Page 4-Saturday, November 18, 1978-The Michigan Daily
(7 ie thI & taa
420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Eighty-Nine Years of Editorial Freedoni
Vol. LXXXIX, No. 63 News Phone: 764-0552
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan
A Regental
Nightmare
Zimbabwea
W HEN I SMITH formed a bi-
racial government in Rhodesia
last year we expressed our doubts that
the coalition would work. On Thursday
the biracial government announced
that it was postponing the long-awaited
general election for another four
months, until.April of next year. This
retreat from the progression toward
the majority rule Mr. Smith had
promised is only further evidence that
the coalition of moderate blacks and
zwhites does net.represent the people of
Ziinbabwe - the African name for,
Rhodesia - and is unable to govern the
country.
The decision to postpone the election
was announced after an eight hour
meeting between the principle leaders
of the biracial government, Bishop
Abel Muzor ewa, the Reverend
Ndabanir hole, Senator Jeremiah
Chirau, and 'Mr. Smith. Apparently
there was disagreement among the big
for Bi a zorewa and Rev.
Sithole were opposed to postponing the
elections. Earlier in the week
Muzorewa had said postponement
would invite disaster.
There are several possible reasons
for the decision to postpone the
elections. All the signs of the weakness
of the current government in the face
of the strength;f the support the peopl
of Zmnbabwv ave given to the rebels
led by- Nkomo and Robert
Mugebe. One reason for the
elections
postponement is simple fear - fear
that the Rhodesian military forces
may not be able to guarantee safe
elections in the face of the rebel
threat to disrupt them. Another reason
may be that Mr. Smith still hopes to
meet with Mr. Nkomo and Mr. Mugebe
in an attempt to draw them into the
government through negotiations. Mr.
Nkomo has promised he will do all of
his talking on the battlefield.
The longer Mr. Smith and 'his
moderate black friends postpone the
move towards majority rule, the
bloodier the ultimate victory by the
forces led by Mr. Nkomo and Mr.
Mugabe will be. Rhodesia's present
biracial regime is already losing the
war. Day by day the guerillas move
closer to Salisbury. The city, which
was content and peaceful last month, is
now exposed to rocket and small arms
fire periodically. But the biracial
regime, like the captain of a sinking
ship, seems content to go down with it's
ill-conceived form of majority rule.
The United States and G.reat Britain
should condemn the postponement.
They should make it clear that since
the biracial coalition does not work it
should step down. Bishop Muzorewa
and Rev. Sithole must speak
adamantly for elections soon. Only
free elections or continued violence
will topple the current illegitimate
government ruling Zimbabwe. Let's
hope it is not too late for the former.
ANN ARBOR, MI. March 6,
1979 - The door to the
Administration Building swung,
open, and Regent Thomas Roach
(D-Grosse -Pointe) stuck his
head out and puffed a cloud of
smoke from his cigar, signalling
the eager crowd in Regents'
Plaza that a new University
President had been chosen.
The new President, to take over
September 1, is Dale Leydon, a
prominentColumbus lawyer and
graduate of Ohio State University.
Leydon has chosen the name
Harlan-Robben I. The new
President will break a 162 year
tradition by being the first
University President not to have
an intense hatred ofnOSU.
The Regents had spent three full
days locked inside the
Administration Building,
subsisting on coffee with other
food brought in by secretaries.
The conclave was the secondin a
month for the eight-member body
which oversees the University.
The group had previously bowed
to student pressure and selected
Assistant Political Science
Professor Joel Samoff to be the
next chief administrator, but he
has since turned down the offer,
saying he will instead accept a
post on the Johannesberg City
Council. Samoff was denied
tenure at themUniversity for the
sixth time last February.
The crowd's reaction to
Harlan-Robben I's selection was
varied.
Michigan Student assembly
(MSA) member Kate Rubin said
she was disappointed in the
decision. "What cannIsay? This
is just another example of the
repressive, reactionary facist
regime imposing its will upon the
students. Needless to say, Leydon
wasn't a choice of the students."
