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Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers
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ANN ARBOR CIVIC THEATRE:
A Weak 'Cam pobello'
Creditably Performed
ALTHOUGH WORKING with a weak play, the Ann Arbor Civic
Theatre opened with a creditable production of Dore Schary's
"Sunrise at Campobello" last night at the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre.
William Taylor starring as Franklin D. Roosevelt turned in the
best performance of the evening. Lois Ouellette as Eleanor wasn't
really given a chance as the script underestimated Mrs. Roosevelt,
even an early knitting-needle Mrs. Roosevelt. The evolution of her
character from the homebody to the dynamic woman she later became
is an oversimplification. The first act is a painful repetition of
expositional material concerning FDR's political career and aids little
AY, OCTOBER 4, 1963
NIGHT EDITOR: MICHAEL SATTINGER
State of 'U' Address:
An Old Adage
['HE GENERAL tone of University Presi-
dent Harlan Hatcher's State of the
Jniversity Address is far more objection-
ble tlan any specific item he discussed
-primarily because he said very little.
He opened his address Monday by urg-
ag those who were discouraged by the
Jniversity to cheer themselves up because
if we look back to where we came from
r where we were only a decade ago, we
ould indulge in the deadly sin of pride."
'his is comparable to the optimistic lib-
ral who points to the progress the United
tates has made in its race relations by
omparing today to 1863.
President Hatcher said that "if we
aeasured our present position against
ur hopes of what is now possible to us,
re would be discouraged by what is yet
o be done and the lack of needed tools
o do it."
But; it is not because of a lack of tools
aat certain things have not been done
t the University.
N ITS relationship with the State Legis-
lature, for example, the University is
onsistently hesitant to involve itself in
olitical situations which might alienate
art of its public and jeopardize its re-
uested appropriation. The result is an
nage not of strength but of an intimi-
ated and weak institution. There are no
lans this year to lobby during the special
ession of the Legislature on fiscal re-
)rm. Yet, according to Executive Vice-
,resident Marvin L.,Niehuss, the Univer-
ty supports fiscal reform and its future
strongly dependent upon the program's
iccess.
The University has argued that it is
ait ng for the Blue Ribbon Committee
come out in support of fiscal reform
a the grounds that this would be a far
tore effective means of 'pressure than
nything the University or President
:atcher could say. The supposition is fal-
cious. There is no reason for the Vni-
ersity to rely on the Blue Ribbon Com-
tittee to do its work.
PRESIDENT HATCHER also pointed out
that the problems facing higher edu-
cation are universal. "I observe that mis-
ery loves company, it is not hard to find;
and when you need comfort you can at
least note your own, university in compar-
ison with others."
Although things were worse ten years
ago and the University shares some of
its problems with other schools, this does
not make the state of the University any
more palatable. When a university presi-
dent in all seriousness proffers an adage
as an answer to grave deficiencies in his
institution, he has misunderstood his role.
THE MOST GLARING piece of hypocrisy
in the address came when President
Hatcher said he is one "who has never
been satisfied with the posture that uni-
versities in general have assumed.. ." on
issues of social, economic, and political
significance. Said the President, univer-
sities "have been tolerant of the presen-
tation of controversial views but the uni-
versities as communities have not sys-
tematically sought their presentation."
He then said he was pleased to note the
progress of the Public Discussion Com-
mittee established by the Regents on his
recommendation.
His past actions have not measured up
to these remarks, however. Somebody
should remember the fair .housing
pickets, used as a final resort after over
a year of attempted communication with
the President on the issue. Nobbdy will
remember the President speaking out
strongly for the abolition of a speaker
ban or for allowing Student Government
Council adequate authority to use its
powers in the fraternity-sorority mem-
bership muddle.
THE ADDRESS presented the state of
the University more adequately than
President Hatcher may have realized.
-JEAN TENANDER
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ANA TBIS A.A 15 KNDoU)N A TE BREAS AST F THE UISS.R.'
