Page Eight THE MICHIGAN DAILY ,GTuesday, August 27, 1968- a 'f4 .. " BLACKS MAKE DEMANDS: Racial tension' ;, WEL C OME S TUDENT t' *: : comes to AA high S I/c/I re. ew were, ,JQo l By JOEL BLOCK Black students at Ann Arbor High School won a partial victory this summer in their fight against alleged racism at the school. Fourteen of 21 demands pre- sented by the school's 125 black students on May 27 were approved by a , joint black student-faculty committee and passed b$ the Board of Education. This action followed two weeks of student unrest at the high school which included a boycott of classes by black students, fights between black and white students, the imposition of "partial martial law",by school authorities, and a week-long protest by pickets from the University community. Racial tension between the school's 125 black students and its primarily white administration and staff revealed itself in late May when a curriculum question- naire was distributed to black stu- dents by the administration. The survey was conducted in response to charges that the high school was forcing blacks into the "general currciulum" rather than the study program for college bound students.' The controversial questionnaire prompted black students to form an ad hoc organization to draft demands for reforms in the high school. The group was set up within the structure of the youth council of the NAACP and con- tained nearly every black student in the school. The black students boycotted their classes on May 24 to force administrators to meet with them throughout the day to discuss grievances. To avert another threatened boycott on May 27, the school's administration agreed to hold a "tell off" where all students could voice grievances against the school staff. On that day, all classes were called off and voluntary meetings were held between faculty and in- terested students. . At those meetings, black stu- dents listed 21 demands, including the dismissal of faculty members' found guilty of bigotry, the pro- hibition of police officers from as- signment to the campus, a well defined grievance proc'edure for students, and anumber .of other major reforms. Later that day the school's fac- ulty appointed a committee to study the black student demands and recommend to the entire fac- ulty body a course of action.-t, Two days later, May 29, sever- al fights broke out between blacks and whites in classrooms and washrooms resulting in the brief hospitalization of one student. School Superintendent W. Scott Westerman called off classes for the remainder of the week and the ;aculty adopted 14 of the black' demands with a *ewmodifications. The school. administration alsoj enacted a new discipline policy of "partial martial law" for the rest of the school year. Starting 'June 3, around 25 plainclothesed .and. uniformed police officers patrolled inside and outside the high school building. Students /were told they would be immediately suspended for breakin'g any of the school 'rules. against tardiness, passing out un- authorized literature, or holding any kind of unauthorized demon- stration. Pickets from the University community protested the partial martial law during the school week of June 3. Members of Voice- SDS, Citizens for New Politics, The Bill Ayers for School Board Committee, and People Against Racism picketed and passed out leaflets at the school's main en- trance every morning as students entered the building., } Superintendent W e s t e r m a n threatened to, file an injunction to prevent the. picketing but didn't do so when advised by chool Board attorney Roscoe Bonisteel of the legal complexities of such a move. The protesters caused no in- cident as the high school students filed past them into the building. Two students were suspeided for, passing out anti-draft literature inside the school but were both, later reinstated. At a meeting held June 12, the School Board passed the 14 black student demands recommended by the school's faculty.'the seven=de- mands not approved by the fac- ulty' were referred to a new Bi- Racial Citizens' Advisory Board. The Bi-Racial Advisory Board will work on all race problems at the school. It will be composed'of black and white students, school personnel, parents and commun- ity residents. The most radical reforn accept- ed by administrators was the elimination of the practice of marking down students' grades because of unexcused absences. New and "more appropriate" dis- ciplinary measures will be de- vised in the fall, according to school officials. Other accepted demands were the establishment of a Martin Luther King award for outstand- ing contributions in civil rights, the establishment of a well de- fined procedure to handle student problems, and the appointment of a Negro Human Relations Director for the school. At a June, 12 meeting, two School Board members, William C. Godfrey and Paul H. Johnson, charged that the Board of Edu-e cation's policy of recruiting Ne- groes is "illegal" and "discrimina- tory. Their amendment to change the three-yeariold School Board pol- icy was defeated by a, large ma- jority. Ih another development, Ann Arbor High School Principal Nich- olas Schreiber, who had been the target of many of the black and white students' accusations of big- otry, retired soon after the close of the school year. Schreiber was the originator of the "partial.martial law" policy in the school. AIL i (Ok 500 E. Liberty STUDENT 900K SGRVICG LARGEST USED BOOK STOCK IN TOWN OPEN 'TIL MIDNIGHT DURING BOOK RUSH "Where the Virtuous Buy Their Books" 1215 S. UNIVERSITY 761-0700 t l _____ - -_________1 j Enjoy Yourself Join the Daily Staff Today! . ........... ............ ...... , THE WOMEN'S ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION ii *1 } t: '{F*: Welcomes You A, / IA and invites you to join any of the activities listed. f ' CLUBS Golf: Thursday, Sept. 5, 5:10 p.m., Building Women's Athletic Rifle: Thursdiay, Oct. 24, 7:30 p.m., Building Women's Athletic Gymnastics: Tues., Sept. 3, 7 p.m., Barbour Gymnasium Tennis: Tuesday, Sept. 3, 5:10 p.m., Palmer Courts Fiel4 Hockey: Wed., Sept. 4, 4:30 p.m., Palmer Field Folk Dance: Friday, Sept. 6, 8 p.m., Barbour Gymnasium Concert Dance: Tuesday, Sept. 10 nad Thursday, Sept. 12, 7:15 p.m., Barbour Gymnasium Judo: starting date not yet posted. Barbour Qymnasium Fencing: starting date riot yet posted. Women's Athle- tic Building Michifish: Wednesday, Sept. 11, 7 Pool p.m., Margaret Bell Lifeguard Corps: Wed., Sept Bell Pool Crop and Saddle: Thursday, Athletic Building 7:15 p.m., Margaret Basketball: January 13, 8 p.m., Barbour Gymnasium Interhouse Volleyball starts week of Septi 16 at 5:10 or 7:10 in Barbour Gymnasium (team application blanks will be available in room 15 Barbour) Interhouse Basketball: starts week of 7:10 27th at 5:10 or Sept. 5, 7 p.m., Women's Speed Swimming: Tuesday, Sept. garet Bell Pool 24, 7:30 p.m., Mar- Badminton: Mondcy, Jan. 13, 7 p.m., Barbour Gymna- sium SHOWS I - ! %,