The Growing Mto Education
Dy CAROLINE DOW
In 1945 the Student Legislature
recommended the establishment of
a "functioning memorial to the
University of Michigan World War
II dead.
In doing so they recognized the
service that those fighters had
rendered to their country and, in-
directly, to the University.
In participating in student gov-
ernment the members of Student
Legislature, themselves, were serv-
ing the University. They were tak-
ing the responsibility of citizens
for the maintanence of good edu-
cation-good education that could
only stay good by constant re-
evaluation of standards and pro-
cedures.
They, as well as alumni, faculty,
and the government were respon-
sible, but as students, even more
involved in the business of good
education.
Knowing this, they recognized
the contribution that the soldiei s
in World War II had given, and
asked a "functioning memorial"
to them.
It took a long time for the
Student Legislature memorial pro-
ject to come to fruition. In fact it
is still unfolding in ever-increasing
areas. That functioning memorial
has become buildings of the Uni-
versity, better faculty and in-
deed, the actual functioning of a
great university.
By 1947 the Regents had named
a faculty-student war memorial
committee. Fred J. Smith, a pro-
minent alumnus from New York,
recommended that the University
set up a study of atomic power
potential for peacetime activity.
By 1949 the Michigan memorial
Phoenix project was operating on
a borrowed budget, with Dean of
the graduate school, Ralph A.
Sawyer, as head. In June 1955 the
Phoenix Lab, containing a nu-
clear reactor and other devices for
the study of the atom, was dedi-,
cated.
The growth and attainments of]
the Phoenix Project were made
possible by an immense general
fund campaign, the first in Uni-!
versity history held in 1950 and
1951, which had raised over seven1
million dollars by 1953.
From that fund campaign came
the instrument of an even greater
memorial. The mobilization of1
alumni and friends of the Uni-
versity to safe-guard and con-1
tribute to its rising standards and1
contributions.
The Regents, recognizing the]
potential source of strength in1
alumni and friends of the Univer-
sity converted the existing fund
raising organization under AlanI
McCarthy into a permanent
branch of the University. In doing
so the Regents stated that "an in-
stitution of higher learning can-
not long survive unless it anti-
cipates tomorrow's needs today!"
This group, Development Coun-
cil, was created for three broad]
objectives. The first, "to work3
for improved public relations in1
all facets of University activity,
and especially in those- aspects
which will lead to increased finan-
ial support."
Second, "to participate in a
long-range planning by means of
a systematic survey of needs and
to promote a logical and orderly
growth of 'University resources to
meet the ever-increasing demands]
of society." The University Needs
Committee now reviews and co-
ordinates all fund requests.
The third aim of the council
was "to explore potential sources]
of support, both moral and finan-
cialwhich are required if the
University is to maintain its posi-
tion as an outstanding inter-
national institution."
For these aims the Alumni Fund
xwas set up in 1953 to supervise an
annual giving campaign for alum-
ni. Since then, over 50,000 dona-1
tions totaling over $1 million have
come to the University.
The Alumni fund supports stu-.
dent aid, scholarships and fellow-
ships, funds for research and re-
search equipment, various recog-
nitions of distinguished teaching,
the President's fund, the Phoenix
project, and the foreign student
exchange program.
The bubble chamber, perfection
of an oxygenator pump for heart
surgery, purchase of valuable col-
lections, grants-in-aid for hun-
dreds of students, support for
the present Challenge program,
the University Press Building and
many other contributions to the
campus and to education have
come from the work of the De-
velopment Council.
In justifying the status of the
Development Council the Regents
found that "funds for extensive
student aid, research, special
equipment, valuable and rare col-
lections, buildings and emergen-
cies should rightfully stem from
private financial resources . . . as
state appropriations have never
been able to approach the Uni-
versities growing needs for the
ever-increasing demands in all
the fields of education, research
and service that it touches."
Thus, the University of Michi-
gan, while a state - created
and public supported University,
is a blend in many respects be-
tween a public and private insti-
tution-embodying characteristics
of both. Moreover, financial rec-
ords show that actually more than
half of the University's physical
plan and equipment has been ob-
tained from sources other than
state appropriations "This gives
the University 'the little more'
which leads to greatness," accord-
ing to Earl H. Cress, past chair-
man of the Development Council.
Operating out of Alumni Me-
morial Hall, the 36-member De-
velopment Council represents the
administration, alumni, faculty4
and the student body.
The -student adjunct of the
Board, the Student Relations
Board, serves to advise the council
of student opinion and inform the
students, as future alumni, of the
Development Council and its func-
tions.
The Student Relations Board is
dedicated to service to the Uni-
versity, to the dramatization of
the responsibility of- every stu-
dent and past student for uphold-
ing the standards of education at
the University.
This year, as a part of their
program, they are for the first
time, giving scholarships to stu-
dents who have need, who have
given "service to the University"
and taken on the responsibility
of a student for the welfare of the
University.
The money for the scholarships
is to be raised by a concert spon-
sored by the Council.
The memorial to those who
fought for freedom has come a
long way, since 1945. The Instru-
ments of that memorial are still
functioning and still continuing
to recognize those who give serv-
ice to education.
