Seventy-Second Year"
EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
-- UNDER AUTHORITY OF BOARD IN CONTROL OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS
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uth Will Preval"
Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the indisidual opinions of staff writers
or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints.
Y, DECEMBER 10, 1961 NIGHT EDITOR: MICHAbM HARRAH
OSA IN TRANSITION:
A History of
Uncertain ty
I.
i,*eptjlse:
Romney S Self-Sell
By PHILIP SHERMAN, City Editor
By MICHAEL OLINICK
Daily Staff.Writer
"WINE, WOMEN, and Song Days
Days End at U. of M.'"
That's what the Detroit Daily
Times headlined in February, 1921,
when University President Marion
L. Burton announced the creation
of a Dean of Students position.
The Daily, in more conservative
tones, heralded the appointment
of Prof. Joseph A. Bursley of the
mechanical engineering depart-
ment as the promise of "a new
era in the relation between stu-
dents and the University admin-
istration."
Both newspapers guessed wrong.
** *
BURSLEY'S POSITION was the
germination of an idea planted
by Prof. Louis A. Strauss of the
English department, chairman of
the faculty committee on student
affairs. Prof. Strauss- urged, in
a March 20, 1919, letter to the
president, that an office of the
dean of men be created--the first
time the notion had been suggest-
ed on this campus.
The University Senate and the
Regents subsequently approved a
resolution calling for the appoint-
ment of a full-time officer to at-
tend especially to student affairs.
Since negotiations for a new presi-
dent were then in process, the
University decided to wait and see
what the new chief executive's
attitude toward the office would
be before .any action was taken.
President Burton-who hailed
from the University of Minnesota
which had long before created the
position of Dean of Students -
approached Prof. Bursley and gave
him the job "almost before I had
time to refuse it."
* *
PROF. BURSLEY began his new
duties under conditions which
have been bothering his successors
ever since: there was no clear
definition of what 0 dean of stu-
dents was to do or what powers
he had. The Regents simply told
Prof. Bursley to be "friend, coun-
selor and guide to the student
body with general oversight of
its welfare and its activities."
Since there had been a Dean
of Women at the University since
1896, the new Dean of Students
found himself at times the super-
ior administrative officer over her,
and at other times merely her
equal. They shared memberships-
with parallel voting priviliges-
on several committees and boards.
K-ti
)RGE ROMNEY can sell cars. The ques-
on is-can he sell himself too?
mney says he's giving consideration to
ng for the GOP, gubernatorial nomina-
and promises his decision later this win-
nney will be a fine candidate, if he does
nd.gets the nomination.
uNEY himself downgrades personality and
>pearance as political qualifications, pre-
g to stress issues, an obvious consequence
s non-partisan experience. So far he has.
able to debate without having to worry
winning any votes.
he is Just the kind of jut-jawed, articu.
slightly graying candidate the political
-makers like to get their hands on. He
like a governor, he never takes a bad
e. And, like it or not, this is an important
in American elections.
ed on his appearances in behalf of both
and Citizens for Michigan, Romney would
an effective campaigner. He speaks with
and some heat on such subjects as the
Big Three's "gas-guzzling dinosaurs" and
roblems of the state's constitution. He
rs to like people and is sincere enough in
ng total strangers. Both are' necessities
ffective campaigning.
)UGH HE PROJECTS much more than
es Congressman Robert Griffen, at this
his leading potential competition, and
h he is much better. known, Romney's
r problem in getting the nomination will
e fact he is not yet known as a party man.
loyalty means a very great deal in this
s highly-ideological politics. If he is going
anywhere, Romney will have to ingrati-
imself to the out-state leaders who con-
he Michigan GOP. He's going to have to
ie rural and small town voters out to the
so his country pluralities will be enough
ance the Democratic bulge in the populous
eastern counties.
rugh Romney will appeal to much of the
it suburban vote, and may even draw in
labor support, he must have the full con-
ce of the rural counties if he is to win.
ely, Romney has been making an effort
to enlist this support. He's been meeting with
county chairmen and working with GOP con-
con delegates, who are often powers back home.
It will take a lot of this kind of work to win
over the rural leaders, who are quite obviously
less than enamored with an Oakland County
candidate who has boasted repeatedly of his
lack of party association.
HOWEVER, the oitstate distrust may well
be surmountable, for Romney is hardly a
liberal of the Rockefeller stripe,
In the last election, he says he remarked .that
both -John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon
were headed in the same direction, Kennedy
at 60 miles per hour and Nixon at 40. Romney
didn't really like the direction.
