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EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDETs OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGA1
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EachTme I Cnced To See Franklin D
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Fraternities, Sororities: The Unexamined Life
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openiona Are free, 420 MAYNARD ST., ANN AEoi, MICH.
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NEwS PHONE: 764-0552
by Ii. Neil Berkson
Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staf f writers
or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints.
,. 'I
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBE, 13, 19
64 NIGHT EDITOR: LAURENCE KIRSHBAtJM
Honors Housing Threatens
Goals of Liberal Education
HONORS HOUSING is only one more
way in which the University steers
away from the goals of liberal education.
The thought of honors housing is not-
able: put brains together and they will
benefit from each other's presence, but
the system does not work that way.
Rather than a broadening influence,
brains on brains is a narrowing one. If
some of the brain power in the University
is narrowly focused the school itself must
follow that influence, no longer offering
a broad educational experience but train-
ing minds In narrow paths instead.
THE PROBLEM begins with the very se-
lection process, the criterion of which
is none other than the almighty grade-
point. The gradepoint is not so much a
measure of raw intelligence, however, as
a measure of exactly what kind of work
individuals% are doing. Although it occa-
sionally inidicates an overall knowledge,
more often it is the sign of a student who
learned exactly what he needed to know
for his papers, hourlies and pop quizzes.
Such a method of'education is not nece .
sarily wrong but is definitely limiting.
Take such individuals, slap them to-
gether in the same living quarters, andt
the result can be disastrous. The group,
geared already to preserving their repu-
tations through grades,-can only become
more competitive. Intensely they bend to
the books and grind out what they must
have to pass their courses with flying
colors.f
THE EFFECTS are far from beneficial
to the students and the University.
A T ONE TIME fraternities and sororities were an
integral part of college life. Now Greek chapters here
contain a small percentage of University students. Their
numbers have been relatively static for some years! and
should begin to decline in the near future.
The University has passed the system by. This has
happened, I believe, for two reasons, the second of which.
interests me most.'
On the one hand; a fraternity offers no 'unique ad-
vantages, no benefits which cannot be obtained else-
where. Rush talk to the contrary, a house neither com-
plements nor supplements academic life-it is a social
organization and was never meant to be an intellectual
proving ground. Nor does a house have some singular
atmosphere which creates friendships. In these respects
a fraternity is most often irrelevant to personal develop-
ment.
On the other Viand, fraternities are highly anti-in-
tellectual. They take some of society's worst values-
status seeking, materialism, conformity, discrimination-
and structure them into a closed system. -
THE ESSENTIAL element in any person is his in-
dividuality. The University is valuable to him only in-
The student forgets the existence of Uni-
versity facilities other than his own desk.
The University, catering to the grade-
oriented student, is directed from the.
goals of liberal education..
Students in such an atmosphere have
no time to discover that they can learn
selectively and on their own, narrowing
their interests in some fields and broad-
ening them. in others. They can develop
no .sense of acadermic independence if
they do not sometimes leave the strict
outline of their course syllabi. They leave
the University crammed with facts, but
often devoid of originality and initiative.
On the other hand, the University, in
giving such an "opportunity" to students
with high gradepoints, loses them. It
takes the people who are leaders by
virtue of their grades and further, dis-
courages them from individualism. If the
grade point leaders stick to the course
outline like flies to flypaper, the other
students have no choice but follow or
flunk.,
CONSEQUENTLY the University ceases
to be a .source of liberal education,
where is taught the key to knowledge and
the beginnings of wisdom, and becomes
merely a trade school, an assembly line
for people well qualified to make money
in whatever way they have chosen.
Obviously the above is an exaggera-
tion, but not without pertinence. Mixture
of types never hurt anyone. It should
be encouraged, not stifled.
-KAREN KENAH
sofar as it develops his sense of self.
Paradoxically, however, he can learn about himself
only in relation to what he learns about everything
around him. This would not be true if man could live
apart from society, but he cannot. Therefore, to move
with any assurance he must have a broad comprehension
of the fantastically complex events which shape his life,
The more limited his experiences, the more likely that he
will face "foreign" situations with which he will be un-
able to cope rationally.
