*.T r ; Mtr % Drn aily Seventy-Seven Years of Editorial Freedom EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN UNDERAUTHORITY OF BOARD IN CONTROL OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS MommombaLft t- ere Opinions Are Free, 420 MAYNARD ST., ANN ARBOR, MICH. Truth Will Prevail NEws PHONE: 764-0552 Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints. Y, MAY 1, 1968 NIGHT EDITOR: MARCIA ABRAMSONj The Tragic Death of Sweet IDA: Nihil'Novl*SubSolur THE INSTITUTE for Defense Analyses is no longer a 12 university consortium to acquaint academics with problems of national security. IDA's executive board recommended to each of the member schools that membership become strictly an individual privilege and asked each institutional member to disassociate it- self from IDA. All. (including the Univer- sity) but Columbia (which has problems of its own) ratified the executive board's recommendation. IDA's institutional rearrangements rep- resent less a victory than a defeat. Stu- dent Government Council, Voice, and The Daily have been campaigning for Univer- sity withdrawal from IPA since last No- vember. Yet IDA was never more than a symbol, and many who supported the anti-classified research drive from the beginning argued against elevating IDA to the level of issue. They feared precise- ly what seems to have happened: the University and IDA would part company as part of a compromise" which would leave the more important, real issue - classified research--untouched. But the University's decision to with- draw from IDA was made with no such sinister intentions: indeed, if it had, there would have been more cause for jubilation. The Regents did not sever ties with IDA to toss few crumbs to those students who have been demanding that both IDA and classified research must go; nor did the Regents weigh the re- sults of the campus-wide referendum, in which an overwhelming majority of stu- dents favored keeping IDA and classified research. The fact is that the Regents didn't take, student opinion of any inclination into account at all. They withdrew from IDA on the recommendation of IDA's execu- tive board for the simple reason that in- stitutional membership in the organiza- tion has never yielded substantial bene- fits to either the institutions or the or- ganization. AND SO there is little new under the sun. The University is !'out" of an organization that never means much anyway except as a symbol; student opin- ion has as little influence on University policy as it ever had, for to please the majority of the student body would have required sticking with the sinking IDA ship while to pacify the radicals the University would have had to withdraw several months ago when withdrawing would have been a true political act. Welcome back to the University of Michigan, summer 1968 edition. --URBAN LEHNER - ~ ,44 - I s " Gb5* " 8 Yw". -^- ad Tzibune Syndcate "I don't understand what's keeping them ..'. . Ho was quite specific when he suggested us coming here !" A:High costofreting STEPHEN WILDSTROM-' 'Every one of E0 them is a racist It was the second night of Passover. The company had just com- pleted the ritual feast-the Seder-when I discovered how deep lie the roots of the sickness of contemporary American society. Passover is the Jewish festival of freedom, a vicarious observance of the flight of Israel from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Prom- ised Land. The body of the traditional home service begins "We were slaves unto Pharoah in Egypt." Yet a 4,000 year struggle to retain that freedom had lost its meaning to the well-fed company at that table just as American history has lost its significance to this nation's prosperous white citizens. AFTER DINNER-the guests soggy with abundant food and sacramental wine-the conversation turned from the condition of the world to the state of the nation to the "schwarze problem." Schwarze is a Yiddish word meaning black, but in America, it has acquired new meaning. Jews have never needed to resort to the word "nigger"; schwarze has sufficed. While celebrating their own hard-won freedom, the esteemed guests spouted the enslaved cant of racism. Jewish tradition stresses the vicarious experience of history "lest we forget" a history of mil- lenia of persecution and repression. Yet that tradition had made little impression on the Seder guests., THE SEDER was held in a neighborhood euphemistically called "racially mixed." Predominantly white five years ago, it has rapidly become predominantly black as the white fled to the suburbs. Yet the people at the Seder were the very people who had stayed as the com- plexion of their neighborhood changed, a fact which made their deep- rooted racism all the more discouraging and frightening. At one point of the discussion about "What is itthat the schwarzes want and what do they hope to gain by looting and burning?'"