Seventy-Third Year EDrrD AND MANAGED i TSTUDENTs OF THE UNiVERSrY OF MICHmGAN _ UNDER AUTHORiMY OF BOARD IN CONTROL OF STUDENT PUBLICATION ee OpinAons xe STUDENT PUSLCATIONS BLDG., ANN ARBOR, MIcIH., PHONE NO 2-3241 [ruth VMInPrevail" torials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of staff writers or the editors. This must be noted in all reprints. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Bias Problem a Basic Moral Question Y, OCTOBER 10, 1963 NIGHT EDITOR: JEAN TENANDER SGC: A Useless Facade That Should Be Abolished r'UDENT Government Council should be abolished. It is a grave hinderance effective student participation in the airs of the University. It covers up .at would otherwise be failings of the ministration. It hinders the work of mpus political groups and active in- iduals who waste their efforts on a, rthless cause. In short, it serves no eful purpose but does serve some that detrimental. ['he problem of SGC is not with its ucture. Most students on campus are aservative as is shown by the continual ference for Republican candidates in ck elections. This means that any rep- entative campus body is probably going be conservative. CONSERVATIVE SGC is most likely much better than a liberal one any- y. A liberal Council would pass all ids of resolutions, motions, expressions student opinion and so forth. A con- rvative Coucil would do very little, :ept when faced with outside pressure, in the case of membership selection tctices. :t is not facetious to say that the latter the better alternative. The reasons ige from minor ones-a. liberal Council uld not accurately reflect the views of iversity students-sto far more major es. LIBERAL COUNCIL would give some appearance of effectiveness. The pre- ise that there is real student govern- nt at the University mhight be believed. e consequences of this would be most rmful. :t is difficult now to estimate how much nage is caused by the illusion of stu- nt government at the University. Con- er the time and energy wasted by ice and liberal individuals trying to ke SGC pursue a liberal course. It ;ears that this year these people are ally beginning to see the light, but would be much worse if they came to nk they really could be effective. HEN, TOO, there is the personal dis- illusionment and humiliation that nes from knowing that Council and .dents in general are the victims of a :eption perpetrated by the administra- n. :t knows that it .is able to slow down orm by pushing such matters into the ads of SGC,. as has been done with crimination in the last year or two. It :ws that by having a Student Govern- nt Council it can be thought to be )gressive in this field. And it knows t by having an SGC students will mis- ect their efforts at reform, hence pre- iting reform from being made. EIAT SGC actually has a potential to become something is, most unlikely. e overwhelming probability that it will riain a conservatively-dominated body vents it from even trying. But the r-present veto power of the vice- sident for student affairs would pre- it even a liberal Council from doing ything other than raising a racket. Zven this racket would be of little ue, however. Probably the worst pos- sible consequence of making a lot of noise would be that SGC might be grant- ed a" bit more authority. Frequent exercise of the veto power could not long be tolerated. Student protests and{outside pressure upon the administration would, before too long, either force the vice- president to stop vetoing SGC actions, thus giving Council more power, or to weaken substantially or abolish SGC al- together. BUT THE CONSEQUENCES of a real student government on this campus are even worse than having a token one. The fact must be faced that students in similar political situations have proved themselves to be totally incompetent. Visit an SGC meeting, witness an SGC election, observe the handling by SGC of the discrimination issue, note that half the members of the SGC Committee on University Affairs--the committee whose members are hopefully to sit on faculty committees-did not show up at its first meeting, note the insane dress regula- tions passed by quadrangle councils that are often far stricter than the adminis- tration demands. What more proof is needed? There are two potential courses that SGC may follow in the future. The first is a gradual decay that will leave SGC an empty gesture-the path it is now follow- ing. The second, far less probable, is that SGC may somehow, someday be given an opportunity to misuse power. SOME MIGHT SEE hope in a student- faculty government. Being realistic, however, it must be kept in mind that students are already failing in their end of the bargain (9 out of 18 at the first meeting), and the true student-faculty government is not at all what is now being worked for. The most that is de- sired now, the -most that is probably desirable at all, is that students have a means through which to communicate their opinions to the faculty. It is not suggested that students run the academic. portion of the University or that the faculty join in running the non-academic portion. To this end, there is no necessity that a Student Goverment Council exist. Other ways can be found for students to sit in on University Senate committee meet- ings. To have the meetings open to Daily coverage would keep students informed of faculty thinking, and communication in the, other directions would be easily realized. Daily editorials, letters to the editor and direct conversation with mem- bers of the faculty are only three of the most obvious means this could be accom- plished. 