(Parenthetically, it would be interesting to analyze
the Goldwater movement in these terms.)
THE IRRESOLVABLE weakness in fraternities is
that they narrow the range of their members' exper-
iences. Take any fraternity or sorority on campus and
you will find a group of people with basically the same.,
socio-economic backgrounds. Moreover, the group's char-
acteristics are constantly in-breeding, so that the differ-
ences members might initially bring to a house blend, to
some extent, over the course of four years.
The fraternity-sorority member, then, has a heavy.
intercourse with people who are exactly like he is. This
is why houses are so easy to type. Members come from
the same relative environment with the same relative
upbringing, the same relative values, the same relative
prejudices. Group psychology, functioning at a sub-con-
scious level, reinforces an entire thought system without
ever examining it.
A proof of this situation lies in the phenomenon
called rush. Most fraternity-sorority members will quickly
admit to the hypocrisy of the coming weeks. The judg-
ments are all arbitrary; there is no real way to evaluate
a personality.
There is a way, however, to determine who "belongs"
and who doesn't. Rush works because people of a certain
environmental framework instinctively recognize their
own.
THE SYSTEM has more of an effect on some people
than it does on others, and it would be ridiculous to
assert that every fraternity-sorority member is an irre-
trievable, conforming anti-intellectual. In addition, some
houses are much narrower than others.
Nevertheless, a closed system has no role in the edu-
cational process. Greek life is a leftover relic from a
superficial era, and there is no way that it can catch up
with the present.
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PARTY CHOICE:
Presidential Campaign
Echoes That' of 1896
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Hypocrisy of Crowding
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THERE CAN BE only agonizing frus-
tration at the hypocrisy of a university-
which makes a great show of admitting
all capable in-state students and then de-
nies them the education they had been
promised. Where is there anything ap-
proaching a livable dormitory situation
in the temporary living quarters of South
Quad? Where is a student to get a-liberal
education when all the desired courses
are closed to him? The "high standards";
of the University are irrelevant under
such restrictions. .
What is particularly frustrating about
the "crisis," as it has come to be called,
is that there is no obvious scapegoat on
whom the blame can rest. It seems sense-
less to blame the University administra-
tion. Although certain - factors, like a
large increase in the number of applica-.
tions to the University, may liave indicat-
ed that a crisis was coming, the adrin-
istration's hands were tied.
State appropriations made on a year-
to-year basis prevented the University,
from making long-term projections and
plans. Limited to hiring faculty a year in
advance, the University could not tell-
from one year to another how many new
faculty members it would need or belable
to hire. Capital outlay restrictions and ,
lean budgets prevented the University
from building up a cushion of faculty,
classrooms and office space. ,
UNCERTAINTY also plagued the Office
of Student Affairs in any plans it may
have had to increase the amount and
variety of student housing. Its plans for
more housing depended on future' enroll-
H. NEIL BERKSON, Editor
ments, which in turn depended on the
unpredictable University budget. Other
variable factors included the new trends
in student living and types of residence
halls and the lessened restrictions on liv-
ing outside of the residence hall system.
The Legislature is one step away from
the University administration in respon-
sibility for the crisis. And yet it can-
not be wholly blamed, for it is locked in
the political battles which it seems un-
able to, avoid. Its refusal to avoid the
crisis--to provide adequate funds-can
be understood only in a context of poli-
tical expediency. Higher education was
treated as a low priority su bject, a luxury
that-with funds limited by insufficient
state revenue sources-could be cut to
reduce the budget.
And the fact that such cuts in college
aid were tolerated and even condoned in-
'icates the inability of the public to come
to terms with the problems it faces, espe-
cially when those problems seem worlds
away.t
ALL THE ADVERTISEMENT and publi-
city in the past decade warning of,,the
dire effects of a college squeeze were not
enough. The apathy and irresponsibility
fostered by the previous generation's in-
ability to cope with what to. them were
problems of the future has resulted in
the present "crisis."
