Sewnty-Third Year
EDITED AND MANAGEr -BT STDEs or- ThE UNrvE~srry Or MxCmAN
UNDER AUtIOTrH Y OF BOARD M COWrMOL OF STUDENT PUWJCATOlW'
Mere opinionsArePf STUDENT PUBucATroNS BLDG., ANN AROk, MiCH., Pmiom No 2-3241
Truth Will Prevaill
ditorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers
or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints.
ESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1963 NIGHT EDITOR: LOUISE LIND
NATIONAL STUDENT CONGRESS:
Session 'Moderate
but Not 'Rational'
Clique of Campus Leaders
Cause Student Apathy
'1AMPUS LEADERS are more interested
in maintaining themselves as a ruling
ique than leading the student body.
hey assume the role of guardian and
lake all decisions in the students' name.
his clique has chosen to hide the intri-
acies of the University rather than ex-
lain them.
When the majority of the students has,
o opportunity to examine the facts as
ie leaders do-and when the leaders do
ot present these facts to the student-
is no wonder that the students are
nable' to form opinions and act decisive-
. Because the leaders have designated no
>le to the students, they have in effect
ade them apathetic.
TUDENT GOVERNMENT Council can-
didates do campaign at the quadran-
es, dormitories, fraternities and sorori-
es. But the elected SGC members, the
3mpus representatives, do not return to
3eak to the student body, to keep it in-
>rmed.
Once at the top of the power structure,
ie leaders are so busy politicing that
Zey no longer have the time or the ini-
ative to find out the views of their con-
ituents; it is much easier to label them
apathetic. When SGC candidates cam-
aign at student dvellings, no one shows
ny interest or enthusiasm. This is prob-
bly because after a day of classes, listen-'
g to speeches at the evening meal is a.
de interruption. Mealtime is not the
our and dining rooms are not the place to
nnounce platforms. It would be more
eneficial to the aspirants and the stu-
ents if informal gatlerings at the living
darters could be used more frequently.
1AMPUS LEADERS have assumed that it
is the responsibility of the student
dy to keep informed. The Michigan
aily provides good coverage of campus
rents which are important to the major-
y of t1ge student body. But what the
ader finds out is as unsatisfactory and
complete as the. city newspapers' cover-
ge or a political science textbook on the
merican governmental processes. It is
npossible to know, how a country is run
y reading its constitution and it is just
s impossible to have an intelligent un-
erstanding of the University by news-,
aper coverage alone. Besides, this is one-
ay communication; the student body
ill is not heard.
The same students who once sat in Hill
ud. and raised their hands in response
President Hatcher's queries as to how
any were student leaders and valedic-
rians, are now labeled as apathetic. Is
possible that college pressures have
changed the majority of these former
high school leaders into non-caring, in-
effectual students concerned only with
academic achievement? These students
have not been changed; they have just
been pushed out by over-zealous leaders
who have gotten their hands on the reins
of power and intend to keep them there.
LEADERSHIP of this campus .is seen as
the privilege and duty of the heads of
the major student organizations: The
Daily, Interfraternity Council, Panhel-;
lenic Association, the Union, the League
and SGC. The. idea that only these people
are competent enough to get anything of
any significance done is insured by the
leaders themselves.
The student body has accepted this
idea that leadership is a gift bestowed
only on certain individuals. But leader-
ship is not ascribed. Even accepting the
fact that certain' qualities are necessary
in a leader, it is still necessary to keep
the students informed and to choose
leaders from them and develop the po-
tentialities of future leaders.
Voice, to mention just one activity, is
at a serious crossroad in its existence. It
had strong, capable leaders in the past
but they failed to perpetuate themselves
because they did not train enough future
leaders. Things must get done through
other people; authority and responsibility
must be delegated. As this semester is
indicating, leaders do not exist forever.
The leaders at this university have failed
to train future leaders because they have
excluded the majority of the students
from any effective role.
GIVE STUDENTS a more inclusive
role and to discover future leaders, the
present leadership must precede on the
workable assumption that'leadership
skill is possessed by many in varying de-
grees and that many students; will prove
effective if given the necessary tools. It
is not idealistic to believe that on a cam-
pus of this academic caliber, many lead-
ers and informed students could exist.