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
Elkins Clarifes Panhel Move
in defining the direction of the
drama. The exposition, while im-
portant factually, is handled in
a clumsy manner. No attempt is
made to work it into the move-
ment of the play.
* * *
THE PLAY concerns Roosevelt's
personal struggle created by an
incapacitating attack of infantile
.paralysis; yet a major portion of
the first act is devoted to the
conflict between his devoted friend
Louis Howe (Bruno Koch) and
Sara Roosevelt (Marie Gilson),
his Hyde Park mother. In effect,
this portion of the first act is a
useless digression.
There were frequent, unmotivat-
ed and startlingly personal revela-
tions that inhibit the natural flow
of the play. The use of almost set
speeches makes it difficult for
the actors to carry off to any
degree an impression of reality.
The acting and the script are
better when the characters are
interacting more closely.
Koch, who also directed the
production, had the difficult task
of playing a character whose func-
tion was vaguely defined. In any
case his presence on stage was
professional.
ROOSEVELT-critics of his pol-
itics to the contrary-was a
strong, powerful figure, but the
play fails to give the feeling it is
dealing with a pivotal moment in
the life of a man who will effect
history. The constant allusions to
letters from Woodrow Wilson and
the schemings of political conven-
tions do not really add the emo-
tional weight necessary to a belief
that one is. witnessing a 1 deeply
important struggle. It could be
any man.
The supporting characters who
added a sense of richness \to the
play by virtue of their personali-
ties included Al Schrader's por-
trayal of Gov. Al Smith and
WendyStrawther as Missy (the
1920'sversion of a Mad. Ave.
Secretary).
* . * *
TAKING into consideration the
shortcomings of the play, the
Civic players carried off the pro-
duction with sufficient compe-
tence. All the actors and actresses
were at their best in the first
scene of the second act, with the
emphasis on the character and
struggle of the former President
-where it should have been.
-Malinda Berry
Richard Mercer
CAMPUS:
Feathered
Funniness
JF YOU MANAGE to last through
the two inane short subjects
which consume the first half hour
at the Campus Theatre, the fea-
ture "Sparrows Can't Sing" will
provide you with a delightfully
funny evening.
After the relentless hordes of
situation comedies, led by Rock
Genghis Hudson and Doris the
Hon, which have issued with re-
markable regularity, one almost
has begun to accept what Holly-
wood has offered as a "situation
comedy" as such. However, with
"Sparrows" the British have land-
ed an effective retalitory force.
"SPARROWS CAN'T SING" is
funny. In fact, it's very funny
and it doesn't rely on cars in
swimming pools or mechanical
bachelor dens to achieve its hu-
mor. "Sparrows" relies on people,
ordinary people whose common
everyday events are full of humor,
if one only looks for it.
Thus the characters are not the
usual eccentric fare which force-
feed laughs in most British films.
Charlie (James Booth) is the
rough and ready sailor returned
from two years' duty only to find
his house torn down and his wife
missing. As Maggie, the erring
dumb+ blonde wife, Barbara Wind-
sor is magnificent.
But it is the common folk, like
Jack the birdman, who give
"Sparrows" its success. Most of
the effective and wildly funny
lines are theirs and so casually
spoken that one can almost miss
them.
Example: Jack finishes relating
a long joke to a pub-mate only to
be reminded that that's who first
told it to him. Looking up a min-
ute or two he replies, "Good one,
isn't it."
* * *
"SPARROWS CAN'T SING" is
proof enough that movies can
still be funny without being absurd
or unreal. That humor doesn't
"always have to be found in exag-
geration or parody. "Sparrows" is
both comic and believable. It is
also one of the most entertaining
and successful comedies to hit
Ann Arbor in a long, long time.
-Hugh Holland
:i
THE LIAISON:
9- i 9-=Q .
A, New Roles for SGC?
Philip Sutin, National Concerns Editor
STUDENT Government Council is a mis-
nomer. Only in a very limited sense of
the word is SGC a government. Rather,
it is at best a lobbying organization and
student spokesman. Unfortunately, SGC
is conceived of as government and can-'
didates running for the Council cam-
paign as if it were. This divergence be-
tween attitude and reality results in
nothing but disappointment.