The presidential selection
process began last fall when
MSA, the Senate Advisory
Committee on University Affairs
(SACUA), and the Michigan
Alumni Association each chose
committees to submit names of
presidential candidates to the
Regents. Students were asked to
submit names on a three-t-five
index card.
The Regents then reviewed the
candidates, including several not
suggested by the committees.
Leydon was only on the Alumni
list.
MSA members expressed
concern last fall over the
framework of the process, saying
their voice in the matter would be
insignificant and that the
Regents would pay little attention
to their recommendations.
-jf
-i
former President Robben
Fleming, who retires Jan. 1.
Fleming contacted each of the
Regents by telephone and
personally endorsed Leydon.
"You might say we got the
calling," quipped Regent Gerald
Dunn (D-Lansing).
Leydon, appearing at a brief
press conference late last night,
refused to address specific issues
currently involving the
University.
"I will do my best to comply
CANTOR
By MITCH
i a
_ 1_
4a,
40
1
>m collective bargaining rights."
Administrative Law Judge
Shlomo Sperka has picked .dtes
through this August to hear
rebuttal witnesses from the
University, which claims
graduate student assistants are
not primarily employees, ,but
rather students who are not
entitled to collective bargaining
rights.
Concerning consolidation, for
formitory residents, which has
been protested by a large
percentage of University
students, Leydon said he. is
considering a plan which would
shift cafeteria facilities to
Michigan Stadium.
Leydon, 57, said he will abstain
from attending all Michigan-OSU
football, games while serving as
president here.
Six of the eight Regents
strongly endorsed Leydon.
Sarah Power (D-Ann Arbor)
said "Harlan-Robben I will make
a fine President. . . for someone
coming from such a low social
background as Ohio."
One of the dissenters was
Deana Baker (R-Ann Arbor).
"Frankly, I think the University
could use someone a bit more
conservative. I strongly
advocated someone more along
the lines of Ronald Reagan,"
Baker said.
The other Regent to disapprove
of Leydon was former MSA
member Irving Freeman, who
captured a Regent's seat in
November.
"This guy stinks. I think I'd
rather have John Belushi run the
University," Freeman said.
The Michigan, Alumni
Association, and advisory
committees representing the
alumni and faculty were both
pleased by the selection. The two
groups had issued a joint
statement to the press when the
Regents began their conclave, to
be read following the decision.
The statements simply read:
"We are satisfied with whatever
decision the Regents make. We
are sure the new President will
do a fine job."
Mitch Cantor, Daily night
editor, covers the Regents.
lit-
After' threatssto boycott the
selection process, MSA instead
decided to, contribute its list of
names to the process. There was
no word as to how Zolton Ferency
fared in the final balloting.
Regent Gerald Dunn (D-
Lansing) said Leydon was
strongly recommended by
with the wishes of the students of
this school as well as the citizens
of the state," Leydon said.
Following the 15-minute
gathering, however, Leydon
briefly evaded two specific issues
of student concern.
"As far as the ongoing MERC
hearing is concerned, I would only
appeal it it GEO insists on
Regents get the message
R EVERSING THEIR traditional
anti-student voting tendencies, the
University Regents yesterday voted to
turn down a plan that would have
constructed a mass dining facility just
west of Mosher-Jordan hall to
accommodate,., onsolidated food,.,
service for the' 2100 residents of that
dorm, Alice Lloyd, Couzens and
Stockwell.
In turning down the plan by a tie
vote, which automatically rejects any
,proposals, the University's governing
body has finally followed the student's
cue. Although they calculated the
estimated financial benefits from such
a plan would lower student costs, the
three regents who rejected it (James
Waters, Paul Brown and David Laro)
decided the move would be
detrimental to the big school's
relatively few places of "smallness."
