I
PAGE EIGHT
THE MICHIGAN DArILV
TUESDAY. AUGTTST 24. MAI
Greek Discrimination May Force Federal
Iction
r_
i
By JUDITH WARREN
Personnel Directorf
Fraternities at the University
may come under more pressure
this year to end discrimination in
pledging practices as a result, off
not only Interfraternity Councilf
and Student Government Council1
pressure, but also federal govern-'
ment pressure. .
The entrance of the federal gov-
ernment into the controversy that
has plagued this campus, as well
as others across the nation, was
indicated this summer by Francis
Keppel, United States commission-,
er of education.
Keppel indicated that the fed-;
eral government can, under the
provisions of the Civil Rights Act+
passed last year and the Depart-'
ment of Health, Education andI
Welfare's code concerning discrim-+
ination, suspend funds to universi- standards and tradition of the fra-
ties allowing racial discrimination ternity."
to exist on their campus. No Hearing
Stanford Controversy '
Keppel's statement was prompt-
ed by the controversy which erupt-
ed at Stanford University when
the Sigma Chi chapter there was
expelled by its national because
it pledged a Negro student.
Although the national denied
that the Stanford chapter was
suspended for its pledging prac-
tices, the chapter charged that the
"social acceptability" clause in the
national constitution led to dis-
criminatory practices.,
After pledging Kenneth Wash-
ington early in April, Harry V.
Wade, grand consul of the Sigma
Chi chapter, said that it was.
"crystal clear" that the local
group was "not particularly inter-
ested in carrying on the ritual,
The suspension action came
without a hearing and without the'
local chapter having any oppor-
tunity to answer charges. The lo-
cal has retained lawyers who say
such a procedure violates the fra-
ternity's own constitution.
Locally, Assistant to the Vice-
President for Student Affairs John
Feldkamp said the University was
"closely following events at Stan-
ford, not in fear of future federal
sanctions, but as a way to help
discriminatory policies of fraterni-
ties at the University."
However, the new HEW code
explicitly defines the role which
the federal government can take
in cases of fraternity discrimina-
tion.
The code states, in part:
"Any institution of higher edu-
cation which applies for any fed-
eral financial assistance of any
kind must agree that it will make
no distinction on the grounds of
race, color, or national origin in
the admission practices of the in-
stitution relating to the treatment
of students ...
"Other practices . . . include the
affording to students of opportu-
nity to participate in any educa-
tional, research, cultural, athletic,
recreational, social or other pro-
gram or activity . .."
It is not likely that the gov-
ernment will intervene in the
Stanford Sigma Chi case as it
was resolved by the suspension of
the chapter and the retention of
Washington, but Keppel's state-
ment may be the start of federal
intervention in discrimination con-
troversies on college campuses.
Hoppe, '66, president of IFC, said
that, at that time, IFC had no in-
tention of starting proceedings
against the University chapter of
Sigma Chi. However, it was re-
ported that the Sigma Chi mem-
bers were beginning to gather
materials to present in their own
defense, if proceedings should be
instigated by either IFC or SGC.
Won't Affect 'U'
Although Feldkamp believes that
Keppel has the legal right to with-
draw federal aid from a university
which supported with federal
funds, a discriminatory fraternity
systehn, the University, he felt,
would not be affected.
The threat of federal interven-
tion in cases of fraternity discrim-
ination might also' involve the Uni-
versity in the case of Trigon, a
local fraternity accused last year
of discriminatory practices.
: f#31 ar ;y u.,,'ar >.'NionaU1~ l aamant zxat A,piu g, the .raternhpity _____________________________
yG' .H :.p2+ .{Sk'i~r.> .,.C ":;. ..:Feldkamp believes that local fra- President's Association ruled that
ternity chapters would generally Trigon was, in fact although not
not continue discriminatory poli- in intention, guilty of discrimina-
cies if they had the choice; rath- tion.
er, he claimed it is the national Must Take Oath Universities M
ff - Cleadership which is adamant in According to the Trigon consti-
r ii r . 1 r N1 twIof/ RI \II maintaining the traditional biases, tution, pledges are required to gon for that reason.
