r Seventy-Fifth Year EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS OF THE UNIVLRSITY OF MICHIGAN UNDER AUTHORITY Of BOARD IN CONTROL OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS Michigan MAD kesFeeHikesFeeHikesFe By Robert Johnston LAST GLANCES Student Parochialism And Poor Education 9: - -: , , -- - -,j M Where Opinions Are Free, 420 MAYNARD ST., ANN ARBOR, MICH. Truth 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. THURSDAY, 8 APRIL 1965 NIGHT EDITOR: W. REXFORD BENOIT Sororities Should Go Intellectual Or Off Campus THEFUTURE of the sorority system is not a question of survival, as many have said, but a question of choosing per- spectives. Two lines of action are open to sorori- ties-continuation of their social orien- tation or a change to a more intellectual orientation. Since sororities exist within the frame- work of an intellectual community, it Is obvious they are out of kilter with the academic trends of'the University if they continue their social orientation. Being out of context with the academic com- munity gives the sororities no right to belong to it. Unless they at least attempt a change to more intellectuality, they should not be recognized by the Univer- sity. AN INTELLECTUAL perspective means turning away from the social goals so prevalent in the sorority system. It means taking an interest and a part in the aca- demic opportunities the University pre- sents. Spending more time studying is only a small part of those opportuni- ties; nor do the various extra-curricular, academic activities, such as lectures, con- certs and plays, complete the picture. What is also needed is the development of an examining, skeptical, inquisitive at- titude toward knowledge and the seeking of knowledge. The girl who participates in the aca- demic life of the University in the fullest sense does not have time, nor is she as interested as at present, in the social goals of sororities. This is not to say in- dividual sorority members may not have their own personal goals and values; it is to say, however, that these goals and val- ues apparently become lost in the face of more external pressures. These, external pressures are, abstract- ly, the search for social prestige which underlies .the system. Whom a sorority member dates and' what kind of clothes she wears-these are the kinds of factors on which a girl's status depends. Other external pressures are the re- quired functions of sororities. Chapter meetings, song practices, rush practices, rush itself, pledge teas, day-long initia- tion ceremonies and the practices for them, all these reinforce the in-group so- cial orientation. [OREOVER, some sorority members feel the sole purpose of sororities and fra- ternities is to participate in campus ac- tivities such as Winter Weekend and Michigras. They feel these ' relieve aca- demic pressures and are worthwhile to the campus as a whole. None of this is to say that if sororities continue their social orientation they will not survive, for there will always be enough students at the University who are interested in social prestige and would join a group for this purpose. It is to say, however, that if these are the only pur- poses for the continuation of sororities, then the present system doesn't deserve to survive at all. The only set-up whichwould justify the continuation of sororities would be one similar to Regent Allen Sorenson's pro- posal of last spring: that sororities and fraternities be separate from the Univer- sity, i.e., without the status and privileges of student organizations. Such a set-up would avoid the anomaly of having so- cially-directed groups tied to and partial- ly supported by an intellectually-directed institution. BUT SORORITIES have the potential to be much better than they are now. It would be preferable if the system could remain within the University and alter its emphasis from the social to the intel- lectual. To do this, sororities might encourage their members to participate in activi- ties outside the house apart from Winter Weekend and Michigras. Bringing back to the house things they had learned would be more beneficial to both the in- dividuals and the group as a whole. Allowing members to participate in the things that interest them is certainly more, worthwhile than the required func- tions which presently consume the sorori- ty member's time. If sororities were to recruit the type of person who could add to the house in- tellectually, they would probably pledge many of the girls who are now extremely anti-sorority. These girls are the ones who object to the social orientation sor- orities have now and to the time-con- suming activities sororities require. But these girls are precisely what the sororities need. They would participate and add to the group simply by living within the sorority house, and the chap- ters would come to represent a much larger cross-section of the campus. A group of girls like these would be worthy of a place In an academic community. THE CRUX of the problem of perspec- tives, then, rests with the type of girls belonging to sororities. Perhaps sororities could start to change perspective (if they choose to) by revamping their rush pro- cedures. Adopting some of last fall's proposals for an even more unstructured rush than at present would be a beginning. Yet at the time, Panhellenic Presidents' Coun- cil consistently voted down measures that would alleviate some of the superficial- ity of rush, despite the fact that the lib- eralizations were supported by the