v Seventy-Fifth Year EDITED AND MANAGED BYS TUDENTS OF THE UNWERSTY OF MICHIGAN UNDER AUTHORITY OF BOARD IN CONTROL OF STUDENT PUBLICATIONS "If We Stood Up To Them, They Might Be Offended" BRITISH PARALLEL: Reviving the Republican Party Wher Opinions Are r 420 MAYNARD ST., ANN ARBOR, MicH. Truth Witt 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. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1964 NIGHT EDITOR: ROBERT JOHNSTON Greeks and SGC: Time To Get Together THE ISSUE of discrimination in frater- nities and sororities has been height- ened by misunderstandings about the re- lationship between the Greek system and the University; stalled by an administra- tion which was for years unwilling to meet the issues head-on; and now buried in a confusing legalistic document which goes by the innocuous title, "Regulations on Membership Selection in Student Or- ganizations." It is unfortunate that the tension and confusion have only served to obscure the main issue: whether fraternities and sororities discriminate and how to elimi- nate it if they do. Some 15 years after the University's first ruling which denied recognition to student groups guilty of discrimination, it is clearly time for SGC and the Greek system to discard their antagonisms and legalistic relationships-and sit down to work together toward the elimination of discrimination. IT IS DIFFICULT to understand exact- ly where the relationship between the University and its fraternity system goes astray. Initially, you take a private social club, the fraternity or sorority, and insert into a higher education institution. The Uni- versity agrees to "recognize" that social club, which means it can have its own house, use University facilities for club functions, even join with other social clubs to establish formal organizations for their mutual benefit. In return, the University places one major stipulation: the club and its mem- bers are responsible for observing the University's regulations. This proves to be an acceptable ar- rangement and the Greek system becomes an integral part of the institution. BUT THIS HARMONIOUS picture is shattered by the entrance of that ex- plosive issue: membership selection. That's exactly what happened here. The University passed a regulation in 1949 which stated that no student group can be recognized if its membership selec- tion is based on racial or religious grounds. The faculty-student committee which was assigned to watchdog this pro- vision hadby 1954evolved into an all- student group, Student Government Council. By 1956 it had found a potential viola- tor, Sigma Kappa sorority. In 1958 SGC voted to "withdraw recognition" of Sigma Kappa and the docile Greek-University relationship began to explode. Suddenly, fraternity alumni were call- ing upon lawyers to explain that students didn't have the right to watchdog their houses. The administration, overturning the SGC decision and re-evaluating SGC authority generally, was now not so sure that the body could withdraw recognition. The students appealed to the Regents for support but had to wait until 1963 before it was finally ruled that SGC does have the power to recognize and withdraw rec- ognition; that in the enforcement of an- ti-discrimination rulings here it may summon any fraternity or sorority docu- ments which might help in resolving con- troversies. BUT THE PROBLEMS were just begin- ning. When SGC called for a filing of statements this year, numerous houses missed deadlines and many filed inade- quate statements. Yesterday, the chair- man of the SGC membership committee, which does the spade work in this area, went to speak to a meeting of sorority presidents. He explained that sororities will now have to submit their alumni rec- ommendation forms, those documents on which alumni members of a sorority re- cord their impressions of girls coming through rush. Critics of the alumni rec- ommendation system claim it puts pres- sure on the local groups which should be determining their membership without non-local pressures. Sorority presidents, who only recently learned of this new requirement, express- ed their disapproval. Our national orga- nizations may not approve, they chanted. Eventually, of course, the statements will be forthcoming, but no doubt follow- ing a period of extended deadlines, for- mal protests-and more hostilities from the sororities. The membership commit- tee, realizing the outcry which was sure to be raised, did not even set a deadline yet although they could be required with- in a short period of time. BUT THE POINT is that the question of discrimination has been obliterated and the campus will quickly tire of the parliamentary struggles for statements which are never made public anyway. The end to the 15-year nonsense will come only when representatives from SGC and the Greek system sit down and re- evaluate the unnecessary problems caus- ed by their antagonism toward one