LETTER TO THE El DITOR J: & Mubgan Daily Seventy-First Year - EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN ere Opinions Are Free UNDER AUTHORITY OF BOARD IN CONTROL {OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS Truth Will Prevail" STUDENT PUBLICATIONS BLDG. * ANN ARBOR, MICH. * Phone NO 2-3241 Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily ex press the individual opinions of staff writers or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints. Reader Disagrees With business Expert ' __ . . . w w .r.. _ r TYT TT1 CYTTTT>1R A17 T MARCH 28, 1961 NIGHT EDITOR: PHILIP SH.ERMAN SGC Enjoys Relatively High Stature Among State Schools TWgO DAYS spent at the Regional Conference of the United States National Student As- sociation demonstrate the vast gulf between student government at the University and "student government" at other schools in the state. S.A student-faculty council is the closest thing to student government at Wayne State University. Although Wayi'e can be classed with Michigan and MSU in size, its attempt at student control is on a level with schools the size of Central Michigan University. One Wayne student's defense of the faculty participation in student government was "but they always bring in parts of the problem that we never thought of. They give us far more objectivity." Student governments are an attempt to prove that students can be responsible and objective. The growth of student responsibility is seriously undermined if student leaders are never placed in situations which force them to be objective and comprehensive. Wayne's posi- tion Is further weakened since every proposed action must be approved by the President of the university." S GC, ON THE other hand, is subject only to administrative challenge or reversal when a -particular action is brought before the committee on referral. Even then, the decision to overrule the Council comes from a com- mittee of two students not on' the council, one University administrator, one school or college administrator three faculty members, and a Univelsity alumnus who sits on the committee without vote. There are other striking differences. Stu- dents at Northwestern Michigan University attempted to form a Young Democrats club* and were forced to disband by community anti administrative pressure. Wayne State, too, is FROM OTHER CAMPUSES: Peace Corp F ORTHE FIRST TIME since he mentioned it in a pre-election speech, John Kennedy dealt publicly with the proposed Peace Corps op Saturday. He received a report from the. director of the Center for International Studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology re- garding a program which would train and send IlAC Continues VIE SUPREME COURT has given fairly ex- tensive power to the House Un-American Activities Committee in the recent Braden and Wilkinson decisions, but the charges of in- fringement of individual freedom of thought and action, and perversion of the congressional power of investigation will continue. Constant alertness to Red subversion in this country, as well as abroad, is necessary. HUAC specializes in a negative approach and a defen- sive attitude in maintaining our institutions against this challenge. Although the committee restricts civil liber- ties in its operation-as they are often restrict- ed during national threats-this is not the big- gest danger of the committee. The philosophy of the committee which has been seeping into our society is that defense against Communism amounts to a series of in- vestigations. AND LIBERALS, in attacking the committee, inadvertently focus undue public attention on this negative approach to fighting Commu- nism. HUAC is a dangerous necessity, but if we are merely interested in this "crime crusade" which can create fear and a negative opposition to Communism alone ("it's too different ... I wasn't brought up that way") not balanced by a positive attack in the press and among the public, HUAC is even more dangerous. There are signs that we need a re-examina- tion of what democracy is and what it should have to offer. speeches disparage the "college crisis" be- cause only the "excellent" minds, not just the "good" ones, should be given college education. M ILLIONS OF VOTERS do not have enough interest in democracy to vote once every four years. There is no realistic United States attempt to pressure "free world" leaders such as Franco and Trujillo into granting minimal freedoms in their nations. It is questionable whether the messages of Jefferson and Lincoln have been absorbed into our national consciousness. If the challenge of Communism can increase interest and improve national goals, as the chal- lenge of different religions has cleansed the Christian churches in history, then Commu- nism's challenge can also be beneficial to our national way of life. subject to severe administrative pressure over the functioning of its political clubs. In contrast, the Regents have delegated to SGC the responsibility for recognition and de- nial of recognition to all student organizations. SGC, if it proceeds responsibly and properly, can remove any student organization from campus for non-compliance with rules. The ad- ministration does not have this power unless it channels its efforts through SGC. THE MOST AMAZING difference is the vast gap in students' concept: of their respon- sibility and authority. Student government at most Michigan schools is fun and games; it's playing Parliament, but only playing. Student government here is an organ of the administration. It possesses much respon- sibility and much power, not all of it actual- ized. Yes, administrative pressure might be applied if the