0 REPEAT, Student Government Council is a grave hinderance to ef- fective student participation in the Uni- versity. It covers up what would other- wise be failings of the administration. It hinders the work of campus political groups and active individuals who waste their efforts on a worthless cause. This semester's SGC will only substantiate that student government on this campus should be abolished. -EDWARD HERSTEIN To the Editor: ON MAY 17, 1963, the Regents reaffirmed and outlined Stu- dent Government Council's au- thority to deal with the area of membership selection in student organizations. Today, SGC has more than the authority to work in this area; it has the responsibility to move with all deliberate speed to assure that no individual is discriminated against on the basis of race, reli- gion, color, creed, national origin or ancestry. The problem of membership selection and bias should not be- come a political question. It is a question which should transcend political lines and which should be met by the sincere efforts of both individuals and groups work- ing together to solve it. THIS IS NOT a question of Greek vs. anti-Greek or conser- vative vs. liberal. It is one of basic moral and cultural rights- one in which each of us should feel an equal share. To say that SGC is acting in a vindictive manner toward frater- nities and sororities is false. To the best of our knowledge SGC has conscientiously attempted over the past year to solve this prob- lem in the fairest and most ex- pedient way. Refusal to grant original juris- diction to IFC and/or Panhel in this area is both a jurisdictional and a purely practical matter. For several years now, the SGC mem- bership committee has worked in "good faith" with the fraternities and sororities on this campus helping them to solve their prob- lems. To bypass and nullify the work of this committee by grant- ing original jurisdiction to another group would cause a great in- formational lag and would be an abdication of responsibility by SGC. This is a campus-wide con- cern and should be handled by the campus-wide body. There are also some obvious legal problems in such a transfer of authority. We are willing and eager to work with and aid any groups established by IFC and Panhel on their problems. We hope to be of as much assistance to them as past membership committees have been to individual groups. * * * FINALLY, we would like to re- iterate the point that we do not feel that we are acting in a way which is detrimental to the future interests of the fraternity and sorority systems. We are all throughly familiar with the prin- ciples and ideals of the Greek system. But we are firmly convinced that these principles and ideals can grow and prosper only in an atmosphere of fairness where the final selection of members is based upon their personal qualities as seen by the active members of the local group. Student Government Council Committee On Membership in Student Organizations -Willam Burns, '65 chairman --Robert Abramson, '64 -Jean Boehlke, '64 -Scott Crooks, '65 --Wallis Wilde, '64 Sasaki.. .. To the Editor: THE FACT that Negroes are not the only minority group dis- criminated against is irrelevant when it comes to civil rights. Civil rights pertain to individuals, not to groups. I am a Negro, but I do not claim to speak for my race- only for myself. I wish to have my right to be an individual recog- nized. I claim this right even if there are a thousand other groups whose members are in positions similar to that which the Negro holds. What I expect from my fellow Americans is that my attempts to enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness be not unduly disad- vantaged. As an American I ex- pect more from my government than that it see that my efforts to free myself are not hampered; I expect that it will allow me to develop in myself those qualities which distinguish me from the lower animals; every American has these rights. What I want is the benefits of real democracy, a situation not yet achieved in the United States. THE PROBLEM, as I see it, is now only racial discrimination. White does not make right; the life of the white Anglo-Saxon Protestant is not my idea of hea- ven; it holds no promise of real happiness for me. I do not desire merely