Seventy-Sixth Year EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERsITY OF MICHIGAN UNDER AUTHORITY OF BOARD TN CONTROL OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS The Movement: How Wise, How Fair? ere Opinions Are Free, 420 MAYNARD ST., ANN ARBOR, MICH. Truth Wil 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. NDAY, DECEMBER 4,19667 NIGHT EDITOR: MICHAEL HEFFERI 1 It's No Time For Closed Meetings THOSE WHO ACCUSE students here of intransigence in the current dispute over student participation, might examine the administration attitude in this mat- ter, especially as expressed by President Hatcher himself in calling for a closed meeting Thursday with the members of SGC. Closed meetings have been partially re- sponsible for the problems that beset the campus at this time, and the students' tendency to mistrust the administration's replies, concessions and explanations in response.f That .the Thursday meeting with SGC was also closed at this crucial time was, at best, serious misjudgment by the ad- ministration of the mood of the campus. AS THE MEETING began, several stu- dents who were not members of SGC were present, including some Daily edi- tors and members of Voice. President Hatcher insisted that these persons leave. SGC President Ed Robin- son replied that, while only SGC members should participate in the meeting which Hatcher himself had called, he saw no rea- son why others should not behallowed to observe. Hatcher refused, arguing that he had. called the meeting only with "his student government." When it became apparent that Hatcher would not allow observers, Robinson left the meeting on the grounds that he, personally, could no longer attend closed meetings. It is obvious that Robinson could only, have expected President Hatcher to al- low observers at the meeting if Hatcher had known in advance that this was to be a condition of Robinson's attendance. And, Robinson should have made him aware of this fact. HOWEVER, this is still no defense of onorous closed meetings and behind- the-scenes dealing which have charac- terized some past administrative action. The practice should not continue. What followed at the meeting after Robinson's departure illustrates the ne- cessity for open meetings. The discussion which followed failed to increase Hatch- er's understanding of the movement or the legitimacy of its demands. Hatcher's conception of the movement, it appears, is that it is some sort of left- wing "pattern" designed to disrupt cam- puses across the country. THE MEETING, however, was not a com- plete failure. The SGC members in at- tendance did gain one concession. He agreed to accept their choices for student representatives to his committee on stu- dent government and participation, in place of his original request that SGC furnish him with a list of 12 names from which he would pick, the four represen- tatives. Nevertheless, Hatcher stated that he would accept only names picked by SGC, not those elected at a mass student meet- ing. N SUM, the meeting was but a shadow of what it could have been. Because of the disagreement that marked its begin- ning, little could have been done to sal- vage understanding for the rest of the meeting. President Hatcher met with some of the members of Student Government Council Thursday and both left disap- pointed and probably confused. Perhaps in the future President Hatch- er will not make the mistake of secrecy at a time when the whole campus wants to know what the administration thinks about the movement. As some who had to leave the meeting said: "We just want- ed to listen. -CHARLOTTE A. WOLTER Associate Editorial Director By ROBERT J. HARRIS Second of Two Parts G IVEN THE FORM the student organization bears and the is- sues that bind it together, it is inevitable that the tone of its leaders is strident. That should not be held against it. However, it is fair to ask, how wise are the goals they have es- poused? How wise and fair are the tactics they have embraced? As to goals, I think it unfor- tunate that the students chose to pick as its issues abolition of class ranking and student consultation on sit-in rules. I think the better issue is stu- dent power in making rules con- cerning students, and the Gradu- ate Student Council was right in seeking to force this issue into the foreground. The two issues SGC has pushed both bear on this larger issue, of course. But the class rank issue, as framed by the SGC, asserts that a student plebescite major- ity must conclude the issue - presumably whether the returns were pro or anti ranking. THIS IS an assertion that there is no room for faculty or admin- istration votes on this issue. I fail to see the justice in this as- sertion of exclusive student juris- diction over this issue. On the sit-in ban issue SGC ap- parently asserts no greater claim than to be "consulted." Here I think they assert too little. As J1 read the Knauss Report, it would give students exclusive power to make rules on student conduct- and the sit-in rule dealt with stu- dent conduct. I would go that far. THE TWO specific issues are not handled well on the merits of either. SGC has not criticized the substance of the sit-in ban-only the failure to consult students be- fore issuing it. I think its sub- stance is contrary to First Amend- ment notions and there is a good chance it is unconstitutional for that reason. In effect it says that any stu- dent actions (undefined) inter- ferring with the orderly normal processes of the University (un- defined) are banned unless, in effect, they are protected by the First Amendment. As I read the Supreme Court de- cision in Edwards vs. South Carc- lina (voiding a conviction for a captol steps demonstration on the ground that a breach of the peace statute was too sweeping and vague to use to regulate political pro- test), the University's now-sus- pended rule gives