AlMrhigan Batly Seventy-First Year r-. EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS OF THE UNIVEksITY OF MICHIGAN Opinions Are Free UNDER AUTHORITY OF BOARD IN CONTROL OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS th will Prevail" STUDENT PUBLICAnONs BLDG. * ANN ARBOR, MICH. * Phone NO 2-3241 orials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of istaff writers or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints. OCTOBER 16, 1960 NIGHT EDITOR: PHILIP SHERMAN Ideas? We're Too Busy (EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first essay in a series of er sonal evaluations of the, Univer- xu sity's direction and needs. Ar- ticles written for this symposium by thoughtful members of the community will appear bi-week-s By MARSTON BATES Professor of Zoology L^TtLY I have taken up the " slogan, "Education is the 3 student's problem, not mine." Friends say I am just rational- izing my indolence. They are probably right, but I would y ;~: defend the importance of being lazy. We tend to confuse activ- ity with accomplishment, and progress (whatever that means) depends on finding easy ways of doing things - depends on the cultivation of indolence. A few years ago, before I had actually tried teaching, I frequently remarked that our great universities tended to for- get that one of their functions was to teach. Friends have kidded me about that, now. But { . -. .',' { I ^.' r',' ' s 1 ".;".jr , .r " . yc3 {, ., ~ Lac ks Laghability N THE MIDST of the chaos which makes up the brilliant climax of I'm All Right, Jack" there is-a shot of Malcolm Muggeridge, the dean of British satire, looking like the great Punch, himself. I doubt that this is accidental in a film as beautifully planned as this Britisi import is and it thoroughly deserves to pat itself on the back in this manner, for this is an inspired satire. Nay, too inspired. For though its inspiration, spurred on by a real gripe, raises it in quality above the .slickest of Hollywood satires (e.g. "The Apartmenit"), it lacks in quantity what the least of these have: it just isn't funny enough to carry through its heavily contrived plot; there aren't enough jokes. Everything about the film is magnificently comic, both the plot and Satire Has n ;ens Grand Valley College: Effective Publie Concern DILIGENT and dedicated group of Grand Rapids area citizens are well on their way realizing an old dream - a much-needed r-year liberal arts college for the area. he last legislative session passed a bill ating the Grand Valley College, and Gover- G. Mennen Williams recently named a ,rd of Control. When the board has raised :illion and obtained a site for the college, till be chartered and begin to receive state ds for- operating. Michigan's first indepen- t state-supported institution to be char- d in many years is expected to open its rs to students in the fall of 1963, 'omorrow the Board of Control will meet the first time, to discuss three immediate ctives: fund-raising, prospective sites for college, and curriculum plans. RAND Rapids businessman L. William Seid- man, board chairman and one of the ege project's prime movers, is optimistic ut getting the money together quickly - n in an area known for the judicia'l cence of its residents regarding civic efforts q have to pay for. A fourth of the million lready pledged and a fund drive is planned the eight counties surrounding Kent County lch the college will serve. oting the promising response from con- utors to date, Seidman comments, "I sup- e they're coming to realize that their kids be going to school here." ?SSIBLE locations suggested for the Grand Valley College range from the urban re- al section of downtown Grand Rapids to shores of Lake Michigan, thirty miles west. area to be served by the college includes it, Ottawa, Muskegon, Barry, Ionia, Mon- n, Newaygo and Allegan counties in western higan. According to the Russell Report :itted to the state legislature, this area >resently served by Muskegon Community lege, Hope College in Holland and three Lnd Rapids institutions - two small four- r colleges affiliated with religious sects and nd Rapids Junior College. eidman has enlisted the aid of campus ning organizations to help determine a college with growth ability - in the next decade the new college's enrollment should reach 10,000. City and county officers will also have an opportunity to express their views on a site. T WOULD seem that the immediate Grand Rapids area, from which the college can expect to draw most of its students (who will be commuters, at least at first), should pro- vide the most appropriate location for the new school. Aman Park, a city-owned tract of land just outside the city limits on the west, would