I Seventy-Fifth Year EDrrmh AND MANAGED BY STDNT m UNIVEI.SrrY OP MICIGMAN UNDER AUTHORITY OF BOARD FN CONThOL( OP STUDENT PUBLICATIONS LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Service Academy Objectives: Official View __ ;- ' re OpinionsA 420 MAYNArn ST., ANN Axwo , Mcm. ruth Will Prevail NEws PHoNE: 764-0552 Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints. SATURDAY, 6 FEBRUARY 1965 NIGHT EDITOR: LAURENCE KIRSHBAUM The NeXt Campaign: boldPaternalisn THE ALL-OUT ATTACK launched a few years ago against University "pater- nalism" never got east of State Street. It should have,, The critics of that day argued that an institution catering to adult or nearly- adult students had no business making rules aimed at protecting each student from himself. They campaigned against rules preventing him from going where he wanted, associating with whomever he pleased, listening to whoever interested him, and thinking and acting as his own conscience dictated. But for both practical and ideologi- cal reasons, the critics explicitly con- fined themselves to the Office of Stu- dent Affairs-in other words, to rules governing the student outside the class- room. The paternalism which governed, and still governs, his academic life re- mained sacred. Now, while undergraduate education is being placed under the microscope as un- dergraduate extracurricular life was then, the question of academic paternalism should not be passed over so lightly. For it shares most of the faults of the pa- ternalism exercised from west of State Street. WHAT IS ACADEMIC paternalism? To define it in principle, we can di- vide academic regulations into two kinds. First, there are rules aimed at minimiz- ing the damage one student can do to the education of another. Second, there are rules whose only raison d'etre is that they attempt to minimize the damage a student can do to his own education. Under the first category fall, for exam- ple;rules which restrict choices of courses. Since course capacity is not infinite, some students will have to be left out.:And a student who is taking up classroom space and learning nothing is hurting not only himself but a more enthusiastic student who might otherwise be in that section. Here you need rules and people to imple- ment them in specific cases. Similarly with graduation requirements and grading policies. Like it or not, an important aspect of today's college life is the student's "paycheck": the grades, credits and degrees he receives for turn- ning out a certain amount of work. As long as this foul practice remains a fact of life, it must be administered fairly. The University cannot, in the name of freedom, "pay" one student for something he l has not done while another works for it. Again, here is an area where one student can hurt another, so standards must be set up and enforced. A STUDENT'S SOCIAL obligation, then, is to avoid preventing his fellows from getting their education and to receive "fpay" only for work he has done. It is hard to see any justification for rules which go beyond this. Yet there are such rules: the rules of academic paternalism. Often, for exam- ple, colleges require a student to take a "full-time" credit load, defending this de- mand only with the assertion that "you should finish college as quickly as possi- ble." Similarly, restrictions on dropping courses after the Nth week of class, ap- parently designed to prevent foolhardy snap decisions made under the pressure of an upcoming exam, prevent many aca- demically sound decisions from being made. Within the courses, requirements such as class attendance are equally paternal- istic-if a student finds a given class worthless and stays away, nothing beyond the student suffers except perhaps the instructor's ego. ALL SUCH PATERNALISTIC r u l1e s should be abolished. On the negative side, they hurt the relationship between students and their counselors and in- structors. Whereas these people could be a source of intelligent advice for the stu- dent, they are now often perceived - quite accurately-as authorities: people who have the power to prevent the stu- dent from making the decisions he wants, and people who may use this power if they are consulted. So the student discusses the important questions with his room- mate and uses his counselor to sign drop- and-add slips." On the positive side, the abolition of academic paternalism would encourage the student - and his counselors and teachers, in whom he now would be able to confide-to do a lot more individualiz- ed planning of his college career. There are many individual cases in which a student will do best to take five or 21 credits instead of 15, or take three or six years to get his degree instead of four. With these alternatives wide open, one of the main driving forces behind the rat- race, get-it-over-with attitude toward college would disappear. THIS IS NOT A DENIAL of the need for counseling. Indeed, with a greater range of choice, the student will need the wisdom of experienced people even more. But only when counselors can stop being rule- enforcers can they become true counselors.