"I just don't feel that to save the one
per cent (per dorm student's in-state
total costs) is enough to offset the loss
of community that is created by having
smaller gaining rooms," said Regent
Brown.
Regent Thomas Roach (D-Grosse
Pointe) however, said he would
probably re-introduce the proposal in
the board's December meetings
because two of the regents were not
present at yesterday's meeting.
So while we strongly applaud
yesterday's action, we realize the
proposal is not dead yet and we urge
the board to reject it again. And we
hope the three members who approved
the plan yesterday will reconsider to
make it unanimous.
We also commend Deane Baker, who
although he was absent yesterday, did
declare at the Regents meeting on
Thursday that the school's
administrators ahould look into other
housing' projects to reduce students'
costs. It is essential that the
University's cost-cutters investigate
all other conceivable plans. before
deciding on any particular one.
The Student Coalition to Save
University Dining Systems (SUDS), a
group of concerned students who
thoroughly observed food
consolidation plans at other campuses
must be praised for their efforts to
organize student oppositions tqo the
plan. They clearly presented the case
against the proposal to the students
currently living at the dorms which
would be affected and mobilized them.
It is fair to say that without such strong
efforts, the Regents would probably
have voted for the plan.
But that external pressure from the
students shouldn't take anything away
from the board's encouraging vote.
Although faced by even greater
student pressure in the past, they have
ignored it and pushed the anti-student
plan into effect. But not this time.
We hope they will be as responsive
on future student issues as they were
in the vote against dorm meal
consolidation.
i
Letters to the
Daily
Misquoted
To the Daily:
In the article of 10-21-78 entitled
"Gays find support at teach-in";
I was significantly misquoted.
First, I did not say that
"everyone is guaranteed equal
protection under the law-except
gays." Nor is that statement.
true. The equal protection clause
says that no one may be denied
the equal protection of the laws.
Unfortunately, courts have
developed more restrictive
guidelines to determine when
equal protection rights are being
violated. Certain oppressed
groups, like black people, are
supposedly more protected
because of their historic lack of
equal treatment and specific
constitutional amendments that
forbid discrimination on the basis
of race, color, or place of national
origin.
Women will become another
specially treated category if the
ERA passes, but as of now, the
US Supreme Court has refused to
put them in that category without
the ERA. It is my opinion that
gay people should be in this
special category - but my
opinion is not yet accepted by the
majority of courts. But then
again, neither are children,
women, and a whole host of other
oppressed groups accepted by the
courts as belonging to this
category.'
Even beyond that, the equal
protection rights of black people
and other specially protected
groups are not reality. Black
people still are treated in a
discriminatory manner by the
government. What'I may have
said is that courts recognize the
equal protection rights of blacks,
women, etc., to a greater degree
or that gays are not guaranteed
equal protection, although they
should be. But that'.s a lot
different than saying that only
gays are denied equal protection
rights.
Second, private employers are
legally exempted from hiring
gays unless there is a city (or
state) ordinance protecting the
employes' sexual preference
basis of sexual preference unless
a state or city law is on the books
that specifically protects the
employment rights of gays.
Finally, some courts have
ruled that gays can't be fired
from government jobs just
because they are gay. Some
courts have also made a
distinction between people who
admit they're gay but aren't
active in political and/or gay
groups, and gay activists who
make an issue about gayness.
These courtsssay it's ok to be gay,
but if you keep embarrassing the
government or throw it in our
face by being an activist aboutit,
you've gone too far. And I also
mentioned , that certain
government jobs, especially
those requiring security
clearances, can still be
forbidden. to gay people.
I am glad to see coverage of
this conference in the Daily, but I
hope that these misquotes are
cleared up so that false
information is not conveyed to
your readership. I realize that
this subject is a very complicated
one, even for a ttorneys, and I
understand how some confusion
could have occurred, especially
since a lot of information was
given out in a fairly short period
of time.
