Seventy-Second Year
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Truth Will Prevai"
Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers
or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints.
What
Limits
for
SG C?
VEMBER 7, 1961
NIGHT EDITOR: MICHAEL OLINICK
The Council:
This Side of the Styx
"SGC can go to hell!"
This policy statement of one University
student, unfortunately reflects the attitude of
an alarmingly large segment of our student
body towards the body that is supposed to be
its representative. Student Government Coun-
cil is about as popular with them as a bluebook,
and infinitely less important than shooting
pool at the Union.
Their criterion for importance is "What's
that got to do with me?" Ultimately, of course,
everyone asks this question. Such is human
nature. But the disinterested never find out
that SGC action does .'relate to their lives;
it's much easier to remain nearsighted and
carefree.
SGC can never become a really effective
organ unless it commands the interest and
respect of the student body-nearsighted or
otherwise. Idealistically, we can proclaim it
is The Duty of every student to keep Informed,
to Participate in Democracy, and so on. Prac-
tically speaking, we can see this hasn't hap-
pened with SGC.
THE RESPONSIBILITY falls to SGC to make
it as easy as possible for its constituents to
follow Council action-and we're back at the
old issue of communications. Most candidates
have discussed the prpblem and promised to
improve SGC publicity, but their platforms
have not sufficiently emphasized the need to
explain what Council decisions mean to the
individual student. Or, again, "What's that
got to do with me?"
To illustrate that meaningful information
does arouse interest, let's look at the Inter-
quadragle Council's motion to allow women in
residence halls. Every quadrangle resident
could Immediately see that here was something
that would directly affect his social life, his
study habits and his privacy..All through the
quads there was interested, well-considered
thought and debate on the question by residents
' 1' adn't previously cared the slightest for
IQC's parliamentary procedures. And along with,
this issue has grown knowledge of and interest
in IQC.
SGC'S PROBLEM will be more difficult; the
relevance of its affairs to individual lives
is often harder to comprehend. Taken by it-
self, the phrase "Office of Student Affairs
Study Committee" sounds like one gang of
bureaucrats investigating another. But if it
were explained to a student that this com-
mittee may result in his being able to enjoy
a more leisurely date, to be heard more fairly
when accused of violating University regula-
tions, and other advantages he would be more
eager to follow the committee's progress.
Widespread dissemination of SGC meeting
minutes, as suggested by some candidates,
would alone do little to stimulate interest.
Minutes by themselves are meaningless and un-
interesting. But there are two publications
which SGC could produce which would go far
towards curing student apathy.
THE FIRST is a general information booklet,
the first reference for someone wishing to
become acquainted with the Council. It would
include the basic aims of SGC, its jurisdiction,
its regulations, a copy of the Council Plan, and
an organizational chart showing the inter-
relation - of SGC's myriad boards and com-
mittees and their position in !the University.
This publication would assume no previous
knowledge on the reader's part, so that even
an entering freshman could quickly become
familiar with basic Council information.
Second, a periodical explaining the practical
meaning to the individual of matters discussed
at Council meetings. Explaining the relevance
of issues such as the OSA Committee, it would
be a big step towards eradicating SGC's ivory-
tower image. And, incidentally, the knowledge
that they will have to explain the importance
of their deliberations would tend to prevent
Council members from wandering too far from
reality.
No plan can secure for SGC a I00 per cent
following on this campus.:Many a student would
ignore Council meetings if they were held
in his own living room. But these suggestions
would secure the interest of the many students
who are willing to follow SGC if they can
do so with a minimum of effort.
-KENNETH WINTER
On-Campus
By RICHARD OSTLING
Associate Editorial Director
THE TENDENCY of 'University
student government at the
University to be concerned with
national or "off-campus" issues is
nothing new. Back in the 30's,
for example, those voting for Stu-
dent Senate members were con-
fronted by a myriad of parties
ranging from "Socialist" to "Con-
servative." Platform statements
were swiped from national poli-
ticians, with occasional and in-
significant recognition of cam-
pus problems thrown in for spice.
