Seventy-Sixth Year
EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
UNDER AUTHORITY OF BOARD IN CONTROL OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS
The Greek System: Aftermath
I
Where Opinions Are Free, 420 MAYNARD ST., ANN ARBoR, Mica,
Truth Will Prevail',
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.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 1966 NIGHT EDITOR: PATRICIA CHOPP
Time for the University
To Practice What It Preaches
By HARVEY WASSERMAN
Editorial birector
PAT O'DONOHUE'S editorial en-
titled "Sororities: A View From
Within" set a new Daily record by
drawing eleven letters.
Why?
WELL, FIRST it is interesting
to note that there were four edi-
torials critical of the Greek sys-
tem before Pat's, which drew a
collective total of zero letters. No-
body took issue with terming IFC
"useless"; nobody from fraterni-
ties specifically mentioned on
questions of racial and religious
discrimination bothered to clarify
their position; nobody from a sor-
ority bothered to contest the as-
sertion that "if the Greek system
becomes your entire life at college
you might just as well have stayed
in high school."
But when Miss O'Donohue let
out the word during rush that she,
as a sorority member, didn't like
it and wouldn't advise people to
join, the sororities hastened to re-
spond in print.
And, of course, the first response
was aimed not at the editorial
and what it said, but at the tim-
ing ("... the fact that Miss O'Don-
ohue's article was calculated to
strike the death blow to the Pan-
hellenic system with no time for
a rejoinder"). And there were, of
course, the invitations to leave
". . . there is no pressure on the
dissatisfied sorority woman to re-
main in the system"). Nor was
Miss O'Donohue "trying to foment
rebellion among 400 rushees."
IT SEEMS the only situation
which draws a response is when
pledge lists seem to have been
threatened-not before and prob-
ably not after. Small wonder such
a large institution manages to ini-
tiate so little. They could do much
more. These are a few obvious
things for a start:
1) THE SORORITIES ought
never to commit the travesty of
fall rush again. Saying this is like
throwing straws to the wind be-
cause the sororities gained back
their membership losses in the
most "successful" rush since 1950
-successful for all the warm bod-
ies filling the houses next yea".
But what about the rushees? The
summer rush, three solid, pres-
sured weeks of reinforcing irrele-
vant personality traits, the mad
dash to join in a decision impos-
sible to understand in so short a
time--the cost to the girls is fan-
tastic.
But the sororities have thus in-
sured solvency so I predict fall
rush will stay.
2) While fraternity rush is not
nearly so bad as sorority rush, it
is stultified and not really very re-
vealing of exactly what a house
has to offer. Part of the reason is
that it is still too formal, and a
loosening of dress standards might
be a help to relax everybody, let-
ting true natures come through
and perhaps changing the selling
points.
The present type of rush, un-
fortunately, sets a very real tone
for the types of houses that re-
sult. The system would be much
better through the year if every-
one were a little more relaxed, a
little more real during the first
weeks.
3) THERE IS NO institutional-
ized recognition for any fraternity
or sorority other than weekend
triumphs -and athletic events.
What is needed is the establish-
ment of a year-long IFC and
Pan-hel competition based on a
point system - a point system
which would include not only
sports and show weekends, but
things like academics, charity
work, speaker programs, participa-
tion in campus activities, and oth-
er such trivialities.
As an institution, the Greek sys-
tem has the power and the respon-
sibility to promote such activities
-and prestige has always been a
good persuader.
4) IFC and Pan-Hel should get
off their irrelevant perches and do
something of value. FPA's inability
to come up with even a second for
the motion to study the draft is a
perfect example-they just wont
take the effort to care. One thing'
they don't seem to realize is that
they have the best structure on
campus for political organization
and interaction-all they have to
do is use their minds a little to
get something started.
5) PEOPLE WITHIN the fiater-
nities and sororities should stop
viewing all criticism as "anti-
Greek" and step back to look at
just exactly what they are dowg.
Most of the criticism comes from
people who are or have been mem-
bers and who have bothered to
enunciate their gripes. That the
majority reaction is almost invar-
iably "if you don't like it you can
always leave" says something
about the group mentality.