Give the student body the chance to be
informed and they will no longer be
apathetic.
If the leaders continue to do every-
thing themselves secretly, then the situa-
tion will continue as it is with the organ-
izations crying for iembers and leaders
alike. Right now only ten students are
running for SGC seats and there are eight
vacancies. How long has it been since the
leaders of this campus spoke with stu-
dents-not only with other leaders?
-JUDY LEPOFAKY
Associate Business Manager
By MARY BETH NORTON
Daily Guest Writer
LMOST EVERYONE admits
that the 16th National Student
Congress was quite different from
preceeding ,Congresses, but dis-
agreenent is rampant when it
comes to discussing just why the
16th Congress did not fit into the
usual mold.
Liberals are apt to adhere to
the "conspiracy theory"; i.e.. that
the national officers had some
sort of clandestine meeting in
which they consciously decided to
stiffle debate and controversy.
Conservatives, on the other hand,
look at th relatively moderate
policies that came out of the
plenary sessions and knowingly
pronounce that a definite trend
has begun.
* * *
PERHAPS my attitude is al-
ready apparent; I agree with
neither of these two positions.
This congress was called "rational
and moderate" by some phrase-
maker in Bloomington. While I
agree with the "moderate" portion
of this description I am not quite
so sure I would go along with.
the term "rational." Approximate-
ly 80 per cent of the delegates had
never been to a congress before.
Since this is an exceptionally high
percentage, there is much truth in
the assertion that confusion was
the order of the day throughout
the National Student Congress.
It is practically impossible for a
person at his first congress to.
take an active role in the legisla-
tive process or in the election of
officers simply because a certain
degree of USNSA experience is
necessary before the dynamics of
the NSC can be understood.
However,/the delegates' inexper-
ience could have been overcome
if floor leadership had been strong.
While some of thehblame for triv-
ial debate can be laid to the
singular ineptness of the plenary
chairmey and to the poorly-
drafted resolutions that came out
of committee, most of it must fall
upon the liberal and conservative
leaders.
* * *
IN THE PAST liberals have
been pre-eminent at the congress
partly because of the excellence
of their spokesmen. They have
consistently provided the only ar-
ticulate, well-organized debate of
the congress. This year, however,
to put it mildly, liberal leaders
were disorganized, involved, trivial
and completely unable to sense the
tone of the congress. They adhered
to origidly to strict ideological
positions and were unwilling to
play the very essential political
roles necessary on the congress
floor.
The conservatives were no bet-
ter. One of their spokesmen be-
came the laughingstock of the
congress; another arouned much
antagonism by continual constitu-
tional challenges that obstructed
the business of the plenary; a
third consistently introduced mo-
tions that had absolutely no
chance of passage.
On the other hand, they were
more willing to compromise than
were the liberals, and this is per-
haps one of the reasons why much
of the legislation this year was
relatively moderate.
THE SPECIAL resolution on the
Washington March provides an
excellent example. Even though
the liberal floor leader admitted
that the version proposed by a
seven-man, committee appointed
by USNSA President Dennis Shaul
"went farther than any other NSA
legislation" in tying discrimina-
tion with economic deprivation,
most amendment attempts came
from the liberal side. In the final
vote on the measure (which at-
tained an 81 per cent majority)
many of the "nay" votes came
from liberals and not from the
conservatives who had in this case
seen the value of compromise.
If nothing else, the 16th con-
gress demonstrates how difficult
it is for an NSC to get much ac-
complished without capable lead-
ership outside of the national
staff.
* * *
THE 16 CONGRESS was also
notable because it did not have
a single overriding issue. Past con-
gresses may be "typed" fairly
easily by reference to the resolu-
tion that occupied most of the
delegates' time: the 15th was "nu-
clear testing"; the 14th "HUAC,"
etc. At the 16th there were several
questions which had the potential
to become this kind of major cTn-
cern, but none did.
Again, this loss of focus may
partialy be attributed to the sin-
gular lack of direction provided by
the leaders of both the left and
the right. In addition, however,
Dropout
the congress was preoccupied with
structural reforms.
Since 1959, USNSA has been
operating under a "program vice-
president" system, in which two
national officers were elected with
the specific purpose of travelling
throughout the country helping
different schools and regions with
their programming problems.
