SAB
Wings Away
NevsJ
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Opinions Are Free UNDER AUTHORITY OF BOARD IN CONTROL OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS
th Will Pa STUDENT PUBLICATiONs BLDG.* ANN ARBOR, MICH. * Phone NO 2-3241
By NAN MARKEL
City Editor
A TREE already bare of leaves
sends its naked branches out
to shelter the equally remorseless
sticks and stones which are to
become the addition to the SAB.
"First and second floor slabs1
completed and framing is pro-'
ceeding for the third floor," re-
ports the architect.
Contractors are hurrying to put
a roof over the structure so they
can work inside during winter
months.
There is only mud, and trailers
and wood shacks, in the space
remaining. No sign at all is left
of the once-idyllic SAB lawn.
* * *
THE STUDENTS' original con-
ception of the building was as
ideal as the lawn was idyllic.
To some the vision was of a
" . .centrally-located spot where
students can meet, exchange ideas,
take part in social activities to-
gether and acquire a sense of
being a part of a single university
community ..
This is how Daily Managing
Editor Eugene Hartwig foresaw
the building in the fall of 1955,
when it was in the planning but
not yet under construction.
Lesser visionaries agreed "that
the need is for greatly increased
student activities businesfacilities
rather than for any large addition -
to existing social facilities ..a"
(Student Activities Building Plan-
ning Committee report, Nov. 12,
1953.)
* * *
STUDENTS FROM many ac-
tivities had amalgamated into the
committee in the fall of 1953
after meeting together to see what
"could be done immediately to
ease the crowbed social and ac-
tivities facilities concentrated in
the Union and League."
Successions of student commit-
tees, innumerable sessions with
Vice-Preident for Business and
Finance Wilbur K. Pierpont and
with a space consultant provided
by the University, presentations
to the Regents, architectural plans
- these turned into a building
when on Jan. 12, 1956, the Regents
received bids for construction.
The students were to have a.
building.
* * *
SOMEWHERE IN THE course
of negotiations the committee had
agreed to find 10,000 square feet
of space for the deans' offices in
the building's approximately 57,000
square feet of floor space,
"The Committee has studied the
feasibility of including the Univer-
sity administrative offices related
to student affairs in the building
and is of the opinion that a con-
nected wing to the student activi-,
ties building to house these offices
would be desirable.E
"The Committee contemplated
that the wing would be connected
by a corridor with the student
area of the building and would
have a separate entrance to eli-
minate conflicting traffic using
the two sections of .the building,"
it reported.
The administrative sector was
an afterthought to a student
dream.
* .*
A CHANGE OF CLIMATE
February, dedicated April 26,
praised by University President
Harlan Hatcher as a venture in
scholarship, citizenship and just
plain joy of living,.
A Student Activities Building
Administration Committee was set
up to look after it.
** *
FIVE REPRESENTATIVES from
major student activities, three
student members-at-large, a re-
presentative from the dean of
women's office and another from
the dean of men's office composed
the group, whose rules and regu-
lations state
" ..the Building Administra-
tion Board has reviewed the regu-
lations with the administration
and plant department officials to
guarantee the full use of the
building for its intended purpose
which is to carry out the business,
operations of student organizations
and to furnish group meeting
rooms . .
Technically, the structure's em-
phasis and operation remain with
the student.
NOT SO IN LESS technical re-
spects. For the Student Activities
Building never quite came off.
Three years after its dedication
it stands only slightly more dirt-
tinged brick, steel and concrete-
housing about 22 student offices,
the men's and women's deans,
operations and the Office of
Religious Affairs.
It hasn't quite called students
to " . . . acquire a sense of being
a part of a single university com-
munity , . . "
It provides conference rooms,
offices, desks, files, a workshop,
storage bins.
* * s
THAT IT JS NOT student-run
is evident-the SABAB, as the
Student Activities Building Ad-
ministration Committee is now
called, had no part in making the
plans for the addition.
"It was informed about the
plans, as was Student Government
Council," Assistant Dean of Men
John Bingley explained,
The committee had not met
often since it set up the rules at
the building's inception. "There
was nothing for them to do,"
Bingley said.
"At first there were students
involved because we built the stu-
dent part first," Vice-President
Pierpont explained. "But this se-
cond part has no student offices
in it."
He says the second unit was
tentatively planned when the first
was blueprinted.
* * *
THAT THE structure's emphasis
..-Da1iy--Davld Giltrow
remains even less with student;
activities than its operation does
is evident-the new wing will be.
devoted exclusively to University
administrative offices.
Yes,- the administrative offices
are those which pertain most
directly to students.
The addition is being financed
by a new loan agreement for
$1,850,000 Is "to be repaid from
(continued) fee allocation" - the
$5.per semester students agreed to,
set aside for their new building,'
until it was paid for.,
* * *
THE OFFICE of Admissions, the
Student Employment Office, the
Office of Veteran Affairs, the
cashier's office and the Bureau,
of Appointments and Occupational
Information will all move in.