The function of criticism is to
destroy weak points and build
strong ones in their place. Enouzh
weak points and the system falls-
it is those who categorically de-
fend the status quo, not those who
criticize, who are most destructive.
FRATERNITIES and sororities
had better realize that times are
changing and that there are new
demands being placed on the
minds as well as the bodies of
their membership. The System can
hope to neither serve nor hold its
constituency in stagnation.
IN A RECENT REPORT to the faculty
the University's administration noted
that the school has ".. . long been a de-
fender of the basic freedom of its stu-
dents and staff to express their opinions
on controversial issues."
"In recent times University officers
have repeatedly spoken out in defense of
this freedom ,and have often personally
taken public stands on controversial top-
ics . r we fully intend to continue in this
defense of freedom to dissent."
ASSUMING THAT the administration is
sincere here, and there is little reason
to think otherwise, it now has a perfect
chance to practice what it has been
preaching.
Today the American Civil Liberties Un-
ion is filing suit in federal court in De-
.troit to halt the induction of six Uni-
versity students who were reclassified
1-A for sitting-in at the Ann Arbor draft
board last October 15 in a Viet Nam pro-
test. The students lost their final Selec-
tive Service appeal last week and the
court action represents their final re-
course to avert being drafted.
When the students were reclassified
last fall for allegedly violating Selective
Service law, President Hatcher charged
that the decision 'warps and could even
degrade the entire concept of the draft."
He added that, "Selective Service must
not be allowed to become an instrument
for punishing dissent."
Vice-President for Student Affairs
Richard Cutler, Vice-President for Aca-
demic Affairs Allan Smith and Regent
Irene Murphy were also critical..
"Whether or not the local Selective
Service board was 'knowingly obstructed
in the performance of its duty' by this
protest," said Cutler, "seems to me to be
a question open to determination by due
process not by a blanket judgment of a
Selective Service official."
THIS IS THE SAME contention the stu-
dents' lawyers are putting before the
court. It is logical ,therefore, to. expect
the University to defend the reclassified
students at this crucial point.
This could be accomplished through a
simple, yet highly significant move by the
University. It could file a friend of the
court (amicus curiae) brief with the stu-
dent's suit. In the brief the University'
could back the students by simply reiter-
ating the stand it has already taken on
the matter.
Not only would the University's modest
effort be a tremendous asset to the stu-
dents, but it would clearly establish that
the administration does believe in the
freedom to dissent.
THERE HAS BEEN reason to doubt the
administration's word on this matter
because it turned in the membership lists
of three campus political organizations to
the House Un-American Activities Com-
mittee last month.
But a friend of the court brief would
clearly set the University's position on
student activism straight.
As President Hatcher noted in a speech
last year, "I do not believe that universi-
ties will suffer in the long run, because
they guard the freedom of their faculties
and students. The universities have the
obligation. . . to protect these basic liber-
ties. In good conscience we cannot do
otherwise."
-ROGER RAPOPORT
Warren Report
Out of Date?
THE WARREN COMMISSION has re-
cently received still more criticism for
its report on the assassination of Presi-
dent Kennedy. Several London papers,
prompted by the British publication of
two books critical of the report, have
asked for a renewed inquiry on the
grounds that the commission "did cut
some corners."
The books, "Inquest" by Edward Jay
Epstein and "Rush to Judgment" by
Mark Lane, have already been published
in the United States and have evoked a
similar response on the part of Ameri-
can newspapers and magazines. .Both
works have suggested areas where the
commission failed to provide adequate in-
vestigation.
THE MESSAGE is simple: The fact that
many responsible journalists have
found the commission's report inadequate
warrants at least a preliminary inquest,
if not another complete investigation.
Without it, as one of the British papers
said, the judgment will "never be satis-
fying or conclusive."
-PHILIP BLOCK
4
An Equal Opportunity Employer at Work
By WALLACE IMMEN
IN LARGE LETTERS, a sign
above the factory entrance de-
clares: "An Equal Opportunity
Employer."
This sign and a number of
smaller notices are posted
throughout the Detroit factory
where I was employed this sum-
mer. The signs are required by
law in compliance with the Civil
Rights Act of 1964. According to
these notices, the management
handles all of its 800 employes
"without regard for race ,creed,
or national origin." Yet even a
cursory observation reveals that a
glaring lack of equality exists in
this plant, which handles many
government contracts.
