Seventy-Sixth Year EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN UNDER AUTHORITY OF BOARD IN CONTROL OF STUDENT PUBLICATtONS Barnstorming in Southeast Asia Ls Are Free, 420 MAYNARD ST., ANN ARBOR, MICH. Prevail NEws PHONE: 764-0552 Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers or the editors. This mus t be noted in all reprints. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1966 NIGHT EDITOR: MICHAEL HEFFER New Directions for Literary College Steering Committee ONE OF THE OLDEST. and most pres- tigious student academic advisory groups at the University is the literary, college's Steering Committee. For years and years its members have sat in week- ly meetings intelligently discussing var- ious student problems-but only discuss- ing, and nothing more. The Steering Committee for years and years has also had representatives sit- ting on various faculty curriculum, ad- mission and administrative committees within the literary college-but only sit- ting, and nothing more. OBVIOUSLY-as is true of most time- tested institutions - the Steering Committee's prestige has come from the 'fact that it has lasted, that its appoint- ed members are of high intelligence and academic achievement, and that it has not aggravated the faculty too much. Its prestige has'not' come from its accom- -plishments in the realm of solving stu- dent academic problems. Suddenly, however, the Steering Com- mittee seems to have come alive, to have abandoned its purely theoretical role as a student philosophical committee, and to have taken on an activistic spirit wor- thy of the University community. Exact- ly what clicked at the last meeting to bring about this transformation is un- clear. Maybe the personalities of the new chairman and committee members made the difference this year. Maybe the fact that activism is in vogue this year has brought about the change. Or maybe the academic problems of the University stu- dent have become so monstrous that the committee can no longer ignore them and still salvage its reputation. HATEVER THE IMPETUS, the Liter- ary College Steering Committee is to be congratulated on its current plans for examining such University malfunc- tions as counseling, pre-registration, ,ourse quality and student-faculty-ad- ministration communication. The com- mittee is to be encouraged to follow through their investigations with con- crete actions and suggestions. There are other academic advisory committees functioning on campus, and still more-such as those proposed for individual departments within the liter- ary college-will be established in the fu- ture. But, the Steering Committee has a sig- nificant advantage over any other aca- demic advisory committee: it is a long-. established institution and has the re- spect of the faculty. This, however, will not remain such a distinct advantage if the committee does not capitalize on it. The members must begin now to make their presence on faculty committees felt. They must be heard-and worth hear- ing-and not just seen. THE STEERING Committee has it with- in its power to execute every research- ing and investigating task it has set for itself. It has a large and competent com- mittee already; it has enthusiasm--at least this week. All it needs now is effec- tive coordination, communication, and follow-through within the committee it- self. There is not much point in re-hashing the role which the faculty must play- they must be open to suggestion, recep- tive to student opinions and criticisms, and generally flexible. Undoubtedly University administrative bureaucracy will provide a few maj'or stumbling blocks for the Steering Com- mittee. But with perseverance and con- tinued acceptance of responsibility, the Steering Committee may be able to over- come these obstacles. Right now the Steering Committee is sounding a lot better than it ever has before. Its voice which in the past could only speak in conversational tones may be a scream before long. BUT ACTIONS speak louder than words. The plans for action the Steering Committee made audible this week are potentially volatile. They are geared for re-humanizing the students' association with the academic side of University life. A fuse has been lit; what is at the end of the fuse is still questionable-if, indeed, it does not go out before then. -MEREDITH EIKER By DAVID DUBOFF PRESIDENT LYNDON B. John- son is in New Zealand today on the fourth day of a 17-day tour of Southeast Asia designed to spread good will among our allies and show our desire for peace and prosperity in a region torn by ideological conflict and civil war. But common sense tells us that there is much more to the trip than a desire to spread good will. The time that Johnson has chosen to be out of the country and the circumstances under which the tour is being conducted indicate that it can do much to improve his image at home as well as abroad. THIS IS THE first time that Johnson has been outside the country since he became President. The elaborate preparations that have been made for receptions at each of the six places he will be visiting (he has already stopped at Honolulu and American Samoa, and from New Zealand will pro- ceed to Australia for three