This is allegedly the case at take an oath vowing to uphold While FPA recognized that the
Stanford, he said. certain religious beliefs. integration of certain spiritual
He remarked that the Office of In the rationale 'approved by values into the social atmosphere
Student Affairs could take the FPA, Trigon does not directly en- of a fraterity is not in violation
initiative in an investigation, but gage in religious discrimination. of the spirit of IFC, the factothat
it was essential for the future of However, by requiring this oath, Trigon does engage in de facto
SGC that its membership commit- prospective members, who, find the discrimination led to the charge
Page 3 of the Education and tee do so. oath incompatiblehwith their re- September Deadline
Earlier this summer, Richard ligious beliefs, might not join Ti- FPA has given Trigon until
Research section of this paper
is incorrect. W e will open Regents UI Unon-b
The end of an era at the Uni-
versity was marked this summer
RA 2hwhen the Regents approved plans
for the University activities cen-
THUR ., UG.26t atter. representing a merger of the
activities wings of the Michigan
Union and the Women's League.
1319 SOUTH UNIVERSITY With the approval, however,
came a significant change in oi'-
ganizational structure: a revision
of a proposal submitted to the
Regents at their January meeting
has brought UAC under the aus-
Eh g else is correct. W e pices of the Office of Student Af-
E verythinefairs and made it subject to Stu-
dent Government Council for cal-
do have the lowest prices in town endaring of activities.
A statement presented jointly by
the League Board of Governors
For all new and used Freshman and the Union Board of Directors
f January envisioned a UAC re-
sponsible directly to the Regents
textbooks. and independent of SGC. But the
textb oks.Regents referred the report to
Vice-President for Student Affairs
Richard Cutler for a delineation
of the relationship between the
Y new organization, the OSA and
? Cutler and the student officers
STUD NT LOOK SLRV L of the new organization proceeded
to develop the revised proposal
°i that was approved this summer.
Where the virtuous get their books " Until this year, the Union and
the League had separate activities
p'ograms directed by different
'' .]IK~chian U ionand l~ouzens Legue'i~ierg set ofofficers, each responsible t
______g___________itssrespective board. The merged
lay Face Federal Pressure To End Bias
Sept. 1 to revise their constitu-
tion bringing it into line with the
IFC bylaw banning discrimina-
tory practices.
If Trigon does not comply, it
can no longer be recognized as
a student organization. This would'
be tantamount to non-existence at'
the University. Trigon would be
unable to participate in frater-
J
F
l
1
eague
student activities organization will
be responsible to the governing
boards of both the Union and
League.
Both the Union and the League
were divided into two sections-a
service wing which directed busi-
ness operations and an activities
wing which sponsored student
functions such a MUSKET and
Soph Show. Until recently both
wings of each organization oper-
ated separately from the corres-
ponding wings of the other or-
ganization.
In recent years, this division
along sexual lines came to be re-
garded as highly artificial. Sug-
gestions for the mergei of the
Union and the League had been
tossed about since the end of
World War IL
Nothing was seriously done
about the situation until the pub-
lication of the Reed Report, a
study of the University's philoso-
phy of student affairs, in Febru-
ary, 1962.
The report said, "The committee
believes that the young people
who enroll in the University are
primarily students seeking to
learn, seeking to develop, not in
isolation as men or women, but
together as equals and collabor-
ators.
Study
On the basis of the Reed Report,
the Union board of directors de-
nity rush, nor could it use, any
University facilities.
SGC also has jurisdiction at the
University over all student orga-
nizations to investigate alleged
discrimination. The SGC Mem-
bership Committee was created
several years ago in compliance
with a Regental ruling, giving
SGC power to carry on such in-
vestigations,
lerger
According to the report, the
student officers and the student
activities functions of the merged
organization would have no re-
sponsibility to the League Board
of Governors, although the stu-
dents would sit on the League
Board to insure space in the
League Bldg. for student activities.
However, the senior officers of
the merged group would remain
the executive officers of the Un-
ion Board of Directors.