Council were to take a step di- rectly contrary to administration policy. Yes, two years ago on the Sigma Kappa issue the administration did exert a force comparable to that at other schools throughout the state. However, SGC members consider themselves legislators and administrators. They take the office seriously and consequently act with a high degree of responsibility and maturity. BECAUSE THE COUNCIL "thinks big," be- cause the Council assumes that as an ad- ministrative body it has deep obligations to be deliberate and responsible and mature, the administration responds with trust and re- spect.. The behind-the-scenes channels of control still exist; the possibility of arbitrary and ad- ministrative interference still exists; but through continual demonstration of respon- sibility the Council can make such control or interference untenable., -PAT GOLDEN Sabotag ed young men and women to work in underde- veloped nations for a period of years. Enough volunteers could be had, the director suggested without exempting members of the peace corps from the military draft. Speaking about the "bait" that draft exemption would provide, the director obviously was suggesting that military commitments should remain un- altered by peace corps service. This is sabotage. Reactions to Kennedy's proposal last Novem- ber had been mixed. Since it came at the end of a vigorous political campaign, most politi- cians and writers reacted -instinctively. The pro-Nixon or anti-Kennedy forces claimed thai the peace corps would be a haven for draft-dodgers, or that a bunch of starry-eyed kids would do more harm than good. THE PEACE CORPS would not solve world problems. Nor would its members perform with uniform success; undoubtedly, they would make many mistakes, and some might be costly. Yet a well-trained, intelligent, indus- trious group would be likely to provide signifi- cant aid for underdeveloped countries, which need education in basic skills as much as in advanced technology. If the program is to succeed, it must attract the best possible group of young Americans. Most of them probably would be men slightly below the current draft 'age. The volunteers would be signifying their willingness to serve their country, under trying conditions and at minimal wages, for three years. Should they be forced to serve another two years, in' a military position which would not take account of their valuable skills? Many of the peace corps volunteers might be motivated to continue in overseas work, and their contributions could be singnificant. If military service intervened, they might be lost from such work forever. UNIVERSAL military training during peace time is far from universal. Full-time stu- dents, and teachers, nearly always are deferred from the draft; workers in key industries, mar- ried men with children or other dependents also are not being called. Many more men with slight physical defects are not subject to the draft. Together, those who miss military train- ing in these ways far outnumber the 500 to 5,000 who could be exempted. Military service may be basically unattrac- tive for many men, but recruitment officers try to make it as palatable as possible. Free vocational training, broadening travel, inter- esting work are offered; ROTC programs promise, higher pay, officers' clubs and very comfortable living. This is not considered unpatriotic. Someone looking for a soft way of serving his country would not choose three years in the Peace Corps. The training ought to be rigorous, and the work would be hard. This would discourage idlers. Students with a real r To the Editor: 2 r ' "FRATERNITIES . . . can be a r veryhamu element in ca- reer development in that they in- culate a false sense of social val- ues-Values that have no real gyn. '{ bearing on career advancement. Such are the words of Lon D. - Barton in his recent article on ifraternities. I would hate to think that the majority of students on this cam- pus could not accept such a defi- nition. The majority will, how- ": ever, not contest the statement as it continually occurs in various forms, under various pretexts, and will eventually accept it since the influence of such materialistic thinking is insidious and all per- vasive. IT IS A POINT worth noting, perhaps, that the erosion of all close-knit social structures is in the interestdofthe Communist Party' and,. indeed, part of their essential strategy. * The fact that Mr. Barton sup- ports both of these communist planks does not make him a Com- munist, of course. He could be merely a party dupe. Then too, he might be only another caricature of "the organization man." The latter seems most probable since he follows true to form by prais- ing the honorary fraternities. -David Sheldon, '62 Embarassing.. . To the Editor: RIDAY, MARCH 24 an article appeared in the Daily announc- '' -r' { ing the newly elected officers of the Wolverine Club. Saturday, CAMPUS, OFF-CAMPUS ISSUES: StudentGovenet'VldConcerns. March 25 another article appear- ed, this time listing the Wolverine Club officers as approved by Stu- dent Government Council. It was quite embarassing for the person involved to be in glory one day and have it taken away the next. The Student Government Coun. cil never gave a reason for their action. A motion was made to strike the secretary's name from the slate and approve the remain- ing officers. This motion was car- ried out. I feel that some explana- tion should have been given to the girl -involved. The Wolverine Club elected their officers Tuesday, March 14. Upon being elected, the secretary began to take charge of' her re- sponsibilities believing the position to be her own. The campus