days, then a four day conference in Ma- nila with the heads of state of the countries aiding us in Viet Nam, and finally Thailand, Malaya, and South Korea) will serve to keep the President and Mrs. Johnson on the front pages of virtually every newspaper in the country for the next two weeks. And with the elections coming only six days after his return, call- ing the trip at this time can be seen as a shrewd political maneu- ver. Johnson's strategy in cam- paigning for the Congressional and gubernatorial elections has been erratic in the past few weeks, ranging from sporadic speaking tours, in which he attacked Re- actively seeking peace through negotiation. "Whether he will thereby be able to shelter Democratic can- didates from public dissatisfac- tion with the peace and pros- pects of the Viet Nam war re- mains the great imponderable of this election." COMING AT THIS time, the trip will also serve to decrease the rivalry that has become apparent between the President and Robert F. Kennedy. Kennedy has been campaigning for Democrats all over the country with huge turn-, outs of supporters and continual suggestions that he seek the Presi- dential nomination. By planning an elaborate overseas tour, John- son is able to demonstrate his popularity abroad without having to contend for the turnout here that Bobby is getting. The trip will also serve to en- hance the political images of sev- eral of the Asian leaders who will take part in the Manila confer- ence. Prime Ministers Holyoake of New Zealand and Holt of Austra- lia, both of whom are facing tough elections in the next few weeks, have received considerable criticism from members of their opposition parties about their com- pliance with the U.S. in the war, as has President Marcos of the Philippines. LBJ's promising speeches for cooperation and prosperity in Asia, coupled with his exaltations of our present Viet Nam policy of ward- ing off aggression, can make these leaders look as though they are participating in a drive to end the conflict and establish the prin- ciples of democracy in the area. WHETHER OR not Johnson will accept Premier Ky's invitation to visit South Viet Nam remains an open question. South Vietnamese news reports have stated that he intends to do so, but as yet he has no statement himself. In the light of Ky's claim that it is Johnson's duty as President to review his troops, it seems highly unlikely that he would refuse to accept the in- vitation. And, finally, there is the ques- tion of whether any change is policy will result from the Manila conference. Johnson himself has claimed repeatedly that there is little. chance of any major policy revision at the conference. It will restrict itself to a review of the military operations and chances for bringing about an "honorable peace at the earliest possible mo- ment." He has also said that he considers our present policy of military presence correct. WE CAN ONLY wait to see if the President's trip will have any effect on our foreign policy toward Southeast, Asia. But the political effects of the trip in this country are already apparent. LBJ has managed to shift the emphasis for the coming election off of the dis- turbing aspects of the war in Viet Nam through his optimistic plati- tudes about the concern of our country for the freedom and pros- perity of Southeast Asia. At the same time he has built up his image as the protector of the poor of the earth. In the last analysis; we may very well find that the trip was, in the words of the immortal bard, "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." * 0. publican Congressmen (laying aside his role as the leader of con- sensus) to talks with Soviet For- eign Minister Andrei A. Gromyko and Prince Souvanna Phouma, Premier of Laos. THUS, JOHNSON has managed to combine the images of party leader and world leader. In addi- tion, he now will be able to nain- tain his dominance in the press while removing himself from at- tacks on his stand on the three important election issues - the war, inflation, and the Negroes' push for equality-during the two most crucial weeks proceeding the election. The New York Times review of the week states the strategy clearly: "Since there is no way to make a small, inconclusive war popular except by escalating it into a major struggle demand- ing a total national commit- ment, the President is trying to offset the political ill-effects of the war indirectly. Aside from its diplomatic purposes, his trip to Asia is intended to demon- strate that while prosecuting a limited war vigorously, he is also Letters: Discrimination in F raternities? To the Editor: ALTHOUGH I DO NOT agree with many points in Mr. Kil- lingsworth's article onfraterni- ties (Oct. 18), my observations after a year at Michigan force me to agree on two points: 1) Much racial and religioustdiscrimina- tion does exist on this campus; and 2) the social orientationuof most undergraduates is independ- ent of and very often alien to the educational and training goals of the University. But who is to blame for this situation? As I see it, the Uni- versity is more responsible than the Greek system or student body at large. I came from a university a year ago where these