an- other. Both sides would have to come prepared to cooperate. SGC might agree to abandon its cumbersome membership regulations for a more simple set of rules without the threats of deadlines and investigat- ing committees and prosecuting tribunals. The fraternities and sororities, on the o.ther hand, could agree to allow all mem- bership statements to be made public. Experts here say that SGC could re- quire that they be made public right now, but if the Greek system would volunteer them a great deal of antipathy might be avoided. WITH THE DOCUMENTS in the spot- light of publicity, campus opinion would quickly and effectively condemn any group which had discriminatory pro- visions far more effectively than an SGC tribunal with its secret documents ever could. Slowly the confusing issue of discrimi- nation would become clear, unraveled by the joint efforts of the Greek and non- Greek governments. Then, the University and Greek insti- tutions could resume an untroubled rela- tionship. -LAURENCE KIRSHBAUM DOUBLE FEATURE: 'Silent Spring': Too Important To Miss At the Cinema Guild OF THE TWO movies being shown in the Architecture Auditorium this evening, neither can really be called a "short sub- ject," since both are approximate- ly the same length. The question of their relative merit, however, is far more clear-cut: one is of surpassing importance and one is an abomination. The abomination is Ben Mad- dow's "The Savage Eye." Describ- ed as "a challenging film" by the advance publicity, it seemed to be mere pretentious delirium. As the movie begins, a divorcee gets off a plane in Los Angeles while the camera exposes every pore of the faces of the hugging, kissing people who are greeting each other at the airport. THEN, out of a clear blue sky, the announcer, calling himself her "conscience," butts in and asks her all sort of impertinent ques- tions, the answers to which really aren't any of his business. The rest of the picture is torn between her own monotonous activities and the cameraman's feverish attempts to take sneaky pictures of every whore and homosexual in town. It all adds up to a sort of "Can- did Camera" without laughs; in short, a crashing bore. The important picture on this twin-bill-indeed, the reason to bother sitting through "The Sav- age Eye" at all-wasn't even a motion pictureto begin with, but rather a television show: "The Silent Spring" is a documentary, based on the late Rachel Carson's book and originally presented by "CBS Reports." WHETHER the usual crowd of snickering people who always laugh in the wrong spots at Cin- ema Guild productions realizes it or not, "The Silent Spring" is important. Although it starts out as if it were really going to end up on an undecided note, the evidence condemning the current pesticide problem is too over- whelming. Hopefully, some who see this film or who have already read Miss Carson's book will be able to influence the future in favor of generations yet unborn; it is for this reason that I cannot recommend "The Silent Spring" highly 'enough. Sit through "The Savage Eye" to see it if you have to, but see it. -Steven Haller By HAROLD WOLMAN THE REPUBLICAN Party is now seriously ill, but predictions of its imminent demise as a strong political force in this country seem quite premature. Such predictions were made for Britain's Labor Party after a shattering defeat in 1959, but a mere five years later Labor had not only survived but had re- covered sufficiently to win the next general election. In fact Labor's troubles after the 1959 election in some ways strikingly resemble the current problems of the GOP. After the election of 1959, Labor found it- self badly split between an ideo- logical left wing which staunchly expounded traditional socialism and a more pragmatic modern wing which preferred to win elec- tions. * * * THE MORE MILITANT socialist left wing was similar to the cur- rent Republican right wing in at least one important particular: the policies both groups espoused were viewed by the electorate as outmoded if not clearly irrelevent. While Barry Goldwater and his followers called for the federal government to sell TVA and for military commanders in the field to have some control over nu- clear weapons, the left wing labor- ites had advocated nationalization of industry and unilateral disarm- ament. To cries of anguish from more moderate Laborites that such a program would make it impossible for Labor to ever win an election, the militants replied that to do anything but support these pro- grams would be a desecration of the principles for which the party had traditionally stood. R. H. S. CROSSMAN, one of the less militant of the militants was moved to say, "The best way for an opposition to survive a period of unpopularity is to stand by its principles in the confidence that W hit e Heat WHEN William A. Kepnr, long- time professor of invertebrate zoology at the University of Vir- ginia