insufficient no- tice as to what protest activity is permitted and what is not and thus it tends to chill freedom of expression unduly. The issue is a hard one. The University could use some good legal help in framing more specific rules. Ann Arbor's ofdi- nances could use some good lawyer work, too, along these lines. SGC HAS CRITICIZED the fur- nishing of class rang information to students who seek to use the information to gain draft defer- ments. The only reasons I know why the University should stop furnish- ing this information are (1) the present practice, by exacerbating competition for grades, hurts the educational process; (2) the Uni- versity should withdraw this as- sistance to the Selective Service System as a protest against the Viet Nam war; or (3) similar to the last, but the protest is against the idea of deferring students. I am dubious as to whether the furnishing of class ranks hurts the academic process more than the alternative-refusing to fur- nish ranking and seeing some de- ferment-eligible students drafted. On the last two arguments - stopping class ranking to express opposition to the war or to cur- rent draft policies-I feel that the ranks of protest movements should be filled with volunteers, not conscripts. I see no reason why the entire institution of University of Mich- igan should boycott Selective Serv- ice because a majority in that in- stitution have a quarrel with Se- lective Service they feel they can- not conduct through conventional channels. THE BASIC ISSUE is sound, however: the students deserve a bigger share of power in making certain rules. And certainly the present administration has dem- onstrated monumental incompe- tence and insensitivity in making and announcing delicate decisions that should have been made after students and faculty had patici- pated in a meaningful way. President Hatcher's outrageous chairing of the Senate meeting Monday was only the most recent of a series of offensive acts. As to tactics selected by the students: I regard last Tuesday's sit-in demonstration as non-viol- ent and lawful. The students were not asked to leave and they did not conduct the demonstration in a fashion calculated to disrupt. The demonstration was massive. It was hostile. It was a show of muscle. But all this is legitimate and appropriate in a struggle to make those with power share some of it with those over whom the power iz being exercised. The earlier ultimatum was un- fortunate, not only because its form gave needless offense to the administration and observers but chiefly because it tied the students' hands on Tuesday and prevented a more flexible response then. THE SPECTACLE of unauthor- ized mass direct action-however non-violent and however restrain- ed in its choice of tactics - is frightening to many. The middle-aged and elderly probabably are threatened most. But even in the younger genera- tion this no doubt is 'frightening to all those whose personalities strongly crave order and unemo- tional rationality in all things. By contrast, such a spectacle is exhilarating to all the mesomorphs and intellectual mesomorphs who crave excitement at all costs. Demonstrations as a form of poli- tical panty raid no doubt have appeal to some immature under- graduates. If we try to look behind these visceral reactions to the cons,!- quences for society I see this kind of picture: On the one hand there is the peril that demonstrations aill unloose forces that tend to pull society apart. On the other hand there is the peril that college students will grow up so conformist that they will never examine the moral pro- priety of the rules made for them by the men at the top echelons of our mass institutions. AS BETEWEEN these two per- its I think the latter peril is much greater at a big, middle class state un4versity like this one. Hence, I welcome demonstrative student political movements as long as the bulk of leaders and fellowers are attempting to imple- ment thE ir sincere ideas about how the good society should be orga- nized, and they are trying to use their inte'ligence in picking tac- ics of prctest appropriate for the task. Some Regents spread tales that some sticent leaders believe that things must be made worse before they can become better and that these leaders want to destroy the University as a step to destroying most other institutions of this sc- ciety. I DO NOT KNOW if this is the view of any student leader or rot But it st'yikes me that there is no reason for Regents or administ-a- tors to entertain fears that any large part of our student body will adop+ nihilistic views. And the peril that unrepresen- tative nihilistic leadershipmwill long control a mass student move-' ment is slim indeed, in my opin- ion, unless the University, through stupidity, furnishes issues which weld the nihilists to the more cre- ative students. If the University acts reason- ably, the unreasonable response of nihilists will alienate them from the mass of student protesters. THERE ARE RISKS in this course as there are risks involved in every experiment with freedom of expression and active educa- tion. I think we should run the risks and accept the fact there will be some unrest and some in - terference with normal oderly processes of the University. The amount of interference can be kept in reasonable bounds; the education about power and its uses that the students will receive jus- tifies the costs. Students who react to Injustice with indignation and political or- ganization are our most valuable national resource. We should cul- tivate them. 4 00 Misconceptions of U.S. Role in Europe CURRENT HIGH level discussion of the extent to which we may safely reduce the number of our troops stationed in Europe has, for me, two particularly interest- ing facets: It entirely misses the point. It entirely vindicates another portion of the 1964 Republican Presidential campaign. Those