Since each man was supposed to
cover half the country, the sys-
tem was found to be unsatisfac-
tory. The outgoing national staff
therefore proposed a series of cor-
rective reforms to the National
posal and satisfied no one. As
one officer remarked to me, "If
someone asks me in twenty years,
'why did you do that?' I'll have to
say, I just don't know.'"
Under the compromise plan,
which was approved by the ple-
nary session, the regions are re-
tained; the regional chairmen
make up the Congress Steering
Committee, and the National
Supervisory Board is composed of
10 area - elected representatives,
thus dividing the functions of the
old National Executive Committee.
There are indeed four areas but
tional security and civil liberties.
Delegates became involved in triv-
ial amendment debate in several
cases simply because they would
not accept the usual NSA rhetoric
on many issues.
* * *
DOES THIS CONGRESS, then,
represent a trend? I would say no,
although of course no one can tell
for certain until after the 17th
congress at Minneapolis next
August. The 16th NS was not so
much "rational and moderate" as
it was confused and leaderless,
but the very inexperience of this
year's delegates means that there
wil be large numbers of returnees
next year.
Botheconservative and liberal
leaders recognize their failings, I
believe, and will take steps next
year to correct their mistakes.
Most important of all, perhaps, is
the fact that this year's dearth
of well-qualified candidates for
office will turn into a wealth of
them next summer, since most of
those approached about seeking
office were between their junior
and senior years and wanted to
finish their undergraduate work
before taking a year off.
USNSA, THEREFORE, is not on
the verge of a major change in
emphasis. Its basic orientation re-
mains liberal and concerned with
the "student in the total com-
munity"-not just the academic
world of the .university. If this
congress was one of transition, it
was a transition from the exuber-
ance ofo youthful zeal to the be-
ginnings of a more balanced, more
mature look at the student's role
in all sectors of American society.
Solitary
HE MAIN AREA of difference
between criticism and creation
is that the critic stands on un-
precedented territory, the poet on
unprecedented life which he imag-
inatively relates to the- past. But
the deepest difference is that cri-
ticism can be cooperative whereas
poets are prisoners condemned to
a life sentence of solitary confine-
ment.
The critic is, ideally, continually
consciousof' .past tradition, and he
applies this consciousness of the
past, viewed as an organic whole,
to individual works. Critics share
a basis of discussion and of agree-
ment with one another as a result
of their having shared a con-
sciousness of past works. For this
reason criticism can become a co-
operative undertaking, both in re-
search and in the application of
standards.
* * *
THERE CAN BE "movements"
in criticism as new emphasis is
put on selected works from the
past to fulfill contemporary needs.
All "movements," even when they
are in art, are concerned with
shifts in critical standards. There
is no such thing as a genuine
"movement" in poetry. There is
only the influence of one poet,
who can use a critical vocabulary
to promote his views, on other
poets.
... The essential fact about the
poet is that he is alone with his
experience. He relates the new to
the precedented but he does so by
instinct and intuition, not by es-
tablished rule.
If a poet writes an inage and
then attempts to judge the truth
of his own lines, he does so by
asking himself, "Is this how I real-
ly saw or experienced it?"...
-Stephen Spender in
The Saturday Review
k
4e
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
A Responsible SGC
Can Delegate Power
Behind The Side-ShOw
of Sp!f tV,
THIS TIRED CITY of frayed nerves
is looking to the new Senate hearings
nto organized crime as a welcome diver-
ion." This observation of Detroit News
Washington correspondent Tom Joyce
has more than come true but at the public
expense. These hearings, while filling the
public need for the sensational, obscure
hree important Congressional develop-,
nents.
The first, ironically enough, was point-
d out by Teamster President James R.
loffa. He warned that Atty. Gen. Robert
Kennedy was going to use the hearing to
plug for new wiretapping powers. By
.rousing public concern against "Cosa
Nostra," which may or may not be as ex-
ensive as claimed, Kennedy hopes to pass
i wiretap bill, Hoffa claimed.
So far, Kennedy has performed to Hof-
a's prediction. His speech before the Mc-
"lellan committee dealt at great length
with the lurid operations of organized
rime and emphasized that more generous
viretapping laws are needed to "give up
mportant and effective weapons against
rganized crime."