On the current economic situation, Romney
says there's a split between price determina-
tion, which is competitive, and cost determina-
tion (mainly labor costs) which. is negotiated
by two sets of monopolistic groups, big busi-
ness and big labor. Romney would like to re-
turn to a come competitive situation on both
fronts.
Finally, on the subject of university tui-
tions, Romney says he favors fees and points
out that it's a lot easier to get an education
now than when he was young. His implication
is that young people ought to work their way
up in the world, much as he did himself.
He does favor a flatarate income tax with
correllary ,relief for business, and also more
money for higher education-but his views
aren't that far away from many around the
state. Even on education, some of the old line
GOP legislators say they would appropriate
more money if the present tax structure pro-
vided it.
ROMNEY'S IDEAS represent something of a
middle ground in Michigan Republican-
ism. If he can sell himself as a good party man
who, if somewhat independent, will work with
his fellow members, he may well take the nom-
ination.
If he is nominated by a united party, he has
the personal appeal and the willingness to
speak out that could well enable him to defeat
the politically uncourageous and rather color-,
less John B. Swainson.
.
'..
h
.. .+,
;,,...
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i
The strength and independence
of the dean of women's office -
'partly reflected even today in the
Alumnae Council's demands on the
Office of Student Affairs Study
Committee - traces back to the
separate and prior founding of
her office.
Myra Beach Jordan, who was
the second dean of women, spent
20 years (1902-22) seeting a pat-
tern for housing organizations,
creating student governmental
units, and initiating many tradi-
tional social events. Her work did
much to solidify the position of
the office and earn it a respected
place in the University community.
S * * *
THE VAGUENESS of Bursley's
charge led to his picking up as-
sorted duties and responsibilities:
inspecting rooming houses for men,
administering automobile regula-
tions, auditing the accounts of
student organizations, supervising
the financial affairs of fraterni-
ties, issuing student identification
cards, administering the rules rel-
ative to student social affair and
rules of eligibility, and maintain-
ing a personal record card for all
students.
"Whenever a job came along
Ahat no one else wanted, the dean
of students' office got it," Bursley
recalled at the eve of his retire-
ment in 1947.
In his 26 years as he head of
the student affairs office, Bursiey
picked up ex-officio seats on the
University -Senate, Conference of
Deans, Board in Control of Stu-
dent Publications, Board of Direc-
tors of the Michigan Union, Resi-
dence Halls Board of Governors
and many more.
Between meetings, however, Ie
served as '"the friend and father
confessor of the student body."
Bursley and his wife made it
a practice to have "ice cream so-
cials" for all the entering fresh-
men each year.
From 1947 to 1954, the structure
of the student affairs office
changed several times. After Burs-
ley retired, Erich A. Walter, then
the associate dean of the literary
college, was named director of the
Office of Student Affairs. His
title was changed back to Dean
of Students the next year.
TIE DEAN OF WOMEN'S posi-
tion, meanwhile, had passed
through the hands of Jean Hamil-
ton (1922 to 1926) and a Commit-
tee of Advisors (1926-30). The
committee was the innovation of
President Clarence Cook Little who
believed that three women could
do a better job than one at mak-
ing the office more informal and
friendly and increasing the num-
ber of contacts between the of-
ficials and the coeds. ,
Early in President Alexander G.
Ruthven's administration, the Re-
gents re-established the position
of Dean of Women and appointed
Alice Crocker Lloyd to fill the slot.
She served from 1930 until 1950.
Deborah Bacon became the U ni-
versity's fifth dean 'of women
shortly after that, on completion
of her doctoral studies at Colum-
bia University. This year, she re-
signed effective next Feb. 1, but
left her position last week to pre-
pare for a teaching assigiment ini-
the English department.r
WALTER BROUGHT extensive
campus experience into the stu-
dent affairs office and was well
liked by the students, though old
Dailies report one or two flare-
ups with radical student organiza-
tions.
In October, 1952, the Regents
appointed Associate Dean of Stu-
dents Walter B. Rea to the newly-
created post of Dean of Men. The
addition of another deanship was
seen as "logical development"
growing out of the "great volume
of work" being handled by Walter's
office, University administrators
said.
Walter continued to coordinate
overall policy-making for the en-
tire student body.
