Tuesday, August 27, 1968 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Arrrn TA u1TC DAILY x. rage Ii re Black students: ction, assurance after boc k-in Although the more than 100 black students who locked them- selves in the Administration Bldg. in April were not organized in a group, they drew their support from the various black student organizations currently active on} campus-the black sororities and fraternities, the Direct Action Committee, the Afro-American Liberation Movement. The assassination of 'the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther Kirig seemed to eliminate permanently what- ever hesitations may have held back many of the black students. Before April, Afro-American Liberation Movement chairman Larry Mann, '68, had complained: "The atmosphere on campuses and in black communities is the same all over-it's something you; can feel. But it's not nearly as stirring here at the "University. Some blacks won't join our group for fear of being branded militant. That's where the black Greek sys- tem is importat-to give them safer' means of maintaining their black identity." But at the lock-in fraternity jackets and sorority pins were conspicuous on many of the dem- onstrators. There are four black Greek or- ganizations-Alpha Kappa Alpha and Delta Sigma Theta sororities and Alpha Phi Alpha and Kappa Alpha Psi fraternities--each has about 30 members. There are about 550 black students at the University, according to enroll- ment figrues for fall 1967. However, the students involved in the demonstration have con- sistently denied any organization- , al structure or leadership, al though they have authorized a spokesman, Richard Tripp, '68, who issues official statements on the progress of their discussions with administrators. Members of other sororities and fraternities have criticized the black - groups' tendency to isolate themselves. Last fall Panhellic Association moved toward a more integrated. ,rush by having the president and vice president of Panhel personal- ly contact each black freshman girl and urge her to sign up for formal rush, which requires the rushee to attend mixers at 21 all- white houses. The two black sororities are in- cluded only by option in the rush program, but Panhel encourages all rushees to include them. Both sororities are integrated nation- ally. although 'the University chapters have only black mem- bers. No appreciable results were re- corded last year, but Panhel hopes for improvement this year. Neither of the two black sor- orities has a house. However, de- spite some objections, two units of Oxford dousing will be re- served for members of Delta Sig- ma Theta and Alpha Kappa Al- pha next fall, on the grounds that the girls are Opportunities Awards students and therefore eligible for the low-cost -housing. Director of University Housing John Feldkamp claimed that the move will allow the University to make a gesture to welcome Op- portunities Awards students. Current residents of Vanden- berg and Goddard Houses object- ed to the assignment, saying they were being discriminated against. Eventually the two sororities expect to collect enough funds for construction of houses.' Other black student groups are smaller although more militant. The Direct Action Committee (DAC) is not really a student group. It has only a few student members; yet it is highly influ- ential. Organized several years ago by current leader Charles Thomas and others, DAC organizes blacks "to get the oppressive powers off our backs," Charles says. "We go out into the surround- ing communities," he adds, "DAC also has an international perspec- tve," continues Thomas. . "We have sympathy for oppressed peoples all over the world." The liberation movement aims at activating black 'students, ex- plains Mann. The group was or-, ganized last October. Mann's organization led the campaign for a University Negro history course. After a continuing debate, the history department created a Negro history course which will be taught by Prof. Wil- liam Freehling the first time this winter. "The amount of red tape we had to go through was absurd," Mann says. "And the course apparently won't come near to meeting the needs of .black 'students who want to take it. But at least it is a start in the fight to destroy cur- rent myths about black history." The NAACP and he Ann Ar- bor Human Relations Commission have worked with the black stu- dents. Prof. Albert Wheeler of the medical school, state chairman of the NAACP, was the only man al- lowed inside the locked adnAn- istration building besides Univer- sity President Robben Fleming. Wheeler cites in students a new type of segregation - a "re- isolation" which comes from en- tirely new motives. "Black stu- dents are banding together for positive reasons - self-identity,' self-determination - as a source of movement and direction," he explains. Staff member Robert Hunter of the HRC has worked with students throughout the demonstration and following meetings.. In conjunction with National Negro History Week last year, students, held a three-day pro- gram. Speeches, symposiums and group discussions centered on the problems of "turning white." The black students are gener- ally reaching agreement that they' must organize their own.people. However, many feel that white supporters can be active as well in educating the white commun- ity. Predominantly white groups which aim at the black commun- ity have had trouble attracting members from the black students. Although most of the pupils in the Ann Arbor Tutorial' are black,. only ten per cent of the tutors are black. Organizers of the New Politics Party, an independent third par- ty, have continually expressed discontent at their inability to at- tract black members. One student, says, "The black students on this campus are divid- ed into three groups: the ones 'turning white,' the ones who are apathetic or afraid, and the ones left that are worrying about what we can do." More and more, the black stu- dents are working together to see just wha they can do. The lock- in and following meetings moved in an!increasingly all-black di- rection. 