Page 4-Friday, October 13, 1978-The Michigan Daily Fact or fiction in the news . 0 . E~ight Yrsa l FrIQm Eightv-Nine Years of Editorial Freedom P By John Ellis Vol. LIX, No. 32 News Phone: 764-0552 Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan I nr c Sc{vu AdAv 1 j Tenure for Professor Samoff T HE UNIVERSITY administration and the Regents have shown time, and again over the years that they are not primarily concerned with the needs of students; the most recent example is the insultingly insignificant role. given students in determining the next University president. Now, however, even the faculty seems to have turned against us by denying tenure to one our finest teachers, Political Science Assistant Professor Joel Samoff. Prof. Samoff has been fighting for tenure for nearly a year now, and twice he has been denied. Ironically, Monday night Prof. Samoff was one of seven faculty members to receive a distinguished teaching award. He is widely recognized as one of the finest instructors in the University, and is extremely popular with students. So why has he not yet been made a full professor? Ostensibly it is because tenure committee members believe the quality of his research has not been up to the University's standards. Even if this were true, why should his research play such a major role in the decision? As a professor, is not his primary job to teach students-a task Monday's award shows he has per- formed admirably. Apparently, however, Prof. Samoff's distinguished peer believe doing im- pressive research, ands thereby giving the University more prestige is a more important part of a professor's job than is teaching students. Such misguided priorities are yet another example of the second-class status relagated to students by the 1Jniver- sity. This maniacal adherence to the ''publish or perish" dictum has clearly gotten out of hand when it threatens the education of students, which should ' by any Universitys foremost function. Beyond this--argument,- it is by--no means clear that Prof. Samoff's research has been inadequate. A sec- tion of the citation he received Monday reads, "The important international / reputation you have achieved in the fields of African politcs and political economy is greatly admired by your colleagues." In support, a group of 30 faculty members from various depar- tment and 15 campus ministers has written an open letter to the com- munity praising Prof. Samoff both for his academic endeavors, and his con- tributions to the community as a whole. In addition to his teaching duties, Prof. Samoff is an academic counselor, and also serves the city as a member of the Ann Arbor Transit Authority Board. His book, "Tanzania: Local Politics and the Structure of Power" is widely respected, and his articles have appeared in the most prestigous political science and African studies publications. In view of the overwhelming eviden- ce in support of Prof. Samoff, some ob- servers have suggested that he is being denied tenure because of his political philosophies; Prof. Samoff is an avowed, Marxist. The University has repeatedly denied this charge, but it is difficult to completely ignore under the circumstances. But no matter what reason the political science department has based its decision upon, one thing is clear: the concerns of students are being ignored. Early next week, Prof. Samoff will once again appeal the department's ruling, and we strongly urge all concerned members of the campus community to show support for Prof. Samoff and for quality education at the University by writing or calling the political science depar- tment. If Prof. Samoff is denied tenure again, everyone will lose. " 1- 6 , _ j I Sometimes the news'seems to run just behind fiction. Will it be long before these stories appear in the news: A HIGH University'official an- nounced today that a proposal would be made at the next Regen- ts meeting to open a Johan- nesburg campus of the Univer- sity of Michigan. "There will be education in South Africa whether or not we are there," the official stated. "I see no reason why we should stay out. Even if we did, other American universities would probably set up South African campuses." Anticipating charges that a U. of M. presence in South Africa would be an implicit support of the apartheid government there, the official said the University would adhere to the "McNamara Principles," named after former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, now head of the World Bank. The McNamara Principles are derived from the ethical code which was applied by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War and is widely supported in world banking circles. Under the Prin- ciples, no American university operating in South Africa could take a moral position on any social issue. The University will tem- porarily use space in Johan- nesburg buildings owned by American corporations in which the University holds stock. Describing the relationship as "symbiotic," the