was asked why his final examinations usually consisted of one "fact" question and one "es- say" question designed to explore relationships not even mentioned in class, he remarked that the only time an undergraduate' s mind works at white heat is dur- ing an examination, and that he considered it much more impor- tant to insert a concept than to extract a fact at such a time. I took several of these highly original and confidence-shatter- ing tests. You had to study facts. You never knew which of a se- mcollection he would call for in question I. THE reward for this toil was the magnificent opportunity, in question II, of seeing some of these facts from a new point of view-of considering connections between things previously kept in separate compartments in the mind. These challenging exam- inations never bored anyone. They are the only ones in seven years of college attendance that I still remember 30 years later. -Hilah Thomas in a letter to Science Magazine history will prove it right .. . The Labor Party should, therefore, re- main a revolutionary party, bid- ing its time until the electors are in a revolutionary mood." This sounds strangely similar to a comment by Montana Gov. Tim Babcock, a staunch Gold- water supporter who recently dis- missed the GOP defeat by saying, "The country simply wasn't ready for Goldwater." But, as Republican National Committee Chairman Dean Burch proclaimed, "We will not stop fighting until we bring, this government back where it belongs." * ** AT THE 1960 Labor Party Con- ference the dispute intensified as moderate Laborites devoted their energies to an unsuccessful at- tack upon Clause 4 of the Labor Party constitution which com- mitted the party to nationalization as its ultimate aim. The strategy of attacking na- tionalization, one of the symbols of the dissident left, appears to be the same one moderate Repub- licans are now employing when they call for the resignation of GOP National Committee Chair- man Dean Burch, who has be- come a symbol of the ideological right. Possibilities of success along these lines seems as dubious for the GOP as they proved to be for Labor. However, despite their inability to rid themselves of an electoral albatross in the form of Clause 4. Labor was able to sur- vive. THE REPUBLICANS should be able to do likewise, regardless of whether Mr. Burch is successfully deposed. Some accommodation will likely I LABOR'S GAITSKELL AND WILSON: Can the Republicans do as well? be arranged even if it is no more than an uneasy truce between the two wings by the 1968 elections. Parties, both in this country and in England do not die that easily. However, the real question is not whether the. Republican Party will survive, but in what condition it will survive. Can the GOP emerge as the winner in the next election in much the same way that Labor triumphed in the elec- tion following its disastrous 1959 defeat? * * * LABOR WAS able to revivify it- self primarily because it was bless- ed with leadership of an extra- ordinary calibre. Hugh Gaitskell started his party on the road to unity immedately after the dis- aster at the 1960 conference by negotiating a mutually satisfy- ing, if meaningless, compromise on the nationalization issue. The split was well on its way to being healed when Gaitskell died in early 1963. Despite predictions that the schism would reopen, the new Labor leader, Harold Wilson, prov- ed even more astute than Gait- skell in placating all factions. Wilson, whose ideological predilec- tions veer leftward, was nonethe- less able to appeal to all sections of the party as a practical poli- ticiandwhose main interest was in leading the party to victory, a feat which he has indeed accom- plished. Can the Republicans emulate Labor's success? The answer may depend on whether the GOP can unearth from among the myriads of politicians now flailing away at each other a spokesman of the caliber of Gaitskell or Wilson. And this will not be an easy task, for that caliber is very high indeed. 'THE OUTRAGE': It Might Be Appealing To Newman Fan Clubs LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Repulsive Ticket Policy: Good Thing There's TV Strengthening the Ordinance FIRST WARD City Councilwoman Eu- nice Burns, Democrat, recently pro- posed several amendments to Ann Arbor's Fair Housing Ordinance which were re- ferred to the city's Human Relations Commission for study. All the amendments are designed to strengthen the ordinance. One would extend its coverage to all buildings con- taining more than two housing units (the present law covers buildings with five or more units). Another would prohibit dis- criminatory practices by realtors such as the notorious practice of "blockbusting"- spreading rumors that property values in a neighborhood are about to drop be- cause Negroes are moving into the area. This amendment also would outlaw "re- fusing to sell, exhibit, lease or otherwise denying to or