114r, Alrhigatt Daily
Seventy-Third Year
EDITrED AND.MANAGED BY STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
UNDER AUTHORITY OF BOARD IN CONTROL OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS
ee OpinionsAreI'," STUDENT PUBLICATIONS BLDG. ANN ARBOR, MicH., PHONE NO 2-3241
Truth Will Prevai"r'
orials printed in The Michigan Daily ex press the individual opinions of staf writers
or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints.
GOVERNMENTAL EFFORT:
Voter Registration
Aims at Integration
AY, FEBRUARY 16, 1963
NIGHT EDITOR: DAVID MARCUSI
Union Decision Defies,
Purpose of Organization
"IAT WELL KNOWN, versatile campus or-
ganization, the Michigan Union, formally
cided Thursday night to present us with an
dition to its long list of services by branch-
g out into an area heretofore considered
rbidden ground-politics. While not wishing
modernize the old phrase about "Beware
reeks Bearing Gifts," it should be ,pointed
.t that by this step the Union is taking
erties with the male students on campus
hich it should not be allowed to take.
The instrument for this new policy is the,
ichigan Union Report, a fairly innocuous
blication designed to publicize Union ac-
vities. It comes out about five or six times,'
year and has a circulation of 3000-3500, with
ost editions winding up in fraternity or
tadrangle house lounges. In its regular issues
has ' been completely devoid of political
mment of any kind.
That was all changed Thursday night, The
lion Board of Directors passed a policy
atement that recognized the Union as a
rvice organization providing for an "expres-
m of creativity,' thus justifying "further
pansion into other areas of free expression."
went on to' say that "We feel that an
lowance of expression of opiAions, either
litical or apolitical In nature, through the
Housing
1JHETHER OR NOT honors housing is a
good idea, it certainly'reflects many of the
shortcomings of the Office of Student Affairs.
For what .Prof. Otto Graf and others are
upset about is the poorly run and anti-
intellectual residence hall.
Prof. Graf is far more sensitive than most
counselors to th4 complaints of his students
about the residence hall system. As director
of the honors program, he is in a far more
powerful position than many other counselors
to do somethig about it.
The idea of honors lousing developed in
order to remedy many .of the faults of the
present residence hall systen for honors stu-
dents and to provide a stopgap measure until
there is general reform in the residence hall
system.. Hopefully, the honors housing system,
if it comes about In the near future will in-
clide such things as junior faculty members
living in the house.
NOW ASIDE from any question of whether
honors students are or are not a cohesive
group and really do have much in common,
honors housing shas the fault of starting a
program for the people who least need it. It
is true that living conditions in the dormitories
are poor and .that as a supplement to the
classroom the system is a failure.
But the ideal conditions envisioned fo
honors housing are also the conditions most
needed for non-honors housing. The Univer-
sity already goes to great lengths to provide
special opportunities for honors students. Some
departments have their top people teaching
honors introductory courses or sections. Honors
students-espeoially on the freshman level-are
given special classroom situations designed for
intellectual stimulation.
Now if these honors students are the most
Intellectually aware and actually do have
these expanded opportunities, the priority for
academically oriented housing should not ,go
to'them. It should go instead to those who have
the least opportunity, the least acquaintance
with and interest in the academic community.
[t should go to the freshman who is forced to
suffer through unstimulating classes who needs
every lift he can get.
FURTHERMORtE,' honors students, who are '
supposed to be the cream of the academic
rop, ought to be diffused. Life for them
should not be a rarified academic atmosphere
especially created to nurture their talents.
The residence hall system, within reasonable
limits, ought to provide some contact between
students of varying background.
'This should not be done on a-purely random
basis. Perhaps the best system would be to
weight dorms or individual houses by academic
areas with 25-50 per cent of a given unit
being people within .one major with others
of varying interests. But a weighting purely on
the basis of honors status would be meaning-
less.