two points together clear- ly indicate a third: This administration, in one more major matter, is proving dangerously incompetent and cyn- ically misleading when it comes to foreign policy and the defense policy needed to back it up. LET'S TAKE the points in order. When the possibility of re- ducing our troop commitments in Europe is discussed these days, the discussion usually revolves around economy and symbolism. The economic point is made that if we withdraw troops it would cut way down on the for- eign exchange drain on our cur- rency. There is no doubt that it would. This point usually is fol- lowed by the assertion that Euro- pean troop commitments could and should be increased to take care of the manpower situation. The symbolism point is that our troops are in Europe really just "to show the flag" and that, therefore, darn near any number from a few platoons to a few armies would achieve the same effect. BOTH OF THOSE arguments, the only ones now being offered by the administration, miss the point by a mile.. The question of our military commitment is not nearly so much what we have or who we have in BARRY GOLDWATER Europe as it is a question ofhwhat we intend to do with either in case of an emergency. At present our commitment in Europe calls for a conventional response to any Communist ag- gression. This response, it is said, would give the situation a chance to calm down in hopes of being able quickly to get to the negotiat- ing table. For such a response, troop com- mitments of some size are needed. For such a response, the more men you have "showing the flag," the better. This whole notion is utter non- sense. To tell the Soviets that we will make a "polite" conventional response to any aggression is a standing invitation to trouble. It means the Soviets can launch an aggression, large or small, and be assured that it can move directly from violence to the conference table with only a minimal risk between. OUR STANCE should be less rigid. It should permit whatever immediate response is needed to halt and/or punish an aggressive move, and it certainly should not offer the enemy a comfortable cushion of assurance of a less than adequate response. , Most European defense officials feel the defense of Europe by conventional means is laughable, that only the poised power of nuclear retaliation can securely keep the peace and deter aggres- sion. The point is blunt and clear. Conventional forces are not the key to Europe's defense, and the current debate about their size is misleading and dishonest. We should 'be debating quality, not quantity. AS TO THE vindication of the 1964 Republican campaign: that campaign went squarely on the line for thrashing this matter out. It said we could reduce our troops but it also called for a discussion' of the European defense questions that really matter. It frankly told the American people that this well could mean giving Europe the nuclear capa- bility that it so clearly wants. That is still the issue. And' this administration is still weaseling on it. Copyright, 1966, Los Angeles Times * 4 We Need Speakers' Bureaus rALK-ithas been called debate-has made the late hours of the plenary sessions of The Movement grueling al- though not futile. But, characteristically, the same people have been talking and those same people have been listening. The majority of students on campus, and the vast majority of Michigan citi- zens are not well-enough informed to take part in the debate. PROPOSALS TO REMEDY the situation through speakers bureaus on and off campus are worthwhile and should be implemented. The movement will con- tinue to lose momentum without them. The idea of a campus speaker program developed out of expressed fears that more students were not represented in the several activities of the movement. Voice Political Party has contributed much to the concept and has had propos- als from members that Voice itself set up such a program to serve its own needs. An expansion of this concept, with the help of the SGC machinery, would be of great benefit. THE OFF-CAMPUS speaker program was originally proposed by a sociology in- structor who envisioned the speaker bu- reau as a method of reaching unions, so- cial groups, charitable organizations, etc. in hometown Michigan. He suggested that students determine what resources of air time on radio and television they could gain through FCC laws, equal time on stations which broad- casted anti-movement editorial commen- tary. Both the programs-on campus and off- campus-meet urgent needs. FOR WHILE the importance of reducing student apathy here cannot be denied, it is equally important to reduce apathy or hostility among Michigan citizens out- side Ann Arbor. Until now, the informa- Business Staff SUsAN PERLsTADT, Business Manager JEFFREY LEEDS........Associate Business Manager HARRY BLOCH.E A.........Advertising Manager STEVEN LOEWENTHAL ..,..... Circulation manager tion they have received about the move- ment has come in the form of capsulized news accounts and often-unfriendly edi- torial comment. For the Michigan community to be in- formed this way hurts the movement. Michigan voters elect the Regents, the leg- islators, and the governor. It is in these four agencies that the real power has been assigned. It can only help the move- ment to have these agencies-the people and their officials--on its side. TWO PROBLEMS, however, arise in the consideration of these two types of speakers' programs - first, defining ob- jectively the goals of the students; and second, the possibility of increased hos- tility outside Ann Arbor as a result of the speaking program. However. an intelligent speakers' bu- reau, one that would make sure speaker appointments would be reasonable and that student speakers would be informed enough to defend student positions under intelligent debate, would eliminate these objections. With the help