--MICHAEL SATTINGER
Associate Managing Editor
Shrapnel
IKE A PIECE of shrapnel boring into
my spine, the words in that neat, in-
nocent looking ad on the second page of
The Daily induced a sharp stinging pain.
"U. of M. UNION wishes to announce
the appearance of Cmdr. George Lincoln
Rockwell on Campus in October."
How can a; student organization dignify
Rockwell, an avowed Nazi, with an invita-
tion to appear on campus? This is a man
whose symbol is the twisted cross of Hit-
ler. He shouts his adherence to the
hideous Nazi creed.
I DO NOT WISH to imply that he does
not have the right to speak. He pre-
sents no clear and present danger to the
United States. His constitutional right to
speak is not questioned. But should he
speak in dignity? Should be he introduc-
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T H E WAR RiR&S
The Week inReview
Issue s AwaitingSolutions
By HAROLD WOLMAN
THE CHOICE rather than an
echo which Senator Goldwater
says he offers the American pub-
lic is the sort of choice which has
seldom confronted this country
during presidentialelections. In-
.deed, it is necessary to goallthe'
way back to 1896 in order to view
an election when a comparable
situation existed.
In that election, it was the Dem-
ocrat, William Jenninigs Bryan,
who offered the choice, while the
Republican, William McKinley,
was the candidate of the status
quo. Without stretching history
too far, some rather interesting
similarities can be observed be-
tween the elec ion of 1896, con-
sidered by some historians a turn-
ing point in our history, and the
election to be held this November.
Both Bryan and Goldwater can
be considered men of the West,
steeped in the Western tradition
of rugged individualism and direct
action. Bryan, like Goldwater,
shared the traditional Western
attitude uof distrust and suspicion
of. the urban 'and sophisticated
East.
* .. *
LIKE GOLDWATER and his
followers, Bryan disliked the East-
ern financial establishment, which
he .felt dominated the economic
life of the country from banks and
investment houses of New York
City.
However, unlike Goldwater,
Bryan was not able to write-off
the East, since his hope for vic-
tory' rested in an 'alliance of
Southern and Western farmers
with Eastern labor. Bryan referred
to his campaign trips in thenEast
as forays into- "enemy country,"
an attitude which partially ex-
plains why he was not able to con-
summate the alliance.
The East, for its part, feared
Bryan in much the same way that
it now fears Senator Goldwater.
Bryan was seen as an extremist,
an anarchist, whose election would
sound the death knell for the
United States as it had been
known. The New 'York Herald
Tribune denounced Bryan and the
Populist movement as, "the hys-
terical declaration of a reckless
and lawless crusade of sectional
animosity and class antagonism
.No wide 'eyed "and ratle-
brained horde of the red flag ever
proclaimed a fiercer defiance of
law, precedent, order, and gov-
ernnient."
* * *
AS THE Herald Tribune ob-
served, the effect of Bryan's cam-
paign was 'to create a sectional'
division pitting, in broad terms,
the industrialism of the East
against the agrarianism of the
South and West. Faced with this
situation, William McKinley chose
to campaign in much the same
manner that Lyndon Johnson
seems to have chosen. McKinley's
emphasis' was on national unity
and prosperity--"the full dinner
pail" was his campaign slogan.
Furthermore, McKinley played
upon the popular fear of Bryan's
free silver monetary policy just
e as Lyndon Johnson is doing with
Barry Goldwater's nuclear policies.
However, McKinley withhis
judicious, carefully prepared
speeches and his front porch cam-
paign was unable to arouse much
enthusiasm-a problem which
Johnson, too, seemfs to be ex-
periencing.