University of- ficial said "both the University and the American corporations in South Africa equally oppose apartheid." When asked about a campus of the Unviersity located outside the State of Michigan, the official said that "the courts have yet to make a clear ruling" and that the University would have to wait un- til "all judicial mechanisms are exhausted." "We don't really know yet what is meant by the words 'of Michigan' in the University's name," the official stated. ON A RELATED subject, the University announced it had filed a challenge against the argued a member of the Univer- sity's labor negotiating team. He said that custodians were really more concerned about preven- ting heart attacks and that the work they performed for Univer- sity departments was secondary. "Health is much more impor- tant to most people than work. Clearly these people are primarily trying to stay in shape," the University negoitator said. If MERC rules that the custodians are not employees, the University would not be A high University official announced today that a proposal would be made at the next Regents meeting to open a Johannesburg campus of the University of Michigan. ployees Organization (GEO). IT WAS ALSO reported that 1 University would soon annour ists position on the rights of U. M. students who pay tuition. University attorney has arg that Michigan students have educational claims and that t payment of tuition does not in a of itself obligate the University provide specific services. "Michigan students have ney placed a high value education," the Universi lawyer said. "It could reasonabley construed th tuition is a free gift." Aseked what effect this positi would have on Univers operations, University offici refused to be specific. "We co not rule out increasing class s or reducing the length of academic year," one offi said, "especially if ;GEO gets right to bargain for teach assistants." He denied this an attempt to pit students teaching assistants against e other. When questioned abq whether at least some Univers students or their parents did pect an education in exchange their tuition dollars, the sar University official answer "with inflation, money has l and less value. Education has keep pace." As a precedent, a Universi attorney cited the claim th Native Americans in the Sta gave the University land in tI nineteenth century with no e pectation of return. "If the t dians gave us all that land f free, why should students .xpe an education for a few thousai dollars." A need for Alaskan wilderness I N THE EARLY 1800s you could have walked from the shore of Lake Huron to the shore of Lake Michigan and never be out of the primeval white pine forest which covered the lower. peninsula. At that time, Father Gabriel Richard, the famous Catholic missionary who helped establish the University, could be seen harvesting huge quantities of whitefish from the Detroit River and bending down occasionally to drink the water. The state has changed a great deal since those days, but even when the neophyte novelist Ernest Hemingway lived here, Michigan was still something of a paradise. When Hemingway came back to Michigan on a speaking engagement in the early fifties, he said then he could never again live here; he said the state had been destroyed; it had become too tame. The Alaska Lands Bill before the U.S. Congress will decide whether Alaska will suffer the same fate as Michigan. The bill is an attempt by conservationists and Congress to save much of the last remaining wilderness in the U.S. There are two versions of the bill: a House version and a Senate version. Both propose setting aside about 100 million acres of Alaska lands for various purposes including national parks, preserves, wild life refuges, wild river corridors and national forests. How many Americans have ever seen a moose swim across a lake or fell asleep listening to wolves baying at the moon? The closer an American was born to 1978 the less her or his chances of enjoying the wilderness America simply because there has been less and less of it. But most disturbing is that unless the U.S. Congress acts before October 14 on the Alaska Lands Bill, no one will ever have the opportunity to acres of wilderness lands is worthwhile or something the federal government should do. Some who agree that it would be nice to save the land as it is now, argue against the plan on the premise it is a federal invasion of states' rights. The two senators from Alaska, M ike Gravel (D) and Ted Stevens (R) are spearheading a state-wide campaign against the bill. They say Alaskans don't want the measure because it will prevent industrial growth in the state and therefore keep Alaska in the depressed economic condition which exists today. And if Alaskans don't want the wilderness bill, what authority does the federal government have to force them to accept it. . About two-thirds of the state of Alaska belongs to the federal government, or rather all the people of the country. When