Rea's duties were prescribed by
Regents Bylaw 2.10 which instruct-
ed him to "act as special counselor
of the men students of the Uni-
versity and have immediate super-
vision of their welfare, conduct;
and nonacademic activities."
* * *
THE STUDENTS, meanwhile,,
were pressuring for the creation
of a vice-presidency for student
affairs which, they felt, would
demonstrate the importance of
nonacademic life on the campus..
University President Harlan
Hatcher told student leaders in
the spring of 1953 that such a
vice-presidency was being dis-
cussed.
On September 25 of that year,
the Regents moved Walter to the
position of assistant to the presi-
dent and named Rea acting dean
of students. Rea also continued to
serve as the mens' dean.
Rumors about an OSA vice-
presidency and a combined OSA-
public relations office floated
around, campus all that year with
es the desirability of coordination
to eliminate administration-stu-
dent tension and channel student
problems and ideas with more ease
to higher administrative levels
and to the Regents."
The students' request was an-
swered on April 20, 1954.
* * *
IN A TIME of deep crisis for
the University-President Hatcher
suspended three professors for not
cooperating with a House Un-
American Activities subcommittee
hearing that spring - the Regents
named James A. Lewis as their
first Vice-President for Student
Affairs. Rea was shifted back to
being dean of men only.
The appointment came the sa',
day the Michigan State Medical
Society said it would cooperate in
testing the yet unproven Salk Polio
vaccine on local children and a
University coed revealed herself as
a campus informant for the Fed-
eral Bureau of Investigation.
President Hatcher said Lewis
would be responsible for "the co-
ordination and development of
nonacademic aspects of student
life." Offices of admissions, regis-
tration, the Bureau of School Ser-
vices, dean of men, dean of wo-
men, religious and veterans' af-
fairs, and the International Center
were all put under his supervision.
The vice-presidency's Importance
jumped even more that fall when
the Regents accepted the Student
Government Council plan which
provided for the first student gov-
ernment ever recognized by -the
University. Lewis *as given veto
of SGC's-action.
In contrast to the Regents By-
laws defining the role of the var-
ious academic deans and executive
committees, the legislation apply-
ing to the OSA is vague and am-
bigious-and often out of date.
* * *
THE REGENTS have never
passed a Bylaw stipulating that a
fairs be appointed or what. his
Vice-President for Student Af-
duties are to be. Under chapter
eight of the Bylaws, "Student Ar-
fairs, Conduct, 'and Discipline,"
there is a general section 8.01 set-
ting up the OSA, but this defines
the dean of men as its head.
There are two bylaws providingt
for adean of women, bothr'saying
she is to be a "special counselor
of the women students of the
University." But one (2.11 says
she is to have immediate, super-
vision of their welfare, conduct
and activities," while the other
(8.02) specifies:
"She shall be an adviser to the
Director of the Health Service in
cases that relate to the health of
women students 'under University
care, and she shall be a guide in
the social life and in the spiritual
life of the women students. She
shall also Inspect and standardize
their housing conditions."
Bylaw 2.11, moreover, contrasts'l
with 2.10-the other one defining
the dean of men's role-in that it
points to dean of women's super-
vision over women's "activities"
while the dean of men is restricted
to "nonacademic activities." This
would seem to give the dean of
women an authroity in academic
matters.
Basically, however, bylaws 23.10
and 2.11 give the den of men
and dean .of women paralel.;°
powers, powers that have been
exercised in widely divergent ways
by the people that have held 'the
offices.
Regents Bylaw 8.08, for example,
has two sections. Each uses the
identical language with the excep-
tion of "women" for 'men" to
state that no student, undergrad-
uate or graduate, may live in pri-
vate apartments. It gives the deans
power to make exceptions to this
regulation.
The dean of women's-office tra-
ditionally has been very reluctant
to give out apartment permissions
and they are awarded only after
an applicant shows ,proper finan-
cial need and an impeccable moral
character.
The dean of men's office, how-
ever; makes no attempt to enforce
the regulation, allowing all men
to live in private apartments after
their freshmen year-whether or
not they ask permission.
The Bylaws hardly outline a
clear philosophy which the Re-
gents want followed in student af-
fairs. As a result, the people
who've headed various OSA's have
stamped an expeditious policy of
personality on them-whether the
outwardly friendly paternalism of
a Bursley or the unseen, but
cruelly hard walls of Lewis' "non-
direction."