prob- lems had been dealt with at a university level and where prog- ress had definitely been made. At Stanford the fraternities had been forced to integrate and several have dropped national affiliation. In addition, many programs with- in the housing units give students opportunity to make use of class- room experiences in extra-curricu- lar settings. More than a once-a- month dinner and discussion be- tween a faculty member and a small per cent of the residents is involved. ZETA BETA TAU was cited by you as the one fraternity that has taken a strong stand against discrimination. Yet, about five out of over 100 members are non- Jewish. Students of mine in ZBT point out to me that probably less than 10 per cent of those who come during rush are not' Jewish; thus, I have to agree that they are doing the best they can. Thus the real difficulty is with the ma- jority, WASP Greek houses who, I am told, quickly show the back door to any non-WASP prospec- tive members. An intolerable sit- uation exists which makes me ashamed of my University and I am afraid that only pressure at the university level will start the action to remedy the situation. This is only one example of the larger problem of student ali- enation. The new residential col- lege is a big step in the right di- rection but will affect very few students. My experience on this' campus has been that students only need minimal encouragement to show genuine interest and will- ingness to commit time and ener- gy to outside-of-class experiences, and it is up to the University ad- ministration and faculty to start the wheels turning on a large scale. -John W. Hagen Assistant Professor Dept. of Psychology Cutler To the Editor: VICE - PRESIDENT Cutler's statement in The Daily article ("Dissenters Put Down Picket Signs, Shift Emphasis to Political Activities," by Roger Rapoport- Saturday, October 14) warrants careful study by those interested in bringing about major social change in this country. Cutler avers, "These kids are finding that to get things done you have to have a broader power base. Hence, the shift to politics. As you moderate your group posi- tion, it is easier to find recruits." This statement is significant because it constitutes the core of the political philosophy of the overwhelming majority of those Americans dissatisfied with pres- ent conditions in American socie- ty. THE SUBJECTIVE reason for this orientation is the belief that contradictions in our society are not irreconcilable and therefore can be resolved by a peaceful con- sensus. This orientation leads men like Dr. Martin Luther King to race madly from riot to riot at- tempting to "quiet things down" and in the process thoroughly dis- crediting himself in the eyes of large sections of the black people. Objectively, the tendency to moderate one's political positions in order to "have a broader pow- er base" is a result of extreme pressure on the part of those who hold the power in our society. Recent actions by Cutler pro- vide us with examples of the ef- fect of such extreme pressure (e.g., Cutler's decision to turn in the names of 65 students to the House Committee on Un-American Ac- tivities; his refusal to disassociate the University from police intimi- dation on the campus because of his desire to maintain a "day to day working relationship with the police." ). I WOULD POSIT that although there may be other reasons for such capitulationist policies (such as personal ambition), the major reason lies in extreme pressure from theright. Subjectively, the reason why he inevitably capitu- lates to this pressure flows from his whole orientation of "moder- ating one's political positions." Unfortunately, mpst politically- oriented Americans have the same philosophy as Cutler. Thus we can see the reason why the majority of reformist movements have eventually been co-opted by the Democratic Party. After decades of reformist and moderate' political movements, what are we left with? Our so- ciety is still essentially racist and "our" government is still capable of committing genocide against liberation movements (e.g., -Viet Nam) that seek to break the shackles of American imperialism. I WOULD therefore like to pro- pose an alternative to the philoso- phy of "moderation." If one has certain goals that place one in a minority, one should not be afraid of being isolated and therefore moderating political positions to win more support. The supreme test of the sound- ness of these views (at least from my perspective) is whether they represent the long-range interests of the majority of the American people. Therefore, instead of capit- ulating to the right, one should wage continual, principled strug- gle until a minority.is transformed into a majority. Let me conclude by warning those so anxious to moderate their positions, that more than once have moderates ended their pol.