/someone noted that the window was open and suggested that it be closed for fear that the black neighbors might overhear. The guests realized that their comments where highly offensive but would themselves have been gravely offended had they been openly accused of racism. I don't know whether the concern over the open window was motivated more by fear of the surrounding blacks-a fear that now permeates the white com- munity-or by sensitivity for the neighbors' feelings. At least the former motivation is honest. A WHILE LATER, someone condemnedthe police forces of Amer- ican cities for allowing looting to continue unchecked and suggested that looters be shot on sight. No one flinched when it was mentioned that the religion which they so energetically professed placed a supreme value on respect for human life. Under the Law of Moses, a crime against property requires only that the offender make restitution for any loss incurred while a crime against a person calls for penalties ranging from ostracism to death. Prosperity has rendered a professed tradition empty and meaningless. Every person at that table is proud to call himself a liberal. Every one of them supported the civil rights while the civil rights movement concerned itself with voting, desegration and even open housing. Everyone of them strongly opposes the Vietnam war. Every one of them was shocked and saddened by the death of the Rev. Dr.' Martin Luther King. Every one of them is a racist. EVERY ONE OF THEM strongly and with deep feeling endorses the concept of collective guilt when applied to the Germans for the massacre of European Jewry. None of them is willing to accept col- lective guilt for the shame and sorrow of Americanpsociety. No matter what programs any government of private agency may foster, no matter how much money is spent in the ghettoes, this in- sidious, unknowing liberal racism will stand in the way of true im- provment in the quality of American society. Forgive them, they know not what they do. DaypltiUdes ., Time To Cooperate NEWS THAT the Faculty Assembly has , opened all of its meetings to the en- tire University community should be greeted with only guarded enthusiasm. True, in opening, its meetings the As- sembly has recognized that progressive solutions to University-wide problems can only come when there is honest inter- change of ideas. The decision to open the doors perhaps reflects a reluctant ad- mission of this fact, precipitated by the interruption of an Assembly meeting byt a group of students last semester, but it is, nevertheless, an admission. Still, there is no reason for jubilation. Students, the Assembly has decided, are welcome to attend the Assembly meet- ings, but there is no provision that will allow students to actually take part in the meetings. Any free exchange, any dia- logue on tlze issues of importance that the Assembly discusses, will have to wait for another forum. This is really a shame. If there is any custom-derived construction at the Uni- versity that contributes to general ob- struction and confusion of real progress, it is the artificial division of faculty, stu- dents and administration into three sepa- rate groups. Automatically, sides are tak- en as in a chess game, each team group- ing on its own side of the game board. m~ p * Whoo'ee! HARRISBURG, Pa. UM-Richard M. Nix- on said yesterday he welcomed the entry of New York Gov. Nelson Rockefel- ler into the Republican presidential race, but predicted he still would win the GOP nomination. "I think Gov. Rockefeller's announce- ment will make for a more exciting con- vention ... False alliances of so-called interest are established. Closed meetings, still far too prevalent at the University, contribute greatly to the de facto division. Arbitrar- ily closed mouths at newly-opened meet- ings, though, will not solve too many problems. What is now needed in intra-University relations, more than anything else, is hon- esty and openness. We should all be able to operate in an atmosphere in which there is mutual respect and mutual co- operation. If the faculty is to welcome students to theirmeetings, as well they should, they 'should also allow students the opportunity to share in the construc- tion of relevant policy. It is time that ar- tificial barriers are removed, and mean- ingful, spontaneous dialogue is estab- lished. -DANIEL OKRENT Waiting Game LAST YEAR, we got our apartments for fall in middle and late summer. And we had a good selection to choose from, for even in August there were many va- cant units near campus. This year, overexuberant building has left Ann Arbor realtors with a record number of vacancies for next year. The accelerated advertising campaign they have been waging in The Daily recently' is only one of many indications that the realtors are frankly worried. By signing leases now, students will lose any chance of bargaining from strength for 'an eight-month lease later this summer and in the process make life much easier for the realtors. Make them sweat. Wait. -U.L. A Clean Well-Lighted Place By MARK SCHREIBER Daily Guest Writer EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first part of a series of articles on the Ann Arbor housing market by Mark Schreiber, asenior in the literary college who was an at-large member of Student Government Council. The research paper from which the series is taken was originally pre- pared for SGC's Student Housing Association. NN ARBOR as of 1965 had the second highest cost of living the nation. Rental rates are higher than those of downtown Manhattan. The University is one of the few college campuses in the country with a uniform twelve month lease. Furthermore, con- struction is often shoddy, main- tenance 'non-existent, and dam- age deposits dubiously withheld. One must look to the historical development of Ann Arbor the role of the University in housing construction, and position of pri- vate businessmen to explain these conditions. 