Page 4-Friday, September 28, 1979-The Michigan Daily
Ghe tEIpban t1iQ
Ninety Years of Editorial Freedom
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Vol. LXXXX, No. 20
Edited on
News Phone: 764-0552
nd managed by students at the University of Michigan
A second chance for
wage-price guldelines
T TOOK the rumblings of a candi-
dacy by Sen. Edward Kennedy to do
it, but the administration is finally
moving to put some teeth into the
wage-price guidelines that have so
far taken only repeated bruisings from
both business and labor.
And this time, the Carter ad-
ministration is at least making an ef-
fort to do it right. Instead of drafting
the guidelines and then leaving it up to
the good will of employers and em-
ployees to comply, the White House
economic advisors have finally
realized that wage-price guidelines are
useless without bringing business and
labor leaders into the planning and im-
plementation.
Unfortunately, it took a year of the
current mess for the President to
realize his error. The guidelines im-
posed a seven per cent wage increase
limit and a price increase limit of .5
per cent of a company's previous
year's total price hikes. But an in-
flation rate closer to 13 per cent made
those guidelines virtually meaningless
for all sides concerned.
When the guidelines took a drubbing
in the. AFL-CIO wage settlement, the
administration used a complicated
form of Murphy's mathematics to
twist the defeat into victory. And most
recently, when the United Auto
Workers pummelled theeguidelines in
their high-wage settlement with
General Motors, ndot a whisper came
from the White House.
But when Sen. Kennedy talks, Jim-
my Carter listens. And when Sen. Ed-
ward Kennedy said that the guidelines,
could work if the White House shows a
little intestinal fortitude to enforce
them, Io and behold Jimmy Carter
found his spine.
Now, when the new guidelines are
finalized, the president is counting on a
new board of "national accord" to
provide a little backbone for the enfor-
cement. Comprised of the leaders of
business, big labor, and the public, the
board would be able to force
cooperation with the new guidelines,
provided they are more liberal - and
more realistic - than the seven per
cent solution.
This new strategy is of course part of
the president's adopting to political
realities - policy, especially economic
policy, cannot be made and enforced in'
a vacuum. This is the same lesson Mr.
Carter learned in his relations with
Capitol Hill, that it makes life easier to
work with - and not against -- those in
a position to make or break policy.
Unfortunately, . it took one set of
guidelines and a Kennedy challenge to
convince the administration of what
most people learn in introductory
political science - edicts issued from
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue do not
miraculously become the gospel of all
men's minds and souls. The guidelines
imposed never had a chance, because
the administration tried to issue them
as edict, instead of working with the
leaders of business and industry.
Now with the second set of revamped
guidelines, the president, with his
board of "national accord," is showing
he can learn from his mistakes. It may
just be in time to save the nation's wor-
sening economy, if not Mr. Carter's
presidency.
When the night creeps over his
wigwam,
When the campf ire's burning low,'
Ol brare dreants of feast and tor'"
tom,
Dreams that only old brares know.
Memories willleare him nerer,
Old brare he is saying yet,
Michigamua - now - for'rer,
Ildian no forget.
-From "Indian No Forget,"
by old !bren
J. Fred (Crazy Loon) Lawton,
Class of' 1I.
There are a lot of braves around. First,
there are 78 years' worth of old braves like
Crazy Loon.
Then there are 24 "fighting", or active,
members of the Tribe of Michigamua (they
say it: Mish-a-gahma), 14 athletes and ten
organization leaders who meet Monday
nights at their "wigwam" atop the Union to
talk like their forefathers did.
AND FINALLY, there's discussion among
some undergraduate women that what's
really needed is a secret honorary for their
sex. They'll actually be squaws-if they intend
to operate with the offensive "Injun" format.
So what kinds of dreams are these braves
dreaming that Crazy Loon talks about?
None of the current braves, as far as I can
tell, are dreaming of anything except a nice
quiet place to meet, now that HEW has finally
decided the University can't continue to
donate "wigwam" space to an all-male
Michigamua.
IT WON'T be a new dream, since in the
early days the braves moved regularly before
they found a home in the Union 46 years ago.
The dreams that would hold some
fascination for us, however, would be the
meditations of Crazy Loon and his friends.
It's not like it used to be with the private
society for campus high-flyers.
MICHIGAMUA WAS born on a campus 78
years different from this one, when the
University was small, like-minded and
homogeneous. A fraternity designed to give
undergraduate leaders a sense of purpose and
identity was probably well suited for the
times.
Only later would its members be considered
sexist for excluding women, racist for their
cariacatures of Native Americans and elitist
for their self-anointed bigwig ways.
In those early years senior men bound for
glory all belonged to Michigamua. That was
the order of things. The tribe gave its mem-
bers nicknares, a language, and set of rituals
setting them apart and assuring them they
were as special as they felt themselves to be.
THE TOP ATHLETES, student gover-
nment movers and shakers, organizational
hotshots, Daily editors - all men - enjoyed
in their weekly meetings the warmth of
camaraderie that comes when the right sorts
of shoulders rub.