- tical careers on the "rubbish-heap of history." -Robert Bernard, '69LSA 1 8-Year Vote To the Editor: jN ABOUT THREE weeks we Michigan voters will be inside polling booths selecting govern- mental representatives and also deciding on "Proposition No. 1" which if passed would give the right to vote to all those 18, 19, and 20 years old if they reg- ister. (Contrary to The Daily's Wednesday front page story Mich- igan will be the fifth not the fourth state to reduce the voting age below 21; the others are Alas- ka, Hawaii, Kentucky and Geor- gia.) In deciding which way to vote on this issue, I feel we should keep the following points in mind: By 18 a citizen's compulsory edu- cation has ended; by 18 a citizen may be tried in federal courts; by 18 a citizen must pay income and property taxes; by 18 a citizen may serve in federal prison; at 18 you can be drafted; at 18 aid to de- pendent children stops. For the information of your readers, the 18-year-old vote has been endorsed by those in and out of Michigan including Presi- dent Lyndon Johnson, the late President John Kennedy, Dwight Eisenhower, Gov. Nelson Rocke- feller, Senator Everett Dirksen, Gov. Edmund Brown, Vice-Presi- dent Hubert Humphrey, Gov. Mark Hatfield, Richard Nixon, Senator Robert Kennedy, the late'Adlai Stevenson, Senator Abraham Rib- icoff, Barry Goldwater, Senator Margaret Chase Smith, Senator Mike Mansfield, Congressman Wes Vivian, Gov. George Romney and Zolton Ferency. WILL WE Michiganders over 21 'give those who are 18,19, and 20 the right to vote on Nov. 8? I cer- tainly hope so. -Christopher B. Cohen, '64, LSA; '67 Law Homecoming Spin-off WHO SAYS Homecoming projects are valueless and a waste of time which could otherwise be spent on other more academically and intellectually oriented activities? This fall I sat through a homecoming +meeting of minds-a group of engineers, architects, advertising design majors, math, chemistry, psychology and even political science and journalism majors. They discussed possible ideas for a home- coming display and the complications in- volved in constructing their final choice. Then they began implementing the idea. The architects and designers drew up renderings and sketches; the engineers figured out structural stresses and the distribution of power needed to keep the parts moving. The problems took the place of almost all other topics of con- versation and some of the technical knowledge of the engineers and archi- 'tects rubbed off on unsuspecting LSA students. AND NOW THEY'RE building it, draw- ing the work force from their posi- tions in front of the television and around the card table. If they don't finish in time they'll draw others away from their Friday night movies and Friday night drunks to learn a little more about engi- neering and design and construction principles. It doesn't happen this way in every house. Some houses can't generate enough spirit for such undertakings. They either don't enter the competition or they insti- tute fines or some other form of coercion to get people to work on their display. Or else a small, enthusiastic nucleus puts the thing up. But even so, some members still get a chance to give their creative'skill and knowledge a little exercise. THE WINNER'S TROPHY says "We're Number One! We've created something as a group, working together, sharing our talents." That, it seems to me, is a rare and worthwhile situation. -LAURENCE MEDOW ... .......... .. ............""a..^ . ~ v "c.. .;.:rc~ . ::.:;.........v: : ":;;y . ..A' ..hC . Y ry . }.x;{:. The Drat Su rveyin the Alternatives -4 Smog and the Death-wish TJIE INDUSTRIAL ELITE of the state of Michigan has been challenged by a massive public concern over the dangers of air pollution. With the threat that public concern might become a legal en- actment, industry has been forced to look unflinchingly into its own smoggy soul. And the response has been a remarkable piece of sub-Christian metaphysics: "Thou shalt not live by breath alone." Some may quarrel with the motives of industrial economy which have produc- ed such an aphorism. Some might even suspect that business leaders are reluc- tant to implement what certainly would be a lengthy program of pollution pre- vention. We can have only compassion for such minds. Those who are initiates of a higher philosophy will recognize be- hind the recalcitrance of industry, the rumblnne msomstcim , AMERICANS IN THE PAST have at- tempted a disassociation with mere bodily function, but not with great or sustained success. Even the drive to de- stroy physical functioning through a con- centrated program of smoke inhalation has been but a symbolic movement, her- alding the days that were to come. To be complete, the action must be institution- al. And the federal government has shown itself mournfully inadequate to the task -the draft being far from universal. Plainly, the time has come for big busi- ness to act in the final mobilization of the American death-wish. But several Michigan business leaders have expressed a slothful willingness to arbitrate, rather than holding to their first heroic line of resistance-the threat to remove all operations to another state. By PATRICIA O'DONOHUE and STEPHEN WILDSTROM Second of a three-part series "HE ADMINISTRATION'S per- sistent refusal to take the lead in designing a fairer system of military draft" has received sharp criticism from Kingman Brewster Jr., president of Yale University. However, the Admnistration is currently examining the alterna- tives, both internal and external. Several internal reforms