The proposed plan for the merg-
er had to be approved by the
League Executive Council, the
Union Board of Directors, the
League Board of Governors, the
regents and the student and
alumni members of the Union.
In November the League Execu-
tive Council, the Union Board of
Governors and the League Board
of Governors accepted the report
of the merger committee.
To be put into effect, the merg-
er still needed the approval of
the Regents and the members of
the Union, both alumni and stu-
dents.
Before this approval was forth-
coming there was still one area
of disagreement to settle - who
would have control over the
merged organization.
Members of the Union Board of
Directors held they should have
exclusive jurisdiction over the
Center, but the League Board of
Governors demanded that author-
ity be held jointly.
Compromise
A compromise. plan was finally
adopted making the UAC respon-
sible to the govrning boards of
both the Union and League.
With these problems solved, the
merger was well on its way to
realization. Union members ap-
proved the plan in a referendum
in February and Regents approval
came this summer.
Looking toward the merger, the
student activities wings of the
League and Union began cooper-
ating on many of their projects
in the fall of 1964.
The new officers of UAC were
installed in March. Heading UAC
are James Kropf, '66, president;
Michael Holmes, '66, executive
vice-president;, Pamela Erickson,
'66N; administrative vice-presi-
dent, and Gail Howes, '66N, co-
ordinating vice-president.
The scope of the activities and
services to be offered by the UAC
is widespread. Its four executive
officers and ten committee heads
will manage such diverse projects
as a poverty symposium, creative
arts festival, the UAC celadar
(formerly the Union-League cal-
endar), plus the old favorites-
Homecoming, W i n t e r Weekend,
Musket and Soph Show.
Specialized Programs
"In the future, the new UAC
will increase specialized program-
ming to supplement classroom
procedure. The emphasis will be
to provide events for the more
diversified interest on campus,"
Kropf said.
"This year is the first year of
the UAC-it will be a year of ex-
perimentation, and the problems
that arise will have to be dealt
with in a pragmatic manner,
However, we feel confident that
it will grow into the strongest
activity organization on campus"
Kropf predicts.
r~1._____________________________________4
The Center of Campus Activity...
THE MICHIGA
flZ
The Uuion offers s mu
Dining Room, Cafeteria,
cided to create a committee to,
study merger feasibility, and ap-
pointed Associate Dean James A.
Robertson of the literary college
to head it.
The 14-page Robertson Report
was submitted to the Union and
League Boards in May, 1963. It
recommended that both wings of
the Union-the business and ac-
tivities wings-be joined to their
counterparts in the League.
It called for a merger of the
business wings to form a Univer-
sity Center which would draw
from all segments of the commu-
nity for membership and direc-
tion. The proposed center would
be managed by a single Board of
Directors, composed of students,
faculty, alumni and administra-
tors which would replace the sep-
arate Union and League govern-
ing boards.
The master service institution
was to have a co-educational
standing committee in charge of
student activities.
Regents
At their October, 1963 meeting
the Regents rejected the section
of the Robertson plan providing
arrber Shop, for a business-wing merger be-
cause it called for students to par-
ticipate in the managerial and
Wing Rooms, financial operations of the pro-
posed University Center. This
participation they termed "in-
appropriate" and "ineffective.."
They did, however, endorse the
concept of a co-educational stu-
dent activities organization. They
appointed a committee to detail
the plans for the merger. It was
composed of student executive
officers from both organizations.
This committee's final report'
proposed the formation of UAC,
stating that though the proposed
merger is "ostensibly an amalga-
mation of the exisiting structures,
the scope of its activities should
be broadened beyond the current
range and endeavor of the Union
and the League.
A
ltitude of facilities includin
Michigan Union Grill, B
A
Bowling Alley, Swimming Pool, Billiard Room, Liste
Student Offices, Meeting Rooms, Pendleton Library
The "MUG"--for a meal or a coffee date .
I
For relaxation-a game of pool
I 'n. :l[ iit:.. + a' s P s ! ^' °$'+"' t.; .,:: t : f 4 it 9
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