to be no less disadvantaged than middle-class white Ameri- cans (some of whom may recog- nize that there are aspects of their own lives controlled by undemo- cratic concepts). I desire democ- racy. I do not reject Negroes or whites or anybody; I do reject the at- tempts to decide for me what will make for my happiness, and I re- ject the attempts to force me to decide what will make my broth- ers happy-that is, to display to them the same attitudes which you,, Edwin Sasaki, display to them and which white Americans j ncepdis~lvedovoi~ Aln.i sa.f righteously or humbly assuming the "white man's burden," the validity of which I question and which, in any case, the white man has not carried well. -Joyce V. Stephens, '65 More Saaki ... To the Editor: IN READING the letter of Edwin Sasaki in Tuesday's Daily, I could only register shock and dis- may at some of his thoughts. Why does Mr. Sasaki feel that the Ne- groes have to prove themselves, in order to deserve their rights as Americans? Is he, perhaps, re- ferring to some unknown clause in the United States Constitution, which makes the Bill of Rights, etc. invalid to all minorities until they've proven themselves? Our government guarantees, as it must, the civil liberties of a George Lincoln Rockwell, or a William Foster; does Mr. Sasaki want us to believe that either of these men has shown himself "more loyal to the principle of democracy" than a Ralph Bunche, or a Roy Wilkins, or most of the millions of Negroes? The answers to both these questions is the same-I doubt it. The last point he makes is al- most ludicrous. For over one hun- dred years the Negroes have been "good Christians." They've taken everything that was thrown at them by other people, who also called themselves "good Chris- tians." Are the Negroes supposed to remain oppressed and inactive forever? There comes a time, Mr. Sasaki, when people have to stop being "good Christians," and start trying to gain their rights as good Americans. That time is now. -Mark Simons, '67 Sasaki Again.. . To the Editor: MR. SASAKI points out that many minorities exist in this country, and that they are all, more or less, discriminated against. Since, he continues, the Negro is the one about whom we hear the most, the Negro must somehow be different from the others. Rather than reaching the obvious (and true) conclusion that this is because no other minority in this country has ever experienced anything approaching the degree of persecution and dis- crimination to which the Negro has been subjected, he concludes that this is because the Negro leadership is using "less than moral tactics." And that the road to Negro equality lies in the de- velopment, by American Negroes, of a morality superior to that of their bigoted opponents. In the first place, I would like to point out the fallacy of sup- posing that it is somehow incum- bent upon the Negro to be morally superior to the majority of the population. The Negroes need only be American citizens - indeed, they need only be resident in the United States-to deserve full and equal treatment, publicly and pri- vately. Negroes are humans; not super - humans, not sub-humans. Their treatment as such, by every- one, is a right, not a privilege. ** * IN THE second place, I would like to mention Mr. Sasaki's total disregard of the question of en- vironment. The, fact is, that by usual standards, the "average" morality of the Negro is lower than that of the white. The Negro crime rate, for example, is higher than that of the whites. But to imply that the Negro need only try harder, and he can be "better" than the rest of us, totally ig- nores the fact that has been molded by a lifetime of insults, by a century of illiteracy, by the fact of non-opportunity, by the inescapable despair which we all feel in the face of insurmount- able odds. If he drinks, and swears, and deserts his wife and children, it is only because he must, somehow, escape from a world which has given him no legitimate place. And if he throws bricks, and cries war, it is because there is no escape valve. We-you and I-have refused to provide one for him. IN MY OPINION, it is not the place of the more favored races- and when it comes to the Negroes, you too, Mr. Sasaki, are more favored-to decry the Negroes' tactics. It is rather our place to realize that we, directly or indi- rectly, have aided and abetted the racists and bigots of America, and that we must now do every- thing within our power to seevthat the American Negro gets a fair deal. Andany tactic which will hasten the coming of the day when the American Negro can be called an American citizen, is legitimate, moral, and praise- worthy. Any tactic, whether that of the NAACP or the Direct Ac- tion Committee, which furthers this end, is deserving of our sup- port. In conclusion, I would like only to say that as a Jew, I too belong to a minority which has beefn persecuted. Most often by people who discuss such things