- Even with freer counseling, of course, some students will make some mistakes they would not make under a more au- thoritarian system. But the number and magnitude of mistakes made because of blanket rules or counselors' inconsistent discretion are far greater-and far more serious, because these mistakes are forced on the student. TOO LONG, the mystique of academic expertise has protected these arbitrary rules. Some day, perhaps, the perfect set of academic paternalism rules will be de- vised-perfect in that every time the Uni- versity makes a student's decision for him, that decision will indeed be the best one for the student. Then, perhaps, aca- demic paternalism will be justified. That day is not here, and will not be for a long time. Until it arrives, there should be no paternalistic rules at all. -KENNETH WINTER Managing Editor To the Editor: rME LETTER of Jeremy Lustig in the Feb. 4 Daily was really an eye-opener for me. As a grad- uate of one of the service acad- emies "whose members are dedi- cated to and trained in the de- struction of other men" (Lustig's definition), I couldn't help but wonder how he came to this con- elusion. As stated in official pub- lications the objectives of West Point are: To instill discipline. To instill a high sense of honor, To pro- vide the knowledge and general education equivalent to that given by our leading universities, and particularly to develop the powers of analysis so that the mind may reason to a logical conclusion. Certainly Mr. Lustig must have great knowledge of the academies and insight into their operation to be able to state their mission so much more succinctly. IN MY STUDIES of military history, numerous extmples of heroism, courage in the face of adversity and compassion in the moment of victory were cited as distinguishing characteristics of famous American soldiers. No- where in these formal studies, nor in subsequent "outside reading, have I seen this "long list of hor- rors and brutalities committed against enemy and ally in the name of military expediency" to which Lustig so sweepingly al- ludes. Perhaps, though, he is referring to such things as the "brutal" treatment of Chinese and North Korean prisoners of war whch motivated eighty thousand of them to elect not to return to their homeland-a privilege they gain- ed, by the way, because of the United Nations "military expe- diency" of continuing a costly war rather than compromise humani- tarian principles. And since he places Gen. Doug- las MacArthur in "that world of narrow and hypocritical morality," I wonder, what place he would relegate to Generals George C. Marshall, Dwight D. Eisenhower andrGeorge Crook (who cham- pioned the rights of the Indians he was ordered to fight and of whom one chief said, "He, at least, had never lied to us. His words gave the people hope. He died. Their hopes died again."). I WONDER ALSO what would be Lustig's reaction to this quote from the book, The Armed Forces Officer, which is required read- ing for all newly, commissioned officers: To speak of ethics in the same breath with war may seem like sheer cant and hypocrisy. But in the possibility that those who best understand the use and nature of armed power may excel all others in stimulating that higher morality which may someday restrain war, lies a main chance for the future. -Samuel L. Myers, Jr Captain, U.S. Army Trigon To the Editor: IT SEEMS TO ME that the night editor who wrote "The Educa- tion of Trigon" was getting sleepy and put his pen into gear before finishing his research. He is one of a very select few who believe Trigon was originally a Methodist men's club. But to the point; let me take two quotes from the editorial: The number of nonwhites rushing fraternities is extremely small, and most houses give them a polite rush and wait for them to leave of their own vo- lition. The Christian-Jewish problem is alleviated by the existence of predominantly Jew- ish fraternities .. . Yet noenoticeable change has come over any of the accused units after its supposed re- demption. The changed rules didn't seem to affect practice to any great extent.t I fail to see how Trigon can be blamed for IFC's hypocrisy. IFC seems to be doing a good job of it all by itself. y-Earl Morris, Jr., '65 To the Editor: SHE FEB. 3 editorial "The Edu- cation of. Trigon," essentially contends that it is better that Trigon engage in hypocricy than for IFC to do so. There are two objections to the solution pro- posed. First, as must be obvious to anyone familiar with the "bias- clause" issue, Trigon has consist- ently refused to practice hypo- crisy in any of its dealings, and will continue' to do so. John Bryant isn't the first to suggest 1N .'