The dean of women's office will
expand and the Coordinator of
Religious Affairs will move from
Lane Hall.
The multiple lobves leave room
for other facilities inthe Adminis-
tration Building--which Pierpont
says "is pretty crowded"-to ex-
pand. Rooms at Lane Hall will be
renovated for the music school.
* *. *
THE STUDENT building ideal.
evolved to be inverted and nearly,
lost. Gone too is the idyllic lawn,
its landscaping the gift of a $1,500
fund from the Class of 1957.
There was a memorial plaque
set in the cement at the back
of the lawn. It read:
"In Memory of Hank Borda,
Class of 1957, who fought such a
courageous battle against an in-
curable disease."
The plaque is now in a file in
the office of the Vice-President
for Student Affairs James - A.
Lewis. He says it will be placed in
a small courtyard in the middle
of the new addition. He says that
bushes "much like the ones that
were there before" will be planted
around the new SAB administra-
tive wing.
Gothic
F YOU LIKE to see history in
action or a love story, if you
enjoy Rabelaisian scenes and
jokes, or admire frowning, medie-
val noble knights, if you want to
see the strongest men swirling
their axes, if you want to partici-
pate in the most fantastic fights,
or else laugh and watch the blood
flow, and . . . and cannot decide
which you prefer tonight, go and
see "Alexander Nevsky."
It is playing at the Cinema
Guild, and is indeed the nicest
piece of Russian propaganda ever
done. The film was made in 1938,
and is directed by Paulenko Eisen-
stein.
" * *
THE FIRST SECNE opens on
vast plains scattered with human
and animal skeletons ... vestiges
of a recent attack by the Mon-
gols. The Russians are tired; they
want to fish, sell and make mon-
ey: And can you blame them?
The- Mongols would like to stir
up more trouble, but they accept
rubles more quickly than a real
fight. And this will be the time
when the Germans, the defenders
of then Holyand mighty powerful
Roman Empire, decide to invade,
But they cannot be bought out of
fighting: They have the money.
What they want is a victory, a
victory of the Roman Empire
upon the heretics, and whoever
shall resist will be destroyed, chil-
dren burned alive and men
hanged.
BUT THE FILM was made in
1938: Nothing indicates that the
attacked party is the Russian Or-
thodox Church, for this would
ruin the whole purpose. After
much discussing and arguing, the
Russians decide to once more fight
the foes and rid the land of the
invaders.
And the nation, or the corners
that we see of it, turns to a six
feet five inch, blond haired, blue
eyed Prince-Alexander Nevsky.
On the other hand, the Roman
Empire Is. busy ransacking the
city of Pskov, and this will make
up the mind of the magnanimous
and generous Alexander. He will
rouse the peasants in the fall and
fight in winter on the frozen lake.,
* * S
THE CINEMA GUILD is still
having a hard time "orchestrat-
ing" its sound for the appropriate
scenes, and keeping the melody
up. And this is indeed a pity, for
Prokofiev wrote the melody in
question. But let's not be too hard
and critical. The acting is lost in
the violent whirl, or is somewhat
awkward.
But those defects are minor, for
there is such a fantastic atmos-
phere in this wild and fascinating
dream, that only the overall ef-
fect stays in your mind, and it's
a good one.
I I I
"NEVERTHELESS," the report
went, "the Committee is desirous
of separating the sections of the
- building in determining rates for
student fees." The students wanted
It separate in structure and in
finance.
They had agreed to pay for their
building through an extra levy
on each student, finally set at
$5 extra included in each semes-
ter's tuition fee and $2 in the
summed. Part of this money was
to go to maintenance, the other
part to pay off the bond issue
which financed the $1,650,000
building.
A 120 feet by 240 feet plot at
Maynard and E. Jefferson had
been chosen, taking into account
"R... considerations of required
size, future expansion and traffic
problems (truck loading and un-
loading) ..."
* '*
EXPANSION WAS IN the stu-
dents' minds. Various committee
reports refer to "an auditorium
M ... ~possibility of a cafeteria .
Had they thought of an expanded
administrative sector?
A Student Activities Building
assumed final shape in the spring
of 1957. It was occupied in
-Christiane Angell
AT THE STATE
'part ment' Cro wd
Raises Roof_
FOR THE MOST part, the Billy Wilder -production of "The Apart-
ment" is a savagely penetrating and remarkably lucid thrust at
busy, dizzy, expedient-directed modern society. And for the first hour
or so of this excellently photographed film, the pacing is swift and the
aim is deadly.