semi-detach the institution from the urban district of Grand Rapids; it has been seriously proposed as a sitefor the school. The downtown area now finds room for Grand Rapids Junior College, currently crowded in two oldish buildings in the heart of the business district. Business in this commercial area might well be expanded by an influx of day students, while problems that might accompany a residential student population would be deferred indefinitely if not altogether avoided. Further, establishing the college in or near Grand Rapids would provide a solid economic rationale for soliciting fund aid from citizens. The rapidly growing industrial complex of Grand Rapids can benefit materially from a four-year institution with research facilities. It would attract industry to the area it occupies; it will enable the increasing numbers of college-age residents to advance their education, 'JHE GRAND Rapids area has long been overcrowding its schools and pushing educational administrators to hasty growth accomodations. Long-range planning for higher educational facilities has finally come from the citizens themselves - and they have con- vinced both educators and legislators by their effectively directed concern with a community problem. This is the kind of commitment necessary on the part of the general public, if American education is to meet the needs of its younger generations in the coming decades. -JEAN SPENCER Editorial Director the two statements don't seer irreconcilable - though I ho] no brief for consistency. We might distinguish betwee education and training, betwee the transmission of ideas an the learning of skills. Skills ca be taught, certainly; thoug it is not easy to teach peopl who don't want to learn.j teacher, in fact, can be ex tremely helpful in learning skill - the "how to do it" book simply show that hope is sti springing eternally and ther are no statistics on how man of these books have landed, wit the empty whiskey bottles, i the trash can. , , , IDEAS, TO BE sure, ca-n als, be taught -but this is one o the things that worries me, It dismaying to see a roomful c students taking down notes o things you say. This, to be sur is no proof that they will believ them. But they are expecte to remember them long enough at any rate, for the purpose of the final exam; and the often look as though they wer taking you seriously. Now education and training in the sense used here, hav many similarities. But then are also differences. Learnin an inappropriate skill, learning a skill badly, is n the same thling as learning wrong idea. Learning ideas easily translated into "indoc trination" and this is obviousl bad (unless we happen to agr with the ideas). Yet the moder American university is deep: involved with both educatio and training and frequent seems to confuse the two. Take all of this fuss abou "distribution," The science d partments, basically, are tryin $ to train possible future scien tists. They are trying to teac skills and to impart definit and specific information. Th Music School, comparably,i trying to train future musician The Art Department (in th School of Architecture) is try ing, among other thing, to teac future painters. But for dis tribution we have Historyc E Art and Music Appreciation. , , , THE PROBLEM becomes the of untangling the trainingc the specialist from the educa tion of the citizen. The citize surely had ought to know some thing about art, ilteratur( music, science, history and th like. But does he need to b ld n n n h Le A .A. a ks ll re ny th n so is of n 1e, ve ed h' yes ey ,re ve re rg pr otf is - ~y ee )ly on ply tt e- n- ch teo le is 7s. he y- ch of "trained" in all of these things? The scientists seem to think that this future citizen should get some training if he is to have any understanding. May- be they are right, but I am rather glad that the Music School doesn't insist that all freshmen take up the oboe, trumpet or violin . . . though, now that I think of it, I suspect the fact that I used to play, the French horn helps me now in listening to an orchestra.' But is there any difference between the role of the teacher in education and in training. I think there is: that the stu- dent can be trained, but that he has to educate himself. My rebellion against the role of teaching in education started with all of this talk about "teaching students to think,." How on earth can you teach anyone to think? How, in the first place, can you be sure you know how to think yourself? There is an, arrogance here that bothers me; or maybe I spend more time being muddled than most people. * , , MY SOLUTION WAS to de- cide that I, as a professor, constituted one of the facilities available within the university for