LOCATED in an almost 100 per
cent Negro section of urban re-
newal area R-53, it would seem
logical that the main source of
labor would be local Negroes. Such
is hardly the case. In fact, some
white workers commute as far as
40 miles to work in this plant just
two minutes from Tiger Stadium.
After extensive investigation and
talks with fellow employes during
coffee breaks, I discovered several
interesting facts about the status
of Negroes at this plant (which
shell remain nameless due to a
certain sense of loyalty which I
still feel).
There are no Negro foremen.
Few Negroes have much seniority
and those that do seldom achieve
"leader" positions. As one white
"leader' 'said candidly: "I guess
it's about twice as hard for a
nigger to get a promotion-bosses
think they're too lazy."
On the second floor, where the
best paying jobs are located, only
three out of more than 50 work-
ers are Negroes and one of thei
is a janitor.
On the first floor where the
jobs are harder and the pay low-
er, Negroes are still scarce. They
are usually given the most menial
jobs.
IN ONE particular case, a col-
lege student hired a week before
me was laid off during a slack
period. Technically he had more
seniority and I should have been
dropped. We both had similar edu-
cations and our production rec-
ords were practically identical. The
difference which kept me on the
job while he was idled for four
weeks was the color of our skin.
Yet the "Equal Opportunity"
signs remain posted.
The provisions of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal
Employment Opportunities Com-
mittee (EEOC) which it estab-
lished have been in operation for
more than a year. At their incep-
tion they were hailed as massive
steps toward ending discrimina-
tion in employment practices, but
they .have failed to produce many
visible results in this particular
factory.
For this factory is not an ex-
ception in business today. The gov-
ernment has seen so many fail-
ures to comply with the Equal
Opportunity Employment legisla-
tion that it instituted a series of
campaigns to speed the anti-dis-
crimination battle this summer.
One well-publicized attempt fo-
cused at want-ads in newspapers
and magazines which were per-
iodically checked to make sure
they contain nodiscriminatory re-
strictions such as "must be white."
ANOTHER GROUP in action
this summer was the President's
Committee on Equal Employment
Opportunity, instituted shortly
after the enactment of Title VII
to promote equality in the labor
practices of companies handling
government contracts. They insist
that employers doing business
with the government hire, fire and
promote without racial discrimi-
nation. A set of guidelines estab-
lished by the committee attempt
to define equality in employment
policies at length and list factors
which promote the acceptance of
Negroes into staffs.
This commission had a poten-
tially effective method at its dis-
posal to assure adherence to the
guidelines. It can move to make
sure that a plant which does not
agree to the guidelines will not re-
ceive any further government
contracts. With the lucrative sums
involved in most government con-
tracts, this committee should be
able to command much respect.
The President's committee wields
considerable influence and to this
point has had much more appar-
ent effect than the EEOC, as no
provision for enforcement was
made in Title VII. t
THE EEOC now well-establish-
ed, is under the supervision of
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr., who
has outlined the committee's pur-
pose as to put as much moral
persuasion as possible on employ-
ers to eliminate discrimination,
not simply to promote equal op-
portunity.
Whether or not it will eliminate
discrimination, the committee's
operating expenses may go as
high as $10 million in the coming
year. However, it has run into
some real obstacles in its work.
The major problem is that Title
VII is ambiguous in the descrip-
tion of conditions and discrimi-
nation. For example, the law
says discrimination may be al-
lowable "where there is bona fide
occupational qualification which
cannot be met by the applicant."
This leaves room for interpreta-
tion, but the lack of an answer
to the question "What is bona
fide?" is causing a great deal of
delay in the committee's action.
The committee, further, wields lit-
tle or no power of enforcement,
although no trunly stubborn cases
requiring strict enforcement have
been brought before the commit-
tee as yet.
SIMILAR WORK is being done
in many states which have estab-
lished fair employment practices
laws. Michigan is one of those
which does have such a law. Many
complaints are heard by the EEOC
only after individuals or groups
have brought their charges to
their state FEP committee and
been referred to the EEOC.
