I EXTRA Y A6r Allp 411tr4tnan 74Iait1 EXTRA Seventy-Five Years of Editorial Freedom VOL. LXXV, No. 166 ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 1966 TWO PAGES *' * * * * * 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-