If SGC were a" government in fact as
well as in name, the Council should im-
mediately be abolished as a farce, a waste
of students' time and a fraud. But SGC is
not, so the constituency is stuck with the
Council's pretensions.
A TRUE GOVERNMENT has power over
its constituents, limited only by .in-
ternal checks. Further, a government in
a democratic society is elected by and
responsive to its citizenry.
Thus, if SGC were a true student gov-
ernment, it would have full power over
not only student organizations, which it
has partial power. over today, but also
over all facets of the students' non-
academic life. The policies and rules gov-
erning student life in the classroom
should rightfully remain in faculty
hands, for students have come to the
University to learn with and from them.
SGC has no such power over the non-
academic life of students. Basically, the
Regents retain this power as much as it
does over the academic life of the Uni-
versity.,
IN PRACTICE it is the vice-president for
student affairs and his office that reg-
ulates non-academic life at the Univer-
sity. The OSA determines student rules
and regulations although this power is
often diffused to pliable OSA-sponsored
committees. No SGC resolution in itself
can change any rule.
This is SOC's most important lack of"
power, but there are others. Council's'
ability to regulate student organizations
is also limited by OSA policy. Vice-
President for Studept Affairs James A.
Lewis' veto of the Sigma Kappa expulsion
four years ago proved that. Further, the
OSA subtly pressures Council to bend to-
wards its dictates. SOC's reversal, after
informal OSA disapproval, of its vote on
the three-man membership tribunal and
the blackball is a clear example of such
pressure.
Lastly, the vice-president for student
affairs has a final veto over SOC's ac-
tions This is not an internal check. like
cil has important functions and programs
that no one else can do.
SGC Administrative Vice-President
Thomas Smithson aptly described SGC'sj
role as a "hand-in" function. SGC pro-
vides a mechanism through which the
student voice can at least be heard and
students can lobby for change. Most ex-
pressive of this role is the establishment
of two-man student committees, parallel
to the committees of the Senate Ad-
visory Committee on University Affairs.
While these students cannot vote on the
SACUA committees, they can, with per-
mission of the committees involved, par-
ticipate in the discussion and present
the student viewpoint. Students who are
often vitally affected by committee deci-
signs have a mechanism to explain how,
they would be affected and to lobby for
favorable decisions. While student action
cannot shape decisions, it can favorably
modify them.
However, how can student representa-
tives, be appointed without some all-
campus agency? Student Government
Council serves this function. Being large-
ly elected by the campus and augmented
by the heads of major campus-wide or-
ganizations, SGC is the most representa-
tive student group available. It can dele-
gate members to participate in the paral-
lel committees, for example, and give
them the authority of student represen-
tatives.
THE COUNCIL as a whole can lobby for
change. It can mobilize campus opin-
ion for liberalization of student rules
and regulations if it wishes. Or it can
attempt to stem the trend of depersonal-
ization of their education. A third major
area involves lobbying for better public
and legislative support for higher edu-
cation.
These are important functions no one
else can adequately perform. But if they
are to be handled well; Council members
will have to act with imagination and
vigor. They will have to shake off illusions
of direct' power, but not despair at its
absence. SOC will have to create a new
self-image and adopt the tactics to ef-
fectively implement its lobbying role.
SGC IS at an important juncture. With
the adoption of membership selection
regulations and enforcement procedures,
the bias issue will fade out of the fore-
front and Council will no longer be pre-
occupied with it. Further, old Council
To the Editor:
THIS IS A clarification of the
action to delete Panhellenic
Association's name from the Pan-
hellenic Association-Interfrater-
nity Council membership commit-
tee as proposed by Sherry Miller.