was also led to believe that she had been given the office for the com- ing year. In the future I hope that results of organization elections on this campus will be announced both publicly and to those con- cerned only after the appointment has been fully approved. -Name Withhel; DAILY" OFFICIAL BULLETIEN The Daily Official Bulletin as an official publication of The Univer- sity of Michigan for which The Michigan Daily assumes no editorial responsibility. Notices should- be sent in TYPEWRITTEN form to Room 3519 Administration Budding, before 2 p.m., two days preceding publication. A '' By RALPH KAPLAN Daily Stsff Writer rP E QUESTION OF the nature and value of expressions of student opinion by student gov- erning bodies, which has arisen on this campus, has also been dis- cussed at several other campuses. This question traditionally re- volves around the issue of the pro- priety of student governments' discussing "off-campus" issues. An "Off-campus" issue, as defin- ed by those who think such issues should not be considered, is an is- sue that is irrelevent to a campus because it does not originate on that campus. , An off-campus issue, to those who think such issues are the proper concern of a student gov- ernment, is an issue which origi- nates off the campus but has widespread effects and import- ance for the campus community. To determine possible ways of considering this problem, ques- tionnaires were sent to student body presidents and newspaper editors at Harvard, California, Minnesota, Northwestern and Wisconsin. The replies gave a wide diver- gence of opinion-from the very active role of the University of Wisconsin to the emasculating policy at the University of Cali- fornia, where the Associated Stu- dents is forbidden to consider "the off-campus political, reli- gious, economic, international or other issues of the time." EDWARD GARVEY, president of the Wisconsin Student Associa- tion, said a resolution condemn- ing suppression of academic free- dom in Cuba was the beginning of consideration of "off-campus" is- sues at Wisconsin. This was two years ago. For the next several association campaigns, the "off- campus" question was the prime issue. All of these elections were won by the party favoring con- sideration of such issues. "Off-campus" issues does not mean merely national issues, as it does here. In addition to the more conventional notions on the sit-ins and House Un-American Activities Committee, the asso- ciation has passed resolutions on Algeria and the'Union of South Africa. Garvey noted this year was the "first where we debated the is- sue rather than debating whether we should or shouldn't take a stand on off-campus issues." * * * THE SITUATIONS at Harvard, Minnesota and Northwesternare a middle ground between the strong interest at Wisconsin in such issues and the compulsory impotence at California. Claude E. Welch, Jr., president of the Harvard Crimson, said the Nashville sit-ins was the only case in which the Harvard Student Council passed a resolution on an off-campus issue. The Crimson, deemed this "somewhat beyond the bounds of appropriate be- havior," although "there was no major campus sentiment." JAMES SPENSLEY, president of the Minesota Student Associa- tion, said "the entire spectrum of issues are of interest, either per- sonal or academic, to students." He justified consideration of off- campus issues only when they are of comparable importance to pos- sible 'on-campus" issues. Com- parable importance means that legislation on the "off-campus" isue would be a definite and posi- tive contribution to the problem concerned. DOROTHY SATTES, editor of the Daily Northwestern, could re- call only one off-campus issue-a successful resolution to condemn censorship of the old Daily Cali- fornian-considered at North- western. Miss Sattes did say that North- western's Senate did have several committees tp consider national and international issues, but these are mainly concerned with topics "as they affect the NU campus." * * * CALIFORNIA'S STAND on off- campus issues has received a great deal of attention, largely due to the fame and/or infamy of the "Kerr directives." A regulation on student govern- ment, which became effective Oc- tober 22, 1959, forbade the stu- dent government to consider off- campus issues 'without the express consent of the Chief Campus Officer." On September 22, 1960, the phrase 'without the express con- sent of the Chief Campus Officer'' was deleted. Kerr's regulation states, "Stu- dent governments are established by the University for the purpose of conducting student affairs on the campuses. Students with widely varying political, economic and religious views give them fi- nancial support; hence it is cer- tainly not appropriate to permit student governments to speak either for the University or for the student body with reference to the off-campus . . . issues of the time." s, + THE QUESTION IS not dead on this campus. During the last campaign, James Yost opposed action on off-campus issues. "Stu- dent Government Council should call these issues to the attention of the campus, but not act upon them," he said. Of the twelve candidates only three - Roger Seasonwein, Ken- neth McEldowney and Brian Glick gave any indication of being interested enough in these issues to bring them up.' On this campus, as at Wiscon- sin however, the question of whether or not to consider such issues has been largely buried. The next question for the Council to consider is what off-campus issues should be considered. What is their role in the Council? Does consideration of such issues really contribute to solution of the prob- lem concerned? The most obvious deficiency