~ t Y ~A(KI~oN such a subterfuge, but such a course of action has always been rejected because of its inherent hypocrisy. The second objection is that Trigon's suggested hypocrisy would not cure IFOC's hypocrisy. Many, of IFC's member fraternities en- gage in discrimination in mem- TODAY AND TOMORROW: Leader Image I S By WALTER LIPPMANN. THERE IS no doubt something weird, and to many something disconcerting, in the quietness, which looks .like passivity, of the, Johnson foreign policy.' There is a notion in the air that he does not know or care about foreign affairs and that this is why he refrains from striking pronouncements' and urgent in- tervention in Europe, why also he refrains from trying to settle the affairs of Asia by confrontation to the point of war with North Viet Nam and Red China. The feeling which this restraint pro- duces is not unlike the silence after a long and loud deafening noise. But as a matter of fact much has been happening in our for- eign policy, and this is already visible in Europe. The President's decision during the autumn to re- lax the pressure for our proposal to create a multilateral nuclear force was quietly done. But it was a far-reaching decision. If it did not mean the end, it certainly foreshadowed the end of our post- war attitude toward the affairs of the European continent. * * DURING the years immediately after the war when Western Eur- ope was defenseless and prostrate, there had been constructed an ideological framework for the Marshall Plan and NATO. In this ideological framework the image of the United States was the protector, the preser guide and the leader of Eu This image has becom pletely out-of-date. It d reflect the recovery of Europe or the detente in war which has existed si test ban treaty. But this n our European role is still the mental furniture of large number of America now feel angry or frustrat feel "defeated" because of pean allies do not dance tune which the piper wl used to pay used to play. view, if President Lyndoi son did what he ought t4 would make them resui dance. I count it an event policy to have recogniz this extravagant concer European affairs will n any longer and does in as a boomerang. NOT MANY PEOPLE country realize how dee intimately we involved c in postwar European affai is why so many American appreciate the .extent o Americanism in Europe.' a clandestine history wh no -doubt someday be about our interventions I pean domestic affairs. It i to say now that, though tives were high and th was good, once this medd Out of Date that of no longer indispensable to the ver, the salvation of Europe it became in- rope. tolerable to Europeans. ne com- An especially annoying part of foes not our superintending of Europe was Western our playing of favorites among the cold our European. allies. The special ince the relationship with the British was, otion of of course, an old one and is, I part of believe, enduring. But when in our a very postwar zeal we translated it into ans who American pressure to promote ed. They British entry into the Common ur Euro- Market, we invited and we got to the Gen. Charles de Gaulle's resound- hom we ing rebuff. In their Even more mischievous has been n John- the postwar special relationship o do, he with Conrad Adenauer's Germany. me the In the 1950's the old chancellor was elevated by the State Depart- of high ment to the role of principal ed that European adviser. This official n with deference to his prejudices re- ot work sulted, I believe, in hardening fact act the division of Germany and of Europe and of postponing the movement toward reunification in this which has at long last begun to ply and get underway. ourselves * * rs. That OUR European policy has now s do not been adjusted to the evolution of of anti- European affairs. Instead of try- There is ing to run Europe, or "lead" it, we ich will are allowing the Europeans, who written are fully recovered from the war, n Euro- to sort out their own relations s enough with one another. Instead of deep- our mo- ening the division of Europe, as e cause we did in the years under Ade- ling was nauer's domination of the State Department, we are encouraging and assisting that drawing to- gether of the European peoples- of Europe "from the Atlantic to the Urals"-which is the hope of the future. As compared with Europe, the .. situation in Asia is far more threatening and far lesspromis- ing. Though it should be possible to postpone and then to avoid a mortal confrontation with Red China, there is a possibility of it which we must always reckon with. I do not believe we can avoid a confrontation by pre- cipitating it. And as long as we are entangled on the mainland of ~Asia, a confrontation with, China would take place under the most unfavorable conditions for the United States. For we should have to choose between, on the one hand, a wanton massacre of Chinese by nuclear weapons and, nn th, ,th.r n.. di. ffiat~ina rwn bership selection' on the basis of race or religion, while as a body purporting the contrary. Many member fraternities condone or encourage the consumption of al- cohol at social functions, while\ as a body condemning those member fraternities unluckily caught by the University. Being able to wink at discrimination rathier than hav- ing to condemn it only makes the IFC's hypocrisy more subtle in one particular area * * IFC DOES NOT face "public hypocrisy" so much as. "loss of face." It has tried to Ireplace the dictation of membership se- lection policy by national fra- ternity organizations with the' dictation of membership selection policy by IFC. Now it seems that one tyranny is just as repugnant as the other. The "artificial crisis" is there- sult of IFC's unstudied enactment of a hypocritical bylaw, and not TIigon's maintenance of its prin- ciples and purpose for the last 60 years. -Wayne D. Warren, Grad Injustice To the Editor:. 