Jack Lemmon, a very talented and very, very funny gentleman, .is
cast as an anonymous employee of an insurance company who is trying
to make his identity known with lightning precision to some of the
agency's higher echelon., Now our
man Jack has quite a clever and
't
LOFTY DREAM .
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
Student Party Replies to SGC Challenge
To the Editor:
STUDENT Government Council's
censure of Voice, et al. this
week proves the need for more
responsible and mature members
to represent the student body.
Voice experienced the feeling of
being tried, convicted and sen-
tenced without the courtesy of
either a hearing or official noti-
fication by Student Government
Council. The action taken amounts,
to harassment as well as a chal-
lenge to Voice.
. * * *
THE CHALLENGE is to bring
Student Government Council up
to the level of government and
out from personal prejudice. At
times, the Council has acted with
both dynamic leadership, educated
opinion and reasonable judgement.
Wednesday night's petty censure
action gives an indication of what
ignorance of a situation, closed
minds,, and an inadequate grasp
of the meaning of government can
produce.
We would hope that those mem-
bers who voted against censure
can be a positive influence in
combating future hasty and un-
informed voting by their col-
leagues.
Had the makers of the motion
consulted us, we could have al-
leviated their concern over any
alleged violation of regulations
concerning use of University
facilities. We claim neither guilt
nor innocence for this is not the
question. The question is in the
interpretation of the Student
Government Council's rules and
regulations regarding student or-
ganizations and the formation of
new organizations,
* 4' *
WE HAD discussed recognition
and "procedures with the proper
Student Government Council of-
ficials and felt we were operating
within the bounds of both the
written and orally interpreted
procedures. Steps for recognition;
had been taken before this cen-
sure motion was written. We were
informed only indirectly of the
motion's existence, and then only
three hours before the Council's
convening.
Voice has tried to avoid labels,
for we wish to cut across the
stereotype and misrepresentation
which the old, tired labels put
upon groups and their members.
We must depart from this to. say
that we will work to be flexible
and objective in our endeavors
for the campus community and
the world "outside".
From the adoption of the cen-
sure motion, we must conclude
that Student Government Council
REPRESENTATIVE C h e s t e r
Bowles and Senator Kennedy
in their speeches to the students
of the University of Michigan'
both emphasized that disarma-
ment and peace lie to a very great
extent in our hands and requested
our participation throughout the
world as necessary for the realiza-
tion of ese t goals.
In reply to this urgent request,
we both hereby state that we
would devote a number of years
to work in countries where .our
help is needed, either through the
United Nations or through the
United States Foreign Service.
* * *
WE ALSO WOULD like to re-
quest that all students who feel:
that they would like to help the
cause of world peace by direct
participation send a letters to this
paper and/or our address. These
letters will be forwarded to Ken-
nedy and Bowles* as an answer
of the students of the University
of Michigan to their plea for help.-
If it is at all possible, we would
like students to start asking oth-
ers in their classes, dorms, sorori-
ties, fraternities, houses, etc. to
send letters expressing their desire
to work toward these goals. We
also request that those who have
friends at other universities write
highly practical plan for rapid
advancement in the firm.
S* . *
JACK HAS THIS COZY and ob-
scure little apartment .nicely
nestley in friendly New York City.
And he sort of loans out his happy
abode to some of the company's
more upstanding executives who
absolutely insist on spending Sun-
days and Christmas making love
to their frigid spouses but much
prefer to spend Monday to Fri-
day with just about any company
girl who's nicely proportioned and
eager to make a quick hundred
without taxes.
And just as long as Jack' is
busy booking out his convenient
house "The Apartment" is bril-
liantly effective film making. But
10 and behold! Jack falls in love
with elevator operator, Shirley
MacLaine, one of the more fre-
quent visitors to the apartment.
She attempts suicide when she
discovers her executive cannot
spend Christmas morning with
her.
From there on in the sparkling
originality of the screenplay is
relegated to disappointing sen-
timentality and the film almost
immediately loses its perspective.
The rest is a downhill battle.
"The Apartment" is graced with
marvelous performances, especial-
ly Mr. Lemmon's, and the Wilder
I DAILY OFFICIAL BULLETINj
The Daily Official Bulletin is an
officialpublication of The Univer-
sity of Michigan for which The
Michigan Daily assumes no editorial
responsibility. Notices should be
sent in TYPEWRITTEN form to
Room 3519 Administration Building,
before 2 p.m. two- days preceding
publication.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21
and the fourth examination will be
given in MasonH ali, Room 429~ from
9:00 a.m. to 12:00 m.
SUMMAR YOF ACTION TAKEN BY
STUDENT GOVERNMENT COUNCIL
AT ITS MEETING OF OCT. 19
Approved: Minutes of previous meet-
ing as corrected.
Approved Interim Action: Oct. 18
Young Democrats-Students for Kenne-
dy, speech, Union Ballroom, 4:00 p.m.