This year, jockeying for posi-
tion in the vanguard of the "stu-
dent movement," Student Gov-
ernment Council has continued in
the tradition of its forebears long
since deceased. It has represented
the student body on the evils of
Fulton Lewis III's film editing,
the immoral nature of oaths of
loyalty to the United States, and
the rottenness of McComb, Mis-
sissippi; and can be counted on to
cite rottenness wherever the civil
rights activitst go next.
a* *
THE REPRESENTATIVE func-
tion of SGC can't be circumscribed
by a motion like David Croysdale's,
which is presently before the
Council, because enough stretching.
can make any issue relevant to
the campus..And it does not bind
future Councils anyway.
And occasionally, it is desir-
able for SGC to state some opinion
on behalf of its constitueny. One
example is the McEldowney-
Power-Hayden motion last spring
expressing concern over the Mich-
igan Senate appropriations com-
mittee's tightwad treatment of
state colleges. There are three
principal reasons why this ven-
ture from campus affairs was jus-
tified:
1) It did not go against the
sentiments, of a major part of
the student body.
2) It related directly to the
University and student life at
the University.
3) It was not seen as a par-
tisan political issue by the cam-
pus community.
THE CONTROVERSY arises
when Council "represents"the
campus on issues of the broad poli-
cal, social, or moral orders which
do not fulfill these criteria. De-
spite the problems involved, jus-
tifications for such action have
arisen.
Some persons say the Coun-
cil's role is not really to reflect
the campus viewpoint at all. This
philosophy is typified by the Voice
party's statement that SGC "has
a joint (sic) obligation to educate
the students, to raise the level of
ideas on national and interna-
tional issues, and to mobilizestu-
dent opinion" After this is done,
the Voice asserts, resulting opin-
ion will resound through the land.
In practice, this means liberals
attempt to mobilize the opinion
ex post facto, (e.g. after the tele-
gram has been sent to Bobby.) The
Council tries to make opinion,
rather than represent it.
* * *
ANOTHER conception is that
students elect candidates on poli-
tical ideology and they, in turn,
are representative, as in Congres-
sional elections.
Then there is the more realistic
view that you elect on- or off-
campus type candidates, thus de-
fining the perimeter within which
the Council should act. Those stu-
dents who vote for the off-campus
type give their leaders blank proxy
ballots as national issues arise.
And presumably an on-campus
type, if elected, has a mandate
not to bet involved with the broad-
-Daily-Larry Jacobs
When the tank crosses DiVision Street-
THEN it's an on-campus issue!
er issues of the "total community"
(wherever that might be.)
* * *
THE FIRST IDEA, that of the
leaders of the unwashed (and un-
represented) masses, is not an
ideal way for campus opinion to
be made public. It is, rather, a way
to get liberal positions pushed as
much as possible and with as little
consultation with the electorate
as possible.
The second and third theories
falsely assume the ballot links the
voter and the candidate in ideol-
ogy; voting in SGC elections has
little relation to ideology at all.
MANY VOTERS choose their
representatives by looks, mem-
bership in organizations, or other
personal contact. The more ration-
al voter usually chooses candidates
with the personal qualities, in-
telligence, knowledge and exper-
ience to make them decent Council
members.
Often, the nationally-minded
candidates also promise to be dy-
namic on the local level-a quality
most students look for if they have
enough interest in SGC to take
the trouble to vote at all.
If candidates are not elected
on an ideological basis, there is no
mandate to consider off-campus
issues and there is no metaphysi-
cal link through which the Coun-
cil member "represents" the stu-
dents on partisan political issues.
Then what right has the Coun-
cil to express opinion on national
questions? Well, ithisn't actually
a question of rights, since an
elastic reading of the Council Plan
imparts this right. The question
is: what is the best thing for the
members of the Council- to do
within its broadly stated powers?