Forneducation Is directlyde-
pendent on freedom and -vice-
versa. The University was found-
ed on the principles of freedom
according to the Northwest Ordi-
nance of 1787 which stated that
"Religion, morality and knowledge
being necessary to good govern-
ment and the happiness of man-
kind, schools ad the means of
education shall forever be encour-
aged."
The members of Student Legis-
lature also recognized that all
persons, not just soldiers, carried
the responsibility of freedom and
education.
The scholarships we are recog-
nizing the same type of contri-
bution that the oiginators of the
memorial gave. Student Interest
in the University as an institu-
tion andas an 'agent of Democ-
racy is a service..
In aiding students who aid edu-
cation, the -Development Council
brings its area of responsibility in-
to the life of every student. And
the "functioning memorial" be-
remain in the quadrangle system
for four years to become staff
men. This, and the willingness to
accept the low-paying position,
generally are the only require-
ments for the lower staff positions
in the residence hall system. To
get qualified counseling, the resi-
dent. must usually turn to some-
one outside University housing.
Staff problems in women's dor-
mitories are lessened by the un-
testable, perhaps uncontestable,
reality: women are quieter and
more docile emotionally than their
male counterparts, and many are
more considerate of ,each other's
needs and wishes.
Probably house mothers in wom-
en's residence halls have more
open personal contact with the'
girls than in men's dorms. The
quality of this contact is ques-
tionable, since it has probably
worked both to the benefit and
disadvantage of the girls.
A LSO, WHY ARE sororities or
fraternities and apartments
more successful than residence
halls in creating and maintaining
a homelike atmosphere?
The question, of size is, of
course, paramount. A home for 600
Is clearly less personal, more in-
stitutional, than a home for 60
or 3. And the superficial break-
down of the monster dorm into
cozy houses of 80 or so is just that
-superficial. One of the weak-
nesses of the Michigan House Plan
today is that it was conceived
when only 2,550 students were
living in the dormitories: now
there is Markley and community
living on the grandest of the
grand scales.
Community living -"" that is
learning to get along with differ-
ent types of people-does not seem
too popular with the University
student. Fraternities and sorori-
ties, while community living in
the sense of numbers, set up a
community around a reasonably
standard and unified type in any
given house.. The idea of living-
with many types of persons from
as many backgrounds, while
sounding quite good, doesn't seem
to appeal. The reason may be that
students don't care enough; but
it also may reflect the fact that
the dormitory system does not
make full use of the possibilities:
available to it. Nothing very "ed-
ucational" seems to come from liv-
ing down the hall from a foreign
student, or of a student of an en-
tirely different background. Are
the advantages of living in this
diversified community fallacious?
STEDENTS in apartments. al-
most always live with those
sharing common interests with
them, and they must like it better
that way. One of the basic prob-
lems in the dormitory system is.
that the students are so diversi-
fied, there is not enough in com-
mon among them to weld them
into a true unit-
This is aggravated by -students
who must live in the residence
halls. These have little or no de-
sire to take part in house activi-
ties. Many of them have pledged
fraternities or sororities and are
merely waiting for the time to
come when they can leave Univer-
sity housing. Others immediately
place themselves apart from the
other residents, shunning the
company of the others in the
houses to form cliques. In the
case of the men, this is often to
avoid the stigma( at least in the
individual's mind) of being- a
"quaddie."
BUT THE REAL problem of re-
ating positive. environmental
ties between residents and large
living units is to some extent be-
ing approached backward, and is
turning back on itself.
When a number of people are
living together - whatever the
number-an atmopshere will be
there. The atmosphere will be a
reflection, moreover, of the people
who live together, and not of the
conditions under which they live
or the philosophy behind those
conditions. 'If the living unit is
structured in a way that conflicts
with the actualities of the group
living there, the result for -the
residents will be apathy, confu-
sion, and in some cases rebellion.
If such a conflict-and such re-
sulting attitudes-exist, they will
not be alleviated by rationaliza-
tion. If the social mores as artic-
ulated by the University officials
and reflected in the regulations
they establish are not realities
for the girls who are governed by
them, lecturing and conferring
will not help.
And the case is manifestly that
such a conflict does in fact exist
in the University residence halls.
If dress regulations do not re-
flect the actual modes of dress-
ing prevalent among University
students, they will be opposed.
Channels will be - discovered or
developed to modify them by the
active; means will be found to get
around them by the passive.
jF QUIET HOURS rules do not
. reflect the actual needs of the
University student for study op-
portunity, they will be disregard-
ed.
If social and academic programs
in the residence halls do not re-
flect the University student's ac-
tual desires in the way of social
and academic activities, they will
be unrewarding and unsuccessful.7
If government and discipline by
students and administrators on
the residence hall level are not
based on a philosophy and legal1
system which reflects the actuali-
The Phoenix Project -- just a beginning
The Beginning of Major Alumni Support
Of the University and Its Goals
South Quad-How can small u
ties of the student community and
its members, it will be unjudicial
and unmeaningful.
The essential problem, which is
complicated by increasing size of
living units, is to fit the need for
regulation and order into the com-
plex pattern of needs of the in-
dividual and the group. Regula-
tions are of necessity imposed; an
honor system for a living unit of
1,200
But
prov:
ulati
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the I
tency
regul
halls
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not a
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A
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COAT
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