Page 8B-Thursday, September 6, 1979-The Michigan Daily
Regents
'Ayes'
and 'nays'
dictate future policy
By MITCH CANTOR
"The three committees are advisory only
and the Board of Regents alone has the power
to appoint and cannot share this power."
-From a set of guidelines passed by the
Regents concerning the three advisory com-
mittees established to assist the Regents in
selecting a new president of the University.
This particular passage reflects the
Regents' status: .They have the final
say regarding major policies of the
University. While administrators make
lower-level decisions every day, it is the
Board which decides the direction of
the University-which buildings will be
constructed, which programs are to
live and die.
Each month (usually the third Thurs-
day and Friday) the group rolls into
town to face thick agendas in the
Regents Room of the Administration
Building. Sandwiched between the
Board's open meetings during the two
days is a public comments session on
Thursday at 4:00 p.m. Concerned
students and other citizens may use this
time to address the Board on Univer-
sity-related issues.
OFTEN THE Board's meetings in-
clude, presentations from University
faculty and administrators about the
issues being considered. The Regents
also often question such authorities
about the matters at hand.
Elected statewide for eight-year
terms, the Regents come from various
parts of Michigan, with two of
them-Deane Baker and Sarah
Power-living right here in the city. On
the opposite end of the spectrum the
Board also includes Paul Brown and
James Waters, who live in distant parts,
of the state (Petoskey and Muskegon,
respectively).
While the Regents are elected, it is
apparent that they don't win their seats
because of their positions on issues.
Regental races just don't stir the in-
terest of the electorate. Even the Board
members admit that victorious Regen-
tal candidates are usually swept into of-
fice as their party finishes. strongly in
the November state election.
MANY WHO claim these elections
mock the democratic process have
urged the state legislature to amend the
Michigan Constitution to allow the
governor to appoint the University's
Regents. Gov. William Milliken has per-
sonally endorsed the plan, as well as
mentioning it several times in recent
years. Presently, 10 of the state's 13
colleges have governing boards appoin-
ted by the governor.
The plan, which hasn't seen much
strong legislative support, is endorsed
by only one of the University's Regents,
David Laro.
Milliken appointed Laro to the Board
in 1975 to fill a vacancy.
While it seems as if very few Univer-
sity students can name any single
Regent, the group as a whole suffers
from no lack of attention. Because of
the impact of it's decisions, the Board
often draws attention when it comes to
town for its meetings.
LAST YEAR, for instance, several
issues brought students out of the
classrooms and into the Administration
Building. Early in the year the big issue
was a proposed dining complex which
would have served as a mass cafeteria
for residents of several dormitories.
Next came changes in the structure of
the Michigan Union. A report that
called for making the Union more
iv
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POLITICAL SCIENCE TEACHING Assistant Alan Levy tells
the Regents, with former president Robben Fleming at the
helm, that Political Science Assistant Prof. Joel Samoff
deserves tenure (above). At left, Regent Deane Baker (R-
Ann Arbor) offers an opinion on a matter before the Board.
Several issues considered by the Regents last year drew
considerable attention from the campus community.
The Board
ata glance:*
DELTA TAU DELTA FRATERNI T Y
Lce st
WeWelco mes ou to, the
AF
Deane Baker (R-Ann Arbor)-This
staunch Republican, president of his
own construction company, seems to
always say what's on his mind at the
meetings. The 54-year-old regent has on
several occasions voiced strong disdain
for student demonstrations. He often
speaks for the interests of the Univer-
sity alumni.
Paul Brown (D-Petoskey)-Elected
to his second term last year, Brown, 44,
often seems more responsive to student
opinion than the rest of the Board. A
man of few words more often than not,
Brown practices law in his distant
hometown.
Gerald Dunn (D-Lansing)-A former
state senator, Dunn remains quiet on
many issues but brings up key
questions on some proposals before the
Board. Dunn, 44, is serving his second
regional term.
David Laro (R-Flint)-Laro is the
only regent currently serving that was
not elected to the Board. Instead,
Governor William Milliken appointed
the 37-year-old attorney to the position
after a spot was vacated in 1975. Laro,
who twice served as Milliken's Genesee
County campaign chairman, has at
times strongly supported students in
their viewpoints while also often defen-
ding the power of the Board under cer-
tain circumstances.
Robert Nederlander (D-Birming-
ham)-Also an attorney, Nederlander
seems to ask the most-and often the
most pertinent-questions on many of
the issues facing the Board, The 46-
year-old regent is a part owner of
Detroit's Fisher Theatre as well as
Clarkston's Pine Knob.
Sarah Power (D-Ann Arbor)-Power
holds several other organizational
positions, including one with the United
Nations. Usually quiet on most of the
Board's business, the 44-year-old
regent seems to have several pet issues
about which she is quite vocal. Often
unpredictable until her vote is cast, she
is the wife of publisher and. past
senatorial candidate Phil Power.
Thomas Roach (D-Saline)-A
seemingly unflappable character, this.
50-year-old attorney can often be seen
reclining in his plush regental chair'
puffing on his pipe, evenwhentconfron-
ted by vocal students. Roach can also
often be seen meticulously poring over
the piles of documents presented to the
regents for their review.
James Waters (D-Muskegon)-This
39-year-old attorney rarely talks at the
meetings, usually speaking only on
issues relating to minorities or labor.
Waters, the only black member of the
Board, is serving his second term as a
regent.
University of
Michigan
L
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TA 1928 Geddes 761-3123
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