small- er Panhel Executive Council. Hopefully, this year's executives will continue along the same paths as last year and con- vince the larger presidents' body to fol- low them. Perhaps the only way this can happen is if individual members of the system communicate to their presidents their desire for changes. AS THINGS STAND, however, the mem- bers who have the ability to help the system gain the perspective it needs are quickly becoming disillusioned with and resentful of the system they belong to and have stopped caring for the system. If the system is to keep these people and change its perspective, somehow those dedicated to its improvement must bring it to a stop and demand that it evaluate where it is going. Otherwise ,the only place for it to go is off-campus. -JULIE W. FITZGERALD IT'S LIKE musical chairs. When there aren't enough to go around, somebody has to lose. Next fall John Q. Studentstands to lose anything from $50 to $200 for fee hikes. A dormitory fee hike this fall, now a virtual though unofficial certainty, can be expected to range from $50 to $75, depending on a whole host of factors. A tui- tion hike would depend on what action, or lack of it, a very unpre- dictable Legislature takes in the next two months on the University appropriation. THE ODDS ON a tuition hike stack up something like this: -If Gov. Romney's budget cut is untouched by the Legislature, chances are probably three out of four that there will be a tuition hike in addition to a dorm hike. Right now, odds are maybe one in three that the legislators will end up adding anything from $1 to $5 million, with something in the neighborhood of $2 million most likely. -With $2 million restored to the University's budget, chances would be slim that tuition would be forced up this fall, especially with a dorm hike at the same time; but it could happen. -Since junior-senior tuition for out-of-state students has more than doubled through four tuition hikes beginning in 1956 (it has gone from $470 to $960), and since freshman-sophomore out-of-state tuition is not far behind at $900, the in-state students will prob- ably get the bite this round, if it comes. -The 1962 tuition hike was $30 for in-state juniors and seniors. The 1960 boostuwasr$30, from $250 to $280 for all in-state students. These figures would probably be minimums in considering the size of possible hikes for the fall. -There is, however, some room for trade-offtwith the dormitory hikes since the counseling system does not have to come under the self-liquidating stipulation applied to the rest of the residence halls system. That is, money from either a dorm or tuition hike could go to cover these costs. THE MAIN question is, of course, how two residence hall fee hikes in two years can be justi- fied. (Dorm fees were raised $34 last summer.) It's not too hard, actually. The University residence halls system is caught in the middle of a whole series of pres- sures, all of which are adding up to crisis proportions. First, the student population is expanding rapidly, which means the dorms are called on for many more rooms-fast. Second, costs of food service, the principal ex- pense for the residence halls, are spiraling. Third, a student em- ploye wage boost in the fall will require a wage boost for all em- ployes. And fourth, the residence halls have been allowed, particul- arly over the past 5-10 years, to offer a rapidly deteriorating en- vironment for students. It is im- perative that something be done to reverse this trend. Finally, and this is the crux of the matter, the residence halls are run on a self-liquidating basis. This was fine when building and food service costs were reason- able, and when the student popu- lation wasn't growing by one or two thousand every fall. But now construction costs have soared out of sight. Whereas the University could once provide dormitory space at a capital expense of $2800 per person, it now takes over $6000-and that for Markley- style cells. Given the small capital base the University has to work with, the burdens falling on student assess- ments to cover large mortgage costs incurred to meet dormitory needs have reached 'the present figure of 21 cents per fee dollar. SO NOW, with housing con- struction on North Campus about to begin, the University is bonded to the hilt. Under the present sys- tem, it simply can't do any more. This year bonding payments due are not even being fully met, one reason for the hike. Further, strange as it may seem, doubling and tripling of 'rooms actually costs more than the additional fees collected. This results from a strange interplayebetween food costs added with each person and bond payment requirements on each dollar taken in. It would seem clear at this point that the self-liquidating stipula- tion applied to residence halls ought to be seriously re-evaluated. Dorm fee hikes can only be stop- gap measures if the University in- tends to provide a living situation in the dormitories that offers a little more substance than a poor man's Holiday Inn. . The student is not expected to cover the full costs of his class- room education through tuition. There is no reason he should be expected to pay the full costs of both present and future residence halls, which, if they cannot add much to his education, at least should not destroy it. FORTUNATELY, the rest of the University is not in such a mess as its residence halls system. The relatively small amount that a tuition hike would bring in would not be the difference between the rise and fall of