as "the Christian religion, which all Amer- cans are supposed to supportm..." And it hurts most when it comes to be without water or power. Very likely the worst is yet to come as disease and famine spread in the wake of the great storm. Although the United States has expressed strong disapproval of President Francois Duvalier's ter- rorist regime which has ruled the small poverty stricken Carribean nation since October 1957, the United States is rushing emer- gency relief supplies in a human- itarian rescue operation. The United States government is to be praised for responding to the desperate need of the Haitian people and for its resolve that people who face death, disease and destruction shall not be forgotten even if their government is the antithesis of the democracy we wish for all men. *. * * THE SAME STORM has now moved on to Cuba and has bat- tered that country for more than two days. Crop damage is report- ed very heavy and although Cuba's form of government is radically different from that of Haiti and no doubt even more odious to the United, States government, the misery of the sick and dying is strangely similar. Already there are reports that the Cuban government is calling for emergency medical supplies such as typhoid vaccine. Our government has in the past expressed its sympathy for the plight of the Cuban people al- though the economic blockade is not lifting the nutritional level of those for whom we cry. It seems that in this emergency the United States has an opportunity to show that it can overlook its distaste of the regime which rules Cuba to stretch a hand to those in need as it has done in Haiti. PERHAPS the Cuban govern- ment's pride would not permit it to accept aid from its worst enemy. In this event the United States should channel what aid we can give through international agen- cies such as the United Nations or the International Red Cross. This is a rare opportunity for the United States to show that our so-called "humanitarian" pro- grams are not basically politically motivated. I hope that those who agree with the proposal offered here will communicate their thoughts to those who have the authority to act in this emer- gency. -David C. Aroner, '64 Emotionalism . . To the Editor: j WAS DISMAYED and quite concerned with the distortion, emotionalism and inaccuracy evi- denced in the article by John Weiler on Fred Fechheimer's dis- cussion on Americus, Ga., and civil rights. Fred Fechheimer not only de- scribed his experiences, but also analyzed them in relation to the civil rights problem which the country as a whole is facing. The tenor of his speech wasacontrolled and dignified, relating events of brutality and suppression without tickling or playing with the au- dience's emotions. IN CONTRAST, The Daily ar- ticle stressed the only two state- ments which could be termed emo- tional as the central theme of the discussion, and quoted them out of context. No indication was given to the thoughts expressed by the speaker on the general problem of civil rights. Further, facts were reported in- accurately, i.e., according to the article, "when he was in jail he was allowed to make two phone calls." According to Fred Fech- heimer he was allowed to make no phone calls. Also in the announcement in Wednesday's paper of the propos- ed discussion, Fred Fechheimer's- name was spelled wrong, he was listed in the wrong school, was reported to have spent five weeks instead of five days in jail, and also was reported to be a SNCC field worker-a statement which is false. ONE REALIZES that "objective reporting" is perhaps the most difficult task to achieve in jour- nalism, but one submits that re- sponsible coverage is a reasonable request. One further submits that distortion, emotionalism and in- accuracy is a dishonest and dan- gerous policy to which to adhere. I think that The Daily owes Fech- heimer an apology. -Doris Walsey, '65 Tradition ... To the Editor: PART OF the University has passed away. A once-proud and widely-acclaimed tradition has died at its very birthplace. The "panty-raid" has become a thing of the past. There have been two attempts to storm the Hill this week; there may never be another. The incen- tive is now almost non-existent. The objects sought after were never acquired: Nothing was was thrown from the windows. Who wants to return home from the hunt empty-ha'nded? A nmass -but has it been that serious? When were the dorms last ran- sacked? The police have always been on hand to prevent extreme demonstrations. Once upon a time, the "panty- raid" was to college as the "senior prom" is to high school. Many an alumnus finds it easier to recall the escapade in which he out- grabbed the pack for the flaming- red trophy than the stirring lec- ture of some visiting dignitary. Let's face it, the fun, the school spirit, the refreshing break, the memories of a panty raid most often outweigh its unintentional disturbance. In fact, in an honest