Se-iedy-Third Yar EDriED AND MANAGED 'z STUDENTS OF THE UrmvRsrrr OF MICmAN UND.E1L AUTHORMY OF BOARD IN CONTROL OF STUDENT PUBuCATION! Where Opinion Are Free' STUDENT PUBLICATIONs BLDG., ANN ARBOR, MICH., PHONE No 2-3241 Truth Wil Prevail" * .. " + .,{ E F Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints. Q 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 if A 4.'.. " ' ... C tel'.S h-{''We.S 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--" '''; Li 2 r 9 ' s, r a __ I I