* * *s
NON-CAMPUS ISSUES which
do not fulfill the three criteria
listed above should be avoided,
for the following reasons:
First, such activity is more
properly the function of indivi-
duals and private groups. It is
easier for political action clubs to
implement effective action and
carry through on the educational
functions involved, and they have
a constituency which is interested
in fostering such action positions.
To effect change, individuals
must work through organizations,
and if people want on-campus ac-
tion, SGC is the logical body to
turn to. On the national level, an
organizational vehicle is also need-,
ed if students are to be effective,
but SGC is an odd choice for this
when there are political clubs
around.
The Voice platform says, the
student "cannot abstract himself
from the social order and retain
his status as a citizen." It does
not follow that he must act (or
be represented as acting) through
SGC.
SECONDLY, it is po secret that
SGC's off-campus statements are,
in fact, not representative of the
campus. Liberals may say this is
because the average student is
apathetic and ill-informed, but
students, by and large, see nothing
wrong with loyalty oaths and wish
that action against discrimination
by Northerners would be applied,
if anywhere, in the North:
This is a subjective judgment
and I have no polls to prove it.
But Council members don't have
such studies to guide their think-
ing either; no effort is made to
mirror campus opinion at all, but
the opinion of one more than
half the members of SGC.
The danger is that such SGC
motions and telegrams will be in-
terpreted as being more than this.
Another argument has been that
Council members are not fully
informed on political issues, but
they are probably better-informed
than the average student. This
concept suggests that students
shouldn't be active at all in poli-
tics. It has been true that Coun-
cil has made unwise decisions due
to lack of information, but this
is true of all legislative bodies.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, off-
campus issuesnhave meant the
Council has not fulfilled its pri-
mary, if not sole, concern. Cam-
pus issues are limitless. Time and
effort spent on national issues
could -be better spent bring out
problems of full-year operation,
clarification of student rights and
channels of protest, of perhaps
ways the Council itself can be more
effective (such as elimination of
ex officios.)
Candidate Fred Riecker was very
correct in saying SGC missed the
boat on the Office of Student
Affairs investigation. Here was a
"natural" for Council action, yet
it took an independent group of
students to get the ball rolling.
Rather than installing a Western
Union direct line in the Council
chambers, it would be better to
limit the focus of the body and do
a smaller number of things better.
But the way things are now, the
link between the individual stu-
dent and his representation on
Grad Students and SGC
ONE OF THE GREAT VOIDS in SGC affairs
is the lack of graduate student participa-
tion. This is graphically illustrated by the
SGC elections, when few of the 11,000 grad
students vote and fewer still take enough inter-
est to be informed about SGC affairs.
The graduate student takes a disinterested
and disdainful attitude toward the Council. He
feels that it is an "undergraduate plaything",
which does not concern itself with his prob-
lems and discusses matters that are of little
relevance to him. Further, he views the Coun-
cil discussions as the antics of a juvenile and
ineffectual organization.
Yet, Student Government Council has as
much power over the graduate student's non-
academic life as it has over undergraduates.
If grad students form a club of some sort, it
must be recognized by SGC if it is to use Uni-
versity facilities. All extra-curricular events
must be calendared by SGC-many activities
and amusements the grad student is interested
in such as MUSKET and Gilbert and Sullivan
are under the control of the Council.
The Council's interviewing and nominating
committee selects personnel for such functions
as the Conference on the University steering
committee, the Committee on Membership Se-
lection, and delegates to various conferences.
Thus the Council plays an important role in
determining the policy of various student gov-
ernmental agencies which may effect the grad-
uate student.
AS THE REGENTIALLY recognized repre-
sentative of University students, the Coun-
cil has a great deal of potential influence on
non-academic University actions. The SGC
Plan, basic document of the Council, says
SEC's function is "to serve as the official rep-
resentative of the University student com-
munity in expressing opinion and interest to
appropriate faculty, administrative, and stu-
dent agencies, and to the outside student and
world community."