and realistic evaluation, it would probably be correct to label the "panty-raid" as "good, clean fun" -something hard to find on any college campus. *" * * WHY THEN, has the "panty- raid" been cremated? Who is re- sponsible? Can the University, in its role as the supreme dictator and creator of behaviour be solely to blame? ,Perhaps the administration has augmented its reformatory influ- ence to a point where the girls are afraid to participate. Yet, is it possible for a such a small, regular staff to restrain that many girls in a surprise attack? Not likely, If the girls really wanted to, they could have. More likely then, the blame (or credit) can be di- rectly attuned to the attitudes of the residence hall females, them- selves. Perhaps they're too col- legiate and grown up for such pranks. Rejoice girls-for by your strict observance of University dicta, a mighty heritage has given way to "proper protocol." The bugle that began the first raid on Martha Cook in 1943 has sounded its last call to arms. The "panty-raid" has become a thing of the past. R.I.P. -Butch Page, '66 Section-Switches . .* To the Editor: THE UNIVERSITY has now in- stituted a' semi-successful pre classification system, but it has apparently failed to spot the real nuisance of the beginning of each semester-namely, the first week or two of classes, when there is a regular rat-race to switch course sections.; For the individual, section switching usually starts out as a one-course idea, but by the time this individual has gotten to the end of all the second-week lines, he has found invariably that his entire program has suffered an overhauling. Thus whatever good was contained in pre-classification is now cancelled out, and the "good old couple of hours" in reg- istration are now replaced by five on the section-switching line. * * *. WHAT IS to account for this invariable second - week mess? Four out of five times it is because the student wants to switch out of a section with a "hard" instrue- tor into one with an "easy" one. Or he wishes to switch into a sec- tion where the instructor teaches the course "a more favorable way" than in the first. What this letter is trying to point out is a basic fault of Uni- versity courses: their lack of unity in sectional grading and course approach. This reader need not list the numerous times he has finish- ed struggling with an enormously difficult bluebook, only to see a. friend's "snap" five minutes later from a different section of the same course. And how many times has he heard others' opinions of resisting switching to an "easy" section like above, in favor of sticking it out with a non-con- formist instructor and "learning something." But it seems, unfortunately, that it is the do-nothings in the "easy" sections who get ahead at present, while the unfortunates with the instructor who counts the final as one-eighth of the grade (while some will count it two-thirds) are forced to sit around and hope for a better break next semester. Departmental finals to some degree are improving this situa- tion: but then again there is no guarantee that different instruc- tors will show any consistency in their personal treatments of these exams. * * 4. THIS IS an important Univer- sity matter. There will be huge waiting lines, despite pre-registra- tion, as long as there are "easy instructor hoarders." And there will be more and more of the latter until the University decides once and for all that it will have standard and consistent modes of grading, testing and instructing in all sections of the same course. Again, this mtter should be look- ed into at once, before course- taking becomes a farce. -Richard Redfield,' 6 Harrah ... To the Editor: YESTERDAY I had the dubious pleasure of reading two "news- paper" accounts concerning the recent visit of Gov. Ross T. Bar- nett to the Western Michigan University campus. One appeared in the Jackson, Miss., Clarion- Ledger, and the other in The Michigan Daily. They were re- mparkably a like. The iggest dif- ference between them that I could discover. was that Mr. Charles Hills of the Clarion-Ledger was presentin Kalamazoo the evening that the Governor spoke. I too was in attendance that evening and therefore was shocked at the "reporting" in these two news- papers. It is certainly a sad state of affairs that people who are un- able to attend events are at the mercy of "reporters" who pesent false and distorted accounts of what, occurred. Gov. Ross Barnett came to the WMU campus with a loaded pre- pared speech which took some 50 minutes to read and had very little to say. In addition, he did not answer a single question that was put before him, but instead circumvented them via a "I don't know" or an informative anecdote. YOU WRITE that Gov. Bar- nett was "placed on a podium surrounded by an almost totally hostile audience of thousands" and that Barnett was "molested by the uncouth and Iin-bred rude- ness of a group of