of the administrative ma- chinery of SGC this can be accomplished. Speakers' appointments could be coordi- nated, and transportation for engage- ments off-campus could be organized. IN SUM, the speaker program can strengthen the effort of students in recent weeks, and put an end to prema- ture talk that the movement is dying on its feet. --NEAL BRUSS U 'thant THE MEMBERS of the United Nations are feeling pretty good today. They've just signed a new five-year lease, on the services of U Thant. Swell! But let's hope that they don't spend the five years forgetting why they almost lost him. U Thant, respected and acclaimed though he may be, can do nothing on his own. The responsibility for UN policy and power lies with the member nations. IN THANT'S YEARS as secretary-gen- r.1 hI hiaRntnte m n tonue wnrld nrnh- Letters: Faculty-Student Cooperation To the Editor: AS MEMBERS of a campus or- ganization, we wish to express our concern that everyone-relig- ious groups, student groups of all kinds, and individual students, faculty, and administrators - should contribute more openly to the intellectual task of clarifying our ideals and goals, and acting upon them. For our part, we hope that Guild House can be widely used as one forum for the discussion of these issues by people of all vari- eties of opinion. We support new structures to give the student body a central role in making decisions on mat- ters affecting primarily the stu- dents. There is no doubt in our own minds that any decisions affect- ing students . .. would be superior if the students were fully and formally involved in the decision- making process. THE FACULTY also has an equal role to play in the present movement. We are distressed that some distinguished faculty mem- bers have unfairly indicted stu- dents for not caring about the good of the University as a whole. We hope they will come to see that students and many of their faculty colleagues are -willing to risk their futures for no less than a highly constructive version of what this University could be. The apathy shown by a large number of faculty members is equally distressing. The movement may succeed without you, but your experience, your advice, and your influence can contribute to reach- ing the goal of a more democratic University-a goal that will bene- fit you too-with a minimum of disruption and damage. As stu- dents, we do not want this just to be a student movement. WE APPRECIATE the efforts of members of the faculty who have already m o v e d administration opinion on behalf of the students. We especially applaud those cour- ageous members of the faculty who intend to refuse to grade as -Helga Gable, '68 --Marge Eichmann, '64 -Susan Boscov, '68 (Two other signers) --Members of Guild House Really! To the Editor: WHAT IN AITCH is going on at my old alma mater? administration remains to cope. with new waves of malcontents less interested in learning than in beating their big fat gums. NOW REALLY, what do stu- dents want in the way of partici- pating? Do students wish to choose which texts will be used in a literature course ? Do medical students want to want to remake the world. It's a library of facts, not a social in- strument. Learn from it - don't try to manipulate it. The University will be here many years after you are a grand- parent. Learn now-bitch later. -Jerome S. Miller BS, MS, PhD '55 Splinters Perennial demands to be heard decide whicn patients theywil in past years have been so com- examine? Do law students want To the Editor: monplace that both university and to tell their professors what the FRIDAY the 25-member execu- students take it all with a yawn. law should be? Do engineering tive board of the Young Dem- It's a routine, a sort of games- students want to tell their faculty ocratic Club issued the following manship, with the knowledge that how to design a car? policy position: every four years the student body Listen, you idiots! The Univer- The Young Democratic Club will shift and the troublemakers sity is a source of information for strongly supports current efforts vanish to other parts, while the you to use in the future when you for greater student participation in making decisions which affect them. On the other hand, we believe no single student group should take unilateral action which re- flects on the movement without that action being sanctioned by a b r o a d 1 y representative student body organization or assembly. WE 'OPPOSE splinter group ac- tivity not representative of the majority of those active in the decision making process. Groups which unilaterally break away with action counter to what the whole student group decides re- flect on the responsibleness of the entire movement. We believe such action is counter to the principle "Let the majority of the stu- dents decide." Those groups and individuals who participate in making deci- sions should then abide by those decisions. We again reaffirm our desire for legitimatizing substantial stu- dent power in making rules con- cerning students. -Steve Handler, '66 President, Young Democratic Club Protected To the Editor: WHILE STUDENTS are demand- ing more "complete" power, the recent "mandate" on class ranking shows that some of the students only want to do is avoid responsibility. The "tricky" ad- ministration has adopted a policy on rankings that places all the responsibility on the student. If he doesn't request the ranking, his draft board can hold no one re- sponsible but the student himself. By voting no against class rank- ings, the students have said that they don't want this responsibil- ity. They again want the Univer- sity to provide the protection from the outside world that they out- wardly decry, but i n w a r d l y cherish. It is also interesting to note that the "mandate" doesn't look so powerful When stacked up against the 6000 plus male stu- 4 v I l*w -~~.~As"'vl w 'Aiu" A i w4