Further the SGC has the power "to partici--
pate through whatever means at its disposal
in the discussion of University policy and to
serve as official liaison between University
policy-making agencies and the University stu-
dent community."
The Plan gives the Council a great role in-
determining the University policies which af-
fect the life of every student. It has a direct
line of communication with the administration
and its words have weight with the Regents
who recognize SGC as the voice of student
opinion.
Four members of the Council serve on the
Office of Student Affairs Study Committee
which is currently investigating the functions
of the OSA. When the study is finished, the
guage requirements would receive more atten-
tion with the weight of SGC behind its consid-
eration.
To the outside world, the SGC represents
the opinion of University students on many
world events.,The Council has on a number of
occasions sent telegrams supporting the fight
for' integration in the South. The Council has
the opportunity for much more work in similar
areas.
BUT WITHOUT graduate student participa-
tion there is a great limit to SOC activities.
Council suffers from the lack of grad student
ideas and experience.
The first step in integrating graduate stu-
dents into the functioning of SGC can begin.
today. By voting, the grad student can project
himself into an important and necessary role
on the Council.
THE COUNCIL could cooperate in, increasing
the role of grads in elections. In recent
years, election booths have been placed at the
convenience of undergraduates. Last spring
only the polling place at the North Campus
bus stop was convenient for graduate students.
Booths at the Cooley Engineering Laboratory,
and Northwood Apartments on North Campus
and by the Rackham Bldg. on central campus
would make it convenient for those grad stu-
dents who wish to vote, and by reminding those
who originally did not intend to vote that they
should.
This is but the first step toward graduate
integration into the Council. Graduate stu-
dents and the Graduate Student Council should
actively participate in SGC affairs.
The Graduate Student Council could bring it-
self into closer contact with SGC. Except for
a lone representative on the Driving and Park-
ing Committee, the GSC has no contact with
the Council.
Closer participation might be achieved by
putting the president of GSC on the Council as
an ex-officio. But ex-officios do ,not have a
good record for SGC pai'ticipation and with
his extra graduate work load, the president of
GSC would probably not be able to contribute
fully to the Council, or be of great value in its
deliberations.
HERE WILL BE full participation only when
some graduate students run and get elected
to SG'C. In this way the 'problems, experiences
and opinions of the graduate student could be
directly presented to the Council by a full
time member. However, the pressures of classes,
narrow departmental attitudes towards stu-
dent activities, teaching fellowships, part-time
jobs and families make probability of graduate
candidates unlikely.
SGC (and at National Student
Association as well) is almost nil,
depriving him of any feeling of
empathy with SOC. It seems to
blunder locally while it meddles
nationally. Voting totals show the
Council has few roots in the popu-
laces at present.
WE NEED a vital legislative
body working to better the Uni-
versity, not a pseudo-educational
arbiter of what the masses might
think (or should think) on par-
tisan political questions. At pres-
ent, we have a body supported by
compulsory student assessment
which too often amounts to an
officially sanctioned Political Is-
sues Club.
LETTERS
to the
EDITOR
(Letters to the Editor should be
limited to 300 words, typewritten
and double- spaced. The Daily re-
serves the right to edit or withhold
any letter. Only signed letters wil
be printed.)
To the Senior Editors:
IN REVIEWING your comments
about me in the Sunday editor-
ial section of The Daily, I find a
gross generalization not supported
by fact.
Quoting the editorial comments:
"In addition, he (John Vos)
has been disturbingly inconsis-
tent in his stands. This may re-
flect his personal growth during
the campaign, but more likely,
it is politically motivated."
These lines, in effect, assert
that I have "switched sides" on
various issues during the cam-
paign. This is not true.