1 FEEL that a grave injustice has been done to the Gibbs Tour people ,in the Gargoyle article ;on the Rose Bowl trips. Mr. Ward- ner tells of the few inconveniences to and from the coast, but barely touches upon the hotel accom- modations which by far out- weighed other minor setbacks. The ensuing are some excerpts from this writer's "thank you" note to the Gibbs people: On arrival in Los Angeles, we were set off at the "world- famous" Alexandria Hotel. Now just think of all these advantages which one doesn't expect from even the finest establishments: 1) Very tricky hallway floors which ran like a well layed-out obstacle course. The rugs were torn in strategic places and the floor underneath had little ridges and chuck-holes, which was a test for even the most able athletes amongst us; 2) Free gum on the walls of our room; 3) Artistically chipped paint on the ceilings which lent a Euro- pean air to the place. This wasn't limited to our rooms but was an important feature of the hallway decor; 4) Beer cans were neatly strewn along several places in the hall. Unfortunately, not being 21, I couldn't avail myself of this serv- ice. It seems that few others did either, as, the cans remained un- touched for the duration of our visit; 5) Upon entering our room, the beds were unmade giving one and all that tasty, "lived-in" feeling; 6) There were dances held at our hotel every night. It was most exciting to watch a guy dressed up in policeman .clothes and a gun, with two unif4rmed women frisk- ing the boys and girls before they were allowed to proceed into 'the dance. Having such colorful people in our hotel gave it an unusually thrilling atmosphere; 7) The management was nice enough to allow many females to sit around in the lobby apparently as a companion service for young men. It was a nice gesture on their part to allow these thoughtful young ladies to dispense of their services in our hotel; 8) Just to add a bit of daring to our elevator rides, there was a card in the elevator which stated that the last safety inspection ex- pired as of September, 1962. This list goes on and on, but I feel that it should suffice to answer Hugh Wardner's undue criticism. -Richard Balaban, '66 The New, Sorority RushPlan F PROCESS makes product, the sorority system may look forward to a definite improvement. The passage of the new fall rush pro- posal is indicative of a change in outlook among sorority women in general, and the foresight of Panhellenic leadership in particular. The sorority system has long been un- der attack, and one of the least attrac- tive parts of the system is rush. But if. rush is an evil, it is a necessary one for it provides the method by which sorori- ties are sustained. The fall rush plan presents a much improved approach to membership selection. ACTUALLY, THE CHANGE in structure is not a revolutionary one. The pri- mary difference between the fall plan and previous rush structure is replacing mixers with open houses. Instead of in- troducing rushees to lines of singing sor- ority women, the new plan presents a more informal and realistic basis for comn more personal basis with the sorority woman she might find as her roommate. Conversely, the rush plan includes many benefits for sorority women. The houses with small quotas will be given an opportunity for greater freedom within the structure. All houses will find it eas- ier to get to know their prospective pledg- es on a better basis, with more time al- lotted to talking and less to superficial entertainment, ALTHOUGH THE RUSH plan is limited to fall rush only, it is indicative of a change in attitude that has more per- vasive ramifications. The University is undergoing immense change, of which tri- mester is just an example, and if the sorority system is to survive in such an atmosphere it, too, must alter its orien- tation. Within the University environ- ment, the women are changing; no longer are they starry-eyed when they think of sororities, for their attitude is more ma- "I Can't Keep Up My Dues In Everything" --y-.. ~a 1 POLISHED FOLK SINGER: Josh White Disappoints No One at Hill Concert A TRULY PROFESIONAL ARTIST performed at Hill Auditorium .last night. His name--Josh White. Thought by many people to be one of the technical wizzards of six string guitar, he disappointed no one. In fact, his nimble fingers at times overshadowed his pleasing but not so nimble voice. His opening blues "Betty and Dupree" was good evidence of this. "Waltz- ing Matilda" also seemed a bit "too staged," almost as if he were trying to get new stage appeal out of an old song which if sung simply would have been sung best. When listening to an evening of Josh White one is -sometimes subjected to a few too many songs done in his somewhat unvaried style and classic arrangements. Cases in point were "Frankie and Johnnie," "Hard Times Blues," and "Foggy, Foggy Dew." However, these were by far not the bulk of the concert and White's ever-present amoral humor received the usual legions of laughter and identification from the college students young and old. White's humor, however, should .not be interpreted as having arisen to cater to the button-down collegiates, for long before folk music ; :. :'. t p __ ..) d i F S fir.. 1 _ . , Af gCE - -,r-r m