students to use. There are libraries full of books, faculties full of professors, rooms full of all sorts of equipment. But Individual students may heed to use these in different ways, according to their particular desires, interests and abilities. Yet I can't really shrug off responsibility. I at least have to be available; and I should be easily available, Education is a joint problem, involving both faculty and students. Yet how easily we get jockeyed into antagonistic positions. There is the temptation to work out. trick exam questions that will trip up the unwary; the temp- tation to show the students that this isn't a "snap" course, that there is work here and that life is grim and serious. And the students - maybe they started it, fighting for grades, trying to find the easy way out, trying to avoid, rather than look for, education. The result is dismal. * * * AND THEN THERE is that bugaboo, the Administration: trying to be a stern parer" to all of the harum-scarum stu- dents; trying to make some sense of organization among the disordered faculty; worry- ing with a curious hypersen- sitivity about the public image of the institution. It is no wonder that education gets lest in a fog of mutual suspicion. This without mentioning librar- ians busy keeping books from being stolen; plant department trying to keep the lawn neat; research institutes abosrbed in drawing up projects and writ- ing reports; campus cops over- whelmed with being important. Ideas? We're too busy. Yet I still think education is the student's problem. The rest of us have problems, too: but these turn on the proviion of facilities for the educational process. We ought at least try to handicap the student as little as possible. We get so preoccupied with organization and system that we sometimes forget about this. No matter what we do, there will be handi- cays, so we needn't worry about things being too easy. Educa- tion? Sure it's the students problem; but it's a problem for all of the rest of us too. And difficult enough to keep us all thinking-- if we can find the time. individual scenes -are hilariously wrought. You know you should be laughing, you want to laugh, but nobody has said anything funny. BETWEEN the truly funny scenes there is iuch to admire.. The opening scene sets the tone of humor and the methodology of attack. We are told the ancient gentleman we see before us is one of the great business moguls of the old school but that, alas, this is the last we shall see of/him for It is then end of the war and a newer, younger generation is tak- ing over. And ideed Edwardian England, after cursiiig the weath- er, manages to rise from its chair and pass out of the room and the movie, leaving us in the company of the most lethal villains, im- moral politicos and plain ignor-' amuses which make up this new, eager generation. It is also a new generation of comic actors which portrays them. Peter Sellers plays the Union Shop-Steward who is as incapable of handling his home life as the socialist idealism he worships. His character is complete and com- pletely funny, His stubborn, silly walk and his side-long, wide-eyed way of looking at everything give away a man who has placed him- self on top of the world without knowing what's going on inside. Terry-Thomas, his antagonist, is a comic actor of the first order. In his leering, peering, twisting, itching bravado is inspiration for a dozen films. Denis Price plays the gentleman who pits these two against each other. He is the suave successor to Edwardlan England, and his blithe corruption suggests knowledge of evils and its ways as that gentleman never guessed at. --Robert Kraus DAILY OFFICIAL BULLETIN The Daily Official Bulletin is an official publication of The Univer- sity of Michigan for which The Michigan Daily assumes no editorial responsibility. Notices should be sent in TYPE WRITTEN form to Room 3519 Administration Building, before Z p.m. two days preceding publication. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16 General Notices Graduate Students in Linguistics: The preliminiary examinations in Linguis- ties for the fall semester will be given on Fri. and Sat., Nov. 11 and 12. Stu- dents intending to take these examina- tions must notify Prof. Chavarria-Agui- lar,. 