Can the Senior Editors point out
specific issues wherein I have sup-
posedly "switched sides?" If they
cannot, then we must assume that
their generalization is untrue and
a retraction would be in order.,
I, therefore, challenge the Sen-
ior Editors of The Daily to point
out these "inconsistent stands"
and ask that I might be given the
privilege of comment on these
"stands," if any.
-John F. Vos, '62
(EDITOR'S NOTE-For example,
Vos weakened the SGC motion on
executive sessions which would
have obligated Council to report
out criteria and votes. Yet he now
clams to be against executive ses-
sions because, he says,. Council,
should conduct its business in the
open.
(vos's platform indicates he ap-
proves SEC's action on off-campus
issues. And he told The Daily last
week it was a good idea for SGC to
voice opinion of these matters,
though not to the detriment of
local matters. (He ;admitted that
local issues have not been neglect-
ed to date.)
(But he voted against exending
Council money to help bring a Mis-
sissippi student to campus, and he
voted against sending Governor Ross
Barnett a telegram asking him to
uphold the right of citizens of all
races to assemble in non-violent
protest.
(He explained that he objected
to the wording of the latter mo-
tion but offered no suggestions for
Improving It.
(Vos tried to organize a boycott
of The Daily open house and Inter-
views. He says he later decided this
was nota good idea. Actually, other
candidates simply refused to Join
him-and it was this failure of his
plans, rather than a change of
heart, which caused him to reverse
his position.
(Vos has privately told two lib-
erals-John M. Roberts and Paul
Hel-he is a liberal. But he has
not said so publicly and in fact has
the support of the Fraternity Pres-
idents' Association and the Young
Americans for Freedom.)
Scapegoat
LATIN AMERICAN elites have
consistently neglected to ex-
amine their own shortcomings and
limitations and have, instead,
mania hn TUnitud Rtafg the reanp.-
Off -Campus
By PAT GOLDEN
Associate City Editor
THE INDIVIDUAL in a univer-
sity shares in the learning
process as student, and partici-
pates in the world community as a
citizen; the two roles are insepar-
able.
The explosion of a 50 megaton
bomb in Central Asia has techni-
cal, academic significance to a
physics major at the University
of Michigan. It has moral, emo-
tional, and political significance to
the same individual as a student
and citizen.
- He has a commitment as a uni-
versity student and as a citizen to
study that explosion. In doing so
he cannot separate his roles as
student and as citizen, nor can he
give up either. He cannot forfeit
his role as student and remain in a
university academic institution. He
cannot forfeit his role as citizen-
his self-respect, his civil liberties,
his vote.
He needn't forfeit either. A stu-
dent hasn't truly participated in
the learning experience until he
receives information, and responds
to it. A citizen hasn't shared in
the world community until he re-
sponds. Both responses -the aca-
demic and the social or political-
become inseparable obligations
when an individual commits him-
self to a university and to the dual
role of student-citizen. His com-
mitment is never to shut out
knowledge when it is available to
him, and never to stifle a response
to knowledge when he feels moved
to assert it.
* * *
THE UNIVERSITY'S commit-
ment is to provide the broadest
possible channels for the flow of
knowledge and response - both
academic and social. Political in-
terest groups are permitted to or-
ganize here, and a newspaper with
world coverage istpublished. With
this commitment in mind the
University's Administration is
presently opening the door to a
revision of its speaker restriction.
Most important, the University
maintains a governmental body
for channeling student response.
Because it consistsuof elected rep-
resentatives of the student popula-
tion, student government is the
logical and natural vehicle for
student-citizen expression to the
world.
If it is not representative that is
the fault of those who do not
exercise their prerogative to select
representatives. Student govern-
ment must act as if it had full
mandate for all action, since it
does have the mandate of all those
responsible enough to participate.
* * * N E T
STUDENT GOVERNMENTis
the only body with potential for
accurate representation of the en-
tire campus opinion. Specialized
interest groups cannot be expected
to present the complete measure
of student opinion;. they form be-
cause of common outlook and val-
ues.