Any of the equal opportunities
programs, impressive as they may
sound on paper, are still far re-
moved from a complete solution
to the problem of discrimination.
Conditions similar to those in
the plant in Detroit will continue
to exist until employers began to
accept Negroes on a truly equal'
basis with whites. Without such
a change, all the "equal Oppor-
tunity" signs in the world will not
make any 'difference.
4
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
Is It Time for Fair Play for the KKK.
4'
VOICE: A Slight Case
Of Laryngitis
YOU CAN SEE them almost any noon
on the diag. They stand there scream-
ing, sometimes with a public address sys-
tem, sometimes without. They tell us it
depends on the mood of the Plant De-
partment. But with or without sound, or
crowds, they are there; denouncing any-
thing and everything.
They are the martyrs of our age. They
are Voice members.
SThey have admirable ideas-freedom
for everyone, abolishment of war ,the
draft, President Johnson, the University
bureaucracy and whatever else blows ill
wind through their ivory-towers.
They are intellectuals-extremely ar-
ticulate, posteriors made for sit-ins and
hardened soles for marches. Their arms
have the power to carry any plaque. They
are clever, every sign has "a message."
THE PROBLEM is that they never seem
to accomplish anything. Their meet-
ings are a maze of discussions, excite-
ment , and witticisms. They have little
organization. A temporary chairman of
the party is about to resign, and thus a
""L r A 4duall Vats
Editorial Staff
MARK R. KIILINGSWORTH, Editor
BRUCE WASSERSTEIN. Executive Editor
CLARENCE FANTO HARVEY WASSERMAN
Managing Editor Editorial Director
LEONARD PRATT.........Associate Managing Editor
JOHN MEREDITH.......Associate Managing Editor
CHARLOTTE WOLTER .. Associate Editorial Directot
ROBERT CARNEY ...... Associate Editorial Director
ROBERT MOORE..................Magazine Editor
GIL SAMBER ...........Assistant Sports Editor
BABETTE COHN............Personnel Director
NIGHT EDITORS: Michael Hefter, Merle Jacob, Rob-
ert KlivansLaurence Medow, Roger Rapoport, Shir-
new one will presumably be needed. God
only knows how many hours of shouting
go on before someone is found who will
hold the mike.
As stated before they have admirable
ideas but are constantly lamenting the
fact that the administration seems to
beat them at the punch. The administra-
tion does so precisely because it is an ad-
ministration, one which is organized and
has a long history of accomplishments.
It is a sad fact of our technological life
but organization must be fought by bet-
ter and more efficient organization. And
Voice does not appear to be an organiza-
tion much less an efficient one.
AND IT'S A SHAME. Voice has the, po-
tential of being one of the most mean-
ingful groups on campus. Its members
not only think, but they think well. Their
ideas are revolutionary: a contribution
this country sorely needs.
But this potential is hidden in the lu-
dicrous atmosphere of their meetings aft-
er or during which many non-members
leave in disgust.
Maybe, someday, noon on the diag will
have been organized; will have meaning
and may produce tangible results.
Until then ....
-PAT O'DONOHUE
No Commnent
Depart-ment
RUMOR HAS IT that liberal professors
are giving students more and more A's
To the Editor:
THE HOUSE of Representatives
has had' Robert Shelton of the
KKK pdosecuted and convicted
for contempt of the House Com-
mittee on Un-American Activi-
ties. Contemptible as the Klan
and Mr. Shelton may be, they
should not have been prosecuted
for invoking a claim to be free
from HUAC's efforts to destroy
ideas and groups of which it dis-
approves.
Indeed, I hope the American
Civil Liberties Union is successful
in its effort to defend Mr. Shel-
ton in the criminal prosecution
and to obtain a court ruling that
will protect persons of all politi-
cal persuasions from'unconstitu-
tional harassment by irregular
congressional methods.
PERSONS who think of them-
selves as liberals devoted to free-
dom of political association should
speak out now, when the group
being persecuted pursues goals
which are anathema to most lib-
erals, lest it appear that liberals'
defense of political freedom is lim-
ited to the freedom to take' a po-
sition left of center.