The people who are planning the honors
housing are hopeful that eventually the plan
will "spill over" into non-honors housing.
Ihey are acutely aware of the need for reform
n the residence halls. But honors housing is
he wrong way to go about it.
What is necessary is 'a broad general pro-
gram of reform as opposed to a selective
Oxeriment which mnay or may not succeed.
The ropportunity for academically oriented
housing ought to be open to all students in
he same way that all students wil hopefully
have an opportunity to apply for co-educa-
ional housing.
Some bold and sweeping stroke is necessary
o bring about reform in the residence halls.
Union publication, 'The Michigan Union Re-
ports, is a logical expansion into the afore-
mentioned area." It added that "In keeping
with the traditional apolitical policy of the
Union, all such articles woud carry proper
disclaimers." Furthermore, "The Executive
Council would act as an editorial Board which
would approve articles for publicatin."
TWO OFFICIALLY stated reasons for the
new policy came out in Thursday night's
meeting, "the opportunity for free expression
in order that well-informed and articulate
leadership may be developed within the or-
ganization." The other reason, brought up by
one of the members of the Board, is to help
educate the campus.
These ends appeared so dazzling to the
members of the board that they voted 9-4 to
adopt the policy statement. In doing so they
completely neglected the question of means.
Part of every male student's tuition, a small
part admittedly, but still a part, goes to help
maintain the Union. If you're an average stu-
dent you think of the MUG, the bowling alley,
the pool room and don't begrudge them the
money. But what happens when it's the day
before a referendum or student election and
you suddenly become aware of 3500 Michigan
Union Reports floating around campus, each
with an editorial advocating the side or can-
didates you are opposed to?
Unless you ar abnormally apathetic you may
suddenly become aware that there is some-
thing wrong with a situation where the 'U'
makes you contribute money to an organization
tha$ is engaged in putting out a propaganda
sheet offensive to you. The problem is similar
to the problem of providing funds for religious
schools. Sure all you may be doing is providing
tax money to build the building, but it's what's
taught inside the building that bounts and if
its against your beliefs you aren't going to
like having to pay those taxes at all.
FARS SIMILAR to these were raised Tues-
day night and the proponents of the meas-
ure assured- everybody that "balance" would
be maintained in each Report and further-
more the political content of the Report would
not make up more than 10 per cent of the
total of any single issue. The plea was made
for us to. trust the executive council, yet no-
where in the policy statement is the word
balance or a percentage limitation mentioned.
Furthermore it was brought out that the word
balance does not appear in the policy state-
ment; its use had. been brought up in an
executive, council meeting and it had been
rejected. This is a strange fate indeed for
a word which is supposed to exemplify a
desired policy. This council is also supposed to
see that most of the issue is concerned with
Union activities, but again there is no guaran-
tee. Technically, as a member of the Union,
any male student on campus could write an
editorial for the Report and again it would
be up to the council to determine whether
to run it-
Those in favor of the new policy ask that
a "wait and see" attitude be established towards
the Council before making any judgments as
to whether it will maintain balance or not.
However, this misses the point. Having balance
still means using student funds to propogate
political viewpoints. For those who don't see
this principle as too important-just think
about the possible consequences of a future
executive council which puts partisanship
above honesty as a Student Government Coun-
cil president once did.
T HE UNION is not an all-inclusive student
activity, it is a service organization whose
members join it because they enjoy doing
service-type work. if any staff member' feels
that he is not getting enough opportunity for
free expression or political involvement he
need only walk a few steps over to the Stu-
dent Activities or Student Publications Build--
ings..
There are two possible remedies for the
situation. The best one would be for the Union
Board, either through some sustained deep
reflection or pressure from outraged Union
members, to decide to reconsider and reject
the policy statement. The second alternative
is for the University to ask every male student
whether he wants to give part of his tuition
to an organization which can use it to what
he considers his detriment. Since the Union
would almost certainly lose some money under1
such a setup, it is fairly certain the with-
drawal of the policy statement should follow
in a short time. But the time for action is now,
not sometime in the future when it will be
based on expediency and not principle.