* * *
THE OSA STUDY COMMITT,4E
is in the prime position for con-
structing and recommending a new
Bylaw which would cut through
the haziness and the philosophy
of day-to-day administering by
this personality cult. It should
propose a basic declaration of the
responsibilities and power limits
for student affairs administrators.
Such a bylaw would create an of-
)ERSCORE: '
U.S. Shackles Disarmament
I
JAY, 1952: the United States, Great Britain,'
and France propose to the United Nations
isarmament Commission that; the U.S., the
SSR, and China reduce ground armies to 1-1.5
illion men; that Great Britain and France
duce their forces to ?00,000 and 800,000 men
spectively, and that all other nations freeze
ound armies at 1 per cent of the nationt
pulation.
June, 1954: Britain and France add to this
oposal a detailed schedule calling for crea-
n of an authoritative disarmament control
dy; freezing military manpower and expendi-
res at the 1953 level, immediate reduction of
nventional arms and armed 'forces halfway
the projected levels, and cessation of the+
anufacture of nuclear weapons with conver-
n of nuclear, materials to peaceful uses. First
sponse of the USSR. "nyet."
May, 1955: In a complete reversal of its
sition, the USSR announces willingness to
mply with practically' all of these proposals,,
d agrees to:
'The complete prohibition of the use and
production both of nuclear and all other
weapons of mass destruction, and the con-
version of existing stocks of nuclear weap-
ons to peaceful purposes, and the establish-
ment of a control organ with the rights
and powers adequate to guarantee in the
case of all states alike the effective observ-
ance of the agreed prohibitions and reduc-
tions."
The Russians provide for these "adequate
wers" in proposing a permanent staff of
N inspectors to have access to roads, ports,
id aerodromes and the right to demand in-
rmation on compliances with arms reduc-
n.
At this point, just as we are about to be
ken up on our own proposals, we back out
d return with the "open skies" plan-totally
iacceptable to the Russians because we would
in the opportunity to. examine their closed
ciety while they would gain absolutely noth-
g. So, in September, 1955, we place undefined
eservations" onlevery proposal we have made
and the moment of greatest hope in disarma-
ent negotiations slips away.
PHIS IS CERTAINLY one of the most dra-
matic incidents in the history of Western
oc disarmament negotiations with the Soviet
non. And it points up all too clearly that, at
>rst, we do not want peace, or, at best, that
P rAnnf Mma: ~h taawn'f# filn fn4'..'. .
ed, with se'eral specific articles written and
agreed upon. But suddenly we claimed that
"new data" from the Atomic Energy Commis-
sion had proved that underground tests could
not be adequately detected-and again we back-
ed out, in spite of the testimonies of 15 emi-
nent East-West scientists at Geneva that con-
trols were possible.
The AEC had conducted 'an underground
test in Nevada in 1957, and stated that it had
been detectable only at a distance of 250 miles,
and no more. Certainly, if, this had been the
case, detection of underground tests between
the U.S. and the USSR would have been im
possible. But The Nation magazine reports
that the same explosion had been detected in
Alaska, thousands of miles away-and, most
significantly, that the AEC had had the Alask-
an reports in its records at the time of the
250-mile statement.
THESE INCIDENTS of our bungling are not
intended to whitewash Russian intractabil-
ity. The point is that, as citizens of this coun-,
'try, we can do nothing about the Russian at'
titude towards negotiations. But we can be re-
sponsible for our own actions and for those of
our government. Nothing can hide the fact that.
the U.S. has been guilty of so much "bad
faith" on its own that we cannot blame anyone
but ourselves for the more recently hardened
mood of the USSR.
The main difference seems to be that the
Russians insist on an active start towards "to-
tal disarmament" along with the establishment
of inspection and controls. We insist on the
definite establishment of inspection and con-
trols before we will consent to begin disarm-
ing. As Pogo said one November 11 a few years
ago, "Tas anybody dropped a gun yet?"
Senator Joseph S. Clark (D-Pa) said in a
Senate speech in February, 1960, "The U.S. is
the only nuclear power which has not accept.-
ed total and permanent disarmament .under
international safeguards as its goal and put
forward a comprehensive plan to achieve that
end. I think that is a disgrace. The British
have done it, the Russians have done it. We
have not done it .."
ONE OF THE MOST fundamental prerequi-
sites for war is the possession of weapons.