Most of the enthusiasm in the
campaign was generated by the
Populist followers of Bryan who,
like the more fervid rightist back-
ers of Goldwater, were a fanatic
breed. Indeed, the campaign took
on the aura of a crusade; the elec-
tion was seen by the Populists as
a moral battle between Right and
In 1896, McKinley, the conserva-
tive, defeated Bryan, the radical,
but it was one of the closest presi-
dential elections in American.' his-
tory. Bryan carried the entire
South arid the West-except fo'
California and Oregon. McKinley
took every Northern state east
of the Mississippi plus Minnesota,
Iowa, and North Dakota. Of the
three states which Goldwater con-
siders critical for his election,
California, Illinois, and Ohio,
Bryan was able to win none. Yet
Bryan garnered 47.8 per cent of
the popular vote, and 176 elec-
toral votes as opposed to Mc-
Kinley's 271. Only two elections
since 1896 have been closer.
It might also be interesting to
note that Bryan did not simply
fade away after his close defeat.
Instead, he was the Democratic
nominee (and the losing can-
didate) for President both in 1900
and 1908, and as late as 1912
Bryan still retained sufficient
power in the party to determine
the presidential nominee.
LETTERS:
Pol"aicies
'To the ditor;
ON THE PAGESof the summer
Daily I revealed a rumor which
I had, heard concerning the Missis-
sippi Project of the Council of
Federated Organizations, a rumor
which raised doubts in my mind
aboilt the morality of COFO tac-
tics. I requested an explanation
from Miss Miriam Dann, the local
fund raising representative of CO-
FO.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This article
begins a series of regular Sunday
morning features describing and
analyzing in perspective prominent
University news stories of the week.
By JOHN KENNY
Assistant Managing Editor
and
LOUISE LIND
Assistant Editorial Director
in Charge of the Magazine
LIKE A MODERN photographic
essay, this week pictured the
University jumping the hurdles of
crowded dormitories, Barry Gold-
ater, and SGC ex-officio seats.
The week, like an avant-garde
movie, concluded with the Uni-
versity- shown mid-jump. The
issues are awaiting final resolu-
tion.
In an attempt to alleviate tlhe
crowded housing situation which
has placed 460 students in tem-
porary dormitory quarters, Law-
rence Lossing, '65, president of
Inter-Fraternity Council, offered
a proposal to allow this fall's up-
perclass pledges to move into their
fraternity houses without delay.
* * *
UNFORTUNATELY, this plan,
one of the first concrete proposals
for relocating the temporarily-
housed students, involves only
men. P a n h e 1l e n i c Association
President Ann Wickins, '65, noted
that sororities, already filled to
capacity with members and trans-
fers from other schools, would be
unable to handle a similar plan
for women.
Vice-President for Student Af-
fairs James A. Lewis, although
willing to consider the plan, has
thus far made no comment on it.
Lewis is out of town for the leek-
end and is expected to return
early net wek .Hnefnllv a de-
part motion asking written ex-
planation of the $34 dorm fee
hike made this summer without
consent of the Residence Hail
Board of Governors.)
THE IHOUSING squeeze is one
facet of the general enrollment
crisis which this fall brought a
record 29.000 students to the Uni-
versity. Last spring, officials pre-
dicted a 28,600 enrollment geared
to this year's record $44 million
operating appropriation.
The literary college has been
hardest hit by this enrollment in-
crease. Literary college classes
now contain more than 9500 stu-
dents-250 more than expected.
The freshman class alone num-
bers 2,760 students.
While University officials are
concerned with explaining the sur-
plus enrollment, some literary col-
lege administrators have expressed
the belief that the enlarged class
sections will lower the general
quality of education, especially in
language recitation sections.
** * .
ONE ADMINISTRATOR com-
mented that larger sections and
a greater number of closed courses
would lower educational standards
by increasing student frustration.
The curious aspect of the situa-
tion is that no one has yet been
able to account definitely for the
enrollment bulge. But almost 500
students living under strained
conditions in dormitory laundry
rooms, libraries and lounges last
week weren't asking for explana-
tions, but for adequate housing.