the University. But it might, if it comes, be the dif- ference between a relatively good and a relatively poor year. But unlike the residence halls situation, the poor student can never really know how badly the extra tuition is needed. It would be impossible for him to discover how many terrible teaching fel- lows that extra money saved him from. Or how many professors the University was able to keep from losing. Or how many library books would not have been bought with, out that extra money. He can ask, but it won't do much good. In fact there might be a lot of unfortunate questions coming up in the fall. It's going to take a lot of talking to explain whatever fee hikes are finally approved. And no amount of explanation- is going to rectify the terrible dorm- itory crowding that is inevitably going to occur, no matter how thorough the preparation. .And then there are going to be 600 students, left roomless by the un- completed high-rise, who will have to be taken care of. IT COULD be an interesting year. By MICHAEL SATTINGER Associate Managing Editor, i964-'65 1THE DIVERSITY of the Univer- sity is not matched by the diversity within an individual stu- dent in it, and herein lies the basic failure of the University. The University is large. On a small campus, there is little chance one could find many peo- ple whose attitudes conform to some degree with one's own; there just wouldn't be that many people and there would be too many at- titudes and interests. So the groups that form on a large campus couldn't form on a smaller one or within a smaller population. But on a large campus such as ours, sectionalism can, if permitted, evolve. And this is the case at the Uni- versity: the campus is not even. It is clearly split up into distinct sectors, easily identifiable by school, location and even dress. There is, furthermore, great antagonism between these groups. Quadrangle residents are vegetable "quaddies;" sorority residents are fretting, brainwashed "dollies;" fraternity residents are vulgar "social beasts;" apartment dwell- ers are insecure, outcast "GDI's;" engineers are narrow-minded; hu- manity students are irrelevant. There is a tendency towards little communication, less toleration and no acceptance. WHAT IS the result? First, a student has freedom. Since he can pick his friends from such a large population, he can choose which sector he wishes to belong to, He is also free to avoid associating with certain sectors. The result is that, although he is free to join any group, in prac- tice he chooses to restrict himself to a few. At the University such differ- entiation has been allowed to de- velop, but there has been little if any effort focused on this prob- lem of parochialism. What can be done to counter the centrifugal forces on the campus? FIRST, THE most often repeat- ed criticism by outsiders of this campus is that there is no place- no one place-where students can meet. The Union, the UGLI, the League and other places are not universally popularand are not adequate for the job, and it is no wonder that students spin off to other places. A central gathering place is essential. Second, the value-laden conno- tations of certain forms of resi- dence must be destroyed. Aside from the motivation of inhabi- tants, there is little difference be- tween Greek residences and apart- ments except the natural results of size. Apartment residents are free to choose their roommates; social fraternities are a little less free. In practice, apartment roommates are drawn from within a friend- ship group, so that the final choice is much narrower; social fraterni- ties must, because of their size, go outside strict friendship groups, so that within a. pledge class there will be a wider range than within an apartment. BUT NOW let us put back that one outside element, the motiva- tion of inhabitants. Now one can say that members of the pledge class have one very important attitude in common - they all want to belong to a fraternity or sorority; or, conversely, that those who live in apartments want to avoid the Greek system. It is this added connotation which destroys the diversity and range of both. Residence halls are typically characterized by the little respon- sibility residents bear for their own sustenance and the sterile and animalistic existence going on inside them. Because of their organization, the halls tend to scare off students, so that what advantages they offer are lost. Further, students who leave the halls after the first year are left with a distaste for the way of life there, and this distaste naturally falls upon those who remain un- der the system. IT FOLLOWS that the halls must be made more attractive if the negative connotations of liv- ing in them are to be destroyed. Third, subdivision of the stu- dent population into sufficiently small colleges-such as the resi- dential college-will ensure that sectors of parochial interest do not crystallize. Admittedly, the freedom of which I spoke might be destroyed, but then that free- dom is only an initial freedom; it is hindered and destroyed by the social pressures that establish the group in the first place. Students' inability to escape sectionalism is matched by their inability to think objectively. Time after time, student requests pre- sented to the administration dem- onstrate an amazing degree of narcissism. The ignorance and lack of understanding in their pro- posals result from a "we want" attitude, and are easily refuted. Student demands are further weakened by the division among