It is not that we are not work-
ing in the membership area. Pan-
hel has been working informally
ever since this question was
brought up several years ago; by:
-keeping all sorority women in-
formed through the house presi-
dents, mailings, interpretations;
-aiding in any way with in-
formation and interpretations for
national organizations;
-working with individual chap-
ters on an informal basis, educat-
ing them as to the problems and
suggesting solutions.
IN THE ORIGINAL Panhel-IFC
motion, Panhel acts as an in-
tegral part of the Student Gov-
ernment Council membership plan
and, thus, directly for the Univer-
sity. Under the accepted Miller
proposal, Panhel could work only
in conjunction with the SGC
membership committee. -This
means that possibly two commit-
tees could investigate (etc.) the
same situation at the same time.
By encouraging an uncomplicated
structure-where only one group,
SGC, has original jurisdiction-
we hope the problems encountered
will be resolved in the most ex-
pedient and effective manner.
We feel that we are using the
best methods possible to educate
the national organizations- as to
the thinking on our campus in
order to promote a harmonious
arrangement between them and
SGC.
For these reasons, we believe
SOC capable of working most ef-
fectively by itself.
-Patricia Elkins, '64,
President, Panhellenic
-The Panhellenic
Executive Council
-The Twenty-four House
Presidents
A Statement * * *
To the Editor:
BECAUSE we believe that the
student leaders have not fulfilled
their responsibilities in bringing
the major issues to the campus,
and because we believe it urgent
that this be done, VOICE is issu-
ing the following statement:
"For the second time VOICE
has decided not to place its full
support behind any of the can-
didates for Student Government
Council, In addition, VOICE has
simply expressed an endorsement
of two of the candidates, Howard
Schecter and Torn Smithson, as
the two who are most in agree-
ment with VOICE's beliefs, and
who VOICE feels can make the
best contribution to SGC among
the candidates available.
The reasons for this change in
VOICE's policy must be made
clear. First of all, in no way has
VOICE "given up"' on SGC. In
our platform we have clearly
stated our fundamental belief in
the right of students to govern
their own conduct, and in the
principle that the important deci-
MORE POSITIVELY, VOICE's
decision to lessen its participation
in the SGC elections is'borne of
a profound dissatisfaction with
the campaign as a whole and a
sense of frustration concerning
the effectiveness of SGC as the
body through which meaningful
change can be brought about.
The campaign appears to be
dealing in trivia. The candidates
are not dealing with any of the
truly important and fundamental
issues involved in transforming a
student government from a week-
ly discussion group dealing with
minutiae into an institution with
autonomous and meaningful de-
cision-making power. The feeling
of frustration has been borne of
several years of watching SGC
constantly being cowed and trick-
ed by the Office of Student Af-
fairs which has refused to yield
any of its real power to the stu-
dent body.
In addition, we have watched
SGC sink deeper and deeper into
the morass of trivial bickering
and throughout this time refuse
to pass the few really substantive
motions that VOICE members of
Council have proposed. To those
who ask why more members of
VOICE do not themselves enter
SGC competition, we answer that
all of the above has for the time
being convinced us that we can
work for the kind of change we
seek more effectively and more
satisfyingly through other chan-
nels.
THIS PROTEST MOVE on
VOICE's part was not planned; it
was rather the result of a quite
spontaneous consensus among
VOICE members that new policy
was necessary. In the long run,
we are hoping to strengthen, not
weaken SGC, and still look to
the day when students become
ready and willing to take over the
rights and responsibilities which
are theirs.
In the meantime, we do urge all
who read this to vote for Howard
Schecter and Tom Smithson as a
mandate to SGC that the ideas
which, VOICE stands for are still
alive."
* * *
FINALLY, VOICE will do all it
can, through meaningful dialogue
and effective programming, to
bring to the campus the vital is-
sues of our' day, as part of our
organizational goals and in the
hope that the other student lead-
ers will be inspired to fulfill their
responsibilities to the student
body..
Members of VOICE
Executive Committee:
-Nanci Hollander, '65
-Carol McEldowney, '64
-Bob Martin, Grad
-Barbara Steinberg, '65
-Barry Bluestone, '66
-Dick Shortt, '66
-Stan Nadel, '66
Rhines .