5 HOURlS FOR GRIEVANCES: King shooting sparks building seizure. nw Only Blacks admitted to lock-in By MARCIA ABRAMSON The mass unrest which followed the assassination of the Re. Dr. Martin Luther King hit the Uni- versity unexpectedly at 7 a.m. on April 11, the day of King's funeral.. Almost unnoticed, more than, 100 black students met near the old Administration Bldg. They carried, pillows, blankets, food and some unidentifiable packages. By 7:30, before most building employes had arrived, the black students had chained all the en- trances to the biulding and posted a list of five grievances against the University. The few secretaries in the. building were unable to leave; no one was' allowed to en- ter. Other employes, trying to un- derstand what was happening, soon began to gether in the park-' ing lot. 'KIDS AGAIN' University President Robben Fleming was contacted. A parking attendant asked the employes to go home and check back at noon to see if the demonstration had been ended. "Those kids again," one snarled. Five hours later, almost exact- ly at noon, the protest was over, Meeting with the students, Flem- ing set up a meeting to discuss the grievances which in turn' spawned more meetings with other University administrators. Only one demand, the call for a Martin Luther King scholarship and faculty chair. has been met. Hesitancy to speak on all sides has, however, obscured progress. Throughout the lock-in, partici- pants declined comment, and now will speak only through their of- ficial spokesman. Richard Tripp, '68. BLACK DEMANDS In addition to the lock-in de-t mand for the King chair and scholarship program, the black students asked: -Immediate appointment of a black man as assistant director of admissions. Robert Marion, previous black staff member in the admissions office, had recent- ly resigned his post. -Appointment of black men to the athletic staff. -"University activity in the community." (During the demon- stration and subsequent meetings, this demand was never explained.) -Immediate implementation of a 1967 Defense Department report which termed the University a place for "rich white students" and called for many measures to increase opportunities for blacks at the University. The student demands, which were later duplicated and distri- buted by white supporters, con- cluded, "We the black students of this University do believe that un- less these grievances are met, we. will continue to live in a basically racist University. Immediate resti- tution is necessary.' As early at 8:30 a.m. sympa- thetic white students began pick- eting in support of the blacks in front of the building. Some 20 or 30 carried signs reading, "Sup- port Our Black Brothers" and "Ann Arbor-All American City for ALL." Supporters collected money to buy lunch for the pro- testers, who unchained one door to accept the food. Response was almost immediate to the students' most obvious de- mand for a King chair and schol- arship. At their April meeting, the Regents allocated $10,000 for the scholarship program and adopted a resolution urging contributions for a King facutly chair. The Regents specified that if sufficient funds for the King en- dowed chair are not raised by Sept. 1, contributions will be transferred to the scholarship fund. Even before the lock-in. Prof. Deming Brown of the Slavic lan- guages department had already organized a drive for a separate King professorship which has so far collected nearly $15,000. BLACK RECRUITMENT Some $60,000 is needed for the professorsship. A fully endowed chair requires around $500,000. The Regents also appointed Dean William Haber of the liter- ary college to a special advisory position which willsinclude work- ing toward establishment of a program for recruiting Negro fac- ulty members. Haber retires as dean of the literary college June 30. Prompted by a Defense recom- mendation of Fall 1962, the Uni- versity already has several exist- in programs designed to equalize opportunity. After the report was issued, the Regents aproved a $35,000 yearly appropriation of funds for seek- ing out and training black per- sonnel. A special position, man- ager of training and personnel, was eventually created for this purpose. Robert Briggs currently holds the post. TRAINING PROGRAM Three programs were set up to train black non-academic staff. They were:t -An "administrative intern" program in the University's hous- ing, business, purchasing and reg- istrar's offices; graduate school; and information service. -Methods of Intellectual De-, velopment (MIND) -a program- med learning series at the Med- ical Center for training clerical personnel. -Two laboratory research train- ing in the medical and dental schools. Regular training seminars are held even now in the Personnel Office. The sessions now cover minority group problems and spe- cial recruiting techniques for blacks. A black recruiter and test- ing clerk have joined the Person- nel Office staff. Briggs says the administrative interns progam is the first of its kind in the country. The interns are recruited from predominantly Negro