students themselves; with section. alism predominating, students are too busy fighting among them- selves. FACULTY members are for the most part no better. They perpetu- ate teaching methods which con- tradict the purpose of a univer- sity. By pacing student learning, faculty members lead students to abdicate responsibility for moti- vation. The result is usually a thin soup of knowledge in a silver tu- reen, a world of tests, magic- markers and dex. Educational goals are further distorted by the aura of graduate school. The primary purpose of undergraduate education is to get the student into graduate school, according to some. There's no time for much else. If sectionalism prevails among students and education is often artificial, just what is left to a college education? It is, basically, a process of socialization, not edu- cation. If the University allowed, a student could go through four years of life here, flunk all his courses, get his degree, and no one would know the difference. A college degree indicates a person is a college graduate. To show he also learned something a student has to get recommendations from faculty. AM I pessimistic? No, I'm not. If I had the choice over again, I'd still come to the University. The teachers, the students, the institu- tions are there--one only needs the guts to go out and get what he wants and the courage to lump the rest '4 -t r LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Bluestone on 'U' White Paper' To the Editor: LAST WEEK Robert Johnston wrote of student activism in the student economic welfare area. He discussed to some extent two methods for proceding to solve crucial problems of economic wel- fare in the University. One method he praised: the specific issue was a research proj- ect of the Graduate Student Coun- cil regarding student parking. The other Johnston disapproved of: the call by the University of Michigan Student Employes' Un- ion (and later by SGC) for a University administration "White Paper" on its philosophy and policy concerning the economic welfare ofnstudents. Johnston dis- approved for several reasons, in- cluding: 1) No "White Paper" is possible at this time because the Univer- sity does not have a "philosophy" in this area; 2) No one can.actually speak for the University regarding a philos- ophy or policy; 3) The students proposing the "White Paper" have not proposed any alternatives to the present economic situation. JOHNSTON is somewhat myopic on all three counts. 1) One of the main reasons for asking for a "White Paper" at this time is precisely that the University ad- ministration and the Regents do not have a philosophy or real policy for dealing with questions of student economic welfare. This is the crux of the problem. Except in limited areas, the University has not done anything about mak- ing this State University a place where financial restrictions do not hinder the great number of po- tential college students in Michi- gan. Its "no-policy" of non-in- volvement has hindered many stu- dents in the past and certainly at this rate will hinder future stu- dents. It is necessary as a first step for the University administration, in connection with the Regents, to formulate a basic philosophy of student economic welfare, one that can be the core of a meaningful University community dialogue on this pressing subject. With a phi- losophy, the University will then be able to move on to basic policy decisions on specific issues such as tuition, room and board rates, book prices, Ann Arbor rents and the general high cost of living in this city. Granted, there has been some There is no reason, except pos- sibly ignorance of the situation surrounding the economic prob- lems of student, which would pre- clude a "White Paper" in this area. 3) Contrary to Johnston's third criticism, students, including members of the UMSEU, have been formulating alternatives to the present economic situation facing students in Ann Arbor. In the area of housing alone, at least two concrete proposals are being considered, and students are at- tempting to engage administrators in their research. One proposal involves the pos- sibility of giving incentive to non- profit, but wealthy social organ- izations in order to interest them in building low-cost student hous- ing at nation-wide profit rates in- stead of Ann Arbor profit rates. Such organizations include vet- erans groups, foundations and unions. A SECOND alternative would have the University take the mil- lions of dollars it has invested in American business and reinvesting it in student housing. The Univer- sity would reap a fair profit and at the same time lower the cost of living to students In addition, this would take the pressure off residence halls. At the present time, at least two major studies of housing are being done by students. The Voice committee on housing has put together impressive material on this subject. In other areas of student eco- nomic welfare - such as book prices, food costs and the like- students are doing ample research. Hopefully, they will be joined by the rest of the University com- munity, including the admin- istration. This summer the UM- SEU is going to be involved in considerable new research to sup- plement existing studies. THE PROBLEMS of student eco- nomic welfare are indeed complex and difficult. But we must begin to look for solutions. Specific al- ternatives to the present situa- tion are helpful, such as GSC's parking problem-E sticker pro- gram. But broader programs like the "White Paper" must