They compared observations about campus
goings on, Saturday's game, the editorials,
the big party. Since they were all "'regular
guys", they sat and drank when the occasion
demanded.
Both the Michigamua of tradition and the
Michigamua of today are hard for outsiders to
understand, even for outsiders who have the
interest. When.I consider Crazy Loon's day,
though, I like to think he considered his induc-
tion the highest honor of his life, that a day
never passed after his graduation on which he
didn't recall his moment at the top. .
"IT LOOKS HONORARY," said an old
brave, a former activities organizer, recen-
tly. "But when you're in it, you realize how
much of a social club it is." He said he's never
quite grasped the purpose of the modern day
Michigamua, "But I enjoyed it anyway."
Crazy Loon, on the other hand, was
honored, downright indebted. He wrote:
When the tribe is on the war path;
When the tribe sing war whoop song,
Fighting brare he must remember.
He must keep tradition strong,
Fighting brare he will Ie loyal,
Fighting brare he owes a debt,
To the noble Michigam n,
Inheian no lorget.
In his time, the tribe was a familiar group
on campus. Its initiations were held on spring
afternoons around the Tappan - Oak on the
Diag. The names of new braves were
publicized; if you were in, those around you
were likely to know it. .
IT WAS PUBLIC-MINDED. Michigamua
sponsored dances and campus projects of dif-
ferent kinds. The once-influential Michigan
Union organization - as well as the first
student government at the University - were
both begun with the help of Michigamua
members. The Union building itself was first
thought of by braves.
Above all, Michigamua was proud. Its
members felt they had the best interests of
the University in mind and they, after all,
were in positions to make a difference. They
met in their "wigwam" to talkum big talkum.
As in board rooms across the country today, it
wasn't always the officially adopted policy:so
much as the informal exchange between the
heads of different organizations that would
somewhere down the line influence student
programs and activities.
The dream couldn't last. Over the last
decade or two, the once well-known, public-
spirited and proud tradition has become a vir-
tually ignored anachronism. Michigamua
wasn't made to exist on a large campus in the
later half of the century.
FRATERNITIES MANAGED to weather
the sixties much better than did Michigamua.
Michigamua has never had anything to offer
but its tradition. A fraternity is a building at
least. Even as the mystique of the Greek
system begins to lose its appeal, the con-
venience remains. But if every year there
aren't enough junior men who want to strip
nearly naked and get splashed with mustard
powder and roughed up so they can earn their
right to meet with their male peers once a
week, then Michigamua is in trouble.
The braves, though, don't seem to feel thlt
their declining image is of much concern.
"WE'RE A PRIVATE organization," said
one "fighting" braye recently after news
came from Washington of the HEW decision.
"We don't exist for the University," he said.
"It's too bad that people are upset about it
(the sex discrimination), but the whole deals
that we're a private organization."
It's like the Boy Scouts, he explained.
THE KIDS WITH all the Merit Badges can
meet whenever they want and do whatever
they want and it's really no one else's
business.
In fact, said one former brave, the sex issue
is a red herring. "The problem with
Michigamua," he said, "isn't the sex
discrimination. That doesn't wash with me.
The problem is the super-jock trip.
"They sit around and really get into the
'Ugg, Buck Brave' stuff," he added.
It's the Buck Brave stuff that has, for the
first time over the last few years, made
Michigamua less appealing to candidates. At
least twice in the last two:years, initiated
braves have quit the tribe after discoveriig
that discussion around the big table in the
Union didn't interest them much.
Gone are the days when the kids with all the
merit badges dreamed the same dreams.
Brian Blanchard is the Daily's Univer-
sity Editor.
R.O.T.C. needs course credi
Work/study recives boost
AS UNIVERSITY administrators
brace themselves for the 1980s-a
decade sure to be dominated by con-
stant budget cutbacks-a piece of good
news came forth recently which adds
light to an otherwise dark forecast.
Due to the Middle Income Assistance
Act passed last November, the federal
government has substantially in-
creased its allocation to the nation's
universities for the work/study
program. A generous amount of $2.5
million has been distributed to the
University this year, compared with
$1,740,000 last year. This healthy raise
will enable many more students to par-
ticipate in the program, an en-
couraging sign that highet education is
near the top of the government's
priority list.
As the Regents pass the automatic
hedvy increase in tuition and housing
rates each summer, the cost of higher
education has become dangerously
high. No longer is it easy for middle
class and even upper middle class
families to send all of their children to
this University; it costs too much.
Nowhere has that been so evident as in
the countless requests the University
receives annually from students
desperate for financial aid.
Amidst that bleak background, the
additional allotments for work/study
may not turn the tide, but should make
it much easier for many students on
the border line.
For if those students are given good
jobs at the University, they will thus be
able to profit the school through their
work, receive the funds keeping them
here, and learn about their careers.
Many of the jobs students take when
they arrive in Ann Arbor are directly
related to their eventual career
aspirations.