1 Ann Arbor as a community, has a history of expensive housing. Unlike most mid-western regions, this area was not settled by suat- ters, but bought from the govern- ment and sub-divided by eager entrepreneurs. Later the conmu- nity desire to retain a pastoral atmosphere resulted in the passae of zoning laws to discourage the influx of industry. With little heavy industry to pay taxes. espe- cially after the oover Pant was dissolved in 1958, land costs in AnnArbor have been traditionally hiah'. In addition. Ann Arbor. as the "bedroom of Detroit." now has a larve number of hph income fam- ilies. In 1965 the median value of owner occupied homes here was $5.600 greater than that of urban Michigan. The ability of these peonle to afford a high standard of living and lack of voiced ob- jection to high prices has been matched by the exodus of domes tics and blue collar workers to out- lying suburbs such as Sline, Whitmore Lake and Ypsilanti. * The demand for apartments since 1960 has rapidly increased due to the growth in student en- rollment. This was especially true in 1963 and 1964 when the Office of Admissions accidently admitted too many students. As of 1966 the University had built no additional housing, but part of University Terrace Apartments were torn dow to make room for a parking facility. Bates, Bursley and the token Northwood Apartments were built after the demand was felt. As a result of the University's lack of resight, there has been a spurt of private apartmentcon- struction since 1961. The shortage of apartments produced a sig- nificant rise in monthly rents from an average of $55 per person in 1960 to nearly $70 in 1967 for a new apartment. * Not only have landlords been able to charge exhorbitant rents, but in the early 1960's they were able to secure a uniform 12 month lease. This was at the ,time the Ann Arbor Property Managers As- sociation was formed, comprised Df the largest apartment managers and owners. * The private market is by no means competitive. Three man- agement agencies - Apartments Ltd., Charter Realty, and Campus Management - control at least half of the off-campus housing in the central campus area. Motiva- tion for excess profit in this oligo- could easily be had. Indiscretion- ate withholding of student dam- age deposits and arbitrary clean- ing bills were added evidence of a seller's market. The possibilities of collusion and price setting by major landlords has also been raised. WHY DID the University choose to ignore these conditions? One reason fs that the U receives no state funds for housing because of the dispute over autonomy. The, University must raise dorm fees 20 per cent over cost to provide for the existing capital outlays fund. The University has strictly abided by the Regents by-law which prevents competition with local merchants; the City Council completed. The Dodge Report cautions housing investment in Ann Arbor in the next year. En- rollment at the University has stabilized, especially with the an- ticipated budget cuts. The result has been a notice- able vacancy rate of 5-10% in apartments. University officials estimated that there were some 700-2000 vacancies in the Ann Arbor area this year and that this excess supply would easily con- tinue into next year. The opening of John Stegeman's highrise on Maynard St. will add to the sur- plus, if not absorbing students then other tenants who would compete with students for aavil- able spaces. Time has not yet been suffi- cient for this surplus of housing to counteract the other inequities in the privatenmarket. Extreme rents, burdensome /12 month leases, indifferent maintenance, and underhanded rental policies still characterize a number of firms. The break in the market did, however, lay the groundwork for student pressures to alleviate these community ills. STUDENT EFFORTS in the last year were aimed at obtaining better maintenance and leasing conditions. An apartment com- plaint service and campaign for the 8 month lease were undertak- en by the Student ousing Asso- ciation and Student 'Rental'Un- ion. both 'sub-committees of SGC. A complaint service was estab- lished at the outset of last semes- ter, operating from 2-5 p.m. Mon- day-Friday. Students called the SRU office or came in with a va- riety of complaints - poor re- pair, damage deposits withheld, unjust eviction, etc. The office worker recorded the complaint and gave the relevant informaticn about solving the complaint. He would then call the manage- ment agency arid try to settle cases of inefficient maintenance. Other more serious incidents were directed to the Office of Off- Campus Housing for mediation. Complaints averaged 5-15 a week. The complaint service not only eased the problems, but gave stu- dents a recognized and ongoing agency with which to deal with the apartment firms, and an in- dication of which management agencies were the most lax with respect to housing conditions. FORMULATION and imple- mentation of the 8 month lease was the next step. At the begin- ning of the school year there were questions about contractual standards and leasing conditions in the existent University lease. Because of this dissatisfaction, the Office of Off-Campus Housing in coordination with the Student Housing Advisory Board worked to develop a new University lease. The arguments against the 12 month lease - the unnecessary, frustrating burden of student sub- letting during final exams, the management agency's high prof- its, advertising, scale and market- ing ability, and the lack of year- round leases on other campuses- were strongly voiced by the stu- dent members. The counter-arguments of add- ed lease forms for summer sub- lets and confusing rental periods were overcome by the suggestion to use Clause (A) and/or (B) of the new lease. Clause (A) stipu- lated a rental period of 8 months or