Alaska was made a state it was allowed to choose a section about the size of California which it could control. In other words, the federal government, by passing the Alaska Lands Bill, would not be invading states' rights; Alaskans would not be cheated out of anything. In fact, if passed, the bill would give some federal land to the state of Alaska. Others still, argue that most Americans would never be able to enjoy Alaska; after all, not many can afford a trip to Alaska or deep into the wilderness area. This may be true; not many Americans would be able to take advantage of the wilderness area, but that does not tell us how many would if they could. Whether we see these things every day or never at all, they enrich our lives and our culture. The wilderness has always been a special part of American culture. The wilderness frontier was first seen as a challenge to th 11hrnwa man vh frctnri is&, Custodians Union before the Michigan Employment Relations Commission (MERC). the challenge disputes the claim that University custodians are em- ployees and argues that they are in fact out-patients in the Univer- sity Hospital's Heart Attack Prevention Program. "The level of physical activity which custodians maintain in their work far exceeds the mean for out-patients in the heart at- tack prevention program," obligated to bargain with them. Asked if the Unviersity would continue to pay custodians if MERC rules in the University's favor, another University official said, "We would not want them to stop working. Someone has to do it. We don't object to paying these people. We just want them to know we are doing them a favor." MERC is expected to take up the University's claim against the custodians after it finishes work on the University's challenge to the Graduate Em- Letters to the Daily Sam off tenure To the Daily Joel Samoff received a distinguished service award from the University of Michigan on Monday, October 9. This confirms our belief that Samoff is a valuable member of our community as a scholar, activist and teacher. Joel Samoff came here in 1970 and currently serves as an assistant professor in the Political Science Department and in the Center for Afro- American and African Studies. He has also participated extensively in the Center for Research on Economic Development, the Center for Audio-Visual Education (where he has assembled one of the best collections of films on Africa in this country), and the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching. In 1973-75, he taught at the University of Zambia, where he chaired the introductory social science program. He is also a member of the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority Board. Joel Samoff's publications on Africa are numerous and Journal of African Historical Studies, Journal of Commonwealth and Comparative Studies, Journal of Politics, Political Science Quarterly and Politics and Society. Consequently we are much distressed by the decision of the Political Science Department to deny Samoff tenure. We feel that his exclusion from the University would deprive us of someone who has made a distinguished contribution to University life and would be a great loss. We urge that everything possible be done to keep him on the faculty. Signatures of University Faculty and Staff: ANTIROPOLGY Michael Taussig BIOLOGY John Vandermeer ECONOMICS W. H. Locke Daniel Fusfeld E. G. Shepherd Tom Weisskopf Gavin Wright ED)UCATION William Cave Patricia Theiler ENG.ISH LSA COUNSELING Terrance L. Brown MATH Art Schwartz NATURAL SCIENCE Bunyan Bryant James Crowroot PSYCHOLOGY Schula Reinharz RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE Susan Harding JIoyce Kornbluh Marilyn Young SOCIOLOGY Mark Chester Charles Tilly CAMPUS MINISTERS Frances Cambria" Sr. Man's Ann Coleman, Guild House Don Coleman, Guild House Hildegard Cummings. Guild -ouse Margaret Dewey.St. Mary ' Paul Dotson.Ecu menical Center Andrew Foster. Epis. Can. Loft Bob Hauert, Ethics & Religion Charles Irvin.St. Marv sr Gordor Ward, Lutheran Shirley Lewis, Ecumenical Herb Lowe,.Church of God Graham PattersonFirst Presbyterian Rabbi Bill Rudolph Tom Schumaker. Weslev 0 Sexist advertising To the Daily: out for a drink or to discuss cj notes, but in the background, i seductive dress, with a "Wh are you coming to bed, why you always study?" expressi on her face. This advertisement disgusting, representative slanted ideas about women wh pervade our society, a insulting to women. It disgusting because man portrayed as active pursuer intellectual goals where woman, Cathy, is portrayed temptress and sex object. It slanted because it descri arachaic sex role stereotypes. The advertisement is insulti because it attempts to gain t attention of students, who female and male, through advertisement which Ilea degrades females. Page 9 is not just advertisement, it is a blat editorial statement which v read and absorbed by thousaz of people. Your advertisitig st ha the righttipet arnvel e4