teenagers." You write that the audience was "disrespectful." It's time your readers learn the truth. First, the hall in which Gov. Barnett spoke only seated about 1200 and since fire laws prevented a standing audience, your figure of thousands is indicative of how you report the facts/ More important is the fact that the audienee behaved in a most genteel and orderly man- ner. Gov. Barnett was given ut- most respect, received polite ap- plause on numerous occasions, and was not jeered or the recipient of catcalls as you so incorrectly stated. -Prof. Werner Sichel Western Michigan University It r 'U' Must Reorient Legislators JICHIGAN ONCE WAS one of the lead- ing states in developing and support- tg a system of higher education accord- g to a report issued by the Office of cademic Affairs. But, as the report oints out and as any observer can see, [ichigan is no longer a leaderin build- ig strong public colleges and universi- es. The problem is not merely political; the ime Republican reactionaries who get L the blame for not giving the Univer- ty enough money are the same kind of eople who for years gave the University nd other institutions all the money ecessary. These legislators, while opposed to high )vernmental expenditures and the ex- Editorial Staff RONALD WILTON, Editor DAVID MARCUS GERALD STORCH iditorial Director City Editor RBARA LAZARUS ..,........Personnel Director ILIP SUTIN .............. National Concerns Editor AIL EVANS ....................Associate City Editor ARJORIE BRAHMS .......Associate Editorial Director LORIA BOWLES .................. Magazine Editor ALINDA BERRY .............ContributingEditor kVE GOOD. ................. Sports Editor KE BLOCK ............... Associate Sports Editor M BERUER..............Associate Sports Editor )B ZWINCK ........... Contributing sports Editor pansion of the functions of government, have never denied that the support of higher education is their responsibility. They do not deny their responsibility; they have merely abdicated it. They be- came so involved in the fiscal problems of the 1950's that they forgot to look ahead to the 1960's. THIS IS EXACTLY the problem that the University faces today in going to the Legislature for an appropriation. It must ,reorient the outlook of the lawmakers from a "today's financial position" point of view ,to a "higher education for the future" point of view. Partially, Gov. Romney's "Blue Ribbon Committee" must bear this responsibility. Partially, each university must bear it by talking about the long-run rather than next year. The University has already adopted this approach to a great extent. Administra- tion officers have stopped talking about how the University, must have a certain amount of money in a given year to operate or vital services will have to be curtailed. It has prepared a long-range capital outlay budget. THESE ARE all worthwhile steps. There is, of course, the danger that the Leg- islature will procrastinate on long range problems by continually saying "next THE GARGOYLE: MythicalMirth IT'S A PLOY. A fantastic, last-ditch manuever in the futile prepara- tion for this Saturday. Psychological warfare, so to speak. Just distribute a magazine, purported to be the result of creative University students, claiming to be humorous. Then the enemy will either be so complacent in their obvious superiority or so conf used by attempting to find the humor that they will be easy marks on the football field. Sound far-fetched? How else can one explain away the Gargoyle? And, somehow, one feels obligated to explain away the Gargoyle for the Gargoyle is still embarrassingly a failure. The embarrassment is compounded when one realizes that this little publication represents each of us on two other campuses. * * * THE SCRIBBLING that clutters up the Gargoyle reminds one of greeting card rejects and napkin doodles 'stolen from 'the second room of the MUG. The photography captions are both sophomoric and inane. With one major and one minor (that's two, count 'em, two) exceptions, the magazine is visually worthless, As for the content, one is forced to revert to that word again: embarrasing. The majority of the articles are childish and dull. None of them are subtle, but then none of them are funny either, that's no excuse. Also, the extreme emphasis on fraternities and sororities for humor is damaging. Only a small proportion of the student body is affiliated to begin with, and even die-hard Greeks may wonder why the personal vendetta against the Thetas which consumes the Gar- goyle, THE ONLY CHANCE for hope, the only elements of humor, appear in three (count 'em, three) sections. "The Gargoyle Philosophy" is funny and occasionally biting. "Will, the real Michigan please step forward" contains the only really original attempt at humor in its clever juxtaposition of photos. But the only successful molding of both article and art lies in "College Bull" and even that has its dull A .;,t r