-RONALD WILTON
'Witness
THE ALL-DEMOCRATIC State Administra-
tive Board, has decided to take a witness
along when one of their members confers with
-Gnvu (~'CrLA R Pni, eno h ero nyavnrrn.
SIDELINE ON SCG:
Without Ross and Stockmeyer
"PUTA 1S*M ON(MINE,"-
By GLORIA BOWLES,
THE RESIGNATIONS of Stu-
dent Government Council Pres-
ident Steyen Stockmeyer and
elected member Robert Ross rep-
resent the passing of an era, as.
the campus losses two of the most
effective student political leaders
in the history of student govern-
ment.
Such transfers of power are
inevitable, and at the same time,
frightening. Ross and Stockmeyer
have paved the way for a "new
leadership"; in fact, their resigna-
tions came partly because Ross,
the liberal and Stockmeyer, the
moderate, recognized the need for
the formation of a new power
elite.
Stockmeyer and Ross, in fact,
recognized what few politicians
are able to admit: the passing of
their usefulness. Imminent gradu-
ation made the decision easier for
them than for elected representa-
tives of the adult political world,
but they might have stayed on
until June.
In a joint letter of resignation,
which Stockmeyer read to the
Council, the two asserted that
they were not leaving a "sinking
ship," but providing two vacan-
cies that might be filled in the
March 13 elections, thus avoiding
a long and difficult appointment
process in September..
* * *
(IRONICALLY enough, Stock-
meyer and Ross announced an
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
Union. Staff Politicking
MustlBe Prohibited
To the Editor:
ERE IS a situation developing
Twithin the Michigan Union
which demands the attention of
all the men of the University.
The Union is about to embark
upon a new policy regarding po-
litical expression within its house
organ, Michigan Union Reports.
Consistent with the unheard of
precedent set during the NSA ref-
erendum, the Union Report, unless
we act now, will become the ve-
hicle for the expression of political
views, albeit signed, and dis-
claimed by the executive com-
mittee.
THE MEN of this University sup-
port the Union through deductions
taken from their tuition fees; they
control, in name, the governing of
the Union through their election
of members of the Board of Di-
rectors; they approve constitu-
tional amendments proposed by
Union officers. But as all who
have interest know, the Union, is
really run by a set of senior offi-
cers who are selected nominally
by the Board of Directors, but in
fact by the outgoing officers.
All this is not so bad when the
Union sticks to its job: service-
broadly conceived-to student ac-
tivities and organizations, and the
administration of the hotel and
restaurant. When the Union be-
gins to become a political force on
campus, it is time for the demo-
cratic mechanism to be beefed up.
The problem with Union usurpa-
tion of function is not new; we
can learn from past experience
with its intervention in politics.
During the Referendum this fall,
an absolutely illegitimate use of
our money paid for a copy of the
Union Report filled with two viru-
lently anti-USNSA articles, and
distributed far beyond normal
channels. For example, they were
delivered to sororities in packets
THUS, WE see that when the
Union, innocently guising its poli-
cy in the phrase' 'allowing free ex-
pression of Union personnel" em-
barks on a policy of politicizing its
house organ, it means that Union
officers - admittedly a self-per-
petuating conservative force-are
involved in more immediate ob-
jectives.
Not content with an organized
system of 66 houses in the affili-
ate system, conservative leaders
need the backing of the Union:
but even with open aid (offices,
material, etc.) during the Refer-
endum, they lost.
If the men of Michigan feel
they want the Union to become a
political party they should be able
to make/that choice; for that is
the direction in which the present
officers are moving the Union.
Those rumors, extant for about
three months, are now in crescen-
do, and with the news of the
change in publication policy, we
have every right to assume that is
what is happening.
If, then this is the case, let us
beware. It is our Union. We have
the choice, not the Union officers.
