college recommended may become a pilot project or resi-
By ALICE BLOCH
"Lost-one Residential College.
Call Thuma."
This facsimilie want-ad in the
program of a Daily banquet two
months ago seemed to sum up the
state of Residential College plans.
At the beginning of the semester
it appeared certain that the col-
lege would not begin cperations
until 1968 at the earliest. Now the
Regents have, approved a plan
to start the college in temporary
quarters in East Quadrangle in
the fall of 1967 and to move to
a site near North Campus in 1969.
College planners and adminis-
trators still have a multitude of
financing problems facing them,
but some major hurdles have
been cleared. Among these hurdles
are plans for the curriculum and
for some of the domitories.
Planning took longer than any-
one had anticipated.
One faculty planner now says
he was "unrealistic" to have
thought in 1962 that the college
would be ready to begin operations
in 1965. Burton D. Thuma, asso-
ciate dean of the literary college
and director of the Residential
College, says, "the democratic pro-
cess is painful but we insist upon
using it, even if it takes longer."
The planning of the college has
involved students as well as fac-
ulty, Thuma pointed out. Because
of the wide divergence of ideas; it
is quite natural that precise plans
take time to draw up, he com-
mented.
The Residential College plan in-
volves the construction of a com-
plex of residence halls and class-
rooms for about 1200 students as
a self-contained unit some distance
away from the University's central
campus. Resident advisers would
be specially trained to work as
academic counselors. Members of
the regular literary college faculty
would teach at the college.
In this way planners expect to
"combine the intimacy and excite-
ment of the small college atmos-
phere with the diverse resources
of the large university." By cre-
ating a small, self-contained unit
within the sprawling University,
it is hoped that participating stu-
dents will be placed in a situation
in which their academic identity
could be maintained and even in-