The University's announced $70
reduction in dormitory fees for
newly converted doubles and trip-
les is perhaps well-intended, but
does not solve the problem.
an estimated 1000 University stu-
dents aged 18-22 monthly cash
benefits averaging $80. Eligible
students are those whose fathers
are retired,. disabled or deceased.
Passage in an election year is al-
most certain.
The social security extension
seeks to help those students who
are presently fighting the battle
of rising college costs without
available parental assistance.
* * *
TWO NDEA bills are also under
consideration. The first is a bill
appropriating loan funds at a
$800,000 ceiling per institution.
The University will receive an es-
timated $700,000 of these funds
which will expire in June, 1965..
The second NDEA bill will ex-
pand and extend the federal loan
program for three years. This ex
tended bill means more federal
money will be available to more
students at the University. The
bill awaits conference ,action.
Although the University this
week finalized its reception treat-
ment for Senator Barry Gold-
water, expected here Sept. 26,
Goldwater aids have not yet offer-
ed a definite schedule of the sern-
ator's visit..
When University President Har-
lan Hatcher squelched rumors that
Goldwater would be permitted to
cross the football field' at half-
time of the Air Force game, Mich-
igan Republican campaign chair-
man Tyrone Gillespie seemed un-
perturbed: "After all, you can't
waste a candidate's time at a foot-
ball game."M
* * *
A FINAL AREA of indecision is
the fate of The Daily editor's ex-
officio seat on Student, Govern-
ment Council. Wednesday night,
Council approved a motion to
.Because the rumor was a poten-
tially damaging one, I wish now
to take this opportunity to com-
mend Miss Dann for her impres-
sive frankness and honesty in ex-
plaining the COFO policies which
lay behind it. It is true, as Miss
Dann pointed out, that our pre-
judiced society finds danger to,
whites much more al,arming than
danger to Negroes, and hence It
is also true that danger to whites
is more likely to arouse concern
about Mississippi brutality. No one
can condemn COFO for recogniz-
ing that fact because it is a fac
which we all must recognize.
MOST IMPORTANT, I think,;is
the fact that Miss Dann was will-
ing to discussI this point publicly,
for that publicity concretely shows
that white recruits are warned of
the danger they face. In addition,
COFO takes elaborate precautions,
some of which were specifically
explained to me by Miss Dann her-
self.
Since recruits are warned, and
since precautions are taken, COFO
cannot be accused of seeking in-
jury to whites for publicity pur-
poses, even though they recognize
the functional positive effect of
martyrdom in the case of whites
rather than Negroes. If recruits
are warned fully, as they are,
then they have a free choice, and
COFO cannot be said to be "using"
them in any immoral sense.
* * *
THEREFORE, I wish to make it
known that I have been convinced
by Miss Dann on this point. So
far as I know, there is no reason
to withhold support from COFO .
and everv reasnn t offer what-
KENNETH WINTER
Managing Editor
EDWARD HERSTEIN
Editnrial Director
ANN GWIRTZMAN.............. Personnei flirector
MICHAEL SATTIN(ER .... Associate Managing Editor
JOHN KENNY,:"........... Assistant Managing Editor
DEBORAH BEATTIE ...... Associate Editorial EDirector
LOUISE LIND........Assistant jedltortal Director in
Charge of the Magazine
BILL ILLARD.).... .... .....Sports Editor
TOMROWLAND....E......Associate Sports Editor
GARY WYNER..... . .Associate Sports Editor
CHARLES TOWLE......... Contributing Sports Editor
Business Stafff
JONATHON R. WHITE, Business Manager
JAY GAMPEL ............Associate Business Manager
JUDY GOLDSTEIN........,.,......iance Manager.
BARBNARA JOHN4STON ......... .. Personnel Manager
SYDNEY PAUKER...........Advertising Manager
RUTH SCHEMNITZ ..............Systems Manager
.1NIOR MANAGERS: Bonnie Cowan, Sue Crawford,
Joyce Feinberg, Judy Fields, Judy Grohne, Sue
Sucher. Pat Termini. C Welman.
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