in Council action on off-campus is- sues, heretofore, can be seen by comparison with action at the University of Wisconsin. If the purpose of considering off-campus issues is to discuss all issues which affect the student as responsible citizens in the modern world, then both Algerian independence and South African apartheid are of obvious concern. If off-campus issues are con- sidered for the purpose of pres- sure against those actions and institutions which student gov- ernments deem undersirable, then the range of off-campus issues which might be considered is close to infinite. S *' *s CONSIDERATION OF of f- campus issues can be not only a matter of political excitement, but also an opportunity of great edu- cational value. It is both the pri- vilege and responsibility of Coun- cil members, as 'the elected repre- sentatives of the student body, to' consider the most pressing issues of the time. Almost all of these affect students-students as stu- dents and citizens of the world first and as students of Michigan second. It is also the responsibility of the Council to consider such is- sues in a less inflamatory manner than they often have in the past. If the important issues of, our time are to be discussed, they are best discussed in an atmosphere of serious deliberation rather, than colorful sophistry and dra- matic political moves. THE RESPONSIBILITIES of a governing body become greater, rather than less, as the body in- creases in power. It is the respon- sibility of the highest student governing body to consider the most significant and complex is- sues which affect its constituents. Consideration of such issues should be more than a political exercise. It should be regarded as an educational opportunity for the students of the University, and its student leaders in particular. It is this kind of consideration that is capable of making the Council a genuine, forum for ideas, for in- formation, as opposed to the pres- ent gallery of personalities. It is this body's responsibility to encourage consideration of such issues by the entire student body. And it is the responsibility of Council members to assume the leader's concern of informing student opinion rather than the follower's concern with reflecting student opinion. TUESDAY, MARCH 28 General Notices Automobile Regulations-Spring Re- cess: The student automobile regula- tions will be lifted at 5:00 p.m. March 31. and will be resumed again at 8:00 a.m., on Mon., April 10. Office of the Dean of Men. Preliminary Examinations in English: Applicants, for the, Ph.D. in English who expect to take the preliminary examinations this spring are requested to leave their names with Dr. Ogden, 1609 Haven. Hall. The exams will be given as follows: English Literature, 1550-1660, Tues., April 11; English and American Literature, 1660-1790, Sat., April 15; 1790-1870, Tues., April 18; and 1870-1950, Sat., April 22. The exams will be given in 376 Business Adminis- tration Bldg. from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Foreign Student Scholarships: The deadline for applications for foreign student schqlarships is April 25. Stu- dents who i'ntend to return to their: homes in other countries after comple- tion of studies and training are eli- - gible to apply. The stipend Is limited to tuition, applications for Summer Sesion, Fall and Spring iSemesters, 1961-1962. Application forms are avail- able from the Counselors at the Inter- national Center. Effective Monday, April 10, first, day of classes after spring vacation, the temporary student triangle parking lot at Thompson, Division and Packard > ,treets will revert to Recreation Area until the Monday following Thanks-, giving recess, fall 1961. All automobiles must be removed from that area before April 10. Office of the Dean of Men. Summary of Action Taken by Student Government Council at Its Meeting of March 24, 1961 Approved: Minutes of the last meet-. ing. Approved: The following appoint- ments:- Student Activities Scholarship Board -Joan Studnicky. SGC wolverine Club-Judith Caplan, president; Arthur Barnett, vice-presi- dent; Stanley Rodbell, treasurer; Dan Stone, Block M co-chairman; Mort Le- vin, Block M co-chairman; Robert Ros- enberg, pep rallies co-chairman; War- ren Colodner, pep rallies co-chairman; Marcia Moorhead, publicity; Roger Mayerson, special events; Margorie Meyer, special events. Approved: The following amendment to the proposed change' in, University Regulations regarding membership lists (vol. 6, p. 88): Under A. change to read: "A list of prospective members numbering at least twenty University students or a statement which lists those of its pros- pective members who wish to be listed and attests to the fact .. Under C. change to read: "Submit at the beginning of each semester or sum- mer session either a membership list or a statement which lists those of its members' who wish' to be listed. and at- tests to the fact . . Postponed: Consideration of the pro- posed change in University Regulations regarding membership lists (Vol. 6, p. 88) until the meeting of March 29. Approved: The seating of the f alow- ing people on Student Government Council: One Year-Brian Glick, William Gles- (Continued on Page 5) -4 FEIFFER A tO~~b TM5 7k-foqt& TobFlwp ' out THE' P16HT ANEW RS. O I 1I,)AW 5AW TWArT hC fOO'C OF I-IqlPRoabcH Gi-NI a1 W ~.~R itR 19 IAMf0 FrCo O ITi t AL{ 10 T6 A 016NOS CO 0 PURMP~At? ThSI A L'tr--'dA i t tw tia1ifl- 2'n, I 50 AFTER 6Ir iA WT rOF -THOUGH? I iN00fCr12o175 W5 vrttE 9168T A00696Z' V~AM TO 86 ABUe 10 AULOt 6 1. To I JU TNT5!AUU ) W 1GFth'A OF 09PKtM6 AllrWlt)Of A go-r 00tq ~ ~C 1Or#r(0 100 come uC~-1 p WN~ )A 5 11400 604- )Hqf AR OV L6 RV r