Editorial Staff
RONALD WILTON, Editor
DAVID MARCUS GERALD STORCH
Editorial Director City Editor
ARBARA LAZARUS.............Personnel Director
HILIP SUTIN............National Concerns Editor
IL EVANS....................Associate City Editor
ARJORIE BRAHMS ...Associate Editoriai Director
LORIA BOWLES................. Magasine Editor
[ALINDA BERRY .............. Contributing Editor
iAVE GOOD ............................ Sports Editor
UIKE BLOCK................Associate Sports Editor
IM BERGER .................. Associate Sports Editor
3O ZWINCK.............Contributing Sports Editor
I li11C 11Cd! lilY
NO HEED was given to the grave dangers
to civil liberties in wiretapping and
"strong procedural safeguards" are not
delineated. The Valachi hearings obscure
the choice the pubic must make between
super-efficient law enforcement and legal
telephone snooping of innocent persons
unknowingly using tapped phones.
Without the sensationalism of the Val-
achi hearings, the public would probably
choose privacy but a wave of lurid but
questionably true stories may carry these
civil liberties eroding wiretap proposals
into law.
THE CRIME HEARINGS also tend to ob-
scure the slow pace of this year's Con-
gress. Except for passing extensions of
current laws, the nuclear test ban treaty
To the Editor:
STUDENT Government Council
is not "unwilling to seek more
authority or use the authority" it.
already has. We are constantly
seeking more authority over the
governance of the students on this
campus. However, we must, with
intelligence, codify our present au-
thority with proper policies and
regulations to carry out our au-
thority.
Because of the importance of
some matters, it becomes neces-
sary to take things one at a time.
It is much more difficult to undo
shoddy, decisions than to do them
right the first time. Hence, par-
liamentary procedure is import-
ant, though at times arduous.
Thus, action of SGC seems slow.
* * *
MISS BRAHMS seems to wish to
imply ineher editorial that SGC
should get all the authority it can
and keep it all for itself, that re-
sponsibility is power. This isuan
oligarchy with absolute and un-
limited authority and power. SGC
should not be such a body.
Furthermore, to be responsible
does not mean that one must have
power. A body can be much more
responsible if it knows what to do
with its authority, whether to
keep it'or delegate it.
If autocratically retaining au-
thority and power is to be a re-
sponsible body, then everyone
must admit that the Regents of
the University as a body is ex-
tremely irresponsible, for it holds
all initial authority and power
over the goverance of the Univer-
sity : "The regents of the Univer-
sity of Michigan ... shall consti-
tute a body corporate known as
the Regents of the University of
Michigan." It has delegated much
of its authority to others in the
institution. Yet, I know that it is
a very responsible body.
* * *
MY FINAL point is that I do
not agree with Miss Brahms' con-
tention that Ronald Wilton's mo-
tion to give the judiciary powers
to SGC is the best. One of the ba-
sic concepts of American demo-
cracy is the separation of powers.
SGC is a legislative body. It should
not have judiciary powers in addi-
tion to its legislative ones, SGC
was being quite proper in setting
up an autonomous judiciary sys-
tem to adjudicate the regulations
it sets up.
We do not need an oligarchy
called SGC, which is what Wilton's
motion would have us do. What
we need is a responsible and intel-
ligent SGC that knows when and
urday -e again proved this title
by booing the victories of several
other Big Ten teams as they were
announced over the public ad-
dress system in our own stadium.
Were we proud to say that we -are
in a tough conference, and that we
are glad to see our "fellow" Big
Ten teams beat non-conference
teams? I shall say we were not.
We, in fact, booed their victories.
One in particular was Michigan
State's fine victory over North
Carolina. Were we proud that an-
other school in Michigan beat a
North Carolina school? I shall
have to say again we were not. We
booed the hardest of all during
that particular announcement.
WHAT DO other Big Ten teams
do in reversed situations? It is a
fact that when our great rival
(Michigan State) hears that we
are winning, they cheer. Notice
that I did not say boo or even act
indifferent, but that I said cheer.
And why shouldn't they cheer?
Why shouldn't we?