1625 Haven Hall, in writing, not later than Oct. 26. President and Mrs. Hatcher will hold open house for students at their home Wed., Oct. 19 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. University Players PlaybiUl season, tick ets will be on sale at the box office, jLydia Mendelssohn Theatre, starting Monday at 10:00 a.m. Season tickets, at $6,00 and 4.00, include: "The Firstborn" by Christopher Fry, "The Frogs" by Aristophanes, a laboratory opera (to be announced), Sean O'Casey's "Purple Dust," the premiere performance of an original play, a major opera (to be announced), Moliere's "School for Husbands," and Friedrich Duerren- matt's "The Visit." Single tickets for "The Firstborn" and "The Frogs" will go on sale Tues- day morning at 10:00. Box office hour, 10:00a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Tues- day; open until 8:00 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday (performances of "The Firstborn")~. Tickets for Individual Performances of the 1960-61 Platform Attractions will go on sale tomorrow (Monday) morn- ing at the box office inm HillAud. The (Continued on Page 8) ; ; ? x t. LETTERS: University Opportunity Demands Appreciation MAX LERNERF' T Face To Face ,77 1-77 WOULD be a great loss to the campaign Sen. Kennedy's willingness to take part fifth TV debate were not matched by an l willingness on Nixon's part. The, Repub- i candidate may plead that his speaking a are made for the duration and cannot disarranged, but surely there is a prior". Ic stake in having the extra meeting. ot that there is any magic in the number any more than in the number four. The ic stake lies in not letting the last two a half weeks of the campaign remain ty of this sort of confrontation. Those the weeks of highest tension, when last- ate charges, arguments, and even v his- ng campaigns of innuendo and political ssination are likely to be the order of the would be healthy to have a final confront- of the candidates during that spell, with . of them getting a chance to have his say, before a local group where his words might ctly to all the people, in the sight of his ight not reach the nation as a whole, but ence, his conscience and his opponent. 1. NIXON is on record as believing that democracy depends for its functioning on ence, reason, and truth. Why his hesitation far in accepting the challenge? aere are several clues. One is that Nixon ot happy on TV, tending to lose rather i gain by each appearance, while Kennedy s to gain. Every such encounter in an Azing ordeal for Nixon, while Kennedy - ver tense - seems to thrive on them. ide from this fact there is another. The lit of press power in America is Republican. Democrats can of course buy TV time. tc cost is often prohibitive and it is usually iunted by the audiences as too partisan purposive. In any race to saturate the aves at commercial rates the Democrats d be beaten - and have been historically. ce one can understand why the Nixon' s have from the start been reluctant t these confrontations which pare away h. of the Democratic disadvantage, I 4r S.c .ganUDailj Editorial Staff THOMAS AYDEN A Erllt Uor BUT WHAT fair observer could doubt that America as a nation is better off if there is a greater equality of access to the people on the part of both major candidates? The nub of the matter is equal access. Since the broadcasting chains are willing to. run the debates as a public service, and the people are anxious to watch and listen, the burden of refusal will be a heavy one for whichever candidate chickens out. There are hints that if Nixon is elected this time, he may not submit to the debate ordeal in 1984. The reasoning seems to be that while it is not below the dignity of two candidates to stage a debate, it would be below an in- cumbent President's dignity even if he were one of the candidates. This is .a curious mis- ponception of where the dignity of the Presi- dential office rests. The new communication arts and technology have made it possible, for the first time in history, for a mass democracy to watch its candidates as they in turn face their total constituency and each other. This is demo- cracy by confrontation. Whoever is afraid to let the people see, to let them hear, to let them know, and to let them choose is fearful of the democratic enterprise itself. THERE IS much, of course, that can be improved in the way this has been managed in the early debates. I would strongly back up Walter Lippmann's suggestion that a panel of questioners is not the best solution. Over the years it can be subject to pressures and can become corruptible. In any event the candidates are grown men, and they can themselves ask the questions, and follow up the answers with counter-answers. Each could have the right to put one or more questions in each of a number of agreed categories. Morever, the debate' should not switch wildly from foreign policy to health plans to farm subsidies, merely because that is how a sequence of panelists plays it. Let the candidates ex- plore each theme in depth until their grasp of the subject and their capacity to cut deep into it have been thoroughly shown. Then flet them move on, allowing