withholding from any per- son any real property." Another amendment would prohibit retaliation and discriminatory practices against persons who support the ordi- nance and its amendments-this would which was passed 14 months ago and has been in effect for 11 months, has had minimal impact on Negro families and provided no coverage for 75 per cent of Ann Arbor. She originally voted against the Fair Housing Ordinance on the grounds that it was far too weak and incomplete in its coverage. She also stated at the time that if such a weak ordinance were passed it. would hamstring any future efforts to pass a stronger ordinance or to strength- en the weak one. It appears that the amendments she has proposed will be a test of this hypoth- esis. Mrs. Burns, aware that there are five Democrats on the Council and that six votes are necessary for passage of these amendments, is pessimistic about the chances for any strengthening of the ordinance at present. IT IS STIPULATED in the ordinance that the HRC must review the ordi- nance at least once a year, and as yet it hasn't done so this year. It is expected At the State Theatre THE MOST outrageous thing about "The Outrage" is that it has been released for public viewing. A movie as poor as this one should only be shown to Paul Newman fan clubs and young directors learning what not to do. This could have been an ex- cellent movie. This was proven in the fine film "Rashomon" "The Outrage" takes the same plot and sets it in post-Civil War Arizona. However, director Martin Ritt has removed not only the Japanese, but the artistic and universal value of "Rashomon" and replac- ed it with only a stilted western. The blame must fall on the direc- tor. The story is still that of a ban- dit (Paul Newman) stopping a young couple. He rapes the wife and then murders the husband. Or does he? Each of the people in- volvel gives a different version of what happened. HOWEVER, each of the fanta- sies no longer depicts characters of heroic goodness and badness; they are just entertaining stories and reality has become a comedy, not an exposure of man's pettiness. Under other directors most of the cast of this movie have turned in good performances. Now the only worthwhile performance is that of Paul Newman. The others are at best fair-such as that of Clair Bloom as the wife, or bad- such as Edward G. Robinson and Howard da Silva. Robinson acts like a ham in an amateur produc- tion, while da Silva's performance is so wooden and labored that it is almost laughable. Laurence Harvey, it must be admitted, is not too bad, but then, he is tied to a tree and gagged during most of the film. The camera work is better than the acting is. Its major fault is that at times it goes in for too much "artistry" as in the drown- t 4 involved in the movie really be- lieves this. The actors are in- terested only in being in front of a camera, the cameraman only wants to get "artistic" shots, and even the screenplay writer must make the plot turn on mechanical contrivences to make it "come out right." -Martha Eldridge To the Editor: WHATEVER HAPPENED to the students' illustrious represen- tative on Fritz Crisler's autocratic athletic committee (I do remem- ber a "Tom Weinberg" who so vehemently campaigned for his position on a platform of really speaking for the student body)? I I am a bitter person-bitter be- cause of the methods of those who formulate certain policies. It hurt when Mr. Crisler's group informed us during second-semester finals ('62) that football ticket prices were raised from $1 to $12. It hurt when Mr. Crisler's group in- formed us during second-semester finals ('63) that to see a basket- balJ game would cost a bit more than a cold wait in line. - And it really hurts that Mr. Crisler's group did not inform us that those "available" (Mr. Wein- berg's term) season tickets (at about $2.50 per game) were to eliminate completely the entire easter bleacher section of smoke- filled Yost Fieldhouse. It was never explained that these extra tickets did not simply fill the usually reserved balcony section. So, the fight for seats will grow more intense. THE POLICY of charging "all the traffic will bear" because we have a top team as instituted by the' athletic policymakers repels me. At least for this student, a policy of being tossed around has lessened my enjoyment of Michi- gan sports; and I refuse to pay for a fieldhouse. I shall never see. Since television and radio are not so bad, there will be at least a few more inches of hard bench to fight over, for those who are willing. -Charles E. Kent, '65 i Only Sev)en ao To the Editor: WE WOULD LIKE to express our appreciation to the editorial staff of Tlie Daily for informing us that our flight from Chicago O'Hare to Los Angeles was can- celled. Although the inconvenience is unexpected, we are resigned to it because our main desire is to be in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl. It 1