Someone might argue that it
is only a few people or a minority
that are committing this show of
misconduct. This I can not deter-
mine, but if it is only a few, these
few are yelling loud enough to give
the impression that they are a
majority. We do not need such an
impression. It could give this great
school of ours a bad name.
This Saturday let's hear some
cheers-some loud ones.
-James W. DeHaven, '66
Zip...
To the Editor:
MICHAEL HARRAH wrote a
long, "impressive" (?) editor-
ial denouncing zip codes and all
number phone numbers. It is a
shame that a University student
is unable to remember his own
phone number.
Is this fella against progress?
Our nation may aepend more on
IBM machines now than ever be-
fore. I see nothing wrong with it.
The United States has millions
of telephones in use and millions
of people are mailing letters. The
"numbers game" is increasing ef-
ficiency.
ONE IS NOW able to pick up
his telephone and call any place
in the country in as little time as
it takes to dial the number. How
long does it take to dial ten num-
bers?
Michael, if you can't remember
your area code-write it down. It
isn't too difficult to write 48104
Executive Committee for referral
to the congress. The officers wish-
ed to abolish the regional struc-
ture as it now exists and to es-
tablish an area organization in
its place. The 22 inefficient re-
gions would be combined into
four hopefully more effective
areas, each headed by a national
officer called an area vice-presi-
dent. In addition, certain new ex-
perts in specific fields would be
utilized by the national office in
order to develop effective pro-
grams.
The NEC, then composed of re-
gional chairmen, would be replac-
ed by an area-based National
Supervisory Board.
*' * *
IMMEDIATELY this eminently
logical plan ran into opposition
from three groups:
1) The regional chairmen who
for selfish reasons did not want.
to see their positions abolished;
2) The regional chairmen who
had fairly well-organized pro-
grams and wanted to continue
them; and1
3) The delegates who opposed
the whole idea of general pro-
grammers and desired more spec-
ialists in different fields, each of
whom would travel for a short
time during the year working only
with those schools interested in
their specific area of competence.
These opposition forces soon
coalesced around two key regions
and forced the national officers to
compromise to achieve even some
of their goals. The plan which
eventually came out of their delib-
erations adopted part of each pro-
only two area vice-presidents; and
the national office is expanding
its expert help.
* *
IT IS THE HOPE of last year's
officers that this unwieldy struc-
ture will prove unworkable within
a few years and that their original
proposal will eventually be ac-
cepted.
Thus attempts to restructure
NSA met with the same' problems
that beset those wishing $o see
particular pieces of substantive
legislation passed. Not only did a
confused atmosphere pervade the
congress, but also vested interests
of various kinds were willing and
able to oppose anything that
might infringe upon their pre-
rogatives.
In his keynote address, Dennis
Shaul called for a congress of
"renewal." What he got was not
that-he presided over a congress
of inexperience, of sloppy wording,
of inept leadership, of trivial and
poor debate.
HOWEVER, all is definitely not
lost within USNSA; for although
I have been concentrating on the
faults of the congress there were
very encouraging signs. Delegates
were less ready to accept resolu-
tions at face value; more than
ever before they desired extensive
factual background and logical,
coherent bases on which to make
their decisions.
There was some excellent floor
debate on the Washington March
resolution, the civil defense mo-
tion, and on some parts of the
Basic Policy Declaration on na-
I
"It's An Entirely Different World -Like Birminghamn
and aid to medical and
Congress and especially1
accomplished little else.
tional questions, such as
a $10 billion tax cut, are
dental schools,
the Senate has
Important na-
civil rights and
left hanging by
41
Congressmen unwilling to face these is-
sues or determined to kill action on them
by stalling.
The crime hearings give Congress the
appearance of doing something important
when it is really not. They are sensational
and easily catch the public eye, but
whether they catch any criminals is an-
other matter. The Associated Press has
reported grumbling by law enforcement
agencies that this public disclosure is
hurting their operations and only driving
organized crime underground.
THE THIRD FUNCTION of the hearings
is to hoop-la up the declining political
fortunes of Sen. John McClellan, chairman
of the investigating committee. McClellan
has done rather badly in the interminable
TFX fighter-bomber affair. The hearings
on whether Boeing or General Dynamics
should get the contract to build the plane
A
I I