have been suggested by Congressman and their constituents which would conceivably alleviate some of the present problems. They are not cure-alls and do not purport to be, but represent progress towards "a fairer system of military draft." * THE LOTTERY. Various forms of a lottery, such as the one used in World War II, have been proposed as replacements for the present Selective Service proce- dures. The form of a lottery, sug- gested by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D., Mass.), uses an age-class sys- tem in which all men reaching the age of 18 would be examined by their local draft boards. After this examination they would be given a number by their local boards. The Selective Service System lottery would take their chances, when they completed college, with the 19-year-old group in that year's lottery. THE ARGUMENT for the lot- tery is that the discrimination in- herent in the present system would be eliminated. Except for certain deferments-such as those for the fathers of dependent children and genuine hardship cases, which would, of course, have to be kept under any draft system-the lot- tery would treat all men equally. The lottery would also provide an element of certainty because one would know if he were being called at age 19. The lottery proposal has been attacked by the present Selective Service administration and the Pentagon on both philosophical and practical grounds. One ob- jection raised charges that a lot- tery would not necessarily provide the best qualified men for military service. (General Lewis Hershey, director of the Selective Service System, responded to the sugges- tion of a lottery last spring by say- ing that he could just see what happened when a one-legged man was the first name drawn.) A MORE REASONABLE objec- -a man who enlists gets his choice of service and to some ex- tent a choice of duty assignment, making enlistment an attractive alternative to the draft for many. * CALLING UP THE Reserves. A large number of men each year seek to fulfill their service obliga- tion by joining a Reserve or Na- tional Guard unit for six months of active duty and four and a half years of Ready Reserve duty. If a man were to know at nineteen, that he in all probability would not be called to serve, the induce- ments for him to enlist or to join a Reserve unit would be sharply reduced. The Armed Services pre- fer enlistees to draftees because their longer terms of duty make training them more profitable and give more flexibility in duty as- signments. Under the present system, mem- bers of the National Guard and Reserve detachments have only a six-month period of active duty devoted to basic training. Many legislators and their constituents think that the Armed Services are wasting potential man-power by allowing 200,000-500,000 of these eligible men to remain at home while others are sent to potential- ly dangerous areas where they Ready Reserves figure strongly in the Pentagon's strategic planning. The Defense Department does not feel it can allow the Reserve structure to deteriorate. Because the demand for troops in Asia, particularly Viet Nam, is increas- in, the Reserves are counted on to back up other global commitments if necessary. It would seem that calling up the Reserves. while alleviating manpower shortages in the short run, is not a true reform in long- range planning. " DRAFTING WOMEN. The question of using women in a scheme of national service is one which has aroused a good deal of controversy-much of it emotion- ally based. Many experts feel that by not obligating women to any sort of national service the'United States is leaving a great potential manpower source untapped. In recent times, Israel is the only country which has used women as front-line combat sol- diers. In this case, using female troops is a matter of practical necessity. This country has suf- ficient manpower available so that there is no need to use women as combat troops, and no one has seriously suggested this move, which would obviously entail vast ice has been suggested as the ulti- mate method by which present in- equities can be abolished. A sim- ilar plan was passed by Congress during the Korean War. The legis- lative body then gave it to the Pentagon with instructions to make the plan workable. The name of the present Selective Service Act services as a vestigial reminder of Congress' intention. The Pentagon conducted a study and presented a costly unwieldy outline of such a plan. It showed that training the two million youths who annually become eli- gible for induction is Physically and financially impossible with present .Armed Services training base capacities. It is impossible on practical grounds because many men make a career out of the Armed Serv- ices. While two million men en- tered the army each year, a similar number would not be leaving. This of course, would lead to constant expansion of the standing military force until it reached monstrous proportions. What? For egalitarian purposes, it is an excellent idea; there would be no equities because it would be universal.sHowever, the Defense Department already spends $1.2 billion per year on military train- ing. A higher budget lust is not * i,