less, while Clause (B) indicat- By WALTER SHAPIRO AMERICA has an unfortunate penchant for displaying na- tional insecurities by decreeing special days to honor those quali- ties which seem to be lacking in our own society. Saturday marked the most fa- mous of these synthetic holidays, Woyalty Day, as thousands of good citizens demonstrated their Amer- icanism by marching shoulder to shoulder with paunchy Legion- sires to the tune of discordant high school bands. Law and order have become the new national concern and conse-l uently Law Day, which emerged during the 1950's as the American Bar Association's answer to May Day, has become a full-fledged na- tional fete this year. In the last few days the air- waves seem to be choked with pub- tic service announcements with some entertainer proclaiming in well-modulated tones the slogan )f today's gala celebration, "Only through a lawful society can we have a better society." The problem with this kind of oious, rhetoric is just that as Loy- alty Day affirms patriotic sym- ,ols divorced from the nation they represent, so too does Law Day encourage the veneration of law qruiteindependently of the ends it serves. The appeal for a "better society" ;hrough respect for law is obvious- ty directed at those unheeding oarticipants in the now tradition- al riots of summer. What is ob- secured by such an appeal is the degree to which the maintenance of law and order can be equated with the retention of the political ind social status quo. ORDERLINESS is especially prized because usually, despite romises of a "better society," gov- ermiet only 'responds to prob- Lems when they blossom forth as crises. An'd since the concessions necessary to defuse these crises are often found to be unpalatable in the corridor of power, it is obvious thata any: interruption of the smooth functioning of benevolent government is strongly resented in Washington. Furthermore government, re- Electing its particular institutional interests, makes laws reflecting ;rimarily its own concerns, rath- er than those of its constituents. What should be noted with pride today is the undercurrent in this country which began with the sit- ins of a decade ago and continues voday with draft resistance. For this movement places moral ac- ;ion on a far higher plane than legal action. While ideally the two should be identical, it is not diffi- cult these days to remember that we are in America and not utopia. ALL THESE huzzanas for law and order should not obscure the fact that while equanimity is de- sirable in a land based on equity, to decree a static society before that millenialistic day would mere- ly give legal sanction to repression. * *- * Can the Standard Oil Hour Death Valley Days? Will the Re Party maintain the same high ratings to which it has becom tomed? Is the medium really t sage? Stay tuned with us for n gust's exciting adventure of Ro his friends.... Second class postage paid at Ann Arbor 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Michigan, Daily except Monday during regular school year. Daily except Sunday and Monday durt saimmer session. Fall and winter subscription rate: $4.5 by carrierr($5 by mail); $8.00 for regula school year ($9 by mail).- Summer subscription rate: $2.50 per ter rier ($3.00 by mail): $4.50 for entire sum by mail). The Daily is a member of the Associated College Press Service, and Liberation Ne Summer Editorial Staff outdraw publican Nielsen e accus- he mes- ka+Ai- cky Au- LYNDON JOHNSON does not give the impression of a man eager to reach the peace table. He seems, on the con- trary, sorry - that he ever brought the matter up. Little more than a year ago in his letter of Feb. 6, 1967,,to Ho Chi Minh, Johnson suggested that peace talks , Michigan, might be held in Moscow. Now he balks 48104. even at Pnom Penh or Warsaw. He seems academic to have Walt Rostow feverishly thumb- Ing regular ing through the geography books for 0 per term places Hanoi would be most likely to turn r academic down. The presence of an Embassy and rm by car- adequate communications are among the mmer ($5.00 conditions sprouting up all around Mr. a Press, the Johnson's often repeated "anywhere, ws Service. anytime." But the latest batch of 10 sug- gestions are all countries in which Hanoi No man is a property Following are excerpts from re- marks of Senator Russell Long (D-La) on the Senate floor last Thursday, reprinted from the Con- gressional Record. NOTHING could disgust this Senator more than to hear on television that the Attorney Gen- eral of the United States has said that human life was more import- ant than property rights, and for that reason this Government of the United States was not going to shoot any criminals seeking to escape from a crime he had com- mitted. I have made the statement, that if someone were guilty of arson. not say you should shoot a China- man, I did not say you should shoot a Caucasian, or a Baptist, or a Catholic, or a Protestant. All I said was that a criminal should not be permitted to get away with that kind of criminal con- duct. He should be caught and stopped before he gets away, even if it is necessary to fire a rifle bullet or a pistol shot at him. That is how it has always been. AND IF any Senator comes be- fore the Senate and asks us to bend the knee to protect law violators, then we should consid- er censure, or consider expelling Stegeman's high-rise has pressured the University to maintain this position. Ann Arbor landlords have, it seems, consider- able influence on the local Re- publican Party and can pro.iect ;A,