But even if they're not, those jobs are
essential to the academic livelihood of
many college :students. Coming from
relatively poor areas in the state,
many of these students need a job, or
else would be confined to cheaper in-
stitutions that they can afford, and
'thus miss the great opportunities this
school offers.
Theutuition and housing crunch of
this outgoing decade have been hard
blows to absorb. Taking into account
other consequences of inflation, the
situation becomes dramatically worse.
The work/study program is just one
method of alleviating that crisis.
Unfortunately, budget restraints are
another, as will be seen in the next few
years. President-designate Harold
Shapiro deeply understands the
situation, and is probably considering
such plans right now. More than just a
few programs are expected to be cut in
the Shapiro era.
Until the inevitable happens,
however, it's refreshing to see the
federal government concerned, and
the students benefitted by new
positions for work/study applicants.
It is time to reexamine the fun-
ction of the R.O.T.C. in the
Universityand to take measures
to reinstate the course credit
within the LSA college. The
faculty of that school originally
revoked the 12 credits given
students taking these classes it
March 1970, in the midst of the
Vietnam crisis. Today's LSA
students enrolled in these same
courses still receive no credit,
although they are required to
pay tuition at the standard rate.
The Engineering college rein-
stated credit for R.O.T.C. classes
as recently as April 23, 1979, and
now is's LSA's turn to look at the
issue.
The majority of Army, Navy
and Air Force officers entering
active military duty each year
come directly from R.O.T.C.
units across the nation. Hence, in
order to maintain an acceptable
cross section of open minded
military leaders, the R.O.T.C.
programmust be kept on college
campuses.
IN THIS manner, students not
desiring the rigid atmosphere in
a military academy are en-
couraged to pursue their degree in
a normal university environment
while concurrently earning a
military commission.
Since the installation of the fir-
st R.O.T.C. program at the
University in 1916, over 500 of-
ficers have entered the military
from this campus. In -granting
credit for academically sound
R.Q.T.C. courses, more students
may be encouraged to take ad-
vantage of this opportunity.
SINCE THE CLOSE of the
Vietnam era, the Department of.
Defense has attained a new
image and a peacetime role. The
R.O.T.C. curriculum is geared to
produce officers capable of
managing people within their
field, be it science, engineering,
medicine, etc. In order to prevent
war, skilled leaders are required
to run the military-industrial
complex. The R.O.T.C. environ-
ment stresses this ideal, contrary
to the war-seeking foot soldier
stereotype of the sixties. In short,
R.O.T.C. is designed to turn out
professionals in every career
field.
The material presented in the
R.O.T.C. program can be divided
into two categories: Lower and
upper classmen curriculum. The
first two yearsninR.O.T.C. vary,
depending on the service, but in
general, contain coursework in
military history in addition to
military indoctrination and drill.
These initial two years of
classroom work and drill are not
being considered for academic
credit, rather they present the
student with an overview of the
military. Anyone may disenroll
at any time during this period
and incur no military obligation.
THE 'SECOND category of
R.O.T.C. curriculum includes the
management and political scien-
ce material taught to the
upper classmen. These
courses comprise a total of 12
credit hours distributed over four
By L Wayne Brasure
semesters. Classes in this
category deserve analysis to
determine their academic value.
Such a study was concludedby
the LSA Curriculum Committee
in February 1975. This group
recommended that the LSA
faculty reinstate the credit which
the classes once carried. The
propsal was defeated by- a
majority vote.
hours through the R.O.T.C. must
pay additional tuition, but not
receive additional credit. A
student wishing to avoid
academic. overloads usually
postpones {graduation for a
semester, thereby accruing ad-
ded expenses.
The LSA college must begin to
take action on the R.O.T.C. issue.
As the size of the program con-
tinues to increase, more pressure
evolves for academic-
recognition. If the classes are
determined intellectually sound
'Because of the LSA faculty's
decision
to refuse
credit
for
R. O. T. C. courses,
the effected
student incurs an academic and
financial
burden.
The LSA
student desiring a commission is
forced into course overloads in
order
to accommodate
the
12
credit hours through R. O. T. C.
Because of the LSA faculty's
decision to refuse credit for
R.O.T.C. courses, the effected
student incurs an. academic and
financial burden. The LSA
student desiring a commission is
forced into course overloads in
order to accommodate the 12
credit hours through R.O.T.C.
Tuition is charged on a credit
hour basis for this overload, even
though no credit is granted by
LSA. Therefore, a student taking
16 hours through LSA and three
by the LSA Curriculum Commit
tee, credit status should be gran-
ted.
Nearly all colleges and univer-
sities which similarly discon-
tinued credit recognition during
the Vietnam era have reversed
their actions. The University of
Michigan must now reconsider
its stance.
L. Wayne Brasure is an LSA
Senior.
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EDITORIAL STAFF
Sue Warner .................... .............................EDITOR-IN-CIIIEF
Richard Berke. Julie Rovner.... ............................. MANAGING EDITORS
Michael Arkush. Keith Richburg............................EDITORIAl, DIRECTORS