-Robert 3. Harris
Peace Candidate
To the Editor:
WAS INDEED a pleasure to
read Mr. Wasserman's editor-
ial concerning Mrs. Boulding's
candidacy. While we do not share
his opinions of the war in Viet
Nam, we did find his prognosis
of Ann Arbor's third party move-
ment excellent.
Mr. Wasserman has rightly
pointed to the irony of the Peace
Party's actions in trying to
achieve a moral objective with po-
litical means. The tragedy is that
the political repercussions of Mrs.
Boulding's write-in campaign are
two-fold: as Wasserman mention-
ed, it will serve to defeat whatever
chance the Peace Party had to
change policy; also it has the po-
tential to destroy the advantage
the local Democratic Party has
lately maintained.
In our view it would be a ser-
ious loss to this district should
Wes Vivian not be returned to
Congress this fall. As Mr. Wasser-
man pointed out, Vivian has con-
sistently supported progressive
programs. He has shown himself
to be a consistent and true lib-
eral, courageous enough to advo-
cate major foreign policy changes
while only a freshman congress-
man. This sort of voice must be
heard in Washington.
IT SEEMS to us that the Peace
Party errs greatly in reducing all
domestic and foreign issues fac-
ing the United States to out-
growths of a sad, sory, little war;
We are told that the Viet Nam
war is the only important issue
and that since Vivian and Esch
both support the present policy
there is therefore no difference
between the two men. This may
be logically sound, but the as-
sumptions from which this syl-
logism proceeds are absurd.,
That Vivian and Esch do not
shore the same political outlook
hardly needs explanation.
Despite its enthusiasm and ,po-
tential for fresh, creative think-
ing on contemporary political
problems, the Peace Party already
shows signs of becoming a "single-
issue" reform outfit. History
shows that as reform is pursued
in the name of rooting out one
great evil from which all troubles
suring the causus belli and the
measures proposed to combat them
become so preposterous as to lose
all credibility and leave their ad-
vocates open to ridicule.
ANN ARBOR'S Peace Party
shows every, sign of becoming just
such a political antique before it
reaches maturity.
-Erik Austin, Grad
-J. Fraser Cocks, III, Grad
Sororities
To the Editor:.
IN RESPONSE to Pat O'Dono-
hue's indictment of the soror-
ity system (Sept.'22), I feel com-
pelled to counter her arguments
with some which contain consid-
erable validity.
The Greek system does have dis-
advantagesa: most sorority girls
would, in fact, concur with Miss
O'Donohue's contention that rush
conform to any image except their
own.
Every sorority has its conform-
ists and "security seekers," but
likewise so do dorms, apartment
buildings, and other organizations.
Conformity comes in many flav-
ors, it seems to me. I must con-
cede that joining a sorority does
limit one's scope in some respects.
However, involvement in any
sphere necessarily implies some
degree of limitation.
MISS O'DONOHUE seems obliv-
ious to the possibility that apart-
ment life can restrict one's con-
tacts, social alternatives, and in-
terests in a much more dramatic
way than a sorority ever could.
Anyliving arrangement has
similar pitfalls if the individual
is not concerned with his own
growth in intellect, cultural and
social awareness',and maturation.
Miss O4Donohue further presup-
noses anything more culturally or
ly neglected by anyone of frater-
lireiectually stimulating than a
T.lis oifbounds, or at least great-
nal affiliation. Nothing could be
further from the truth.
SHE likewise envisions pledge-
ship (and sorority life in general)
as an endless succession of trivia.
It is unfortunate that she has not
penetrated the meaningful part
of sorority life.
Granted we are, as is everyone
living, prey to trivia to some de-
gree but it does, not represent the
compass of our interests. Academ-
ics are paramount, but not to the
exclusion of other avenues of en-
richment of which we deem inter-
action with other people signifi-
cant and meaningful.
It would be naive to claim the
Greek system is without imper-
fections. However, it is restricting
and stifling only to the degree that
individuals within the system al-
low it to channel their interests
and responses.
IT IS MORE than possible to
grow as an individual in the con-
text of ,such intimate interrela-
tionships with other girls achiev-
0
*I
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