Despite their talk about the lack
of democracy in USNSA, they are
about to pull off the most mani-
pulative coup in years.
THEREFORE, we should:
1) Demand a public statement
about the political ambitions of
*the Michigan Union;
2) demand that the present
Board of Directors oppose the
current trend within the Union.
3) select student members of
the Board of Directors who will
remain faithful to the Union as
a service organization, and leave
politics to those whose job it is;
Q) demand a referendum as to
whether the Union may or may
not print a political sheet, or take
intention to resign at one of the'
Council's more productive meet-
ings, which saw passage of a pro-
posal on student-faculty govern-
ment, acceptance of a report
which outlines implementation
procedures for participation in
Regental elections and a proposal
for direct election of eight dele-
gates to the United States Na-
tional Student .Association Con-
gress.)
Stockmeyer and Ross, then, are
not leaving a "sinking ship," no'
does their departure signal a sud-
den change in the political make-
-up of the Council.
Their influence will certainly be
felt for many months to come,
partly in the advisery capacity to
which the two are pledged. More-
over, a Council which has been
criticized for polarity will continue
to be divided along conservative-
liberal lines. The -lines- may; not
be as finely drawn, nor will the
"choosing up sides" be so formaliz-
ed as this semester, when liberals'
and conservatives met separately
in weekly caucuses.'
Neither will philosophies be as,
well expounded and articulated.
Council members of both the
left and the right then are look-
ing around for leaders: they can
little hope to find anyone as poli-
tically adept as either Stockmeyer;
or 'Ross.
* * *
A CERTAIN bi-polarization of
Council is unavoidable and not
necessarily undesirable. Basic phi
losophical differences will be un-
derscored by the USNSA confer-
ence this summer, in its delibera-
tions on matters of national and
international moment, and thus
rivalries of the March to June
SGC sessions should be more acute,
at. the beginning of the first
semester in late August.
Polarity-which provided the
backdrop for the founding of two
American political parties-is -a
distinct advantage for the voter.
Generally uninformed, interested
in Student Goverment Council for
only a fews days a year-prior to
election-the right and left group-
ings provide him with a guide line
however superficial, on election
day.
INDIVIDUAL Council members,
however, are at a distinct cis-
advantage when such groupings
are made. Many of them come to
Council ideologically immature,
and find themselves shoved into
one cprner or another.
In the current term, a growing
dependence on the leadership of
Ross and Stockmeyer found other
Council members seldom faced
with the development of individ-
ual philosophies or promoting in-
dividual courses of action.
In the long run, we cannot dis-
missthe contribution made to
student government by either
Stockmeyer or Ross; their n-
fluence has been tremendous, not
only on SGC in the current year,
but also in the tone of student
government to come. There are
those certainly who would con-
sider one 's contribution more im-
By ELLEN SILVERMAN.
THE TRAGEDY of Mississippi
plays continuously but while
there is standing room only for
spectators, the play is terribly
slow moving.
One hundred years after the
passage of the Fifteenth Amend-
ment insuring the rights of United
States citizens to vote, only 30
per cent of the Negroes in the
South are registered and in 13
Mississippi counties, no Negro
names are listed on the rolls of
voters.
The newest effort made to force
the registration of Negro voters
in the state was made two weeks
ago when the justice department
filed suit for an order barring
discrimination against qualified
Negroes seeking to register. The
case was filed in, Sunflower
County, Miss., in the heart of the
Delta country, the center of the
intransigent area. And it is re-
garded by many observers as the
most curcial test to date on the
question .of Negro voting. It may be
as signficant in regard'to regis-
tration as the 1954 Supreme Court
desicion was to school segregation.
SUNFLOWER COUNTY is the
home of many important forces
in the registration struggle. There
is Sen. James 0. Eastland, head
of the Senate Judiciary Commit-
tee, and the White Citizens Coun-
cil, which began in the county in
1954 before spreading throughout
the South.