To the Editor:
JN MY MIND, one of the better
of Student Government Coun-
cil has been Fred Rhines. As an
officer and Council member, he
has been a very responsible and
mature asset to this body. He has
However, through the encourage-
ment of myself and other friends,
he has consented to run as a
write-in candidate, realizing that
Council needs at this juncture
both experience and responsible
leadership. His work as an officer
of SGC has given him much ex-
perience along with his knowledge
of student government and stu-
dent problems.
In my opinion, Fred Rhines
should definitely be re-elected to,
SGC.
-Edwin F. Sasaki, Grad
Executive Vice-President
of Student Government
Council
The following people agree with
me that Fred Rhines should run
for re-election to SGC:
-Don Filip, '60
-Raymond L. Rusnak, '64
-Bart S. Foreman, '65
-Sharon Hewitt, Grad
-Thomas Brown, '66L
SIDELINE ON SGC:
ofThe Aura of Councilness
By LAURENCE KIRSHBAUM
STUDENT Government Council
h deactivated from the fra-
ternity system.
In its wordy but meticulous pas-
sage of a membership selection
practices motion which applies
particularly to fraternities and
sororities, Council has repeatedly
kept authority in its own hands
and away from the Greek or-
ganizations.
Nowhere was this newly ac-
quired tenor of Councilness or
anti-Greekness more evident than
at Wednesday's meeting in the
final actions before Council unan-
umously passed the motion. Inter-
fraternity Council President Clif-
ford Taylor and Panhellenic As-
sociation President Patricia Elkins
were vehemently defeated in their
last-ditch efforts to give their
organizations more authority over
the implementation of the mem-
bership selection motion.
* * *
MISS ELKINS tried to 'add a
sentence to the motion which
would have kept all information,
including the name of organiza-
tions accused of guilt, from. being
publicly released until guilt had
been established and final ap-
peals decided. The motion does
provide for keeping confidential
all information released to the
membership committee. However,
all groups accused of guilt by the
committee are to be publicly
charged.
Miss Elkins' bid for the total
confidentiality was supported also
by Taylor. They argued in vain
that fraternities and sororities
accused of guilt would be pre-
supposed to be guilty long before/
their trial by the student body.
Council, while conceding the va-
lidity of this point, noted the
primary need for public inclusion
as much as was legally possible
into findings of the membership
committee.
Council then backed its argu-
ments with a resounding 11-2 vote
against the Elkins proposal.
Miller's opinion likewise receiv-
ed handy backing by a 7-3 and
11-3 revote defeat of the Taylor
proposal. Council then settled on
having the SGC executive com-
mittee alone select all three mem-
bers.
TAYLOR DID WIN some con-
cessions for his IFC membership
committee. In passing three
amendments pertaining to the
committee's privileges, Council
gave the committee access rights
to all information concerning fra-
ternities which is filed with the
SGC membership committee.
But in giving this authority,
Council once again emphasized
that the IFC committee would
not be included within the SGC
structure so as to free the SGC
membership committee to meet its
responsibilities in this area.
They were perhaps referring to
last week's meeting when Council
had defeated a Taylor-Elkins
amendment to give the IFC-
Panhel committee "original juris-
diction" in the investigations and
punishment of fraternity and
sorority groups. Here Council had
reserved the jurisdiction for itself,
making provisions for IFC if it
wished to co-operate in the anti-
discrimination effort outside the
SGC structure.
* * *
IN A FINAL ironic twist epito-
mizing the new aura of Council-
ness, Taylor's third ,amendment
(passed unanimously) gave Coun-
cil the authority to ratify IFC
members serving on the IFC com-
mittee. As Taylor put it, "this is
a direct grant of power to SGC
from IFC."
Which was quite a switch.
A few moments later, Council-
ness, in passing the entire mem-
bership motion, made the fifth
and biggest unanimous decision of
the night.
"Observe Closely, Mi Amigo -m--"
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