Furthermore, student govern-
ment carries official responsibility
as the University's student opin-
ion-conveying body. The official
opinion of the University of Mich-
igan student body has far greater
effect than thecofficial opinion of
the Michigan. chapter of Young
Americans for Freedom, number-
ing about 50, or the Americans
Committed to World Responsibil-
ity, numbering about 100.
The opinions of both groups
could have been predicted, roughly.
Their views haverneither the va-
lidity of arising from many-sided,
deeply challenging debate, nor
have they the weight of great
numbers. The opinon of Student
Government Council can carry
both.
* * *
STUDENT GOVERNMENT is
not toy democracy, hence it should
not limit itself to toy issues. Of
course there are meaningful issues
on the Ann Arbor campus, which
student government should con-
sider. It's no game to remove dis-
criminatory clauses from frater-
nities a=nd sororities, or toestablish
a student grievance mechanism.
The important issues that arise
in the geographic University com-
munity always seems to relate in
some way to the unversal com-
munity. We don't want bias-
clauses in fraternities because we
don't want bias, anywhere. We
want a student grievance mechan-
anism because students are citi-
zens, with the ensuing rights. If
the concern of the student with
discrimination is broader than just
the clause in a fraternity consti-
tution, why should the concern of
the student government agency
halt there? Whatever student gov-
ernment at this University can do
to help eliminate bias anywhere in
the country contributes toward the
local cause. Whenever student gov-
ernment's actions make the cam-
pus more aware of the, problem
of discrimination, and encourage
further response, the learning pro-
cess has been advanced.
Each step of individual student
participation in the infinitely ex-
tended learning process, neither
shielded from the influx of knowl-
edge nor stifled in the response,
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A Modest Proposition
BIAS CLAUSES, local auton-
omy, unwarranted discrim-
ination-it is the eve of the
Student Government Council
elections, and everyone is run-
ning around screaming about
fraternity and sorority inequity
(or equity, depending on the
individual).
Okay, fine-if everyone wants
to get disturbed with the af-
filiates (or with those who get
distrubed with the affiliates),
let them.
But the campaigners are
missing a good bet: an issue
close to the students which
would be sure to bring in votes
--University discrimination in
housing.
* * *
IT IS TIME that the Univer-
sity integrated the residence
halls-sexually. The University
can't match roommates by race
-why by sex?
For more than a century,
American women have been
fighting to be treated in the
for its deliberate and blatant
segregation.
Removal of all indications of
an applicant's sex from -the
questionaires sent to incoming
freshmen , would be the first
move.
Everywhere, there are ques-
tions reading "Sex M F (circle
one)." They must be abolished..
Applicants must be referred to
not as he or she but asexually
as "it"; no pictures must be
used, no first names.
But after a while, the move-
ment is bound to degenerate.
De-segregation will not satisfy
the typical quaddie-only com-
plete integration is enough. "A
girl in every room," they will
cry. (And a boy, too.)
And then, thinking of the
luckless groups that will be
thrown into triple rooms, the
proponents of the new anarch-
ical platform will have to try
to abolish triples.
Single rooms, instead of be-
ing the much-desired commo-
But at the same time, more
dormitories will have to be
built for the mass of students
who decide that apartments
don't have such great benefits,
after all.
Of course, SGC candidates
on this platform might even
promise to try to get regula-
tions on apartments loosened
in accordance with the new
system. Fraternities and soror-
ities could be encouraged to
combine, two-by-two, to get
the benefits involved.
ADMINISTRATIVE problems
would be numerous:
Women might be signing in-
not out; allowable reasons for
changes in roommates would
have to be redrafted; new (and
more fundamental) questions
(based on such old standards as
"do you want a roommate who
smokes?") would have to be
created.
But on the beneficial side,
the move might provide a new
I