Although Senator Eastland told
the Senate 'last spring that "all
who are qualified to vote, botlf
black and white, exercise the right
of suffrage in my state .. .," in
Eastland's very county only 114
Negroes or 1.2 per cent of the
Negro population are -allowed to
vote.
The Mississippi legislature seems
happy to =go along with mayors
like Ruleville's (Sunflower County)
Charles M. Dorrough" who claims.
"Hell, most of these niggers ain't
interested in voting." To make
the Negroes even less interested,
the legislature has passed a series
of regulations for registration that
virtually allows the registrar Hof
the community, always white, to
decide just who is to be entered
on the roll book.
* * *
VOTERS IN Mississippi now
have to able to interpret sections
of the state constitution to the
satisfaction of ,the registrar in
order to register. But exactly
which section is to be interpreted
and how complete the answer is
to be is left up to the descretiOn
of the registrar. Consequently,
barely literate whites are passing
the tests by giving a few sen-
tences to answer questions on the
easiest sections while well-educat-
edNegroes fail on harder sections.
In addition, the registrar has
the authority-to judge the "good
moral characte" of the person
applying to register. And in order
finally to pass the registration
tests, Negroes must have their
names placed in local papers for
two weeks.'
WALTZ':
MuchiMus h:
Lacks Corn,
WHEN AN OLD DUFFER retires
from the. Queen's service and
returns to his drafty castle filled
with sprightly maids and two
bumptious daughters, we are all
set for riotous comedy. Things
look even better when the gener-
al's sweetheart (looking all of 25)
arrives to spirit him away. There's
even an obnoxious wife who
whistles on the castle intercom
every five minutes.
She's a little too tragic, but
(supposedly) it's all in fun. There's
also her doctor, another wonder-
ful old duffer with a new-fangled
automobile that backfires reliably.
It's (in other words) a perfect set-,
up for a comedy, and to top-it-
all-off, Peter Sellers, the master
of slapstick, is the old, foolish gen-
eral,
* *
THE COMEDY is a little re-
strained at first, but who can't
excuse a few nostalgic scenes in
the general's hall of war relics.
We can also excuse a few bitter
scenes with his wife because there's
a merry chasenwhen she takes to
the country on a bike- with the
general following on horse, the
doctor by car. Now, at last we are
down to some real comedy.
Things die down again but we
don't give up hope for some more
Sellers wit. This time, however, we
can't forgive the nostalgia of the
general and his faithful confi-
dante, the doctor. Somehow, we
didn't come to hear thoughts on
old soldiers, we came to see come-
dy
SELLERS' doesn't let us down
completely: there's a wonderful
scene at the village inn. While
his young French lovely goes up-
stairs, the general tries to shake,
General Notices
The Mary Louisa Hinsdale Scholarship
amounting to, approximately $181.92
(interest on the endowment und) is
available to undergraduate single wo-
men who are wholly or partially self-
supporting and who do not live in Uni-
versity residence , halls or sorority
houses. Girls with better than average
scholarship and need will be consid-
ered._
Application blanks are obtainable at
the Office of the Alumnae Secretary,
Alumni Memorial Hall or Alumnae
Council, Michigan League, and should
ube filed by March 15, 1963. Award will be
granted for use during the first semes-
ter of 1963-64 and will be announced at
League Installation Night, April 22, 1963.
The Lucile B. Conger Scholarship is
offered to undergraduate women on the
basis of academic performance, contri-
bution to University life and financial
need; the stipend is variable. Applica-
tion forms are available in the Office
of the Alumnae Secretary, Alumni Me-
morial Hall or Alumnae Council Office,
Michigan League, and must be return-
ed by March 3, 1962. Recipients will
ed by March 15, 1963, Recipients will
be announced at League Installation
~Night, April 22, 1963.
The Laurel Harper Seeley Scholarship
is announced by the Alumnae Council
of the Alumni Association for 1962-63.