be ad- vanced in addition. The adminis- tration must make its position known, and the University com- munity as a whole must act. -Barry Bluestone, '66 only why standards ought to be enforced and actions policed, but. also precisely what these stan- dards are! At last we have at our dis- posal objective -criteria, so long and vainly sought, to decide on appointments, promotions, faculty wards, student prizes and,'I would urge, grades! At last we have been handed the magic formula that will put an end to all delinquencies. --juvenile and adult! I would only like to make one modest suggestion: the quiet cir- culation of a four-page memor- andum can hardly be said to rise to the occasion and to the nobility of the task. Times being what they are, I would, instead, propose an all-out dress-in. Outstanding members of the local Rotary Club, selected film actors (preferably from upper class families) and mannequins from the more con- servative fashion journals could be hired as speakers, or dressers; volunteering faculty could parade on the Diag in their best suits, whitest shirts and most decorous ties. Topics of discussion might range from "The Good Old Days" to "Manners Maketh the Man," from "If Gold Rust, What Will Iron Do?" to "The Young Executive's Choice in Fashion." AS TO possible resolutions, the following might be a beginning: 1) That faculty members who can produce evidence that the main effect on their students rests with their impeccable exterior be permitted to change their suits at least once during every class hour, thus doubling their influ- ence; 2) That faculty members who teach in a manner that makes students .insensitive to their at- tire be considered subversive and be banished from this campus and 3) That no effort be spared to stop the University from trying to be like such schools as Yale, Har- vard, Columbia, the University of Chicago, instead helping it to approximate, as closely as possible, the "neat and clean, well-kept and well-equipped" Delta College which Prof. Rice found so enviably wholesome. -Ingo Seidler German departmaent 'Inadequacy' To the Editor: A NUMBER of my colleagues, 4 ; Honors: Is It Worth It? "HONORS PROGRAMS, designed to pro- voke an opportunity for able and well- motivated students to assume a large measure of responsibility for their own education, represent one of the most im- portant concepts to develop in higher ed- ucation during the last 35 years." This quotation by Prof. Robert B. Mac- Leod appears at the beginning of the Honors Program leaflet. Apparently this statement was chosen because it repre- sented the philosophy of the University's Honors Program. But are the aims of the program being realized? Within the present educational struc- ture is it possible for the Honors student to assume a larger measure of respon- sibility for his own education than the non-Honors student can? THE HONORS STUDENT must conform to the same stifling distribution re- special housing? Smaller lectures, yes, but the recita- tions tend to be the same size as in non- honors sections. And it is true that the honors sections of the introductory cours- es are not led by teaching fellows. AS FOR HONORS housing, the worth of this endeavor is presently under de- bate. Honors housing is based on the idea that the educational process can be equally or even more effectively contin- ued outside the classroom, given the en- couragement of helpful conditions. But, in practice this idea does not seem to be working out. The tone of the Honors houses is the same as that in the rest of the dormitories. The speakers who come to the Honors houses are faced with embarrassingly small audiences. It is obvious that these so-called brighter stu- dents find it hard to work overtime and BRIDGES 300 YEARS Harmonious 'Galileo' High Note 'of Season AtTrueblood Auditorium IN AN AGE which presupposes reason as the guide to truth, it is difficult to imagine a time when sense perceptions were denied and individual thinking was denounced. But the University Players' presentation of Bertoldt Brecht's "Galileo" last night reawakened this historical dilemma very effectively. The thematic construction of "Galileo" centers upon the issue of freedom of scientific inquiry when it contradicts established authority. Although he employed the life of Galileo Galilei to illustrate this conflict, Brecht's epic drama far transcends the 17th Century, and his didactic approach successfully penetrates 20th Century minds. Brecht's theatrical techniques are as anti-Aristotelian as were Galileo's concepts, and the production employed those techniques skillfully. Directed by Dr. William P. Halstead, the play's theatricality was accentuated by its multi-level, bare Elizabethan setting, by scenic projections and by the free movement of the actors outside of the picture-frame context. THESE FACTORS enhanced the impact of the play: it was presented without pretense and with a directness which respected the intelligence of the audience. Obvious unreality was rampant especially in the delightful carnival scene of "All Fool's Day, 1632," as singer James Marsh employed every musical comedy device he knew. Although a cast of 24 portrayed 79 roles-necessitating some amazingly fast costume changes-"Galileo" never ceased to be a dramatic unity. Stephen Wyman played Galileo with living humanism -at times overpowering, at times whimsical. Douglas Sprigg as Andrea Sarti excuded a vitality which made, him as believeable as a boy of 10 at the start of the play as he was as a man of 40 at i