colleges. There were 17 in the original group. SEEKING FACULTY In August 1967 Vice President for Academic Affairs Allan F. Smith authorized 13 recommend- ations for recruitment of Negro faculty. They included: -Creating a budge reserve in case qualified black faculty be- came available after ordinary budgetary funds are depleted. -Utilizing the help of black professional groups in recruiting. -Offering postdoctoral fellow- ships and instructorships to help minority group candidates for fac- ulty positions. -Preferring minority group candidates where all other fac- tors are equal. Only the medical has so far used the suggestions by agreeing to reserve funds for special ap- pointments of Negro faculty. Studies after this year indicated that University recruiting of blacks for academic positions is still sporadic and decentralized. DEFENSE REPORT Implications of University ra- cism preceded the teach-in by several years..Defense Department report was disclosed in November, 1966. The report was undertaken to investigate the University's compliance with the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which specifies that all federal agencies giving as- sistance to an educational insti- tution must issue rules and make investigations to make sure no dis- crimination is practiced. Defense Department representa- tives met University officials in March, 1967, and told them a "crash program" was needed to' improve exceptionally bad em- ployment practices in the school of engineering.I U SHORT COMINGS NOTED The initial report said the Uni- versity should do more to ensure equal opportunity employment in Ann Arbor, start special programs to recruit qualified black students and appoint black faculty mem- bers to University policy-making committees. The Defense Department also urged creation of an office of equal opportunities with a pro- fessional staff reporting directly to the President. In addition, the report called for, recruitment of non-whites as resident directors and advisors, establishment of means in aca- demis departments to encourage minority group members to train for all levels of University em- ployment, and a centralized effort to communicate to black colleges and groups the University's desire to recruit minority group person- nel. The department's survey found that 16 per cent of University em- ployes are minority group mem- bers. However, only 10 per cent are black, and most are in lower classifications. Walter Greene, of the Defense Department Contract Compliance Office in Detroit, which made the study, explained the survey was "routine" and added that similar studies had been made at Michi- gan State University, Marquette University, the University of De- troit and the University of Wis- consin. The report, sometimes referred to as the Greene report, has made the University quite sensitive about its treatment of minority groups. No action was ever considered by the University against the black students who held the lock- in. TOLERANT TREATMENT Fleming said he was not sur- prised by the student action "in this period of terrible stress fol- lowing the insane assassination of Dr. King." "These kids have not been hos- tile," explained Fleming. "We're had this terrible, terrible tragedy. You can't expect the normal rules' to apply." Fleming was quick to term the; demands "very reasonable and constructive" after his three-hour meeting with the black students' White sympathizers left outside leaders in the locked Administra- tion Bldg. Besides Fleming, only Dr. Al- bert Wheeler of the medical school, state chairman of the NAACP, was allowed to enter the building. While locked inside the build- ing, the students held a memor- ial: service at 10:30, the, time of' King's funeral in Atlanta. After they left the building, the students continued their meeting at the Ann Arbor Community Cen- ter on into the afternoon and eve- ning. At the first meeting on the Monday following the lock-in, seven representatives of the black students met with Fleming and, other administrators to discuss the demands. Tripp, the blacks' spokesman, called the meeting "as fruitful as could be" but declined to explain any further. Fleming's statement on the meeting indicated all demands had been discussed, "On many of these matters we found that we had no difference." Fleming said. Beginning -this fall term the University will be compiling sta- tistics classifying students on the basis of race or national origin for the Department of Health, Educa- tion and Welfare, HEW now surveys educational institutions to determine if they are complying with the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The University must report the number of students in each racial category participating in Univer- sity housing, athletic scholarships and financial aid programs. Questions must also be ans- wered concerning discrimination in I admissions and student activi- ties. There are presently about 550 black students on campus. There were approximately 450 when the Greene report was issued. Grene epot ws isu.. -4" WE NEED, YOUR, Dr. Albert Wheeler FOLLETT'S FOIBLES By E. Winslow GET YOUR PERSONALIZED WT ' rlw w ~rl~ YOUR INITIAL.S lar now, engraved with your jnitial8. Choice of satin or polished finish. A coed customer of ours who reads, Plays chess, and dresses in tweeds Was one night caressed, And gladly confessed, "Folletts supplies almost all my needs". SELLING, ABILITY! 1 If you have any selling or business experience, then you are eligible to join our new advertising sales force beginning in the fall. 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