The award is variable and is open to
*both, graduate and undergraduate wom-
en. The award is made on basis of
scholarship, contribution to University
lice and financial need.
Applications may be made through
the Office of the Alumnae Secretary,
Alumni -Memorial Hall or Alumnae
Council Office, Michigan League and
must be filed by March 15, 1963. Recip-
ients will be announced at League In-
stallation Night, April 22, 1963.
The Lucy E. Elliott Fellowship with
a stipend' of $1,000 is .being offered
by the Alumnae Council of the Alumni
Association for 1963-64. It is open to
women graduates of any accredited col-
lege or university. It may be used by
a University of Michigan graduate at
any college or university, but a graduate
of any other university will be required
to use the award on the Michigan
campus. Academic achievement, crea-
tivity and leadership will be considered
in granting the award.
Applications may be made through
the Alumnae Council Office, Michigan
League or Alumni Memorial Hall, and
must be _filed by March 15, 1963. Award
The last provision not only pro-
vides a who's who in registering
but offers for public notice all
those who "should be persuaded"
that registering is not for Ne-
groes.
Persuasion takes the form of
economic reprsas, out-and-out
violence, or legal twisting to in-
sure non-compliance'with the law.
In the last few months, three
Negro women were Injured in a
shotgun blast' atter they Joined
a voter registration drve; a
driver of a bus carrying 20 *e-
groes to the county seat of In-
dianola (Sunflower Cunty again)
was' arrested and fined "$30 for
driving a yellow bus since it was
too much like the color of a
school bus; and Negroes with city
jobs were fired while tenant
farmers were. evicted after par-
ticipating in the voting drives.
THE RECENT case was the 33rd
filed by the justice department
in the South. The acts are filed
under the provisions of the Civil
Rights Acts of 1957 and 1960.
Eleven of these have been filed
in Mississippi. Mississippi is not
unique in the South but she is
the worst. Matters involving reg-
istration and intimidation against
possible registrants are under in-
vestigation in 16 counties includ-
ing Sunflower and voting records
have been requested or are being
analyzed for' possible, case eve
doee in'- at least 18 southern
counties.,'
The efforts are slow and tedious.
Cases filed in local courts are
usually appealed by the justice
department after unfavorable rul-
ings by local judges. The newest
case will probably take time. But
the effort s are being made. The
James Meredith-University of
Mississippi case will go down In
history as evidence of governmen-
tal efforts in the field of civil
rights. But this is the headlined
effort. Behind the scenes the jus-
.ti-ce department is moving "slowly
tboward the real integration of the
Negro-at the ballot box.
DAILY OFFICIAL
BULLETIN
The Daily Official ulletin Is an
official publication of The Univer-
ity of Mihigan for which The'
Michigan Daily assumes no editorial
responsibility. Notices should be
sent in TYPEWRITTEN form to
- Room 3564 Administration Building
before 2 p.m. two days preceding
publication.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16
Day Calendr
2:00 p.m.-Basketball-U-M vs. Ohio
State Univ.: Yost Field House.
2:30 and 8:30 p.m.-Professional Thea-
tre Program Shakespeare Festival-As-
soiaion of Producing Artists Resident
Company of the U-M in "A Midsummer
Night's Dream": Trueblood Aud.
t 4:00 p.m--Wrestling-U-M vs. In-
diana Univ.: Yost Field House.
7:00 and 9:00 p.m.-Cinema Guild -
Silva Pinal, Fernando Ray, and Fran-
cisca Rabal in Bunuel's "viridiana";
short, Carole Lombard and'-Daphne
Pollard in Sennett's "Match-Making
Mama": Architecture Aud.
8:00 p.m.-Hockey-U-M vs. Mich. Co1-
lege of Mining and Technology: Mich.
Coliseum.
8:30 p.m--school of music Degree e-
cital-Carol Jewell, violinist: Lane Hall
Aud. -