-Diana Autin
Diag rally
To the Daily:
One year ago, President Anwar
Sadat of Egypt made a dramatic
trip to Jerusalem. To the world,
his act represents the valiant
effort to forget, for the moment,
the weight and horror of 30 years
of struggle between two nations,
to seek a clear path to peace.
Today, one year later, many
problems must still be resolved.
Hopefully but not certainly, some
satisfactory solutions will be
attained in the final agreements
between Israel and Egypt. It is
impossible to minimize the
delicate complexities and
potential explosiveness
underlying each problem the
negotiating countries face.
Indeed, the current negotiations
their efforts towards an infinitely
more worthy goal.
Thus, in honor of that first
historic visit to Jerusalem, there
will be a rally in the Diag on
Monday, Nov. 20, from 12:00 to
1:00 p.m. It will be a rally for
peace in the Middle East, for the
fulfillment of the dearest needs
and hopes of all peoples involved.
Let us, the faculty and students
of the University of Michigan,
gather together on this occasion
to share in our hopes for a
conclusive, solid peace in the
Middle East.
Come to the rally, join the
effort on Monday, 12-1 p.m.
-Richard Bardenstein and
Joanna Stark
The Union of Students
for Israel (USI)
U.S. Labor Party,
To the Editor:
In the Daily of Wed., Nov. 15,
there was a viewpoint article
about the anti-nuke movement
and its relations with labor. The
article was written by aamember
of the U.S. Labor Party. Lest
anyone be misled into thinking
that the U.S. Labor Party has
anything to do with the labor
movement or in any way speaks
for labor on this issue or any
other, let me cite a few facts
about them.
The U.S. Labor Party, also
known as the National Caucus of
Labor Committees (NCLC), was
formed in 1968 as a caucus of
Students for a Democratic
Society (SDS) right after the
student strike at Columbia
University - the exact time that
the CIA officials- had admitted
penetrating SDS. (N.Y. Times
12/30/74). Since that time, they
have built up a reputation as a
notorious anti-union outfit,
engaging in physical attacks on
unionists, black liberation
leaders, peace activists,
communists, and other
progressives. The January, 1976
issue of Unity, a publication of
the Rank and File Committee of
District 4, United steelworkers of
America (USWA), pointed out
that the Labor Party's members
were almost always to be found
The U.S. operations of the
NCI,,C, by its own estimates, haO
a budget of more than $1 milliot
in 1976 though their membership
was only about 500. Among these
members were a number of
police officers, licensed to cary
guns, who took part in physicl
attacks. Three U.S. Labor Party
leaders in New Jersey were
arrested for possessing an illegal
cache of arms, but were only
fined.
In addition to its U.S.
operation, the NCLC has foreign
branches to which it exports
about $500,000 yearly. In the
interview cited above, Greg Rose
also reported that NCLC trained
"many foreign nationals who
were ... sent back to their own
countries." In 1975, the Swedish
Secret Service began an
investigation of the European
Labor Committee (ELC),
NCLC's European branch, as a
possible U.S. intelligence
operation and stted that "given
the international character of the
ELC and the obvious interference
in the internal affairs of the
kingdom, we must investigate
carefully." Per Fagerstroen,
Prime Minister Olof Palme's
press secretary, defined the ELC
as "an agency of North American
origin whose behavior
corresponds perfectly to a group
tied to some sort of intelligence
organization" and charged that
they were "compiling everything
they can find out about leading
Social Democrats.'' Also,
Aftonbladet, a major Swedish
newspaper, reported that "ELC
... is a North American anti-
Communist organization which in
Sweden and other countries is
suspected of having committed
various acts of espionage and
sabotage." (Daily World
10/22/75).
This record speaks for itself.
The surfacing of the U.S. Labor
Party here in Michigan on the
issue of nuclear power
constitutes a direct attack on the
growing ties between the labor
movement and the increasingly
mature anti-nuke organizations.
As Jerry Gordon of the
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