themselves plenty of time. AMERICANS have long wrestled with the question of how democratic choice can function well in a society of unequal wealth at of a- n e- re, he s To the Editor: rTHE PURPOSE of a university is to provide its students with the greatest opportunities for educa- tion in all fields of human en- deavor. Perhaps one of the most important of these fields is that of politics, and the most important aspect of this field is the coining presidential election. It is our opinion that the Uni- versity administration deserves special commendation for its ex- tension of women's per to allow them to hear the presidential can- didate, Senator Kennedy, on Thursday night. This fits in well with the University's tradition of providing such opportunities to the students. The students of the University, we hope, will benefit from the op- portunities provided. However, in order to do so, they must develop. a mature outlook and approach the programs offered with an ap. preciation of their value. -Man fair dealing and grounds for li- cense revocation," Ston Bates _ _ . _ _ . - - - a vfi. rYr r .+:r+ ., '. r}t }^'R'"' r. ." , .' '. :r~ ?{ , r ...5" , a "Well, Back to the Old Humdrum Routine" Af \ )t a f' .. x a' " { - ' ;,; y ' ' !f+ . . _. . c ,d. .. 4 ., - .{ w. 1' a x n T n j f j +44r {'Q L aJ r"' ^ . f t u, 4 J .., r . , ;w=, :: .,, ' ,_ z. ±.4 Q G .'r. ". k '. J" ° F, j ". ryl F{ r{r'" ; _ , t , . ,. < :: . = ri .. y '. C' '. T .:. UNFORTUNATELY, some of the students present in front of the Union Thursday night had not yet developed this outlook. We are appalled by this lack of develop- ment which was indicated by the presence of Nixon signs, booing and calls of "We Want Nixon" in the area where we were standing. In this case these acts were un- desirable and showed a lack of common courtesy and a certain amount of ignorance. We would find this situation equally intolerable if the speaker had been Vice-President Nixon. It is of course true that the lack of decorum was characteristic of. a small but vociferous group of Nixon supporters in the audience. If, as this group stated so in- sistently, they want to invite Vice-' President Nixon to the campus to; speak, fine l We hope that he will not receive similar treatment. -Robert Kaplan, 162E, -Wilfred L. McGuire, '61 -Lee Wetherhorn, '62 Rule 9. . To the Editor: N THE Wednesday issue of The Daily, Michael Harrah's article on the controversial "Rule 9" of the Michigan Corporation and Securities Commission neglected to explain what this administrative ruling actually said. He was quick to state the position of Mr. WiI- liam Leuders and the .Michigan Real Estate Board.. But what he forgot to include THE RULE does not usurp an individual property owner's rights in any manner, shape or form. A property owner may still sell to whomever he wishes and for what- ever price he wishes. A property owner is not forced to let any person enter his home for the purpose of inspection, does he not wish to. What does "Rule 9" do? It makes the licensed real estate broker. and salesman in the state of Michigan more of a public servant. It outlaws the practices of property owners associations which attempt to regulate an in- dividual's rights to buy property where he chooses. The property owner still has control over the real estate people to act in his behalf according-to his wishes. Lawrence Gubow, Michigan Cor- porations and Securities Com- missioner, is a man to be highly praised for striking out against the unjust practices of a small minority of society. The University of Michigan be be proud that an alumnus of both their undergrad- uate and law schools has made a significant contribution to the cause of a better society. -Leroy Helman, '64 Anonymity To the Editor: TODAY, while reading The Daily, I noticed two letters to the editor signed "name withheld by request." I have always admired The Daily for printing almost any letter sent to it, but I think it may still go one step further and require of each writer that his name be printed with his letter. Freedom of expression is a won- derfil thing but in exchange for this right, a person should be held accountable for what he says. If a person does not believe in what he says, he should not say it. But Jif he does believe in it, he should stand by it and try as best he can to defend it against criticism. * * * ADMITTEDLY, there are in- stances where it is practically im- possible to express certain opin- ions without incurring severe pen- alties or. ostracism. I refer, for example, to the situation in Amer- ica only about six years ago, However, these instances are rath- er rare and even rarer on a uni- versity campus. I am not about to argue in this , k-)7 LNI I N\\ i .