The Russians have again and again declared
themselves willing to "drop a gun." So have
we. Somewhere in the confusion of proposal
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
Sigma Nu: All Deliberate Speed
To the Editor:
GERALD ± STORCH'S editorial
on the Sigma Nu bias clause
was an example of muddy think-
ing expressed in the tone of voice
of reason.,
Mr. Storch feels that if the
chapter should apply for and re-
ceive a waiver, it would inevitably
be acting on bad faith. This opin-
ion seems so self-evident.to him,
that he does not bother to give
any evidence supporting his view.
In rebuttal, I should like to
outline the Sigma Nu procedure
for applying for a waiver, and
secondly sketch a brief sociological
portrait of the current members of
the local.
IF WE APPLY "only as a last
resort" it is because the national
will consider applications only if,
they are filed as a last resort. The
local should not be blamed for
the reactionary and unbending
posture of the national. As a mat-
ter of fact, unless the local here
can demonstrate that it' has no
other recourse but to seek a
waiver, the application will be
ignored.
For Mr. Storch to see such "last
resort" action as evidence for
reluctance on the local's part is
gross misrepresentation. The first
is the result of established pro-
cedure, the second a matter of the
local's temperament and attitude.
** *
THAT ATTITUDE is difficult to
describe, even for men who have
been a member of the fraternity
for four years. Imagine my amaze-
ment at hearing Mr. Storch, whom
none of us has been privileged to
know personally or in polite com-
pany, pontificate with such au-
thority on the subject.
If I had to describe the climate
of opinion in the chapter vis-a-vis
the bias clause, I should say that
there is a powerful hard-core
group of liberals, a small and not-
so-vocal handful of conservatives,
and the rest.
I, FOR ONE; am deeply em-
barrassed that; my fraternity
should have a bias clause, and,
along with those who feel as I
do, I should like to bring an im-
mediate and lasting change to the
present lamentable state of af-
fairs.
A real change in attitude de-,
pends upon assuring the moder-
ates, whom I have described as
"dispirited," that the University
is .pursuing its objective of non-
discrimination realistically and in
good faith. Would it be too much
to ask that the Daily editorial
writers might also lower their
voices to a reasonable pitch and
abandon their militant squawks?
* * *
PERHAPS the greatest irony in
Mr. Storch's editorial is his ob-
servation that when the University
has removed "the Sigma Nus and
their ilk," only then will it "move
slowly towards one of its ideals
-a free and open society."
Quite frankly, I find the worthy
Storch's picture of a free society
faintly amusing, however grim it
might also be. It was always my
impression that in a free society
one does not set examples by pun-
ishing a minority; that one does
not single out scape-goats, indeed
that one does not treat individual
human beings as means to ends,
no matter how laudable those
ends may be in themselves.
Allow me to confess my own
timidy. In many ways I am not
looking forward to the frowns I
expect to receive from many of
my friends for being a spokesman
for such an unpopular position.
Believe me, I am as aware as any-
one that the need to remove biases,
written or unwritten, is greatet
now than ever. All I want, all
I'm asking for is level heads.
-Edmund White, '62
Misleading
To the Editor:
faculty, medical and staff per-
sonnel.
The current enrollment is 1547
students and 275 non-student for-
eign faculty, medical and staff
personnel,or a total of 1822. Cur-
rent figures for other universities
have not yet been published, but
it is likely that the University of
California (all campuses), Colum-
bia and New York Universities are
higher. .
The caption under the picture,
contains two errors. I do not admit
students and the middle initial
which my parents gave me is M,
not A.,
--James M. Davis, Director
International'Center
Menha..
To the Editor:
T SHOULD LIKE to correct cer-
tain misconceptions which may
have been created by the article
on Meha Village which appeared
in the Michigan Daily for Thurs-
day, December 7th.
A large site of land has not
been purchased. The Association
has inspected fifteen sites from
eight to twenty miles from Ann
Arbor, but no option will be taken
until March or April, 1962.
Individuals eligible for mem-
bership in the Association are not
only those of the teaching staff.
They may be any person serving
any eductational institution of the
state in any capacity.
One auditorium and a few con-
ference rooms will be more prac-
tical than several auditoriums.
Social activities will be more
of a cultural type such as concerts,
drama, lectures and card parties
in addition to dancing and games.
Residents will not participate in
maintenance or help serve, the
guests of the hotel. All residents
are both family and guests. They
will be given an opportunity to
exercise hobbies, if they wish, such
as artistic salad making, adminis-
trative assistants. directors or par-